Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 February 26

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February 26

Creating a wiki page for my band

Can I create my own wiki page for my band? I have tried to do it twice before but I've been told that there is a conflict of interest as a I am part of the band. Does someone other than a band HAVE to create the page? I also used info from our band's websites in my initial attempts and the info was deleted due to copyright issues. Help! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Herecomethebirds (talk • contribs) 00:23, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

1. Does your band meet the criteria listed at WP:BAND? If not, it shouldn't have an article on Wikipedia.

2. As long as you write in an unbiased way about your band, you shouldn't have any issues with NPOV (conflict of interest). flaminglawyer 00:26, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

(e/c) Creating articles about yourself or organizations you are associated with is strongly discouraged because of conflict of interest, which is likely to violate the neutrality of the article. Also, the subject must be notable enough to have an article (in this case, the guideline is WP:BAND). The information must be verifiable through reliable sources as well. If your band qualifies the criteria at WP:BAND, then it would be OK to create an article about it. However, if you don't want to create it because of the conflict of interest, I suggest you put a request for the article here or ask someone else to create it. Cheers. Chamal ^talk 00:31, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

• Also, you probably tried to create an article rather than a wiki. - Mgm|^(talk) 05:43, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Category

Is it appropriate to create Category:List articles of corporate headquarters by city such a category? I was going to create it but seek further input before doing so, as the category dosen't exist already there might be some reason. See Talk:List of lists of corporate headquarters by city Thanks —Magic.Wiki (talk) 01:53, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Spam filter notice

Resolved

I have been working on Frankie Rayder, an article that uses http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com links. However, I am trying to create an article for her sister and am getting

Spam filter notice From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search

The spam filter blocked your page save because it detected a blacklisted hyperlink. You will need to remove any instance of the blacklisted link in your text addition before you can save the page. Blacklists are maintained both locally and globally. Before proceeding, please review both lists to determine which one (or both) are affecting you. You can request help removing the link, request that the link be removed from the blacklist, or report a possible error on the local or global spam blacklist talk page. If you'd like to request that a specific link be allowed without removing similar links from the blacklist, you can request whitelisting on the local spam whitelist talk page.

The following link has triggered our spam protection filter: http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com Either that exact link, or a portion of it (typically the root domain name) is currently blacklisted.

Why can I use this link in one article and not the other.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 02:07, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

I'm seeing multiple entries in the whitelist talk page all of a sudden - got to be a server glitch somewhere. — Ched (talk) 02:20, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

What is the whitelist talk page?--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 02:30, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

here - but mIRC says apparently admins are working on a blacklist problem now. So, I guess the people who need to know about the problem do. ;) — Ched (talk) 02:52, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

O.K. I have been able to create Missy Rayder so my problem is solved.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 03:08, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Question on the font style for every page.

We have been using Wikipedia for quite some time (and love it) but we searched for something just recently and the instead of the normal font, we are seeing an italicized script font... everywhere. Is there something that we changed or touched or was there some kind of change on your end that we are not aware of? Is anyone else having this problem?? <e-mail address redacted>—Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.251.237.11 (talk) 04:24, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

I've seen this happen a few times, it's usually when the last editor doesn't close his formats correctly. Normally, the next editor will fix that when he or she sees it. Refresh in a couple minutes and it's normally fine. If there's a particular page you're interested in, post the link, and I'll take a look.

It is also possible you changed your default font settings in your browser. If you post what kind of operating system, and browser you're using - we might be able to help there as well. For example, Firefox 3.x - you would look in Tools, Options, and the Content tab. — Ched (talk) 05:28, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

I wish to create an atrical on "Foxen"

Hi,

I wish to create an article on Foxen and think for searching there use to be one (not by me) and it was deleted.

Before I go to the hard work of creating it I wanted to check if and/or why the last one was deleted and if you think it meets the criteria to be an article.

