Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2008 April 21

= April 21 =

Weeping Silence
Hi,,

With expressed permission by Weeping Silence (a band from Malta) I was given go ahead with establishing a presence for them on Wikipedia as after many other bands have had. Somehow I dare to say discriminately, I am sorry but I cannot sense it in any other way our page was targeted for speedy deletion and deleted before we could appropriately justify our stand.

This is being felt as most offensive as we are genuinely moved to comply with Wikipedia regulations & seek to be given a fair treatment. We're only asking if there is any way by which you can verify our article please tell us.

We look forward to your feedback please. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Yendor79 (talk • contribs)


 * Please thoroughly consider and familiarize yourself with WP:MUSIC - it delineates the notability requirements for the inclusion of music related articles on Wikipedia. Also, make sure before you save the page, that it has reliable sources, and that it asserts the importance without promoting the band. Also, bear in mind WP:COI. Wisdom89  ( T |undefined /  C ) 00:48, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * See WP:WWMPD. Your Special:Contributions/Yendor79 shows few edits. If you are new to editing on Wikipedia, be aware that starting new articles that "stick" is often very difficult for new users here, due to the many policies and guidelines for content that are extremely unintuitive for most people. Wikipedia is different than anything most people have experienced before, so the rules are not what most people expect. A user has to have quite a bit of knowledge about Wikipedia to know how to make a new article that will stick. I would recommend against starting new articles if a user has fewer than 500 edits at a bare minimum, especially for "deletion targets" such as articles about obscure bands (almost all the major acts already have articles here). It's safer to start new articles about things such as bridges, dams, power stations, public parks, and stuff like that which doesn't represent a product that anybody is trying to promote. --Teratornis (talk) 04:57, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Please sign your post by typing four tildes ( ~ ) or clicking the signature button above the edit box (as shown to the left ←). Do NOT sign in articles. ...... Dendodge . Talk Help 08:00, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Removing tags
What is the procedure for removing tags such as "spam" or "NPOV" from an article when you (think) you have corrected them? Should one bring it to the attention of the editor who added them, or just be bold and take them out? Wikiquette; the difficult choice. Fribbler (talk) 00:58, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Be bold and remove it (if you really think it's fixed). If an editor thinks the problem still persists, they will replace it. Calvin 1998 (t-c) 01:00, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * be bold about it and remove them if you feel you have addressed the concerns. However, I suggest that you also bring it to the talk page so alert major editors to your changes. Wisdom89  ( T |undefined /  C ) 01:01, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the help! I will do all of the above. Fribbler (talk) 01:05, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Hopefully, if there's an NPOV tag on the article, the person who added the tag will have explained on the article's Talk page why they put the tag there. It would be a good idea to continue that discussion on the Talk page, explaining what you did, and why you think the tag can be removed.  You might also visit the other editor's Talk page to let them know that you've made changes, and ask them if they agree with the removal.   Corvus cornix  talk  21:22, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Infobox_Public_transit template editing help
I am looking for someone who can help me edit the Infobox_Public_transit template. It contains two fields (began_operation and ended_operation). I think these fields would be better represented by just one "years_active" field because it would give the ability to indicate years of inactive service (such as 1977 - 2000, 2002 - Present).

I don't know how to make these edits. Would someone mind helping me out? FOR GREAT JUSTICE. ( talk  ·  contribs ) 02:38, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Before changing a template such as Infobox Public transit, discuss what you want to do on its talk page (Template talk:Infobox Public transit) to get consensus with other editors. Also check the backlinks: Special:Whatlinkshere/Infobox Public transit to see how many pages currently use the template with any fields you want to eliminate. Generally, it's easier to add new fields to an infobox template than to remove or rename existing fields, because removing or renaming fields will break the infobox on pages that use those fields. If you are new to template editing, read Help:Template, Help:Magic words, and Help:Parserfunctions several times; copy the template to your own sandbox page (such as User:Account9000/Sandbox), and practice editing it there. If you screw up the real template, you can mess up dozens of pages at once, so always practice in a sandbox until you know what you are doing. Editing templates is not too terribly hard, as long as you start with a template that is close to what you want. However, some templates use "intricate" syntax, which gets ugly. --Teratornis (talk) 04:46, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I created the sandbox and testcases pages for that template. Links are at the start of the documentation.  Discuss this on the template talk page, gain consensus and ask for help.  --—  Gadget850 (Ed)  talk  -  11:27, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Sortable tables
I am seeking some help with sortable tables. With sortable tables, each column is sorted alphabetically and/or numerically. But what if I wanted to sort a particular column by it's rank in a particular hierarchy (take airports for example; hubs would be ranked first, then focus cities, then simply ordinary airports. How would I go about ordering these?-- M  W  Johnson  04:23, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Maybe: Help:Sorting or one of the other methods on the page. --Teratornis (talk) 04:36, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * I will give it a go, will update on how it went. Thanks.-- M  W  Johnson  08:10, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Worked beautifully! Thanks.-- M  W  Johnson  08:20, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

