[WikiEN-l] Why aren't *all* wikia.com links restricted under nofollow?

[Jonathan Stokes]

If there is consensus that there is no deliberate InterWiki Map favoritism,
then the only concern is to prevent the appearance of InterWiki Map
favoritism.  This could be accomplished by clearer criteria for InterWiki
Map inclusion.

For instance, a short paragraph at the top of
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Interwiki_map could do the trick.  In
fact, a simple paragraph of explanation is currently curiously absent from
the InterWiki Map.

I'll take a shot in the dark here:

INTERWIKI MAP CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION:

"The InterWiki Map exists to allow a more efficient syntax for linking
between wikis, and thus promote the cooperation and proliferation of wikis
providing free information on the internet.  Sites considered for inclusion
should probably 1) be a wiki 2) be a free content site 3) be reasonably
developed 4) be trusted not to produce spam links and 5) provide a clear and
relevant value to the mediawiki community.

The process for determining inclusion is similar to [[AfD.]]  Members of the
community may present pro's and con's, with a Meta administrator determining
consensus and acting accordingly.

Sites included in the InterWiki Map are considered to be trusted sites by
the MediaWiki community and thus "nofollow" is removed from InterWiki
links."

A short paragraph like the above could be sufficient to assuage the concerns
of those who suspect Wikipedia/Wikia nepotism.  This sort of fix may be all
that is necessary to quell concerns of a Nefarious Wikia Conspiracy!