Wikipedia:Teahouse/Questions/Archive 865

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greetings -

In revising an article Lufa Farms that was heavily self-promoting, as well as several years old, I am utilizing a research paper to balance things out. If I use the Google link, I have access to the paper BUT to save it as a reference, the BLACKLIST message / template pops up. IF I cut out the Google part of the link, I can publish my revisions (and have). BUT, the accepted link is as good as dead because of other interventions.

What is the way to reference and keep accessible the PDF if I can't cite the G*****-that-shall-not-be-named ref? Though I'm a decent researcher I am stumped. The paper's title is: Growing Pains: The Relationships Between Commercial Urban Agriculture and Peri-Urban Organic Farms in Montreal, Quebec By Monica Allaby, (A Thesis Submitted to McGill University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the B.A. in Geography Honours Degree), Department of Geography McGill University Montréal (Québec) Canada -- April 2018 © 2018 Monica Allaby

Thanks, GeeBee60 (talk) 23:08, 22 November 2018 (UTC)

Just put all the ref details between <ref> and </ref> tags. If using the visual editor just fill in all the details in the cite block. Leave off the URL....
Whether a thesis is a WP:RS is a separate question. Regards, Ariconte (talk) 23:43, 22 November 2018 (UTC)
Try giving us the Google url here (if you need to to get it to show here, you can mangle it). In this edit I have corrected a malformatted citation for another of your refs that wasn't displaying. --David Biddulph (talk) 23:48, 22 November 2018 (UTC)
BTW; https://www.mcgill.ca/geography/files/geography/allaby_monica_2018_honours_thesis.pdf worked for me. Regards, Ariconte (talk) 23:53, 22 November 2018 (UTC)
@Ariconte and David Biddulph: Thanks for the useful help. Yes, it can be argued that the reference in question is not "reliable". I'm going to chance it, because w/o the balance from the McGill student's critical analysis, in her very well done study, the Lufa Farm article is too much like a puff piece and arguably a candidate for deletion. Even now it remains a flawed article, but compare the current version to before I started tinkering. ThanksGeeBee60 (talk) 07:30, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

Citation

Hi. I am having trouble finding reliable sources, or any sources at all, to cite for my article. It's probably because my article is about teardrop levers, something that no one really talks about and that I only heard about from my teacher. Do you have any recommendations or suggestions?

Thanks,

MrEagerMcBeaver (talk) 04:07, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

Hi MrEagerMcBeaver. If what you're writing about is something that no one really talks about and something that you only heard about from your teacher, then perhaps it's not something which should have a Wikipedia article written about it. Wikipedia article content is only intended to reflect what has been written about the article in reliable sources and only those subjects which have received significant coverage in reliable sources tend to be deemed Wikipedia notable for a stand-alone article to be written. Perhaps there's some way for you to incorporate content about the subject in "Brass instrument valve" or some other article about instruments which use the valve. Try asking for some feedback at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Musical Instruments since someone belonging to that WikiProject might be able to offer suggestions or help find reliable sources related to the subject. -- Marchjuly (talk) 07:25, 23 November 2018 (UTC)
Hi MrEagerMcBeaver. Teardrop levers are also found on toilet cisterns, and various other places. I get the impression that they don't all operate in the way you describe, with wires, even in musical instruments. An encyclopaedia does not use sentences containing "I mentioned". I think Marchjuly's suggestion to add a section to Brass instrument valve might be the best option. Dbfirs 08:17, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

issue displaying this preview

Hi, I want to publish an article on our historic congregation: First Baptist Church of Greater Cleveland, Ohio

"First Baptist Church of Greater Cleveland located at 3630 Fairmount Blvd. Shaker Heights, Oh 44118...." 12 KB (1,896 words) - 14:22, 22 November 2018

I think it is ready, I got it moved onto the article page, but there's a note "there was an issue displaying this preview." However, there's no clue to what the issue might be or how to correct it. I'm new to all this, so any help would be appreciated. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kfrankburris (talkcontribs) 10:56, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

This must be about First Baptist Church of Greater Cleveland, Ohio. I don't see the note you describe. It's unclear to me whether the article is meant to be about the congregation, or the building. I suspect that the building is notable in Wikipedia's sense, and that the existence of an article about it is therefore justified; but that the congregation is not notable, and the material about it should be removed. Maproom (talk) 11:21, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

My article was deleted

Hey. I previously created a page called "Bandito Tour", which was deleted after proposed deletion. I accepted the decision until new sources came to light allowing major expansion to the page. I therefore re-created the page under "The Bandito Tour" (I changed the name because the tour was marketed thus). It was speedily deleted a day or two later because it "is substantially identical to the deleted version, and any changes do not address the reasons for which the material was deleted". I had however addressed the reasons it was deleted (the first article had mainly been a list of dates and had some content about a different concert): I expanded the page, removed unrelated content, added an entire new section on the concert synopsis and had made a review section including a review from Billboard and Forbes. What should I do now? (in addition, some other user has recreated the page, but it is unencyclopedic and has also been nominated for speedy deletion, which will likely happen.) MikeOwen discuss 10:55, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

