Wikipedia:Help desk

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November 15

Wiki shielding convicted rapist?

How does Mike Tyson’s article not mention he is a convicted rapist who spent 3 years in jail. Despite the article having a whole section on his “legal troubles” and mentioned other rape allegations- he was charged and convicted of rape in the 90s. This article is locked but this is a gross omission. 2607:FEA8:FF01:48D5:5DD:A820:1B1A:6CBB (talk) 03:21, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

It mentions it in the lead as well as in a several-paragraph subsection of his professional career section. It does mention it. - Purplewowies (talk) 03:32, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

This isn't a matter for the help desk – please discuss this at Talk:Mike Tyson, the article's talk page. Note that while the article is protected, the talk page is not. jlwoodwa (talk) 04:58, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

His rape conviction is described at Mike Tyson#Trial and incarceration. Cullen328 (talk) 17:54, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

User infobox

Is there any user inforbox which I can place in my userpage where detailed about me parameter are present and where I can add a picture of myself? CometVolcano (talk) 05:01, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Template:Infobox Wikipedia user.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 07:55, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

How to create a secret string

My question is in the title above! 🙂 Augnablik (talk) 11:46, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

@Augnablik: If you refer to a committed identity for your account then you choose the secret string yourself. See Template:Committed identity and Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2007-05-14/Committed identity. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:03, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Yes, @PrimeHunter, a committed identity (sort of a strange term!) is what I’d like to get. Not that I’m really worried about needing one, but it seems like a good idea.

The directions for using that template are a bit challenging for me to follow, though. They seem a better match for those who are comfortable editing with the source code rather than the visual editor.

But thanks for at least pointing me somewhere… Augnablik (talk) 15:58, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

If you're asking how to create a hidden comment in a page's source, it's the same as in HTML: surround the hidden text with <!-- hidden comment here -->. Text between the -- tags will not render on the page. This works in the source editor, I'm not sure if you can make hidden comments in the visual editor. Ivanvector (^Talk/_Edits) 14:01, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Block tally

I should know the answer to this, but I do not, so I'll ask here: how can an editor like me determine the number and dates of all blocks/bans, and unblocks/unbans, performed by an administrator? JoJo Anthrax (talk) 13:42, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Head to the admin's userpage or contributions, find the link titled 'logs for this user' or 'user logs' (eg Special:Log/Zzuuzz), then choose 'block log' in the dropdown. The total number is a bit more complicated. One method is to head for WP:ADMINSTATS. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 13:52, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

(edit conflict) User:JamesR/AdminStats (shortcut WP:ADMINSTATS) is a bot-updated list of different administrative actions and the top 100 administrators by count of each of those actions. If you're looking for all stats for a particular administrator, some admins have enabled a bot to periodically create a table of their own actions; these will be at :[[Template:Adminstats/<<admin username>>]], for example mine are Template:Adminstats/Ivanvector. That is opt-in, though: not every administrator has enabled the bot. There are probably other ways, these are just the two I know of.

For any administrator, a record of their blocks is recorded at :[[Special:Log/block/<<username>>]], for example Special:Log/block/Ivanvector. This link works for any username, but for editors who have never been administrators the report will be blank. This is only for blocks; bans are community actions and are not logged by the software. Ivanvector (^Talk/_Edits) 13:59, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Incorrect Information

Good morning,

When searching the R.M. of Clinworth No. 230 it says the Reeve is Krista that is not correct the Reeve is Tyler Trew. If this change could please be made it would be greatly appreciated. 71.17.184.254 (talk) 14:54, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

 Courtesy link: Rural Municipality of Clinworth No. 230

Your best option, if you can't make this change yourself, is to request the change at the talk page for the article itself. In either case, you'll need to provide a reliable source so that the information you'd like incorporated into the article can be verified. Cheers! DonIago (talk) 15:04, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

The government ref in the infobox isn't working at the moment, but I've changed the reeve to Tyler Trew per this government page. Deor (talk) 23:13, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Overlinking - guidance

The first sentence in Van Morrison's early life has six wikilinks, most of which strike me as redundant, serving only to clutter the article. Is there an experienced editor who can advise which if any should be removed?

