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May 13

Why would you destroy a good article and leave only the negative information which happens to be incorrect anyway.

Sirs or Madams

You had an article in your "famous persons from Michigan City" article which included the following persons: Rev Tina Redden: International Gospel Singer songwriter musician Rev Neil Singleton: 6 time world heavyweight kickboxing champion Ken Young: National 16 time National Heavyweight Tae Kwon Do Champion Timothy Redden: National Middleweight Tae Kwon Do Champion Terry Redden: National Heavy weight Tae Kwon Do Champion

All of these statements could have been very easily substantiated. However, they were removed and the only African American listed was Johnson Van Dyke Grisby who was noted for spending the most time in the Indiana State Prison and he was not from michigan City Ind any way. We have many minorities that has made tremendous names for themselves and this town other than one that was not born here but committed a crime and was imprisioned in the state the crime was committed.

The five persons first mentioned does reside in Michigan city and has accomplished what was written about them, google their names and find out.

Johnson Van Dyke Grisby was not from michigan city, this type of article gives our young people nothing to be proud of and they are being instructed not to include wiki in any of their school studies as well as the local higher education facilities. You need to correct this. Making African Americans to look only as prison material is not what wiki should be striving for. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.239.178.165 (talk) 00:10, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

If you have some reliable independent sources of information that verify that those five individuals meet Misplaced Pages's notability guidelines (and especially the guidelines on the notability of living people), then please do add them to the article, with those citations. With regard to Johnson Van Dyke Grisby, if you have reliable sources which show that he is not from Michigan, then remove his name and cite the sources in your edit summary. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 00:16, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

One thought I had was the Michigan City, Indiana article could have been subject to vandalism to deliberately remove some people and not others. However, I am now puzzled by 71.239's question. The list of 10 prisoners who have been held at Indiana State Prison was removed in January 2010 (incorrectly IMHO since it seems many prisoners were quite notable, including John Dillinger, though I cannot say whether Johnson Van Dyke Grisby was notable but he has never had an article written about him). It is also worth noting that it was a list of prisoners held at the prison, not prisoners from Michigan City.

As for the Redden/Young/Singleton family, they were added in April 2007 and then removed three times in Aug/Sept 2007, each time because there were no articles about these people. The list is for notable people, which many people take to mean they should have a Misplaced Pages article about them. However, like PhantomSteve hints at above, if they meet Misplaced Pages's notability criteria then please do write articles about them. I'm sure once articles are established, there will be no difficulty adding them to the Michigan City article and having them stay there. Astronaut (talk) 09:16, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

{{Notwiki}}Ojay123 17:32, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

User talk page question

I have been taken to task by an editor for responding to another editor's comments on his/her own talk page. I was a bit surprised by this as it seems to be fairly common for editors to do this. On checking the user talk page guidelines I cannot find anything that forbids editors from responding to comments on user talk pages not made by the user. I will appreciate any information or advice on what is considered appropriate in this respect. Thanks. Afterwriting (talk) 05:15, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

If I understood you correctly, then you're User C in this situation: User B posts on User A's talk page, and User C notices B's post.

Many User As don't mind if user C replies to user B on their talk page, especially if A and C know each other on Misplaced Pages. Such is the case with User:Jimbo's talk page. However, if A asks C not to carry out discussions on their talk page, it would be polite if C respected that request. If community discussion is required, it can be done on an article talk page and user C can request A and B to join in there.

Did I understand your question correctly? liquidluck✽talk 05:29, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for replying. Yes, I am User C in this situation. The editor who was critical of my commenting was User A who criticised me for commenting on a message from another editor ( User B ). I can appreciate an editor asking me not to comment in this way if that is their preference - but I cannot find any policy or guideline about this and User A seems to believe that such a policy exists. Any further clarification about this will be appreciated. Thanks. Afterwriting (talk) 05:47, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

There is no such policy, because users do not actually own their userspace. However, it really is so pointless to argue about, it's better to just let the user have his way. Almost no good ever comes from trying to convince someone otherwise. Someguy1221 (talk) 05:58, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks. I'm not interested in arguing or asserting a right to make such comments - I was only really interested in having this matter clarified in terms of policy or etiquette guidelines, especially since other editors have sometimes made unwelcome responses to other editors' comments on my own talk page. Afterwriting (talk) 06:10, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

You are allowed to remove posts from your own talk page as you desire (with certain exceptions). Its preferred that you archive them, but it isn't necessary. Check out WP:REMOVED and Misplaced Pages:USERTALK#Editing_of_other_editors_user_and_user_talk_pages for more information. liquidluck✽talk 01:00, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Beta today

Could someone point me to the discussion that showed that people have to use Beta from the start and then turn the features off, instead of the usual layout with the option to turn them on? And that it is switched from this week? Simply south (talk) 08:39, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

I can't find it offhand, but it was discussed at meta - as it involves all the WMF projects. If you are on the mailing list for announcements, it was there; I'm pretty sure that the Signpost covered it a while ago. I'm also pretty sure that it's been covered in the press as well. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 11:38, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Also see this post on the Wikimedia Technical Blog. Graham87 14:29, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Socks 01 - WWE Socks

Is it possible that my old user name Socks 01 could be "joined" with WWE Socks. I was formerly Socks 01 previous to 2007 and now only use WWE Socks. Could those edits made with Socks 01 ever be transfered to WWE Socks or not? Just asking. Thanks WWE Socks 08:39, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

As it appears that you created a new account rather then ask for your old one to be renamed, the edits cannot be re-allocated to your new account. You could have your old talk page redirect to your new talk page, and on your old user page have a note explaining that this is your old account, and linking to the new account. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 11:17, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Need help on creating page.

I have created a page for my company and product. But don't know how to edit the things in WikiPedia. I need help from someone. Kindly find the page at http://en.wikipedia.org/Trinken. Asking someone to help. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mhgroupbd (talk • contribs) 10:13, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Hello, and welcome! Unfortunately, it looks like your page will be deleted soon under our criteria for speedy deletion because it seems to exist purely to promote something. Misplaced Pages is not here to be used to advertise companies or products. Unfortunately, your username could also be a problem as it does not comply with our username policy. Again, the problem is that it is promotional, and the fact that it appears to represent a group of people. Your username must only represent one individual (you!) You are welcome to request a username change to something non-promotional, but even then, you should not write articles about companies or products that you are connected to in real life. See: Misplaced Pages:Conflict of interest and Misplaced Pages:Autobiography. Please post if you have any other questions. --BelovedFreak 10:39, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Get rid of beta

I want this new "beta" style gone but I don't and can't have an account. How do you get rid of it without signing in? 82.44.55.254 (talk) 10:56, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

As far as I am aware, the only way to do so is to have an account. All unregistered users need to use the default "Vector" skin. When I logged out and looked, there was no option to change it (as you don't have "preferences" unless you are logged in. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 11:15, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Would it be possible to write a greasemonkey script that could force monobook to be the default skin? 82.44.55.254 (talk) 11:18, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know! You said that you "can't have an account" - the IP doesn't appear to be blocked from creating an account, so do you mean that you don't want to? Is there a particular reason why you don't want to? -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 11:37, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

On some computer networks in schools and workplaces, there are filters to stop people creating accounts, at least in my school there is. This could be why... Chevymontecarlo. 12:15, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

I feel we should allow IP's to have some option of getting out of the new features, but I am not sure if it is technically feasible. Immunize (talk) 14:55, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

See the page where you can request an account that will be created.--moɳo 02:15, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

a new look for the environment

To whom it may concern,

Recently I heard that dark backgrounds for one's screen saves more energy than Light backgrounds, this apparently is because using a white screen requires more energy. This is why Google has created a custom search known as Blackle (http://www.blackle.com/), where the screen is completely black. Now, I know that Misplaced Pages is a very well known source of information and many people around the world use it. So I was wondering If we could save energy together for our planet's sake and change the main color of Misplaced Pages to black. It may not be big but every bit counts..and we have come to a point where a change must be done. I thought that to save the environment, I might ask you to please make this change. I know maybe this might make the layout less pleasant But I find it important we do so!