Hi MikeOwen, try leaving a message for the deleting admin Athaenara arguing that your version was improved from the AFD version and asking that it be undeleted or restored as a draft. —teb728 t c 11:35, 23 November 2018 (UTC)
Hi MikeOwen. Just a general comment first. While I'm sure you didn't mean anything by it, it's not really a good idea to refer to articles you create as "my article" because it might mistakenly lead others to assume you're trying to exert some kind of ownership over it or that you might be somehow connected to the subject.
Since the both your version and the version discussed at AfD have already been deleted, there's no way for anyone who's not an administrator to see both versions and compare them; moreover, Bandito Tour has already been deleted twice per Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Bandito Tour (most recently by Sandstein); so, any recreation of the article (especially within a few weeks of the close of the last AfD) is probably going to be seen as WP:G4. So, my suggestion is that same as what teb728 advised above, except with a little twist. Try to explain to Athaenara how your version is an improvement over the previously deleted ones and then request that it be draftified. This will give you a chance to continue to improve it and address the points raised in the two aforementioned AfDs. Then, when you think it's ready to be moved to the WP:MAINSPACE, either submit the draft for review via WP:AFC or ask one of the admins who previously deleted the article to take a look at it.
Finally, there's nothing you can do about The Bandito Tour, unless that is the correct Wikipedia name for the subject. In that case, there might need to be a WP:HISTMERGE involving the two articles moving the page history of "Bandito Tour" to "The Bandito Tour". -- Marchjuly (talk) 12:04, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

Confused about how to produce translated versions of already existing wikapedia pages

Hello, I am new on Wikapedia and had a desire to translate into English various articles which currently only exist in French. I read the guide regarding this but still am not clear on how I should do. Should I create it as if it were a 100% new article and then somehow link it post creation to the origional article ? Should I create it without electronic links, etc ? How does that work ? Are there more experienced people available who (if I were to produce a nice translation simply) could take care of the technical stuff ? Many Thanks Devon — Preceding unsigned comment added by MrDevonWinters (talkcontribs) 10:19, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

Hi MrDevonWinters. Please take a look at Wikipedia:Translation because it contains information you might find helpful. -- Marchjuly (talk) 12:09, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

Request edit

I would like to amend the link References section in the following page

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Lattea

The "Italian Ski Resorts Overview" is linking to our old URL

Please can you amend the link to the following

https://www.holidayhomesinitaly.co.uk/ski-regions/

Thank you Mark— Preceding unsigned comment added by Sparky2705 (talkcontribs) 11:14, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

Sparky2705 A duplicate request was declined on your user talk page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Teb728 (talkcontribs) 13:03, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

Sources

Hi

I have been told to revise an article on the grounds that the 3 sources I have used in my article are "unreliable", even though, these sources are journalistic publications and are independent. I have seen other pages that are published on Wikipedia that only cite 1 source. I have 3. I would like another editor to revise the article, if I may. I don't know how to pursue this, because the subject is a media icon, the sources are media in their nature. The editor has suggested the sources are related to the subject - well they are going to - because the subject is works in the media!

Looking forward to resolving this issue.

Regards, Maureen Sikabukiki — Preceding unsigned comment added by Maureensikabukiki (talkcontribs) 11:48, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse Maureensikabukiki. After a quick look at Draft:Brad Baker, I notice that one of your references does not even mention the subject (and so is of no use either for verification or establishing notability), and another is written by his management (and so is about as far as possible from being independent from him). —teb728 t c 13:29, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

ISSA MUSSE

The Isse Musse or CIISE MUUSE Arabic: عيسى موسى also spelled as Ciisaa Muusaa : is a Somali clan. It's one of the major Somali clans, with a vast traditional territory spanning 3 major regions of Somaliland Togdheer , Sahil and Marodi Jeh. Its members form a part of the Isaaq clan family, and primarily inhabit the Somaliland. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Issa Musse Clans (talkcontribs) 15:37, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

@Issa Musse Clans: Hi. This is the Teahouse, a place for asking questions about Wikipedia or how to edit it. What exactly do you want? Abelmoschus Esculentus talk / contribs 15:40, 23 November 2018 (UTC)

Article Issue Flags - Request for help

Hi, I want to proactively declare that I am a COI. I work for Mitchell Goldhar's company, SmartCentres. I understand that an employee of the company made edits to Mitchell Goldhar's article before declaring a COI. We recognize this was wrong. Can you please help me understand the process to have the flags removed from the article. I believe the employee's edits have all been reversed. Thank you in advance for your help. Mandymail (talk) 01:20, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Once the issues of the tags are addressed, they can be removed. Abelmoschus Esculentus 01:55, 17 November 2018 (UTC)
More specific - User talk:Robert McClenon put the flags in. Consider creating a New section there and explain what was reverted. However, your relationship goes beyond COI. As an employee, what applies is WP:PAID. What that means is on your User page, you must declare a Paid relationship, and it is required/STRONGLY recommended that rather than editing the article directly, you create a new section on the article's Talk page, and writing there the proposed changes. In time, other editors will see this and decide to incorporate into the article. David notMD (talk) 02:09, 17 November 2018 (UTC)
All that said, in my opinion none of the references support Mr. Goldhar's notability in the Wikipedia sense of the word, i.e., published articles that are about Mr. Goldhar rather than just name-mentions. David notMD (talk) 02:16, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

lee majors

Was just wondering... Is that Mr. Lee Majors in the newest 2018 HONDADays commercials? Sure sounds like him!!! Could you confirm this for me, please? Thank you. Happy Holydays!!!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.120.95.153 (talk) 02:49, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Hi anon. This is a page for asking questions about Wikipedia or how to edit it. You may go to reference desks instead. Abelmoschus Esculentus 02:52, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

How to add userboxes?

Which templates do I use to add userboxes? Give me at least three examples.KJ2574 04:04, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

@KJ2574: Hi. You may use {{<!--Userbox name goes here-->}}. For example, {{User wikipedia/rollback}} produces
This user has rollback rights on the English Wikipedia. (verify)
Abelmoschus Esculentus 04:08, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Two more examples?KJ2574 04:09, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Go to find at Wikipedia:Userboxes/Galleries/All Abelmoschus Esculentus 04:11, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Sig colors?

