User:Shell Kinney/Boiler
Welcome Message
<div style="padding: 5px; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #39f;"> Welcome to [[Wikipedia]]! You seem to be off to a good [[Wikipedia:Your first article|start]]. Hopefully you will soon join the vast army of [[Wikipedia:Wikipediholic|Wikipediholics]]! You may wish to review the [[Wikipedia:Welcome, newcomers|welcome page]] and [[Wikipedia:Tutorial|tutorial]] as well as the [[Wikipedia:Avoiding common mistakes|avoiding common mistakes]] and [[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not|Wikipedia is not]] pages. The [[Wikipedia:WP|Wikipedia directory]] is also quite useful. In addition, you might want to add yourself to the [[Wikipedia:New user log|new user log]]. By the way, an important tip: To sign comments on [[Wikipedia:Talk page|talk pages]], simply type four [[tilde|tildes]], like this: <nowiki>~~~~. This will automatically add your name and the time after your comments.</nowiki> Finally, here are some open tasks: {{opentask}} You might find these links helpful in creating new pages or helping with the above tasks: [[Wikipedia:How to edit a page|How to edit a page]], [[Wikipedia:How to write a great article|How to write a great article]], [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions|Naming conventions]], [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style|Manual of Style]]. You should read our [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines|policies]] at some point too. Hope to see you around the Wiki! And if you have any questions whatsoever, feel free to contact me on my [[User talk:Jareth|talk page]]!<br>~~~~</div>
Helpdesk-l templates
AOL problems creating account
I see you're writing from an America Online address. Users of America Online have an IP address that is shared by many other subscribers; that is, it looks like a large group of people all coming from the same computer. You've run in to one of the problems with these shared IP addresses -- several people may create an account in a short period of time using the same IP address. You can try again later, or sometimes if you disconnect and reconnect you'll receive a different IP that may not have signed up for so many accounts recently. Please be aware it may take several tries to find an IP address that hasn't reigstered 10 accounts recently.
I'm sorry that you were inconvenienced by this problem, and hope you continue using Wikipedia. You can learn more about our site and how it works at the Introduction page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Introduction
You may also find the tutorial useful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Tutorial
AOL account seeing warnings
I see you're writing from an America Online address. Users of America Online have an IP address that is shared by many other subscribers; that is, it looks like a large group of people all coming from the same computer. Since Wikipedia is a site that anyone can edit, sometimes people make inappropriate edits, and in that case other editors need to leave messages for them. Unfortunately, because you share that IP address, you will also see that comment, as we cannot single out that one user to receive the message.
Because of this problem, we put a notice on the talk page to explain that messages may refer to other users. If the message does not apply to you, then you can simply ignore the comment.
If you do not wish to see these misdirected messages you may wish to make an account, even if you never use it for editing. This will give you a personal talk page and will prevent such misdirected messages. You can create an account at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Userlogin>.
You don't need to log in to edit, but creating an account gives you more options and helps you keep track of your contributions.
You do not need to enter any personal information to make an account, although you do have to have cookies enabled. If you select the "Remember me" option on logging in, you will be logged in automatically each time you visit the site.
I'm sorry that you were inconvenienced by this problem, and hope you continue using Wikipedia. You can learn more about our site and how it works at the Introduction page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Introduction
You may also find the tutorial useful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Tutorial
Accuracy of Wikipedia
Wikipedia relies on the good will and hard work of our thousands of volunteer editors. Although we always have some visitors who insert faulty information we find that the balance is positive and that more people fix problems than introduce them.
We have various tools to help contributors check new edits: we have a "recent changes" page that lists new contributions, and "watch lists" which allow editors to closely monitor pages they are interested in. The editing and verification of the text works on the same open-source principle as other aspects of the site with thousands of contributors visiting the site and checking each other's edits. One of our most important policies is that articles should be written from a "neutral point of view", which reduces the problem of people adding their opinion rather than facts. This policy is explained at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view>
Another important policy is verifiability, which states that all contributions should be well-researched from credible sources; information which is not may be removed. We do not allow original research, and we strongly encourage our contributors to cite references for all material added. One of the most important discussions on Wikipedia at the moment is how we can take the project to the next level. We are considering various strategies including intensive fact checking of particular versions of articles, labelling verified versions as "stable", highlighting the best of our articles, and software changes to enable selection between "verified" and "live" versions. Some of this work is already underway; other aspects are still under discussion. We hope that this ongoing work will lead to the eventual publication of a print version or CD/DVD.
However, there is no official editorial team verifying the information in Wikipedia. Our general disclaimer (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:General_disclaimer>) states that we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information contained in Wikipedia and you use it at your own risk. It is worth noting that similar disclaimers are found on the websites of britannica.com and bartleby.com as well, which are professionally reviewed.
You can read more discussion of some of these issues at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Replies_to_common_objections>
Add an image
To upload a picture:
1. Login (or create a username if you don't have one) 2. Click on "upload file" in the sidebar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Upload) 3. Select the file from your computer that you want to upload 4. Select a descriptive name for the image 5. Select the appropriate license for the file 6. Edit the page you want the image to appear on, and include in the place you want the image to appear:
7. Save the page with an edit summary that describes what you did (eg. "added image")
Author claims copyright
In order to accept into Wikipedia content which is published on another website, we usually require a clear statement from the author of the content that the content is being licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) (see <http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html>, or <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Free_Documentation_License>). This statement must come from an email address that we can clearly recognize as being from the operator of the website, or be in reply to a message sent to the operator of the website. This email should be sent to <mailto:[email protected]>.
