User talk:Alpiner123

Alpiner123 (talk) 21:11, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

Welcome!
Hello, Pilgrimstales, and welcome to Wikipedia!&#32;Thank you for your contributions.

I noticed that one of the first articles you edited was Draft:Templar Trail, which appears to be dealing with a topic with which you may have a conflict of interest. In other words, you may find it difficult to write about that topic in a neutral and objective way, because you are, work for, or represent, the subject of that article.&#32;Your recent contributions may have already been undone for this very reason.

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I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your messages on talk pages using four tildes ( ~ ); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Questions, ask me on my talk page, or ask your question on this page and then place  before the question. Again, welcome! Barkeep49 (talk) 06:03, 24 December 2019 (UTC)

I have added at COI statement at the top of this page as requested by Jay and Barkeep49. I (Alpiner123) have assumed this project. The Templar Trail article remains factual and verifiable, as I was the one who actually walked/founded this 4,191 km peace trail in 2006 which re-created the path of the First Crusades from France to Jerusalem. Furthermore, I authored a book complete with stages, latitudes/longitudes, recommendations about the trail in 2009. The book (Along the Templar Trail: Seven Million Steps for Peace) and my association with it had appeared in Wikipedia since 2010 until October 2021 when they disappeared. I have made countless appearances and interviews and written many articles about the trail over the past ten years and its significance to peace. I receive no monetary compensation in promoting its existence. I would like to be able to contribute more to this worthwhile project, but ask an editor’s assistance to assure its compliance if necessary, as I’m on a very steep Wiki learning curve. I look forward to your consideration. If it’s easier for us to chat elsewhere, please let me know. Thanks. Alpiner123 (talk) 21:11, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

Nomination of Brandon Wilson (writer) for deletion
A discussion is taking place as to whether the article Brandon Wilson (writer) is suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia according to Wikipedia's policies and guidelines or whether it should be deleted.

The article will be discussed at Articles for deletion/Brandon Wilson (writer) until a consensus is reached, and anyone, including you, is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.

Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article. OhNo itsJamie Talk 02:35, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

Thanks for contacting me. As the subject of the article, I am happy to clarify and/or verify any facts stated in the original article which was posted in 2010. They all appear factual and verifiable. I hesitate adding superfluous links but remain happy to comply if you mention specific instances. As a novice at Wiki, I appreciate any assistance or your review to make this article more compliant and to prevent deletion.Alpiner123 (talk) 10:34, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

I have added a few clarifications on the books list. I can also add other citations and interviews with the author (YouTube interviews, magazine links, etc.) if it will help for inclusion. Just let me know. Alpiner123 (talk) 17:52, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

Post deletion edits

 * you're welcome to edit this in draft space (Draft:Brandon Wilson (writer), but please do not restore it to mainspace without going through AFC. Star   Mississippi  02:00, 18 January 2022 (UTC)


