Wikipedia:Help desk: Difference between revisions

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== Question ==
== Question ==
Is there a Barnstar for helping people? Also, if there is, what is the code for it?
Is there a Barnstar for helping people? Also, if there is, what is the code for it? <small>—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:Camcd93|Camcd93]] ([[User talk:Camcd93|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Camcd93|contribs]]) 07:18, 7 May 2008 (UTC)</small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

Revision as of 07:19, 7 May 2008

    Help Page Patrollers are a group of Wikipedians who patrol the help desk and help users who have placed the {{helpme}} template on their talk pages. The patrol is an optional service. Patrollers can come and go, and there is no official sign up process.

    Regular patrollers may add {{User HPP}} or {{user help desk}} to their user page:

    Help Desk
    This user volunteers at the
    Wikipedia Help Desk.




    What helpers can do

    Patrollers

    Add yourself with

    #~~~ (Joined ~~~~~)

    and if you are not using the userbox, add yourself to the Help Desk Patrol Category.

    List

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    See also

      Welcome—ask questions about how to use or edit Wikipedia! (Am I in the right place?)


      May 4

      uploading source files

      I've created a graph in Grace that I want to use in an article. Why can't I upload the original source file so that it can be updated by somebody else in future? Or is there a possibility? --Cambrasa confab 00:51, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      No, you will have to export a picture of the graph, then upload that. MediaWiki supports .JPG, .PNG, .GIF, .OGG, and .SVG filetypes. Calvin 1998 (t-c) 00:57, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      That's weak. Can't I upload the file in text format to a subpage of the article's talk page?--Cambrasa confab 01:02, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      You can, but only the filetypes above can be displayed, so it doesn't really do much good. Most people only want the graph, not the data. Calvin 1998 (t-c) 01:10, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Of course it does good. They can download the source file and modify it, and upload a new picture. How is this supposed to be a collaborative project if you can't even change the the graphs? Why should you have to reinvent the wheel every time you want to do a small update? --Cambrasa confab 02:22, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      SVG is an editable format that you can upload. According to the Grace home page, it exports to SVG. You might see if Grace can also open the SVG files it writes and let you edit them. That might be possible, since SVG is an XML format. See WP:EIW#Graphic for more stuff about graphics on Wikipedia. Maybe there are groups of Wikipedia users who share graph files more efficiently via some sort of back channel. Or maybe they use their user subpages for this kind of data. I have no idea, since I haven't investigated that, but it seems like an obvious thing for some people to do. If you think Wikipedia is weak with graphics, wait until you try working with maps. --Teratornis (talk) 05:46, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      I might add that MediaWiki's inability to work with many file types (such as spreadsheets, databases, and presentation software) limits its utility in corporate wiki applications. Which is a bummer, because Wikipedia is great collaborative tool for text. TWiki claims to support more file formats and allow for collaborative editing on spreadsheets etc. I looked at TWiki a little, but it came as kind of an unpleasant jolt after I had gotten used to MediaWiki (different wikitext syntax, no talk pages, I don't think its default appearance looks as good as MediaWiki's monobook skin, the category system looks inferior). I guess when you learn one wiki software package, all the others will seem broken. Anyway, illustrations are an acknowledged deficiency on Wikipedia, so maybe the Wikimedia Foundation will chip away at that problem as time goes on. Wikipedia is very much a work in progress, so if you don't like something now, check back in a year or two. --Teratornis (talk) 06:03, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      The problem there is that as you extend support for more file types, you start relying on app's outside the browser, now you wander into unknown territory and people can start injecting some really funky stuff into our hopefully 100% reliable site. Franamax (talk) 06:34, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Wikipedia isn't meant for hosting files like that (WP:NOT). It's an encyclopedia, so we need verifiable facts. Another wiki might be better suited for files that folks can download and manipulate themselves. -- Kesh (talk) 11:40, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      uploading images

      I have uploaded two images using my account. But, it is still not uploaded in the article related to it.


      == Why is it soooo??????? == Please replay!!!!! waiting..... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kinkate (talkcontribs) 01:18, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Images do not automatically appear in articles they are associated with. You must edit the page you want the image to appear in, adding image markup to it. Standard image markup is [[Image:name of image|thumb|descriptive caption]].--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 02:17, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Also, the image you uploaded has no copyright tag, and may be deleted if one is not added. Please see Wikipedia:Image copyright tags to learn which one is right for you. But I should say that fair use images as pictures of living people are not allowed per this policy. weburiedoursecretsinthegarden 09:45, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      A note to you, KinKate. You are unlikely to recieve very thorough, if any, answer if you continue asking questions like that. You should be grateful for help rather than complaining about waiting because you don't understand the website. Adam (Manors) 17:15, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      How can I correct the page name "Image:Lotus79.jpg" to "Image:Lotus77.jpg" please?

      Resolved

      The photo that appears on the page named "Image:Lotus79.jpg" is that of a Lotus 77 rather than of a Lotus 79. The details below the photo say that it is a Lotus 77 but also say that it is a Lotus 79. How can I clean this up please? GTHO (talk) 11:47, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      I think you'll have to upload the file again, under the new name. weburiedoursecretsinthegarden 12:03, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      The only way to move an image is to upload it under the new title, and tag the old one with {{isd|Full name of image excluding the "Image:" prefix}}. Mister Senseless (Speak - Contributions) 18:17, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      How do I ask for a third opinion?