"Foxen" refers to the name of a valley in California on the outskirts of a National Forest, as well as a winery and a family name. Does this meet the criteria (which I have read and been left a little confused by)? sources follow: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=Foxen+Canyon+Road,+Santa+Maria,+CA&ie=UTF8&split=0&gl=uk&ei=jhCmSdr6DuTSjAe58JTjDw&ll=34.812676,-120.19146&spn=0.182656,0.265045&z=12 , http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Foxen , http://www.foxenvineyard.com/ .

I would like to write just a small amount about each of these to give some presence to the name "Foxen" within wiki.

Kind regards Thomas. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Foxandthehen (talk • contribs) 04:26, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

According to the deletion log, the article was deleted as "patent nonsense". —teb728 t c 04:44, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

So I should be safe to write my article and it meets the requirements? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Foxandthehen (talk • contribs) 04:55, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

(e/c) The prior article was about a nonexistent plural form of the word for  s, so don't worry about that. The three subjects you list are not really unified in any manner that I would think would be a proper subject of a single article. The three sources you list don't really do much to show whether the aricle subjects are notable. We show that by citation to reliable sources; sources that are independent of the subject they are used to verify. So, for example, an article on the winery would be a valid topic if independent and reliable sources, such as newspapers, books, and the like have discussed it substantively, which you can then cite in the article. Please see Wikipedia:Your first article for an overview.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 05:06, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

(e/c) Certainly not a single article about all three or even any two. In deciding whether an article would be appropriate for one of the topics, read the notability guideline. Basically for a topic to be notable enough to have an article in Wikipedia, which means it has to have significant coverage in reliable independent published sources. It doesn’t look promising to me. —teb728 t c 05:19, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

oh dear, ok! I would have though maps would be a good published coverage at least! Well I'm not going to write it with the risk it will get deleted. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Foxandthehen (talk • contribs) 11:06, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Help with reverting a undiscussed move over redirect

I think a admin is needed to do such a thing, right? Well... a rather controversial move has been made without a RM or any form of consensus, just a user riding in stating his opinion before executing it. America was moved to America (disambiguous) with the reason: "This article only provides a list of links." — CHANDLER#10 — 04:51, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

 Done - Fuhghettaboutit fixed it. – ukexpat (talk) 05:17, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Rihanna

Resolved

 – Chamal ^talk 11:56, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Hi,

When are you going to change Rihanna's wikipedia page? After she was beaten by her boyfriend, someone posted "Bitch Got Owned" on her page and it has yet to come down.

http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Rihanna

It's fixed, but you could have done it yourself. – ukexpat (talk) 05:15, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Well actually, he couldn't, because the page is semi-protected. Someguy1221 (talk) 06:55, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

The edit was reverted by ClueBot (talk · contribs) in less than a minute. The editor who vandalised the page is now indef blocked from editing. So, some harm done, but not too much I hope. Chamal ^talk 11:56, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Reflist strangeness

I was just randomly browsing around as one does and came across the article Post-rock. It uses the multi-column reference list functionality of {{reflist}} and is set to display two columns which works on my Firefox fine. What is puzzling me though is that this reflist display is lopsided, in all the other articles in which i've seen reflist used with 2 columns - the template automatically balance the columns out to avoid whitespace. {{reflist}} and {{reflist|3}} work fine on preview without leaving any whitespace, so why isn't {{reflist|2}}? Nanonic (talk) 06:48, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Hmm... this is weird. It looks fine on other pages. I've made a note at Template talk:Reflist, we'll see if someone comes up with an idea. Chamal ^talk 12:12, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

See my response at Template talk:Reflist#Is something wrong here?. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 12:13, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

ABOUT UPFC

how the shunt converter damp the oscillations in a transmission line —Preceding unsigned comment added by Vinay.mandi (talk • contribs) 08:00, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

• Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:48, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Lost.

