Michael D. Turnbull

Question from GaryConGarner (20:58, 17 November 2025)

Hey Michael, My name is Garner Andrews, and I am the Director of Marketing for Gary Con. It is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Con. There is a current entry about Gary Con on Wikipedia but it is out of date and I would like to update it. This is my first foray into editing and creating Wikipedia pages. Any help is appreciated. --GaryConGarner (talk) 20:58, 17 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi Garner! I would suggest reading up on Wikipedia's conflict of Interest policy at WP:COI, and then making an edit request for your page using specific "Change X to Y" wording while citing reliable sources. I'll post some more information on your talk page about Conflicts of Interest. (talk page stalker) Happy Editing -- IAmChaos 21:53, 17 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi @IAmChaos. Thanks again to you and @Michael D. Turnbull for the help getting these updates made. I have created my personal page and welcome any further conversation on my talk page as you suggested. I have spent the last few months both collecting sources as well as creating the updates that should be appropriate. It will likely be much more than simply changing X to Y because there is so much additional history that is not currently included in the current article. I would welcome additional advice on how to manage it with the use of the Talk page to ensure the changes are accurate and acceptable to all interested. GaryConGarner (talk) 20:34, 26 January 2026 (UTC)

Hi @GaryConGarner and welcome to Wikipedia editing. You have already had some advice from User:IAmChaos which is correct. The important first step is to read the policy on paid editing and comply with the disclosure part via your user page, which is currently a redlink because it has no content. Click on it (e.g. here in your first message) and you'll be able to create it. Paid editors can make some limited changes to the article itself as described at WP:ASFAQ but should mainly propose changes via its talk page, supplying reliable sources to back up the additions. take a look at Talk:Beta Technologies and you'll see the sort of interaction I had with a paid editor for that article. These sorts of collaborations can be very productive when done properly. Regards. Mike Turnbull (talk) 09:48, 18 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi Mike, Can you validate that I have properly added the needed info to my user page in order to cover the paid editor statement? Regards Garner Andrews (talk). GaryConGarner (talk) 20:19, 26 January 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Garner. Yes, that's fine. I see you say on your user page that My first contribution was a major re-write of the Gary Con gaming convention page However, you haven't directly altered that article yet and the best approach to making changegs in view of your COI is to use the edit request wizard on the article's talk page at Talk:Gary Con. The more specific you can make each suggestion, backed up by reliable sources, the easier it is for neutral editors to make the changes. Don't attempt a full re-write in one large chunk as that is unlikely to be accepted. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:54, 27 January 2026 (UTC)

Thanks again @Michael D. Turnbull. I can break it up, but if I am going to do so, how do I effectively make multiple change requests? How do those who will review these proposed changes want to have the change requests separated? And I mean this on a technical level, i.e. should I start creating and naming each edit request in a logical way, e.g. if this is my template text...

::::== COI edit request ==
::::{{edit request|COI=yes}}
::::I am disclosing a conflict of interest as I am paid by Gary Con.
::::I have drafted proposed updates in my sandbox:
::::[[User:YourUsername/Sandbox#Proposed_updates_for_Gary_Con]]
::::Brief description
::::Updated content
::::

...that I then update it like this for request #1 of say #30:

::::== COI edit request 1 ==
::::{{edit request|COI=yes}}
::::I am disclosing a conflict of interest as I am paid by Gary Con.
::::I have drafted proposed updates in my sandbox:
::::[[User:YourUsername/Sandbox#Proposed_updates_for_Gary_Con_edit_1]]
::::Brief description
::::Updated content
::::

And when we have agreement/approval on the change, do I delete that from the talk page?

Please let me know your thoughts. GaryConGarner (talk) 22:05, 27 January 2026 (UTC)

@GaryConGarner I don't think that your approach is a good idea. The disadvantage is that by putting your proposals in your sandbox they will be subject to change in future: the whole idea of article talk pages is to keep all the content together in one place. Talk page content never gets deleted, just archived in some cases if they get too big. My suggestion would be to take one or two (no more!) of your most important suggestions and start the process out with edit requests using the Wizard. The simplest format is "change X to Y based on this citation Z as source". with luck, you'll find a willing volunteer to work with you and later requests can basically be of the type "please update the article based on this list of new sources". That's how things evolved with Talk:Beta Technologies. Check the archive on that talk page for how they started more formally. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:18, 28 January 2026 (UTC)

Question from Farshid ameri on Gematria (01:07, 19 December 2025)

Farshid --Farshid ameri (talk) 01:08, 19 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi @Farshid ameri and welcome to Wikipedia. You don't seem to have edited Gematria, so I'm not clear what your your question might be. I'll try to help if you give me more details. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:31, 19 December 2025 (UTC)

God Jul!

Hello Michael D. Turnbull: Enjoy the holiday season and winter solstice if it's occurring in your area of the world, and thanks for your work to maintain, improve and expand Wikipedia. Cheers, Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 13:11, 22 December 2025 (UTC)

Spread the WikiLove; use {{subst:Season's Greetings}} to send this message

Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 13:11, 22 December 2025 (UTC)

Question from AnalistaDoFutebol (00:54, 23 December 2025)

Hello mate, I use to frequently edit pages regarding footballing topics. Which I'm aware isn't your field. But it is something I'm passionate about, ensuring the most accurate information for general understanding of those looking to widen their knowledge on particularly players, managers or philosophies with such a fast moving industry.

I commonly correct mistakes, add context, and typically provide up to date citations for better understanding of pages that either lack context, or of course have been vandalised. When making small edits, referring to pre existing citations already in the existing page, would you recommend I add further citations for added context? Or doesn't it matter as long as the information changed in the page is accurate in context to the pre existing citation?

This of course would apply to anything outside of football aswell. But I thought I would at least give you further detail in which I tend to spend my time productively on here.

Thanks. --AnalistaDoFutebol (talk) 00:54, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

Hello, I am not your mentor but I can answer that question for you. If the minor edits are covered by the citation then you don't need to add a new citation, if it is new material then please add a new citation. Dafootballguy (talk) 02:51, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

@AnalistaDoFutebol The advice from Dafootballguy is good. All I would add is that Wikipedia is intended to be a long-term repostitory of reliable information, so it prefers secondary sources to primary ones. Hence while an article might say that the final score in a match was 2-1, based on a citation to news outlet, it would be better to replace that citation with a full match review, which of course would still verify the final score. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:03, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

Greeting

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Spread the cheer by adding {{subst:Xmas5}} to their talk page with a friendly message.

—𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨(𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔) 06:06, 25 December 2025 (UTC)

Question from Samfedo (09:06, 25 December 2025)

Hello... I recently wrote a draft article on "LGBTQ representation in Sri Lankan film and television" and it got rejected. In that case, since I cannot resubmit, do I have to make another draft from scratch? --Samfedo (talk) 09:06, 25 December 2025 (UTC)

@Samfedo You have already had quite a lot of advice at the AfC Help Desk. The final rejection told you to stop trying to get this topic in its present form onto Wikipedia, as it doesn't fit our inclusion criteria. I took a quick look and I think that the basic problem is that you are adding your own interpretations of the sources. So, to take just one example, you say of Bahubuthayo that Chaminda is used for comic relief via effeminate, stereotypical portrayal, an example of how early films used offensive gay characterizations to generate humor. and you cite this website for that opinion. Nowhere in that source is any comment on "offensive gay characterizations", so that must be your personal essay-like original interpretation. As that link makes clear, it is not Wikipedia's purpose to publish original thought: it is our job as editors to summarise what has already been published. My advice would be to use your skills to add to existing articles on Sri Lankan films and television by finding reliable reviews that can expand the content. There is no point in starting again on your draft. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:26, 25 December 2025 (UTC)

I will make a new one. Thank you for your advice. Samfedo (talk) 04:39, 26 December 2025 (UTC)

Question from Wikiguys64 (17:33, 26 December 2025)

Note: Wikiguys64's mentor Abo Yemen is away.

Hello there Michael, I hope you are well. I am a young teenager who wants to pursue a career in computer editing. I was just wondering what the benefits of Wikipedia editing is for later life e.g career, casual life I look forward to a response from you, Wikiguy64 --Wikiguys64 (talk) 17:33, 26 December 2025 (UTC)

@Wikiguys64 There are many possible benefits. Maybe the most important is learning how to work in a collaborative environment. For example, if you ever work as a programming specialist, you'll have to collaborate with computer users and, of course, your bosses until you are senior enough to have a team working for you. Beware that here on Wikipedia we don't allow original content: we only summarise what has already been published in reliable sources. I note that several of your contributions have been reverted and I removed another one a moment ago because you had added an opinion However, many online gamers said that the game was the worst FC/Fifa game ever. without supplying a source so that our readers could verify that people had stated that. Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:47, 26 December 2025 (UTC)

Hello Michael, thanks for your informative response. I will include sources in my edits from now on Wikiguys64 (talk) 12:20, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

Question from Itsyaboibiggiecheese (06:16, 27 December 2025)

Note: Itsyaboibiggiecheese's mentor HouseBlaster is away.

Hey, you are my Wikipedia mentor. How many mentees do you have? --Itsyaboibiggiecheese (talk) 06:16, 27 December 2025 (UTC)

@Itsyaboibiggiecheese I have around 1300. Most never ask a question but you can look here on my talk page and its archives to see the ones that did. A huge number of people ask a question and then never edit again, so its clear that many people sign up to Wikipedia but don't really intend to contribute. I hope that you do! Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:47, 27 December 2025 (UTC)

I thank you for the reply. I enjoy editing Itsyaboibiggiecheese (talk) 19:28, 12 January 2026 (UTC)

Question from Gaden-lib (21:25, 3 January 2026)

How can I get improve with Wikipedia --Gaden-lib (talk) 21:25, 3 January 2026 (UTC)

@Gaden-lib I'm not sure what your question means but I have placed links on your talk page which you should read, as they may help. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:26, 4 January 2026 (UTC)

Question from Nepwikigod (19:34, 4 January 2026)

Hey ! Can you help me go through basic guides or some pages where I can learn the basics because I can't do nothing big edits without small edits and for small ones, every page I visit looks perfect --Nepwikigod (talk) 19:34, 4 January 2026 (UTC)

@Nepwikigod Welcome to Wikipedia. There should be some suggestions for simple edits on your homepage tab (see Special:Homepage) and in a few minutes I'll place some links on your talk page which will help with the basics. You should keep away from what we call contentious topics, where I see you have already run into some problems. I can assure you that there are plenty of articles which are far from perfect and could do with your input based on published sources you could find! Maybe you could add some photos you took yourself of places and points of interest near you? There are articles about most places on Earth. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:55, 5 January 2026 (UTC)

Hey michael

Sorry to bother you

i see some things that are added in a locked topics which clearly projects communal hatred or separation so I don't know how people let that just happen. I thought well protected pages don't just add "terms" or topic without thinking thrice but guess people do add if few agrees. I am talking about the recent edits in page Nepal. I don't know if it's the right place to ask but since I saw you've really helpful and a old user here maybe you can look at it and guide me how can I talk to people about the terms they added and on what basis. Since even the constitution doesn't include those words. Once you go to the page you will automatically know what term I am talking about Nepwikigod (talk) 10:41, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

@Nepwikigod The current source cited for the term "mulbasi" which you say is "मुलबासी" in Nepali is supposed to be the government report I accessed at the Internet Archive: citation #5 in the current version of the Nepal article. I searched for both the word itself and your Nepali version in that document: neither seems to be there. I also looked at the Wikipedia article Ethnic groups in Nepal and neither word is there either. This is strange and may be an error! I did find the word "Magar" in the census data, which according to the infobox of the Nepal article is one of the ethnicities that are supposed to make up the Mulbasi group. Magar is present as a word many times in the ethnics groups article.