      There is as a dispute about Drug policy between me and user SSteinberg. He deletes sources and replace the source with a [citation needed]. More details on the talk page for the article.--Dala11a (talk) 13:03, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Try filing a request for comment. weburiedoursecretsinthegarden 13:17, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      ... or Wikipedia:Third opinion. More generally, you might want to read Wikipedia:Dispute resolution. -- Rick Block (talk) 14:58, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      I have tried to follow your advise but I can not see the that it is in the list of disputes. Syntax error??Dala11a (talk) 15:00, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      The listings are updated automatically by User:RFC bot, whenever it runs (which seems to be about once an hour). -- Rick Block (talk) 15:16, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      I looked at Talk:Drug policy. (For starters, it would help if participants would follow the Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines and add proper section headings above each discussion.) The dispute is difficult to follow, and the murkiness may be to some extent deliberate by both parties. It's typical, but not helpful, for disputants to attempt to argue in abstract general terms from Wikipedia guidelines and policies rather than in concrete terms specific to the disagreement. This is a style of argument in keeping with wikilawyering, and it rests on the unstated presumption that Wikipedia's policies and guidelines are so ingeniously devised that we can always apply them without regard to the specifics of a situation. However, this would only work if Wikipedia's policies were logically consistent, and they aren't (which is why we sometimes ignore all rules). If you want third opinions, make it easier for people who haven't been involved in the dispute to understand exactly what is in dispute. You should detail (perhaps on a user subpage) exactly who did what, and why, and who objected, and why. Please refer to the other user (Ssteinberger) by a correct username, so we can see who is involved. Third parties are unlikely to want to do much work just to understand what the question is. See Eric S. Raymond's How to ask questions the smart way. --Teratornis (talk) 21:57, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Link Blacklisting Filter

      Resolved

      The link blacklisting filter seems draconian. I wanted to clear up some punctuation/capitalization issues on the Kikuchi Dairoku page, but was told my edit had a blacklisted link. Neither had I added a link, nor was the questionable link in the section that I was specifically editing. In fact, the link has been there for years, unchallenged through many edits (perhaps the link's domain, lulu.com, is new on the blacklist), and is apparently on topic. I don't feel entitled to remove this link.

      The blacklisting policy effectively freezing this page, and perhaps others in a similar situation. Surely the blacklisting should be designed to permit edits to sections that have no blacklisted links? Ezrakilty (talk) 15:18, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      There's a discussion of this underway at WP:VPT#Bug Report. Algebraist 15:21, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      In the mean time, I have removed the blacklisted link, so it should not trigger the spam filter any more. Feel free to save your edit again. Stwalkerstertalk ] 15:24, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Category Bug?

      Resolved

      I'm just curious if anyone has an explanation for this. I was doing CAT:CSD patrol this morning. The Celestial Plot has been in the category for many hours. As far as I can tell has never marked for speedy deletion; it has no deleted edits and no deletion log entry, so it's a first time creation (so this is not some type of carryover from a past tagging); the page has no templates on it which could be piggybacking the deletion category (through lack of "noincludes") and I have purged the category page. Yet it remains in the category. Any ideas?--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 15:46, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Doesn't seem to be there anymore... weburiedoursecretsinthegarden 15:58, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      One of the pages, HasSpoilers, was deleted today by Discospinster (talk · contribs) as a test page. It was transcluded onto the page, so maybe the category was transcluded when it was tagged? PeterSymonds | talk 15:58, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Hmmm, but it looks like it was just [[linked]], not actually {{transcluded}}, so I don't see how any speedy deletion tag on it could ever place it into the category just by linking. Anyway, there is no issue here that need to be solved; I just have the curiosity bug.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 17:34, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      [1] It was. But at least it's solved now. :) PeterSymonds | talk 17:39, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      D'oh! Im sure that was it. Thanks!--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 18:28, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Album covers for band article

      I would like someone to give me a link to the album cover use policy on Wikipedia. I would like to know if non-free album covers are allowed for to be used as identification of the band in band's infobox. --staka (TC) 17:38, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      It's detailed here: Wikipedia:Fair use#Images, under cover art. The unacceptable policies on album covers are here: Wikipedia:Non-free content#Images 2. Basically, identification is okay with a critical commentary, but decoration, eg. for a discography, is not okay. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 17:45, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Add language

      Hi, how can I add a language in the “Main Page”. Namely Kurdish (ku). So if you can tell me how, then thanks a lott. Kawe2620 (talk) 17:48, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      The main page only lists other languages that have at least 20,000 articles so as to avoid flooding the main page. According to their Statistics, they only have about 11,000 actual articles. See Template:MainPageInterwikis for more information. Hersfold (t/a/c) 17:52, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      When can the count goes up. If an article begins with “ku.wiki…”, if it is correct. Why can table not be the same like an English page. I mean an “en.wiki…” page. Look at this page [[2]] and [[3]]. Or is the same drove? In any case thanks a lott. Kawe2620 (talk) 18:17, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Normal pages are different. For normal pages, you add [[LANGUAGECODE:OTHERLANGUAGEARTICLE]] to the end for the link to show up. On the main page, Template:MainPageInterwikis is transcluded onto the page. Calvin 1998 (t-c) 19:04, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Also see Help:Interlanguage links, WP:EIW#Translate, and WP:EIW#Interwiki. --Teratornis (talk) 05:55, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Organization listed on Wikipedia

      I work for a non-profit education organization. We want to post on Wikipedia. Does that mean we have to write an article about us to do that?

      CAM —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.143.80.33 (talk) 17:53, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Please read WP:ORG. Does it satisfy the notability guideline? If not, then probably not; remember that if we had every organization in the world, it would be manic! Also, please read WP:Conflict of interest; you shouldn't really write about topics that you are actively involved with. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 17:56, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      If you mean you want an account, just make one with any non promotional name...... Dendodge.TalkHelp 17:57, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Oh, and it can't be a shared account either...... Dendodge.TalkHelp 17:58, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      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. Calvin 1998 (t-c) 18:00, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Filing Wills and Living Trusts

      Do Wills and Living Trusts have to be filed with the state? If they are witnessed and signed are the enforcable by the courts?“ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.186.158.5 (talk) 20:24, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      We cannot offer legal advice. Please see the legal disclaimer. Contact your lawyer....... Dendodge.TalkHelp 20:26, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      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.TalkHelp 20:28, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      article for deletion

      How can I delete an article?

      It is someone's idea of a joke, as far as I can tell. They have edited Olympic Games to put in a link to Computering.

