User talk:Merlinus/Response

HappyCamper has contacted me at length thru an e-mail and suggested that you you could not possibly have been to blame for what I had been so sure of. Frankly, I was traumatized, and so upset I was not calm enough top reason properly. I'm sure it does not matter to you what I say at this point... but I do appolagize and will make sure that nothing even remotely upsetting towards you is listed anywhere on Wikipedia (or any other sites) that I currenly use. I was really sick and provoked by those folks and will no longer engage that organization in any way. I emotionally can not handle it. I know you are not part of it and I'm sorry. I guess your denials only seemed logical... but I did not realize you really are innocent. If there is anything I can do to make up for upsetting you I shall do it. Marc--merlinus 02:31, 12 May 2006 (UTC)Reply

I told you so, didn't I? I'd like to think I have a reputation around Wikipedia for being honest. You already apologised before and look what happened, how do I know you won't make the same mistake again? I know this is in good faith and all but just prove to me you can make an effort to observe proper netiquette and abide by Wikipedia's guidelines, and that'll be enough for me. Now, I know enough of your situation to know that you're a relatively new user to the Internet and don't know proper Internet behaviour but you should probably start learning.

I can give you several examples:

• typing in all uppercase is shouting and generally seen as incivil. If you mean to stress words, use bold (''This is how to use bold'') but try not to be excessive in your use of it. The written word can't portray the inflection or tone in a person's voice - how articles are worded can directly affect the response to them ^[1]. Write as you would in a normal letter to a friend, following traditional rules of English.
• accusing someone without having absolute proof is not the best thing to do.

Now, HappyCamper and I had to tell you quite a few times that I was not responsible before you actually accepted it. I'd like to familiarize you with another policy of Wikipedia that is in place to prevent situations like this from happening: Assume good faith is one of the core philosophies of Wikipedia. In that particular instance, it would have been a good idea to assume good faith and take me at my word. I understand you didn't know what was happening to your computer, saw the name Nathan and (for lack of a better term) freaked out, but as I said before: a) I could've been "set up", b) I'm not the only Nathan on Wikipedia, c) It could've been someone else not related to Wikipedia, etc. Just because my name is Nathan doesn't automatically qualify me as the guilty party (I know you know this now but that was a really bad conclusion to jump to). On the Internet, anyone can assume anyone's identity to send e-mails. Identities aren't 'protected' as such. Example: I can forge an e-mail address of president@whitehouse.gov (the President), it wouldn't automatically mean the e-mail came from him (unless you knew where to look to check).

• To add your comment to a talk page, click the "+" at the top of the page. I know you have a tendency to write horizontal lines before and after your comment but don't do that - your additions don't get added as proper sections this way.

• You may wish to install a virus scanner as to reduce the chances of any of this e-mail thing from happening again. I recommend AVG Free. It's the most user-friendly virus scanner I know. (to anyone else reading this: "Your mileage may vary") All you do is install it and leave it alone. It will alert you if it sees any viruses. It has plug-ins for Outlook Express (good g*d, don't use Outlook Express, it's full of bugs!) and other e-mail clients. You may also consider using Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, AIM Mail, Google Mail (Gmail), etc as these web-based-email providers provide virus scanning on their end without the need to install it on yours. Also, install a firewall if you don't have one already (it will prevent unauthorized connections to your machine and so forth). I use Agnitum Outpost Firewall (but the downside is that you have to pay for it). Finally, you may wish to install a spyware detection/removal utility. There are several good ones out there including Spyware Doctor (very thorough and it sees things that even other spyware removal utilities don't). Other Wikipedians may of course recommend other software but these are the ones that work for me. (Or just switch operating systems to some variant of Linux or get a Mac and reduce your problems by several hundredfold)

• Shouting at me and making demands when I'm making a constructive edit on your page isn't helping. If I really wanted to vandalise, I would've done it - don't accuse me of being a vandal when I've spent almost my entire time here fighting vandals myself. Be logical: Why would a vandal-fighter turn into a vandal himself? He wouldn't. I said in a comment that I was rearranging your page, taking out a comment that you copied from my page to yours (there was a comment I made in the Birthday Committee thread that you copied from my page to yours thus taking it out of context. Why did you do that? I respectfully ask that you leave things on my talk page alone - while you are free to add new content, please don't copy content from my page elsewhere so it can be taken out of context) and I rearranged your userboxes (they need to be formatted in a certain way in order to look correct, it was not vandalism). I did exactly what I said I did. No offense, but both your user and user talk pages look horrible because the userboxes therein are not properly formatted and are strewn about all over the place.
• If you're going to mention my website anywhere (I certainly deserve to be informed if you do), please, with all due respect, get it right: it's nathanr.com, not nathan.com. nathan.com isn't even me (though he does have a list of Nathans on the net and I'm on it).

Proper format for userboxes is putting them inside tables:

{|
|{{User WP:UB}}
|{{User browser}}
|{{User friendly}}
|-
|{{User Rome}}
|}

Basically, in this way, you arrange userboxes in tables of three per line.

You would then see:

You can also arrange them vertically, like so:

{{Userboxtop|Example 2}}
{{User admin|[[English Wikipedia]]}}
{{User WP:UB}}
{{User browser}}
{{User Rome}}
{{User friendly}}
{{Userboxbottom}}

You would then see:

If you are using only one userbox, put a {{clear}} after it so the text formatting after it doesn't break. (Or {{-}}. Saves 4 letters of that hard-to-do typing. - from Mopper @ 06:15, 12 May 2006 (UTC))Reply

watch the text formatting try to take whatever space is left by the userbox. This is what happens when you don't use {{clear}}

This is what happens when you use {{clear}}. Much better, isn't it?

For an example of userbox formatting, see my userboxes page (do not change this page).

• If you can't handle stressful situations properly, take a break away from the computer (I have to do this myself).

Anyway, I'm rambling. Just do better. Ask questions if you're not sure of something, it's a bad idea to assume. You know the old adage about assuming, right? —       nathanrdotcom ^{(Got something to say? Say it.)} 02:54, 12 May 2006 (UTC)Reply

Also, you can use the

{{userbox|<color>|<color>|<[[Image]] or text>|Description}}

method, which allows you to create your own userboxes (note: the first color is the border color, too). This way, you don't have to hunt for them. For example;

Or;

Just a little customizable option. :) Mopper ^Speak! 06:15, 12 May 2006 (UTC)Reply