An apparently saved page on 'My Talk' Michael Nettleton (talk) 13:56, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

It appears that you have made one edit to your talk page. If you are trying to create an article, you can use a personal sandbox to test everything out before you move the page to the mainspace. Let us know if there's anything with which we can help. TNXMan 14:02, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

McMansion

This is a derogatory term used in the construction industry. In the References section, number 1 reference is Sereno Canyon. It includes a link to the Sereno Canyon website. This is a custom home community in Scottsdale Arizona. No homes are built yet. When homes are built,they will be custom designed and constructed, not "McMansions." The reference to our community is in error. Please remove the reference, and contact me that it is complete. —Preceding unsigned comment added by DebbieOmundson (talk • contribs) 14:09, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

I've looked at the source and the article. The only thing for which the source is used in the article is to attribute the quote by Jay Westervelt. I don't see an implication that Sereno Canyon does or does not build McMansions. TNXMan 14:21, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

I agree that the reference doesn't indicate that homes in Sereno Canyon will be McMansions, but I also think that a better source for the quote should be found and the advert currently being used as a reference should be replaceed. Looking for a new source now. --Onorem♠Dil 14:43, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

User box

This user remembers using
a rotary dial telephone.

Can someone help me make a User Box that says:

"This user remembers building and using a Crystal radio." Perhaps using this picture of an old crystal radio: ------>

<---- Maybe something like user box for the rotary dial telephone. Thanks.--Doug Coldwell ^talk 15:21, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Replied on user's talk page. TNXMan 15:33, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Adding an article to wikipedia

I am having a hard time adding a page to wikipedia. I read some Q & A and i know that there are lots of "terms" and that need to be met in order for an article to be published. So my question is once i have the credible resources and an artiacle is ready, what do i do with it? Do i send a list of resources to wikipedia, and if so what is the email to send it to? Also what is the link to see the terms that need to be met so I can post an article. I am making a page on a charitable organization. How should I go about getting this article on wikipedia. Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Volunteerafrica (talk • contribs) 15:22, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Before creating an article, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. Algebraist 15:23, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Editing Reference links

Hello

I work for Fairfield University - http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Fairfield_University We recently launched a new website, making nearly all the links under 'References' on our Wikipedia page invalid. I need to update the links to their new URLs, but when I click on Edit for that section, I'm not getting the code to update those links. How can I access the code for our References links to update them?

thank you Lauraj515 (talk) 15:44, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

The code for the footnotes is in the body of the article where the footnote appears, not in references section. See Help:Footnotes for more information. You might want to read cool URIs don't change too. Algebraist 15:51, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Problem requesting an IRC cloak

I'm trying to register and get a IRC cloak for using the Wikipedia IRC channels. I've registered as Pyrspirit and connected it to an email address and alternate nick, and I'm trying to complete the steps at the cloak request page. I'm currently stuck at step 5, which is checking that all steps have been completed. It gives the following message:

We couldn’t find the message sent to bot. It appears that it was not sent or was sent using a wrong nickname. Incomplete requests will be stored for three days before being discarded, so you can return later to complete this request from this computer in that time frame.

I've tried sending the message it specified (/msg wmfgcbot !reqcloak [confirmation code]) several times, but it doesn't seem to work. I've never used IRC before, so I'm not sure what to try next. Why isn't this working? Pyrospirit (talk · contribs) 16:19, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for posting this - I got exactly the same problem. Regards, Moselschwimmer (talk) 14:51, 28 February 2009 (UTC)

Maybe you bumped into wmfgcbot's not actually working, but it was working a few days ago. Poke User:Martinp23 maybe? ~user:orngjce223 how am I typing? 19:06, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

Calling all non-free use experts

I have a question about magazine covers at Wikipedia talk:Non-free use rationale guideline#Magazine covers. That talk page is kinda quiet so asking here for input there. Thanks. – ukexpat (talk) 16:44, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Deleating an image

