Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2007 May 3

= May 3 =

Wiki
Can I join wikipedia and become a member with no payments?
 * Indeed, you can. See the "sign in/create account" link, top right. Then you may wish to see Welcome to Wikipedia!. :) – Luna Santin  (talk) 00:58, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * WP:ACCOUNT says: "...creating an account is quick, free and non-intrusive, and it's generally considered a good idea to do so for a variety of reasons." Note that it's best to start off making small edits to existing articles rather than create new articles while you are still very new, lest you violate some policy you haven't heard of yet, and end up asking Why was my article deleted?. --Teratornis 01:56, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Say what?! You mean I didn't have to sign over my soul and first-born? Clarityfiend 06:25, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * No, just the risk of getting addicted! Scottydude talk 12:53, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

My user talk page
Hi: Is it ok to remove some entries from my user talk page ? and how do I archive the user talk pages ? BrianGV talk  01:37, 3 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Yes, it is okay to remove some comments from your talk page. There's no rule against it, unless it's a vandalism warning that you got recently, and WP:ARCHIVE should help you out-- $U IT  01:47, 3 May 2007 (UTC)


 * A  browser search for "talk" on User:John Broughton/Editor's Index to Wikipedia quickly turns up How to archive a talk page and more; see the links under: User:John Broughton/Editor's Index to Wikipedia. --Teratornis 01:49, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the quick response ! BrianGV talk  02:09, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

How
How do I edit the See also: box in Reference desk/Science? A reponse on my talk or to let me know thus would be greatly appreicated, thank you!100110100 02:36, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * What change do you want to make?-- VectorPotential Talk 02:48, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Clicking the edit tab at the top of Reference desk/Science shows that the content comes from transcluding Reference desk/headercfg. Clicking the edit tab on that page shows the content comes from Reference desk/header. Clicking the edit tab on that page shows the content comes from Reference desk/header/otherrd. So that last one is what you would need to edit, but I would strongly suggest discussing your changes with some of the other editors of that page first. It looks like Reference desk/header/otherrd gets transcluded by all the Reference desks, so be careful what you do. --Teratornis 02:54, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Any changes made to that template should definitely be discussed on WT:RD beforehand, it also wouldn't hurt to run them by 's talk page-- VectorPotential Talk 03:04, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Language usage inbetween the article
Please help me in this issue- I have a content which contains English and Tamil. I have inserted English Contents but I am not able to type Tamil Content. Please guide me how to insert Tamil Fonts inbetween English Fonts

Ex:-

I have a content like this

India is my country.

In the above sentence i need to put INDIA in Tamil Language. How can I do that?

Duplicate articles
When there are two articles about the same subject (Edwin Thumboo and Singapore Literature - Edwin Thumboo), does there need to be a discussion or can someone just go ahead and incorporate all the info in one page? (I've tagged them just in case.) Clarityfiend 06:34, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * The second article clearly violates naming conventions. As long as you redirect it (so the edit history is retained) and incorporate any missing info in the correct article, there's no need to discuss it, although you might want to inform the creator of naming conventions. - Mgm|(talk) 07:54, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Template
I've created this: Template:Australian Nobel laureates. I can't seem to get the formatting right. Could someone show me how to fix it? Thanks. Recurring dreams 06:45, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * You bolded the heading unnecessarily (as the template would bold it already) and you didn't include the template name for the view and discuss links to work. I've fixed it now by looking for the syntax instructions at Template:Tnavbar-navframe. - Mgm|(talk) 07:53, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Thanks for that. Recurring dreams 08:38, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Lone talk page
Can someone check out Talk:Chad Dittman. Maybe it got missed during a deletion or move. Thanks Joe  I  06:58, 3 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Deleted. You can request deletion of talk pages without articles using db-talk, or the Help desk works just as well :-) --Commander Keane 07:04, 3 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Great, thanks alot.  Joe  I  18:42, 5 May 2007 (UTC)