You are right to challenge the use of the word "mulbasi" via the talk page of Nepal, although you are not allowed to edit the article itself. If I were you I would simply ask "where is the source that verifies this word's existence and meaning?". Verification is a core Wikipedia policy. The word mulbasi was not in the infobox at the end of 2025 but appears to have been added in this first edit by @Dickipedia369, who I am pinging here to allow them to comment. (Their talk page has some comments which may be relevant). If they do not reply within a reasonable time, I will WP:REVERT the article to its state before they made their edits. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:25, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

hello Mr. Turnbull. How are you. The term Mulbasi is another term for (Adivasi Janjati) which you can find in Ethnic groups in Nepal. The term Adivasi Janjati is widely out fashioned and considered derogatory by the people in which they belong. I myself is from the clan. You can Google search and read articles about the topic. If my reply does not meet wikipedia code of conduct you can always revert. But I am here to have constructive edits on wikipedia. Thanks a lot. Have a good day, mate. Cheers! Dickipedia369 (talk) 14:26, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

ne:आदिवासी जनजाति you can go to this nepali wikipedia page. Where it clearly mentions the word Mulbasi (मूलबासी) in nepali devnagari. Dickipedia369 (talk) 14:36, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

and about the nepali wiki you cited, you can view the edit history of how a guy changed the whole paragraph and especially changed terms. The initial paragraph follows a constitution driven approach while the last edit made clearly shows the intend was to change the terms and definitions without any source. Wiki works on reality not on editors thoughts. Since noone really visits Nepali wiki let alone edit, that's why that thing is 12 months old but I will revert it back to original since I can do it and I have source i.s constitutional definition. Why don't you try asking the government to recognise "mulbasi" then me can talk about outing that word on internet Nepwikigod (talk) 18:59, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

and the meaning of mulbasi is "indigenous/main people" of certain land in this case different regions of Nepal. Dickipedia369 (talk) 14:37, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

@Dickipedia369 Thank you for your quick explanation. The problem seems to be that the cited source I linked above contains none of the words Mulbasi, Adivasi or Janjati. Artilces in en:Wikipedia must be based on the sources they quote, not the knowledge of editors here. Obviously, I have no expertise in Nepalese terms and I suggest you and @Nepwikigod continue this discussion at Talk:Nepal to come to a consensus about the content of the relevant articles. By using that page, others who are interested in this topic can make their views known. Mike Turnbull (talk) 14:50, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

hello buddy

Since you are from that calm which was not hard for me to guess with the words you wrote on your page and your recent edits. Wikipedia isn't a place where you put on words that roam around the society you need source and good backing atleast that's what I learned thanks to Micheal. And about the enthinic tree you recently added out of nowhere with no backing is very unfortunate. I am clearly familiar with your intend of addition of that tree but people like Micheal aren't so he's giving you a chance. And what is "Shilpi" exactly? Never in my whole life have I ever heard this word being a Nepali. You are out here spreading communal hatred. You can have the hatred for others inside you but please refrain from spreading these out in international pages. I can prove every single one of your claims wrong. I would have reverted that way back but I don't have the power. Nepwikigod (talk) 18:36, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

hey honey. Since u r from that calm which is not hard fro me to guess from your choices of words. so shilpi is another terms for Dalits. It is dervired from word shilpakar Dickipedia369 (talk) 16:22, 18 January 2026 (UTC)

@Dickipedia369, @Nepwikigod Please both assume good faith in other editors and do not use my talk page to accuse each other of "spreading communal hatred" or to call each other "honey". The correct place for a civilised discussion is at Talk:Nepal, focused solely on how to improve that article. Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:32, 18 January 2026 (UTC)

my apologies mike

I never intended make it a discussion here. You mentioned him here and he started writing here and so did it. My apologies for that. Anyways thanks for the guidance your are really helpful. Hope I can ask questions with you in future too Nepwikigod (talk) 18:39, 18 January 2026 (UTC)

Question from Ahnonvraiment (15:01, 6 January 2026)

Hello Michael,

I've been assigned as your mentee and I wanted to ask one quick question: I'm in the process of researching a handful of mid-20th century French authors / artists whose works are largely out of print. In the event of encountering further biographical details in out-of-print books, is there a recommended process for providing a citation that can be verified? As in, should I scan the book page, and so on. Thank you for your time!

All best,

Nate --Ahnonvraiment (talk) 15:01, 6 January 2026 (UTC)

@Ahnonvraiment There is no need to scan books and as WP:OFFLINE says, verification does not require that it be easy (or cheap) for Wikipedia readers to verify the content. The correct template to use for books is {{cite book}} and it has parameters to allow for translation of the title, if that isn't in English, and similarly for any quote. Note that in writing biographies of authors, you won't normally be using their books as sources but will want to cite commentary from independent reliable sources so as to show how the authors are notable in the quirky way that Wikipedia defines that word. Of course, a biography may include a listing of an author's selected works but should mostly be based on secondary sources. Google books links are useful if you have them and Google is a good source for out-of-print things, although I don't know whether they have much in French. Hope that helps! Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:49, 6 January 2026 (UTC)

Ahnonvraiment, Google books works fine for what you want. Try these examples: Paris Insolite, René Crevel, Francis Carco, Jean Raspail. Note that when you see, 'No preview' in the search result, it means you cannot view pages within the book, as you can sometimes with other books. But if all you want is the citation, just scroll down a bit and click the 'Create citation' button, which you can then copy.

Another good source is the vast resources of Gallica, although there is a bit of a learning curve involved with their website. Here's some search results for Jean-Paul Clébert; click 'Detailed information' (if you get the English interface; I think Gallica uses your IP to decide what language to show you) to see the citation. Mathglot (talk) 22:27, 6 January 2026 (UTC)

Question from Uxtobi (15:58, 7 January 2026)

Hi how do I create a wiki page for a person --Uxtobi (talk) 15:58, 7 January 2026 (UTC)

@Uxtobi In a moment, I'll add to your talk page with some useful links, the most important of which is Help:Your first article. However, I strongly advise you not to dive straight in create an article from scratch. You should first gain some experience by editing existing articles on topics that interest you. There is a lot to learn, especially how the English Wikipedia defines the word notability, which determines whether an article here is a valid topic. If you name the person you intend to write about, with a couple (no more) of the sources of information you intend to use, I can give further advice. Regards. Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:13, 7 January 2026 (UTC)

Question from Tapestrynerd (18:50, 8 January 2026)

Hi Michael,

I’m Tapestry Nerd, I’m new to editing Wikipedia and have been getting started with articles related to textile art and tapestries. While reading and editing, I noticed there seem to be a number of gaps and opportunities to improve clarity, sourcing, and coverage in this area.

I’d really appreciate any general advice you have for a new editor, especially around good citation practices and how to approach making constructive edits that align well with Wikipedia’s standards.

Thanks in advance, I’m enjoying learning how the editing process works. --Tapestrynerd (talk) 18:50, 8 January 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Tapestrynerd and welcome to Wikipedia. In a moment, I'll put some general links on your talk page which will be worth reading when you have time. It is always good to have editors like yourself who want to specialise in particular areas, especially if you have access to books or reliable magazines that others may not. The main thing to say is that Wikipedia articles should be based in the main on secondary sources, not primary ones and that original research is absolutely forbidden: everything in our articles must be based on summarising already-published information. The main policy related to this is one of verification. My other advice is to start small: edit some of our existing articles where you spot deficiencies and only take on the much more difficult task of writing a new article from scratch once you have a few weeks at least of experience. Regards. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:41, 9 January 2026 (UTC)

Question from Chandramohanlodhi on Playboy Club (12:28, 12 January 2026)

Chandramohan --Chandramohanlodhi (talk) 12:28, 12 January 2026 (UTC)

Hello @Chandramohanlodhi. You have not edited the article on the Playboy Club, nor any other Wikipedia article, so you are going to have to explain further if you expect me to answer any questions. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:41, 12 January 2026 (UTC)

Mentee

Can I claim AnilistaDofuteball? We both deal in sports and I'd love to help with them. Happy editing. Dafootballguy (talk) 03:35, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Dafootballguy. Yes, of course. I haven't been contacted by that editor. As you probably know, you can claim them via Special:MentorDashboard. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:54, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

Happy 25th Anniversary of Wikipedia!!

Feel free to read my story at User:Interstellarity/My Story and join in for some Wikipedia-related fun. I hope you like it. Interstellarity (talk) 22:08, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

Question from Sashwat Koirala (10:41, 15 January 2026)

hiii --Sashwat Koirala (talk) 10:41, 15 January 2026 (UTC)

Hi to you, too @Sashwat Koirala, on Wikipedia's 25th anniversary. Do you have anything I can help with? Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:53, 15 January 2026 (UTC)

Question from Mcaballerogarcia (13:24, 21 January 2026)

How can I move my article to "Maria Caballero Garcia" if I do not have the "Move" tab? --Mcaballerogarcia (talk) 13:24, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

@Mcaballerogarcia New editors are not allowed to move articles into mainspace for the simple reason that their inexperience inevitably means that Wikipedia's policy, especially in relation to biographies of living people are unlikely to have been met. In your case, you have created a draft on your user page and it is clearly an attempt at an autobiography. Please read that link to understand why creating autobiographies is very much discouraged and almost always fails. If you want to try again (which I don't recommend) you should use the articles for creation process and demonstrate how you meet the notability requirements laid out at this page. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:41, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

Question from Lissibet (16:40, 26 January 2026)

Hello Mr Turnbull, It is nice to e-meet you. I am looking to publish my current organisation, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ghana via Wikipedia as well as the educational institutions I attended. I would really appreciate guidance from you regarding how to go about it. Also, I am looking to organise one or two events associated with Wikipedia in my community for youths. I will keep you posted on this.

Looking forward to connecting with you.