      Computering

      Wanderer57 (talk) 20:30, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      I've deleted the redirect. In the future, our deletion policy gives directions on how to handle such cases. Hersfold (t/a/c) 20:33, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      You need to be an administrator to delete articles, but if you see an edit that is not appropriate then you can revert it see WP:REVERT. Harland1 (t/c) 20:38, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      See also: WP:CSD. weburiedoursecretsinthegarden 21:28, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Do I understand correctly that I (without administrator authority) could delete a newly-created article by reverting the edit that created it? Wanderer57 (talk) 22:28, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      No, you cannot revert an article creation. You could have reverted the edit [4] which added the link to Olympic Games, but that had already been done when you posted here. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:42, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      encyclopedia

      what is the volume # and edition # for wikipedia? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.61.138.76 (talk) 22:59, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      There isn't one. If you're trying to cite one of our articles, you can type the title into the form at Special:Cite, and it will give you a bibliographic entry in several formats. Hersfold (t/a/c) 23:01, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      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.TalkHelp 23:03, 4 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      May 5

      oops...

      Resolved

      I was making changes to one of my subpages, and accedently created a new template. Where can I go to get this deleted? Thanks! You're dreaming eh? 00:11, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Tag it with {{db-author}}...... Dendodge.TalkHelp 00:13, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
       Done by TenPoundHammer, deleted immediately...... Dendodge.TalkHelp 00:18, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Admin

      1. . Have any admins ever been vandals before they became admins?
      2. . There are many admins whose only interest in life is...well, their adminship. Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 07:52, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      I don't know of any, but please do not make statements like "...admins whose only interest in life is...well, their adminship". It can be seen as quite offensive, especially as adminship is no big deal and we're all working on a volunteer project. But anyway, rant over. :) Also, please note that this page is for asking questions about using Wikipedia only, and that this question should ideally go to Wikipedia talk:Administrators. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 08:00, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      See Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2008 April 15#Vandals who become good editors. PrimeHunter (talk) 09:34, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Wikipedia certainly has to be a major interest in one's life, if one is going to become much good at editing on Wikipedia, and avoid most edit warring and content disputes. People who don't care much about learning Wikipedia are unlikely to get far beyond correcting simple typos in articles. In any case, I'm proud of my obsession with Wikipedia, and such knowledge and skill as I may have gained thus far, because I'm largely convinced that Wikipedia illustrates the future of work. (Soapbox ON) In light of peak oil and the ongoing oil price increases since 2003, the cost of physical transportation fueled by petroleum continues to rise, and may rise catastrophically over the next several years as world petroleum extraction falls ever-farther behind demand. Simultaneously, Moore's law continuously reduces the cost of moving information over wires. Wikipedia is one of the most successful examples of remote collaboration yet invented. Therefore, the more one learns about how to function effectively on Wikipedia, the more one prepares to maintain productive employment in the near future, when personal travel is likely to decrease drastically. (I.e., when people who think they have to fly and drive all around to physically meet with customers and coworkers to get things done begin losing out to competitors who figure out how to move the same information over wires.) Wikipedia itself will not be a general-purpose platform for telecommuting, but Wikipedia is excellent for learning how to use wiki software, and the skills carry over directly to corporate wikis. I apologize for my wildly POV digression, but I felt an overwhelming urge to advise other Wikipedians to be as proud of their obsession as I am - I'm certain as day this is not all a complete waste of time, and it shouldn't be long before the people who mock us will be begging us to teach them. Move bits, not bodies! (Soapbox OFF) --Teratornis (talk) 16:44, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      GMT

      Resolved

      Why does Wikipedia use GMT? Why doesn't it use the timezone in which its headquarters are located? This is basically two questions, just so you know. Interactive Fiction Expert/Talk to me 12:08, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      It uses UTC, so the time in watchlists etc will be different in other time zones. We see it in GMT, but a North American will see it in the Pacific Time Zone or another (I think there are seven or something). PeterSymonds | talk 12:11, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      (ec) It doesn't use GMT, it uses UTC, which is not quite the same. UTC is convenient for a global presence, as time-zones are defined in relation to UTC, and it is independent of any move of headquarters. DuncanHill (talk) 12:12, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Explain weather Dev can rely on EC law to claim the seven-day study period he wants to take ?

      Moved to WP:Reference desk/Humanities. Please remember that this page is for asking questions about how to use Wikipedia. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 13:17, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Why I can not post a link to Privatebanking.com portal on "Private Banking" page?

      Dear Wikipedia,

      I do not insert advertising or spam, I merely point out where to find more resources about private banking , similarly to Euromoney that seems to get special treatment from you.

      Could you please explain why the Euromoney links are fine on the "Private Banking" page, and the link to privatebanking.com portal which is more relevant and unbiased is not OK? Do I need to pay 'donate' for the link?

      Please let me know and I will pursue this further according to your advise.

      Sincerely

      PBsam (talk) 13:44, 5 May 2008 (UTC)PBsam[reply]

      That URL has been blacklisted by the spam filter, usually meaning someone was spamming links to that site. You can request it's removal here if you wish. Nobody can add the link while it is on the blacklist. Stwalkerstertalk ] 13:54, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Hello. Euromoney is a news website about banking, whereas privatebanking.com is a financial advice website which offers a service. That's the crucial difference, and that's why the privatebanking.com link is unacceptable. Please see WP:EL for more information. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 13:52, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Dear Wikipedia,
      I can’t agree with your assessment. Euromoney sells magazines, advertisement and a number of other services. The ads can be seen right on their landing page same as on privatebanking.com site. They do offer services in similar fashion as we do; hence if there is a difference it is that they offer a much larger palette of services than we do as Euromoney is a large corporation while we are a smaller company. We actually worked with Euromoeny with helping collect data for polls and promoting their seminars.
      However; what we offer at no cost (and Euromoey does not) is the world’s largest database of private banking firms.
      We believe that this is relevant to users seeking information in private banking and as mentioned this is offered at no cost whatsoever to the internet user.
      To summarize, if you see no problem with Euromoney being linked there should definitely be no problem whttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Watchlist

      My watchlistith a link to us.

