Help desk
< October 21	<< Sep \| October \| Nov >>	October 23 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current Help Desk pages.

October 22

Create Page for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR)

ASMR is a social media phenomenon and videos for it are all over sites like youtube. I recommend an article be written for it, I've just never been good at writing, researching, or citing. :) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.252.56.1 (talk) 05:59, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

We had an article on that subject a while ago, but an administrator deleted it as a result of a deletion discussion. Another administrator reviewed the deletion and found the deleting administrator had acted correctly. The decision boiled down to a lack of substantial coverage in reliable sources. If you can find a couple relevant articles in reputable publications, feel free to make your request at Wikipedia:Requested articles. Note that we generally do not consider YouTube videos, blogs, or personal web sites to be reliable sources, although there are some exceptions. PleaseStand (talk) 06:37, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Oh wait, someone already requested it. PleaseStand (talk) 06:44, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

And there are already two submissions at Wikipedia:Articles for creation: Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Autonomous sensory meridian response and Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. Neither is adequately supported by reliable sources as I write this comment. Wikipedia articles should have a solid foundation and shouldn't be based on forum posts. If no one in the medical community will publish a paper about the supposed "phenomenon", you may just have to wait for major newspapers to take notice. PleaseStand (talk) 07:00, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Which is appropriate venue for my case ?

I'm a member of Vietnamese Wikipedia Community. I'm blocked by DHN (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) administrator of Vietnamese Wikipedia. This is my story :

I’m an active member of Wikipedia. I contribute many contents in many topics. You can see my history. I used Maraka account from August 2, 2012 to August 26,2012. I used public computer so security level is very low. Someone hacked my account so I had to create Soranto account at August 27, 2012. I used Soranto account from August 27, 2012 to October 7, 2012. Soranto account was hacked again like Maraka account so I created Saboche account at October 10, 2012. I never use 2 accounts at the same time. I only use another account when I lost control my current account.

At September 1, 2012 IP 118.71.4.68 suggests replacing Vietnam Mural picture by another picture. At September 18, 2012, I used Soranto account to replace Vietnam Mural picture by Vietnam Sides picture created by me on Vietnam War Summary because I thought Vietnam Mural picture only presents America side but there are 4 sides in Vietnam war. Some other members didn’t agree with me so we made a discussion on this topic at Vietnam War Talk Page(Vietnamese version). The discussion started at September 13, 2012 then closed at October 2, 2012. Other members didn’t present the suitable reason to replace Vietnam Sides picture by the old Vietnam Mural picture so we still used Vietnam Sides picture.

At October 10, 2012, I created Saboche account to replace Soranto account because Soranto account was hacked. At that time the discussion on picture at Vietnam War Summary had finished at October 2, 2012.

At October 13, 2012 I started a discussion on picture of Vietnam War Summary at Vietnam War talk page because some other members continue want to replace Vietnam Sides picture by Vietnam Mural picture. At this time I used Saboche account because I lost control Soranto account. In the discussion I just said “There are 2 sides, each side has 2 sub sides . The Soranto’s picture is very suitable. It presents 2 sides, each side has 2 sub sides. Why we have to turn back to the old picture ?” I said that because I think Vietnam Sides picture is suitable and the owner of the picture is Soranto account so I have to use “Soranto’s picture” to call the picture.

At October 14, 2012 the member named Vô tư lự requested DHN administrator checked Saboche account because he doubted Saboche is a sock puppetry of Soranto. DHN discovered that Soranto and Saboche are logged in from one computer. DHN concluded that Saboche is the sock puppetry of Soranto. He immediately blocked Soranto and Saboche infinitively. The reason for his action is Saboche was created to make an illusion of support.

At October 15, 2012, I requested DHN to remove blocking Soranto and Saboche and started a discussion about this problem at Saboche's talk page. I presented all evidences to prove that I was not guilty as I’m presenting to you but DHN denied removing blocking Soranto and Saboche. He talked that I used Saboche account to make an illusion of support. He didn’t care the fact that I had lost control Soranto before I created Saboche account. He talked that’s my bussiness so he didn’t want to consider. I claimed that I wiil make an amendment request to Arbitration Committee if we can’t agree with each other. He talked that I have right to do that.