Regards, Elizabeth --Lissibet (talk) 16:40, 26 January 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Elizabeth and welcome to Wikipedia. I see that you have already made some edits as you get to know your way around. Writing a new article from scratch is much more difficult! One of the issues if you want to draft something about the FDA in Ghana is that you have a conflict of interest and in Wikipedia terms that means you also may be considered to be a paid editor. Basically, you'll need to formally declare your employment and use the articles for creation process so that experienced editors can check your work. You'll have to show in the draft how the FDA meets our somewhat quirky requirements for what we call "notability". This means finding about three sources which are of the very best as explained here and basing your draft mainly on these. More advice at this essay. Let me know by adding to this thread if you have further questions after reading the links I've given you. Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:02, 26 January 2026 (UTC)

Thank you, Mr Turnbull.

Apologies for the delay in response. I will do better in the future.

I appreciate your prompt response. It is well noted and highly appreciated.

I will read through the shared links and revert if I have further questions. Lissibet (talk) 20:59, 3 February 2026 (UTC)

Question from RoyalDaddyJ (07:22, 28 January 2026)

Yes please. How do I add pictures to the Wikipedia article? Thanks --RoyalDaddyJ (talk) 07:22, 28 January 2026 (UTC)

Hi @RoyalDaddyJ and welcome to Wikipedia. There are basically two steps to adding a picture to an existing article. The first is to upload the picture itself (e.g. a .jpg) to Wikimedia Commons using the upload wizard at Commons:Special:UploadWizard. You must be careful of copyright as this is a legal part of the process: it is simplest if you took the picture personally using your own camera. Otherwise (e.g. for random pictures you found on the Internet) it is unlikely they can be used, although there are some circumstances where they can. It gets complicated, so let me know if you are talking about pictures you didn't take! The upload process involves assigning a name to the file: for example one of mine was File:Hawthorndale Mansion 2018-2.jpg, which is now in the article Jealott's Hill. See Help:Pictures for how to do that part. Essentially, it involves linking the filename into the article's text. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:32, 28 January 2026 (UTC)

Question from Oluwatamilore Adeniran (19:39, 29 January 2026)

hello how do i make an article --Oluwatamilore Adeniran (talk) 19:39, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Oluwatamilore Adeniran and welcome to Wikipedia. There is extensive advice at Help:Your first article. However, I would warn you that creating new articles is much more difficult than contributing to the millions of articles already here. In particular, you need to provide citations to the sources you have used: that was one problem with the draft you had in your sandbox. You need to summarise these sources in your own words and show how the topic is worth including - a concept we call notability. Please read the linked pages I have given you. Mike Turnbull (talk) 21:54, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

Question from Alexanderiro (18:19, 31 January 2026)

Note: Alexanderiro's mentor Justiyaya is away.

Hello. I created a article called Poe Myat Hay Thar who is an international pageant title holder from Myanmar. But a person deleted that by saying she is not notable. But She is the Face Of Beauty International 2023 and Miss International Myanmar 2024. What should I do right now? --Alexanderiro (talk) 18:19, 31 January 2026 (UTC)

@Alexanderiro I need a bit more information from you before I can give a good answer. You uploaded File:Poe Myat Hay Thar.jpg to Commons and have stated that it is your "own work", implying that you were the photographer for the picture. Is that correct and if so, what is your connection to Poe Myat Hay Thar? Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:35, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

Hello, user: Michael D. Turnbull. I am from MUM org who own Miss Universe Myanmar license for past 12 years. These photo are owned by our organization. Poe Myat Hay Thar a.k.a Kendra Erika, Face Of Beauty International 2023, is from our organization and that photo is the paid arrangement from us. So technically, we,MUM org., have fully copyright ownership. And we let the photo free to use. We are making an article about her but some author deleted the article saying the article is so short. So, we can't use that photo right now but I'll make another long one in anytime soon. If you have more questions, you can ask me. Thank you so much for your care. Alexanderiro (talk) 20:12, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

@Alexanderiro Your article was not deleted but was moved to draft and is now at Draft:Poe Myat Hay Thar. Wikipedia does not allow entries in the main encyclopedia unless the subject is notable in the specific meaning of the word described at this link. Most of the 8 billion people on the planet (me included) are not notable and can't have articles. Any draft you produce must demonstrate notability by using sources which are from reliable published sources independent of their subject and which have significant information about them. This is summarised here. I checked your draft and it only has two sources. The "faceofbeautyinternational" one only mentions Kendra Erika in a YouTube video she herself uses for promotion: that is clearly not independent! The other has no evidence of editorial oversight and very little information: not much more than a PR piece. This is simply insufficient to base an article on. We usually need at least three decent sources. I must also point out that you have a conflict of interest in writing about anything connected to your organisation and in Wikipedia terms you may be considered to be a paid editor, which under the terms and conditions stated at that link means that you have to make a declaration about that and only use the articles for creation process. Please read the links I have provided to see all the implications. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:22, 2 February 2026 (UTC)

Question from Owenchris123owen (23:13, 1 February 2026)

Hello. This was my first attempt to edit I added to 'the lady from the lake' that the BBC broadcast this play in 1974. Indeed it is being repeated now on BBC4 (1 feb 2026) I included Eileen Atkins, and tried to link to her page but this didn't work --Owenchris123owen (talk) 23:13, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

@Owenchris123owen I can see your edit here. The main problem with it isn't that you don't include a link to Eileen Atkins, which is trivially easy but that you didn't include any citation to a source which a Wikipedia reader could use to verify that what you wrote is factually correct. (Also the point that 1 Feb 2026 is now in the past, so should be "was shown", not "showing"). To generate a link, one wraps the name of the target article in double [ brackets, so in this case [[Eileen Atkins]] into the text. See Help:Introduction to editing with Wiki Markup/1 for full details and a tutorial. Let me know if you have other questions: many will be answered by reading the links that PolishHamster put on your talk page. Good luck. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:36, 2 February 2026 (UTC)

Quick question

Mike ...

Here's a paragraph from the Jackson-Reed High School article. I was thinking to make an edit in it even though that's where I went to high school, because as I was reading the article just to get updated on the school after its name change a few years ago, I noticed something that surprised me: mention of the first two class presidents when the school was built. As far as I know, they aren't notable. I checked the school's website to see if there was a list of graduates who've gone on to fame in case they might be on it, but found that there wasn't.

Do you agree this information shouldn't appear, or in articles like a school's opening is it okay?

"Wilson High School graduated its first students in February 1937. Chester Moye was the president of the February graduation class. The school held its first spring commencement exercises for 290 students on June 23, 1937. Robert Davidson was the class president." Augnablik (talk) 07:40, 4 February 2026 (UTC)

@Augnablik I don't think that the issue is one of notability: after all, the first principal (Norman J. Nelson) is mentioned in the same section and he isn't notable either. Given we are talking about 1937, there won't be a WP:BLP concern and lots of articles mention people who aren't otherwise notable but just part of the historic record. This is especially true of people like the CEO and other office holders of companies What worries me about that section of the article is that the mentions of class presidents are not cited to a source. WP:V is a policy and if there is no reliable source (even the school's own website) then that alone is grounds for removing the information. Actually, with my access to newspapers.com, I readily found citations for in the Times Herald for Mon, Jan 25, 1937 ·Page 14 that says 34 students were in that first graduation class and that Chester Moye was its president. There is a long article in The Washington Herald of Sat, Jan 30, 1937 ·Page 8 giving Nelson's name as principal and mentioning Moye, although not his class presidency. So, with these citations added, I think the article would be fine! Wikipedia is all about published sources.... Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:43, 4 February 2026 (UTC)

Gosh, thanks! This may be the first time that a mentor has done a source search for a mentee in Wikipedia's history … but, then, not all mentors are also gnomes …

For some incongruous reason, it didn't even occur to me that if early principals could be mentioned in a Wiki article without question, so could early student council presidents.

Because I know newspapers.com is accessed by a paid subscription, I can't help asking, wouldn't you have access to newspaper archives in the Wikipedia Library and avoid having to pay for one? Augnablik (talk) 13:09, 4 February 2026 (UTC)

Yes, my access is via TWL. I've had it for just over a year and it was renewed recently. You have to apply for access: it's not automatic even if you are a member of TWL, as I assume you are. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:25, 4 February 2026 (UTC)

This is really helpful news. I have a long way to go to get up to par using the Library—so many resources, so much to learn about getting access to them. Augnablik (talk) 14:03, 4 February 2026 (UTC)

So, Mike, I just went to TWL to sign up for a newspapers.com subscription but couldn't find it listed under CONTINENTAL or NATIONAL resources as well as REGIONAL resources. Where did you go to do it? Augnablik (talk) 06:56, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

There is detail of what to do at this URL. The process is a bit clunky but once you have access then newspapers.com is part of the standard TWL access page. The information panel there tells you when your subscription will expire and gives a link which allows you to request an extension. In practice, I no longer go through that library page when I want to access newspapers.com; I go direct to their website and log on with my email address as username. Their system knows that I have a "free" account via TWL. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:09, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

Done. But why isn't newspaper.com on the list with all the other resources … unless because of an apparent shutdown at least a year ago that seems straightened out now? Augnablik (talk) 12:54, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

No idea. I see it on my list between the entries for NewspaperARCHIVE.com and Nomos, where I'd expect it to be. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:02, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

Question from Hassen19 (12:52, 9 February 2026)

Hi, I'd like my article to be reviewed again, please can you help me resubmit it for review? Thank you --Hassen19 (talk) 12:52, 9 February 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Hassen19. There is a big blue button on the draft (at the link Draft:Creative Media Authority) which would allow you to re-submit it. however, you would be wasting your time as the citations are not properly attached to the pieces of text which they support. See Help:Referencing for beginners for some instructions. Looking at that draft, it seems that most of the citations you used actually refer to the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, which is an article we already have and which you contributed to last year. I've looked at that article and it is dreadful in respect of the way it has been cited. It has used external links (bare URL) instead of properly formed citations with the {{cite web}} template. Your time now would be much better spent bringing that article up to scratch. The fact that you have only previously edited this one article before trying to draft an article about a related topic prompts me to ask: what is your connection to these organisations? Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:36, 9 February 2026 (UTC)

Thank you for this feedback, I have updated it, please can you kindly review. I work with the organisations. Hassen19 (talk) 14:16, 9 February 2026 (UTC)

@Hassen19 I can see the changes you have made to Abu Dhabi Film Commission and in a while I'll tidy it up a bit more. Meanwhile, to be in line with the Wikimedia Foundation's terms and conditions, there is a mandatory declaration you must make about your WP:PAID status as an employee of these organisations. See that link for details. Mike Turnbull (talk) 14:45, 9 February 2026 (UTC)

Now much tidier! Note also that the WP:PAID terms mean that you should only add any more to that article via edit requests on its talk page, in view of your COI. It is fine to create new drafts provided you use the articles for creation process, as you are doing, although I don't think that the new draft will be accepted because it overlaps so much with the existing published one. Mike Turnbull (talk) 15:31, 9 February 2026 (UTC)

Newspapers.com

I have a subscription now! But I can't figure out how to (1) slide my cursor up the pages of newspaper articles to go faster than using the Up arrow, and (2) jump to the top and bottom of pages. There must be some way, right? Augnablik (talk) 12:28, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

@Augnablik Try this link, which is one of the articles we were talking about. When I hover over that newspaper page with my PC mouse, I see a tiny cursor looking like a right hand. Pressing and sliding that around moves the page image. There is also a big + and - which allow the page to be zoomed in/out. Note also the "clip" tool at the top, which allows you to create a crop of just the part of the page you want for a Wikipedia citation, although the URL you will get has unwanted bits if you go direct from TWL rather than through your account independently. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:47, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

Mike, the hand icon moves the page around but it's not quite what I was hoping for. I guess that's all that's available, though, or else you'd know.