In addition, we need to know exactly which article or articles contain the copyrighted material in question; the English Wikipedia has over 800,000 articles and finding the one you're referring to knowing only the topic of the article can be quite difficult.
Citing Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a collaborative encyclopaedia written by its readers. The project is a "wiki", which means that anyone visiting the site can edit or add to pages. At the top of each page is an "edit" tab, clicking this allows the page to be edited.
There is a general introduction to the site at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia
To find the specific authors of a page, you can click on the "history" link at the top of the article. For the "Wikipedia" article this is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Wikipedia&action=history
You may also find http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_Wikipedia helpful.
Dispute over content
I am afraid that the Wikipedia Helpdesk is not able to help you with this request. Article content disputes are best handled on the talk page of the article (click on the Discussion tab at the top of the article); you can discuss your changes with other editors there. If you are unable to resolve your differences, you may want to review our dispute resolution process: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wp:dr
Error in article
Thank you, I've fixed the error in <the article>.
Wikipedia is a "wiki", which means that everyone can edit pages. Our articles are written by volunteers, and many started writing for Wikipedia by fixing errors they found. At the top of each page is an "edit" label. Try it for example at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Sandbox
You can read about wikis at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki
You don't even need to log in to edit, although creating an account gives you more options and helps you keep track of your contributions. You can create an account at: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Userlogin
Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Welcome%2C_newcomers for more information.
Job question
Wikimedia's projects are run almost entirely by volunteers, and so unfortunately we have no paid positions to offer you. If you are interested in joining Wikimedia as a volunteer, we would welcome your efforts.
To learn more about writing and editing for Wikipedia, please see our Introduction at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Introduction>
To learn more about developing the MediaWiki software, please see the MediaWiki project website at: <http://www.mediawiki.org>
Link exchange
Thank you for your interest in Wikipedia.
Unfortunately, Wikipedia does not participate in link exchange or advertising. We prefer to get to the top of Google by having good content, and so far, that seems to be working.
Not a
Thanks for your e-mail concerning <topic>.
You sent this message to Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org). We provide articles about all kinds of subjects through the internet. It seems your mail was intended for another organisation, company or institution. This might have been one that we have an article on, or one that is advertising through a website that copies our content. We have no connections with this organisation, and are thus unable to help you any further.
You may wish to use a search engine or other resource to locate the appropriate contact address. I apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Refer to RefDesk
I am afraid that the Wikipedia Helpdesk is not able to help you with this request. As an organization that relies entirely on volunteer work, Wikimedia doesn't have the resources to answer questions unrelated to its projects.
There is a page on the English Wikipedia where various volunteers try to answer questions such as yours, called the Reference Desk <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk>. Try to be as specific as you can to aid them. Remember that there is no guarantee that they can provide an answer!
Request for contact info
Unfortunately, the Wikipedia Helpdesk is unable to help you with your question.
We do not have any personal details, such as email addresses or other contact information, about the people, places or organizations that are included in the encyclopedia. The text you see on the site is the only information we have.
If you would like to ask your question publicly of the Wikipedia community, you may do so at our Reference Desk (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk>).
Permission to use image
In principle all contents of Wikipedia are subject to the GNU free documentation license (GFDL) and can be used free of change for any purpose. A specific permission for use is not necessary, as long as the licence conditions are observed. However in individual cases, images can be subject to other licenses. Therefore it is advisable to check the image information page for the source and/or licensing information. Clicking on the image will lead you to the image information page.
The liscense for the particular image you were inquiring about is listed as <liscense>.
For more information please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyrights
Permission to use text
In principle all contents of Wikipedia are subject to the GNU free documentation license (GFDL) and can be used free of change for any purpose. A specific permission for use is not necessary, as long as the licence conditions are observed. In order to fulfil the requirements of this licence, the following text should be sufficient:
This article is licensed under the [GNU Free Documentation License] (link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html ). It uses material from the [Wikipedia article "xxx".] (link to the Wikipedia article)
For more information please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyrights
Thanks
Thank you for your kind words about Wikipedia. We appreciate you taking the time to make this compliment and hope that you continue to find the site a useful resource. If you are interested in becoming involved in the site yourself, please see our tutorial at <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Tutorial> which contains all the help you need to get started.
Vandalism
By its nature Wikipedia is open to undesirable edits, but most are corrected by other editors within a very short time. We have a "recent changes" page that allows users to check edits as they happen, and "watch lists" that allow logged-in editors to closely monitor pages they are interested in. In extreme cases we can "lock" pages from receiving edits for a while, but generally the page can be reopened for editing after a short time as most edits we receive improve our articles.
While this may explain what happened, it certainly does not excuse the fact that you encountered this on our website. I can only offer you our sincere apologies and assure you that we do all we can to ensure that such malicious edits are repaired quickly.
You can read more about us at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia
You might be interested to know that you are welcome to revert vandalism yourself; in fact, we highly encourage it. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:How_to_revert_a_page_to_an_earlier_version