"George Ivan Morrison was born on 31 August 1945, at 125 [Hyndford Street], [Bloomfield], [Belfast], [Northern Ireland], as the only child of George Morrison, a [shipyard] electrician, and Violet Morrison (née Stitt), who had been a singer and [tap dancer] in her youth." Jack C (talk) 15:56, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Only five, I think. Bloomfield, Belfast is just one wikilink. Wikilinling shipyard seems questionable - don't most people know what a shipyard is? But I wouldn't argue about it. Maproom (talk) 17:10, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

MOS:GEOLINK says, "For a geographical location expressed as a sequence of two or more territorial units, link only the first unit." So Northern Ireland should be unlinked. I don't think the street counts, so Bloomfield, Belfast can stay linked. Perception312 (talk) 20:00, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Going to point out that wherever possible, MOS:SEAOFBLUE should be considered. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 06:27, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

Many thanks folks - the geolink/seaofblue items are very helpful. Jack C (talk) 13:42, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

Vector Legacy search acting up

Hello,

When I search for a page in the Vector Legacy skin, it only selects a couple articles at random when using the up and down arrows on my keyboard. The Vector 2022 skin doesn't exhibit the same behaviour. I have reproduced this issue on a couple of browsers.

Is this a bug?

Thanks.

Urbanracer34 (talk) 17:30, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

It seems so. See Wikipedia:Village_pump_(technical)#Search_autocomplete_selects_random_results_when_arrowing_down. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 21:09, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks! Nice to see I'm not alone. Urbanracer34 (talk) 21:16, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

A page for me

I have been approached by a "Wikipedia Moderator." He has offered to create and edit a page for me. How do I know if this is legitimate or if it is a scam. He indicated there would be a small fee for his services. 98.149.176.176 (talk) 19:32, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

This is always a scam. Legitimate Wikipedia editors will never ask for payment in return for their services. * Pppery * _{it has begun...} 19:36, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Pppery is correct: this is not legitimate. See WP:SCAM for more information, and consider emailing paid-en-wpwikipedia.org with a copy of what the scammer sent you. jlwoodwa (talk) 21:14, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Or you could just post it here, so that we can have a good laugh at the scammer's expense. -- Hoary (talk) 22:03, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

We ought to have a wall of shame for such material. —Tamfang (talk) 02:03, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

How do you create a page from screatch

How do I create a page from scratch not edit existing ones? Sirlongwoodthepenal (talk) 22:38, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

@Sirlongwoodthepenal: If you want to create an article at the English Wikipedia then see Wikipedia:Articles for creation. Otherwise, which type of page and where? PrimeHunter (talk) 22:43, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

It's highly advised that you first learn about how Wikipedia works and what is expected of article content by editing existing articles, before attempting the very difficult task of writing a new article. 331dot (talk) 23:09, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

@Sirlongwoodthepenal: Any article on Wikipedia must be about a notable subject, using our definition of notable, not yours. Therefore, before you waste time on learning the mechanics of creating an article, please spend some time verifying that the subject is notable. Start at WP:N. -Arch dude (talk) 05:14, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

November 16

Need advice on unknown birth-dates

I am trying to get a birthday of Hamida Salim yet can't find any sources stating her full birthday, only 1922. I am just wondering how can I tell the reader that the woman's full birthday is unknown.

For clarification, I checked every single page and none of them state her full birthday, closest I could get is 1922.

Thank you! ミラへぜ (talk) 00:05, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

Without reliable sources establishing a full date of birth, then there really isn't anything to be done. A lack of information itself isn't necessarily indicative of anything, unless there was a notable reason for it's omission. TiggerJay (talk) 00:43, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

It would be presumptious to actually say in the article that "[her] full birthday is unknown" – that suggests no-one now knows it, which is possible but unlikely (for example, Javed Akhtar likely knows it). It may be published somewhere you haven't seen yet, or she may not have wanted it published. However, in the absence of a reliable (or any) source, there is no need to make any further mention beyond the existing "Salim was born in 1922 in Rudauli, in Uttar Pradesh." 94.7.95.48 (talk) 00:46, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

I've added Category:Date of birth missing to the article; this is a hidden category, so most readers will not see it, but it's still useful for maintenance. jlwoodwa (talk) 04:54, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

What does 'authority control' do / mean?