”an” or “a” historic
My apologies for this question on detail, but I’ve launched a few articles later changed specifically from use of “a historic” to “an historic”. In section 5.202 of the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 15th ed. on use of a & an, it says “The word historical and its variations cause missteps, but since the h in these words is pronounced, it takes an a {an hourlong talk at a historical society}.” Thus, according to CMOS, “a historic” is correct.

Based on this, I have two questions:

1. Is there somewhere in Wikipedia that says editors should use “an historic” or am I correct in using the CMOS guidance of “a historic”? I looked in the Wikipedia Manual of style & didn’t see anything on this point.

2. Is CMOS a good manual of style to use for areas not covered by the Wikipedia Manual of Style?

Thanks, FieldMarine (talk) 04:25, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * For some reason I want to say an hero. FOR GREAT JUSTICE.  ( talk  ·  contribs ) 04:37, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Back to /b/ ← chandler 11:30, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * 1.)You are correct. If the h is silent, it gets "an". If not, it's "a". I think. 2.)If it's not on the MoS, you should probably use CMOS, unless CMOS has a reputation of not following some common rules, etc. Calvin 1998 (t-c) 05:06, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I believe the silent "h" is a legacy of the French origins of some English words. I also believe this question would be better asked at the Language Reference Desk because this help desk is for questions about using Wikipedia.  Astronaut (talk) 11:10, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * "Two countries separated by a common language." We have a "meta-rule" that covers this. The English Wikpedia encorporates articles written by people from manyy Anglophone cultures, including the US and the UK. In some "english-speaking" countries, the "h" is silent, and in others, it is not. The Wikipedia rules are:

Chicago is a particular city ins America, and the CMOS reflects a (subset of) American usage. -Arch dude (talk) 01:29, 23 April 2008 (UTC)
 * In any particular article, stay consistent: either all usage should be "American", or all usage should be "UK."
 * Do not change the usage in any particular article from "US" to "UK" or vice versa: retain the usage of the original editor.
 * Exception: If a particular article's subject is peculiarly US or UK, then the usage should reflect the article's subject.

where to buy music "More than Wonderful"?
Does anyone know where to buy an online music sheet for SATB with piano accompaniment for "More than Wonderful", must be arranged by Phil Perkins and composed by Lanny Wolfe. Many thanks. '''This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Reference desk'''. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. You could always try for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps.  « Gonzo fan2007 (talk ♦ contribs) 06:01, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

about my editing on Crepes
HI!

I try to edit on Crepes but nothing has been accepted..

I added one new picture and a limk for the topic "Crepes" but it was been deleted. Could you explain to me why?

Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by Crepesdelice (talk • contribs) 05:57, 21 April 2008 Please sign your post by typing four tildes ( ~ ) or clicking the signature button above the edit box (as shown to the left ←). Do NOT sign in articles. ...... Dendodge . Talk Help 07:54, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * What were the picture and link (I need the image link and URL to determine the problem). ...... Dendodge . Talk Help 07:57, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * With these edits, you added links to your business and your changes were reverted. Wikipedia does not allow advertising - see What Wikipedia is not for more information.  Astronaut (talk) 10:56, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Printed page margins too small
When printing a page the left and right margins are smaller than the HP Deskjet 5550 printer can accomodate. The first two characters on the left are not printed as well the last two characters on the right.

How can i get the printed page to print with larger margins.

