User talk:Lifewebsites

Please do not add advertising or inappropriate external links to Wikipedia. Wikipedia is not a mere directory of links nor should it be used for advertising or promotion. Inappropriate links include (but are not limited to) links to personal web sites, links to web sites with which you are affiliated, and links that exist to attract visitors to a web site or promote a product. See the external links guideline and spam policies for further explanations of links that are considered appropriate. If you feel the link should be added to the article, then please discuss it on the article's talk page rather than re-adding it. See the welcome page to learn more about Wikipedia. Thank you. Mr Stephen (talk) 18:37, 19 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your message. Please sign your messages with four tildes, ie ~~~~. The position of external links on Wikipedia is best explained by considering what WP is, and what WP is not. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, along the lines of Britannica, Hutchinson, etc. It should contain information about the history of a place, what it is now, and its primary economic and leisure activities. External links should be used – sparingly – to provide information that it is not appropriate to include in an article, such as lists of data. Wikipedia is not a launch pad for people interested in the best place for a night out, where to get their hair cut, or what the local news is. There are plenty of sites that are happy to host such links. More information on Wikipedia's rules can be found at Wikipedia:External links and Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not. Mr Stephen (talk) 13:47, 20 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I haven't looked at Visitmanchester recently, but my memory is that it also has some detailed history of the area, and because it is the official tourist site, the history should be accurate. The Chorlton link sounds like something that doesn't belong. If you look around wikipedia you will find pages that have a lot of innapropriate links (check out this recent version of Debate for example). Someone has written an essay on the problem, see WP:SPAMHOLE. Regards, Mr Stephen (talk) 10:57, 22 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]