I originally put up an image to wikipedia. Then with this wikicommons thing I put the same image up there. But there seems to be no way to call the new image up from wikicommons because the first one is still up on wikipedia. how do I eliminate the one on wikipedia and/or call the one on wikicommons?????? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Christian Skeptic (talk • contribs) 17:50, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Tag the image with this: {{db-G7}}, and an admin will delete it for you. – ukexpat (talk) 17:55, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

New page

I have been following a photographer for years and have the correct references to upload. Why do you make it so difficult/offensive to do this. I was directed to a page that said "Fuck all of you ///suck your own dicks" when I tried using sandbox. How is this professional? Now I have a blacklist...Can someone please help. There are so many areas/ and you get redirected...I have the page in correct format...just need to post it —Preceding unsigned comment added by 2009pedia (talk • contribs)

If you'd like, you can post the page to a personal sandbox, like User:2009pedia/Sandbox. Just click on the redlink and paste your article. Once your account is autoconfirmed, you can move the page to the mainspace. Also, be sure to check out this handy guide. TNXMan 18:32, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Abusive Content

If someone put information about me personally on wikipedia without my consent, could I sue wikipedia or could they get banned? I am thinking about both, as it has really offended me. Search the following for details:

User: brawn118

There was no report abuse section, so I thought it would be appropriate to put this information here. If nothing is done about this page, I will be forced to take action. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.216.244.205 (talk) 19:08, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

The page has been tagged for deletion as an attack page. While we are happy to work with you to resolve this situation, please remember that legal threats will not help your case. If you have further questions, feel free to ask. TNXMan 19:16, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

The page has now been deleted. AngelOfSadness talk 19:19, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

• Also, I don't know the exact name of the law, but there is some legal thingy that ensures Wikipedia can't be held liable for what individual users post. =- Mgm|^(talk) 21:40, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Maybe you should take a look at Wikipedia:Risk disclaimer and Wikipedia:General disclaimer? Cheers. Chamal ^talk 00:17, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Sock puppet investigation notification

What's the template for letting puppeteers and puppets know they're the subject of an investigation? Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/SPI/Guidance has no guidance. THF (talk) 19:21, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Suspected_sock_puppets#Reporting_suspected_sock_puppets has the wiki-mark up of said template. AngelOfSadness talk 19:24, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

{edit conflict) How ironic! I think what you're looking for is at Template:Sockpuppet. Best, TNXMan 19:25, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

how to change article header?

I would like to change the title of my article from "Edward Jackson (photographer)" to "Edward N. Jackson (photographer)" but I can't find an edit link. How can this be done?

Niteflyer Niteflyer (talk) 19:38, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

You could click the "move" tab at the top of the article page. That way, the old article title is left behind, which would seem reasonable. Please, before you do this, read Wikipedia's Naming Conventions for Articles about People. There are some rather specific rules about naming articles, and it would be a good idea to be certain that this article matches those rules. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 19:44, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

(edit conflict) In order to change the name of an article, you must move the page to the new title. In order to do this, your account must be autoconfirmed, which means that it has been active for four days and made at least ten edits. The only question I would have is why you would like to include the initial. Is Jackson most commonly referred to as "Edward N. Jackson" or is there another photographer with an article with the same name? TNXMan 19:47, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

There is no existing Edward N. Jackson article so the disambiguating parentheses are not required. – ukexpat (talk) 20:21, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

I did everything right!

Hi. I do not understand. I did everything that the guide told me to do, but someone gave me an A7 anyway! What am I doing wrong? User: Extremo —Preceding unsigned comment added by Extremo (talk • contribs) 20:20, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Please read WP:CSD#A7. – ukexpat (talk) 20:21, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

How did you indicate why its subject is important or significant? According to A7, an article that does not indicate why its subject is important or significant can be speedily deleted. —teb728 t c 20:32, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

• The deleting admin says it was a repost. That is G4 instead of A7 speedy deletion. Reposting material when it was previously deleted without making any changes generally leads to another deletion one way or another. You still didn't explain why it met the inclusion criteria and the article lacked references to make it verifiable too. - Mgm|^(talk) 21:36, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

How do I move a page?