I also cited some policies to prove that Saboche is a alternative account to replace the old compromised account Soranto in case I lost password. DHN should not check user and block alternative account infinitively in case member only uses one account at any time. DHN didn’t care all policies I had cited. He didn’t want to discuss any more. He kept silent while I was asking him many times continue discussing to resolve my case.

Now I have only one choice that is to make an Amendment request to Arbitration Committee. I hope arbitrator will remove blocking Saboche and Soranto account.

I created an Amendment request named The Saboche case at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Clarification and Amendment but that's not the appropriate venue to resolve my case. Vietnamese Wikipedia doesn't have Arbitration Committee. Which is appropriate venue for my case ? Saboche (talk) 06:41, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

No global arbitration committee exists. The Wikipedia community expects users to link alternative accounts publicly by creating a user page for each one. Users must also take reasonable security precautions, including logging out of Wikipedia before walking away from any public computer and avoiding weak passwords. To get unblocked, you need to convince admins you will do what the community expects of you. I, and most others who answer questions on this help desk, cannot offer any further assistance because we do not speak Vietnamese. PleaseStand (talk) 08:21, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

This is blatant WP:FORUMSHOPPING. Saboche has previously brought this exact same complaint to Wikipedia:Dispute resolution noticeboard and to Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Clarification and Amendment. In both cases he was informed that he was blocked on the Vietnamese Wikipedia (vi.wikipedia.org) and that nobody on the English Wikipedia (wiki.riteme.site) has any jurisdiction over the Vietnamese Wikipedia. --Guy Macon (talk) 13:10, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Adding a note

Hi. I have a table of names and i want to add a note to one name. I want to add a comment like "Elected president in 1990" but don't want to add a column for comments to the table. Would really like it to pop up with a letter/number next to it like references. Any suggestions how to do this? Gbawden (talk) 07:49, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You can do that with {{ref}}¹

^ And then {{note}} goes down here.

Scarce2 (talk) 08:22, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Alternatively, you can create another ref group and corresponding reflist. ^{[note 1]} PleaseStand (talk) 08:46, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

^ This is explained at WP:REFGROUP.

You can also do that last with {{efn}} and {{notelist}}. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 10:41, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for your help. Much appreciated Gbawden (talk) 07:43, 24 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Making a collection of bookmarked articles

Hi,

Is there anywhere on WP where I can save a collection of articles (like bookmarks) to come back and read later?

Many thanks,

Rob Sollom — Preceding unsigned comment added by KnowledgeSeekingRob (talk • contribs) 09:00, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

If you just want to make a personal list, you can simply add the list to your user page. See WP:USERPAGE. Or maybe Wikipedia:Books is more what you had in mind. Also, many people add articles that they're interested in keeping track of to their WP:WATCHLIST. Dismas|^(talk) 09:04, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Ooo, thanks! Looks like I've still got a lot to learn :) — Preceding unsigned comment added by KnowledgeSeekingRob (talk • contribs) 10:43, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Can I edit my reference desk entry?

My first effort using Wikipedia was to ask a question at the reference desk. I noticed a couple of misspellings after I posted, and I'd like to make corrections. Can this be done, and if so, how? Curious in NYC — Preceding unsigned comment added by Curious in NYC (talk • contribs) 09:51, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

There's no reason why not but as the questions disappear after a while it's a bit of a waste of effort. Britmax (talk) 09:55, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