      Please I ask you to weigh these facts and reconsider.
      Thank you.
      PBsam (talk) 16:14, 5 May 2008 (UTC)PBsam[reply]
      The issue of cost isn't really relevant. Wikipedia is not a vehicle for advertising, and all external links must comply without our policy on external linking. This site would appear to not pass item 14 of "Links normally to be avoided". Best, --Bfigura (talk) 17:06, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Privatebanking.com is about advertising; it says so: "Toronto, Canada, privatebanking.com is the world’s most comprehensive internet portal, advertisement platform and social network medium for the private banking and wealth management industry." That is why it's in the blacklist. Euromoney is not an advertising platform, but a site devoted to financial news. PeterSymonds | talk 17:09, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      A lot of site guests have free access for a global search engine of private banks in the world. And we do not ask users to register or paid for this services. Site guests can access our database for free, and even can write a email to bank representatives for free. Yes, for banks it s paid service, but for standart site guests - all services are free. So we supposed that our link in Wikipedia will be very helpful for our site guests.
      Thank you.
      PBsam (talk) 17:23, 5 May 2008 (UTC)PBsam[reply]
      Note This user has been indefinitely blocked as a sockpuppet

      Shading columns in a table

      I am familiar with shading rows and cells in a table. Are there commands for shading columns (at Jesse_Jackson,_Jr.#Election_Results)? I want it to look like Jim Bunning.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 13:51, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Just shade every cell in the column, I'm not sure there is an easier way. -mattbuck (Talk) 00:21, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Problem with an edit I made at the science reference desk

      Resolved

      Hi, I added on to a topic I created on the science reference desk called "Power to weight Ratio". After saving, only the first sentence appears at the bottom of the section, and it's bordered by a light-blue, dotted line. When I look at the edit section, my whole post is there, but not in the saved edit. What happened, and can someone fix it, please? Thanks so much for the help! MoeJade (talk) 14:00, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Yeah, you'd indented with the spacebar; that's what created the problem. If you want to indent, use the colon :, and the more you want to indent, the more colons you use. For example:

      :Hello ::Hello :::Hello ::::Hello (in columns)

      renders:

      Hello
      Hello
      Hello
      Hello

      Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 14:06, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      O.k. Thanks for the quick reply! MoeJade (talk) 14:28, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      That's what we're here for. :) PeterSymonds | talk 14:31, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Also see: Help:Editing and Help:Wikitext examples, in particular Help:Wikitext examples#Organizing your writing which shows examples of lists and indented paragraphs. And a side note to PeterSymonds, you can show your wikitext example a bit more clearly by indenting the first line so it preserves your line breaks, like this:
      :Hello
      ::Hello
      :::Hello
      ::::Hello
      
      
      --Teratornis (talk) 16:52, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Account

      Resolved

      Dear Wikipedia, I think someone is using my account because they have been changing things in my name, I don't like getting blamed for what I haven't done. Please could you resolve this problem as quickly as you can. signed, Greanak (talk) 14:29, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Your userpage and user talk page is open to edits -- and vandalism, unfortunately -- from anyone. It doesn't mean your account is compromised, though. I'll keep an eye on it, but if you experience this again, either remove the content or undo it following the instructions in the link. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 14:57, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      I've blocked this account for vandalism. See the user's talk page if you're curious. The account may or may not have been hijacked, but whoever asked this particular question is the one doing the vandalizing, so this thread is just trolling. --barneca (talk) 15:01, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Ah, okay, thanks Barneca. PeterSymonds | talk 15:02, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      MoS question - date range

      Experienced editor here with a MoS question - is there a better venue to ask this? Let me know if so. Regarding this edit, where the editor changed the date range from "350-500,000 years" to "350,000-500,000 years". I've looked through the MoS for ten or fifteen minutes and can't find anything regarding this exact situation, either in the date section or number section. Anyone have any enlightenment for me? Tan | 39 14:51, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Well, I have no concrete answer, but I should think the second one is correct. In the articles I write, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to list someone's date of birth and date of death like "1930–87", so I suppose in date forms the full form should be used. I suggest you go to WT:MOS and ask, but I'm pretty sure that's how it should be. PeterSymonds | talk 14:55, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      I would tend to agree that 350,000-500,000 would be more correct as its unambiguous. 350-500,000 could mean "(350 to 500)-thousand" or "(350) to (500,000)" -- ShinmaWa(talk) 16:16, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Featured Template

      Resolved

      I'm just wondering about this, because I havn't come across featured templates. So where can I find the highest standard for a template? TeePee-20.7 (talk) 14:56, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Templates aren't given a quality rating I don't believe... The only things that are: are articles, lists, portals, media, and topics. There's certainly no place to nominate a template for a quality rating, anyway. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 15:07, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Yeh I knew that because like I said I have never seen one which has been. But you still didn't answer the second part of my question. Is there a place where I can find the highest standard for a template? TeePee-20.7 (talk) 15:13, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Oh, sorry, I thought you meant a list like WP:FA. In short, no, because there's no page listing the "best" templates on Wikipedia. You could ask at Wikipedia talk:Template namespace and see if they have an answer. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 15:37, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      ...or if I've got it wrong again, and you're asking how to create a good template, here's a good link to Meta: [5]. Sorry, PeterSymonds | talk 15:39, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Oh okay, well thankyou for your help. I also remembered another question I wanted to ask but I'm not sure if you would know it so hopefully there is someone in here that does. But the question I want to ask is: Do template or categories or anything else of similar nature also get reviewed in an article, when an article is being reviewed for feature status? TeePee-20.7 (talk) 15:47, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      I've written four so I should know. :) Basically the categories are checked, but not scrutinized. Obviously if there was a blatantly wrong category (eg. Category:Cars on Winston Churchill then there would be a problem. However, they aren't required to be alphabetised or anything. Templates are a bit like that too, and some editors object to too many templates (it's usually not a reason to oppose at FAC), but a balance is required, so they don't stand too prominently and thus taking something awa from the text. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 15:52, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Oh okay, hmmmm I wonder why categories and templates don't recieve so much scruitiny. I think we should have a quality system setup for them aswell. Oh well, something else for the wikipedia community to think about in the future! BTW congrats on the FAs! :D TeePee-20.7 (talk) 16:08, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      See WP:EIW#Feature. In addition to featured articles, the Editor's index mentions featured lists, pictures, portals, and sounds. "Featured" suggests something we would show off to the world; since templates are rather arcane technical features of Wikipedia, the general public might have difficulty appreciating a template's excellence of coding. A template might impress members of the small community of template coders, but I'm not sure how much it would do for Joe Websurfer. We do have some barnstars that acknowledge the technical skill of the people who code templates. Thus an indirect measure of template's "quality" might be the number of barnstars conferred on people who worked on it, but obviously that falls well short of a quality evaluation of our templates generally, since the conferring of barnstars is up to the whim of individual users. --Teratornis (talk) 16:18, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      (outdent) Well, categories are just there for joining a set of articles together, so there doesn't need to be that much scrutiny. I agree about templates, though; I personally dislike them, especially too many of them, so maybe a "template review" can be established at some point. PeterSymonds | talk 16:11, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Aright well thanks for your help, adios. TeePee-20.7 (talk) 16:20, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      tuberculosis

