Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2025 March 8#Biography Updates

I have some obscure singles from the album article, and it doesn't have references. So I want to ask if other editors can find a source for it due to my technogical problem. But I can't find where to ask, Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Music here is almost dead so I'm frustrated. Camilasdandelions (talk!) 02:58, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:Hello, {{u|Camilasdandelions}}. An editor called {{u|Binksternet}} has a lot of expertise regarding reliable sources about popular music. Try asking him for help. Cullen328 (talk) 08:24, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:Responding to ping. Camilasdandelions, I see that you have received a notice of a song article nominated for deletion: Winter Bird (song). If you can't find good sources to establish notability for a song article, the unfortunate answer may be that the song does not deserve its own page. In that case, you can tell the reader details about the song at the album article. Binksternet (talk) 16:30, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

Ref number 46 is all wrong - I added in a page number. Please fix. i am unable to 9again!) . Sorry 05:16, 8 March 2025 (UTC) Thank you.

:@Srbernadette: Please read the documentation for {{tl|cite book}}, particularly {{section link|Template:Cite book|Examples}} which shows the correct syntax when using the {{para|page}} parameter. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 05:59, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

::: I tired - but I could not do it. I will stay away form editing for a while - sorry. Srbernadette (talk) 06:31, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

::::@Srbernadette, it wasn't hard to fix, you had "page 156" in parameter instead of "page=156" Cmr08 (talk) 06:37, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

Is there a straightforward way to share a page, like you routinely get in for news websites for example? Chalky 08:30, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:The Wikipedia app has sharing via the three dot menu in the top right hand corner.[https://www.hardreset.info/devices/apps/apps-wikipedia/share-article/#iOS] Most mobile web browsers have this as well. For desktop view, you may have to copy and paste the link.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 08:42, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

I can well understand why certain Wikipedia articles need to be fully protected to prevent malicious editing, but I am beside myself to understand why the talk page for an article should ever be restricted. But this is exactly the case for the article Gaza Genocide in the conversation about which I would like to be included, as I have high interest and knowledge on this subject, but I am template-prohibited. So my first question is why can't I even particiapate in the relevant discussion of the subject as an editor, even if the article page stands in need of protection?

My second question has to do with appealing the protection level of the page: I am told that before appealing it I must first discuss with the editor who protected it, but the template does not contain any reference to that editor that i can see.

Thanks.

Kenfree (talk) 09:23, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:@Kenfree [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=protect&page=Talk%3AGaza+genocide Here] is the page protection information. (I had to go via Page information in the Tools menu, then scroll down to where it says "View protection log" and click that.) It was protected by Daniel Case. Musiconeologist (talk) 10:35, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

::Thank you! Kenfree (talk) 16:10, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:{{u|Kenfree}} Note that talk pages related to the Arab-Israeli conflict are often protected if they draw an excessive amount of inappropriate postings by users who are not permitted to make edits related to the topic(non-extended confirmed users). You don't yet have 500 edits, so you shouldn't be involved in extensive discussion about the Arab-Israeli conflict. The only thing you are permitted to do is make very uncontroversial edit requests, that don't require extensive discussion. 331dot (talk) 16:20, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

::This policy feels out of alignment with Wikipedia's slogan that it is an encyclopedia anyomecan edit. Not only can newbies not edit certain pages, they cannot even engage in discussion about it. Like a seasoned editor once said, this is newbie biting Kenfree (talk) 16:32, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:::{{ping|Kenfree}} The Arab-Israeli conflict, moreso than any other topic area, tends to attract partisan editors who couldn't care less about Wikipedia policy and trolls/provocateurs on either side who are created solely to make life miserable for those actually trying to work in it in good faith. There's no less than seventeen Arbitration cases focused on it, the most recent of which closed in January. —Jéské Couriano v^_^v ^{threads critiques} 16:36, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