Thank You and please do consider my comment. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.129.235.3 (talk) 11:09, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

An interesting idea! However, the Help desk is probably not the best place to ask - you might consider placing a proposal about this at the Village Pump (proposals) - To make it easier, here is a link to create a new section there. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 11:31, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

A couple of things, 1) Blackle is unconnected to google and 2) Google themselves reject the idea saying that it would use as much energy if not more. --Cameron Scott (talk) 11:38, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Registered users can go to Special:Preferences, click a tab called Gadgets and select "Use a black background with green text". It's unlikely to become default due to readability. Note that only CRT monitors may have a noticeable energy reduction with a black background. LCD monitors work in another way. http://hubpages.com/hub/How-much-power-do-we-save-if-GOOGLE-screen-turns-black-or-grey says: "But an LCD monitor displaying any color is using far less power than a CRT monitor displaying a dark screen. If you're concerned about energy savings, use LCD over CRT." See also http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/is-black-new-green.html which says: "flat-panel monitors (already estimated to be 75% of the market), displaying black may actually increase energy usage". The 75% must have increased since 2007. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:54, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

New Article to appear when searching wikipedia

I have recently created a article in my user space at: http://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=User:GoldsmithKA/The_Second_Regional_Forum_on_the_Prevention_of_Genocide&redirect=no I moved the article out of my space to: http://en.wikipedia.org/The_Second_Regional_Forum_on_the_Prevention_of_Genocide

When I search for the page on wikipedia main page, it does not appear as the new page and i have to search first using my username page one. How can I make the new page appear in the search results and how do I stop to username page from doing so.? —Preceding unsigned comment added by GoldsmithKA (talk • contribs) 12:07, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

It may take a while for the server to update itself, so maybe that's why you can't get it in the main area search results yet. Chevymontecarlo. 12:14, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

The page was moved only two hours ago. It often takes time for search results to be updated with new articles. Just wait a day or two. --Mysdaao 12:13, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Why is there hundreds of German place articles tagged here?

Did a bot just blitz all of these articles and tag them all? Not too long ago there was only a couple of pages in this category, now there are thousands and they're all German places. Why is this? Chevymontecarlo. 12:13, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

It is due to a change to {{Infobox German location}}. On May 7, the template was changed to automatically add a reference for population data. It was discussed and requested at Template talk:Infobox German location#Automatically updated population numbers. The template is fully protected, so if you want it changed, you'll have to discuss it on the talk page. --Mysdaao 12:19, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

(Automatically updating population figures? That's really cool!)

According to Category:Pages with missing references list, SmackBot should fix this (i.e. add in the missing <references /> tag) when it next runs - it last ran on 7 May.

Cheers, TFOWR 12:22, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks a lot for explaining that. I think I'll wait until SmackBot is run again before I start helping to fix the other articles in the category, since it's going to do that anyway so I'll be sort of wasting my time trying to clear the backlog myself. Chevymontecarlo. 12:02, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

No worries! My first thought, when I saw the category, was that I'd simply start working through the list myself, adding <references />... 200 entries and we're still only at "A"? No chance! I'll wait for SmackBot too! TFOWR 17:50, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Coord not working

The coord function seems to have gone haywire. For example, the coordinates here Lot_(river) were working yesterday. GloverEpp (talk) 12:54, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Which problem do you see? Does it help to bypass your cache or purge affected pages? There was a coord problem 3 days ago which may still require some unedited pages to be purged, but Lot (river) has been edited since then. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:14, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Maybe it's just me. Can you find a site that has a coord that is working correctly. If so, show it to me and I'll give it a try. GloverEpp (talk) 13:22, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't see a problem in Lot (river) or other tested articles. Can you please be more specific about what you see and what you were expecting to see. The problem 3 days ago involved an error message displayed in some articles using coord. Is your current problem an error message in articles, or the way coordinates are or are not displayed in articles, or what happens when you click on coordinates, or something else? There are several coordinates in Lot (river) so also be specific about which of them give you problems or whether it is all of them. We may see different things for a number of reasons. I'm not looking at your screen. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:42, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Disregard this problem. It appears to be working correctly now. GeoHack was giving error messages that it is no longer giving. GloverEpp (talk) 13:55, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I was seeing them too. I assume it had something to do with the rollout of the new Vector skin, but it apppears to be sorted out now. Deor (talk) 15:07, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

What's happened

Something about the design of Misplaced Pages has changed today, and I would like some way to opt out of it.Twinkle is harder to use, WP:Friendly does not work, and I overall dislike the new look of Misplaced Pages. Please change it back. Immunize (talk) 13:07, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Click here to turn it off. Or, if that doesn't work, click the take me back link at the top right or your screen. See also stockwatch article on the (then planned) changes Spitfire 13:09, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

That's what the "Take me back" link does. —TheDJ (talk • contribs) 13:10, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Alternatively, you can do what I did which was to change my preferences back to monobook. The main reason that I am using Monobook instead of vector is that even copying my monobook.js file to vector.js, some of the scripts I use do not work under Vector, and they are too useful for me! -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 13:31, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Likewise, the new design is cool, but that is outweighed for me by script functionality. – ukexpat (talk) 16:52, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Contacting someone on the Supreme Court

How does one go about contacting anyone on The Supreme Court? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Spiritjohn1 (talk • contribs) 14:26, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

How does one go about contacting the Supreme Court? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Spiritjohn1 (talk • contribs) 14:30, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

I have added a header to your question to differentiate it from others on the page.

This is a help desk dedicated to questions about how to use Misplaced Pages. Your question would have been more appropriate for the Reference Desk. However, assuming you're asking about the United States Supreme Court, there is a contact page on their website here that may be what you're looking for. Karenjc 14:34, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Oxybenzone page problem

In trying to look at Oxybenzone (sunscreen) page, I click the link and am immediately prompted to save or run a file. My firewall blocks the page; unusual, as most wikipedia pages are clean and easy to view. any ideas? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 159.53.46.140 (talk) 15:12, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

It works for me. What link did you go to? Try this: Oxybenzone--Unionhawk 15:27, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Still giving me a security warning (unknown file type 11kb). Not sure...thanks for looking at it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 159.53.110.141 (talk) 18:49, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Need to be able to upload an image to replace an outdated one

I need to change an image on the page for the institution for which I work. I have had a Misplaced Pages account for 4 years but I am not yet an "autoconfirmed" user. Is there any way to become a "confirmed" user, or do I just need to go make more edits first? —Preceding unsigned comment added by VanessaR (talk • contribs) 15:15, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, you need more edits. Autoconfirmation requires 10 edits and 4 days. You have the time, but you need two more edits.--Unionhawk 15:25, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

IP up to no good

I believe this IP 209.104.237.162 is up to no good. I corrected the change it made to a site I watch, but not to the others it has changed. GloverEpp (talk) 15:52, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

It appears to be vandalism. If the IP persists, you can report them to WP:AIV, where an admin can block them from editing. TNXMan 15:55, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Help me choose a username!

I really hate usernames, but Misplaced Pages requires one to have an account. So help me decide. I want a username isn't long, annoying, pretentious, or related to me in any way. Go! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.70.113.44 (talk) 15:45, 13 May 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.70.113.44 (talk)

You are not required to have an account. If you choose to edit anonymously, your IP address will be recorded in the edit history. Xenon54 (talk) 16:26, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

You need a username to have an account. I need help choosing a username. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.70.113.44 (talk) 16:42, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

I think IP wants to change the skin, and knows the only way to do that is with an account.--SPhilbrickT 20:13, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Why not a random latin name like one used for a species, like Striella for example, there are plenty of place on here you could look, that came from Sphaeromatidae. 86.7.19.159 (talk) 21:29, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Try wikt:Special:RandomPage if you want to get a random word from a multitude of languages. Just put a couple together (e.g. Secare Pettava) and you have your username. PleaseStand 21:36, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

You could also create a username by combining a random word with a random combination of letters after it, or change some of the letters of your names into numbers - for example, R94N or L3W7S. Chevymontecarlo. 11:50, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Or you could even create a username that refers to your IP address, like Mr.98 has chosen to do. Buddy431 (talk) 03:06, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Dead Generals are always good too. RadManCF ☢ open frequency 21:21, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

←My name, Mono, came from the fact that I thought it sounded cool. Please don't add 8465683 or any string of numbers to your username as that is really annoying.--moɳo 02:17, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

Is this customary?