And yes, I knew about the Plus and Minus icons, which are somewhat helpful.

I've just found a new wrinkle in some of the articles I've looked at that are continued on pages of another section in the newspaper: when I type the letter and page number of the continuation page in the field at the bottom of the screen, I'm never taken there. Have you found this too, and if so, do you have a solution? Augnablik (talk) 13:25, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

As for the Clip tool, I tried it earlier—but from the results I can see I need some further practice! Augnablik (talk) 13:30, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

I've not needed to hop from one page into another section, so far. Can you link a newspaper.com page URL here where that would be required and I'll poke around to see if I can find a solution: basically, I'm an experimentalist! Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:36, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

"I'm an experimentalist"—yes, I've seen examples of your chemist background re-emerging in the past!

Okay, here's one such continuing article:

“‘Joy in Meditation’: Swami desires to bring Indian teachings West”

By Gary Christian

The Houston Post

Sun, Mar 19, 1978 ·Page 102

At the end of the article, it says, “Please see ‘Joy’ page 16BB. But how? Augnablik (talk) 14:25, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

Oops, you did ask for a link. That would be a bit of a challenge because I'm typing on my phone, and I use newspapers.com on my computer … which for some reason doesn't always show messages as quickly as my phone does. Neither of your recent messages is appearing there, so if I post it on your Talk page on my computer, I think it will screw things up.

Solving which could be another juicy experiment for you … Augnablik (talk) 14:32, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

I got to the page 6BB which was the start of the "Joy" story but actually numbered page 102 in the floating box at the bottom. It said that the next piece was at 16BB, so I "guessed" that 16BB would be image page 112, ten pages later. It was, namely this one. I can't readily see another way to do that other than by looking at the original hitlist with relevant keywords, including looking only within a particular newspaper + date combination. Don't talk to me about "Smart"phones. I hate them for anything to do with typing. Mike Turnbull (talk) 15:32, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

I didn't quite follow the logic of how you figured out what to do in the "floating box," I think you called it. Would you work your experiment on this article, and tell me what you did to reach the equivalent of "C10, Col. 1"?

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1235080073/?match=1

As to why I often read and answer messages on my phone rather than my computer, I have the Wikipedia app on my phone—it's convenient to get a quick idea of new messages, especially replies.

Plus as I mentioned, I've learned that my phone may be more up to date on incoming messages than my computer, which seems very strange. If I know that a reply I'll make to a message is likely to be long, I go back to my computer to try to work there, depending on whether the message has arrived yet.

Yes, I know it seems my computer is haunted at times, considering how my cursor jumps above and leftward when I need to type a capital letter or several punctuation marks! At least I haven't had any further Internet access drama. Augnablik (talk) 18:41, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

The link you provided was, I assume (again, a "guess") actually page C1 of the original printed newspaper. Hence C10 would be 9 pages later. The floating box at the foot of the page you linked said it was image 23, so add 9 and get "page" 32, which is indeed the correct place, namely this one. I wonder whether the issue about your PC browser being slow compared to your phone is simply that you need to refresh the browser page to see the new message: that's Ctrl-R on most browsers, or the little circular arrow top left. Mike Turnbull (talk) 09:59, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

Thanks, Mike, I think I get what to do now—although the "23" I see in the floating box for this article says page rather than image, but it seems to be the same thing.

About the other issue—my computer's delay in showing me the most recent version of Wiki conversatiions—I don't think refreshing is the key to the mystery because I've often refreshed without results. But the way I did that up to now (pressing the Return/Enter key in the web address field) is a little less efficient than the circular arrow and especially the Ctrl-R (probably Cmd-R on my Macintosh), so I'm glad to have those tips.

And having a subscription to newspapers.com is the best gift I've had in a long time! Augnablik (talk) 16:41, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

Question from Itsparroww (11:11, 16 February 2026)

How to add external links 😕 --Itsparroww (talk) 11:11, 16 February 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Itsparroww and welcome to Wikipedia. See Help:Links, which explains how to use [ brackets to create external links and the text a reader would see. There is also a good way to convert an external link into a citation of the type we use in articles as source references. Just paste the URL into this webpage.

I notice that your sandbox and talk page are places where you have started to create draft articles about Chahak Arora, who, you say is associated with Itsparroww Music Company (the same as your username). This suggests you are writing about yourself or someone you know. That's a very bad idea, for reasons mentioned in Wikipedia's autobiography guidance and concerns about editing with a conflict of interest. New editors who try to create such articles nearly always fail and have a frustrating time here. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:20, 16 February 2026 (UTC)

Your Teahouse response

Here you said deleted articles can sometimes be found at Deletionpedia. I can't get there any more. Do you know something I don't?— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 00:31, 21 February 2026 (UTC)

@Vchimpanzee. No, I confess I was just parroting what I had seen other people write. As our article you linked says, Deletionpedia is defunct. However, the fact that it existed (and some similar sites still exist) means that other places like the Internet Archive may have copies of WP-deleted articles and never-accepted articles since while they were here they wouldn't necessarily have been accessible to indexing by robots but when copied out they could have become accessible. Of course, the simplest way to get back some articles is via WP:REFUND. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:06, 21 February 2026 (UTC)

Question from Waffling Wally (09:33, 23 February 2026)

Hi Michael, sorry to bother you but I’m stuck on a small edit. I spotted that “Arun Valley”, on the “List of Special Areas of Conservation in England” page was incorrectly linking to the Wikipedia page describing the one in Tibet/Nepal! I edited/removed the link but then noticed I needed to make it a ‘red’ link. I’ve followed the instructions on the Red Link page, but it reinstated the original incorrect link! I’ve undone this edit so the link is now black, but it clearly needs set to red. Any guidance or direction you can give would be much appreciated. Thanks, Peter. --Waffling Wally (talk) 09:33, 23 February 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Waffling Wally. I see the problem at List of Special Areas of Conservation in England. Basically, to make Arun Valley a redlink and not default to the existing Arun Valley article you need to think what the page for the English valley would be called if and when it were created. I guess it would be "Arun Valley (England)". You can create a redlink for that with the Wikitext using a WP:PIPEd link. [[Arun Valley (England)|Arun Valley]] renders correctly as Arun Valley. The only problem is that when the article about the English Valley is created, it may get some other name (e.g. "Arun Valley (Sussex)") and your redlink won't turn blue. One can sometimes get round that by using a link to Wikidata but unfortunately the English valley doesn't have an entry there. While searching in Wikidata, I found that we do have an article on the Arun Valley line, a local rail line! Maybe your link on the conservation list should be piped to that in the meantime. Incidentally, the list article is very poor in respect of citations/sources: it only has one. If you are interested in the topic, maybe you could find others and cite them in the text before the actual list. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:29, 23 February 2026 (UTC)

“Hat up”

Hi, Mike …

Is this a term you're familiar with — and if so, would you explain it to me? I know the context is doing something to a Wikipedia page. But what? Augnablik (talk) 17:00, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

@Augnablik I've not heard of that exact term but it is probably a reference to WP:HATNOTES which are templates that go on top of articles to explain something such as "this is about topic A, for topic B see...." Mike Turnbull (talk) 18:31, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

Like replacing former templates, perhaps … well, I guess that could be. If I ever find out for sure, I'll share the discovery! Augnablik (talk) 05:37, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

Next question (this is a pop quiz, you see):

If I'm writing directions for editors to go to an existing Wikipedia page where there's a table, and make them land on a specific column of a specific table, is that possible?

The column heading would be New rollover total … and it would be the 6th column from the left. Augnablik (talk) 10:22, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

If it is possible, it would have to be an WP:ANCHOR. I've no idea if these work within tables but you can experiment! (e.g. create a table with an anchor in your sandbox and see if you can link to it.) Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:51, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

See Help:Tables_and_locations#Section_link_or_map_link_to_a_row_anchor. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:54, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

Success! Fortunately, using an Anchor template is similar to something I'm used to doing in word processing, though with different terminology.

Last question on your pop quiz: if you want to write a message to someone or some group in MediaWiki, is there a way they can respond to your Wikipedia address rather than somewhere in MediaWiki, so as to avoid your having to create a new address over there? Augnablik (talk) 12:10, 28 February 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you mean by "new address". Your single account with its logon ID of Augnablik + passsword is valid on all Wikimedia sites. Special:CentralAuth/Augnablik shows that you have local accounts all over the place. The alert system will give cross-wiki alerts to your en: account if anyone pings you on another wiki and the "subscribe" system for talk page messages also works across all wikis. Special:TopicSubscriptions will list all the places where you have subscribed to a talk thread. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:29, 28 February 2026 (UTC)

Interesting, both links. Though I wonder why the first one shows "local accounts all over the place," as I don't recall setting them up … and I also wonder why the second link says I subscribed to all those message threads because I sure don't recall doing so. I think I need to check if I've inadvertently set some preference to make that happen.

Thanks for all the new fragments of wisdom! Augnablik (talk) 16:05, 28 February 2026 (UTC)

You don't realise you are setting them up because it is done automatically; you just need to read a foreign-language article e.g. by clicking on an inter-language link and you'll get an account at that wiki. Some foreign language versions automatically send "welcome" messages to your email when that occurs and this is a frequent source of annoyance mentioned at the Teahouse when people don't realise why they are suddenly getting strange messages! Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:11, 28 February 2026 (UTC)

Also interesting. I must have missed seeing those messages in the Teahouse. But foreign language wikis weren't the only places that appeared on my subscription list ...

Speaking of the Teahouse, I think our friend whose messaging we discussed elsewhere may have refrigerated a bit or even gone on vacation. Augnablik (talk) 07:20, 1 March 2026 (UTC)

On a short break only. He made lots of comments there yesterday. Let's WP:AGF. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:27, 1 March 2026 (UTC)

So far, Mike. I haven't seen anything all that cantankerous. But I'll keep a lookout. I was holding out on AGFing earlier because of the same thing.