Give me an example of making signatures colored using wiki code. I have to be able to see the wiki code. KJ2574 04:07, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Use CSS. <span style="color:red">Abelmoschus Esculentus</span> produces Abelmoschus Esculentus Abelmoschus Esculentus 04:12, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Frustrated with creating links

On my sandbox alvanholmes/sandbox I've created an article for John Farrar.

Here is my point of frustration In the section Indications of Variation in name

I have two web citations and all of them is showing correctly

I have spend five hours typing and retyping trying ever variation that I can think of and nothing

More frustating it that this variation of web cite actually worked (ref 2) \Version 1.<ref name="The Ferrar Papers">{{cite web| http://www.virtualjamestown.org/exist/cocoon/jamestown/virgco/b002245362|title=The Ferrar Papers of the Virginia Company}}</ref>


But when I tried to replicate it for the two problems, they didn't work (disregard title and url)

I have also tried this variation as well Version 2.<A ref name=”William Ferror of Halifax”>"Will of Henry Ferror of Halifax, 1548".</ref>{{rp | 40]] and it doesn't work either.

Here is version2 written in the style of version 1 <A ref name=”William Ferror of Halifax”>"Will of Henry Ferror of Halifax, 1548". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help) Text "https://archive.org/details/halifaxwillsbein02york/page/40" ignored</ref>{{rp | 40]] Can someone please tell me what I am doing wrong. An example perhaps. Is there a | or a " or an = that I am missing?

Why doesn't version 1 work when I use the url's (i.e https; etc., in version 2?

What have I done incorrectly with Version 2.? or have I. Is it the bot that is causing me a headache Alvanhholmes (talk) 21:56, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

Hi Alvanhholmes. I have fixed many syntax errors.[1] Two references are still missing a suitable title. I see you use VisualEditor and wonder whether you are trying to follow instructions meant for the source editor. In VisualEditor, you can get help to create a reference by clicking the "Cite" tab at top. In the source editor, you can get help to create a reference by clicking "Cite" above the edit area. It cannot help fix existing references. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:19, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

Thank you Prime Hunter. I reviewed the syntax and my eyes just can't see the difference between mine and yours. Could you please show me the difference so I can get beyond this and not go over it again. As regards Titles for those references. I tried to insert a title in ref 6, but it isn't taking. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alvanhholmes (talkcontribs) 22:42, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

@Alvanhholmes: I think we can all identify with your frustration. Come back here and ask as many times as you need to. You can use the page's History tab to show the differences between any two versions - for instance, from the latest you changed to now the differences are at this link. Insertions and deletions are coloured. If you're a visual learner, you might like to check YouTube for extra material about creating references. For instance, if you're using Visual Editor then this video covers adding references, starting at 4:00.--Gronk Oz (talk) 23:03, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
@Alvanhholmes: Click the link [2] I gave to see the differences. If it's too hard to see for your eyes then your browser may be able to increase text size with Ctrl++, decrease with Ctrl+-, and reset to default with Ctrl+0. Here are some tips for source editing (not VisualEditor). Template parameters are separated by a pipe character: A vertical line "|". Any syntax element starting with a left bracket must end with a right bracket of the same type (and same number if there is more than one). E.g. (...), or [[...]], or {{...}}, or <...>, but never a combination like {{...)) or {{...]] which start with curly brackets but ends with something else. Citation templates have named parameters, meaning a parameter name like url= must be written before the value. References usually start with <ref and never with <a ref. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:23, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

Thank you Prime Hunter and I understand that. But the problem of inserting a title persists.

In the Alvanhholmes/sandbox2, Line 31 or so, ref 6 in Visual Editor I keep trying to insert a title. All I can see is (6) for the refence. Here is what I typed, and it shows up in source edit, but not in visual edit. Is there something wrong with the syntax? [1]: 40 

The Title is there but it doesn't show up either atline 31 or reflist only the ref number. I checked the history and noticed that you removed the Title, but the Title is necessary for the reference. I can always type it in at line 31, but it won't show up in the reflist.

So my question remains. How do I include the Title of the reference in my syntax.? Thank you Alvanhholmes (talk) 02:11, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Alvanhholmes (talk) 02:11, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

@Alvanhholmes: Reference 6 already has a title "Will of Henry Ferror of Halifax, 1548", both in the sandbox and in your post here, so I don't know what you are talking about. In the post here you wrote |last=Corssley|first=E W after the }} which ends the citation template so those parameters were not used by the template. You broke the reference in [3] by changing the ending curly brackets }} to round brackets )) so I reverted you. Your edit also made an unnecessary repetition of the title. In the source editor you make a title in a citation template by writing |title= followed by the wanted title. Do not change the ending curly double brackets }} to anything else when you do this or make any other edit to a citation. Do not write Title with upper case T. In VisualEditor you make a title for an existing working reference by clicking the blue number where the reference is used, click "Edit" in the box that pops up, write the name of the title in the "Title" field, and click "Apply changes". PrimeHunter (talk) 02:39, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Many thanks PrimeHunter. The problem is most certainly me. I have memory retention problems (age and removal of a cerebral tumor) so I have to use templates I store in wordpad for copy and paste, and often my shakey hands will cause a mistype. I try though. I solved my problem with citations on lines 31 and 32, by (duh) simply typing in the words "Will of...., etc.," don't know why I didn't think of it before (fibbing there) I will try in the future to concentrate more. And I will use your references for citations in the future.. they are going on my wordpad. I tried to use the cite link at the top and some how it didn't work out for me.