::::I can well believe that, but why should I be sanctioned for their behavior? Kenfree (talk) 18:11, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:::::To be blunter: the I/P topic area is one where there is no shortage of people wanting to make edits. This is a few years outdated, but as of then a grand total of {{approx}} .025% of the English Wikipedia's articles were under ec‐protection or greater. That's two-and-a-half-hundreths of one percent. If you want to find something to work on, I'm sure you can do so among the other 99.975% of articles. In the event you can't, I"m afraid you'll have to look elsewhere. --Slowking Man (talk) 22:46, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:::::I may be wrong, but I don't think there's any protection level available between semi-protected and extended-confirmed, or any user category between autoconfirmed and extended-confirmed. So if something more than semi-protection is needed for a talk page to remain usable, extended-confirmed has to be used. Musiconeologist (talk) 23:00, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:::Re:{{tq|this is newbie biting.}} It is not biting. There is nothing personal about it. It is simply a standard policy that applies to all new editors. The goal is to protect the time and effort of other volunteers who contribute their free time to Wikipedia. Lova Falk (talk) 12:15, 9 March 2025 (UTC)

Anyone have any thoughts on how I should express the citation which now appears (directly in the text, not a footnote) as :(Ovid, 7.265–268) in the article The Tempest? I can see the advantage of linking to wikisource when the text is available there (although, in passing, I note the article doesn't do the same with Shakespeare). But all other quotations on the page have a footnote instead and for consistency (and in the spirit of WP:CITEVAR) I feel this should, too. I'd add that there's a secondary source at the end of the parallel quotation so I don't feel it needs another. AndyJones (talk) 16:00, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:{{ping|AndyJones}} you could try {{tl|Cite wikisource}}. TSventon (talk) 16:52, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:{{ec}}

:If I understand what you are asking, you might write:

::{{cite book |author=Ovid |date=1567 |translator=Arthur Golding |chapter=The Seventh Booke of Ouids Metamorphosis |title=The. xv. Booke of P. Ouidius Naso, entytuled Metamorphosis, translated oute of Latin into English meeter |location=London |publisher=Willyam Seres |via=Wikisource}}

:::{{cite book |author=Ovid |date=1567 |translator=Arthur Golding |chapter=The Seventh Booke of Ouids Metamorphosis |title=The. xv. Booke of P. Ouidius Naso, entytuled Metamorphosis, translated oute of Latin into English meeter |location=London |publisher=Willyam Seres |via=Wikisource}}

:I don't know what the 7.265–268 means; neither 265 nor 268 appear in the linked wikisource document.

:

:Booke 7 is a 'chapter' and {{tlx|Cite wikisource}} doesn't handle chapters well so I chose not to use it here.

:—Trappist the monk (talk) 17:06, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

Brilliant, thanks. Will try that. I have 2 comments:

• 7.265-268 must mean, I think, book 7 lines 265 to 268.
• Should I enclose the text you've laid out above inside ref tags to make it appear as a footnote? AndyJones (talk) 17:12, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:You may.

:

:If 7.265–268 is really line numbers, that is very reader hostile given that there are no line numbers in the linked source. Copying the text into an editor with line numbers, I find that the lines 265–268 are on page 165:

Upon the bare hard ground, she said: O trustie time of night

Most faithfull unto privities, O golden starres whose light

Doth jointly with the Moone succeede the beames that blaze by day

:—Trappist the monk (talk) 17:22, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

PS to the above I tried the latter and it seemed to work well. It's probably more in keeping with the way the page is sourced to use {sfn} so I'll try that instead shortly. If I have more queries I'll post back here failing which this is resolved, and thank you {{ping|Trappist the monk}} and {{ping|TSventon}} for your help. AndyJones (talk) 17:27, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:PPS Agree with {{ping|Trappist the monk}} that the line numbers are potentially reader-hostile so I haven't used them. Although the lines cited by you above don't match those quoted in the article, they do appear on that same page, so I have linked to it. The way I've cited it can be seen at this section so if anyone here has any comments on how I can improve it then let me know or just make a bold change. Failing that, thanks again, and this query is resolved. AndyJones (talk) 17:48, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