Nothing remotely near what I myself dealt with on occasion. Augnablik (talk) 17:18, 1 March 2026 (UTC)

Is there a way in the Teahouse to see all messages from a specific editor? If so, that would save me a bit of time in sleuthing. Augnablik (talk) 07:51, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

You can do that by searching within the user's contributions page for any user. Use the "Search contributions" drop-down and choose "Wikipedia" for the namespace and the tag filter "discussiontools-reply" (which you get by choosing "reply"). Then choose a date range if you wish, say 1 Jan 2026 on. For my contributions, that gives this output, which as you will see is pretty much what you would want. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:53, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

This looks very helpful. I need to pester you again, though, because when I tried this out on my own Contributions page, I still haven't quite succeeded. Here's what I've been able to do so far, writing out your directions a little more in detail in case I need to do this again in the future.

Go to the editor's Contributions page. Click on Search for contributions in the box near the top of the page. On the dropdown menu that you now see, go to the Namespace field and select "Wikipedia." Now go to the Tag filter field and click on ______.

This is where I'm stumped because I don't find a tag filter by the name of "discussiontools-reply." Augnablik (talk) 12:32, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Oh, wait ... now I see. It wasn't quite clear to me that I wasn't supposed to go to a tag by the name of "discussiontools-reply" — but "Reply." I misunderstood "choosing reply."

Go to the editor's Contributions page. Click on Search for contributions in the box near the top of the page. On the dropdown menu that you now see, go to the Namespace field and select "Wikipedia." Now go to the Tag filter field and click on "Reply." Lastly, go to the "From date" and "To date" fields and provide the date range that you want to search for results. Click on the Search button for the results.

I think this covers everything. Now to try it out for our friend. Augnablik (talk) 12:46, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Question from Miley Jo the Chorkie (21:13, 5 March 2026)

Hi Michael, I want to create a Wikipedia Page for my dog, Miley Jo the Chorkie. I created a Wikimedia but I didn't add the supporting links yet. I can add those. I haven't tried to upload a picture yet. I do realize it's a conflict of interest for me to do a page for my own dog. Are you available to assist or advise on how to do a Wikipedia Page for her? --Miley Jo the Chorkie (talk) 21:13, 5 March 2026 (UTC)

@Miley Jo the Chorkie Welcome to Wikipedia. At first, I thought that this was a joke or a hoax but I've just used a specialist search which shows me that you might just be able to do what you wish, provided you follow the advice I can provide. You need to read this page about conflicts-of-interest. We do allow COI editing provided that new articles are created using a process explained at WP:AFC, which involves creating a draft, presumably at the current redlink Draft:Miley Jo the Chorkie. You will also find it useful to read this essay and this one and to skim-read Help:Your first article. Pictures don't matter: articles are accepted just based on the text which must demonstrate notability of the topic.

There is a steep learning curve here for new editors, so you would be well advised to start by contributing to existing articles on topics which interest you so you can get a general feel for the place. We have a policy about user names that basically doesn't allow editors to impersonate notable people (or dogs, in this case), so you may run foul of that! See WP:MISLEADNAME - but if you are disclosing your COI perhaps that will be OK. Good luck! Mike Turnbull (talk) 22:03, 5 March 2026 (UTC)

Thanks Mike! You made me smile. I needed that! Not a hoax or a joke, my dog is well known in the fashion world and as a pet influencer. I have the links to prove it. She has a webpage too.

https://mileyjothechorkie.com

I created her a Wikimedia Page, I was going to add links and a picture. I can't get back into it to add them now. It is definitely more complicated than I expected. Without a lot of help, I don't think I will accomplish a Wikipedia for her.

I appreciate your response. Yes, I do realize it would be a conflict of interest to do my own dog's page. Would you like to do it for me? Think of what a great achievement it would be, probably more for Miley Jo and I than you, but still, an accomplishment! You are the pro, you could do it, probably in minutes. I would be so happy. Which would make you happy! So, a win win! All kidding aside, although, I was serious about that...have a great day! Thank you for your response.

Best regards,

Jodie Miley Jo the Chorkie (talk) 22:21, 5 March 2026 (UTC)

User:Gråbergs Gråa Sång I seem to remember from Kratu (dog) that you may be interested in this challenge?

@Miley Jo the Chorkie You created a "page" in that you used your userpage to load some information about your dog. That's not an article and won't be indexed by search engines. Also, it is against the spirit of WP:UPYES and may get deleted by an administrator. Gråbergs Gråa Sång is your best bet: I prefer cats! Mike Turnbull (talk) 22:56, 5 March 2026 (UTC)

Hi Mike,

You were correct. Everything I did was deleted. I tried, perhaps someday somebody will create a Wikipedia for Miley Jo the Chorkie.

Thank you for your feedback. Much appreciated. Miley Jo the Chorkie (talk) 04:57, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

@Miley Jo the Chorkie I did a quick googling, and it's easy to find some sources like .

The first (not only) hurdle is WP:N, WP:s rule for "should we have an article about [whatever]." For example, we have an article about Bethan's Rock because the BBC wrote about it.

What we need is at least three sources that are at the same time reliably published (WP:RS), independent of the subject, and about the subject in some depth/detail, as in at least a decent paragraph and preferably more. This exclude your websites, blogs, social media, wikis, online bookstores, etc, etc. The examples I linked fails here because they're not in depth, they're what we call passing mentions. They're pretty good for making an article about the Pet Gala, though.

So, given this context, what are the 3-5 best sources you can think of? Something like would be good. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 06:44, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

Thank you so much for looking into this. She has received a lot of media over the years, although, I do see the issue of passing mentions.

Here's 4 more that could possibly work. I know I have more, I can look see what else I have that would be acceptable.

Pet Age Magazine

https://www.petage.com/managing-a-pet-influencer-an-interview-with-jodie-keisel-dog-mom-of-miley-jo-the-chorkie/

20 Pet Influencers you should follow by Gordon Glenister

https://gordonglenister.com/20-pet-influencers-you-should-follow-in-2022/

What it's like being a dog influencer featuring Miley Jo

https://gordonglenister.com/what-its-like-being-a-dog-influencer-ft-miley-jo/

FilmFreeway - Sunshine State of Mind

https://filmfreeway.com/SunshineStateofMind476

Again, thank you! I really appreciate it. Miley Jo the Chorkie (talk) 14:34, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

@Miley Jo the Chorkie These won't really work as the petage and filmfeeway ones are based on interviews and hence are not independent. I couldn't look at the gordonglenister ones as they started to trigger anti-virus warnings. Finding good sources for Wikipedia articles is harder than it looks! Newspapers.com had a few based on an Associated Press report from 2024 but all of them were brief mentions only. It looks like you will have to stick to social media and your own website for this, sorry.... Mike Turnbull (talk) 15:09, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

The first is mostly an interview with you, and in WP-verse, we count that as not independent, even if it's in NYT. That doesn't mean it's useless as a source (WP:ABOUTSELF) for some stuff, but it doesn't help much with WP:N. Since it's not 100% Q&A I'd argue that it helps a little, but other Wikipedians might disagree with me.

My virus program warned me of gordonglenister but let me look, this looks like a fail per WP:SPS to me.

The last one begins "My dog, Miley Jo the Chorkie..." so no, that's not independent. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 15:24, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

I truly appreciate your assistance. Unfortunately, a lot of her media coverage are mentions. I'm trying to think of other coverage. This might not be possible, I was hopeful, but losing faith that she can get a Wikipedia Page. I also wasn't expecting such nice people like you and Mike to try to assist. I appreciate you both and your efforts. Miley Jo the Chorkie (talk) 15:38, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

@Miley Jo the Chorkie Even if sources are lacking now, they might appear in the future (WP:TOOSOON). Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 15:50, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

We'll see. Thanks for your help and positivity. Miley Jo the Chorkie (talk) 16:40, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

Btw, Mike, get us a pic of that rock, would you? ;) Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 06:50, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

Oddly, none of the Google images seem to have the correct CC license. I don't live anywhere near Poole but the best bet will be to email the museum (hello@poolemuseum.org.uk) and ask them e.g. to put a picture on their website with a CC BY SA 4.0 license. If you mention the upcoming DYK, that should do it, even though their website is currently a complete mess. It astonishes me that User:A Thousand Doors, the editor who started the article, didn't realise that an image would be rather vital! Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:43, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

I've looked on YouTube as well, but no "free" video I could find. I did ask the uploader of , but she may not be watching her WP-talkpage. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 12:46, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

@Michael D. Turnbull: Wikipedia's image use policy rightly takes copyright law very seriously, and, as you've seen, there aren't any images of the rock available online with an acceptable free licence. Consequently, I created the article without a picture of the rock, in the hope that perhaps one could be added in the future. It's unfortunate, but this is standard practice on Wikipedia. Thanks, A Thousand Doors (talk | contribs) 16:51, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

Question from Mabel2026 (17:11, 6 March 2026)

Greetings. I submitted a draft and it was immediately deleted for copyright infringement. I've asked the owner of the site I copied from for permission.... but when I go to link the "draft" - it is gone. One person said I had 7 days to fix, another said it would be deleted in 6 months... but Arcticocean deleted it, so I can't even access it. Do I need to start over or is it somewhere I just don't see. Thank you. --Mabel2026 (talk) 17:11, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Mabel2026. I'm afraid that copyright is complicated and Wikipedia takes it very seriously. I am not an administrator, so I can't see your draft and although admins have access to deleted files they will not, by policy, restore it. The comment about the "7 days" is in relation to Wikimedia Commons for images only, which is the grace period allowed for evidence to be presented that the copyright holder has given permission via a process described at c:Commons:Email_templates. Drafts which are untouched for 6 months get automatically deleted but that's not relevant to your case.

Wikipedia articles should be based on summarising sources in your own words, not copying them wholesale. The summary needs to use multiple sources and overall to demonstrate how the topic is notable in the quirky way that Wikipedia uses that word. There's lots of help at Help:Your first article but I'd advise newcomers to start by adding to existing articles that interest them to learn their way around. I may be able to give more advice if you tell me what the subject you want to write about is. Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:37, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

Question from Saffron42 (21:24, 7 March 2026)

Hey Michael!

Just learned I've been ascribed a mentor. I do have a quick question.

I often see statements on Wiki pages that I feel surely ought to have a source but don't. What are the criterea that means a sentence ought to have a source?

