Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2007 January 10

=January 10=

Advertisment
How do you add the message that an article reads like an advertisment? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.142.39.222 (talk) 01:53, 10 January 2007 (UTC).


 * Use the template. &mdash; Kieff 01:58, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * If it's really blatant advertising - that is, "it would need to be fundamentally rewritten in order to become encyclopedic" (WP:CSD), and there's no version to revert to that doesn't have this problem, tag it for deletion with db-advert. --Sam Blanning(talk) 02:50, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

/
how do u use wikipedia?
 * Short question, impossibly long answer. Although "Just click 'edit this page' at the top, be bold and jump in" would do for some. For a better introduction to editing though, try Introduction and the Tutorial. --Sam Blanning(talk) 03:10, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Hmm...I think this is kind of ironic since the text on the help page that links says "''Help desk for asking how to use wikipedia". Yeah basically click the edit this page and be bold! Arjun  04:09, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

You can type an article name in the search box on the left and get a good deal of information on the subject. .V. (talk) 05:33, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

Keys for ~/¬ and @/" switching around
For some reason, recently a couple of the keys on my keyboard have been switching around when I use Wikipedia, apparently at random times. To type " (quote marks) I should be pressing shift-2, but sometimes it switches to 'shift-, the button two keys right of 'L', which should produce'@'. The ~ (tilde) should also be shift-#, between /@' and the enter key, but it keeps switching to the key left of '1'.

I think this may have something to do with American keyboard layout (mine is UK), as I used to have an Amiga where the '@' and '"' were the opposite from what was printed on my keyboard as well. I think this started happening around 17th December, because I first noticed it when I went home for Christmas and used my parents' computer, and assumed that was the problem - however, I'm back at uni now and it's still happening. I have no idea what causes the keys to switch - sometimes I just try to write quote marks or my signature, and find I'm writing '@' or '||||'. Then as I've started using 'the wrong button' it switches back the way it should be and I'm typing '¬¬¬¬'. Anyone know?

I can't swear that the fault is with Wikipedia, as I don't use this computer for any other writing atm, but if it isn't then I don't know why my parents' computer did it as well. --Sam Blanning(talk) 03:09, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * I can't see how a particular web page would change your keyboard layout, but have you checked to see if you have two or more keyboard layouts installed? (If you're running Windows XP, you can check that in Regional Options in the Control Panel) Maybe you're accidentally pressing the key combination that switches the layouts around... Cheers, Tangotango (talk) 03:16, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Yes, on an American keyboard the button two spaces to the right of L when combined with shift produces quotes, and the number 2+shift creates the @ symbol. It's likely an issue with that. Then again, if you've gotten liquid into your keyboard it can screw things up (I've done it).  Dooms Day349  03:18, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Your regional settings are probably set to American. Go to Control Panel, Regional and Language Options, Keyboards & Languages, Change keyboards - and select the UK one. I'm using Windows Vista so the exact menus may be different - but that should solve yer issues. --Sagaciousuk (talk) 03:21, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

My keyboard was set to UK when I looked, but I'm putting money on Tangotango's idea. Is the key combination in question Shift-Alt-something? Since my parents' computer had Firefox 2 installed, which requires you to use Shift-Alt for Wikipedia shortcuts, maybe that made me start inadvertantly switching layouts - even though I have 1.5 here, I haven't dropped the habit of pressing shift (since it works either way). I've removed the US keyboard layout from the list, hopefully that'll fix it. Thanks for your help. --Sam Blanning(talk) 03:55, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * I had a similar problem (I couldn't log in cause my password used @ and I couldn't find it on the keyboard) and it turned out the keyboard was set to UK. When changed back to US the keys produced what they had labeled. I think you may need to add the US keyboard layout back to the list in order to correct it. James086 Talk 04:06, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

