User talk:Mcth

July 2007

Welcome to Wikipedia. We invite everyone to contribute constructively to the encyclopedia. However, the external links you added do not comply with our guidelines for external links. Wikipedia is not a mere directory of links; nor should it be used for advertising or promotion. Since Wikipedia uses nofollow tags, external links do not alter search engine rankings. If you feel the link should be added to the article, then please discuss it on the article's talk page before reinserting it. Please take a look at the welcome page to learn more about contributing to this encyclopedia. Thank you. Rettetast 20:07, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

External links on atrial fibrillation

Please do not add 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 attract visitors to a web site or promote a product. See the external links guideline and spam policy for further explanations. Since Wikipedia uses nofollow tags, external links do not alter search engine rankings. 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. Thank you. To clarify: (1) you are not allowed to place links to sites that you are affiliated with, even if they are otherwise allowable per WP:EL. Your contribution history is sufficient proof for your affiliation. (2) All links you added to various articles were pointing to the generic homepage of the site stopafib.org, rather than to any information that was specific for the article. Han-Kwang (T) 14:15, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

--- Regarding your message above, this is not an inappropriate link. Below is the message from User: Rettetast, who asked me to look at the guidelines, which I had already done, and if the link satisfies them that he would not revert this again.

I replied to him that StopAfib.org meets the guidelines because it contains too much neutral and accurate material to include in the atrial fibrillation page, and it also contains useful copyrighted patient stories that cannot be included. The entire site is a compilation of patient knowledge that is valuable regarding atrial fibrillation, so the generic home page is the right place to use as an external link. Based on what Rettetast said, I added the link back, then you reverted it. If it is inappropriate and you find it necessary to remove this link, I ask you to please remove all other external links on the atrial fibrillation page as most have far less vital information. Please reconsider.

mcth

--- Exchange with Rettetast:

Re: your message & guidelines of what to include Re: Your message below to Mcth 02:49, 31 July 2007 (UTC): In my opinion the link shoulf not be included per WP:EL. Please note that wikipedia is not a link farm. If you still mean that the link satisfies WP:EL I will not revert you again. Rettetast 00:09, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

Reply: This link should be included and it satisfies the guidelines of what to include. StopAfib.org contains too much neutral and accurate material to include here along with copyrighted individual stories that are useful but cannot be included here. I will add it back to the relevant sites. Mcth 00:06, 21 August 2007 (UTC) --- Mcth 23:52, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

I have not approved this link for inclusion and I still think it does not satisfies WP:EL. Rettetast 15:51, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

Rettetast, I'm very confused then by what you meant with this comment: "If you still mean that the link satisfies WP:EL I will not revert you again. Rettetast 00:09, 2 August 2007 (UTC)"

I thought you were saying that if I thought it complies with WP:EL, which I do, then to go ahead and add it, and that you wouldn't revert it. Can you please clarify?

Also, if you feel that an external link to this site for atrial fibrillation patients, which has too much valuable information to post on the atrial fibrillation page as well as copyrighted stories for atrial fibrillation patients, does not comply, then you need to remove all other external links on the atrial fibrillation page because they then do not comply with WP:EL as well. Thanks.

Mcth 05:23, 25 August 2007 (UTC)

I have removed a number of them - especially the ones that seem to be advertisments for prescription drugs and treatments disguised as informational websites. Not having a medical background, I'm not sure about the two university websites that I left on the page. Han-Kwang (t) 10:18, 25 August 2007 (UTC)

Reply from mcth

I have removed a number of them - especially the ones that seem to be advertisments for prescription drugs and treatments disguised as informational websites. Not having a medical background, I'm not sure about the two university websites that I left on the page. Han-Kwang (t) 10:18, 25 August 2007 (UTC)

Reply from mcth: StopAfib.org is a completely neutral site written by atrial fibrillation patients for atrial fibrillation patients. It doesn't tout or sell anything. If it isn't appropriate, then none of the 4 links currently there are appropriate.

There are two patient sites that are neutral and don't sell anything, just like StopAfib.org. If it doesn't belong, they don't either. There are two hospital sites, both of which tout doctors and surgery and clinical services, and thus don't belong either.

While I certainly understand why sites selling products or services are not appropriate, I have to wonder why neutral sites by patients strictly for the purpose of informing and educating other patients and getting their input and sharing their stories wouldn't be appropriate as extermnal links. It seems that those are the very sites that are in keeping with the Wikipedia philosophy of sharing of information, and that they would be welcomed rather than rejected. One just has to wonder why.

Thank you.

Mcth 01:57, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

The difference is in who places the links. If you had been contributing for a while with actual content to articles on topics that you're knowledgeable about, your added link might very well have been accepted. But your only activity on Wikipedia has been to add links to your website and arguing why those links belong there. Wikipedia is not a vehicle for advertisement. Han-Kwang (t) 07:30, 29 August 2007 (UTC)