I noticed that the bulk of the article Treaty of Rapallo, 1922 is simply the text of that treaty. Is it customary to include the text? Shouldn't the article focus more on the motivations and implications rather than just reproducing this material? Sir Nils (talk) 16:18, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

You're correct. I've removed the text, since we're not a secondary source. If you have other material to add, please do so! TNXMan 16:26, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Maybe the text could be added to Wikisource if it's not already there? – ukexpat (talk) 16:45, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Thank you very much for the helpful responses! I'd never heard of Wikisource before, but I've copied over the treaty text http://en.wikisource.org/Treaty_of_Rapallo, which I hope I did correctly. I'll do my best to expand the Rapallo article this evening. Cheers. Sir Nils (talk) 18:43, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

How to go back to the new (improved) wikipedia?

Is it possible to switch back and forth between the two wikipedia's (the old- and the new one)? I pressed the 'take me back' button, but after that I wanted to give the new improved wikipedia a try, but I don't know how to change back. :s --Robster1983 (talk) 16:19, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Go to New features and click on 'Click here' under Try them out! Homework2 sign! 16:20, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Thnx Hereforhomework!!! :) --Robster1983 (talk) 16:32, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Added a biography

I added a mini biography for a stub article you had for Robert Naylor voice actor (he is my son). Now, if you search Robert Naylor, the article no longer comes up. I am not sure what I did wrong??

Thanks

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.66.187.83 (talk) 16:22, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

The article still exists: Robert Naylor (voice actor), but your mini biography has been removed because there were no references to reliable sources. As his father, you are not likely to be a neutral information-giver. Lova Falk 16:34, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Hello, do you mean Robert Naylor (voice actor)? It looked like your edit worked, but I'm afraid I have removed what you have added. One problem is that you have added material that is unreferenced. It's very important (especially with articles about living people) that you add references to reliable sources, to make sure that all information is verifiable. I understand that as your father, you probably know him better than anyone, but as I'm sure you can imagine, anyone could claim to know him and then add whatever information they liked. Another problem is that the information wasn't completely neutral. Thirdly, as the subject's father, you have a clear conflict of interest, and it is strongly discouraged that you edit such an article. The best thing for you to do would be to find references to reliable secondary sources (such as newspaper articles), and add any changes you think should be made to the article talkpage at Talk:Robert Naylor (voice actor) so that impartial editors can add the information. Hope this helps, --BelovedFreak 16:36, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Change to account name

Is the first letter of account names alwsys capitalized, whether or not the registrant made it so? I didn't think that I typed it in as a capital letter; I prefer that it not be. But it appears as a capital letter. Is it possible to change it to a lower-case letter? Thanks. Uofmproffice (talk) 16:37, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Sorry, but all usernames are automatically capitalized. You can, however, adjust your signature to only use lowercase letters. I should also let you know that our username policy only permits usernames that represent one person. Your username seems indicate a group account. Is this the case? TNXMan 16:39, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

And if you want your user and user talk pages to display with a lower case letter (see mine for example), just add the {{lowercase title}} template to the top of both pages. – ukexpat (talk) 16:42, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Sourcing a Reality TV Show plot summary - what to do?

Hello, I've recently finished getting Big Brother 2009 (UK) to GA level and that article has a well-sourced weekly summary (aka plot section). I'd like to replicate something similar for a new article I'm working on; Junior Apprentice. However, I'm finding accurate sources describing what happened in the first episode very hard to come by (most articles that include the plot summary only go into the basics or are very vague). I then came across WP:PLOTSUM and noticed that a plot summary does not actually need to be sourced - but what about one for a Reality TV programme? Is this different as the events really occurred? Should I use only secondary sources, a combination of secondary sources and the cite episode template (my ideal preference) or no sources at all/just the cite episode template? I'd really like to get the article up to GA level once the programme is over. KingOfTheMedia (talk) 16:43, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Hi King, Misplaced Pages:PLOTSUM#Citations seems to mention you do need sources. The article anyway is an essay, not a policy or an official guideline. Reality TV programme plot summaries are no different from normal wikipedia entries. Depend on RS only. And if getting RS is tough, then try harder. That's about it. ♪ ♫ Wifione ♫ ♪ _―Œ 12:00, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

New features

The new features added are supposed to include an updated editing bar. I'm using the Vector skin and see no changes. Is this normal? Thanks, Rock drum (talk·contribs·guestbook) 16:44, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

The edit bar should be new if you formerly used Monobook, which is the case for all anonymous users and registered users who did not participate in the beta test. If you were in the Vector beta test you should see no difference. A picture of the new bar can be seen at Special:UsabilityInitiativePrefSwitch. Xenon54 (talk) 16:47, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Ok, thanks, But, what about the link wizard? Rock drum (talk·contribs·guestbook) 17:12, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

The link wizard is part of the new editing toolbar. Click the link icon (third from the left) on the top of the new editing toolbar to use it. --Mysdaao 17:33, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Please see Moved to Misplaced Pages:Village pump (technical)/Archive 136 § Problems with editing under New features. Several of us have reported mal-functions in the new interface and are wondering where?/who? to address the problems to. Thanks, --Funandtrvl (talk) 17:39, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks Mysdaao, but I meant the inernal/external link wizard. Rock drum (talk·contribs·guestbook) 18:35, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Er...no. The link wizard is behind the chain icon, which is the third button from the left. This particular icon is to the right of the separator (to the left of which is bold/italics) and to the left of the small picture icon. Xenon54 (talk) 19:00, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Interlanguage links

Quite often I see edits in my watchlist from either IPs or red linked users where the edit is just the addition of interlanguage links. 99.99% of the time, it seems that way at least, they don't put in an edit summary. Because they're IPs or red link users, and there's no edit summary, I check them to see if the edit is vandalism. So why don't these users put in an edit summary? Something like ".ru wiki" at the very least would be incredibly helpful.

Yes, I realize that none of you are psychics and can't tell me exactly but there are so many users that make these edits who don't put in edit summaries that it seems like there must be some underlying reason. Any ideas? And am I the only one who's noticed this habit/phenomenon? Dismas| 18:11, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps because they're editors from the links' target-language Wikipedias, and they don't feel competent communicating in English (even if it's just to add ".ru.wiki" or the like). Deor (talk) 18:15, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Most people don't use edit summaries. IPs almost never do. I wouldn't imagine that interlanguage edits are particularly different in this regard to other edits, just that you've noticed them more because you've been examining them. Chris Cunningham (not at work) - talk 18:42, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Some people don't see any reason to use edit summaries for minor edits. Some of the people adding interwiki links may not speak any English, and it just may not have occurred to them to put something like ".ru wiki". Another thought is that perhaps using edit summaries isn't as widely used on other language Wikipedias.--BelovedFreak 22:36, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Spelling

why does wikipedia use incorrect spelling of words such as "baptised" and "neighbour" as opposed to the correct english spelling, baptized, and neighbor? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.91.86.243 (talk) 19:38, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

I find it particularly amusing (in a sad pathetic way) that you condemn the actual spellings used by actual English people as not being "the correct english spelling"! --Orange Mike | Talk 13:36, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

I personally have nothing against the spelling of our American neighbours, but when I read this... I lolled irl. "If it isn't what we do, it's WRONG!". Pfft. Ale_Jrb 17:44, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