I've had this (or a similar) problem before. The quote sign (") and apostrophe sign (') both went haywire. Rebooting fixed it. Carcharoth 04:13, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Moving AfD to the OLD page so deletion can be processes
how do I do this ? does it have to be done by an administrator ? tx
 * As long as the AfD has been correctly entered in the logs, it's moved automatically after 5 days (which is the length of time an AfD should be open). Even if it hasn't been entered in the logs, or has been malformed, there are at least two bots (DumbBOT and Bot523) that are capable of reporting the error so it can be fixed by hand (DumbBOT also fixes some AfDs itself). So don't worry about this; it'll be handled automatically. --ais523 09:25, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

'how to participate'
how to participate —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 203.111.235.40 (talk) 09:50, 10 January 2007
 * If you're looking for information about how to participate in Wikipedia, see Introduction and Community Portal. --ais523 09:53, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Reporting Errors
The page titled United Kingdom is completely incorrect. The text is actually about the contraceptive condom. I tried to report this, but in order to do so I would have to learn how to use complex templates and the general methods of congtributing and editing Wikipedia - which I have no wish to do, and suspect most browsers of the web also have no wish to do. Can you not provide some simple means for casual browsers to report glaring errors such as this one? Can you also arrange to fix the problem. Incidentally I was trying to find a general article on the UK, and NOT information on condoms. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 213.123.185.154 (talk) 10:23, 10 January 2007 (UTC).
 * It's fixed. as for the reporting, most pages are watched by a number of people so vandalism is reverted pretty quickly. You must be an amaaazing fast reader as the page was altered at 6.55am and reverted by an anti-vandal bot at.. 6.55am. So it must be just a fluke you saw that version. --Charlesknight 10:33, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * It's been fixed now. There isn't really a process for reporting one-off vandalism of this kind, because it's easier to fix it than report it; see Help:Reverting and Cleaning up vandalism for more information. --ais523 10:35, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Adding talk to my signature
How do I get my signature to display "talk" at the end, so that people can go straight to my talkpage. --Charlesknight 10:37, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * See How to fix your signature and Sign your posts on talk pages for more information about customizing signatures. In your case, the signature would be ; you can enter this into the 'signature' box in Special:Preferences and tick 'Use raw signature'. --ais523 10:41, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * (after edit conflict) Go into your "my preferences" at the top of the page and edit the signature box. You'll need to enter the raw code (so tick the raw signature box) and pipe the links to your userpage and talk. So something like Charlesknight (talk) would display as Charlesknight (talk). Hope that helps. Trebor 10:43, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Bad Internal Link
I recently hit the Random Article button and ended up with an article about Glowin' Moses at the bottom of the article it lists band members one of whom is Michael J. Adams, the band was formed in the 1990's. However this last link takes me to someone of the same name who died in 1967. My question do I just deactivate the link or should I post a notice somewhere about the link, and what is the correct Wiki name for this occurrence? thanks --Matt 12:27, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * You want to disambiguate that link and have it point to Michael J. Adams (musician). You can use the pipe-trick to have that last part not appear -- like this: Michael J. Adams. - Mgm|(talk) 12:31, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Thanks for that makes sense however it is getting murkier another band member link points to another dead astronaut I think I am going to Google the band and see what I come up with --Matt 12:35, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Well they seem legit just some name disambiguation needed--Matt 12:40, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

servers
how many servers power wiki? is there a page that shows the servers?
 * Which wiki? Wikipedia isn't the only site running on wiki software. http://www.wikimedia.org and Servers may be of help to you. - Mgm|(talk) 13:48, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

How to edit top section?
I want to edit the first paragraph of a page, but when I click the first edit button, it brings up the second section. How does one edit the first section? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ncsteele (talk • contribs) 13:21, 10 January 2007 (UTC).
 * like this look at the URL on the top of your screen after you click--66.65.185.43 13:22, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Click any section edit button. Change the "section=1" bit (the number varies depending on the section), and replace it with "section=0" and reload the URL. Carcharoth 21:04, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Living Person category
I edited a page (Diana Peacocke), adding a link to the 'living person' category. Do I now go to the 'living person' section and add her manually in there somehow, or does this happen automatically?