Thanks a million. I can only imagine the troubles I will have posting my next article. I hope it is easier and better. I will concentrate more. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alvanhholmes (talkcontribs) 04:35, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

References

  1. ^ "Will of Henry Ferror of Halifax, 1548".||last=Corssley|first=E W

question

How do I display on my userbox that I can speak in english , support Manchester City F.C. , F.C. Barcelona and Juventus . 223.176.84.4 (talk) 10:32, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

  • Hi 223.176.84.4. If you were to register for a WP:ACCOUNT, then you could look at the userboxes in Wikipedia:Userboxes/Galleries and then add the ones you like it to your userpage. However, I'm not sure if it's acceptable to add userboxes to an IP userpage simply because it seems possible that another person might also edit using the same IP address and would have just as much of a claim to the userpage as you and might just decide to remove them. If I'm mistaken about this, someone else will correct me, but once again I think registering for an account is probably necessary. -- Marchjuly (talk) 11:23, 17 November 2018 (UTC)
Yes, I think Marchjuly is exactly right. Userboxes shouldn't be put on IP pages since IPs can change. In this specific case, the IP user is a sockpuppet of a user who has been blocked multiple times with different accounts, so they should not create another account. --bonadea contributions talk 11:35, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Problem with uploading, please delete it i would like to upload it again. *Uploading was not successful.+ Mail adress can't be checked*

Uploading was not successful. https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soubor:Fórum_Ústí_nad_Labem.jpg

+

i can't proove that my mail is real there is any div error ...


Thank you for your time. Best Regards, George. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Skajaw (talkcontribs) 11:39, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Hi @Skajaw:, unfortunately editors at English Wikipedia are unable to help with questions about Czech Wikipedia. Try asking at the help desk page at cs.wikipedia, https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedie:Pot%C5%99ebuji_pomoc Regards, --bonadea contributions talk 11:56, 17 November 2018 (UTC)
As for the file you linked to, that exists at Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F%C3%B3rum_%C3%9Ast%C3%AD_nad_Labem.jpg , and if you want to have it removed from there you'll need to go to there to tag it for removal. --bonadea contributions talk 12:01, 17 November 2018 (UTC)
Hi Skajaw, welcome to the Teahouse. commons:File:Fórum Ústí nad Labem.jpg was uploaded at Wikimedia Commons and cannot be deleted by Wikipedia administrators. You can request deletion with "Nominate for deletion" at my link. End the reason with a signature ~~~~. Commons uploads are sometimes cut off at 5 MB when they are started with an edit toolbar at another wiki. Try the upload link in the left pane at the wiki or at commons:. You can also wait until your Commons account is four days old. Then commons:File:Fórum Ústí nad Labem.jpg should get a link "Upload a new version of this file". PrimeHunter (talk) 12:05, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

How do I get rid of the redirect in mySandbox?

My sandbox has a redirect to a recently published article, and I can't use it for another article. Can I get rid of it, I had deleted it and somone put it back in.

As a consequence I have a sandbox2, but can't access it from the sandbox link, when I click on it only the redirect sandbox shows up.

The only way for me to access sandbox2 is to bookmark it in my browser, and that is unhandy.

So how do I get access to sandbox2 from my user page, or wiki? Can I get rid of the redirect? How do I make a new sandbox3?

Most of these are redundant questions that I just asked, but I didn't make a subject/headline. Apologies Alvanhholmes (talk) 05:15, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

 Done removed redirect in User:Alvanhholmes/sandbox. Create sandbox3 by clicking here. Abelmoschus Esculentus 05:19, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Thank you for removing the redirect. But how can I access my sandbox2 and sandbox3 without bookmarking themAlvanhholmes (talk) 07:11, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

You may add them to your watchlist or type it in the search box manually Abelmoschus Esculentus 09:55, 17 November 2018 (UTC)
Hi Alvanhholmes! You can also go to Special:PrefixIndex/User:Alvanhholmes, which will list all subpages of your User page. Another option is to add links to your sandboxes on your User page. Happy editing! rchard2scout (talk) 15:48, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Again

I wanted to change my user name but don't know how?

--MeKLT (talk) 11:26, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Given that you are a very new editor, a simple solution would be to create a new account with a new user name (and password) and never, ever, ever log in again as MeKLT. Doing that would consign MeKLT to the dustbin of obscurity, where it would join the tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of non-active accounts. David notMD (talk) 13:20, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Actually, there are 34,981,616 registered Wikipedia accounts, and over 99.6% are inactive. See Wikipedia:Wikipedians for details. Cullen328 Let's discuss it 22:36, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Formatting

Hi there, My name is Zamzam I am a student at the University of Stirling in Scotland, working on a project to my module Living in a connected world.

I am trying to figure out how to cite, I have been going through several trials trying to discover the processes unfortunately, I failed :s

To be honest I tried to do so many things, I even tried to copy and past other's work but again.. I failed ;S

can you please guide me to any protocol I can follow, so I can upgrade my skills on Wikibooks project?