I want to clarify: I'm an American of Irish descent, perhaps a bit of an Anglophobe (I've described the peculiar Anglophobia of the American ruling class and their obsession with "the royals" as being somewhere between necrophilia and coprophilia). I don't use Britspeak except as a novelty; indeed, I've been known to fulminate at great length on the pretentious Anglicization of perfectly good words like "theater" and "center" because the English spelling is considered more upscale. Nonetheless, I'm also a historian, and know the history of English-language orthography. As somebody else said, it's one of the more irritating, albeit harmless, forms of American exceptionalism. --Orange Mike | Talk 18:35, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Please see: WP:ENGVAR, it explains the differences between the various English spellings, and that WP doesn't prefer to use one spelling over another. So, the spelling variations are not "incorrect", but different, depending on where you are from. --Funandtrvl (talk) 19:47, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

...and in particular depending on the subject matter of the article. – ukexpat (talk) 19:50, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

See also American and British English differences. As others have hinted at, Misplaced Pages's guideline is to use the correct regional variety in articles dealing with that specific region -- so you will see "neighbor" and "baptized" in articles about American topics, and "neigbour" and "baptised" in articles about topics elsewhere in the English-speaking world. The original variety is used if the article does not have specific regional ties, for example articles about scientific or mathematical topics. (Spelling is just another example of how us Americans have to be weird -- along with disliking football, clinging stubbornly to customary units, being one of the last democracies on earth where the leader is elected indirectly, and holding on to a bizarrely confusing color-and-shape system for road signs. What a country!) Xenon54 (talk) 21:14, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Point of order! Point of order! I grew up with the Commonwealth spellings ("colour", "honour", etc), and I find use those spellings to this day. I do feel, however, that Noah Webster had a point, and it's some regret to me that his spelling reforms didn't spread further than North America. The US being weird? I'd prefer to think it's the rest of us being old-fashioned :-) TFOWR 21:23, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

One area where American exceptionalism is actually rather nice is the remarkably forward-thinking policy of the US Federal Government to put most of its works into the public domain. That's way better for Misplaced Pages than that Crown Copyright stuff, no disrespect intended. The UK followed us into Iraq, hopefully it will follow us into the brave new world of information sharing too. --Teratornis (talk) 00:32, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

<even smaller>Don't hold your breath on that one - I think the new coalition government has bigger fish to fry.</even smaller> – ukexpat (talk) 14:57, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Adjusting View

Wiki is huge, is there anyway to adjust the page size, I would need a 40" monitor to view the pages. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.192.38.254 (talk) 20:07, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you mean. Many Misplaced Pages pages are long and require scrolling down, for example with a Page Down key or by using the mouse on a vertical scrollbar in the right side of the browser window. This is standard on the World Wide Web. We are not going to reduce article size to fit everything on a typical computer screen. Do you mean there are pages where you are unable to see the content in any way? Or is the problem that the text size is too large for you. In that case, try holding down the Ctrl key while pressing the minus key '-' or scrolling down the mouse wheel. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:36, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Or did you mean you'd wish to see the whole of Misplaced Pages in one 40`` monitor? :) ♪ ♫ Wifione ♫ ♪ _―Œ 11:47, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

What just happened to the font

I was sitting here reading a page and some kind of adjustment happened. Now the font is very light, small, and hard to read. I tried it on another computer and it is the same way. Thats too bad. I hope you guys fix it because this just went from the best site on the web to almost unusable. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kpg4923 (talk • contribs) 21:21, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

You have a username, so you can click "Take me back" at the top of the screen when logged in and you can have the old Misplaced Pages back. By the way, what web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, etc.) are you using, and what operating system (Windows XP, Vista, 7, or Mac OS X)? Some people have the problem with the new look, some don't. PleaseStand 21:29, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

But I thought that the new look didn't change the font. --Pgecaj (talk) 02:35, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Hi KPG, If the issue is with your browser, press the <CTRL> key, and while keeping the key pressed, scroll up using the mouse roller. If the issue is with the way Misplaced Pages's new look has changed your experience, you could click here. When you go to the bottom of that page, you'll see a link that allows you to switch off the new features. Make sure you're logged in when you do this, so your preferences are saved. ♪ ♫ Wifione ♫ ♪ _―Œ 10:41, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Is anyone keeping track of the percentage of active users who opt to keep their screens the same as they were? ←Baseball Bugs carrots→ 11:53, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

The preferences statistics wouldn't be useful so soon into implementation. ♪ ♫ Wifione ♫ ♪ _―Œ 12:03, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Redirects vs. Disambiguation

I'm interested in posting a page about a company. However, a company with a similar (not identical) name has posted a simple redirect to their page. (e.g. I want to create a page about Daisy Software, but Daisy Soft has a redirect from {Daisy Software} to their own page.)

My question: what is the protocol for changing/removing the redirect? I have no problem setting up a disambiguation page, but do I have to notify them?

Thanks in advance. VestigalSanity 22:13, 13 May 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Msaarima (talk • contribs)

1. Make sure that the subject of your article meets the general notability guideline or you may find your article deleted. Note that if the company is your own company, creation of the article is a conflict of interest and should not be done.
2. You will see the text (Redirected from Daisy Software) when you are redirected. Click on Daisy Soft.
3. Click "Edit" at the top of the page.
4. Paste in the text of your article. If you have already done a userspace draft, try to move the page to the correct location using the "Move" function (which may be under the drop-down arrow). Capitalization does matter. If it does not work, ask for help at requested moves.
5. Add {{distinguish|Daisy Soft}} at the top and save the page.
6. Add {{distinguish|Daisy Software}} to the top of the other page.

Regards, PleaseStand 23:03, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Articles for same-named folks

Hello help desk! I wanted to ask some people knowledgeable on procedures before I wrote an article and maybe stepped on someone's toes.

I want to write a biography of an individual, but that person's name is the heading of another article about a different person. The original person doesn't seem very notable and has been dead for a long time, and doesn't have many links pointing there, so I was wondering if it would be okay to just "take over" this article and make it about this still living, more notable person, or if I should try to get the article deleted due to notability and then remark the article. Thanks. Peter Napkin Dance Party (talk) 22:41, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

You should do neither. To resolve title conflicts, a qualifier in parentheses after a topic is used. If there is no primary topic, the unqualified title becomes a disambiguation page. If there is, the pimary topic occupies the unqualified title with a hatnote pointing to a relevant disambiguation page. Intelligentsium 22:49, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

To elaborate, if the person is a musician named Winston Churchill, for example, you could name the article something like Winston Churchill (musician). Then add {{for|the musician|Winston Churchill (musician)}} to the top of the other article so that readers can find yours. PleaseStand 22:53, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Ah! Thanks for the information and the quick response. I really think the article that is currently at the person's name is not notable, would it be okay in this case to create a new article with (whatev) after it, and then delete the article that is just the name, and then move (whatev) to the name with the ( )? This is assuming, of course, that there is made a consensus that the article is not v. noteworthy. Peter Napkin Dance Party (talk) 22:58, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Move the existing article to the new name and then where it says (Redirected from Winston Churchill) when you go to the name you want to put the article at, click that link and then use the "Edit" function at the top of the page to add your article. If you have started a userspace draft, you should use the move function to move the draft over the redirect you have just created by performing the first move (you should not need to be an admin to do that, but if it fails ask at WP:RM). PleaseStand 23:14, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

If you think the existing article should be deleted, you can nominate it for deletion. Please read WP:deletion policy, which explains the different processes and criteria for deleting articles. --ColinFine (talk) 23:19, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for your help dudes! I really appreciate it. I just added a prod or something to the unsourced, imnotable person article. I appreciate ur help here. :) Peter Napkin Dance Party (talk) 23:27, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