 * I have pulled and noted all (54) public sources to cite and verify accurately this profile and have edited, per everyone’s suggestions. Hope this will be more in line with what Wiki needs. I remain open to your specific suggestions to avoid deletion. Thanks. Alpiner123 (talk) 16:46, 25 January 2022 (UTC)
 * I think you're doing a good job. There are always going to be some challenges inherent in writing about yourself, especially when you're a writer who is used to a different style/audience. For example Once again, anxious to return to the trail, from June–September 2009, Wilson and his wife traversed the high would be wonderful for a book, but isn't encyclopedic, nor are the quotes. I don't think it would pass AfC right now especially with IMDb still in use as a citation but would be happy to leave it for a new reviewer. Let me know your thoughts and thanks for the ping. Star   Mississippi  17:11, 25 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Good points. I deleted "warts and all” and “Once again...” IMDb is not absolutely necessary, just confirming existence of the films. Thanks for your input. Alpiner123 (talk) 17:42, 25 January 2022 (UTC)
 * You're welcome. You may also see I made some edits on the Templar Trail draft when I noticed it below. Would you consider covering that within your biography if consensus lands that it isn't independently notable? [I'm not sure that isn't, but floating the possibility]. I think the book and your journey got significant coverage, WP:NBOOK is complicated, however. Star   Mississippi  18:39, 25 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I welcome any input on the Templar Trail article or the profile. I wanted to establish the profile first to lend credibility and existing citations to the Templar Trail, which, as you mention, received a lot of international coverage. I'd combine it with the profile, except it may get lost there. Rather, I see it as a companion article to: Camino de Santiago, Via Francigena or St. Olavsleden. If we can get it accepted, I’d like to include specific stages, gps markers and distances that others can use as a guide. Any comments on the profile or changes you’d like to make? Where do I move it for others’ comments and to get it accepted? Thanks. Alpiner123 (talk) 11:44, 26 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Hi Alpiner123, I've made a section header so Jay and others can more easily see and contribute to this discussion. I'll be honest, without sources talking about the Templar Trail as a trail (vs. your 2006 trip ), I'm not sure the trail itself is notable. Are there historical sources, such as the crusader map you mentioned following after Budapest? I found one mention, but it appears to be a different trail as it talks about the UK whereas your journey began in France I believe? Where it's located is fine. What I would suggest is mentioning it on a Wikiproject to get interested editors' input. Maybe history, or religion? Star   Mississippi  15:33, 26 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Here is a map showing the route of Godfrey of Bouillon in the First Crusades. Our pilgrimage trail starts in eastern France (Dijon, just south of Strasbourg) and goes to Ratisbonne (aka Regensburg) to Vienna to Budapest, Belgrade, Nis, Sofia, Antrinople (aka Edirne) to Istanbul (Constaninople). From there, because of the Beirut Airport bombing, Hezbollah missles fired at Israel, and evacuation of Lebanon to Cyprus, I headed south to the Turkey coast and went from there to Cyprus, crossed Cyprus and to Haifa to connect to the Israel National Trail to Jerusalem. Again, my motivation was to create a safe alternative for modern pilgrims wanting to walk to the Holy Land. I avoided Syria, as it was unstable even then--and got worse over the next decade. I named it the "Templar Trail" to honorarium those first Knight Templars who were tasked with protecting early pilgrims to Jerusalem c. 1119 – c. 1312. Hope this helps clarify. I have recent maps showing the exact route with stages marked, useful to future walkers. I think they were in the original file. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Crusade#/media/File:Carte_de_la_premiere_croisade.jpg Alpiner123 (talk) 16:21, 26 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Thank you. That's helpful. I'm not sure it's enough for notability but will look at it later when I have some more time. In the mean time I'd definitely suggest dropping a note to the relevant WikiProjects in the event they have some thoughts on how notability could be conveyed or whether there's a better place for this to live. Wikivoyage comes to mind, but there may be more options.  Star   Mississippi  16:55, 26 January 2022 (UTC)

Per suggestions, I have provided (52) published impartial national and international citations to the Brandon Wilson, writer profile, and edited it to make it more in Wikipedia style. Please note, this profile had been in Wikipedia and had been modified by editors since 2009 and was just removed in 2021. As it now has many more source citations, I would like it to be considered again for inclusion before I work further on the Templar Trail piece. Thanks. Alpiner123 (talk) 10:35, 27 January 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi! Click the blue submit for review button and an editor will review it. I personally will not as I have been what is considered "involved" so will leave it for someone else's opinion. Thank you for unearthing sourcing so folks can work on either article. Have a great day Star   Mississippi  14:11, 27 January 2022 (UTC)


 * Thanks. I have a general question. After hours of pulling out hardcopy sources, someone is still demanding page numbers for articles appearing in newspapers over 15 years ago. I have supplied publication dates and author names, but the original webpages have disappeared and everything is online now. Newspaper “morgues” are a thing of the past. What should I do? Also, there are 3-4 review blurbs supplied by notable people that actually appear in the published book editions, but they were originally sent to me or my publicist by email. How best to address this? Thanks for helping me thru the maze. Alpiner123 (talk) 14:45, 27 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Hi! As far as I'm aware, page numbers are not required. Even for current sourcing, they may not exist. I think if you provide as full a citation as possible so that if someone were to go to their library and access the microfiche (is that still a thing? I'm old!) they could find the article you reference, it should be fine. Review blurbs within your books likely don't count toward NAUTHOR as they're not independent. Presumably your publishing company solicited them on your behalf? I think the volume of sourcing will be fine if an AFC reviewer decides you meet Wikipedia's notability guidelines. Does that help? Star   Mississippi  14:53, 27 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Thanks, I’m old, too. I’ll do what I can. In-book reviews, while requested in advance by the publisher, are difficult to get from notables, unless they have the time and really, truly like the book. As they have nothing to gain, they’ll usually just pass. I was really fortunate and their words kept me going. Thanks. Alpiner123 (talk) 15:42, 27 January 2022 (UTC)
 * The 'someone' referred to above is me. I am one of the group of reviewers that the draft will be looked at by and either accepted into mainspace or declined. If you were to submit this draft for review now, it may sit in the queue for two months and then be declined by a reviewer, putting you back where you started. Far better to improve the draft now than wait. While page numbers are not mandatory, I am assuming you have access to copies of the articles such as in your scrapbook. If the page number is visible, please do include it (as you've done in some references), as that helps the reader verify the statement that the reference is there to support. I see that some of the references are to television interviews. Please read Published to understand that the sources you reference need to be available somewhere for verification, so if you are relying on your memory of having done an interview, but no copy exists anywhere, that won't suffice. Curb Safe Charmer (talk) 23:09, 27 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Will do. I have contacted many of the original sources and am waiting for replies. As mentioned earlier, many newspapers have gone digital and no longer have clipping morgues of the past. I may have to eliminate the TV references. I have some disc copies the stations gave me, but not for anyone to conveniently see. Is it permitted to reference You-Tube or Serius radio broadcasts on file and for public use? As far as the “Who’s Who” ref., I have just received any email from their editorial dept. listing all the (16) editions and dates I appeared in, but I have no page numbers or ways to source that. Do I need to cut it? Just checking. Thanks.Alpiner123 (talk) 09:59, 28 January 2022 (UTC)


