User talk:PersianScarface

Please do not add commercial links or links to your own private websites to Wikipedia. Wikipedia is not a vehicle for advertising or a mere collection of external links. You are, however, encouraged to add content instead of links to the encyclopedia. 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. Oldelpaso 17:25, 21 September 2006 (UTC)
 * re your email: Its debatable whether Arsenal-Land should be there (the guideline on external links says linking to a single fansite may occasionally be acceptable, implying less links rather than more). That it has not yet been removed does not make further links acceptable. Forums do not generally include neutral and accurate information, and thus links to them are frowned upon. Also, referring to your site as "the new and hottest arsenal forum on the net" on the talk page sets off the spam radar somewhat. Oldelpaso 19:37, 21 September 2006 (UTC) (for reference, leaving a message on my talk page will often result in a quicker response than email)
 * A link is acceptable if a site contains a unique information resource beyond that which would be expected of a featured quality encyclopedia article, so for example, an in-depth history of the club, or a comprehensive collection of statistical information would be acceptable, as that would be more depth than is reasonable for an encyclopedia article. In terms of a fansite, the only way it is likely to become acceptable is if it can be demonstrated that the site is the most popular Arsenal fansite on the web.


 * There are a number of reasons for the approach to external links on Wikipedia, first and formost that Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a web directory or collection of links (see the policy What Wikipedia is not). We would prefer readers to be able get relevant information here, rather than directing them to another site, hence the encouragement to add content rather than links. As Wikipedia articles often appear high in search engine results, people often try to use Wikipedia to boost their own search ranking. Left unchecked, some articles would have more than a hundred external links, making it very difficult to find truly relevant information beyond that already included in the article. Wishing to prevent people using Wikipedia as a vehicle for free advertising is the motivating factor, not snobbishness. Thank you for your civil approach. If you are interested in contributing to Wikipedia, we have plenty of articles in Category:Arsenal F.C. requiring expansion, and WikiProject Football always welcomes new editors. Oldelpaso 17:59, 22 September 2006 (UTC)