Picture not showing up correctly when not maximized
The picture of rank for a USAF Chief Master Seargent (search: cmsgt) shows up as a solid line when not click on for maximized view. I do not know how to fix this. I have been trying to fix the "Worn on left arm" descriptions that are incorrect for USAF enlisted rank... it's "Worn on left and right sleeve, centered between shoulder seam and elbow while bent at 90 degrees." when I noticed the problem. oh, edit, my source for the info is AFI (Air Force Instruction) 36-2903, but I don't know how to correctly citejamesklyne —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Jamesklyne (talk • contribs) 07:21, 3 May 2007 (UTC).
 * Are you talking about Image:CMSgt.gif? There's a few others with similar names. I checked Chief Master Sergeant, but couldn't find anything wrong. Also, you said you tried to fix it, but I couldn't find it in your edit history. All it lists is your question here. Could you please be more specific and provide a few links? As for the citation. Put the info that backs up what you said at the end of the sentence (after the period) and put it between tags. Make sure there is a  character. If you want to mix other types of markup between list items, while preserving the item numbering, you have to use an   tag, like this:

 This is a list item. Another item.  Try sticking a table between list items: A final item. 
 * Note that there currently seems to be a bug in the MediaWiki parser (as configured on Wikipedia, possibly related to the HTML Tidy program) which requires inserting an empty list item in front of where you insert the intervening stuff. If you don't put in the empty list item, the table will appear above the list item it is actually below in the wikitext. View my source to see what I did. --Teratornis 15:30, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

editing and signing on the Bullying Article
Hi,

I need three helps.

I am editing the bullying article, but I signed using the four tildes and the result was two tildes, then my name, then two tildes. That's really weird. I think it is a bug. I am the user Raistlin Majere. I am going to try it here. Raistlin Majere

The article about bullying written like that is uninteresting to anybody! I even wrote questions in the talk page to inspire changes in the bullying article, but nothing happened. I really want to remove a section called "Types of Bullying", because I think it is intentionally boring. If a part of the article is boring, readers are going to think no attention was paid to it and the rest is boring too. How can I use wikipedia to remove a long part of the article? I received a message saying that I could be banned for removing a long section of an article, but unfortunately I do not remember the exact wording.

I remember having read about Effects of Bullying on targets, schools and companies. I also remember having read about "intentional infliction of emotional distress" as an acceptable way to sue bullies. I read them on the internet, but I do not remember the address of the pages. That would be interesting information. I am wondering why nobody adds anything like that. There are probably bullies removing the messages from targets. How can I report bullying in wikipedia?

I am going to try signing again. Raistlin Majere —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wikipedia:201.80.179.2 (talk • contribs)
 * Signing is important in Wikipedia. You should always sign messages on talk pages, like this one. You forgot to sign here, so I added a signature for you, I hope you don't mind. The reason for signing is because when there are a lot of people discussing, it helps people to know who is saying what, and when things are replied. It will be easier to discuss if you register, so you always have the same username. I don't think your questions on the talk page are what people are expecting. It's probably better to say something like: "I feel the section ... where it says ... could be better because ... . I suggest ...". The idea is to reach a consensus. If you suspect replies are being deleted, you can check the article history. If you find any cases of this, it is a serious abuse: please let us know. However, there is a policy to remove things which don't seem to relate to the actual contents of the article, and so your inspirational questions might be deleted. If you want to avoid this, but feel your questions are the best way to get results, I recommend you start with: "I ask these questions in the hope of stimulating discussion that will come to improve the article". I hope this helps, Notinasnaid 15:53, 3 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Be sure you log in before editing. The Help desk history shows that you edited as a non-logged-in user from the IP address 201.80.179.2. (In my opinion, this is an ergonomic defect of the bizarre policy of Wikipedia to allow non-logged-in users to edit; the policy creates the pitfall that registered users will simply forget to log in before editing.) --Teratornis 16:07, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Image tagging
I uploaded this image but do not know if the license is appropriate. Could someone kindly point out the proper tag for this image? Regards, « razorclaw »  15:59, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * This license claims is is "a screenshot of a copyrighted Wikipedia web page. " Is it? Which Wikipedia page is it from? I think also a screenshot could not be cropped down to be a single icon and retain a screenshot license. Please let us have the source. Notinasnaid 16:11, 3 May 2007 (UTC)