 * I’ve supplied corrections where noted and more refs today. Still waiting on a few page numbers. Any idea where all my quotes went? I was told that I had too many or too long, so I cut it in half. Now, they’re all gone. Other authors (Phil Cousineau, for example) have at least a few included. I thought they added, since they were about pilgrimage, peace and travel.Alpiner123 (talk) 14:56, 28 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Hi! I didn't remove the quotes, although I would have as well. While you've done amazing work on the draft, I still think you have a slight misunderstanding of what these articles are meant to be. They're meant to focus on what others say (write, etc.) about you, not what you say. That's why we link to your books page, for example, where the reader can find more if they are curious to hear more about your journeys. I believe there's a citation template for radio, so Sirius would be fine. Not so sure about YouTube. Pinging @Curb Safe Charmer as they mentioned being an AFC reviewer and would know more. Star   Mississippi  15:59, 28 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Since you've raised the Phil Cousineau article, those quotes were added by a Wikipedia author called . Is that an old account of yours per chance? Curb Safe Charmer (talk) 16:30, 28 January 2022 (UTC)
 * No, it’s not my moniker.Alpiner123 (talk) 16:41, 28 January 2022 (UTC)
 * As it says in WP:OTHERCONTENT, it is tempting but not a good idea to assume that just because an existing article contains 'x' that yours should also contain 'x'. There are many articles that are badly written, and more that probably shouldn't exist at all. In this case, there's no way that the Phil Cousineau article would have been accepted in its current state. It isn't so bad that it should be deleted, but it wouldn't have been accepted. Curb Safe Charmer (talk) 17:34, 28 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Okay, just learning more every day. Alpiner123 (talk) 17:41, 28 January 2022 (UTC)


 * After research, I have added more references recently with page numbers, however, more appear daily. Most recently, there is a need of citation that I worked with Bucky Fuller’s group to design a community center in the Arctic in 1982. I have an autographed copy of his book addressed to me, Assistant to the Mayor, from his partner. Is that good enough? Another asks proof that I contributed to Alaska newspapers forty years ago. Are you suggesting I need to provide clippings? Another comment asks for proof I received a Univ. of Pittsburgh Literary Award in 1971, or suggests I delete it. I have the certificate, but fifty years is a long time to find a clipping. I have queried the University. However, it was important award for a 16-year-old, as it the first real recognition that I might have writing talent. Finally, I see my deceased parent’s names were deleted. I thought this standard to include in profiles. Just trying to clarify. Thanks. Alpiner123 (talk) 12:12, 31 January 2022 (UTC)
 * I refer you to the advice I wrote on your talk page on 19 January: "ruthlessly strip out any statements that don't have a reliable, independent, published source". If no publication has written about your involvement in designing a community center in the Arctic, it should not be in the article. An autographed copy of a book on your bookshelf is not a published source. See Published. This is the problem with autobiographies - more often than not, their writers can't help themselves in including things based on their own memories - which have no place in an encylopedia article. The names of someone's parents, brothers, cousins, children are only included if those relatives are independently notable and reliably sourced. See WP:BLPNAME, and I suggest you re-read WP:YOURSELF. Curb Safe Charmer (talk) 13:16, 31 January 2022 (UTC)
 * I agree with and therefore won't repeat what @Curb Safe Charmer beat me to. That's the difference between an encyclopedia article about you and a profile of you. This does not need to be every fact about your life and career and we link out for those who want to know more. I know you're editing in good faith, I just don't think you quite understand what this article should read. Star   Mississippi  16:57, 31 January 2022 (UTC)