They don't "disapear", they get archived and remain accessible for ever - so it's not a waste of effort if you don't want bad spelling on your "permanent record". Roger (talk) 09:57, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, Dodger. Now HOW can I correct my errors and save my reputation? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Curious in NYC (talk • contribs) 10:05, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Technically you're not supposed to edit archives, but I doubt anyone will mind if it's just correcting minor spelling/grammar errors and not changing the actual text. However. First thing is to locate archive in question, you don't have anything in your contributions beyond your posts here. Was the question asked with another editing account, or without an account at all? Chances are no body will ever associate a random reference desk question with you personally anyway.. Яehevkor ✉ 10:10, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Editing archives is generally frowned upon so I think Curious wants to fix it before it gets archived. You simply edit it the same way you added your follow-up post here - click on the [edit] link to the right of the section heading and start typing. BTW you may only edit your own posts, not anyone else's. Roger (talk) 10:28, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

RD archives are never closed (like deletion discussions), though. —Tamfang (talk) 17:32, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks again. I have a lot to learn, such as when entries are archived, and how to access them. Curious in NYC (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 10:37, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The help and reference desks are supposed to be automatically archived, with a few days questions remaining on the current page. Unfortunately, the bot that does the archiving is 'out-of-order' so the archiving is being done manually when someone who knows what they are doing, gets around to doing it. Astronaut (talk) 19:04, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

How do I put my biography on Wikipedia?

Hi My name is Colin Meredith and I have been a professional actor since 1976. How do I go about putting my biography on Wikipedia. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0580570/

kind regards Colin Meredith ColinMeredith (talk) 12:08, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

In general you shouldn't. See the advice at WP:Autobiography and WP:COI. - David Biddulph (talk) 12:36, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You might also like to see if you meet Wikipedia's notability criteria for entertainers. Astronaut (talk) 19:11, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Editing The Partnership at Drugfree.org's page (http://wiki.riteme.site/wiki/Partnership_at_Drugfree.org)

Hello,

I am trying to completely re-do/edit The Partnership at Drugfree.org's Wikipedia page. The information up there now is currently outdated and inaccurate. I have re-written the page. When I tried to edit/upload, I got an error message which basically said that I was trying to change too much and it was detected as spam.

I work for The Partnership and would love to talk to someone about how to fix this. Thanks!

Cassie Goldberg Manager of Public Affairs The Partnership at Drugfree.org

50.74.44.162 (talk) 13:39, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The problem is you replaced the entire content of a well developed and properly sourced comprehensive article with a blatant advertisment. Don't do it! Roger (talk) 13:50, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Furthermore, if you are indeed "Manager of Public Affairs The Partnership at Drugfree.org", you oughtn't to be editing the article on that organisation. Please read Wikipedia's guidance on conflict of interest. - David Biddulph (talk) 14:41, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Cassie, you might like to take a less assertive approach. Since you have an obvious Conflict of Interest, it would be better to leave a message on Talk:Partnership at Drugfree.org. Rather then proposing a complete rewrite with some advertizing spiel, say what information is inaccurate and what information is outdated. Suggest improvements and work with other users to build the article into a something accurate and up-to-date, while retaining the encyclopedic tone. Astronaut (talk) 18:49, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

ask about information

sir it is me Dr Omair from Pakistan. i want to get informations about writing an article. i wrote an article about a hospital and a university but it was not published on wikipedia. they are asking about the references so please help me that what does it mean by references??? i will be very thankful to you....... — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mzddhanni (talk • contribs) 13:46, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You are perhaps referring to Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/www.beihuauniversity.com/? The response on that page to your submission gives you a number of links which you ought to follow and read. Among these are Wikipedia:Referencing for beginners, WP:V, WP:IRS. These latter 3 explain what Wikipedia expects to see as references. - David Biddulph (talk) 14:38, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Abortion

The abortion page says that abortion is illegal in countries in the middle east "mainly arab countires", well it is really completely untrue, abortion is completely legal in these countries but up to 40 days of pregnancy and completely legal in case of rape or a child with a congenital anomaly. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.129.39.16 (talk) 13:59, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Precisely which page are you referring to? Abortion doesn't contain the words "mainly" or "arab", and no Wikipedia articles contain "mainly arab countires" (or the correctly spelled "mainly Arab countries"). PrimeHunter (talk) 14:10, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Sortable table

I used the second example sortable table at WP:FILMOGRAPHY to post a table at Eric_Daman#Filmography, but the table I posted is not sortable. If you can figure out what I did wrong and fix it, I would appreciate it. -- Uzma Gamal (talk) 15:38, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The table is sortable. - David Biddulph (talk) 15:45, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

When I posted it, it wasn't sortable. Somewhere between 15:38 (time of my post above) and your 15:45 post, it became sortable. Maybe the page has to be refreshed or the computer needs to catch up. -- Uzma Gamal (talk) 08:11, 23 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Questionable behaviour?