Et In Arcadia Ego 13:22, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

It happens automatically, as long as you added The colon before "Category" makes a link like this Category:X, instead of actually adding it to the category. Hope that helps! | A ndonic O  Talk 13:43, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Accidental duplicate page creation
Dear Sir/Madame,

I made a mistake of creating duplicate pages with different names ([Radio student] and [Radio Student]) instead of moving a page which is what I actullay wanted to do :-(

How can I now delete the obsolete [Radio student] page?

Thank you for your help!

Goran Tomas

I added the speedy deletion tag to the page.

--Goran Tomaš 13:26, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Clarification of correct process to follow for this correction
Can someone look at I just added to Images and media for deletion/2007 January 10 in respect of the image Image:Dudley.jpg. Theres been an overwrite of a legitimate image by a copyvio image, obviously not intentional.

I'm not sure what the appropriate way to fix it or even where to report it for untangling. Can someone address it properly and then explain on my talk page what needed doing, for another time? Thanks. FT2 (Talk 14:17, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * ✅ —  Big Nate 37 (T) 15:11, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

HELP ME
i AM A MANAGER FOR SMART TECHNOLOGIES AND AM VERY INTERESTED IN FINDING MORE ABOUT YOUR SITE. i HAVE 18 CONSULTANTS WHO NEED TO SHARE FILES OF 9MG-100 MG SPACE PRETTY CONSISTENTLY. i WOULD LIKE A REPRESENTATIVE TO CALL ME AT MY HOME NO. WHICH IS  (personal information removed) . i NEED TO KNOW HOW TO UPLOAD AND DOWNLEAD AND ORGANIZE FILES EASILY. THANKS MUCH Marie DAriotis —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Marie111 (talk • contribs) 14:36, 10 January 2007 (UTC).
 * That is not what Wikipedia is for. Please look at this page and this page. --Tkynerd 14:54, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * If you are looking for a way to do this on your LAN/intranet or even internet in the same way that we keep the encyclopedia on the internet, you want to get the MediaWiki software. There are arguably better systems around for doing such things, but WikiMedia may work aswell. What Tkynerd is saying is that you can't store these things on Wikipedia, which is true—you can only create a similar system and maintain it yourselves. If that's what you wanted to do, feel free to read the MediaWiki article.  Big Nate 37 (T) 14:59, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Disabling EDIT
hi...the article that i made is being sabbotaged by someone...and i'm concerned, can you please tell me how to disable the EDIT in the article.,..thank you and God bless... James obejas 15:42, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * You are probably thinking of requesting page protection. However, that is used to deal with heavy IP vandalism and edit warrning, which is not occuring, so it's not recommended to reuqest page protection.  If you are having problems with continued vandalism, you can report them at WP:AIV.  More importantly, however, you should make sure that your article is considered notable by Wikipedia's notability guidelines, otherwise it may be speedily deleted.  Let me know if you have any questions. -- Nataly a  15:51, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * If the information they're adding isn't accurate, you can remove it and ask for reliable sources that back up the statement. If that's not the case, they're not sabotaging. Anyone is allowed to edit entries and no single person owns an article. - Mgm|(talk) 16:58, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * I have reverted your edits to Genotyping. You can't have a section of an article for your own use.  If you disagree with something in the article, discuss it on the article's Talk page at Talk:Genotyping.  User:Zoe|(talk) 18:06, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * James obejas's edits appear to consist of original research, which is not allowed on Wikipedia. -- Kesh 04:36, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

What's up with the search feature?
Something changed with the search box (left pane) in the last day or two. Previously, if it didn't find an exact matching article title, it used to immediately provide a list of "close matches". That was ideal. Now it gives nothing, except the option to Google search. Why did this happen? It's a real step backward. It's costing me time. Thanks. —Dfass 16:06, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * The developers had to turn it off because there were serious performance problems yesterday afternoon UTC. I suspect that it'll be turned back on some time in the next week or so, but I don't know for certain. --ais523 16:12, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Yeah, although I wish Google Search, being more accurate most of the time, were the default. Sorry for the inconvenience. Xiner (talk, email) 16:14, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Thanks for filling me in. Appreciate it.  —Dfass 21:05, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Notiable Bands
I have a question. What does a band have to do in order to become a "Notiable Band" and not get their page removed?