Thanks for clarification. Alpiner123 (talk) 17:51, 31 January 2022 (UTC)

WP:AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Hello, Alpiner123. We welcome your contributions, but if you have an external relationship with the people, places or things you have written about on Wikipedia, you may have a conflict of interest (COI). Editors with a conflict of interest may be unduly influenced by their connection to the topic. See the conflict of interest guideline and FAQ for organizations for more information. We ask that you:


 * avoid editing or creating articles about yourself, your family, friends, colleagues, company, organization or competitors;
 * propose changes on the talk pages of affected articles (you can use the request edit template);
 * disclose your conflict of interest when discussing affected articles (see Conflict of interest);
 * avoid linking to your organization's website in other articles (see Spam);
 * do your best to comply with Wikipedia's content policies.

In addition, you are required by the Wikimedia Foundation's terms of use to disclose your employer, client, and affiliation with respect to any contribution which forms all or part of work for which you receive, or expect to receive, compensation. See Paid-contribution disclosure.

Also, editing for the purpose of advertising, publicising, or promoting anyone or anything is not permitted. Thank you. OhNo itsJamie Talk 02:33, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
 * you have been editing Brandon Wilson (writer) inspite of this notice, and are yet to provide the disclosure requested. Jay (talk) 19:53, 14 January 2022 (UTC)

A COI was added per request tonight, plus request in making this entry more compliant. Thanks. Alpiner123 (talk) 21:20, 14 January 2022 (UTC)
 * You added it incorrectly. You placed the Connected Contributor template at the draft page instead of the draft talk page. moved it to the draft talk page, but placed it at the bottom instead, which I missed, and I added a new one at the top. The template you added was incomplete, hence not in the correct format. Now I have removed the duplicate. Note Step 3. If you want to note the COI on your user page, you can use the UserboxCOI template. Then we can link to that declaration.  Jay (talk) 10:05, 28 January 2022 (UTC)

Jay (talk) I have pulled and noted all (54) public sources to cite and verify accurately and have re-written this profile, per everyone’s suggestions. Hope this will be more in line with what Wiki needs. I remain open to your specific suggestions to avoid deletion. Thanks. Alpiner123 (talk) 16:40, 25 January 2022 (UTC)
 * The article was deleted and then moved to draft space where the rules are different. Moving it back to article space now will most probably get it deleted again, as you have been the sole contributor. See WP:Article for creation which is to be used by anyone with a WP:Conflict of interest. You can submit the draft for review, which will give you feedback on any inconsistency with WP:BLPs. Jay (talk) 19:12, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

Per suggestions, I have provided (52) published impartial national and international citations to the Brandon Wilson, writer profile, and edited it to make it more in Wikipedia style. Please note, this profile had been in Wikipedia and had been modified by editors since 2009 and was just removed in 2021. As it now has many more source citations, I would like it to be considered again for inclusion before I work further on the Templar Trail piece. Thanks. Alpiner123 (talk) 10:36, 27 January 2022 (UTC)

January 2022
Hello, and thank you for your contributions to Wikipedia. This is just a note to let you know that I've moved the draft that you were working on to Draft:Templar Trail, from its old location at User:Alpiner123/sandbox. This has been done because the Draft namespace is the preferred location for Articles for Creation submissions. Please feel free to continue to work on it there. If you have any questions about this, you are welcome to ask me on my talk page. Thank you. Curb Safe Charmer (talk) 17:38, 13 January 2022 (UTC)

Your submission at Articles for creation: Templar Trail (January 13)
 Your recent article submission to Articles for Creation has been reviewed! Unfortunately, it has not been accepted at this time. The reasons left by Curb Safe Charmer were:

Please check the submission for any additional comments left by the reviewer. You are encouraged to edit the submission to address the issues raised and resubmit when they have been resolved.


 * If you would like to continue working on the submission, go to Draft:Templar Trail and click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the window.
 * If you now believe the draft cannot meet Wikipedia's standards or do not wish to progress it further, you may request deletion. Please go to Draft:Templar Trail, click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the window, add "Db-g7" at the top of the draft text and click the blue "publish changes" button to save this edit.
 * If you do not make any further changes to your draft, in 6 months, it will be considered abandoned and may be deleted.
 * If you need any assistance, or have experienced any untoward behavior associated with this submission, you can ask for help at the [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:WikiProject_Articles_for_creation/Help_desk&action=edit&section=new&nosummary=1&preload=Template:AfC_decline/HD_preload&preloadparams%5B%5D=Draft:Templar_Trail Articles for creation help desk], on the [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Curb_Safe_Charmer&action=edit&section=new&nosummary=1&preload=Template:AfC_decline/HD_preload&preloadparams%5B%5D=Draft:Templar_Trail reviewer's talk page] or use Wikipedia's real-time chat help from experienced editors.