I recently authored my first page "Profiles in folly" and would like to move the entire content of the page to a new one, "Profiles In Folly"

Thanks, Sanitas (talk) 21:32, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

It appears that TheRedPenOfDoom has replied on your talk page. However, here's how it's done. First, your account must be autoconfirmed, which means that it has been active for four days and made at least ten edits. After that, you will see a "move" tab at the top of pages. Click that tab and select the new title you wish to which you wish to move the article. If the new title's not taken, it will be moved. TNXMan 21:37, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

And I responded there with regard to the miscapitalized "In" in the new title suggested by Sanitas above. Deor (talk) 21:43, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Removing talk page warnings

Hi, I have some really ridiculous warnings on my talk page. Can I just go ahead and remove them? Nerfari (talk) 21:50, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Yes, responded on your talk page also. dougweller (talk) 21:54, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

(ec) The short answer is, Yes, you can. I don't really see why you'd want to, though. The discussions seem to show that, by and large, you've been doing the right things (although Martin was probably right about your AfD nomination of List of cities in Texas). Don't be so defensive. I don't think anyone's picking on you just because you're a new user; some people are suspicious of newbies at AfD, but pay them no heed. There's a learning curve to becoming a productive Wikipedian, and you seem to be well on your way. Deor (talk) 22:01, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Criticism can only be valid or invalid. If it's valid, you should heed it. If it's invalid, then it reflects poorly on the critic. Either way, having some criticism on one's talk page gives one a chance to hone one's sangfroid. On Wikipedia, as in the rest of life, it is useful to cultivate a detached, objective response to criticism. In contrast, the instinctive reptilian response, which comes from the emotional brain, is generally not productive, and overcoming it is a lifelong battle. What's on your talk page now will matter less in the future, because if you stick around on Wikipedia, your talk page will eventually get longer and you will archive the older portions. Once the warnings are in your talk page archive, very few people will be likely to see them, unless you attain such a high level of Wikipedia eminence that teams of scholars feel motivated to dig into your archives. --Teratornis (talk) 00:06, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Content Deleted

I was editing something that says rght on the bottom you can help wikipedia by expanding this page. I edited it and then two days later it was deleted. The two pages were: CJCY-FM and CJOC-FM. Can you tell me why they were deleted? Thanks!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kunzy (talk • contribs) 22:14, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

You added a list of programs, which are prohibited by WP:NOTDIR, point number 3. Xenon54 (talk) 22:23, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Click the "history" tab on a page to see the edit history. It shows your edits were deleted in [1] and [2] with the edit summary "WP:NOTDIR: no program schedules." If you click the "discussion" tab then there are links to Wikipedia:WikiProject Radio Stations. See Wikipedia:WikiProject Radio Stations#Article content for some suggestions. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:34, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Template question

Resolved

 – ukexpat (talk) 14:41, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Is there an easy way to make a single template appear like ambox on articles and tmbox on talkpages? I would like to do this with templates like {{Expand German}}, which are generated by {{Expand language}}. For these templates it makes sense for them sometimes to go on the article page and other times on the talk page. Calliopejen1 (talk) 22:42, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Try wrapping it in {{mbox}} which has namespace detection. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 23:34, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Looking a bit more closely, you should be able to make a simple change to {{expand language}}: ambox → mbox. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 02:17, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Perfect! Thank you! Sure a lot easier to post here than to search for hours among templates..... Calliopejen1 (talk) 02:41, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Company article - conflict of interest

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am an employee of the company mentioned in this article.

I have recently come across the Altium Limited stub by the WikiProject Business group. This stub is a great introduction to Altium, however I was hoping to extend this article to include some of the organisation’s background and history. I would also like to update the 'links' section with new articles and to list more items in the 'products' section. However, I am an employee of Altium and I fully understand my conflict of interest. Therefore I am trying comply to the following guidelines: http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Wikipedia:FAQ/Business#I_think_my_company_deserves_an_article_on_Wikipedia_but_none_exists._What_can_I_do.3F

I've already posted my draft on the wiki project discussion page, but I have had no replies. I really want to comply to Wikipedia's policies and remain neutral, so I would greatly appreciate if someone can give me any tips on how I can update this page. My draft is located here: http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/User:WikiWriter2345/Altium_draft
I would appreciate any feedback on this and I'm open to discussions.