06:48, 21 April 2008 (UTC)75.22.33.94 (talk)
 * If you have the manual, that is probably the best idea. You could also try changing your margins on whatever page you are trying to print (assuming you are trying to print a word document).  You may want to try the reference desk though, as the Help desk is for answering question about using Wikipedia.  Best of luck to you. <font face="Harlow Solid Italic"><font size="2px" color="teal"> « Gonzo fan2007  (talk ♦ contribs) 06:58, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

'''This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Reference desk'''. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. You could always try for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. ......<em style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#008000"> Dendodge . Talk Help 08:22, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

hi
i want purshase a mixer and i need to any informed from you.we need mixer for a base wash material.i am from iran.thanks.my email: '''This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Reference desk'''. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. You could always try for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. Please sign your post by typing four tildes ( ~ ) or clicking the signature button above the edit box (as shown to the left ←). Do NOT sign in articles. ......<em style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#008000"> Dendodge . Talk Help 07:55, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Web RC stream
Does anyone know of any live recent changes stream (like VF's) that's on the web? (Flash maybe?) -- Menti  sock  11:01, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * WP:AVT provides a near-live stream, I think. There's also the IRC antivandal channels (you can get streams there too, but I'm unsure how...ask in #wikipedia-en might be your best bet). dihydrogen monoxide (H2O) 11:04, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Hm... I have to use IE (that's why I can't use VF) and AVT doesn't seem to work with IE either... -- Menti  sock  11:33, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Actually I think it does work (forgot to clear the cache)... although everything works in shambles in IE. Thanks. -- Menti  sock  11:40, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Sections of an article has blended together
Hello, i have a problem with this article I had written: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_the_SFRY Section "References" appeared under the headline "Personal composition" and only after the references there is a table which should belong to "Personal composition". I didn't find the reason for it at the edit page. Thank you BlueRoar (talk) 11:14, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * You forgot to close the table with |} . --—  Gadget850 (Ed)  <sup style="color:darkblue;">talk  -  11:19, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

What to cite if I translate them from Thai Wikipedia?
I would like to translate some articles from Thai Wikipedia into English Wikipedia. I'm not the person(s) who wrote those in Thai Wikipedia. I feel a little awkward to copy those references without knowing what are those. So now my question is that
 * (1) Should I copy all the sources and paste into English Wikipedia although I never read those sources before?
 * (2) If the original article has no reference, what should I cite? Thai Wikipedia itself with the revision number?
 * (3) What should I do if someone else found out those the references and the articles themselves are irrelevant? or no one really care to read the references part?

I realize that some of those sources must be in Thai language, but poor sources are better than no sources. Thanks. BTW, I already read WP:V. --Manop - TH (talk) 11:42, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Probably better to ask someone at the Thai Wikipedia whether those sources are reliable and whether they confirm what is said. If the article has a FA status there, I think it's safe to assume that they're fine.
 * No, do not cite any Wikipedia as a reference. All Wikis are unreliable sources.


 * Primarily the reference has to be reliable, if it's not, don't cite it at all. If you have reason to believe that the ref doesn't confirm what it says in the article, don't cite it, or at least better to ask around at the Thai Wikipedia, find someone who has access to the sources. <tt>The Dominator</tt><tt>TalkEdits</tt> 20:42, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Thank you. --Manop - TH (talk) 21:18, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

the deleted page
Since the time of asking, this problem has now been resolved - Read talk:Hylophobia. --06SmithG (talk) 16:02, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

How to create an article on wikipedia
My question is how to create an article on wikipedia? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Stephen mervyn (talk • contribs)


 * Hello Stephen. If you want to create an article, just go to the page in question, click create and start typing. please be sure your subject meets guidelines for notability so that it isn't speedy deleted. Otherwise, see Your first article -mattbuck (Talk) 12:16, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I added a welcome to your talk page with an overview of policies and guidelines. --—  Gadget850 (Ed)  <sup style="color:darkblue;">talk  -  12:39, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Please see Your first article.
 * 1) Make sure the subject is notable enough to have their own article.
 * 2) Find references
 * 3) Make sure no article on the subject exists under a different title by typing the subject into the search box to the left (←) and clicking 'Search'
 * 4) Type the page name in the search box to the left (←) and click 'Go'
 * 5) Click 'Create this page'
 * 6) Create the article, including all your references, making sure you adhere to the Manual of Style and our article layout
 * 7) Be aware that Wikipedia deletes thousands of new articles for failing to adhere to our policies and guidelines. New articles by new users are at extra risk of deletion, due to new users' unfamiliarity with our rules. Consider gaining experience by editing existing articles before attempting to create new ones.[[Image:Signature_icon.png]] Please sign your post by typing four tildes ( ~ ) or clicking the signature button above the edit box (as shown to the left ←). Do NOT sign in articles. ......<em style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#008000"> Dendodge . Talk Help 17:52, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Editing question
First of all, the "+" sign now says "new section" thats nice.