      Moved to Wikipedia:Reference desk/Science. Please note that this page is for asking questions about using Wikipedia only. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 16:30, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]


      New Look

      When I'm editing wikipedia, I feel that some operations are restricted. Any chance of a New Look Wikipedia? Britishrailclass91 (talk) 18:37, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      If you're referring to protection, we will sometimes protect pages from editing to resolve disputes or prevent vandalism. If that's not what you meant, but you have a suggestion for how we could improve, you may want to post it at the village pump, where the community at large can comment. Hersfold (t/a/c) 18:39, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Redirect request

      Resolved

      Could someoen create C&C KW and redirect it to Command and conquer 3:Kane's wrath? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.120.116.179 (talk) 20:06, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Hi, thanks for your interest. However, please request new articles at Wikipedia:Requested articles. You can also get an account to do write it yourself. Please note, though, that details and sources are required for your request to be fulfilled. If it's created, ask the creator to create the redirect for you. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 20:09, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Right, sorry, gotcha. It was a typo so it looked like a non-existent article.  Done

      I Would Like to Delete My Article

      Resolved

      How do I delete my own article, Estrella by newland?

      MartzPR (talk) 22:50, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Just type {{db-author}} on the page and an admin will delete it. Thingg 22:51, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      I Can't Use the Edit Toolbar

      I visit the wikipedia by web proxy because of the Great Firewall of China. Only part of the icons are displayed but others are just X.

      File:ErrorToolbar.png

      How can I solve this problem, by editting my Edittoole.js? --Siriudie (talk) 23:50, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      See Wikipedia:WikiProject on closed proxies - they have a list of proxies you can use, and they should work. Calvin 1998 (t-c) 23:59, 5 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      That is pretty strange - I suppose you should try bypassing your cache, and trying again. Calvin 1998 (t-c) 00:10, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      I used Ctrl+F5 but it doesn't work. I think the problem is the URL of the icons. The URL of X such as bold button is "http://www.proksim.net/skins-1.5/common/images/button_bold.png", and "www.proksim.net" is the web proxy I used. The URL of correct icons such as Redirect button is "http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c8/Button_redirect.png". I think it is the reason.--Siriudie (talk) 00:23, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      I think you are absolutely right, Siriudie. The broken icons from BOLD through HR are added via JavaScript like this:
      addButton("/skins-1.5/common/images/button_bold.png","Bold text","\'\'\'","\'\'\'","Bold text","mw-editbutton-bold");
      The other icons are added via another means. However, if I'm reading this correctly, your broken icons are part of the base page structure and not imported via monobook or any other user-edittable theme. You may have to bring this up at the technical village pump. -- ShinmaWa(talk) 02:20, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      May 6

      Migrating project templates

      Some time ago I changed the name of "WikiProject Fishing" to "WikiProject Fisheries and Fishing". Since then there have been problems with the assessment templates, such as Template:WPFISHING. I don't know how to migrate them. Can someone walk me through this please? --Geronimo20 (talk) 02:43, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Could you specify what problems? You can simply Move the template by clicking Move at the top, and then it will be redirected to the new title that you choose. Gary King (talk) 03:20, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Well Template:WPFISHING is not nesting properly, as in this example. As I recall it was nesting okay before the name change. The other problem is with the assessment grid. This is not updating, as you can see if you click on one of the subtotal headers. --Geronimo20 (talk) 03:46, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Date format inconsistency

      Resolved

      At the bottom of every page you have the 'last modified' date using the logical format (d:m:y); smallest to largest. This format is used virtually everywhere in the world. Yet in many date based articles (like 'what happened on this day') you use the illogical format (m:d:y). Shouldn't this be made consistent? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.149.164.14 (talk) 06:45, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      I think you should have a look at Manual of Style Its basically using your common sense to the format you use depending on the situation. Either way i dont think its harming anyone, its when users do the 6/5/08 or 5/6/08 that gets confusing. Hope that helped. Roadrunnerz45 (talk 2 me) 07:53, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      (e/c) They're all logical; it just depends on your perspective. None of the systems are used virtually everywhere in the world. A larger division of the world uses the d:m:y but both m:d:y and y:m:d are used and not in tiny isolated pockets either. China, for example, uses y:m:d. That's 1.3 billion people; approximately 20% of the world. Ever user who has an account can change their preferences so that linked dates in any of the standard date formats will display as they choose. The date modified you see below as defaulting to d:m:y, I see differently based on my preferences. As for the consistency issue, see Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates and numbers). Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 08:13, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Tools gone

      Resolved

      Hi, for some reason I've lost the use of all my extra tools (Friendly, HotCat, Twinkle etc), and my preferences is now formatted in a long line down the page, without the navigation buttons at the top. Also, probably related, the "show" button on talk page shells have gone and displays the extra information anyway. Anyone got any ideas about this? I edited my monobook.js this morning, and I've tried reverting my changes and bypassing, but they're still not there. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 08:06, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      That's odd The show buttons are working fine for me, I can't check twinkle and friendly because I'm at school and stuck with IE but the navigation buttons are there, have you tried purging your cache? Harland1 (t/c) 08:21, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Yep, it's worrying, because now my edit toolbar is gone as well. :S PeterSymonds | talk 08:23, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Update: Basically, I've tried restoring my monobook. When I Ctrl-F5 it, I can see the tools; but as soon as I navigate away from the page, either by purging or clicking elsewhere, they disappear. On your userpage, Harland, those dropdown boxes don't have a "show" on them, so I can't see their contents; I'm not sure what's going on! Seems really weird. PeterSymonds | talk 08:32, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      If you haven't yet, try restarting you computer. I know, not exactly earth shattering advice, but every time I have some kind of major functionality or display bug I can't figure out that I know isn't a virus, a reboot solves it.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 08:50, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Seems so simple when you think about it...!! Thanks, you're a star! PeterSymonds | talk 08:57, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      You're welcome!--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 19:16, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      How to post question related to an article.

