On 17 Oct 2007 at 09:38:46 -0700, Will Beback will.beback.1@gmail.com wrote:
I can't speak for others, but that's not a fair summary of my position. I think that removing material is a standard part of editing. I think that the project has been improved by removing all kinds of material. I think that links to self-published sites actively harassing Wikipedia editors are not reliable sources and should be removed just as we remove other unreliable sources. Doing so makes for optimal encyclopedia content.
I agree that good editing involves making decisions on what to add and what to remove. I disagree that "harrassing Wikipedia editors" should figure into such editorial decisions, other than in the sense that a site engaged in harrassing anybody (in or out of Wikipedia) is probably of a more disreputable nature and less likely to be a good link. But I think such editorial decisions should ideally be made in a neutral, dispassionate manner with an eye to what improves or harms the encyclopedia's content, not with an eye to what personal grudges exist between the site in question and any Wikipedia editors.