Thanks Zizi.husain (talk) 16:20, 17 November 2018 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Zizi.husain (talkcontribs) 15:24, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Sorry, Zamzam. Though Wikibooks is a WMF project, and runs on the same software, it is a completely separate project from Wikipedia, and has its own rules and policies. You might find what you need at B:WB:REFS. --ColinFine (talk) 16:37, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Thanks though!Zizi.husain (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 00:23, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

ACIG.org as a referrence site

ACIG.org is used many times as a source for claimed air to air combat statistics on many of the combat aircraft pages on wikipedia... The problem is tjat site has been taken down... the resulting loss of their claimed data means that many pages on Wikipedia need to be edited and those sources removed... Is there any way to do a global change to efit it out on all pages? — Preceding unsigned comment added by CAG0001 (talkcontribs) 04:24, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

The site may be available via https://web.archive.org/
In time the links will be updated to reflect this, Regards, Ariconte (talk) 05:33, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

Creating and Access 2d and 3rd Sandboxes

1. How does one create extra sandboxes? I have sandbox2 and sandbox3 but did not create them, they were created for me, and I want to know how? 2. How do I access sandbox2 and sandbox3, other than bookmarking them in my browser. When I click on sandbox at the top, it only takes me to my original sandbox, but there is no shortcut to sandbox2 or sandbox3

Thank youAlvanhholmes (talk) 15:47, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Hello Alvanhholmes! You can search for those in the search bar, which you can actually do the same for your normal sandbox. Go to the search in the top-right part of the page, and enter User:Alvanhholmes/sandbox2 and User:Alvanhholmes/sandbox3. There aren't shortcuts installed to go to these pages besides searching for them, but it's very quick and easy to search for them once you get used to it. I hope this helps you out a bit.--SkyGazer 512 Oh no, what did I do this time? 15:56, 17 November 2018 (UTC)
and you can create extra sandboxes by typing User:Alvanhholmes/sandbox4 or User:Alvanhholmes/anything else into the search box, Alvanhholmes. --ColinFine (talk) 16:39, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Thank you. I choose option 2 (link on userpage). Very much appreciated Alvanhholmes (talk) 18:17, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

@Alvanhholmes: I have taken the liberty of adding a helpful link at the top of your Userpage and both your current sandboxes. This will display every one of you subpages, no matter how many you create. There is also a second way of displaying any user's subpages: Just go to their Userpage, click the big Tab marked "Pages" (near the Edit tab), and then click subpages. Try it on mine, and you'll see I have a large number which are otherwise impossible to keep track of. Hope you find this helpful. Nick Moyes (talk) 06:46, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

overwhelmed reader & feedback notes vs edits of mistakes

Not so much a question as a feedback comment. (but where does it go?.. forward this if you would, I'm lost and tired of trying)

I'm really just a casual reader. I have screwed up every attempt made at an edit/talk or any contact attempt on this site. I'm more of a tech dinosaur than an idiot. And that begins my point.

Being highly educated isn't a requirement for knowing a mistake when you see one, or even suspect one. In my opinion, Wikipedia would be enhanced by a more readily apparent way of contacting someone, anyone, in these instances, and likely others. E.g. I just stumbled across the teahouse by chance after being frustrated by a failed talk attempt.(Did it post? Did I fail?; or my device? I saw no change. Does "save" post? I.e., I left the page wondering what just happened? And to me, that indicates a design problem.

I'm a former graphics/commecial art major IBM/Lantastic/Apple; I went on an ability based scholarship vs grades, and was top of my class each year because of a knack for highly intiative page design.

The fact I don't find this site "intuative" enough to do something, hopefully contructive, is disheartening to say the least.

I don't find this organizational format intuative enough to follow well either.

For comparison, E.g., MS software I find very intuative, Apple & Android baffle me even with former Apple experience, after 4 years of exclusive daily use I feel just as lost as day one.. Wikipedia comes across the same way. Overwhelming and unintuitive is a loosing combo.

Wikipedia lately carrys an increasingly educational elitist tone normally reserved for a professor in their classroom. I don't see this as beneficial here as this isn't a course structured around goals pertaining to a particular subject with a pass/fail final outcome. Not for the "everyday" casual "bluecollar" type user anyhow.

So, who am I to critique? What's the solution? Nobody really & I can't say. But I do think Bill Gates made a few changes to W-beta after a half day with my playing with it. So just maybe it's food for thought I offer.

Along those lines, same timeframe and classroom, someone else said something I'll never forget especially as Bill dropped his head in frustration and agreement; I think it's Plato. Forgive the loosness please: "To teach well, the teacher should assume the student knows nothing.".

I think Wikipedia would do well to strive to follow that statement. It does to some extent, but as I stated, it has been creeping towards the elitist professors outlook. That's too much "attitude" for casual learning to happen IMO. And bring into question at what point do folks stop bothering with Wikipedia as a source? Can Wikipedia afford to find out?

I also understand that "too easy" might draw the true idiot/troll to a new sandbox for play, but at least make the talk/comment to authors more accessable with some real simplicity. Sit a third grader down at a screen. If they can't manage it, it's not gonna cut it. (by third grade I outread e ey adult in the school system for speed with 92% retention...but the aprox. grade seems about right I think.). Thanks for your time.

Ok, I thought I was done. But again..."Publish changes" isn't intuative. "Finish" "Post" "Done" "Send" or even "Publish" alone without "changes" is more intuative by being more along the lines of everyday speech; I only "changed" the "blankness" of the screen. It would have gotten me a B at best in design class for using unnecessary text. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 166.216.159.166 (talk) 06:04, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

On your final point (this is a relatively recent change), there was actually a recent discussion on that here, you can see it at Wikipedia:Teahouse/Questions/Archive_860#No_SAVE_button_in_sandbox. Basically the reason/answer is "Legal said so, so cope". Per your edit-history you edit from mobile and I never do, but I have seen people recommend "desktop view." Others can probably help you better on that. Help:Editing may be a reasonable place to start. WP has a learning curve, but if you want to climb it, finding the Teahouse is a decent start. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 06:51, 18 November 2018 (UTC)
Hi IP editor. Welcome. (Minor feedback first: please avoid using the old-fashioned style of indenting the first line of every new paragraph. Yove done it on other pages too, and I've just removed them all because it causes our obviously esoteric software to render text in a horrid font. Just leave one clear line between text if you want to separate sentences, but definitely no spaces at the start of a new paragraph) Now, I do sense your frustration, though dont share your sentiment about elitism. I think we avoid elitism by having an immensely broad base of editors, as well as a very broad base of content-consumers, from schoolkids to scientists. As the worlds biggest free online encyclopaedia, we do expect content to be written clearly, simply and logically - and we even have special notices we can put on pages that are too technnical. Of course, you are invited and free to help address your own concerns by improving articles that you feel don't communicate with a lay audience as best they should. Thanks, Nick Moyes (talk) 07:28, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

Subject Matthew Gordon Banks (Gordon-Banks is surname_

Hello Everyone.