Curb Safe Charmer (talk) 19:36, 13 January 2022 (UTC)

Your autobiography
While I am not intending to help you with it, I still have Draft:Brandon Wilson (writer) on my watchlist, and I can see the direction you are going in with it. If you are just writing it for your own pleasure then fine, but if you are expecting it to be accepted as a Wikipedia article then I can assure you it won't be, at least in its current state. Rather than expand it, as you appear to be doing, the way to get it accepted would be the opposite - ruthlessly strip out any statements that don't have a reliable, independent, published source. Any interview with you will be considered not to be an independent source, so you should probably delete all of those references. References have to be verifiable, so where you've referenced some newspaper article from years ago, you should add the name of the writer, the title of the article and the page number. Lastly, bear in mind that Wikipedia articles about people are based on what other, independent published sources have written about the person, not what the person has written. So the best references are what other books have written about you, or what national newspapers have written about you. See also the advice at WP:YOURSELF. Curb Safe Charmer (talk) 13:20, 19 January 2022 (UTC)

Thanks for your input. I can assure you, I’m not writing this for my own edification or lack of projects. I would, however, like to establish some expertise in what I have done for thirty years so I can address the Templar Trail article with more authority. We have now assembled all the original newspaper articles and have started to add the article/review authors, page numbers and dates for verification, as requested. That will take a few days. As you know, newspapers no longer have morgues and everything is digital now, so I’m relieved to be able to access these on paper. If necessary, I can upload them for verification. A few of the more recent ones are, however, only online, as I note in other profiles. Alpiner123 (talk) 17:46, 20 January 2022 (UTC)

Referencing Help for You
Hi Alpiner123. A tip you might find helpful as you add more sourcing info to the Trail and your article: Citing_sources. I think you'll find the templates easier. You can see them in use in your bio where I converted a few of yours to the style. Let me know if you need help. Star  Mississippi  14:18, 1 February 2022 (UTC)

Hi Star Mississippi. Thanks. I’ve added all the references I can find and welcome any touches to finalise this. All statements appear well documented. Alpiner123 (talk) 14:59, 1 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Great. If you think your work is done, you can click the blue buttons on each to submit for review. If I have time, I'll try to tinker with these further. Thanks for all your help.  Star   Mississippi  15:46, 1 February 2022 (UTC)

Hi Star Mississippi. Thank you! Yes, I'd appreciate a double-check. I had to duplicate the intro paragraph in order to edit it, you may notice (comment in red). I’d like to upload maps and stages/distances between towns if appropriate, but I have no idea how. Any assist is greatly appreciated.Alpiner123 (talk) 16:13, 1 February 2022 (UTC)


 * I think @Frietjes might have handled the technical issue, but let me know if not. I'd suggest dropping your question about map uploads on the Talk, or maybe WikiProject_Maps for their insight. It's an area I'm unfortunately unfamiliar with. Star   Mississippi  17:42, 1 February 2022 (UTC)

Hi Star Mississippi. I’m not sure if the technical issues were handled, as I don’t see them. I dropped the map reference and will add later if approved. I edited the first paragraph based on what looked like a lead paragraph supplied by someone else. However, I don’t see the lead par. on my view to edit, so it looks like we have two nearly identical first paragraphs. Where do I find the first one for deletion? Thanks and good day. Alpiner123 (talk) 12:47, 2 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Please read MOS:OPENPARABIO. Curb Safe Charmer (talk) 12:52, 2 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi! Please think about referencing fully. You're already asking editors to review your draft-which is perfect for a COI editor, and providing helpful links, which is much appreciated but if rather than this you do something like this it helps prevent link rot and gives readers more context. Thanks!