 * It's still copyrighted material obtained through a screenshot, so I don't see why any other license would apply. What would you suggest? - Mgm|(talk) 08:10, 4 May 2007 (UTC)
 * But is it a screenshot of a copyrighted Wikipedia page? The source is really essential to offer any more advice, I think. I think saying "copyright material captured with a screen shot" is a bit of a cop out: what is the copyright material, and whose copyright is it? Surely this is needed as a bare minimum, otherwise it's like saying "copyright material scanned with a scanner". Notinasnaid 10:53, 4 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Also, if we look at the current license notice it says, in part: "This is a screenshot of a copyrighted Wikipedia web page. Wikipedia text is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL)." Is there text? No. "The MediaWiki software that runs Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL)." Is this connected to MediaWiki? Well, maybe. "The Wikipedia logo (if it appears in this screenshot) has not been released under any free license." No, not applicable. Notinasnaid 10:56, 4 May 2007 (UTC)
 * (Light goes on) Is the problem that this icon is immediately recognised by everyone else but me? Notinasnaid 10:58, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Question
How do I find a question in Genealogy that I posted so I can put it on my watch list for answers69.235.153.163 16:17, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Assuming you asked the question at the reference desk, use some keywords in Google and add "site:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference desk/" (without the quotes) to the end to restrict your searches to that place. - Mgm|(talk) 08:10, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Request deletion
I created a page but found it already existed but was not linked to in other pages. So I guess I would like to request deletion. The page title is Moses (Coldplay song) Sorry about this. MDuchek 16:30, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Add to the top of the page, assuming that no-one has contributed much to it.  Adrian   M. H.  16:48, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Edit page that has factual errors
I work for RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network). We created and operate the National Sexual Assault Hotline and RAINN is the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization.

I am very upset about some factual errors in the "rape" entry on Wikipedia. These errors are not just faulty and not respected research, but they also undermine the important work that our organization and all victims advocates are involved in.

I would like access to edit this entry to stop the misinformation out there about rape and those affected by sexual violence. You can visit our website at rainn.org and ask to speak to the individual who manages statistics for the organization.

Thank you. Gethapi79
 * Well, we can't unprotect the page because somebody says they have errors that need fixing; the page is currently uneditable by new users in order to prevent vandalism. However, if you list the changes here, I'm sure that somebody would be willing to make them. Veinor (talk to me) 17:05, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I remember reading that users 4 days old can start editing semi-protected pages. But if you can't wait then please request the edits here or I can personally do them for you if you copy the source from the rape page to this page: User:AVTN/Edit then edit it all you like and when you finished leave a message on my talkpage and I will add your edits asap.  AVTN  T  CVPS 17:33, 3 May 2007 (UTC)


 * So far the material I read was all sourced to reputable organizations like the UN and such. What exactly do you think is incorrect? Perhaps the information is not erroneous, but just outdated. - Mgm|(talk) 08:07, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

WP:HDH
I posted this on the help desk's talk page but I decided to ask it here as well. I recently made a another change to the help desk header and then Razorclaw made another edit, I am not placing any blame, especially because he does such good work. But when you look at the header on its subpage it is not visible. See here: WP:HDH. I feel stupid because I can't figure out why it isn't visible, all you can see is the shortcut menu transduced from /doc. Please help Scottydude talk 17:33, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I've fixed it. He broke it by adding after the tags they both basically do the same, and having both breaks the page.  AVTN  T  CVPS 17:37, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Gotcha, thanks! Scottydude talk 16:46, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Watching a range of IPs
I've used CryptoDerk's Vandal Fighter in the past, and I've seen (but not used) it's successor. I'm wondering, is there any way to easily watch contributions from an entire IP range, either in this program or in some other similar tool?