I see it added to various articles I have uploaded and am interested to know what it does, Thank you BJCHK (talk) 05:31, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

BJCHK The {{Authority control}} template "links Wikipedia articles (and user pages) to the corresponding entries in library catalogs of national libraries and other authority files all over the world." (from Wikipedia:Authority control). The library catalogue codes, etc., need to be added to the article's Wikidata item. TSventon (talk) 05:40, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

@TSventon thank you for the quick reply. Is it something I can/should add to each of my articles, or is that call made by someone higher up the chain? ThanksBJCHK (talk) 06:02, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

I am afraid that is a bit beyond my knowledge, the information page says it is most useful for people and book titles and "similar well-defined entities", so perhaps start with people. It is likely to be people with a specialised interest who add missing templates, rather than "higher ups". TSventon (talk) 06:20, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

@BJCHK: Authority control is a term of art used by information scientists. It refers to the use of an authoritative name to use to find information about a subect in a catalogue or a database. In my opinion, it is a gross disservice to our readers to use this obscure term of art. The typical reader will not know that the funny "authority control" thingee at the bottom an article provides access to a large number of databases that contain entries about the article's subject. -Arch dude (talk) 06:39, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

BJCHK, you might want to read the Purpose section of Wikipedia:Authority control to see more about what it does when used on a WP article. You might also want to click on "show" for one of the examples (or in an article where you noticed it) and then click on a few of the Authority control links, to see what kind of info they display. I first noticed it on an article about an academic, and it linked to his research, and when I added it to the page of another academic, it autopopulated (though I'm not sure that it always does that). There's no reason to add it to all articles, as it doesn't apply to the subjects of all articles. But it sometimes does make sense to add it, and you're free to add it yourself, no need for a "higher up." FactOrOpinion (talk) 19:02, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

@FactOrOpinion: In case you're curious, {{authority control}} autopopulates with identifiers from Wikidata. If there is no Wikidata item associated with an article, or if its item doesn't have any of the identifiers that {{authority control}} uses, then the template will not display. jlwoodwa (talk) 02:39, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Link to Wikisource

How can I link to Wikisource in my userpage for a book title? Is there any template? CometVolcano (talk) 15:58, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

CometVolcano, you can use raw interwiki syntax like [[:s:A History of Japanese Literature]], or {{Ws}} / {{Ws2}}. Folly Mox (talk) 16:26, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

How to creat a Wikipedia page

S Snahwh (talk) 18:13, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

See WP:YFA, but you should get experience by working to improve existing articles first. RudolfRed (talk) 19:26, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

Email Service Believes the best on Earth

Please could u teach me to put a Website Host redirection through Wiki Timo Nirvana (talk) 21:31, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

It sounds like you're trying to create some kind of spamlink or spam "page" in Wikipedia. We have zero tolerance for such efforts. --Orange Mike | Talk 21:53, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

incorrect information in preface

the preface for the information on Castroville Texas is incorrect; the town was colonized by Henri Castro, not "alsatians". The moniker "The Little Alsace of Texas" is a misnomer and came about when Ruth Lawler (then mayor and teacher at St. Louis Catholic School-see historical records) held a contest only for St. Louis Catholic Students. Students were asked to submit a nickname for Castroville. The winner was a Haby boy with ...the little alsace of texas...Castroville Council then adopted the moniker to promote tourism through segregation. Pasrsvp (talk) 21:53, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

1. Such topics should be discussed at Talk:Castroville, Texas, the article's talk page.

2. Do you have any reliable sources for your assertion? --Orange Mike | Talk 21:57, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

Methanogen entry has a nonsensical sentence

I was reading the “Methanogen” page when I saw a sentence in the “Ecology” section (immediately after the “21”footnote), which would appear to be key, except that it appears not to make grammatical sense, and gives no obvious sense of what word or words are missing. To wit: “Most of those environments are not categorized as extreme and thus methanogens that inhabit them.” (Something missing after “thus”, perhaps?). I looked for a way to contact the most recent editor of the page but that was beyond my Luddite skill level, so I searched and found this page. Hopefully, I’m correct on this sentence and haven’t wasted your time. And hopefully someone will know the answer. Thank you from Australia 1.158.12.125 (talk) 21:59, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

I don't know anything about the subject but I think that "Most of those environments are not categorized as extreme and thus methanogens that inhabit them" should be followed by " are not extremophiles." TSventon (talk) 22:22, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