PLEASE could you help me. I AM the subject and my email address not to be published is (Redacted).

Over a number of years two people Moist Toilet and Phillip Cross now banned from Editing have truly destroyed my entry and anyone in International Relations looking me up sees very little most negative.

Recently serious vandalism occurred I believe by two Students. A recent change in the Personal section ought to be removed. It was put in by a non-editor and it has an odd address - not an ISP. Please would someone look at this and look carefully at the History section to see who has done what. A police officer - I have close protection officers - made a change which is genuine. Someone says I am frequently asked to appear on Russian TV. This is intended to further destroy my reputation and puts my life at risk. It appears I made a serious attempt to take my life in the early hours of Tuesday morning and Police visited my home to check on my welfare.


I ask you to reverse the changes made by people who are not proper editors. The block on my own ISP is unfair. I have tried to revert things - they even suggested these students I was a paedophile. It has been hell.

Your sincerely, Matthew Gordon-Banks (Redacted)62.128.207.104 (talk) 01:01, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

I see that someone using the same IP address as you, 62.128.207.104, has removed mention of your two convictions for drunken driving last year. What you describe as "an odd address - not an ISP" is an IPv6 address - these are increasingly common now that IPv4 addresses like yours are running out. Maproom (talk) 08:25, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

about editing

how can I be a verified publisher in Wikipedia — Preceding unsigned comment added by Seniru pahasara kamkanamge (talkcontribs) 03:26, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, Seniru pahasara kamkanamge. We do not have anything like a "verified publisher" here on Wikipedia. Editors are judged by how productive they are. Please read Wikipedia:User access levels for information about various permissions given to editors according to demonstrated need and responsibility. Cullen328 Let's discuss it 05:04, 18 November 2018 (UTC)
Hi Seniru pahasara kamkanamge, judging by your recent post on your User Talk page, I believe what you want to know is covered at WP:AUTOCONFIRM. Since you account is more than 4 days old and you have more than 10 edits, you probably can edit semiprotected articles; are you sure you still can't? If you can't, you can request a change on the article talk page, flagging your request with {{Edit semi-protected}}. —teb728 t c 11:00, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

My source is CC BY 2.0, how can I use the content?

Hello! I would like to use figure 2 in this article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2923515/# It says: This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. When I try to upload the image in wiki commons and choose the type of license, I see all versions of Creative Commons, older and newer that version 2, but not 2 itself. What is the solution for this? Also I would like some feedback from expert editors before submitting the wiki page that I am creating, where can I get help for that? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sam orbital (talkcontribs) 07:12, 18 November 2018 (UTC) Thanks so much and appreciate the help in advance! --Sam orbital (talk) 07:08, 18 November 2018 (UTC)Sam Orbital

Welcome to the Teahouse Sam orbital. Commons has a license tag {{cc-by-2.0}} for that license. If that is not listed by the Commons upload wizard, I don't know why. You might get a faster response at Commons:Help desk.
As for feedback on your draft, User:Sam orbital/sandbox/Ferlin, I will leave this link to it in hope that another host will see it and respond. —teb728 t c 11:36, 18 November 2018 (UTC)
Hi Sam orbital - I've also posted a note on the talk page of the WikiProject Molecular and Cell Biology, which you can find HERE. The draft looks good to go, from my perspective. It's well structured and well formatted. I think there are only two issues with it, and neither, imho, would prevent it from being in mainspace. The first is that the lead might need a slight expansion, as per WP:LEAD to cover all the main topics covered in the article. The second is that while it is very well sourced, there are still one or two assertions which lack a footnote. In fact, I'm being WP:BOLD, and simply moving it to the mainspace for you. Since it's been reviewed, no need for it to sit in the AfC queue. But in the future, you would simply click on the "submit for review" button to ask for someone to review it. Hope this helps. Onel5969 TT me 12:32, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

Extended confirmed protection to some Sri lanka related articles

Keeping in mind the constitutional crisis of Sri Lanka and the rising uncertainty of who is prime minister due to which there have been constant edit warring, I want suggest that Extended confirmed protection be provided to the following articles:Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Ranil Wickremesinghe, List of Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka. Adithya Pergade (talk) 13:09, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

The place for requesting protection is WP:RFPP. --David Biddulph (talk) 13:33, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

creating a new page

hi..i am trying to create a new page for my neighbor who is a top tennis coach here in the US. i pulled down some bio information from his website and used that to start. my page was flagged because i didn't cite the source. the denial also said that my posting looked like advertising.

I'm a bit confused by the process and need some advice. What can one put on a page? Can I just create the page and let other contributors edit it? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mfsamba (talkcontribs) 15:21, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

You need to find independent WP:Reliable sources where the subject has been written about in detail, and summarise what these independent sources say. A person's own website is of little interest to Wikipedia except possibly for very basic facts. An article must not be based on self-published material. What user name did you use to start the page? Dbfirs 15:38, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

Sierra Leone: In or Out?

