User talk:Dmartin63vette

November 2014

Welcome to Wikipedia. At least one of your recent edits, such as the edit you made to Gideon Johnson Pillow, did not appear to be constructive and has been reverted or removed. Although everyone is welcome to contribute to Wikipedia, please take some time to familiarise yourself with our policies and guidelines. You can find information about these at the welcome page which also provides further information about contributing constructively to this encyclopedia. If you only meant to make some test edits, please use the sandbox for that. If you think I made a mistake, or if you have any questions, you may leave a message on my talk page. Thank you. BusterD (talk) 02:39, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

Please do not add or significantly change content without citing verifiable and reliable sources, as you did with this edit to Gideon Johnson Pillow. Before making any potentially controversial edits, it is recommended that you discuss them first on the article's talk page. Please review the guidelines at Wikipedia:Citing sources and take this opportunity to add references to the article. Donner60 (talk) 02:56, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

I'll confess your second attempt at adding information to the Pillow article was much better. It's probably unwise to add such material to the lede of an article, especially one as well watched as that of a significant military figure of the era. If you have disagreement with the way Pillow has been portrayed in the page, please begin a discussion on the talk page for that article, and come prepared with sources which back your position. No editor here wishes you to be discouraged from editing pages boldly, but we do appreciate making changes that follow available sources. If you have some, please present them for discussion. Thanks, and please feel welcome to contribute. BusterD (talk) 03:01, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

Although I sympathize with your frustration, one cannot simply add contradictions to existing articles. You can add alternate points of view, even minority points of view, provided they are based on reliable and verifiable sources. I agree with BusterD's advice. Also, the article cites sources but does not have many in-line citations. If the text does not coincide with the sources, it can be changed to do so. You also have pointed out that editors who are interested in Civil War history and biography also ought to look at this article and edit it, especially to add inline citations or any corrections that may be needed. You may wish to review the following pages to assist you in editing:

• Getting started
  
• Introduction to Wikipedia
  
• The five pillars of Wikipedia
  
• Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not
  
• How to edit a page and How to develop articles
  
• How to create your first article
  
• Simplified Manual of Style
  
• Help:Referencing for beginners and Help:Footnotes are useful for tips on references and instruction on inserting footnotes
  
• Wikipedia:Citing sources and Wikipedia:Inline citation discuss the policies and also offer some advice about referencing
  Donner60 (talk) 04:06, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

Repeated from my talk page to be sure you see it: You do not need to be "tech smart" but it does take some reading and a little effort, and practice (in the sandbox if necessary) to get accustomed to the formatting. I am not "tech smart" either but I have learned, or copied, enough to learn the basic formatting. You can turn on Visual Editor on your preferences pages which simplifies the editing for some people. I would encourage you not to give up, or at least to return later after giving it some thought. I have added a few references to the article and will try to add some citations and to review any statements that may be controversial. However, I cannot promise a particular time frame to finish any reviews or changes. I have some other articles to work on that require attention before the anniversary dates of the events occur or that have been only partially revised and need to be finished. Additionally, I can say that I will be neutral and objective but will follow the sources and not have a definite outcome in mind. Donner60 (talk) 04:30, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

If you have books which might contain reliable sources...

By all means please enlighten us before you go. Wikipedia needs editors who are honestly trying to fix broken things, especially people who have a strong interest in notable subject matter. There are many places where a new editor can do important work and learn the ropes without needing to have specific technical skills. You've made the acquaintance of both User:Donner60 and myself, and I can say that both of us would appreciate another enthusiastic editor in the cluster of articles surrounding the American Civil War. I believe I can speak for Donner60 that both of us would be willing to help you if you had questions or problems which would benefit from advice. You don't even need to agree with us to gain our respect and help. I often learn the most from interesting folks with whom I disagree. If you don't feel welcome, don't stay, but I would be happy to help get you started, and I'm sure Donner60 would also be an excellent mentor. There's never any deadline around here, and I always encourage editors to work at their own pace and not feel pressured to rush into anything. If you would consider helping us with the Pillow article, feel free to say something here on your own talk page. Donner60 and I will watch this page and hope you decide to join us. Type four tildes (~~~~) after your comment as a signature so we know who wrote and when the comment was made. Thanks again and hope to hear from you soon. BusterD (talk) 05:08, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

I agree. Donner60 (talk) 05:18, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

Thanks to a couple of editors, the Pillow article has been expanded and broadened to show a slightly fuller picture of the subject. I urge you to look over the page and see if your sources might help us better understand the man. Thanks to your interest and edits (reverted though they were), this page is getting attention and improvement. Help us. BusterD (talk) 16:02, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

Dmartin63vette, you are invited to the Teahouse!

Hi Dmartin63vette! Thanks for contributing to Wikipedia. Come join other new editors at the Teahouse! The Teahouse is a space where new editors can get help from other new editors. These editors have also just begun editing Wikipedia; they may have had similar experiences as you. Come share your experiences, ask questions, and get advice from your peers. I hope to see you there! Dathus (I'm a Teahouse host) Visit the Teahouse This message was delivered automatically by your robot friend, HostBot (talk) 16:24, 14 November 2014 (UTC)