      Am looking at article on Helix Aspersa, and want to post a question about it. How do I do it? Have spent a long time on site and can't find the answer. Not in FAQ Ruth555 (talk) 08:37, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      When on the article, at the top of the screen, there'll be a tab that says "discussion". Click this, and then press the "new section" tab. Type a brief summary (question or something) into the smaller box, and then your complete question in the bigger box. Then save it, and voila! Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 08:40, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      The talk page in question is Talk:Helix aspersa. You can start a new comment on that page by clicking here. Please read Help:Talk page and Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines. Note that an article's talk page is for discussing improvements to the article. If you have a general knowledge question about the article's subject, and you don't want to change the article, then you should ask your question on the Reference desk. --Teratornis (talk) 05:28, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Foreign Language Templates

      Resolved

      Could anybody tell me how to use a template from a foreign language version of Wikipedia? I want to include a userbox from the Spanish Wikipedia in my English userpage. Thanks. --MQDuck 09:23, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Um, I think it's probably best to get the template markup (which will be on the template's page with the prefix Template:, in Spanish) Then create a new template page on the English W, copy the source code and translate. That should work, because wikimarkup is the same globally I believe. PeterSymonds | talk 09:26, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      That would certainly work, but there's a way to link to foreign language articles, right? There has to be a way to use foreign language templates. --MQDuck 09:44, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Oh yes. In the wikilink, just put the country code followed by a colon. Eg. for the English Wikipedia, it would be [[w:en:Spanish language|Spanish language]]. Pipe it with the | to hide the identifier. PeterSymonds | talk 09:47, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      I know how to make a link. What I want is to use a template. The one I want is in userspace (therefore technically not a template?): http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usuario:Felipnator/Chavez. I tried things like {{w:es:Usuario:Felipnator/Chavez}} but I haven't found anything that works. --MQDuck 12:18, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      {{User:Mqduck/Spanish template}}.here Is that what you wanted? The userbox has been created in your userspace, and to use it, those brackets will transclude it wherever you want, eg. your userpage. PeterSymonds | talk 12:23, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      I didn't need help doing that, but thanks. :) I take it that what I was asking just isn't possible. --MQDuck 12:56, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Oh, interwiki templates, sorry. I was struggling to realise what you meant. As far as I know that isn't possible, because separate userboxes are local and not global. PeterSymonds | talk 12:58, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      No, you can't transclude inter-wiki, for the same reason you can't redirect inter-wiki. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 23:09, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      See mw:Manual:$wgEnableScaryTranscluding. The feature is available in the MediaWiki software which powers Wikipedia, but the people who decide such things decided to disable scary transcluding on Wikipedia, I think. --Teratornis (talk) 05:23, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      About Bots

      I am a user in [ http://te.wikipedia.org telugu wikipedia]. I am learning to write a bot in python. when i tried to run a bot written in Python. I am getting the following error message

        E:\python\pywikipedia>python login.py
        Checked for running processes. 1 processes currently running, including the current process.
        Password for user Ravibot on wiktionary:te:
        Logging in to wiktionary:te as Ravibot
       Traceback (most recent call last):
       File "login.py", line 277, in <module>
         main()
       File "login.py", line 273, in main
         loginMan.login()
       File "login.py", line 225, in login
         cookiedata = self.getCookie()
       File "login.py", line 144, in getCookie
         response, data = self.site.postForm(address, predata, useCookie=False)
       File "E:\python\pywikipedia\wikipedia.py", line 3137, in postForm
         return self.postData(address, data, sysop = sysop, useCookie=useCookie)
       File "E:\python\pywikipedia\wikipedia.py", line 3160, in postData
         conn.endheaders()
       File "C:\Python25\lib\httplib.py", line 860, in endheaders
         self._send_output()
       File "C:\Python25\lib\httplib.py", line 732, in _send_output
         self.send(msg)
       File "C:\Python25\lib\httplib.py", line 699, in send
         self.connect()
       File "C:\Python25\lib\httplib.py", line 667, in connect
         socket.SOCK_STREAM):
       socket.gaierror: (11001, 'getaddrinfo failed')
      

      I downloaded the bot frame work from the link u have given on the bot help page. I access internet through a proxy server with firewall. Will it cause any problems. I would be happy to know whether there is any alternative for running the bot. Ravichandrae (talk) 10:55, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      I'm afraid I cannot be of any help with the technical side of things, but can I just check that the bot you are creating is going to be approved? WP:B lists the bot policy - if you haven't already done so, please could you have a read of it? There is also a link on that page to the Bot approval group. That page lists all the users who can approve Bots - it is probable that one of them will have the technical knowledge to answer your question. StephenBuxton (talk) 15:41, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Another page that might be of help: WP:CREATEBOT. There is a section on there about new bots in python. StephenBuxton (talk) 15:44, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Also see WP:EIW#Bot. This Help desk is for questions about using Wikipedia. Bot programming is a specialized skill, and not many of the people who read the Help desk and answer questions may be bot programmers who could answer these kinds of questions quickly. WP:VPT seems to have a higher percentage of technical people who might know something. I also see some troubleshooting discussion on m:Talk:Using the python wikipediabot; you might try asking there. If that doesn't get results, you could see Wikipedia:Bots/Status and start asking other pywikipedia users if they can help you. In general, if you want to venture into the cruel world of bots, you need to know computer programming and in particular debugging. In a large percentage of cases, when a relatively popular computer program emits a distinctive error message, one can {{Google}} for the text of the error and find various Web pages where people have reported the error. So let's try it: pywikipedia getaddrinfo failed; that finds four distinct mentions of this error. Read all those pages and maybe you'll find the answer, or more keywords for further Googling. I know more about Perl than Python, so I'm fairly comfortable at debugging Perl scripts (although scripts I download from other people can get gnarly fast). Are you a Python programmer? Running Python scripts is not like running a consumer-grade application program (such as a Web browser). Scripting languages require the user to be more technically inclined and self-reliant. --Teratornis (talk) 19:23, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      References