Kind regards
WikiWriter2345 (talk) 23:43, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Side note: read Help:Link so you know how to make links like these:

• User:WikiWriter2345/Altium draft
• Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Business#Altium Limited - Company Article
• Wikipedia:FAQ/Organizations#I think my organization deserves an article on Wikipedia but none exists. What can I do? (WP:BFAQ#COMPANY)

Thank you for reading the instructions in WP:BFAQ and attempting to do the right thing. On Wikipedia we have lots of rules, enough to determine what to do in almost every situation. However, we also have Ignore all rules because sometimes doing things by the rules can be very slow. Since Wikipedia is a collaborative editing project, everything depends on who you can collaborate with. That in turn depends on how many people are paying attention to a particular article, page, process, discussion, etc. The Altium Limited article is not getting a huge number of views. That means if you do things the "right" way, which would be to suggest your changes on the article's talk page and wait for someone not connected with the company to implement them, you might be waiting a long time. Or maybe not. Calling attention to your situation on the Help desk is more likely to generate a response, because the Help desk gets more attention from helpful people (go figure) than a lot of other pages on Wikipedia. On much of Wikipedia, the number of people with questions far outweighs the number of people with answers. The answers are all in the manuals, but reading them takes a lot of work.

You took the right approach with User:WikiWriter2345/Altium draft, that is, it's good to write an article draft as a user subpage before going live with it. I don't see any glaring problems with what you wrote. It seems factual and neutral, and avoids peacock language and public relations hagiography. However:

• See WP:LAYOUT as you have your standard sections out of order at the bottom (External links should go last).
• The article could use a See also section. Surely there are some articles related to this one that you haven't mentioned inline. A list of Altium's competitors, for example, would be helpful, and would go a way toward proving your neutrality.
• Has there been any reliably sourced criticism of Altium? An article devoid of criticism of its subject may not be neutral, as nobody is perfect.
• You've linked some of the jargon, but not all of it. The lead section, in particular, should link to something else. For example, what is Altium an example of? Does Wikipedia have articles on the general classes of things that Altium is, does, or sells? Linking to these articles inline helps the reader establish the context for the article's subject.
• When you mention specific individuals in the company, it's nice if they are notable enough to have their own biographical articles. Mentioning people who are not notable can seem a bit suspect.
• The article could use more footnote citations. See WP:FOOT, WP:CITE, and WP:CITET. And please use citation templates. They are a bit bothersome to learn, but the result is more consistent and professional than ad hoc formats.
• You have a set of external links in an "Articles" section. That's not a standard section we normally use (see WP:LAYOUT for the preferred layout). Instead you should turn all those articles into footnotes if you can.
• Some additional reliable sources not connected with the company would be helpful.
• You don't need <br /> tags after every hard return. The MediaWiki software that powers Wikipedia has a wikitext markup language that is designed to be as compact and clean as possible. We normally don't have to resort to using HTML tags unless we are doing something a bit unusual. As a new Wikipedia user, hopefully you won't be doing anything that needs HTML yet.
• Look over some featured articles about other companies, for example Microsoft. Featured articles represent Wikipedia's best work. That's where you want your article to go.
• This phrase might start to brush the border on WP:PEACOCK:
  • "to embrace all the other disciplines that make up the complete electronics design experience."
• How about backing off on the buzzword bingo with:
  • "to support other disciplines that electronic designers use."

You may want to read the book for new Wikipedia users: H:TMM. It tells how to do just about everything you need to know. --Teratornis (talk) 00:53, 27 February 2009 (UTC)