Hi, just want to consult with you about whether Sierra Leone was crowned yesterday or if the country has withdrawn from the Miss Universe competition. They dropped out last year, so I wouldn't be surprised. Let me know how long you think we should wait before we edit the country from the list. Thanks. --Rahu22 (talk) 16:28, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

Hello Rahu22—I think an equally good place to inquire about this would be the Reference desk/Humanities. But someone here might know. Bus stop (talk) 16:35, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

SQL Query without FROM clause

Hi all,

The article From (SQL) mentions that " From clauses are very common" and that "FROM is an SQL reserved word in the SQL standard". Could you please help me to understand how to implement a query without the From clause? As far as I know this can be done, I just don't know under which conditions (kind of databases, general form, limitations, ...). Many thanks for the help. Best regards --Hundsrose (talk) 16:56, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

Hello @Hundsrose: and welcome to the Teahouse. You might get lucky with an answer here, but generally this forum is intended only for Wikipedia-related questions. You could also try asking at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing - the reference desks often answer such broader knowledge-related questions (or atleast point to sources for more information). GermanJoe (talk) 17:02, 18 November 2018 (UTC)
Hello GermanJoe, thanks for the help. I just started to also edit in the english wikipedia and got confused. The linked Reference desk is much better for this purpose. Sorry again and thank you very much. Best regards --Hundsrose (talk) 17:15, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

Image Copy rights

Hii Guys! Can anyone help me how do I get the copy rights for the Images that i created manually? Thanks in advance and hope to here from you soon.Vijaykumarreddyvoddi0322 (talk) 19:44, 18 November 2018 (UTC)Vijay

@Vijaykumarreddyvoddi0322: In general, you automatically get the copyright to anything you create, although there are some exceptions such as work-for-hire, and it may vary by country. Can you please give a little more info about what you are asking? You might also have better luck at WP:MCQ where the copyright experts hang out. RudolfRed (talk) 20:26, 18 November 2018 (UTC)
@RudolfRed: Thank you, I will do that..

Reference repetition

In an article I'm reworking, there's a section with 6 bulleted statements. Each bullet is supported by the same reference. Should I (1) put the reference on the section heading? Or (2) put the reference after each bullet? Or (3) put the reference after the final bullet? You can see the section here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Schazjmd/sandbox#Successor_units Schaz (talk) 19:41, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

I'd say that either 2 or 3 is probably OK, but 2 is the way to go if you want to be absolutely clear. Number 1 is right out; refs should never be put in headings (see WP:CITEFOOT). Deor (talk) 21:00, 18 November 2018 (UTC)
Forget to ping @Schazjmd:. Deor (talk) 21:01, 18 November 2018 (UTC)
Thanks for the advice, @Deor:! Number 2 is how I started it, but I was second-guessing myself. Schaz (talk) 21:03, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

Indexing userpage

For how long must a user edit Wikipedia in order to be permitted to index their userpage? PUZZLED🥕|🗣️ 03:00, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

The user namespace is automatically NOINDEXed. David Biddulph (talk) 03:26, 18 November 2018 (UTC)
Wikipedia exists to present properly written encyclopedia articles to the general public. There is no need to call attention to our backstage conversations. Cullen328 Let's discuss it 05:36, 18 November 2018 (UTC)
Hi PUZZLED. Per Wikipedia:Controlling search engine indexing#INDEX magic word, the account must be extended confirmed, meaning 30 days old and 500 edits. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:47, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

The guidelines on WP:COI/N say to try Talk page discussion first - so not sure how to handle this...so will ask here first. This article is an obvious WP:SOAPBOX and is not at all neutral...the primary editor, Vijay Mahajan PBX (talk · contribs) has a clear WP:COI and is writing a WP:AUTOBIOGRAPHY. WikiDan61 warned them about this and yet they persist.

I thought of opening an AfD, but the subject appears notable at first glance given how many sources are cited in the lead. I hope a more experienced editor can deal with this, as I'm all tapped out in the ideas department. Psiĥedelisto (talk) 11:17, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

Interesting editing history. Article started in 2008. In 2012, two clusters of edits that may have been VM or person associated with VM (Vijaybasix and 223.196.174.84). Then in June 2018 massive additions to article by Vijay Mahajan PBX. Given writing style, I agree with Psihedelisto that this is likely Vijay Mahajan autobiographical. I have no interest in doing anything about it, just commenting. David notMD (talk) 12:31, 18 November 2018 (UTC)
@David notMD: Thanks for your edits to the article, I consider this issue  Resolved to the extent that the Teahouse can resolve it. Psiĥedelisto (talk) 04:57, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

What is the procedure to go from sandbox to public visibility?

What is the procedure to go from sandbox to public visibility? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Danielkernohan (talkcontribs) 22:23, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

I have added a Userspace Draft box at the top of your sandbox..... To send it on - click the submit button. It generally looks good! Regards, Ariconte (talk) 23:27, 18 November 2018 (UTC)
Better answer.... Since Draft:Zbigniew Blazeje looks like a poor first attempt at what your sandbox is now... just improve the existing draft article.  ????? Regards, Ariconte (talk) 23:33, 18 November 2018 (UTC)
An then re-submit it..... Regards, Ariconte (talk) 05:10, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

Help with creating an article

Hi there,

I wanted to create an article on the brand called - BBazaar Malaysia, it is a financial comparison site and offers personal finance products. I'm associated with the brand so I cannot create this page and need help with creating this page. This brand has enough citations and satisfies the notability requirements. Any help in creating the article is highly appreciated. Theguyatmalaysia (talk) 05:17, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