1.158.12.125, like TSventon, I have no expertise here. One solution would be to delete the text "and thus methanogens that inhabit them." But if you go to the article's talk page, at the top it lists two WikiProjects that have an interest in that article, and the people who participate in those projects are more likely to be able to help. I'd ask on the Talk page of the Microbiology Wikiproject. (FWIW, it looks like that text was introduced by Microvenator in this edit. In theory, you could ask Microvenator on either their user talk page or by pinging them on the Talk page for Methanogen, but it doesn't look like Microvenator edits regularly, so you might not get a response for a long time. If you're wondering how I found that edit, click on the "View history" tab for Methanogen, and towards the top of the history page you'll see an external tool called "Find addition/removal," which lets you search for the edit where text was added or removed; I found that insertion by searching on the word "inhabit.") FactOrOpinion (talk) 22:48, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

Thank you @FactOrOpinion. Indeed it makes no sense. I don't remember now what was the reason I wrote it that way. But it should be as was suggested by @TSventon. Microvenator (talk) 17:36, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

November 17

Donations

To who it may concern: I couldn’t find a more appropriate link to write this. I donated again either yesterday or the day before and have donated several years in a row to you but not only am I still getting the donation pop ups, but apparently I’m getting internet obstruction to Wikipedia and I’d like to know if it is Wikipedia that’s causing the problem with my latest Wikipedia result. In other words, is Wikipedia not recognizing my donation to your latest request and is doing something on their end to cause this new issue. I know-this sounds silly to think Wikipedia would do this, but it’s not happening with other internet pages I have open. It’s cutting in and out at a very fast pace, sort of like a heartbeat, probably around 60-90 flickers per minute, and has a box notification about the Wikipedia internet interface and also has something about donations, but it’s flickering so fast I can’t read it all. Or could you please direct me to the correct department for this matter?

Thanks, and kind regards, Debra Poley 96.18.12.231 (talk) 00:48, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Hi! There's two parts here. Wikipedia doesn't know whether or not you have donated. If you create an account, you can supress all of the donation request banners.

It seems extremely unlikely that Wikipedia is in any way effecting your net connection. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 01:10, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Unless you open many pages at once, as one does. Or at least as I do. Sometimes. —Tamfang (talk) 02:08, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Here is the Contact page for the Wikimedia Foundation. You will see a specific email address there for questions about donations. The WMF has no way of connecting a specific donation to your IP address and even if that was possible, it would be a privacy violation. I too consider it highly unlikely that Wikipedia is related to your screen flicker problem. Cullen328 (talk) 04:02, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

reasons for piping

Is there an obscure feature that sometimes requires piping with matching text, like [[Example article|example article]]? And have I misremembered/misunderstood how to use nowiki?? —Tamfang (talk) 02:12, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Tamfang I think [[example article]] works, and WP:PIPING deprecates

N [[Public transport|public transport]]

,

The WP:NOWIKI code is <nowiki></nowiki>. TSventon (talk) 02:38, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

I have fixed the nowiki tags. jlwoodwa (talk) 02:41, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

D'oh! —Tamfang (talk) 02:45, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

There is often a shortcut with a format like [[WP:PIPING]], i.e. WP, colon, the word you are asking about in capitals. TSventon (talk) 02:53, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

This is usually a bug within Visual Editor in my experience. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 12:25, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Map overlay

Trying again. I need some help with the map overlay. On my sandbox, I've been working with the {{Location map many}} template and trying to overlay File:Blank map of Europe 1914.svg (or something similar!) on top for contemporary borders. I can't seem to figure it out. Any help would be well appreciated; thanks in advance. ThaesOfereode (talk) 03:04, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

When did Wikipedia begin Sponsoring Disinformation

Clearly not a help desk question. Just Step Sideways from this world ..... today 03:43, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

wikipedia used to be a great source of information. I've donated to you several times. Now, I consistently see political bias garbage that does not belong in anything I search whether it be current events and people, or historical events. I want the truth, not BS through an agenda filter. My question is- When exactly did you become so corrupt? Wikipedia didn't used to be this way. Were you paid or bribed, or was it of free will? 2600:6C5E:1E00:34E:55EE:385F:5BBF:DC (talk) 03:24, 17 November 2024 (UTC) Contents on Wikipedia are written by volunteers, monetary contributions do not affect what can be written here. If you disagree with anything on the website and you have at least one reliable source backing up your claim, feel free to make the changes yourself. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 03:40, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Article moved to mainspace