      Resolved

      Is ther some policy which says that you shouldn't add too many refs? I mean if you have two for each statement in an article is that overkill or is it a good idea? Harland1 (t/c) 12:48, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Not really, but you can sometimes have a ref "overkill". For example, if you had a paragraph of information from one source, and you gave every sentence a <ref name=Jones/>, then that would be considered unnecessary. As for duplicate refs, I would only add more than one if there are two sides (eg. X said this and Y said that), or if the information is controversial and has to be backed up by multiple sources. Some people put about six references for some things and it just looks unprofessional! (Although it is necessary sometimes, albeit rarely). PeterSymonds | talk 12:54, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Would you say that 2 references would be only needed if it was a contraversial statement? (I didn't mean 6 references, I was thinking of 2 or at very most 3). Harland1 (t/c) 12:57, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Two should be fine. What's the sentence? PeterSymonds | talk 12:59, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      It's not a particularly controversial statement in Borthwick Castle about Mary Queen of Scots escaping disguised as a page, some places say man and some say page so I wondered how many I would need. Thanks Harland1 (t/c) 13:05, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Ah okay, I would've thought one would be enough, but two would be fine on that one. "Man" is ambiguous, and I would generally go with the specifics if they're available. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 13:09, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Ads

      talk 17:31, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
       – PeterSymonds

      Is there a way to remove all the ads that the top of the screen? The ugly "Learn more about citing Wikipedia", "Early regisistration for Wikimania 2008" and "Help us improve Wikipedia" ones are getting on my nerves -62.172.143.205 (talk) 13:47, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Well, the early registration one can be hidden by pressing the [hide] button which appears to the right of the message. Where are you seeing the others? I don't think those ones can be hidden, but if there's a hide button there, it gets rid of it. PeterSymonds | talk 13:50, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      I think those messages (except the Wikimania one) are for unregistered users only. Creating an account kills them. Algebraist 14:09, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Yep, just logged out and seen them everywhere! To 62, the only way to get rid of those is to create an account for yourself. There's no way to hide them while logged out unfortunately. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 14:15, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Thx. Logging in it a pain though... Wiki should seriously reconsider putting all the ads if it wants to encourage new users -The user formerly known as 62.172.143.205 (talk) 15:54, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      I came online about lunchtime today (11:30 UTC) and spotted them while logged out. They're horrendous and I've started a topic at WP:VPM. Please voice your own opinions...... Dendodge..TalkHelp 16:00, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Now you've got an account, yay! To avoid hassle (and providing you're not on a shared PC), you can set your preferences to keep you permanently logged in. Click on "my preferences" at the top, and at the bottom of that screen, there'll be a box saying username and password. Beneath it, there's a tick box that says "remember my login on this computer". That way you'll stay logged in. Best, PeterSymonds | talk 16:00, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Someone is misusing my name or email address.

      talk 17:37, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
       – Shared IP addresses explained. PeterSymonds

      First, I would like to say that Wikipedia is one of the best uses of internet technology I have ever seen. I love it. However, I am not a member nor an editing member. I do not contribute to editing in any way. But, today, I used Wikipedia for the first time in about a month and received three notices that my editings have been deleted. I don't edit. Is someone using my name or email address?

      This concerns me because: A) I don't edit. B) I use Wikipedia frequently and do not want that privilege revoked. C) I am in public education and do not want a bad name for myself.

      What can be done to reslove this issue? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.158.132.234 (talk) 13:58, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Ah, yes, you're on a shared IP address, which means other users are also contributing. Are you at a school? Basically, every institution has an IP address, and the same IP could represent hundreds if not thousands of users. Therefore, the person behind an IP address receiving a warning is most likely not the person who committed vandalism. See your contributions; that's how many edits your IP address (not necessarily you) has made.
      Secondly, no one can be blocked from viewing Wikipedia, only editing it. Your name is never disclosed, and no one's trying to impersonate you. It's just some vandal operating from the same IP. :) Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 14:06, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      The worst possible case scenario is that your ip address would be blocked from editing, that is if the vandalism from it is especially high. But you will still be able to use wikipedia to find information exactly the same way and no one will ever know anything about your personal identity, so your concerns are fine. On the other hand, we would hope that you might come across something in the future that you think needs to be fixed and do to your love of this site and for education you may want to be bold and fix it to better the experience for everyone. If you want to do this at some point but your IP address is blocked it would be difficult which is why I would recommend you simply register an account now, could use your real name or just a screen name if you like. That way if it ever comes up, you can still have access not only to read wikipedia, but to help improve it. Chris M. (talk) 14:27, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Yep, stick around. :) PeterSymonds | talk 14:30, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      We have some templates we can add to the talk pages of shared IP addresses: {{SharedIPEDU}}, {{SharedIP}}, and {{SharedIPPublic}} (I found these by browsing to the Editor's index and searching with Ctrl-F for "shared"). The user did not say whether he/she is using Wikipedia from a school. One way to guess is by looking at some of the links on the bottom of User talk:12.158.132.234 such as the WHOIS link. The resulting information shows what looks like an Internet services provider (Blue Valley Telecommunications), rather than an identifiable organization. Thus the general-purpose {{SharedIP}} template does not seem appropriate for User talk:12.158.132.234, since that template requires an organization name. There seems to be a geographically coincident Blue Valley Unified School District, but I don't see anything to indicate that the user's IP address originates from a school in that district. However, I'm by no means an expert at IP address divination, and I defer to anyone who is. --Teratornis (talk) 18:58, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Yeah this was my thinking as well, especially as the edit history didn't show a mass of edits like they would normally with a school. I thought that it must be a street/household using the same IP, or maybe an internet cafe. PeterSymonds | talk 19:11, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Whistleblowing Resource

      Resolved

      PeterSymonds | talk 17:38, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Can you place the following website resource (a totally free service to the public that has existed for almost 10 years) into your article on "Whistleblowing":