OK, I’ll take another look. Alpiner123 (talk) 14:31, 3 February 2022 (UTC)

Hi Star Mississippi. I’ve reworked the links in the Templar Trail article, not the profile yet. I think I reformatted them all, enough to make one’s head spin. Please have one last look to see if I missed anything in general. Thanks.Alpiner123 (talk) 11:55, 4 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Looks good. @Curb Safe Charmer was on line sooner than I was, but I just did a tinker too. The italics weren't your issue, the software has issues with quotation marks and single for italics. Will have a deeper look post coffee but you've made great improvements. Star   Mississippi  14:42, 4 February 2022 (UTC)

Thanks!Alpiner123 (talk) 15:02, 4 February 2022 (UTC)

I’ll try to work on the profile incorporating the same kind of changes to references this weekend. Alpiner123 (talk) 15:08, 4 February 2022 (UTC)

I think I caught all the citations and changed formatting. There is one (Pitz) on profile that refuses to do for some reason. Comments? Thanks. Alpiner123 (talk) 16:41, 5 February 2022 (UTC)

Hi User:Star Mississippi and User:Curb Safe Charmer: I’ve done all I can on the Wilson profile and Templar Trail articles. Am I clear to submit these now for approval? What’s the process once they are submitted and how soon may they be reviewed? Thanks again for your assists.Alpiner123 (talk) 17:08, 7 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi! Once you submit, you just wait for someone to have the time/interest to review them. Could be anywhere from one day to just shy of two months, looking at the queue. When/if you do engage with the reviewer as you have with us (thank you) going to remind you not to refer to the article as a profile, since Wikipedia does not host profiles and your goal is for this to be accepted. Besides wanting someone else to weigh in since I closed the AfD, I'm doubly going to avoid reviewing as I picked up a copy of Dead Men Don't Leave Tips which probably isn't enough for COI, but I want to avoid any appearance of such. Star   Mississippi  18:10, 7 February 2022 (UTC)

Hi User:Star Mississippi Thanks for helping this neophite. I doubt the book would disqualify you, nor helping me with formatting questions. It may make you more familiar with the subject, much as a Medieval scholar might edit a Crusade article. BTW, the book takes place in 1990, so some changes, but Africa seems to change monthly. Cheers. Alpiner123 (talk) 09:17, 8 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Changes monthly indeed. Curious whether you've read Ffyona Campnell's books about her journey? Another fascinating look at changing Africa. Happy to help any editor who is helping us in return, which you have and then some. And definitely free to still edit the article but I wouldn't review it for mainspace eligibility. Star   Mississippi  14:49, 8 February 2022 (UTC)

Submitted both articles.Alpiner123 (talk) 09:20, 8 February 2022 (UTC)

Hi User:Star Mississippi No, I haven’t read Campnell’s book. Each experience is so different, as in all travel, and ours’ was a “ship of fools” trip. I see the editor’s comments on the article and am unsure how to respond. Half the professional work was eliminated (all anthologies, essays, photos), all the awards were eliminated, all the honors were eliminated, reasons why notable were eliminated, and most of the citations are now useless since they refer to nothing remaining. What do you suggest? I’m a bit flummoxed, since the lack of citations was the main reason it was eliminated in the first place. Thanks.Alpiner123 (talk) 08:11, 9 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi @Alpiner123. I'm copying @BuySomeApples so they see your queries and you two can have a conversation about how best to proceed. You'll note that BSA said it was their opinion that you may meet the author notability guidelines, so I suggest taking them up on the request for the three best sources. I created a sub section below so you two, @Curb Safe Charmer if they're around/interested, and I can discuss. I admit I have not yet fully read BSA's review but will do so. Star   Mississippi  14:50, 9 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi ! I hope you're not too disappointed about me removing content from the page. I had to do this so I could actually see whether the page could meet notability guidelines in the first place. A lot of the citations I removed were ones which aren't reliable or independent (IMDB, press releases, dustjacket quotes, Boy Scouts certificates, etc) and a few that didn't actually mention you (like Atlas Obscura). This cut the amount of sources down from 65 to 38, but its better to have a few good sources than lots of bad ones. Any information which was cited to bad sources also had to go. I left one or two awards in, and removed the rest for now. It might seem ruthless but the end goal is to make this page read like an entry in an encyclopedia. After removing all that, the page could actually be published as is.


 * Now that the unencyclopedic parts have been taken out, it can be expanded again using the advice shared by different editors. This doesn't mean adding everything back (or we're back to square 1). It does mean using the reliable sources available to you to add more information. This is why I left a lot of citations in that are used for only one sentence. Not having full access to a lot of these sources makes them difficult for me to use, but I can tell that they indicate notability. For example, if you have paywalled or offline articles which go into detail on your explorations or reviews of your work, then you can (and should!) add a little more detail. You've had a very interesting life, and it seems like there's more than enough material to work with. Try not go overboard with quoting yourself though, as that usually reads as more promotional.