Thanks! Sam --Saffron42 (talk) 21:24, 7 March 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Saffron42 and welcome. The relevant policy on Wikipedia is described at the link WP:verify. Sometimes the source will be stated at the end of a paragraph and at other times right next to the part it is confirming, depending on context. See WP:CITE for some of the technical aspects. We have especially strict requirements for WP:Biographies of living people that says you can delete immediately anything not properly and reliably sourced. However, we don't remove all unsourced material in non-biographies if we believe the missing information is likely to be true. Also, WP:stand alone lists and the lead section of articles have different rules. We can tag sentences that seem to be missing sources with the template {{cn}}, which means "citation needed". I can give more advice if you point out a specific case of interest to you. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:17, 8 March 2026 (UTC)

Incidentally, in this edit you used a citation "Tuvalu A-Division (women)", Wikipedia, 2024-02-26, retrieved 2024-03-07 which if you look a the edit history has been flagged as using a deprecated source. WP:Wikipedia is not a reliable source! You need to cite the underlying external source which backs up your statement. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:28, 8 March 2026 (UTC)

Question from Bharjhav on 2026 Assam Legislative Assembly election (01:02, 9 March 2026)

Hello, friend I will help with some needs about 2026 assam legislative assembly elections. --Bharjhav (talk) 01:02, 9 March 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Bharjhav You don't say what help you need but I saw that there were some errors in the citations that are easiest to fix in the source editor. Did this edit fix it? Note that I added the name of the journalist as we like to credit external authors when we can. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:54, 9 March 2026 (UTC)

Question from Icantreadalphabetically (00:52, 10 March 2026)

I have got another question! I might have broken something (sorry!). I was trying to add another citation but it did not let me reuse an old citation from the same article so I added the same citation again but changed the page. I already thought it was weird cause it used [12] instead of [669] or whatever it actually should have been. Well now it is broken: "Dorril 2006, p. 6. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFDorril2006 (help)"

How do I fix that where it keeps my very minor edit in which I just wanted to add the proper pages in citation but doesnt break another citation on the page? I am honestly a bit flabbergasted... Thank you so much for your help!

It is the citation on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_Mosley and I tried adding the page number to Dorril on the section on marriage to Diana Mitford. It broke it in the beginning of the page. --Icantreadalphabetically (talk) 00:53, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

@Icantreadalphabetically The simplest thing to do first when an apparently simple addition makes a mess is to WP:REVERT your own contribution. I've done that. Now, when we look at what you added we can see that you created a new book-type citation for ISBN=978-0-670-86999-2 but that book is already in the sources. That confused the software. What you need to do instead is just quote your new pages (609-610) in the {{sfn}} style that the template being used expects. Click on the template link to see the instructions. There is only one book by Dorril in the "works cited" section of Oswald Mosley, so citing new pages is relatively easy. You will need the code {{Sfn|Dorril|2006|p=609–610}} placed into the text where you want the citation to be. This is easiest to do in the source editor! Give it a try and get back to me if you have further questions. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:52, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Yes, I wanted to revert but did not know how to :/. I tried using the visual editor only, because I have been burned by templates on a different wiki before. How do I see if I need to change to source editing for specific templates? Is the cite stuff from the visual editor different than the Sfn template? Icantreadalphabetically (talk) 14:51, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

@Icantreadalphabetically Reverting is easy. Just go to the "View history" tab of the relevant page and look for the revision you or anyone else made. There is an "undo" option linked in every contribution: just make sure you use an edit summary to say why you are reverting. It gets slightly trickier only if you need to go back more revisions. I hardly ever use the visual editor but there should be comparisons between editors at Help:Introduction under "References". You can also toggle between editors as you use them. Some things are definitely easier in source than in visual but not all: for example, adding columns or rows to tables is easier in visual. I hate the sfn template and only use it if the article is already using it and I can't change it because of WP:CITEVAR. Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:11, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Question from Misterpotatoman on Help:Width of tables, columns, and cells (20:50, 10 March 2026)

Note: Misterpotatoman's mentor GoldRomean is away.

how does someone control the max width of a tables column, like, the whole column --Misterpotatoman (talk) 20:50, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Misterpotatoman. I confess I'm not an expert on tables and the page you linked says that Setting no widths is preferred wherever possible. This is because the browser can adjust table content to suit the browser window. As always with technical questions, it would be best if you could point to the actual table example which concerns you. Is it in an existing article or something you are developing in a sandbox? If so, I'll take a look but the best place for answers from experts may be to post at WP:VPT or Help talk:Table. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:35, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

Article slicing and dicing

Mike, I keep coming across articles with titles like these (all real ones in Wikipedia over the past few years): "Lunar New Year in Portland, Oregon," "Outline of marketing," "Solitary confinement of women in the United States," "Web novels in South Korea," "Architecture of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple," and "Greek constitutional amendment of 1986." To me, each of these titles seems either too small a topic to warrant having its own article (like the first one) or else that it should be merged with other similar topics (like the last).

It's hard for me to imagine that readers would ever find such articles, let alone think to look for them in the first place. Not that there aren't far more important things in the world to be concerned about, but I find myself getting more and more annoyed as I come across titles like these.

As I remember you once mentioned something about your own related concern that many existing articles should be merged, I thought to ask if you're aware of any Wikipedia effort, or group, that tries to "ride herd" on that sort of thing? Augnablik (talk) 11:04, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

I don't know of any such group. The inclusion policy is WP:N, as you know. I like the idea that niche topics can pass that threshold but as my user page says, overall I think that we have too many articles and should focus on better articles. However, my own recent editing history might, in others' opinion, be that I'm going against my own philosophy! I looked at Architecture of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple as a clear example of a split-out topic that could fit just as well into a larger article (Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in this case). Did you know that the former has already been nominated for deletion recently? You haven't contributed to the deletion discussion and I assume that this will almost certainly lead to a "merge" decision. These sorts of discussions go on all the time behind the scenes. You could follow that example for any topic that irritates you. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:36, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

@Augnablik By chance, via the Teahouse today, I discovered that there is a project to do just what you want! Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:59, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

What a perfect, even if comical, example of "Ask and you shall receive"! I'm seriously considering signing up.

No, I've never gotten involved in a merge discussion, like for the Indian temple. To be honest, I really hadn't thought of it. It took a while for me to become aware of the sheer number of articles that seemed to be needlessly independent of more broadly titled articles.

Guess where I began to notice the issue? On the Guild of Copy Editors bimonthly drives, where current requests and the backlog of older requests are listed for us to choose articles from to work on. Every article I mentioned in my message to you yesterday came from there.

As I began to notice so many articles like those, I began to wonder why those patrolling new article submissions kept letting them by rather than encouraging merges. (Or maybe they did so but nothing further happened?)

At any rate, it's great to know there's a group dedicated to doing something about the issue. Augnablik (talk) 05:41, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

Question from Septimiusseverusimp (19:29, 21 March 2026)

Hello Michael. My biggest problem is in knowing how to code in the responses. Meaning the coding at the beginning, end of entries. I just attempted to post some info to the Talk page of the Turkey visa-free map as the government has changed things, the map is not accurate any longer. I just activated my account. Never had one previously. Regards. --Septimiusseverusimp (talk) 19:29, 21 March 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Septimiusseverusimp and welcome to Wikipedia. I assume you are talking about this file from Visa policy of Turkey. As it says on its source page on Wikimedia Commons: "Any autoconfirmed user can overwrite this file from the same source. Please ensure that overwrites comply with the guideline." The problem is that you currently don't have the WP:autoconfirmed right: new accounts only get that after four days and at least 10 edits. Currently, you only have the two you made here on my talk page. So you could edit in other places for a while or you could contact one of the people who last edited that file on Commons to ask them to update it again. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:28, 22 March 2026 (UTC)

Yes, the colour-coded map. Unfortunately though, I’m without computer access, everything on my phone at this time so I wouldn’t be able to do a photo edit. You’re right, I should’ve checked the attribution to the actual image. I can make the attempt to contact them soon then. Thanks for the details about the account also. Regards. Septimiusseverusimp (talk) 13:47, 22 March 2026 (UTC)

Question from Canyontalk (02:48, 23 March 2026)

I’m trying to make a Wikipedia for an artist/songwriter I work with and I’m having a hard time seeing where to start!

Can you help me? --Canyontalk (talk) 02:48, 23 March 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Canyontalk and welcome to Wikipedia. I'm not surprised you are having a hard time if you jump in by trying to create an article from scratch rather than first editing existing articles until you get to know your way around. This is made worse when you try to create an acceptable draft about someone you know and/or have a commercial relationship with. The relevant Wikipedia guidance is described here about conflict of interest and here about being paid by someone. It is very difficult to write about people you know because Wikipedia articles must be based on already-published information from reliable sources, not what you happen to know is true and there must be no puffery or advertising. Please read these linked pages and if you are still determined to proceed, then Help:Your first article. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:01, 23 March 2026 (UTC)

Yes. This person is a grammy award nominee and has his name on wikipedia. He's also married to an actor that has their wikipedia page. I would like to proceed.

Thank you for you help! Canyontalk (talk) 19:50, 31 March 2026 (UTC)

Question from Priyanka The Naagin (07:37, 25 March 2026)

Hi what should I change in my draft of Priyanka Chahar Choudhary? --Priyanka The Naagin (talk) 07:37, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

@Priyanka The Naagin There is no point in changing anything as your draft has been rejected. Attempts to create articles about this person have repeatedly failed. See in particular Wikipedia:Deletion review/Log/2024 March 13. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:58, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

So I should ask in deletion review Priyanka The Naagin (talk) 11:07, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

You could do so but I think that will just annoy those volunteers who believe we have already spent more than enough time on discussing this individual. My advice would be to move on to something else but of course you are free to do as you wish. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:13, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

Okay I will just give a try. Thank you for your advice and assistance Priyanka The Naagin (talk) 11:24, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

Question from Tom kap 1492 (16:47, 25 March 2026)

I am new to this. I do not have a question. But if you are following I am a retired US Navy Senior officer who would edit mostly Navy and related subjects. With 26 military and additional 22 retired military experience, my edits would only be executed on a subject with which I have 100% confidence and proper resources. --Tom kap 1492 (talk) 16:47, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

@Tom kap 1492 Welcome to Wikipedia! We value topic experts provided they realise that expertise doesn't give you any more control over content than anyone else: all writings must be to summarise already-published sources, not to state thing you happen to know are true. You may find that a good way to start contributing is to seek random articles within categories of interest to you. For example, we have Category:Ships of the United States Navy and a whole Project on military history which is very active: see WP:WikiProject Military history Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:02, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

Thanks ~2026-18570-26 (talk) 17:14, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

@Tom kap 1492 Don't forget to sign in before you edit, or your contributions will be logged to a WP:temporary account, as has just happened. Mike Turnbull (talk) 18:25, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

Got it ~2026-18570-26 (talk) 18:37, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

Question from Saifulxsaif (10:53, 30 March 2026)

Hi, I added a new submission. Is this ok my writing? I am very much interested in contributing to Wikipedia. --Saifulxsaif (talk) 10:53, 30 March 2026 (UTC)

Hello @Saifulxsaif and welcome to Wikipedia. Your draft article at Draft:Karotoa Green Spinning Mills Ltd has already been reviewed and declined twice by an experienced reviewer. The problem is not your writing style but the topic! Wikipedia is only interested in articles on subjects that are notable in the quirky way that we use that word. For companies this means we look for this evidence in reliably published sources. The best sources have to be simultaneously reliable, independent of the people involved and with signiicant coverage. I looked at your first two sources and both are based on interviews, so they fail the independence test.

Why did you choose this company to write about? It is much, much, easier to start contributing to Wikipedia by expanding existing articles on topics that interest you.... later you can try if you wish to write something from scratch. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:33, 30 March 2026 (UTC)

I have noticed that this company is operating successfully in my area and has a strong presence in the industry, yet it is not currently available on Wikipedia. I believe this is something that deserves careful review.