I have removed your ProD; you used the BLP prod, but the subject is not a living person. In addition, having competed in the Championship Car series seems to meet the criterion of "competed at the fully professional level of a sport, or a competition of equivalent standing in a non-league sport such as swimming, golf or tennis, " of WP:ATHLETE. Intelligentsium23:34, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

LOL, I knew that person was dead, but for some reason it didn't register when I kept reading living person. Sorry for the mistake! I did look at the WP:ATHLETE and thought that it proved this guy wasn't notable. I'm not the best rememberer when it comes to policy and "what it is that it means." I just took a look at the motorsport section of WP:NSPORT and I guess this guy does meet the requirements. Please do not look down upon me for being a bit too hasty. :) Is there anyway to get him deleted since the article has been around for years, doesn't cite anything, and has very few articles pointing at it? Peter Napkin Dance Party (talk) 00:29, 14 May 2010 (UTC) (thanks for all of ur help everyone)

Notability is permanent; if the guy meets our standards, he stays. Just go ahead and create the new article for the second person, with the distinguishing characteristic in parenthesis after. We don't create a disambiguation page for situations where there are only two people of that name. --Orange Mike | Talk 13:39, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Misplaced Pages doesn't work on the PS3 browser

Not sure if this has been raised as an issue already, but Misplaced Pages pages do not seem to render correctly on the browser built into the PS3, since the introduction of the new page style. I seem to get two vertical blank strips, about a third of the way and two thirds of the way across the page, which probably blank out about half of an article's content. I have tried various settings on the browser but it always seems to render the same. SilverTrack (talk) 22:57, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

This appears to be a known issue as there are several users who already posted this issue on the feedback page, you may be interested in 1, 2 and 3. Cheers, Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 23:43, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks Jeffrey. Hope they can fix it soon because I, along with one of the other posters, tend to use the PS3 for a lot of browsing, including Misplaced Pages. Thanks again SilverTrack (talk) 18:59, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

im not a spammer i just want to help people

Im not a spammer and never have been. I believe the content on my sites is very valuable information for other readers also on some blogs there is some very good medical help for sufferers. My comments say that some of my sites are the biggest source of information they have foun don the web as some are over 1000 pages long. So am i still allowed only to post a couple of links? Or can i post more? I just dont want to get banned, i prefer to go by the rules. Please advise, thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Owlpal (talk • contribs) 23:52, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

If your content is valuable, people will find it. That's how the Web works - there are all sorts of ways for people to recommend things they like to their friends. Stuff that isn't being promoted by its consumers probably is not valuable. Read WP:EL and WP:SPAMHOLE. On Misplaced Pages we generally don't need or want a lot of external links; what we need and want are reliable published sources to use in footnote references. Also see WP:COI, WP:NOBLECAUSE, and Misplaced Pages:Medical disclaimer. Misplaced Pages does not issue medical advice, nor would we want to seem to be endorsing sites that do, unless they are properly licensed to practice medicine. If you want to see coverage of your sites on Misplaced Pages, get your sites written about in the news media. Get enough media coverage, and eventually some of that may filter into Misplaced Pages. If the news media doesn't care about what you are doing, then it probably is not notable enough for Misplaced Pages. --Teratornis (talk) 00:25, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Nicely said. Also, see WP:NOT for more info related to the subject.--moɳo 02:21, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

May 14

EDIT BAR

If I use the MonoBook skin, why the edit bar is not as used to be? but rather is the new look -- even after i select it as my preference. I emphasize that I can get back everything else except for the edit bar. By the way, did the logo change too? didnt the words underneath it used--"The Free Encyclopaedia--used to be italicized. --Pgecaj (talk) 02:42, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Try purging (see WP:PURGE if unfamiliar with purging). Yes the logo has been updated in a few ways, information on the updates to the logo can be found here. Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 02:47, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

password recovery

how does one go about resetting their password if they do not have an email account linked to their account? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.170.185.65 (talk) 05:39, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

They don't, unfortunately. If it's the username you want, that can be fixed by making a new account and renaming; if the contribs, the best you can do (afaik) is make a new account and say that the previous one was your old account. {{Sonia|talk|simple}} 07:17, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Searching without mouse

How do we search the new Wiki interface without having to grab the mouse or sign in?? 211.199.129.58 (talk) 06:10, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Alt+Shift+F works for me. --ColinFine (talk) 07:39, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

There are a number of keyboard shortcuts that you can use whilst using Misplaced Pages - see here for more details. Chevymontecarlo. 11:52, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Can't log into my account, why?

I can't log into my account, why?? This sucks big time Please restore my account <redacted> malcolmp malcolmpalm thanks in advance

Malcolm —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.124.179.68 (talk) 07:10, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Please do not include contact details in your questions. We are unable to provide answers by any off-wiki medium and this page is highly visible across the internet. The details have been removed, but if you want them to be permanently removed from the page history, please email oversight-llists.wikimedia.org.

It is very unlikely that anybody has done anything to your account. Are you sure that you have the password right, and you haven't got the CAPS LOCK key engaged? --ColinFine (talk) 07:41, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

• Malcolm, in case you've forgotten your password > How can you recover a forgotten password! ♪ ♫ Wifione ♫ ♪ _―Œ 10:14, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Special:MergeAccount

Does changing your password on one project change it across all of them? What about email? Also, is there a way to set my language to en by default across all projects? {{Sonia|talk|simple}} 07:21, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

According to Help:Unified login, the answer to the first two questions is yes. For the last question, "The wiki where the account of that username has the most contributions will become the home wiki (however, sysop status takes higher precedence than edit count), and its email address and password will be exported to all other accounts." Apparently, edit count determines the default language. Goodvac (talk) 07:42, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

No, not the homewiki... like, if you visit another wiki, the interface is by default in that language. I have set it to en on some, but would rather not have to manually set it to en on all. But thanks for the rest of the help, reassuring :) {{Sonia|talk|simple}} 08:02, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

If you visit another wiki, the assumption is you know the language well enough to use the interface in the native language. It would be annoying if I set the interface to English here, then I went to German Misplaced Pages only to find that I have to set the interface back to German. I don't think it works like that. Xenon54 (talk) 10:17, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

gemma jones

Hello there! we love gemma jones in the "The Dutches of Duke Street. " does she have any more series or movies like that particular one? Our absolute favorite. I would appreciate any help. Is she in any more series like that! thank You! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.250.46.231 (talk) 12:23, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Does Gemma Jones help you? Astronaut (talk) 12:41, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Return to page logged in from

How do I get login to return me to the page I logged in from, e.g. Main Page, instead of dropping me into a "login successful" page and forcing me to return manually? kcylsnavS (kalt) 12:54, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know that it's possible (that is, I think it's hard-coded). However, you may want to ask at the technical village pump, as they will know more than I. TNXMan 14:16, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

I was told

         You can force the redirection on your monobook.js / vector.js by adding

         

         if (wgCanonicalSpecialPageName == "Userlogin")

              addOnloadHook( function() { document.location =

         document.getElementById('mw-returnto').getElementsByTagName('a').href; }

         );

Edit bar error

I have a problem with my edit bar. I have not been able to do any editing of my articles. Also, the article pages in wikpedia and wikicommons appear disorganised. Will some one resolve this problem so that I can continue contribtuing articles to wikipedia at my fast pace. Please leave a note in this regard on my talk page so that I can try to rectify such errors on my own in future. I am writing my user address User:Nvvchar since my signature is also not getting recorded. Thanks.

How to create the table of contents

I am writing my first page. I cannot find the markup codes adding the table of contents. Could you direct me to an introduction to this topic?