Hi - I moved an article to mainspace Sarah Roberts (subject of vampire legend), but it was in my sandbox, not draft, and now I can't use my sandbox. I'm not sure what to do about this. Thanks. Blackballnz (talk) 05:31, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Blackballnz, you can edit User:Blackballnz/sandbox by clicking on the link and then clicking on the blue link to User:Blackballnz/sandbox near the top of the page. If you want to create more articles you could use Wikipedia:Userspace drafts which avoid turning your main sandbox into a redirect when you publish an article. TSventon (talk) 05:44, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks TSventon (talk) - do you mean I should I click the blue edit button? But when I do this, a box comes up which tells me its a redirect to the Sarah Roberts page (as above). I can no longer edit my sandbox. Blackballnz (talk) 08:01, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Blackballnz You can edit your sandbox, but my instructions seem to be insufficient. You can click on https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Blackballnz/sandbox&redirect=no and then on edit. Or you could follow the instructions at Help:Redirect#How it appears to the user. TSventon (talk) 08:17, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks TSventon (talk), but I'm getting the same outcome. When I click on the link you gave me, it takes me to my sandbox page, then when I click on 'edit' it tells me the page is a redirect. I could unclick the 'redirect this page' (which is ticked). What I really want to do is completely separate my sandbox from the page that is now in mainspace. I've had a read of the redirection info & I'm thinking I should ask an admin to delete the redirect. Does that make sense? Blackballnz (talk) 06:12, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Hi Blackballnz. Try this clicking on User:Blackballnz/sandbox (it looks the same as the link posted above but it's not) and then clicking "Edit" at the top of the page. That should open the editing window and you should then be able to WP:BLANK the sandbox so that it no longer redirects to the article. As for the article you created, please remove the MOS:ALLCAPS text from the article. Please also try to figure out some relevant Wikipedia:Template index/WikiProject banners to add to the article's talk page and perhaps a few more relevant WP:CATEGORIES for the article.-- Marchjuly (talk) 06:27, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks Marchjuly (talk) - if I go into 'edit source' then I can remove everything, which is this (below). Is this what you mean by blanking? And thanks for the tip about banners/categories etc. I'll get on to that.

{{Redirect category shell|{{R from move}}}}

Blackballnz (talk) 07:37, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

After opening up the source editing window, just delete everything you see, click "Show preview" to check you got it all and then click "Publish changes". I think that should return you sandbox to normal. For future reference, you probably should use either WP:DRAFTS or WP:USD for working on drafts because then all you need to do is move the page and not worry about the redirecting of your main user sandbox. -- Marchjuly (talk) 07:48, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks Marchjuly (talk), that has worked. This was my first article direct to mainspace, and I realised almost immediately that I hadn't used the right format. Blackballnz (talk) 08:18, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Finding out the creator of a previously deleted article

I can find deleted articles created by user by looking at their "articles created" at the bottom and the Xtools dash will show deleted articles as well. Righteous Vendetta has been previously deleted by an AfD and re-created. The page log doesn't show anything about what happened before the deletion. Is there a tool to look up who created the article the first time around? Graywalls (talk) 05:46, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

I don't know a tool, but User:Mikmania said they wrote it at the AfD and they were informed of the AfD on their talk page. TSventon (talk) 05:55, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

If the creator had left a comment like that, then you can go use the Xtool to see what they created, but I'm looking for a similar tool to look up creator of a deleted article. I want to find who created Red Cord Records the first time around, but I can't find it. Graywalls (talk) 05:58, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Perhaps you could ask at WP:REFUND who created the article? TSventon (talk) 06:20, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

I know asking someone with admin user rights is always an option, but I was hoping for self-serve solution similar to Xtools, so I don't have to ask each time. Graywalls (talk) 07:28, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Looks Like I found by chance the First creator of Red Cord Records. If you look at the TP of User:Labelman77, they were informed of the Speedy Deletion of the article.