I ask because occasionally there is a dedicated vandal operating from a pool of IP addresses (a University's /24, for instance, or a small ISPs /16). Sometimes it would be handy to track all the changes from a particular range so that a) one can see if it's a persistent vandal on a floating IP, or just a one-off incident from a static IP, b) it's easier to find vandalism from a non-static IP editor, c) one can assess the degree of collateral damage that would result from an IP-only rangeblock (look for good edits from the range).

Does anybody know of anything like this? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by TenOfAllTrades (talk • contribs).


 * Try VandalProof, it has a way of monitoring a range of IPs.  AVTN  T  CVPS 17:57, 3 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Thanks. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 18:01, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

My Page Deleted With No Explanation
Editor Sam just deleted my page (the log indicates a speedy deletion). Said page has been here for over 4-5 months now. I asked why it was removed on his Talk page and THAT was also deleted.

Did my question and page violate some rules I didn't know? If not (or even if so) how do I put it back up? I founded Comicopia in 1990, and I'd really like the entry to reflect that.

((helpme))

JeffreyABoman 18:23, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * First things first. As the article was deleted, it's no longer in your contribs, so I'll need the exact name. I'll reply in more detail at your talk page. Adrian   M. H.  18:27, 3 May 2007 (UTC)


 * It appears to be the page "Jeff Boman". Do not create pages about yourself.  They will usually be deleted. --Kainaw (talk) 18:41, 3 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I was the admin, and I did not delete JeffreyABoman's comment, just moved it to the bottom of the page to preserve chronological order. Then I explained why the article on Jeff Boman was a speedy deletion candidate on his talk page. Sam Blacketer 19:35, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

"Living In Harmony" writing credit won't correct
I noticed that the writing credit for the episode of The Prisoner television series entitled Living in Harmony was incomplete. It read, "Written by David Tomblin" while the actual on-screen credit continues "From a story by David Tomblin and Ian Rakoff." When I attempted to correct the credit as presented in a table or box along side the episode's article, the result was no names at all on the writing line, although my revision continues to show in the editing window (I just checked). A search through FAQs, etc., finds no hint that there is some restriction on who is and is not allowed to edit such tables/boxes, and I feel the continued presence of my revision in the editing window (or the fact that I was able to perform one) would not be explained by any such rule anyway. Please help. Ted Watson 18:44, 3 May 2007 (UTC) Almost forgot: I posted the blank line, as well as a description of the situation on that article's discussion page, but nobody has responded in any manner there. Ted Watson 18:47, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I don't suppose anyone is watching the talk page, because such things tend to happen more slowly, with activity increasing only if there is a content dispute or debate. You were probably trying to edit an infobox - I'll look into it for you. Adrian   M. H.  19:16, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Sorted now. Have a look at Template:Infobox Television episode and you'll see that the data field that produces Written by is "Writer", rather than "Writers". With the wrong field name, it was never going to display correctly. Adrian   M. H.  19:19, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Got you, although I don't remember pluralizing the label. Must have, though. I do submit that, especially with individual episodes of TV series, writing credits can be noticeably complex (sometimes much more convoluted than this one is), and I feel that such a situation should be reflected in the "Infobox." We're just not being properly informative if all we do is list the names that appear on-screen. For further details on this one, see that posting of mine on this article's talk page, plus what I've added to the article about what Rakoff claimed the actual facts of who wrote what was. Ted Watson 17:43, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Fix Grenada
Please will someone fix Grenada? Computerjoe 's talk 20:08, 3 May 2007 (UTC)


 * What do you mean exactly? BTW, be bold in updating articles.  Jacek  Kendysz  20:15, 3 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I'm sure someone would be happy to fix it, but it would help if you told us what is wrong with it. - Mgm|(talk) 08:02, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