{{fyi|Restoring to adhere to WP:TPO.—Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 01:12, 12 March 2025 (UTC)}}

Hello,

I am new to Wikipedia and trying to update my own biography. A person named Bender550 continues to re-edit my text back to a previous version. This is my own biography/family history, so I should have the ability to update it accordingly. How can I proceed? Here is the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achim_Moeller

Thank you for your help. Amoellerfineart (talk) 17:41, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

:Amoellerfineart, I know it is frustrating but Bender550 has advised you correctly on your talk page, User talk:Amoellerfineart. TSventon (talk) 17:49, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

::Hi, Amoeller, I apologize for any frustration I have caused, but I am just trying to follow Wiki policy and give good advice. I did not mean to frustrate you or anyone in anyway at all.Bender550 (talk) 17:51, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

:@Amoellerfineart: According to this comment that you posted in response to Bender550, you are not Moeller himself but are writing on his behalf. Which is it? I would also note that your username comes very close (if not outright) to breaching Wikipedia's username policy on companies and organisations. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 18:06, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

:{{re|Amoellerfineart}} Per WP:TPO you are not allowed to remove discussions when someone has responded to your comment; it will be archived eventually. Do not do this again. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 01:12, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

I've read WP:Userboxes but just can't quite get the hang of how to work with them ... (1) to add existing ones to show project group membership with correct spacing and alignment and (2) to create unique personalized ones.

So I'm looking for a practice tutorial. Is there one somewhere? Augnablik (talk) 16:09, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:{{ping|Augnablik}} I am not aware of a userboxes tutorial. What would you like to achieve? Since userboxes are templates maybe H:TQG is of interest? Polygnotus (talk) 11:50, 9 March 2025 (UTC)

::@Polygnotus, thanks for the helpful reminder that user boxes are actually templates.

::As far as what I’d like to achieve, I’d say just basic ability to:

::* take an existing userbox and place it wherever I want it without it throwing off other text on the same page — which I know involves being able to control spacing and possibly making dividing lines

::* create a new userbox from scratch if I need to

::A good tutorial would require us to do a number of tasks related to the above objectives and provide useful feedback on each task that we submit — ideally with several requests to do the same task rather than only one request per task. This would be to make sure that succeeding on one request wasn’t coincidental. Augnablik (talk) 15:14, 9 March 2025 (UTC)

:{{ping|Augnablik}} Frankly, the easiest way to make a "unique personalized" userbox is to find one on someone else's user page that resembles the appearance you want and copy the code to your sandbox, then try out changes in wording, colors, etc., until you're satisfied with it. (That's how I made the top one on my user page.) You can then copy the final code to your user page. With regard to arrangement, many users seem to use {{tl|Userboxtop}} and {{tl|Userboxbottom}} to create a vertical column on the right side of the page (like the Babel boxes already on your user page). Deor (talk) 14:37, 9 March 2025 (UTC)

::Ooh, that may be as good as a real tutorial, @Deor,if there isn’t one! I took a look at your User page and copied the first userbox you alerted me to, plus the larger box with — I guess — Middle English. I’ll play around with them.

::For someone who’d be “confused and frightened being in my world,” as your top userbox declares, you seem to do very well! Thanks. Augnablik (talk) 15:30, 9 March 2025 (UTC)

:::{{ping|Augnablik}} Just as an aside, the text in the wide box at the top of my user page is Old English, from the poem called by my name. Deor (talk) 15:41, 9 March 2025 (UTC)

::::Well, at least I had the language correct, even if not the vintage … 😅 Augnablik (talk) 16:29, 9 March 2025 (UTC)

:::::@Augnablik, What I did to make my custom userbox was copy the 'How to construct' table and give it to Microsoft Copilot. I then told it to use wiki markup, which it surprisingly understood, and told my userbox requirements. It did its job pretty well, and I had to make only minor adjustments later on. I originally got this idea as I had used it to make my signature 🙃 (And no, I don't use AI for making edits) TNM101 (chat) 17:21, 9 March 2025 (UTC)