Okay, when editing and piping links, is there a keyboard shortcut for "|" because its really annoying to have to scroll down and find it in the list of symbols below the editing window. Grk1011 (talk) 14:04, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * That would be "Shift \", over the enter key, presuming a standard English QWERTY keyboard. On my keyboard it looks like a broken vertical line.  --—  Gadget850 (Ed)  <sup style="color:darkblue;">talk  -  14:27, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks. Grk1011 (talk) 14:29, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

detoxification from marijuana
What is the best and quickest way to detox one's internal system from marijuana use. We cannot offer medical advice. Please see the medical disclaimer. Contact your General Practitioner.--— Gadget850 (Ed)  <sup style="color:darkblue;">talk  -  14:24, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * But please don't ask this particular question at the Reference Desk. We can't offer medical advice to you on Wikipedia.  Note that regardless of what you do, traces of cannabis metabolites will remain in your system for days or weeks after your last exposure; see Drug test. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:41, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Guidelines & templates for treating [silly] vandalism
I haven't found a comprehensive practical treatment for silly vandalism so left a query on the Vandalism talk page. Basically I'd like confirmation or advice on what I do: Thanks for your help! -- Deborahjay (talk) 14:44, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Rev by saving to last good version per history (is this "rollback"?)
 * Leave a warning on the perp's Talk page, even if it's an unregistered user


 * That is pretty much it- check, revert, warn. If the suspect editor insists the edit is not vandalism and repeats it, then move it to the talk page and discuss it.  If the vandalism i repeated and the the user is properly warned multiple times, then report it to WP:AIV.  If you use FireFox, then you can enableWP:TWINKLE through My:Preferences → Gadgets; this adds tabs for warning templates.  --—  Gadget850 (Ed)  <sup style="color:darkblue;">talk  -  16:05, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * You can use Undo to revert a single edit, and if you have the function, Rollback will undo multiple edits (rollback should only ever be used for vandalism). If you do Rollback, always double check the edits afterwards, just in case there was a sensible edit in there.


 * As for warnings, there is a list of useful templates at WP:MLT. Always assume good faith, so only ever use the lowest level, or if there is a recent vandalism warning, the next level up.  If they vandalise after level 4, you can notify the administrators at WP:AIV. StephenBuxton (talk) 16:07, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Many thanks, Gadget850 and StephenBuxton! I've pasted your helpful responses following my query on the Vandalism talk page for the benefit of all concerned. Let the good times roll[back]! ''-- yrs. truly for a better Wikipedia, Deborahjay (talk) 06:35, 22 April 2008 (UTC)''

Retirement
Good Afternoon,

I loathe Wikipedia now, I won't go into why - that's not why I'm writing. Instead of just behaving like an internet noob blaming people and vadalising the place until I'm blocked I'm gonna do the simple thing and leave.

I just have something to ask first, I have placed the "RETIRED" tag (well, the code for a box saying retired on it) on my user & talk page and removed my content from it. However I would like to know if there is anything else that is recommended to do when leaving - such as a category of retired users or whatever or having my rights taken away? Something like that - just to show that I'm off?

Kind Regards to all, (except Prohibit Onions; though not the reason I'm leaving) <font face="Monotype Corsiva" size="+2">Adam Adam Bell A.K.A. <font face="Trebuchet MS" color="orange">:: <font face="Trebuchet MS" color="blue">Manors <font face="Trebuchet MS" color="orange">:: talk to me 15:02, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately, I do not know. However, GoodBye. <font color="#0000CD">SimpsonsFan08  <font color="#FF0000"> talk contribs 15:08, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * No, there's really nothing special to do besides cease editing. If you want, you can exercise your Right to vanish, but then you certainly won't have anything left to show your retirement. Basically, we don't keep track of who retires and don't take away editing rights as folks do sometimes come back from retirement. -- Kesh (talk) 15:59, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * If you're tired of Wikipedia because of content disputes, why not take a break by helping other people by answering questions on the Help desk, or our other pages where people ask for help? If you have knowledge about Wikipedia and you can answer questions, other people will value your knowledge and express their thanks. You don't necessarily have to edit articles to be valuable - and valued - here. Wikipedia is a huge project with lots of different areas to work on; not everything has to be an uphill battle. That's just something to consider. Speaking for myself only, I'm so addicted to Wikipedia now that I would really miss this place if I had to leave. --Teratornis (talk) 20:54, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Teratornis I like your idea, as I do still enjoy the Helpdesk. I will see how this goes, I will view and add to the reference, help and support desks, but will not contribute in anyway to the encyclopedia and see how it goes after a few months. Thanks, and thank you for the above responses too! <font face="Trebuchet MS" color="orange">:: <font face="Trebuchet MS" color="blue">Manors <font face="Trebuchet MS" color="orange">:: talk to me 22:44, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * I find it strangely comforting to help with other people's problems on the Help desk. It helps me forget about my problems. Maybe it will work for you too. Also, on the Help desk we not only answer questions, we think about designing search tools, standard response templates, and other tricks for answering questions more efficiently - such as thinking about the kinds of questions that keep coming up, and whether we can change the design of something somewhere so the site confuses people less. This is some fascinating work (see Wikipedia talk:Help desk for details). The Help desk (and the Village pump, Reference desk, and other help pages) are really where the rubber hits the road on Wikipedia, so to speak. In a sense, these help pages indicate whether this project can work or not. The fact that almost every question gets an answer here, within a reasonably short response time, is very encouraging for the health of the project. I just find the Help desk to be one of the most positive of the micro-environments on Wikipedia. Also see Blind Men and an Elephant - what you think about the giant elephant of Wikipedia depends on where you look, or which part you grab. --Teratornis (talk) 01:40, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