I found it via the "Missbrauchsfilter-Logbuch" (Because my interface is in German, this should translate to MisuseFilterLog (?)) of the article, where the user was logged. Hope this helps! Maresa63 ^Talk 08:24, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

That was the creator of the version Fastily deleted on 13 October 2011. JaeNewly created the version deleted at afd in September 2012. See authors of deleted revisions. —Cryptic 12:56, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

When you pulled this up, I see there are several users with deleted revs. From the several on the list, how do you read the list to narrow down which one is the creator? Graywalls (talk) 16:58, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Api (sandbox). —Cryptic 07:56, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Presumably [1] doesnt give you the page creator from 2017? Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 12:43, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

It does, but so does history. Graywalls was asking for the creator of the deleted 2012 version, which my api links show. —Cryptic 12:56, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Facebook link

How can I add facebook link in Infobox Wikipedia user? CometVolcano (talk) 15:07, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Why would you want to? We have zero interest in promoting your off Wikipedia activities. Theroadislong (talk) 15:20, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

but there is an option? --CometVolcano (talk) 15:22, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

I wonder if @CometVolcano is talking about Template:Infobox Wikipedia user? qcne (talk) 15:36, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Yes. I wonder what Theroadislong was thinking? --CometVolcano (talk) 15:38, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Probably thought you meant to put a Facebook link into an existing article.

@CometVolcano just put your Facebook profile name (from the URL) into the field, i.e:

| facebook = joeblogg874

Be mindful that by doing this you are potentially linking your real-life personal information with your Wikipedia account, which is usually discouraged for privacy reasons. qcne (talk) 15:58, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

You have requested deeltion of your user page ten times now. Please stop wasting peoples time here. Theroadislong (talk) 08:38, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

My own picture in commons

How can I upload my own picture in wikipedia commons? CometVolcano (talk) 15:15, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

See the guide at Wikipedia:Uploading images. Yes, as long as you own the copyright and irrevocably license it under a suitable free license. How do you want to use that picture? The use of images on Wikipedia is governed by the Wikipedia:Image use policy. Donald Albury 16:01, 17 November 2024 (UTC) Edited - Donald Albury 16:05, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

I want to use the picture in my userpage only. --CometVolcano (talk) 19:04, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

If you own the copyright, or the owner of the copyright has released the photo under an acceptable free license, just follow the guide for uploading images. You can then link to the image file from your user page. I will advise you to think first about how much information about yourself you want to put on your userpage. That photo will be visible to all of the world, and if you later remove it, it will still be accessible in the edit history. Donald Albury 19:38, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

editing

How can I edit (replace) the picture on 'Jacques Ogg'? NLBK17 (talk) 16:59, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Replace it with what? If it is a picture to which you hold the copyright (typically, you operated the camera yourself) then you can upload it to Commons (see WP:Upload) and then edit the article Jacques Ogg to change the name of the image.

If you do not hold the copyright, it is harder - you would need to contact the copyright holder and persuade them to license the picture in a way that Commons would accept: see WP:image use policy. ColinFine (talk) 17:24, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Anyone familiar with Turkish...

...who can translate this source for Mount Okmok, or at least say whether the DeepL translation is accurate enough to be usable as a source? Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk) 17:14, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Hi @Jo-Jo Eumerus,

See WP:TRANSLATE. Also, just a question, but why would the source be in Turkish? It's 5,895 miles to Türkiye! And where did you find this source (I'm just curious)? Anyways, that page should be helpful.

Warmly,

Avishai - @Avishai11

Avishai11 (talk) 19:14, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

That seems to be more about translating articles than sources, though? Volcanic ash can make it quite far, Aleutians to Türkiye is a small hop. Found it on Google Scholar. Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk) 11:06, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Desktop layout

How to you change mobile to desktop layout without submitting an article? NoBrainFound (talk) 17:36, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Bottom of the page, there's a "Desktop" button (when on mobile) and vise versa. You can also simply change the URL to remove the .m. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 17:57, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

New Article in Mainspace

I am trying to create a new article in mainspace called "Dissenting POWs: From Vietnam’s Hoa Lo Prison to America Today". I have it written in my sandbox, but when I click on the red link to create the new article I get a message saying "This page is on the title blacklist". I have tried several different formulations of the title and get the same message. It seems any new article I create is being blocked. I have written a number of article for Wikipedia and have never had this issue. Can someone help?JohnKent (talk) 18:34, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

It looks like it's because you're using a curly quote (’), when you need to use a straight one ('). Try that and hopefully it'll work! CoconutOctopus talk 18:42, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Thank you. That was the problem.JohnKent (talk) 21:17, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

@JohnKent: In addtion to what's been posted above, if you move User:JohnKent/sandbox to the mainspace, you're going to run into a similar problem to what's being encountered above at #Article moved to mainspace by another user. A redirect is going to be automatically left that sends those, including your yourself, trying to access your "User:JohnKent/sandbox" to the article you create. For future reference, it's probably better to either create a regular draft or a user space draft and work on your drafts there and then move those pages instead. -- Marchjuly (talk) 08:01, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Thank you for the suggestions.JohnKent (talk) 21:18, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

November 18

Adding same link in multiple articles - is there an easier way?