153.91.67.223 16:47, 10 January 2007 (UTC)mdhus
 * Here are the notability criterion guidelines for musicians and music. They're probably a good guide. --ais523 16:50, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * See also Notability. There must be reliable published sources unaffiliated with the band that focus on the band, such as books, magazines, and academic journals. —Centrx→talk &bull; 16:50, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Edits do not appear
I have edited, previewed and saved the page The edits do not appear on line The page (which is a school page) makes use of something called a Template:! (protected) Is this what is preventing the edits from appearing

If so how do I edit such a page? If not why else might the edits not be appearing?195.137.123.94 17:18, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Sounds like the page is semiprotected. Only registered users may edit those pages. Sign up for an account now! :) Xiner (talk, email) 17:26, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * It is likely that the page falls under Semi-protection policy - hence anon-IP addresses or recently created user accounts can not edit the page. Cheers Lethaniol 17:27, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

trouble discussing or reporting fact error.
I tried to make a posting in the talk section about an error about the polorization of light.

Light can be polorized along three axis, not just the two or combination of the two mentioned in the two articals about the polorization of light (also photons polorization)

When I went to post, I got an error message, also when I tried to respond,  the email response note said the response was going to be sent to "nobody" and when I tried to submit that note to "nobody" I recieved another error. what am I doing wrong?

John aka snowflakeuniverse


 * Usually, you can just press the Back button in your browser and resubmit the edit. We've been experiencing technical difficulties in the last two days. Xiner (talk, email) 17:56, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

using images from postage stamps
An Images Copyright Question Please:

What is the advice and general experience of using images from postage stamps? See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clapper_bridge

This has an attractive and entirely appropriate image of a clapper bridge. It has not been flagged as having any potential copyright problems, so is it regarded as public domain - in the UK, in the USA and Commonwealth?

The reason I am asking is that I am thinking of editing some other bridge articles with good images that I am aware of, some of which are on stamps.

Thanks, Dendrotek.

Dendrotek 17:46, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Stamps are copyright and can only be used with a fair use claim. Generally, the only place a stamp can justify a fair use claim is in an article which discusses the stamp. Definitely not a source of free illustrations. The image has, in fact, been uploaded with a completely incorrect license. Notinasnaid 17:58, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * I see the image is on Wikipedia commons, where it cannot stay, but I don't know the procedure for getting rid of it from there. Notinasnaid 18:04, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Please read Copyrights. Whether an image has been flagged is no indication of its copyright status, which depends on the jurisdiction in which the object is located and where the uploader is located. Xiner (talk, email) 17:58, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * I've posted a deletion request on the commons. - Mgm|(talk) 18:14, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

It will be a pity if it is deleted really, since it is a good illustration. But I understand about the "Fair Use = only discussing the stamp."

Perhaps I shall try to find another clapper bridge picture that does not have the copyright problem. But should I only edit it in when the old one goes?

Cheers, Dendrotek 16:57, 11 January 2007 (UTC)


 * As an aside, if you can find when that particular stamp was first issued, fifty years from that day PD-BritishGov will apply and you'll be free to upload the image onto whatever medium Wikipedia occupies at that time. GeeJo (t)⁄(c) &bull; 07:40, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

A few questions..
Firstly, would I be okay to split the category Schools in Blackpool into Junior Schools and Secondary Schools?
 * I don't think it's necessary. It'd be overcategorization.

I can create more articles for the other schools, but will they be suitable as slightly extended stubs (see the ones currently there now and they are very small and im suprised havent been nominated for deletion for being so small..people have done that to my stubs in the past) or will my new stub articles get deleted? (i will add over time and try and include as much info as possible)
 * You could create one article that talks about each school until a section is large and notable enough for its own article.