 * We can also put back some noteworthy awards and honors, like the IPPY awards and (if they can be sourced) the Knights Hospitaller and Explorers Club. Some honors like Boy Scouts achievements and Mensa International should probably be left off. The reliability / notability of ForeWord has been questioned so we should also leave that out. It might be hard to fill in that some of your early life and career, since there's less sources to use. In that case, there might end up being a lot of information that has to left out. That's OK, since it can always be expanded in the future as new sources appear. Once you're done adding to the page, I can give the page a full review before accepting it. BuySomeApples (talk) 21:19, 9 February 2022 (UTC)

Discussion with reviewer
has done at the outset - "ruthlessly strip out any statements that don't have a reliable, independent, published source". If Alpiner123's intention is that this draft should be accepted as an article then he should accept with grace that Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not an outlet for publicity, and has its own house style. Leaving superfluous material in an article will just result in the draft languishing for months amongst the 3,275 articles currently awaiting review as reviewers don't want to trawl through so many references trying to find the WP:THREE needed to establish notability and have better things to do than WP:TNT it. Alpiner123 has already been warned about the problems of writing about WP:YOURSELF and should bear in mind that if accepted, most further edits will be subject of edit requests rather than editing the article directly. As the ever-patient has repeatedly pointed out, this is an encyclopedia article, not a LinkedIn profile. Curb Safe Charmer (talk) 15:10, 9 February 2022 (UTC)

AfC notification: Draft:Brandon Wilson (writer) has a new comment
 I've left a comment on your Articles for Creation submission, which can be viewed at Draft:Brandon Wilson (writer). Thanks! BuySomeApples (talk) 22:12, 8 February 2022 (UTC)

AfC notification: Draft:Brandon Wilson (writer) has a new comment
 I've left a comment on your Articles for Creation submission, which can be viewed at Draft:Brandon Wilson (writer). Thanks! BuySomeApples (talk) 23:13, 8 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Thank you @BuySomeApples. @Alpiner123 let us know if you have any issues accessing Apples' question. If helpful, I can start a section there for you too. Star   Mississippi  23:27, 8 February 2022 (UTC)

Thank you for your time, @BuySomeApples and @User:Star Mississippi. I have narrowed down the reliable sources, as requested. Many of the others were behind paywalls, although I have hard copies for everything mentioned. Now, where exactly do I enter them?Alpiner123 (talk) 16:41, 9 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Here you go: Draft_talk:Brandon_Wilson_(writer). This way future editors can also access them. Star   Mississippi  17:05, 9 February 2022 (UTC)

Your submission at Articles for creation: Brandon Wilson (writer) has been accepted
 Brandon Wilson (writer), which you submitted to Articles for creation, has been created.

Congratulations, and thank you for helping expand the scope of Wikipedia! We hope you will continue making quality contributions.

The article has been assessed as C-Class, which is recorded on its talk page. This is a great rating for a new article, and places it among the top of accepted submissions — kudos to you! You may like to take a look at the grading scheme to see how you can improve the article.

Since you have made at least 10 edits over more than four days, you can now create articles yourself without posting a request. However, you may continue submitting work to Articles for creation if you prefer.

If you have any questions, you are welcome to ask at the  [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:WikiProject_Articles_for_creation/Help_desk&action=edit&section=new&nosummary=1&preload=Template:AfC_talk/HD_preload&preloadparams%5B%5D=Brandon_Wilson_(writer) help desk] . Once you have made at least 10 edits and had an account for at least four days, you will have the option to create articles yourself without posting a request to Articles for creation.

If you would like to help us improve this process, please consider.

Thanks again, and happy editing! BuySomeApples (talk) 01:24, 15 February 2022 (UTC)

Templar Trail
Hi I'm pretty happy with how the Brandon Wilson (writer) page turned out, let me know if you want any help working on Draft:Templar Trail. BuySomeApples (talk) 01:45, 15 February 2022 (UTC)

Hi Thanks. Yes, it worked pretty well. I’d appreciate your input on Draft:Templar Trail. Many of the sources are familiar to you already, and I’ve added country maps. It’s pretty stripped down, so I’d like to leave the meat, if we can. Let me know.Alpiner123 (talk) 21:18, 15 February 2022 (UTC)

Your submission at Articles for creation: Templar Trail has been accepted
 Templar Trail, which you submitted to Articles for creation, has been created.

Congratulations, and thank you for helping expand the scope of Wikipedia! We hope you will continue making quality contributions.

Since you have made at least 10 edits over more than four days, you can now create articles yourself without posting a request. However, you may continue submitting work to Articles for creation if you prefer.