I am going to create an article about jockey Harry Cobden. He is already mentioned in a large number of articles (about 90) mostly without a red link. I have started going through them one by one adding links but wondered if there is a quicker and easier way to add links across all the articles. Southdevonian (talk) 09:55, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Hello, @Southdevonian. That sounds like the sort of thing that AWB can do - but I have never used AWB, so I may be wrong about its capabilities. ColinFine (talk) 12:06, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

@Southdevonian: AWB can do it. See User:Edward/Find link and User:Lourdes/Backlinks for tools specifically for your purpose. I haven't tried them but they are probably easier to use. AWB is a much more powerful general tool to make various semiautomatic edits. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:48, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks @ColinFine and @PrimeHunter. AWB and Lourdes/Backlinks look a bit complicated for me. Edward/Find link is much simpler but just comes up with a list of articles, which I already have. I will use it however for articles I have already created to see if I missed any links. I think I will just persevere with doing them one by one, which is time-consuming but not too difficult. Southdevonian (talk) 20:34, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Quotations - period inside or outside?

Just wondering what the house style is on punctuation (periods, commas) and quotes in the following scenarios.

1. Entire sentence in quote: "It's one of the saddest love songs I've ever heard". 2. Portion of sentence in quote: Young recalled, "It's one of the saddest love songs I've ever heard." 3. Portion of sentence in quote: Young recalled, "It's one of the saddest love songs I've ever heard," adding that he liked it. Jack C (talk) 13:31, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Hi Jack C - please see MOS:QUOTEPUNCT and MOS:INOROUT - best wishes - Arjayay (talk) 13:38, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Smashing - many thanks Jack C (talk) 13:43, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Introducing quotes - past / present tense?

Just checking if the present or past tense is preferred when introducing a quote.

Young recalls in his memoir, "I was the bar"

Young recalled in his memoir, "I was the bar" Jack C (talk) 13:35, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

It depends on the nature of the quote, see MOS:BLPTENSE. TSventon (talk) 13:52, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Interesting - different rules for art and news. V helpful Jack C (talk) 13:54, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

What is needed most?

I've recently been looking through WP:Maintenence and WP:Task Center. Wikipedia has so many tasks that need done, but what's the best way to know what is needed most? AKA what is needed most currently? Knowledgegatherer23 (Say Hello) 17:21, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

There's a tool called "Check Wikipedia" that lists issues by priority and amounts. Its directory for en.wiki can be found here. It only focus on syntax issues tho, and I'm not aware of any other tools that can keep track of other types of maintance. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 20:25, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

I don't think you'll find much consensus about which tasks are the most important. Clearly, problems with legal consequences (such as copyright and libel) are the most important, but beyond that it's not clear. Personally I think that bringing an article up to the point where it is comprehensively sourced to high quality sources is worth thousands of times more than fixing a typo or some unclear wording. (And deleting an unsalvageable article is also worth many times more than copy-editing).

But, as we all know, those tasks are time-consuming and often difficult, so not many people do them (me included!) ColinFine (talk) 21:55, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Searching

The {{Weather box}} is used just over 30,000 times. Is there an easy way to find which Canadian articles use it? I tried using WP:AWB but it tops out at 25,000 and going through it (skipping if the article does not contain the word Canada) will take a long time. I want to use hidden categories on the articles that use it to sort them by ones that will need updating in 2030, those that can't be updated, and those that need updating now. CambridgeBayWeather (solidly non-human), Uqaqtuq (talk), Huliva 21:20, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

This search composing insource and hastemplate still has a lot of false positives, but returns sub-3000 results instead of an order of magnitude more. There's probably a more advanced strat, but this might be a beginning point? Folly Mox (talk) 21:45, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks. That looks like it would be easier to go through. CambridgeBayWeather (solidly non-human), Uqaqtuq (talk), Huliva 21:50, 18 November 2024 (UTC)