JWprogr (talk) 17:16, 14 May 2010 (UTC)JWprogr User:JWprogr/I3

It is too easy, as the ToC will be automatically created when you have more than two or three sections.--SPhilbrickT 17:23, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

I thought I was four sections. Rock drum (talk·contribs·guestbook) 17:30, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

It is automatic once there are four. Which is the same as "more than three".--SPhilbrickT 18:52, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

See WP:TOC. – ukexpat (talk) 17:58, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

If you put __TOC__ at the begining of an article it will force the TOC to be rendered even if it has less than 4 sections. Zell Faze (talk) 20:24, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes it will but I don't think it should be widely used. If an article only has 2 or 3 sections, does it really need a ToC? – ukexpat (talk) 20:33, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Most articles that are more than stubs should end up with at least four sections. The standard footer sections often give two or three by themselves. An article with only two or three sections total could benefit from a ToC if the sections are too long to fit on a single screen. However, if the sections are that long, the article probably needs more section headings to subdivide the long sections, in which case the ToC would appear automatically. Thus I wouldn't expect to see many articles that really need to include the __TOC__ directive. It might be useful to include during the very early stages of editing an article, when you plan to add more sections but there aren't enough yet to make the ToC appear. --Teratornis (talk) 02:48, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

(←) Some comments on the draft in User:JWprogr/I3:

• See WP:PEACOCK. Some of the prose borders on promotional language. If you are affiliated with the subject, see WP:COI and WP:BFAQ.
• See WP:FOOT, WP:CITE, WP:CITET, WP:RS, and WP:V. The draft contains a number of assertions with no footnote citations to support them. The draft cites no sources at all.
• See WP:LAYOUT for the standard article layout to follow.
• The article is about a company so it can have an {{Infobox company}}.
• See WP:YFA for general advice.
• Various typos:
  • "old fashion" should be "old-fashioned", but that is not a very encyclopedic term. It would be better to quantify the age or date that the term refers to only vaguely. Exactly when was the old-fashioned practice still in fashion?
  • "Irresistible Ink was Started in February 1991..." the word "started" should not begin with a capital letter.

--Teratornis (talk) 02:57, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Eddie Glaude

I started a new article: Eddie Glaude. The title of the article presents the subject person's last name in lower case (glaude). How can this be changed so that the title of the subject person's name appears in title case? (i.e., Eddie Glaude, rather than Eddie glaude). MujamiMuJami (talk) 17:48, 14 May 2010 (UTC)MuJami

I moved it to Eddie Glaude. – ukexpat (talk) 17:56, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

• • thanks so much!!MuJami (talk) 18:39, 14 May 2010 (UTC)MuJami

Someone keeps undoing my edits. What can I do?

Hi,

On the article about the Josh Ritter album So Runs the World Away there is an empty gap (you can see it here: http://twitpic.com/1nqmhx/full), which in my opinion looks really bad, and un-wikipediay. It can be fixed by putting the reviews in the info box. Most other albums have the reviews in the infobox (all Josh Ritter albums do apart from Josh Ritter, and lots of other albums do also, for example Modern Times, Country Music and Dear Heather).

Two or Three times I've put the reviews in the info box, but Bovineboy2008 un-does it.

The last time I did it I asked him not to undo it without discussing it on the Talk page first.

He did undo it and said on the talk page The use of reviews has been deprecated by the project and by the template. Sorry!.

What does that mean?

What can I do?

JoseySmith (talk) 18:21, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

He's telling you that some editors at WikiProject Albums have come to a consensus not to use the Reviews field of Infobox album anymore. The template's documentation reflects this consensus. There is really nothing you can do at the moment. (This is precisely the reason I try not to use jargon without at least linking to relevant pages, as I have done here. It doesn't require much effort!) Xenon54 (talk) 18:54, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict)The user means that the documentation for {{Infobox album}} says not to use the Reviews field anymore (see Template:Infobox album#Professional reviews) and that the WikiProject dedicated to musical albums has a consensus to put professional reviews in a separate section in the text and/or a separate table (see Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Albums#Reception. You can continue to discuss it with the user and/or bring up the issue at Misplaced Pages talk:WikiProject Albums, but please do not repeatedly revert another user's edits. That is considered edit warring and can lead to being blocked. --Mysdaao 19:02, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks JoseySmith (talk) 22:44, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

user contributions

I'm using the "new features", but "user contributions" on the left to show contributions of registered users seems to have disappeared. Has it moved or is it gone? Bubba73 , 19:22, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Contributions is still in the "Toolbox" on the left-hand side. You may have to click on the word "Toolbox" to reveal the links contained therein. Xenon54 (talk) 19:32, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

thanks. Bubba73 , 19:40, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Cite an application

How would one go about citing an application?

Lets say for example that I am writing an article in which I need to cite a source for the IP address of a server (I am not but bear with me here), how would I cite the nslookup command as my source?

What I am trying to do is cite the UI of a computer application directly rather than scouging the web looking for an article that talks about the specific portion of the UI in question.

If someone happens to know the answer could they leave me a message on my talk page to let me know you posted the answer here? Thank you, Zell Faze (talk) 20:22, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Normally you should not do this, as it is a primary source, Misplaced Pages preferably references secondary sources. --ColinFine (talk) 23:13, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know that you can "cite" it, but could you give it as an example? kcylsnavS (kalt) 23:40, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Why was the search box moved to the top right?

The search box was, in my humble opinion, much more practical in its previous location. Is there a way to move it back the way it was or should I just go on to the German wiki where they haven't messed it up yet? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.58.222.188 (talk) 20:57, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

If you register an account you can go back to the old default skin (Monobook) (See here for details).

As far as I know, it's not possible for non-registered users to go back to the old skin.

Cheers, TFOWR 21:04, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Wrong photo link

In the article for Andrew W.K.'s album I Get Wet, ] the cover art on the main page is correct, but if you click on it, there's an entirely different picture there. Anyone know how to fix this so it links to the right photo? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.108.90.136 (talk) 21:37, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Fixed (I reverted back to the previous version of the file; the version used was too big as well as being ... odd (I don't know why different images were being displayed...))

Thanks for pointing this out!

Cheers, TFOWR 21:43, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Feedback repository

On the New features page in the site notice regarding the switch to Vector it says "We would love to hear from you. Please visit our feedback page. Anyone know to whom/where the feedback goes; if it's accessible?--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 22:56, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

(repetitive message removed) ♪ ♫ Wifione ♫ ♪ _―Œ

I cannot believe this blatant display of biasness and downright racist way of conducting wiki all Information was substanciated

Your famous persons from michigan city concerning The Rev Tina Redden first deleted all the African Americans 3 times. Then when I revised it according to your specifications giving ample citations and over 20 links to provide information you wanted,. you still deleted it.

Yet you have a white man on there that is DJ for one lousy small radio station but rejects an internationally known award winning singer, Your "💕' is exactly as i was told "racist, prejudice and behind all manners of intelligence". I am a white girl and i did not believe when the African Americans at my church told me this would happen. I hate wiki and you need to shut down. your totally a bunch of biggots, I dont believe this and i defended wiki I will let the church know what was done here today. I cnt believe you. we need to move forward to be prejudice is dumb. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Samanthakas (talk • contribs) 23:58, 14 May 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Samanthakas (talk • contribs)

No one here is prejudiced, racist, or unintelligent. Making personal attacks against specific editors or general attacks against the community will get you blocked. Consider this your only warning.

Lists of famous people have always had issues with inclusion criteria. Consensus is that in order to be listed in a list of famous people a person must meet the relevant notability guideline -- in this case, notability for musicians -- and have an article here at Misplaced Pages. Every list of famous people has the same criteria. We're not bigoted, and we're not out to slight the African-American community. You just have to meet our standards, which you still have not done.