RfA Bots
I got a message that my post confused the RfA bots, and a problem with my signature resulted in the bots identifiing most of my comments as Majorlys and flagged it as double voting. I don't understand the following explanation: "The problem is that you don't link to your user or talk page in your sig, but you linked to User:Majorly in your comment." I blanked my signature in my preferences, hoping that it would restore my signature back to the standard one. This is the comment that I made, and here is where it was apparently corrected. I don't understand where I went wrong to cause the confusion or how to prevent this from happening in the future. And the following is my current signature: --U.S.A.U.S.A.U.S.A. 20:10, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * But after re-reading what I wrote, I thought that this may possibly fix things, or have prevented that from happening;not writing "Majorly", but Majorly. If I have answered my own question, then I apologize for wasting anyone else's time. I think this is a very important matter, because anything that results in duplacate voting, or signing that results in being identified as another user, accidentaly, and not understanding how to prevent it is enough of an emergancy to resorte to the help desk;because I have to fix this.--U.S.A.U.S.A.U.S.A. 20:21, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Are you using a raw signature? If you don't have a wikilink in your customised signature (and I can see from the edit window that you don't), you need to uncheck the box below it in order to produce the necessary link when signing. Adrian   M. H.  21:02, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

OK, I unchecked the box, and it looks like I have an automated signature, which redirects to my talk page, but that shouldn't be a problem.--U.S.A.U.S.A.U.S.A. 21:11, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * That's simply because you have a redirect on your main user page, added by User:Z.E.R.O.. You could delete that if you want to add content, but otherwise, I would recommend keeping it to avoid a blank page. Adrian   M. H.  21:15, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * No, I truly thank Z.E.R.O, because that's exactly what I wanted. You see, I never really wanted to have a user page, so I therefore wanted it to just redirect to my talk page, and he did that for me.--U.S.A.U.S.A.U.S.A. 21:21, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Yeah, it's the best method for convenience; I wish everyone with an empty user page would do that. Adrian   M. H.  21:30, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

what was the code neede for help
i forgot what it was —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Sir de wario (talk • contribs) 21:33, 3 May 2007 (UTC).


 * helpme?  Jacek  Kendysz  21:35, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Correct Pronunciations
Will Wikipedia ever include correct pronunciation for flowers and plants in their encyclopedia?209.90.78.19 21:41, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * When someone takes the time to put the IPA in for each of them. To my knowledge, there isn't a bot doing this so it has to be done by one of the volunteers.  If you feel up to the task, you're more than welcome to go ahead and do it.  Dismas |(talk) 21:50, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Username
Hi everybody. I'm Italian and I was trying to sign in, but while I was creating my account this message appeared: ''Login error:Username entered already in use. Please choose a different name.''. The name I entered was Gliu but in fact the userpage (Gliu) doesn't exist and the "invisible" user has no contribution. So, how can I get it? Thanx for your help. my discussion page is this.
 * It is probably too similar to an existing account name. The registration system is capable of checking for that to some degree. Adrian   M. H.  21:47, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * So there's no way I can obtain this username? Even if I ask for a usurpation? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.117.119.40 (talk) 21:56, 3 May 2007 (UTC).
 * Seeing as how doesn't have any edits, and was created so long ago they actually predate the user creation log, I don't think there would be any significant problems with you requesting a userption-- VectorPotential Talk 00:09, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Can I delete my account?
I recently decided that I wanted to delete my Wikipedia account as I have no real reason as to why I should ever need it. I have made no contributions to Wikipedia apart from my user page and one document which I written up about myself but then deleted it straight after as I felt no real erge to publicise it. My account shows no violations to using the Wikipedia in the wrong manner, I have no further need for my account to exist and I have made no contributions to Wikipedia. Can I delete my account? 172.143.168.253 23:02, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

You can request to delete your talk page and user page, but your username can't be deleted because the name can be created again.Then that user will claim your past edits.Sorry if you had your hopes up to deleting it.--Teddey 23:07, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

You do however, have a right to vanish-- VectorPotential Talk 00:05, 4 May 2007 (UTC)