If you have any questions, you are welcome to ask at the  [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:WikiProject_Articles_for_creation/Help_desk&action=edit&section=new&nosummary=1&preload=Template:AfC_talk/HD_preload&preloadparams%5B%5D=Templar_Trail help desk] . Once you have made at least 10 edits and had an account for at least four days, you will have the option to create articles yourself without posting a request to Articles for creation.

If you would like to help us improve this process, please consider.

Thanks again, and happy editing! Curb Safe Charmer (talk) 11:48, 17 February 2022 (UTC)

Congratulations
Both the article about you and the trail are now live. Thanks for your help with the research as without it, the article wouldn't exist. One thing I'm not sure you're aware of is now that they're published, you shouldn't edit them directly, although minor edits are probably fine. You can use Edit requests or leave a note pinging one of us on the talk and we'll be happy to help. Star  Mississippi  14:30, 17 February 2022 (UTC)

Hi Thanks to everyone for their assistance. It has been an interesting experience. No, I wasn’t aware I couldn’t edit these at all, since I was notified I could now go straight to create. However, it seems there are still edits every few hours, even though the articles are up. So, I trust everything is set for now and I can go back to my routine. I was wondering... I’m still curious why there is a thirty year gap surrounding my time in Hawaii, where I primarily lived from 1986. Yes, we cover the pilgrimages well, but the other adventures were all cut, as well as writing life outside that. I admittedly don’t have detailed news articles for that period, and even if I did I certainly don’t want it to appear self-indulgent. Gale Contemporary Authors was surprisingly more comprehensive, but it was cut as a reference. Brief details could be easily included, but, I understand and accept it, if this is the way Wiki acts as an encyclopaedic reference. Thanks again.Alpiner123 (talk) 16:31, 17 February 2022 (UTC)


 * That's correct. You can start articles live on subjects that you are not connected with since you're likely extended confirmed. Edit requests would be used for articles with which you have a connection, such as these two. If you feel information should be added about that thirty year period, you can certainly make a request including Gale or any other applicable independent source. However, the article links to your website where readers can go to find out more about you, so it isn't necessary to include everything in the article. You'll see regular edits as people stumble on the article, or make tweaks to address issues they see, which is what @Curb Safe Charmer is doing right now. Does that help? Star   Mississippi  17:02, 17 February 2022 (UTC)

Thanks for your patience thru this! Alpiner123 (talk) 19:44, 17 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Yay! It's great to both pages up and ready to go. BuySomeApples (talk) 05:33, 18 February 2022 (UTC)

Edit requests
Thanks for understanding. I hope this Wiki article will be around far longer than my website, so please see about adding the Gale Reference back. Here’s the former code: (which also appear in the history discussion) 1. "About This Person" (https://galeapps.gale.com/apps/auth?userGroupName=gale_new1&si d=CA&origURL=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.gale.com%2Fps%2Fi.do%3Fp%3DCA%26u%3Dgal e_new1%26id%3DGALE%25257CH1000181760%26v%3D2.1%26it%3Dr%26sid%3DCA% 26asid%3D99d28b83&prodId=CA). Gale. Retrieved 2022-01-27.

Finally, here’s abbreviated text re. the missing Hawaii years 1986-2005. It should go after Anchorage Convention..., before Exploration subhead. "Wilson relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1986, where he was an ad agency sr. copywriter until 1989 when he began a creative consultancy specialising in the travel industry, while writing adventure articles for national media.

Thanks!Alpiner123 (talk) 16:13, 20 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi Mr. Wilson. Adding a section so other editors more clearly see this. I don't have time right now to work on this, but please ping me later this week if no one else handles it in the mean time. Star   Mississippi  17:45, 20 February 2022 (UTC)

Thanks! Maybe BuySomeApples will help?Alpiner123 (talk) 18:58, 20 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Those edits sound like no problem, however the Gale link is broken or it requires a sign-in maybe. Is there another link? BuySomeApples (talk) 19:13, 20 February 2022 (UTC)

Here it is: I just checked and it’s working. ""About This Person"". Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Publishing. 2018. ISBN 978-1410322852. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=CA&u=gale_new1&id=GALE%7CH1000181760&v=2.1&it=r&sid=CA&asid=99d28b83 Retrieved 2022-02-09. Thanks. Alpiner123 (talk) 20:36, 20 February 2022 (UTC)

"Brandon Wilson." Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors, Gale, 2019. Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors, link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1000181760/CA?u=gale_new1&sid=bookmark-CA&xid=1b503887. Accessed 20 Feb. 2022.
 * Thanks I went ahead and made both edits. Cheers! BuySomeApples (talk) 21:51, 20 February 2022 (UTC)

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