User:Anon126/Guide for contributors with close connections/Linking


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We like hyperlinks to other Wikipedia articles. This helps people get additional information. So, if there is another article that is relevant, link it!

However, we don't always appreciate external links, which go to other sites. These are sometimes viewed as spam.

These are the main rules we have about external links:

• Don't put them in the text. Something like this appears quite often: "In 2010, XYZ Corporation's subsidiary Acme released its Widget line of products." This is a typical example of what we call "link spam." You should pick link that represents the subject, then put it at the end in an "External links" section. For example, if the article is about XYZ Corporation:

• Don't make them references unless they actually provide the information. This has the same problems: "In 2010, XYZ Corporation's subsidiary Acme released its Widget line of products."

References should only be used for actual sources of information. Here is a proper use of a reference: "In 2010, XYZ Corporation's subsidiary Acme released its Widget line of products. "

• Don't put too many. As mentioned earlier, one is enough. If your subject is active on social media, that's fine, but don't list all the accounts on Wikipedia! Instead, find one that links to the rest, or find the one that is used the most.


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