Anyway.. If so..shall I create one for sixth form colleges in blackpool as well?
 * Be bold.

Or does this not fall under the context of 'schools'?
 * Is there a category for English colleges?

Also, where shall I place ones like Arnolds School, and Baines, which have an incorporated junior, secondary and sixth form?
 * See above.

Any answers to any of my questions would be greatly appreciated Fethroesforia 17:51, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Another question..If a school..such as Montgomery High School currently has a wikipedia page of that name, should it be redirected to an identical article but at the schools current official name (Montgomery High School - A Language College and Beacon School)?? Fethroesforia 17:56, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * All content should be transferred if it's the same school, to one article. Xiner (talk, email) 18:07, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Thank you..but which article name shall i use as the main poage and which as the redirect?..the shorter one of the official name (seems obvious question really) Okay..so i wont sub categorise the category:) oh..umm..i am not sure about those categories..but there isnt one for such education schools in blackpool. Fethroesforia 18:12, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * The short answer is: Articles are located at the name the most often take in English. So whatever the school is usually called is best.  Hence South Korea is where the article is located, not at Republic of Korea, which is a redirect. WilyD 18:28, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Okay..especially because many schools round blackpool have changed their names (become specialised) but they are referred to by lder, simpler names Fethroesforia 18:31, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

One last question, under List of schools in the North West of England, theres are schools not mentioned, that are commonly thought to be in Blackpool (millfield high school i just placed..and royles brook primary school to name two) but are technically..outside of the Blackpool boundary and outside of Blackpool Council control. So..basically..what do i do? include in the Blackpool section for ease of use? Fethroesforia 18:25, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Is there an article on Blackpool articles? Local people may have a better understanding of the issue. Perhaps you could add a "See also" section? Xiner (talk, email) 18:53, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

How do I capitalize a proper name in the title?
How do I capitalize a proper name of a new page I am creating about a person in the main title? THank you
 * If you've already created it, click the "move" button at the top of the page to move the page to the correct location. If you haven't created the page, then just type in the correct capitalization when you search for the name. Xiner (talk, email) 18:15, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Thank you! There is not move at the top of my page though...


 * Yeah about that to move pages your account has to be older than 4 days. What is the name of the current article, and what do you want it to be named. I will do the moving part for you. Arjun  19:32, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Done. Article was Andrew Morawski. FirefoxMan 20:28, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!!! Esimones 03:59, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

Adding new Content
How do I go about adding new content that has yet to be covered by Wikipedia. In my case it would be a company profile.
 * You may want to read this first. Keep it as objective as you can, and verify all your claims. Xiner (talk, email) 20:03, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * I would read the welcome page and Tutorial for how to go about it. Also, here are some pages that you might find helpful:


 * The five pillars of Wikipedia
 * How to edit a page
 * Help pages
 * Tutorial
 * How to write a great article
 * Manual of Style Let me know on my talk page if you need any help. delldot | talk 20:36, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Name disambiguation problem
I want to start an article on a political scientist named "Jonathan Fox". Here's the problem: there is another Jonathan Fox who is also a political scientist. After creating a disambig page titled "Jonathan Fox", how could I go about pre-disambiguating one J.F. from the other? I can't use the titles "Jonathan Fox (political scientist)" or "Jonathan Fox (academic)" as they applies to both Jonathan Fox's. Does WP have any specific guideline? Black Falcon 20:13, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Use a middle initial as well, if you can find one. Otherwise, find something to distinguish them. Are they of different nationalities? Carcharoth 20:59, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * OK, thanks; I was actually able to find a middle initial for one of them. Black Falcon 21:12, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia in the Yoruba Language
I would like to start Wikipedia in the Yoruba language. How do I proceed?

