User talk:Jburns31780

Thanks for contributing to Wikipedia. Unfortunately, the commercial links/content you added were inappropriate, as Wikipedia is an encyclopedia and should not be used for advertising or a collection of external links. See the welcome page if you'd like to learn more about contributing to the encyclopedia. Thanks! --Arcadian (talk) 18:58, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

May 2008 (http://spam.pted.org http://spam.congenital.org)
Please do not add inappropriate external links to Wikipedia. Wikipedia is not a collection 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 guideline 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, please discuss it on the article's talk page rather than re-adding it. MER-C 12:43, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

This is the last warning you will receive for your disruptive edits. The next time you insert a spam link, you will be blocked from editing Wikipedia. Persistent spammers may have their websites blacklisted as well, preventing anyone from linking to them from all of Wikipedia. MER-C 12:48, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

I am perplexed! Yes, I was wrong yesterday to add the link to congenital.org as it is a commercial site - my ignoance, for which I apologize. However, the links to the noncommercial site pted.org were valuable additions and should be included, as you will see if you investigate. This is an absolutely free website (offering free printed materials) that is the most complete and fully illustrated resource for patient information about congenital heart disease on the entire web. If any link should be included in Wikipedia for these topics, this is it. How can I get permission to add this important link? Jburns31780 (talk) 13:02, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

You have been temporarily blocked from editing Wikipedia for continuing to add spam links. If you wish to make useful contributions, you are welcome to come back after the block expires. Persistent spammers will have their websites blacklisted from Wikipedia. Ian Cairns (talk) 13:16, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

Apparently my question was unnoticed, so I try again. I am perplexed! Yesterday, I added links to congenital heart disease topics. One class of links was to a commercial site for educational software. I was wrong to do this - I plead ignorance rather than malice. However, the other class of links was to the noncommercial site www.pted.org - an absolutely free website supported by a non-profit foundation, offering free mailing of printed materials, that is the most complete and fully illustrated resource for patient information about congenital heart disease on the entire web. If any link should be included in Wikipedia for these topics, this is it. This site presents animations of surgeries and interventions that are invaluable to patients, their parents, and even nurses and medical students. Most of these materials are available nowhere else for free. How can I get permission to add this important link? Whoever takes the time to investigate this resource will see its value to Wikipedia. Jburns31780 (talk) 13:22, 21 May 2008 (UTC)


 * I had an, albeit shallow, dive into the material offered on pted.org. It is indeed "Provided as a public service by Johns Hopkins University" and I would not characterise it as either spam nor commercial content. I found the site very informational and would recommend it should be linked from at least the general Congenital heart disease page. Oh, and yes, I'm a CHD patient. Dvlrnr (talk) 17:57, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

Originally posted on Talk:User:Icairns:

Apology and request to reconsider heart disease links
Greetings! I would like to appeal the decision to bar the links I added to Wikipedia articles about congenital heart disease to the noncommercial educational website www.pted.org.

I do believe that the www.pted.org links would be valuable additions to the Wikipedia entries. This absolutely free website (offering postage-free printed materials) is the most complete and fully illustrated resource for patient information about congenital heart disease on the entire web. It is supported by a non-profit foundation through the auspices of The Johns Hopkins University Medical Center. This site presents information and illustrations (including animations of surgeries and catheterization procedures) that are invaluable to patients, their parents, and even nurses and medical students. Most of these materials are available nowhere else for free.

Someone unknown to me has posted a comment on my talk page in support of including these links. I quote:

I had an, albeit shallow, dive into the material offered on pted.org. It is indeed "Provided as a public service by Johns Hopkins University" and I would not characterise it as either spam nor commercial content. I found the site very informational and would recommend it should be linked from at least the general Congenital heart disease page. Oh, and yes, I'm a CHD patient. Dvlrnr (talk) 17:57, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

Please accept my apology for my initial incompetence. At first, I posted links to pted.org as well as a commercial educational software site without realizing that the latter was forbidden. In the process of restoring the noncommercial links, I unknowingly racked up two warnings and was temporarily banned. I apologize for my ignorance about Wikipedia policy – I was not trying to circumvent the rules or defy instructions. I ask that you reconsider the ban on links to this important educational resource. Thank you. Jburns31780 (talk) 12:43, 23 May 2008 (UTC)(jburns31780)

Reply:
 * Thanks for the above message. As far as I am aware, your 31 hour block is now complete and you are free to edit again. I appreciate your statement of the worthiness of the weblink, but point out that I was probably responding to a complaint that you were spamming. It is important that you realise the reasons for this - I cannot give you any permission to break the Wikipedia rules. Please accept these or avoid editing, ie. worthy spamming is still spamming. If you are blocked again and you think it is incorrect, you may add to your talk page, and an Admin will be along quickly to add a second opinion. Good luck with your future editing.... Ian Cairns (talk) 14:25, 23 May 2008 (UTC)