User talk:Kethrus/Archive/2016/September

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I'm responding to your message to me? Confused? - AfC helpdesk

Here is my question, I have two different messages and I'm confused: Are my references not reliable OR is the problem (why my article was rejected) one of citation?Wordsprite (talk) 15:45, 16 October 2015 (UTC)

@Wordsprite: The problem is the references aren't formatted correctly, as I said before. Please use the Wikipedia referencing style which is generally accepted by reading WP:REFBEGIN. --  Kethrus |talk to me  16:00, 16 October 2015 (UTC)

Sorry and Confused by instructions

Oct. 16, 2015

Hello,

First of all, thank you for your response. I tried to respond back but I don't know if it worked or not? I'm used to just typing a message in an email, addressing it to the person's email address and pressing "Send".

I'm sorry if this is in the wrong form? I'm very confused by all the directions and use of computer code to send messages?

What are "templates" - I received a message in a blue box (on this same page that I am typing this)?

What does "WP:Refbegin" mean? If I click on it will it bring me to my Draft page where I can edit?

How do I find my Draft page, (I've clicked on all kinds of tabs and even tried typing in various combinations of words in the Search box but I can't seem to get back there)? If I do find my Draft page to try to edit the citations do I type in WP-Refbegin in the Search box in order to use it there? If I'm on my Draft page, how do I access this WP:Refbegin thing to use in order to edit? What is User:ProveltGT? Again, if I click on that will it connect me to my Draft in order to use it? If not, and I do find my Draft page (let's assume I'm on the Draft page for this question), how do I incorporate User:ProveGT, access User:ProveItGT without losing my Draft page? I don't know how to connect the two.

Wiki uses a much more complex system for its users to use - lots of symbols and computer code, and clicking on something is risky because if you lose the page you were on there is a good chance you won't find it again even if you type in what you're looking for in the Search box. I tried going to Sandbox to see if that might help. I've tried reading the pages of instructions but the instructions are not clear and usually include information that I'm unfamiliar with. When I try to find out each piece I'm confused with, I just end up getting lost in a sea of Wiki information that has nothing to do with what my initial question was in the first place. I know that all of this is not your fault and I am not blaming you. I'm frustrated and help seems to be only in the form of typing in a complex formatted way and I don't understand who these messages are getting to. I've sent (at least I think I've sent) messages seeking help but I have no idea how to check back because I don't know where the pages are where that particular form of message was sent? I'm not even sure if this will reach you.

Thank you for responding to my question. I now understand that Wiki wants me to put my citations into the Wiki format--I am going to need someone to go through this with me. I have read (read and tried to understand) all the Wiki stuff on citing but again, very complex and full of computer code-type instructions that don't make sense to me. I need a live human being to talk to to untangle this mess with me. I tried using Kiwi live chat last night and the first person's shift ended before we'd finished so I was dropped, the second person even though I'd restated the exact same question I had to the first person just asked me if I was an editor -- this made no sense to me. I answered "no" and then I was asked if I'd edited on some specifically named wiki page (can't remember what it was) which also had nothing to do with my question. I tried to explain that I needed more explanation because I didn't understand what I was being asked and then that person dropped me. I tried a third time, typing my original question to yet a third person who completely ignored my question and I just kept seeing the same repeated message of "Welcome Wordsurfer. Please type your message in the box below..." over and over again. I finally gave up.

I need to talk to a person; someone who I can work with over the phone in real time while I am on my computer so that I can figure out the Wiki system of interfacing with the public.

Please help me. thank you, WordspriteWordsprite (talk) 16:30, 16 October 2015 (UTC)

@Wordsprite: Click WP:REFBEGIN and you'll see a page which will teach you how to add references. It's a link to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners. If you can't find the page after you've been to it, consider noting it down or bookmarking it in your browser (I've been using Wikipedia for almost a year now, and that's what I do). I'm not sure if English is your native language, and we'll help as much as possible in #wikipedia-en-help ^connect but it can be quite difficult, answering the helpers questions is usually the best thing to do so we can help you, by asking what article you're editing they meant what page you're editing (in this case, your draft). The person telling you to type your message in the box below is just a bot to help people use the chat (it's an automated message that is said when you join), and isn't an actual person. Also, just to clarify - we're not "working shifts" or anything of the sort, we're just regular people (like you!) who want to make Wikipedia better and easier to edit for everyone (and aren't getting paid or anything like that). You say you've checked through everything regarding references, but as the reason I said to look at the help page I've previously linked is you may not have seen it before. Also read THIS PAGE (CLICK) on ProveIt (a "gadget" on Wikipedia) which will help you add referencing in the standard format. --  Kethrus |talk to me  19:23, 16 October 2015 (UTC)