Let me elaborate further: there is a correct way and an incorrect way to establish notability. The way you did it -- by throwing dozens of links all over the place and generally making a mess of the article -- is seen as unconstructive and will always be removed, especially since your addition did not have a neutral tone and most of the sources you provided would not be considered reliable, or otherwise questionable or not substantial enough to establish notability. You need to write a neutral, verifiable, encyclopaedic article that cites reliable sources in order to establish notability. Put another way, you must prove that Ms Redden is "internationally known" and "award winning", and you must do it correctly. See also Your first article and the tutorial, and it is a very good idea to read and understand every page I have linked in this post. Once you write a good article (it doesn't have to be very long), and it "sticks", or is not deleted, then you are free to add Ms Redden to the list. Xenon54 (talk) 00:14, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

You have been responded to with a smiling actor. Hopefully this will assist you in lightening up. This notice is intended to be humorous and not to be construed as an attack.
~~~~

Ks0stm  00:30, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

OK, try this for an explanation and a suggestion as to how to move forward.

1 - Look at this. It's the section you edited immediately before you edited it. See how it's a basic list of names, almost all of them bluelinked (i.e. the person concerned already has an article about them on Misplaced Pages)? Just a name and a word or so outlining who they are.

2 - Now look at this. It's the same section after you finished with it. What you added is a hodge-podge of notes, broken sentences and links to external websites. It doesn't look anything like the other entries in the list. It doesn't read coherently. It's trying to write an entire biography of the subject in entirely the wrong place. Can't you see why it's not appropriate, and what a mess it makes of the section? And can't you accept that this was the reason another user reverted it, rather than leaping to the conclusion that there is some sort of evil racist conspiracy to keep Ms Redden out of Misplaced Pages?

If you're sure she meets the notability guidelines Xenon54 has linked to above, the right way forward is to start a new article called Tina Redden. Write it in your userspace, so it won't be deleted by others, and so you can work on it until it's ready to go live. To start your article now, click on this red link: User:Samanthakas/Tina Redden, type something in the edit box that appears, and save the page. Write it in neutral, factual language, avoiding loaded terms like "award-winning" unless you give specific examples of exactly which important awards she has won, with references to prove it. Refer back to WP:MUSIC to see what the guidelines are for articles about musicians, and try to ensure your work ticks all the boxes. Look at existing articles about similar musicians and see what's in them. Once you think it's ready, go to Misplaced Pages:Requests for feedback and ask the friendly folk there to check it over and suggest anything that could make it even better. If you do all this, and do it carefully, there is every chance that such an article will survive here without any difficulty.

Misplaced Pages has lots of rules and policies about content. They can be difficult for new users at first, but they give us a structure to keep the encyclopaedia organised and manageable, and we couldn't do without them. A little common sense and a bit of searching should make it clear that we have articles and images featuring notable people from every ethnic group, and on just about every topic under the sun. If you make a successful article about Tina Redden, then we will have one more. Karenjc 08:27, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

May 15

collapse left side of the page

An article on portfolio.com states that: "Items on the left side of the (Misplaced Pages) page, used for navigation, can be “collapsed,” or made to disappear."

How do I do that? I cannot find any instructions on how to collapse the left side of the Misplaced Pages page.

Thanx!

Bob O in Toronto —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.206.252.195 (talk) 00:58, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Hello Bob, to collapse the various groups of links on the left side of the page you can click on their names -- "Interaction", "Toolbox" or "Languages" for example. Grey text and a downward pointing arrow indicates an uncollapsed group, while blue text and a rightward pointing arrow indicates a collapsed group. Xenon54 (talk) 01:11, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

If you want the article to fill the whole width of the window then you can log in to an account and change to a skin with a design where the things usually at the left are at the top or bottom instead. Misplaced Pages displayed in different skins: Chick, Classic, Cologne Blue, Modern, MonoBook, MySkin, Nostalgia, Simple, Vector. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:36, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Creating userbox problem

Hi, I'm trying to create another userbox "http://en.wikipedia.org/User:Wolfdog406/UBX/judeochristiangod" but instead of letting me create the page, it goes to the "The page cannot be found" page.

Thanks

Wolfdog406 (talk) 01:09, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

To create the page, just visit it and click on "edit" tab located at the upper right, as you would do to edit any other article. You may then create the page from there. ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 01:15, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Alternatively, here is a direct link to the edit box for that page.. Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 01:17, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Lately some users have reported not getting to an edit page when they click a link to a non-existing page. Does the link by Jeffrey Mall work for you? If not then which browser do you have? PrimeHunter (talk) 01:40, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Personal font preferences

I had set my display font to a serif font just after the change to this as default. I find serif far easier to read and the default non-serif as a useful "not logged in" alert. This functionality has disappeared with the latest revisions (upper right search box, rather than left margin). I followed the instructions to create my page "User:Leonard G./monobook.js", but this had no effect. Can anyone suggest a method, or perhaps alert the technical staff to a loss of functionality? Thanks, Leonard G. (talk) 03:07, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

The new skin is called "vector", the old one was monobook. Therefore, to change your preferences go to User:Leonard G./vector.js instead, and follow the instructions as for monobook. Cheers, {{Sonia|talk|simple}} 03:43, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

This is not about monobook/vector.js, but about monobook/vector.css. Leonard G. just copy the contents of User:Leonard G./monobook.css to User:Leonard G./vector.css and you should have your serif font back. --dapete 08:58, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Thank you, this works. Perhaps the documentation needs some clarification - Leonard G. (talk) 21:49, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

submitted new word how long does it take to post

i submitted the word webicles for definition...how long does the process take?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Metro4g (talk • contribs) 03:41, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

This is Misplaced Pages, the 💕. If you're submitting a definition, you may be talking about Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Either way, there is no set time. Misplaced Pages and Wiktionary are staffed by volunteers, and things will happen when they do them. Will you join us? {{Sonia|talk|simple}} 03:43, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

You submitted Misplaced Pages talk:Articles for creation/Webicles or webicles, but the submission has been declined because Misplaced Pages is not a dictionary, and because "i came up with" is not an appropriate reliable source. Please see WP:FIRST for some guidelines.  Chzz  ►  04:33, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

It should process immediately. White Trillium (talk) 06:13, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Misplaced Pages:Misplaced Pages is not for things made up one day offers a further explanation of why we can't have an article at present on the topic you suggested. Karenjc 07:42, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Signing posts

Since the new software has been put into use it is impossible for me to sign posts due to a conflict with the internet server. Sometimes but not always my posts are autosigned. User Aldrasto11 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Aldrasto11 (talk • contribs) 04:37, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

You can (and should) sign your posts yourself by placing ~~~~ after your post. The changes to Misplaced Pages does not alter this in any way. The only relevant change is that the appearance of the "signature" button in the editing interface was changed. It is presently the pencil that is writing. Someguy1221 (talk) 04:51, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Read Misplaced Pages:Signatures for why and how you should sign. ♪ ♫ Wifione ♫ ♪ _―Œ 05:29, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't think that was the question.kcylsnavS 15:06, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, what do you mean by "a conflict with the internet server"? Are you getting some sort of error message, or are you unable to type a tilde (~)? Xenon54 (talk) 15:16, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

When I try to sign with the four tilds (as usual) now on my screen pops up a message from the internet server telling me that I am going to leave the page and the content will be lost. However this does not happen and simply my signature does not show, no matter I choose yes or no.

Link aliasing

When I looked on the recurring meta spam blacklist removal requests, it said that Media-Wiki supports link aliasing. What does this mean? - Talk to you later, Presidentman (talk) Random Picture of the Day 12:31, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

It means you can change how the link displays in order to hide long links, therefore eliminating the need for sketchy URL shorteners. You can do this by typing . Notice the space between the end of the link and the beginning of the title. Xenon54 (talk) 12:43, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Oh, okay. I didn't know if it was just another name for that, or something else. Thanks. - Talk to you later, Presidentman (talk) Random Picture of the Day 12:58, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

User successful XfD counter

Is there a tool that calculates the percentage of a user's deletion nominations which actually resulted in a deletion? I feel like I saw one recently, but cannot now find it on meta:Toolserver/Projects, WP:AFD or Misplaced Pages:WikiProject edit counters. Did I dream this? / edg ☺ ☭ 14:02, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

An article on Misplaced Pages referring to the Spanish diplomat Francisco Javier Ruperez Rubio.

