User talk:AIDSvideos

Please stop adding commercial links to Wikipedia. It is considered spamming, and Wikipedia is not a vehicle for advertising. Thanks. AmiDaniel (talk) 08:27, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

I previously posted this response on AmiDaniel's talk page and am now posting it here for public reference: -- Hi AmiDaniel - Thank you for your efforts to keep vandalism and spam off Wikipedia. I agree that those are real problems for the community and appreciate the efforts of those like you who are fighting the problem.

Regarding your removal of my addition of links for AIDSvideos.org to the HIV and AIDS pages, after my inquiry, you wrote:

"Please stop adding commercial links to Wikipedia. It is considered spamming, and Wikipedia is not a vehicle for advertising. Thanks."

Apparently, you considered the link to AIDSvideos.org to be a "commercial link." I don't understand why you are describing the link in that way. AIDSvideos.org is not a commercial web site. It is not associated with any profit-making entity. It sells nothing and does no advertising. It is a not-for-profit web site. It has no revenues whatsoever. Here is our mission statement: http://www.aidsvideos.org/mission.html

It is similar in that way to all of these existing links on that page, none of which you have removed as commercial: AIDS Educator, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Elton John AIDS Foundation, San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

(Note that some of the links on that are in fact to online magazines that in fact have advertising and appear to be for profit, so if anything they are MORE commercial than AIDSvideos.org.)

Please explain why you believe the link to AIDSvideos.org to be a "commercial link." If after reading this you no longer believe that to be the case, I would appreciate it if you would either document any other objections you may have to the link or restore the link.

Note that I have not reverted your change and started a revert war. Instead, I have chosen to communicate with you directly.

Thanks,

Eric --

I waited three days and AmiDaniel has neither responded to my message nor restored the link, so I added the link back to the HIV and AIDS pages and have added them to my watchlist so that I will know if the link is removed again. AIDSvideos.org is absolutely noncommercial and consistent with the other organizations listed on that page. If people think they have a valid reason that it should not be listed on these pages, please communicate that to me directly and let's discuss your concerns first.


 * You can certainly be spamming a website even when it isn't commercial. Spam guidelines are against the promotion of any website, whether or not you stand to make money. When you add one link to many articles over a short period of time, that usually fits the mold of promotion. Further more, are you affiliated with this website in any way? If you are, conflict of interest guidelines would ask that you submit it to the talk pages first. This is so an editor who can be neutral can decide if it should be added. If you have any questions, makes sure to reply on my talk page (AmiDaniel didn't see your message because he can't possibly keep tabs on thousands of talk pages, just his own. I'm in a similar boat). Cheers! JoeSmack Talk 15:56, 14 July 2007 (UTC)
 * P.S. I see you've been adding some good content contributions to HIV. Keep it up! :) JoeSmack Talk 16:02, 14 July 2007 (UTC)