'new section'
Why do Talk Pages now have new section instead of + <font color="#0000CD">SimpsonsFan08  <font color="#FF0000"> talk contribs 15:33, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm guessing it's just because not many newcomers knew what the plus was for. I've noticed that now also, when someone adds a comment a subject line is automatically added whereas before comments just went into the last section if there was no title. 86.156.118.136 (talk) 15:47, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * If you wish to revert to the previous "+" function, click on My Preferences → Gadgets → User interface gadgets → Change the "new section" tab text to instead display the much narrower "+". Hope this helps! Regards, EJF (talk) 15:52, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the Help. I've changed it to +. <font face="SimsLLHP2"><font color="#0000CD">SimpsonsFan08 <font color="#FF0000"> talk contribs 15:39, 21 April 2008 (UTC) 16:13, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * In direct answer to the original post, please see the section labeled "Replace "+" with "add new comment"" at Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals) (permanent link) .--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 16:30, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

System software
What is system software? '''This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Reference desk'''. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. You could always try for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. Please sign your post by typing four tildes ( ~ ) or clicking the signature button above the edit box (as shown to the left ←). Do NOT sign in articles. ......<em style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#008000"> Dendodge . Talk Help 18:02, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Signing question
I used my name to sign a discussion post. I was not a registered user at the time, so my IP address is on the post as well as my name. I'm concerned that these two bits of information can be used to create spam in my name and from my machine.


 * You can edit the talk page, remove the IP and add your signature. Ensure your edit summary states that you are signing a comment from when you were logged out.  --—  Gadget850 (Ed)  <sup style="color:darkblue;">talk  -  17:10, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Please sign your post by typing four tildes ( ~ ) or clicking the signature button above the edit box (as shown to the left ←). Do NOT sign in articles. ......<em style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#008000"> Dendodge . Talk Help 17:45, 21 April 2008 (UTC) The sig is also in the edit summary and appears on the discussion history page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Suzibear (talk • contribs) 21:05, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Need assistance with disambiguation
I am a first-time Wikipedian. I am putting together a biography of a rock music promoter, whose name let's say, is Roger Hamilton. There's another Roger Hamilton listed on Wikipedia and the user is directed to his Wiki bio by default. Rather than typing in name (promoter), the Roger Hamilton whose bio I am building wants the user to be directed immediately to his bio or immediately to a page listing all the disambiguations of Roger Hamilton. My Roger Hamilton wishes to avoid having the user be directed (as is now the case) to the other Roger Hamilton; he does not want the user to have to find and open a 'For other persons named Roger Hamilton, see Roger Hamilton (disambiguation).'

How do I work around this issue?

Thank you for reviewing

JamesHX (talk) 21:53, 21 April 2008 (UTC)JamesHXJamesHX (talk) 21:53, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * If there is more than one roger hamilton already, there will be a disambiguation page. Otherwise, I suggest just adding a note at the top of the current page This article is about the (pornstar/carpenter/tramp/whatever). For the music promoter, see Roger Hamilton (promoter). -mattbuck (Talk) 22:49, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Please read WP:COI, first, as you apparently are working directly with this person. That said, Wikipedia won't do what he wants it to. We direct people to the article most folks are likely to be searching for; if that's not clear, disambiguation is used.