I have no idea what this is about but what's your opinion on it? The user appears to do this a lot and it appears disruptive. Thanks ツ Jenova 20 ^(email) 15:57, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Actually looking at his contributions shows a clear pattern of disruption. Any admin here want to use their ban button? Thanks ツ Jenova 20 ^(email) 15:59, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It's vandalism. Give them a high level warning but leave the ban for now. Rcsprinter (lecture) @ 16:02, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) You might want to warn the user on their talk page (only has two warnings so far), and if they continue to cause disruption, report them to AIV. –– Anonymouse321 (talk • contribs) 16:05, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I was content on leaving it but to be honest i consider 3 warnings in one day too much. I reported him and he's been blocked. I'm unsure of his motive but he's clearly posting personal information in a copy + paste fashion multiple times to multiple pages to disrupt. Thanks for your advice ツ Jenova 20 ^(email) 18:32, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

To start

I am a new editor wanted to contribute to wikipedia. I am interseted in railways and airplanes but don't know where to get started. I made an account but how do I find pages which need making or fixing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lord Sugar (talk • contribs) 16:03, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Lord Sugar! You may find the Teahouse helpful. For your chosen subjects visit Wp:TRAINS and Wp:Aviation for ideas of what to contribute. Rcsprinter (talk to me) @ 16:05, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Help with an edit war

Hi! I have a slow edit war going on, but my work situation is strenuous and I don't have the energy for a fight at Wikipedia. However, it feels important and I would like some other editor(s) to take over. I don't know if the Help desk is the correct place to ask for help with this - but the fight is not at all at a level that it would require administrator attention. Lova Falk talk 16:33, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I just warned the user about edit warring, and I am now watching the page. You might want to check out RFC for dispute resolution, and if it doesn't improve, you might have to take more extreme measures. –– Anonymouse321 (talk • contribs) 16:44, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Also, this is more like edit warring, not to be confused with edit conflict. –– Anonymouse321 (talk • contribs) 16:46, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for your help! Lova Falk talk 16:48, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

colleges and universities 1/2 Hour and 1 Hour from Boston Mass

how do I get that info — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.19.90.247 (talk) 16:54, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

How far can you travel in 1 hour? You can walk perhaps as much as 10 miles, or you can fly perhaps 1000 miles. You can then take a look at a map and establish a search radius and start searching that area. Alternatively, you could take a look at a suitable category like Category:Universities and colleges in Massachusetts by city (all of those cities are within an hour of Boston by car or train except Springfield). Also the cities of Manchester, New Hampshire and Providence, Rhode Island are within an hour by car or train. Astronaut (talk) 18:30, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

William Bower - Screen Writer Article Corruption.

The article on screenwriter William Bowers )Last Time I Saw Archie", "Support Your Local Sheriff") looks to have had some extra content added by a joker;

There was this paragraph: "He has been noted to make excellent Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin soup. He is also a famous biochemist and founded the 'correct' bionic limb in 2028. His most famous role is 'Charles the Butler' in the film adaptation of Me and My Girl, following the success of the West End hit musical. He is the most bear like member of New Kings Players and writes an excellent personal statement. His hair is fluffy and he is Batman but with parents."

...and these extra credits:

As You Like It (2011)
The Tempest (2012)
Me and My Girl (2058)

I'm not an expert on the fellow but somehow I think these might not be part of the original article.