I have created a new draft submission for this company, which you can review as well. Based on its activities, industry contribution, and growth, I believe it meets the criteria for inclusion on Wikipedia.

If this company is not considered for inclusion, it may overlook a significant and well-performing organization within the country’s textile sector.

I would appreciate it if you could kindly review the draft and reconsider the decision. Saifulxsaif (talk) 11:38, 30 March 2026 (UTC)

@Saifulxsaif The current version is what I looked at before replying to your earlier message. My comment about sources #1 and #2 stands. I am not an articles for creation reviewer: you would have to substantially improve your draft and re-submit it. I note that there is no article for the parent Karotoa Group, so it is highly unlikely we would have one for a subsidiary. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:59, 30 March 2026 (UTC)

Question from Editor Kiran Chaudhary (05:01, 31 March 2026)

hi ...actually i wanna publish a professional Wiki. article on a south filmmaker biggest filmmaker page and wanna told to all about the contribution of them for the society nationally and internationally. --Editor Kiran Chaudhary (talk) 05:01, 31 March 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Editor Kiran Chaudhary. Do you mean you want to write an autobiography? I note that there is someone with that name Kiran Chauhary at IMDb Please read the page I have linked about autobiographies: people who try to write them almost always fail. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:31, 31 March 2026 (UTC)

So

I just took a look at , and when I saw 17 entries on it, I thought "Huh, I hope Mike Turnbull is ok!" And just when I finished imdb-smashing, I get your ping. Seriously , what are people thinking? Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 10:28, 6 April 2026 (UTC)

I've put IMDb-smashing a bit on the back burner recently while I do more of what I'm enjoying and actually competent at, which is adding chemistry to articles which have been sadly neglected for years. As my contributions for 3 April show, I did take a break from chemistry and go back briefly to IMDb. That link to Van Oostrum maybe shows that people are now relying on chatbots for thoughts! Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:41, 6 April 2026 (UTC)

Question from StackOfSugarcane (12:36, 6 April 2026)

Hello! As you can see, my username is StackOfSugarcane. I was wondering: can I draw (not pixil art) a minecraft sugercane item with a 64 in the bottom right corner and put it on my user page? Or could that cause copyright disputes with Mojang / Microsoft etc? Its not their asset - I drew it... with inspiration from their assets. It would likely count as a derivative work, but I'm not sure if thats allowed by copyright. Or maybe if it would raise disputes, could attribution settle them - e.g. adding "Inspired by Mojang's sugar cane item" or something? Thank you and have a great day! --StackOfSugarcane (talk) 12:36, 6 April 2026 (UTC)

Hi User:StackOfSugarcane. That's a tough question for a non-specialist like me! My thought is that sugarcane farms are basically just stacks of cubic blocks and no-one can copyright a simple cubic shape. There has to be some sort of human creativity before something is copyrightable. However, to get an image on your userpage, you'll need first to upload it to Wikimedia Commons, who are very strict about copyright. On the other hand, they have Commons:Category:Minecraft with plenty of correctly licensed images, so what you want must be possible in principle. The best way to get a final answer would be to put the image on a Google drive or anywhere you can link to it and ask for opinions at Commons:Village_pump/Copyright without actually uploading it. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:09, 6 April 2026 (UTC)

Thanks! I've made a github and uploaded the stack of sugarcane picture to it at https://github.com/StackOfSugarcane/Assets. I'll probably redraw it sometime, but its essentially something along those lines. So do you think I can use it for my user profile? I'll also ask in WikiCommons. StackOfSugarcane (talk) 17:15, 6 April 2026 (UTC)

@StackOfSugarcane My guess is that this falls under the "simple geometric shape" provision and hence not copyrightable but if you take it to Commons you'll get an expert opinion. Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:22, 6 April 2026 (UTC)

Precious anniversary

Precious

Three years!

--Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:30, 6 April 2026 (UTC)

Can it be possible ...

... you've had no questions on your Talk page since April 6, Mike? This must be some sort of record!

As something of a teenager at this point in my Wikipedia life, I've found that when questions arise for me now I can usually come up with the answer without adding to your workload. Or else, I can imagine what you'd say — especially about an ongoing challenge I've had for some months: trying to juggle quite a few competing priorities in life while trying to move forward more on the "knotty problems" you helped me begin untying. I think you'd say — perhaps with a proverbial British stiff upper lip but just the hint of a smile — "You simply have to prioritize." So, chugging onward. I'm sure I'm not out of questions forever for you! Augnablik (talk) 10:12, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

About 80% of the people who ask questions here never make another edit, so perhaps for the sake of the encyclopaedia, it's just as well there have been fewer recently! Don't let that put you off if you have more to ask.... Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:35, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

Actually, I do have a question that's been on my mind for some time now, but it's not a "how-to" one: is it just my imagination or has there been quite an increase in off-track questions raised in the Teahouse? (and if so, why do you think?) Augnablik (talk) 06:51, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

I'm tempted to say its your imagination but that wouldn't be the correct scientific approach! Maybe the Teahouse has become the place people use for their "Hello World" moment: increasingly in Chatbot style. I don't think that's a bad development as putting all the slightly daft questions in one place helps reduce the load elsewhere. Teahouse hosts are well able to cope. My suspicion, based on no evidence whatsoever, is that the world is now in the same sort of panic as it was in the days of COVID and people just need a place to be heard. Mike Turnbull (talk) 09:37, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

Well, Mike, your "suspicion" might simply be a good example of intuition under a different name. And, as a scientist, you probably heard long ago that Albert Einstein viewed intuition as the basis for scientific discovery — a sacred gift — and that he often even prioritized intuition over pure logic. Also that he believed (ahem) imagination more important than knowledge. 🙂

I think you're absolutely right about the world returning to the panic of the COVID years, though surely the degree of it now is way beyond that level because so much has happened since then. But some of your thoughts presented me in turn with a new question for you. (See what you started with your invitation?)

— If, as you said, "the Teahouse has become the place people use for their 'Hello World' moment" isn't a "bad development" because "putting all the slightly daft questions in one place helps reduce the load elsewhere" — and "Teahouse hosts are well able to cope" (of which you're one!) — how would you suggest both hosts and other discussion contributers respond to "all the slightly daft" questions to be expected, probably even increase? This is not so facetious a question as it may seem. Augnablik (talk) 10:12, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

Mike? I hope my question of four days ago didn't seem bratty. It was just that your last message left me with many questions in turn that I boiled down to just one, very curious to hear your thoughts. Do I owe you an apology? If so, this seems like an auspicious day, what with your king in my country. Augnablik (talk) 06:07, 27 April 2026 (UTC)

Sorry, I couldn't initially think of a suitable reply and then became busy with other stuff. I still don't have a good answer: I just think that the Teahouse is in a stable state and can cope with whatever is thrown at it. You'll notice from the logs that admins still have to redact the worst cases of harassment. I don't normally have much concern for our monarchy, which impacts little on real life, but this week I'm a bit sympathetic to what Charles III will have to put up with! The focus should be on our 250-year joint history, not the antics of "the King over the water". Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:26, 27 April 2026 (UTC)

Oh, please don't get me started about the king across the water. I could just cry at so much that's gone on, and we're far from the finish line. As is true of everyone, he's done some good things … but every day those good things keep getting outweighed by the increasingly awful or absurd.

Please know—but I'm sure you do—that not all Americans are fans of his. And I say that even though I've generally leaned Republican before he came along.

After we fought your ancestors (probably also some of mine) for independence, a lady asked Ben Franklin when our constitution was written what form of government we'd been given. He replied, "A republic, if you can keep it." Many of us are now wondering about that for the first time.

With so many more important things in the world going on, Mike, I won't mind if you don't answer my last question.

Augnablik (talk) 13:58, 27 April 2026 (UTC)

Could you please proofread?

Dear Michael, i have translated the article on the Museum für Konkrete Kunst. As i had to write about the construction of a new building as well, i would be very glad, if you could proofread it and check, whether my translation is using the right "building"-terms :-). You find it under my name as a subpage. Kind regards, Naomi Hennig (talk) 14:30, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Naomi Hennig. I've taken a look and there are quite a lot of things I would change, the biggest being that I think the "Collections and Donations" section should be first, before the "Scheduled new museum building" section, as the latter is more speculative and not directly about the museum as it is today. Another change would be leave out the German original quotes: just the English translations are fine and you could put the German in the references, instead of the main text, if you think that's essential.

Are your sources really quoting units of feet, not metres? For European sources (even UK ones) I'd expect metres these days. You can use the template:convert to give metres with their equivalent in US units of feet or square feet. Maybe the best way forward would be for me to edit your draft myself, rather than give you suggestions here? If you tell me you are happy for me to do that, I'll go ahead over this weekend. I would make any comments about things I'm unsure of at User talk:Naomi Hennig/Museum of Concrete Art just to keep everything together. Or, better still, you could move the page from your sandbox into Draft space (see WP:MOVE for how to do that, if you don't know) and we can both work there. Let me know what you prefer. Mike Turnbull (talk) 19:17, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Very kind of you to help me out. Will move it tomorrow into Draft space. Please remember, i enhanced the German Wikipedia-article on this subject and i thought, i just translate it. And yes, it are meters, i just thought, the English Wikipedia might want me to change it to feet. I'm really glad you can help, because all this info on the new build was difficult for me to put into English. I'll move it tomorrow as said. Have a nice evening! And again, Thanks!

Naomi Hennig (talk) 20:11, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

I did send you an email, i do not even understand how to move the page to drafts... i'm sorry, i'm just not really fit at the moment. Could you move it to Drafts instead of me? Naomi Hennig (talk) 09:46, 1 May 2026 (UTC)

I again send you an email so that you can see, why i didn't understand, where to move the page to... i'm sorry... Naomi Hennig (talk) 12:35, 1 May 2026 (UTC)

@Naomi Hennig The article is now live! You can check its page history for the changes I made and alter any you don't like. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:58, 3 May 2026 (UTC)

It looks wonderful. I love the picture of the map you added. Thank you so much for your help!!! Naomi Hennig (talk) 20:56, 3 May 2026 (UTC)

@Naomi Hennig I can't take much credit for the map. I linked the new article to the German one via Wikidata and then the map came in automatically as part of the museum infobox! Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:22, 4 May 2026 (UTC)

"Adding color" to articles

It seems I'm definitely not all out of questions for you!

Among the comments I received on one of my past revisions of the Kumar article was that in the editor's opinion it read more like a blog post than an encyclopedia article; and by way of examples, the editor pointed out "one of his few positive memories from his early years" and "His first serious forays into writing." The comment surprised me, as I'd seen similar wording in other articles, and I think it helps to add a little color here and there to even encyclopedic articles so they don't sound overly pedantic. I thought of that critique today because I'm editing a GOCE Backlog Reduction Drive article in which I came across the following quote:

She recalled, "We were poor, hungry, and barely surviving on odd jobs until Mother joined the dry cleaning business as an apprentice to a Jewish tailor in our area. Even then, we pinched pennies simply to keep food on the table."