Changing minimum searching size to 3 chars +
Currently our internal wiki (not setup by me). By default Wiki will only search text that is over 4 chars or larger.

Is there a configurable setting that I can change to do 3 or larger? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.52.81.18 (talk) 21:56, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * [[Image:Pictogram voting comment.svg|20px]] Note:  This help desk is for only for questions pertaining to Wikipedia. If the wiki runs on MediaWiki, ask your question at the MediaWiki support desk, and then contact the person who runs the wiki to request that they change the setting. Xenon54 22:21, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * See mw:Manual:Configuration settings which leads to mw:Category:Search variables which leads to mw:Manual:$wgDBminWordLen. Also see mw:Manual:LocalSettings.php. --Teratornis (talk) 05:41, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

Make your own page
Hello. I was wondering whether you could make your own page, such as a new topic not shown on Wikipedia. If so, what would you do? For example: I have a new topic, let's just call it Topic A. If Topic A is not on Wikipedia, can it become a part of it? Thanks.

CMonster95 (talk) 22:44, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Please see Your first article.
 * 1) Make sure the subject is notable enough to have their own article.
 * 2) Find references
 * 3) Make sure no article on the subject exists under a different title by typing the subject into the search box to the left (←) and clicking 'Search'
 * 4) Type the page name in the search box to the left (←) and click 'Go'
 * 5) Click 'Create this page'
 * 6) Create the article, including all your references, making sure you adhere to the Manual of Style and our article layout
 * 7) Be aware that Wikipedia deletes thousands of new articles for failing to adhere to our policies and guidelines. New articles by new users are at extra risk of deletion, due to new users' unfamiliarity with our rules. Consider gaining experience by editing existing articles before attempting to create new ones. -mattbuck (Talk) 22:46, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Another silly question
Here are four templates and the results they give:

Thank you for experimenting with Wikipedia. Your test worked, and it has been reverted or removed. Please use the sandbox for any other tests you may want to do. Take a look at the welcome page to learn more about contributing to our encyclopedia.

- - - - - -

Please refrain from making unconstructive edits to Wikipedia. Your edits appeared to constitute vandalism and have been reverted. If you would like to experiment, please use the sandbox.

- - - - - -

Please stop. If you continue to vandalize Wikipedia, you will be blocked from editing.

- - - - - -

This is the last warning you will receive for your disruptive edits. If you vandalize Wikipedia again, you will be blocked from editing.

- - - - - -

Note that number 4 doesn't work. It works if "vandal4" is changed to "uw-vandal4".

This is the last warning you will receive for your disruptive edits. The next time you vandalize Wikipedia, you will be blocked from editing.

- - - - - -

Is there any good reason why 4 is different? (other than it was coded differently.)

I'm asking this because it would be a bit simpler if they were uniform. Wanderer57 (talk) 22:54, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * The talk page of WikiProject user warnings, I think, would be a better place to bring it up. Calvin 1998 (t-c) 22:56, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks Wanderer57 (talk) 23:02, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Actually, if you follow the templates, vandal1 redirects to test; vandal2 redirects to Uw-vandalism2; vandal3 redirects to Uw-vandalism3; uw-vandal4 redirects to Uw-vandalism4. There is also a Uw-vandalism1 and uw-vandalism4im. There is a master list at WP:WARN. --— Gadget850 (Ed)  <sup style="color:darkblue;">talk  -  23:23, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Thank you. If I was crazy enough to want to create more templates or more redirects, is that permitted? Wanderer57 (talk) 23:59, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I recommend discussing this at the WikiProject user warnings talk page. I find the best way to do warnings is with WP:Twinkle if you are running FireFox.  --—  Gadget850 (Ed)  <sup style="color:darkblue;">talk  -  01:03, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

Bitches ain't shit
Why does the Ben Folds song "bitches ain't shit" which is linked here redirect to... Dr.dre? --87.112.70.168 (talk) 23:01, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
 * The song is in that album. Calvin 1998 (t-c) 23:09, 21 April 2008 (UTC)


 * That is a non-intuitive link— see WP:EGG. A better solution is to note that it is a cover from the album The Chronic (which needs the track listing reformatted per WP:ALBUM).  --—  Gadget850 (Ed)  <sup style="color:darkblue;">talk  -  23:17, 21 April 2008 (UTC)