@Theguyatmalaysia: First, you need to disclose your employment on your user page, per our terms of use and policy on paid editing. I've left instructions on how to do so on your user page. Even if you are not being directly paid by the company, because you have any association with them you need to disclose the employment as if you had been hired by them.
As for creating the article, you're going to have better luck seeing the page created if you create a valid draft:
1) Choose a topic whose notability is attested by discussions of it in several reliable independent sources.
2) Gather as many professionally-published mainstream academic or journalistic sources you can find.
3) Focus on just the ones that are not dependent upon or affiliated with the subject, but still specifically about the subject and providing in-depth coverage (not passing mentions). If you do not have at least three such sources, the subject is not yet notable and trying to write an article at this point will only fail.
4) Summarize those sources left after step 3, adding citations at the end of them. You'll want to do this in a program with little/no formatting, like Microsoft Notepad or Notepad++, and not in something like Microsoft Word or LibreOffice Writer. Make sure this summary is just bare statement of facts, phrased in a way that even someone who hates the subject can agree with.
5) Combine overlapping summaries (without arriving at new statements that no individual source supports) where possible, repeating citations as needed.
6) Paraphrase the whole thing just to be extra sure you've avoided any copyright violations or plagiarism.
7) Use the Article wizard to post this draft and wait for approval.
8a) If the draft is not approved, there will be a reason given. Read it, think long and heard about it, and try to fix that problem. If you do not understand the reason, ask the user who reviewed the page to try to explain it in a different way or come back here and ask for what sort of specific steps would be needed to fix the problem. (We get a lot of people who just say "how do I get the article approved," which makes it hard to believe that they read the reason the article was rejected).
8b) If the article is approved, use edit requests on the article's talk page to suggest further changes. I would recommend citing some of the sources you put aside in step 3 to expand the article. Never directly edit the approved article, except to revert vandalism.
Doing something besides those steps typically results in the article not being approved, or even in its deletion. Ian.thomson (talk) 05:43, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

It's on a map, can I use a map as a citation?

I recently wanted to add some information to a page. It was only a sentence and I didn't cite it. Of course the sentence was removed and reverted back. I should have known better. The information was about a street named after someone. So my question is; Does a map image qualify as a legitimate citation? Here is the difference between revisions page.[4] Since it's a real estate developer that usually names a street, finding proof in a document seems impossible. But I could be wrong or missing something obvious. And also if anyone could tell me any other issue with that addition, I'm happy to hear it. I'm new and this is my first visit to the teahouse. Thanks in advance. Wikimikey423 07:16, 19 November 2018 (UT)

Welcome to the Teahouse, Wikimikey423. How do you know that this street in California is named after the British motorcycle and Formula One driver John Surtees? There are other people named Surtees after all, including a novelist and an historian. Please take a look at Surtees (disambiguation). Any information that you add must be verifiable and no editor is allowed to add their own original research to the encyclopedia. A reliable map could verify that the street exists, but not who the street is named for. Cullen328 Let's discuss it 07:30, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

Delete a draft

Excuse me, know how I can delete a draft? I tried to create a new page about the new Zayn song Fingers but it already exists. Now I have to delete the draft, somebody what I have to put in the top of the page, please? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ronaldo3455 (talkcontribs) 07:33, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, Ronaldo3455. This is what we call speedy deletion. Please read the shortcut WP:G7 and place one of those templates at the top of your draft. Cullen328 Let's discuss it 07:43, 19 November 2018 (UTC)
(edit conflict) Hi Ronaldo3455. If you're the only person who has made any significant contributions to the draft, which seems to be the case with Draft:Fingers (song), then just add {{db-author}} to the top of the page and request that it be deleted per WP:G7. For future reference, you can't request that a draft be deleted using WP:PROD; you either have to use WP:CSD or WP:MFD. -- Marchjuly (talk) 07:48, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

I need assistance

Can anyone help me to add archive boxes on talk page and add lower sigma bot for auto archive?  TheRedBox (Talk) 08:36, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

@TheRedBox: User:Lowercase sigmabot III/Archive HowTo explains how to set up archiving on your talk page. Regards SoWhy 10:33, 19 November 2018 (UTC)
  • @SoWhy: I did at mine talk page. Could you please check once?  TheRedBox (Talk) 12:42, 19 November 2018 (UTC)
    @TheRedBox: Looks correct afaict, although counter = 15 should be counter = 1 since that variable tells the bot which /Archive # to use at the moment and you have no archives yet. Regards SoWhy 13:33, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

" @SoWhy: I set 15 to 1 and yes i dont have any archive page yet.so, bot will automatically create archive page for me or i should create archive myself?  TheRedBox (Talk) 13:44, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

@TheRedBox: If everything is set correctly, the bot will archive your talk page it its next run (which is usually around 4.00 to 5.00 UTC if I recall correctly), including the creation of archive subpages that don't exist yet. So just wait and see. =) Regards SoWhy 14:24, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

HOW TO UPLOAD MEDIA FILES WITH LESS HASSLE

Hi, I wish to know how I can get my photos approved upon uploading them. I understand that all my photos need to be original and I never upload any file I did't create myself. I still get my uploads rejected immediately I make them. How do I walk around this difficulty? — Preceding unsigned comment added by NetSpread30 (talkcontribs)

Hi NetSpread30, welcome to the Teahouse. Your account has no uploads. What does the photos depict, how do you try to upload them, and what happens? PrimeHunter (talk) 13:41, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

I tried to upload but it was rejected — Preceding unsigned comment added by NetSpread30 (talkcontribs) 14:12, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

@NetSpread30: Many things could have happened. The main reason for complications is that Wikipedia cares about copyright and many users upload copyrighted images. This is hard to check automatically, and Wikimedia Commons has 50 million uploads. I found [5]. Try uploading with commons:Special:UploadWizard instead. Remove spaces before the file type. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:43, 19 November 2018 (UTC)