If the editor who gave me the critique I mentioned were to see the above quote, I'm sure he'd similarly pounce on it. I thought to say something on the article's Talk page about being careful about that sort of thing, but frankly I don't know what I'd say because the issue isn't cut and dried like, say, the need for supportive references. In our GOCE work, we're tasked only with copy editing, but we can go beyond it if we wish and either make edits to the article on our own or suggest attention to certain things. So I could really use some guidance about adding color and even more importantly, avoiding reversions.

(PS, just as FYI: It looks as though our friend is no longer a TH host. Not sure when that came about.) Augnablik (talk) 18:03, 4 May 2026 (UTC)

I think it all depends on the sources. The "she recalled..." is a direct quote and if a WP editor believes it tells the reader something substantial about the early life of someone, that's fine. I haven't looked at your Kumar article (I need a current wikilink!) but both examples seem to be editorialising, not quoting. Who said it was one of his few positive memories? If there is no actual quote or cite, then this is WP:SYNTHESIS and not allowed. Similarly, who said these were "his first serious forays"? Everything comes down to WP:V in the end. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:02, 5 May 2026 (UTC)

I had given references for both examples the other editor pointed to as "sounding like a blog."

It was the wording itself that he was pointing to in the two examples he used for me, going by what he wrote next in his comment: "I think the tone/style of writing may need to be tweaked slightly." He went on to say he could help me with that, if I liked. I was thrilled that an editor would offer direct help because as you know, COI requests are painfully slow, having to submit edits piecemeal. But long story short, not long after that he told me he'd have to leave Wiki editing for a bit due to school responsibilities.

What I'm hoping for is a clearer grasp of what sort of information can be included in articles — either as a quote or statement, and of course with references — that won't make a reviewing editor consider it too much like a blog or feature story and not belonging in an encyclopedia article, even though it might add a little human interest and thus help readers understand the subject of the article somewhat more. Augnablik (talk) 13:50, 5 May 2026 (UTC)

There's an old page Wikipedia:Blogs as sources which gives some of the considerations. Apart from WP:V and WP:BLP, the other relevant policy here is WP:NPOV. It isn't our job to "add human interest": the facts largely have to speak for themselves. Mike Turnbull (talk) 14:03, 5 May 2026 (UTC)

Mike, as far I can tell from the four links you gave me, they have nothing that really addresses what I'm looking for. Very humbling ... I thought I was a better writer than seems the case here. What I need help with is not about how to use blogs as sources, or verifiability, articles on living persons, or neutrality. It's about what kind of facts are okay to use in Wikipedia articles ... facts that could be described more as human interest rather (color) than information like year of birth, university degrees, awards, and so on.

One of his few positive memories from his early years and His first serious forays into writing are statements about the subject of a Wikipedia article, statements that I cited from third-party sources (each of which I considered in sync with WP:V, WP:BLP, and WP:NPOV). By contrast, the direct quotation below was in the cited words of the subject of a Wikipedia article written by another editor:

She recalled, "We were poor, hungry, and barely surviving on odd jobs until Mother joined the dry cleaning business as an apprentice to a Jewish tailor in our area. Even then, we pinched pennies simply to keep food on the table."

In my view, all three statements are statements of fact AND at the same time human-interest, with value to being included in their respective articles because they help readers understand more about the subjects of the articles. You seemed to have no problem with the inclusion of a quotation by the subject of an article written by another Wikipedian, but you did have one with each of the statements I cited in the article I wrote. I know that at first you thought I might not have sources for my statements, but when I explained that I did, did you have any other concerns about my use of combination of human-interest and factual statements in my article as the other writer did in his?

If not, can we go on from here to work on what I hope is now clear about what I'm hoping to understand about "adding color" to articles? Augnablik (talk) 08:00, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

My advice would be to look at some featured articles in the same categories and emulate them. I looked at Dorothy L. Sayers and there is certainly lots of "color", including quite a few quotes from third parties. The larger quotes are given in-text attribution, so "a later crime novelist, J. I. M. Stewart, wrote:". You are probably getting more problems with the Kumar article in view of your COI: the other editor(s) are worrying about WP:DUE, for example. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:31, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

Many thanks, Mike, all this was very insightful. WP:DUE, yes, I can see that I'm probably an automatic magnet for such a verdict. The letters in COI might as well be scarlet.

The Sayers article is such a perfect example of what I was trying to describe. I know I've read a few other such articles occasionally, but never thought to start a collection before. This article would be a particularly good one to start with because it's not just well written, it also has an FA status. And perhaps it will help convince some of the COI editors that color, when used judiciously, can enhance rather than cheapen encyclopedia articles.

Can you think of other similar examples without having to spend much time doing so? Augnablik (talk) 18:43, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

Just go to the Project page you see on talk pages of articles and search for their assessment summary. So WP:WikiProject Biography/Assessment for one. The table has links, and you can click on them to see the list of, say, featured articles. That gets you to this list. Mike Turnbull (talk) 09:45, 7 May 2026 (UTC)

In addition to collecting good examples like your Dorothy L. Sayers article and others that might turn up by going through FAs on the list to which you gave a link, I really wish there were official policy and guidelines about permissibility of what I've been calling color—though there might be a more professional term—in articles.

Thinking about this got me wondering in turn if what I think Wikipedia calls an essay on the use of color in articles would be welcome. Perhaps not as a separate topic but as part of a larger discussion. Although I can't think of a title, it would be something along the lines of "How to write Wikipedia articles that really connect with readers rather than just provide dry facts."

From what I've read in Teahouse exchanges, though, I know it's not worth placing this idea on the list of suggested articles for other editors to pick up on and write. Perhaps some day after emerging from COI editing, I will. Augnablik (talk) 08:00, 9 May 2026 (UTC)

What you are describing would be an WP:ESSAY, not an article in mainspace. It goes into the namespace prefix WP. See the essay link for details: there is nothing at all preventing you from creating this as there is no requirement to show notability or to cite sources. If people agree with its sentiments they will start quoting it at the Teahouse and elsewhere. There are loads of such essays and the better ones such as WP:BACKWARDS are widely quoted. Mike Turnbull (talk) 09:36, 9 May 2026 (UTC)

Glad to know I had the right term, essay. Yes, I remember coming across WP: BACKWARDS in the Teahouse several times, and finding it helpful—as well a great example of dry humor.

But now I'm curious after our discussion: if editors want to propose a topic for coverage in policies or guidelines, like the one I wish were already in existence, how would they go about it?

Augnablik (talk) 16:35, 9 May 2026 (UTC)

The main WP:Policies and guidelines page covers how to make a proposal for anything that seeks to form a new consensus. Personally, I have much better things to do! Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:41, 9 May 2026 (UTC)

Sorry, I should have thought of that. But didn't. Augnablik (talk) 05:36, 11 May 2026 (UTC)

Adding image for article

Adding images for article all types Dinel nanayakkara (talk) 10:43, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Dinel nanayakkara and welcome to Wikipedia. Images are stored the Wikimedia Project "Commons" so that they can be used in all language versions of Wikipedia. The main issue is copyright: in general you can only use images in articles that are already stored in Commons with the correct license. Or you can upload an image you took with your own camera at Commons:Special:UploadWizard and license it for use. The details of placing images into articles are given at Help:Pictures. Contact me again in this thread if you run into problems or have more questions. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:10, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

Question from Wisdom 12111 on Michèle Lamy (09:29, 15 May 2026)

Hello,I want to join illuminating my number 08155319048 is my WhatsApp number --Wisdom 12111 (talk) 09:29, 15 May 2026 (UTC)

@Wisdom 12111 Wikipedia editors do not use WhatsApp to communicate with each other. Instead we write on the Talk Pages of articles and in editor's own talk pages, as you have done here. If you have a question about using Wikipedia, I will be happy to answer it. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:04, 15 May 2026 (UTC)

Question from Rfvasile (08:23, 20 May 2026)

I wanted to say hello. Thanks for volunteering as a mentor. If anything comes up, I will let you know! --Rfvasile (talk) 08:23, 20 May 2026 (UTC)

@Rfvasile Welcome to Wikipedia! Just put any questions you have into this thread and I'll try to answer them. Alternatively, the WP:Teahouse is a good place for newcomers to ask questions and to see what sorts of issues come up regularly. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:21, 20 May 2026 (UTC)

Thanks :) Rfvasile (talk) 12:00, 20 May 2026 (UTC)

Question from Remsler (01:52, 10 June 2026)

Hello how can I create an article --Remsler (talk) 01:52, 10 June 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Remsler and welcome to Wikipedia. There is extensive help at Help:Your first article but I would strongly advise you to gain some experience first by improving some of our millions of existing articles on topics that interest you or suggestions on your homepage. Creating articles from scratch is among the more difficult things to try, especially if you are not familiar with Wikipedia's concept of notability, which points out that we only allow articles on topics which have detailed coverage in reliable external published sources. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:47, 10 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Tatoadil2 on Wikipedia talk:IP block exemption/log (03:19, 15 June 2026)

R --Tatoadil2 (talk) 03:19, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

Hi @Tatoadil2. I don't understand what you are asking. This is the only recorded edit from your account, so I'm not sure what you want to know about IP block exemptions. Please can you explain? Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:55, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from AEmily YueXin Miller (21:15, 16 June 2026)

Good afternoon, How can I upload an image for my introductory paragraphs

aEmily YueXin Miller --AEmily YueXin Miller (talk) 21:15, 16 June 2026 (UTC)

How can our team create posting in standardized wiki format with photo also ? --AEmily YueXin Miller (talk) 22:31, 16 June 2026 (UTC)

Hi User:AEmily YueXin Miller. (I've combined your two questions into one sction for convenience). I'm afraid that you have entirely misunderstood the purpose of Wikipedia. It is not a social media site and biographies here are limited to describing people who are notable because others have written about them in reliable sources. We strongly discourage WP:autobiography, as that link explains. Also, by policy, biographies of living people are held to a very high standard regarding citation of the sources: see WP:BLP. Your draft fails entirely to meet these standards. If you are interested in continuing to try to have an article about yourself, please read Help:Your first article and Help:Pictures but my advice (which you are free to ignore) wold be to give up on this venture as you will be wasting your time. Incidentaly, I don't understand the comment about "our team". All Wikipedia accounts must be run by a single person, not teams. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:07, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Guilhermetorta on Spectacle (19:43, 19 June 2026)

Eu nunca testei esse aplicativo mas eu achei genial do jeito que ele fez para ganhar uma quantidade de dinheiro né mas sempre para os adolescente ter uma vida boa vida de luxo então tá muito boa --Guilhermetorta (talk) 19:43, 19 June 2026 (UTC)