Thank you.

tyO

See How to start a new Wikipedia for details. -- Adrian M. H. 21:21, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Unless you have followed the link and created someone has already made one here Cheers Lethaniol 21:39, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

How to Dispute something already listed on WP
HI - I am working on editing and writing the Jewellery Designer category. In this category, I am slowly going through each person to see what their credentials are. ON this score, I found: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylver_Logan_Sharp - and I think this person should be removed from the Jewellery Designers Category and left solely in music. She is not of note in this category. How do I go about disputing the merit of her notability in this category?

Thanks, Archiemartin Archiemartin 21:27, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Well, if you fear it will be controversial, discuss on the articles talk page. If you don't think it'll be a problem, then be bold and remove it yourself.  Dooms  Day349  21:30, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Of course, you could be bold and just go ahead and change it, even if it's controversial, as long as you present your sources/case properly. Xiner (talk, email) 21:33, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Embedding or uploading video into wikipedia
Is it possible to upload or embe video in relevant wikipedia articles —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Hal2007 (talk • contribs) 22:04, 10 January 2007 (UTC).
 * Simple answer: No. &mdash;  Da rk Sh ik ar i   talk /contribs  22:08, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * However, Animations in the gif format are. Maybe that is what you are looking for. Arjun  23:52, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

conspiracy theories in an article
Someone is using Wiki to put forth his or her conspiracy theories in the article about the federal reserve system of the USA. The person is linking his own biased documents etc. How can I report this / can somebody do something about it?
 * If you are certain that the subject is being put across in a misleading away, be bold and edit the article. If you think that might be controversial, post on the talk page first and have a discussion. Or you could post on the user in question's talk page, explaining why you think their documents are biased and should not be used as sources. Trebor 23:07, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Requesting an Image
I would like to place an image request for a certain article, but im not sure where to locate the template, or tag, or w/e it's called, is there a list of them somewhere? Or could someone direct me to where it's located? Buzzfly 23:15, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * To request a photo place on the articles talk page. But check Commons as there may be some free images there for use.  Arjun  23:50, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Picture--Photobucket
I'm sure this has been asked plently of times, but are we allowed to use photos from Photobucket? If so, is there an easy way to upload the pictures? Thanks! MusicGirl21 23:49, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Only if they are using a free license (which is very unlikely). Wikipedia doesn't use images directly from other sites (they are all uploaded to wikipedia) so we don't Leech (computing). WP:IMAGE —The preceding unsigned comment was added by James086 (talk • contribs) 01:58, 11 January 2007 (UTC).

Section editing
I'm not seeing any section level 'edit' buttons in the article childbirth. Can some one point me where to go to learn how to fix that? Thanks! Professor marginalia 00:03, 11 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Try purging your local (ctrl-F5) cache, and if that doesn't work, make sure you have the edit section links turned on in your preferences. Prodego  talk  00:27, 11 January 2007 (UTC)


 * It was my cache! Thanks, Professor marginalia 00:42, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

Strike through use
I am curious to know in what circumstances would Strike-through text be used and why I cannot imagine its use in an article. I recently saw a question posted here where the entire text was struck through. --Matt 02:09, 11 January 2007 (UTC)
 * It's used more frequently in talk pages, but probably rarely (if ever) in articles, unless it was to demonstrate a specific logo or something of the like. -- Nataly a 02:26, 11 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Strike-through is generally used to withdraw text that the poster has realised he either shouldn't have posted, or didn't need to. In the case you might be referring to ("Accidental duplicate page creation"?) it seems like the poster figured out the problem by himself, and used strikethrough to show that he didn't need help anymore.
 * Some people also use strikethrough to correct mistakes in their post, particularly when it's too late just to edit the post completely, because someone has already replied. For example:

James Jones said no such thing! Where did you get that idea? --SomeEditor
 * Please read more carefully, I was referring to Jaime Jones, not James. --OtherEditor
 * Sorry, my mistake. --SomeEditor
 * Similarly, personal attacks or other incivil language can also be struckthrough when it's too late to just edit it out. --Sam Blanning(talk) 02:44, 11 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Many thanks Everyone --Matt 05:11, 11 January 2007 (UTC)