---Jack )lcott — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.251.101.157 (talk) 18:42, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

A case of less obvious vandalism on William Bowers. It doesn't look like the page is looked after, so that kind of vandalism can stay around for a while until somebody notices it. I have now reverted the vandalism. Astronaut (talk) 18:55, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Updating Pages for Dolphin Encounters and Blue Lagoon Island ( Nassau, Bahamas)

Question: From the Sales and Marketing Team @ Dolphin Encounters Ltd

How do we update the information about our company and Blue Lagoon Island? 18:43, 22 October 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.244.156.18 (talk)

Post a suggestion on the talk page(s) of the article(s) in question, stating what needs to be corrected and providing impartial, reliable sources for the information (i.e., not your own website). Be up front about your own conflict of interest. --Orange Mike | Talk 18:48, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

will that ref be there?

Hi, I am a new user. Just would like to edit a small paragraph on one Wikipedia page. I have already typed on the editing area including references and did the preview. Everything looks nice but I am not sure if the number showed the reference in the text will connect to the reference list part, which has my new reference. Can I do a test before I submit? If I make a mistake, can I still correct after I save the page. Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mc11ch5P30 (talk • contribs) 19:24, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

If you clicked the edit button for a section, unfortunately you can't see the footnote in your preview; it shows up if you edit the page as a whole. And yes of course you can correct it after saving! At worst you can go to the History page, see the record of your own change at the top, and click Undo. —Tamfang (talk) 19:34, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

See Help:Footnotes#Previewing edits for options. You can also click the "Edit" tab at top of the page to edit the whole page with the references section being visible. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:56, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Adding a listing

How Can we add information for someone who is not listed? — Preceding unsigned comment added by DJMisterE (talk • contribs) 19:39, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

First, read this to determine if they are notable: WP:N. If so, you can request an article at WP:RA or write one yourself WP:YFA. RudolfRed (talk) 19:49, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Unintended Change

I am so sorry, but I inadvertently misplaced and changed info. If someone is available, please set it right again. This info was somehow taken out of the table and not even sure how I did that. So very sorry! http://wiki.riteme.site/wiki/List_of_time_travel_science_fiction Time travel in novels and short stories

Done You don't have to apologize. We all make mistakes from time to time. The } was in the wrong spot but I put it where it belongs so no worries! Cheers, SassyLilNugget (talk) 20:52, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Adding Spaces

Hi! I am trying to create a draft for an article I would like to write. How do I add multiple spaces in between a bold word and a normal word? No matter how many spaces I add, when I preview it, they are always stuck together. The Cheatsheet doesn't help either. Thanks, B. Jakob T. (talk) 21:45, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You can use the html non-breaking space entity, like this. Click the "edit" link at the top of this section to see how I did it. Maproom (talk) 21:56, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I don't see anything in your contributions where you have tried to do this and have failed. I'm also curious as to why you would need to do this. Do you mind if I'm nosy and ask what you're trying to achieve by putting in multiple spaces? Dismas|^(talk) 00:04, 23 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

We also have the {{space}} template. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 16:08, 23 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Please delete the article "David J. Strachman"

I represent David Strachman, and he has stated that he does not want this article to exist, for safety and security reasons, and he is in the process of creating a formal letter to that effect. This entire process has been very difficult, and I would appreciate it if you could help in this matter. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Randomname1234 (talk • contribs) 23:46, 22 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Adding the above link for convenience. I see that it's currently up for AFD. User:Randomname1234, your best course of action would be to discuss this at the deletion discussion for the article at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/David J. Strachman. Dismas|^(talk) 00:11, 23 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, nevermind. I see you created the AFD. Well then let that run its course. Dismas|^(talk) 00:13, 23 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Well, I've been letting it run its course, but the results have been mixed. Someone closed the discussion on the afd page I set up, on which the consensus seems to be that people want to keep the article. But then, someone made a second afd page, on which the consencus seems to be FOR deletion. So, where do I go from here?

[1] This is explained at WP:REFGROUP.

[note 1]