      Father and Son Whistleblowers Website www.whistleblowing.org —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.244.92.69 (talk) 15:36, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      See WP:EL, if you still think the link sould go in, do it yourself. 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..TalkHelp 15:40, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Another image question

      Image:Aprilmayjune.gif
      Image:Aprilmayjune2.png
      I received a message about the image about April, May, and June Duck, which I had altered, saying that it did not have sufficient licence information. The image is an edited version of an image already found on Wikipedia, edited by myself. The licence issue is difficult because the characters depicted are under copyright. What kind of licence can I use? JIP | Talk 15:59, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      The same as the other image...... Dendodge..TalkHelp 16:01, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      You should also use it in an article, or it will be deleted as orphaned fair-use...... Dendodge..TalkHelp 16:06, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Thanks, but which article would it be? Alternative versions of Disney characters? =) JIP | Talk 17:50, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Racism blocking

      Resolved

      Do we have a policy for blocking users who make racist edits? (I mean before the normal warnings have been gone through.) Harland1 (t/c) 16:02, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      I wouldn't have thought so, other than vandalism or personal attacks...... Dendodge..TalkHelp 16:04, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      This is quite good reading material regarding personal attacks. PeterSymonds | talk 16:07, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Aha thanks Peter I knew there must be something like that. Harland1 (t/c) 17:24, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      You're welcome. :) PeterSymonds | talk 17:25, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Admin 2

      How do I get an administrator account?? Tribe12 (talk) 17:40, 6 May 2008 (UTC) --Tribe12 (talk) 17:40, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Applications are made through Wikipedia:Requests for adminship. However, editors usually require a high level of activity, some article building and admin-related work, for example commenting on AFDs. I recommend, if you were considering running, at least four months of solid work before applying. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 17:52, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      As an example, I nominated myself after having made normal contributions to Wikipedia for half a year. I got a fairly positive response, most of the votes were in favour. In the end, I was made an admin. JIP | Talk 17:53, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      (e/c) This essay is good to get some idea of the community's expectations. Everyone has different criterias, but this is a good general start: User:Balloonman/How to pass an RfA. Best, PeterSymonds | talk 17:55, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      One thing you need to ask yourself is why you want to become an admin. What is it you want to do now that you can't? --MQDuck 17:56, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Public domain image

      How do I know if a picture is public domain? MMMMMMMM (talk) 18:03, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      See Wikipedia:Public domain. Did you have a particular image in mind? PeterSymonds | talk 18:04, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      How do I change the case of a title?

      Resolved

      I created the page Vidya subramaniam, want to correct the capitalization to Vidya Subramaniam, how do I do that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Blaft (talkcontribs) 18:13, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      NowCommons Template

      How can I keep Image:20070616 Chris Young visits Wrigley (4)-edit3.jpg from being deleted not that it has a {{NowCommons}} tag. It is a WP:FP.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 20:44, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      If it a FP here, nominate it there - the critera are the same - then it won't matter if it gets deleted...... Dendodge..TalkHelp 20:46, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      I suggest nominating at the Commons, explaining that it's a FP here but was deleted during transfer. The nomination will be surprisingly quick because, as Dendodge says, the criteria are no different. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk 20:49, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      It has not been deleted and I would like to keep it that way. What do I do?--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 23:05, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      lists

      How do you add a name or object to an existing list on a page?

      Indigo33 (talk) 22:40, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Assuming you're talking about Category:Operatic tenors, then just add [[Category:Operatic tenors]] to the bottom of the page. The software will automatically add and alphabetise the new listing. Xenon54 22:46, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Category pages display the names of articles that have the category added to the article page, as Xenon54 describes above. You can't add to the category by editing the category page itself, as you had tried to do. Accordingly, as there is no article on Eric Barry, he cannot be added to any categories until an article is created about him. If you'd like to create an article about him, please visit Wikipedia:Article wizard/biography. If you get stuck or have question, do not hesitate to drop me a message on my talk page-Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:02, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      May 7

      Record Labels

      I'm posting here hoping for a quick response. Does this make sense? I wanted a way to note that though the artist was signed to only one company, she has released on several imprints. I couldn't find a similar situation to base it off of. Opinions? Grk1011 (talk) 00:36, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      I don't know much about record labels, but it looks OK. Calvin 1998 (t-c) 00:50, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      It's a cool idea actually. -- Naerii 01:21, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Closing Pictures

      Is there any way to close pictures when you're reading an article? You know for some of the more gruesome ones, where you just want the information not exactly the visuals. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.245.28.132 (talk) 01:03, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      No, unfortunately, that's not an option. If you are on an article about something gruesome, you will get gruesome information. Wikipedia isn't censored and will never be for that reason. And...
      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. Calvin 1998 (t-c) 01:14, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      You may be able to block certain images by using various programs, such as BlockSite, an extension, for Firefox. You can also block images from Wikipedia altogether using these programs, by blocking upload.wikimedia.org and commons.wikimedia.org. x42bn6 Talk Mess 01:17, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      If you use Mozilla Firefox as your Web browser, you can install the AdBlock extension; it allows you to right-click on any image on a Web page and block it (make it stop displaying). --Teratornis (talk) 05:11, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Administrators

      Resolved

      How do you tell if a user is an admin or not? Thanks. --MQDuck 01:55, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Go to Special:ListUsers and type the username in the box. If the user is an administrator it will say next to their name. See this as an example.¤~Persian Poet Gal (talk) 01:57, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      You can also look at the CAT:ADMINS for a list, but I don't think it is complete.--RyRy5 (talkReview) 02:14, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      You could also add importScript('User:Ais523/adminrights.js'); to your monobook.js file which will make it so that it will automatically highlight the names of admins when it's linked to their page.--Sunny910910 (talk|Contributions|Guest) 02:16, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      To get a complete list of admins, go to Special:ListUsers and select "Administrators" from the "Group" pull-down list near the top of the page; here's the link. --Teratornis (talk) 05:09, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]


      Thanks, all. --MQDuck 06:31, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

      Question

      Is there a Barnstar for helping people? Also, if there is, what is the code for it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Camcd93 (talkcontribs) 07:18, 7 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]