I would like to make contact with this gentleman concerning a private matter. Could you please advise me if you can, on what would be an appropriate way for me to do so.

I would appreciate any assistance that you could offer me in this matter.

Thanking you John A Macintyre —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.76.21.156 (talk) 15:18, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

This page is intended for questions about using Misplaced Pages - you could try asking at the reference desk, which deals with this sort of question. Alternatively, assuming you mean this person, you could try contacting them through the national newspapers to which he periodically contributes (the newspapers are listed in the article).

Good luck! TFOWR 15:48, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

New format

New format : Pretty bad. Dang! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.58.56.98 (talk • contribs) 15:25, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

If you register an account you can choose to use the old format. TFOWR 15:44, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Search Box location an inconvenience!

please please can you shift the search box to the original position. the left side of the page. it's so inconvenient to locate it at the top right. i will definitely not get used to it too. this makes me want to use wikipedia LESS. my friends have also complained about the search box. can wikipedia move the search box to the left of the page? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 119.74.162.39 (talk) 18:11, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

If you register an account you can choose to use the old format. Incidentally, I feel your pain; I switched back to Monobook as fast as I could. --Teratornis (talk) 21:59, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

editing error

I tried to add the name "Stanley Babin" as a pupil of ISABELLE VENGEROVA - and botched the edit. I can't seem to fix it. How can one just add his name and delete the extra sentence and delete the entry duplication??? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Angebab (talk • contribs) 18:47, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

I added Stanley Babin to the sentence for you and removed the duplication. You can see what I did to fix it here. Hope this helps. Winston365 (talk) 19:05, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Computer Meridian Diagnostics

About "Computer Meridian Diagnostics" no information not available in Misplaced Pages.

According to website- http://www.cmddiagnostics.com CMD(Computer Meridian Diagnostics)-CMD is a unique computer-aided system for conducting easy self-tests of one's health. It has been tested and proven in the Russian space program.

This state-of-the-art system, under the name of PROGNOS, has been used by cosmonauts to monitor their own health while in space and take remedial measures, if indicated. In this way it proved invaluable in helping to keep them healthy and active during long missions. Since 1999, doctors, dentists and naturopaths in Europe have used the program in alternative medical diagnostics with excellent results.

The above information is same as "Warfighter Physiological Status Monitor" (WPSM) which is under Future Combat System Project of US Army according to Misplaced Pages. The aforesaid site are claiming that this technology is available for general public for the first time.

My concern is that about CMD no information not available and is this technology really available for general people which is still use in several Russian & NASA space program and for Advance defense force and till under R&D.

Dibyendu Kolkata,INDIA —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dibsu2007gmat (talk • contribs) 20:21, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

This page is for questions about using Misplaced Pages. Please consider asking this question at the Misplaced Pages:Reference desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Misplaced Pages, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. You could always try searching Misplaced Pages for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. Feinoha 20:30, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Dave the Chameleon

http://en.wikipedia.org/Dave_the_Chameleon reference 2 takes me to a Japanese website and I don't think it ti rwelated. Can seombody fix this? 76.229.218.70 (talk) 21:07, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Unfortunately, that's the site the link points to. If you have the correct site we could change it - or you could. kcylsnavS 21:18, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

If it is related or not, i dont know, but I can tell you the link seems to be entirely about black holes. wiooiw 21:23, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Thank you for your suggestion regarding Dave the Chameleon. When you feel an article needs improvement, please feel free to make those changes. Misplaced Pages is a wiki, so anyone can edit almost any article by simply following the edit this page link at the top. The Misplaced Pages community encourages you to be bold in updating pages. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes — they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. If you're not sure how editing works, check out how to edit a page, or use the sandbox to try out your editing skills. New contributors are always welcome. You don't even need to log in (although there are many reasons why you might want to). Feinoha 21:29, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

According to the Licensing information with the picture, The Labour Party abandoned their campaign and sold the website. It seems the website is no longer related about the subject. Its probably best if you just remove the citation. wiooiw 21:38, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

The original content is available here on the Wayback Machine. Would that suffice as a reference? Winston365 (talk) 21:48, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

 Done Citation changed to point to the wayback version of the site. Feinoha 21:51, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Why was article about the Kruger Brothers deleted?

I have searched Misplaced Pages trying to find out why the Kruger Brothers article was deleted. I have heard and seen them via the internet and think they are interesting and talented. Is there not room on the site for a concise reason for the deletion? Please help me.1archie99 (talk) 22:07, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Hello I have looked, but I cannot seem to find any evidence the "Kruger Brothers" article was ever deleted from Misplaced Pages, nor that an article with the title was ever created. If you wish to create it you may but...

Please see Your first article. If you'd like help going through the steps below, try the Article Wizard.

1. Ensure that you have an account and you are logged in. If you don't have an account, create one
2. Make sure the subject is notable enough to have their own article
3. Find references
4. Make sure no article on the subject exists under a different title by typing the subject into the search box to the left (←) and clicking 'Search'
5. Type the page name in the search box to the left (←) and click 'Go'
6. Click 'Create this page'
7. Create the article, including all your references, making sure you adhere to the Manual of Style and our article layout guidelines
8. Be aware that Misplaced Pages deletes thousands of new articles for failing to adhere to our policies and guidelines. New articles by new users are at extra risk of deletion, due to new users' unfamiliarity with our rules. Consider gaining experience by editing existing articles before attempting to create new ones. Feinoha 22:17, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Designations -

A small point :

Should not the "Discussion" tab lead to a page titled "Discussion", not a page named "Talk" ?

Consistency is a virtue, I think. . 65.55.67.210 (talk) 22:07, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Hello, this page is for help using Misplaced Pages. We neither make policy, or make adjustments to the MediaWiki software (what Misplaced Pages runs on) here. If you would like to suggest a change in technical features of the software, please post your inquiry to the Village pump. Feinoha 22:26, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

I think the rationale behind this is that a label of "discussion" helps new users better understand where the link actually leads to. It was actually labeled "talk" in the old Monobook skin, and was only changed to "discussion" last week with the rollout of the (allegedly) new, user-friendly Vector skin. Xenon54 (talk) 00:18, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

Sugarloaf Mountain in New Brunswick, Canada

There are 2 white crosses on Sugarloaf Mountain in New Brunswick, Canada and I would like to know more about them. I heard that they are markers for a mother & baby that died there. I would appreciate more detailed information on this if possible. Thank you, J Noone —Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.167.196.32 (talk) 22:21, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

This page is for questions about using Misplaced Pages. Please consider asking this question at the Humanities reference desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Misplaced Pages, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link and ask away. You could always try searching Misplaced Pages for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. Feinoha 22:32, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

• You can read the story at his link . DuncanHill (talk) 22:37, 15 May 2010 (UTC)
  • I was rather interested by this, so have asked on the Reference Desk to see if any other editors can shed further light on this sad story. See Misplaced Pages:Reference desk/Humanities#Sugarloaf Mountain, New Brunswick memorial crosses. DuncanHill (talk) 23:06, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

How do I nominate an article for deletion?

Can I do so without registering? 24.189.90.68 (talk) 23:58, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

You must register, as you have to create the discussion page and page creation is disabled for anonymous users. Alternatively, you can tell us (a) which article you are talking about, then (b) post your rationale for deletion on the article's talk page, then someone here might nominate the article on your behalf. Xenon54 (talk) 00:09, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

The page I want to nominate for deletion is Greyson Michael Chance. I already wrote my reason on its talk page. 24.189.90.68 (talk) 00:20, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

 Done Misplaced Pages:Articles for deletion/Greyson Michael Chance Xenon54 (talk) 00:30, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks. 24.189.90.68 (talk) 01:07, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

May 16

Skin

How do I make it so I use the Monobook skin even when logged out? jc iindyysgvxc (my contributions) 00:32, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

You can use this link, but when you click on an internal link, it automatically switches back to vector. Goodvac (talk) 01:00, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

Highly unlikely you can do that. --White Trillium (talk) 01:29, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

• Misplaced Pages help forums