Date: 2007/10/11 Thu PM 03:08:53 BST
To: "English Wikipedia" <wikien-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] Is Slate an attack site?
On 10/11/07, charles.r.matthews(a)ntlworld.com
<charles.r.matthews(a)ntlworld.com> wrote:
"Wily D" wrote
A regular editor may well be legitimately
concerned
that linking to Slate will get them banned - and *even if* this
particular question was asked disingenuously, somebody else is going
to be wondering the same thing in all honesty.
Let's get the scenario straight. Even if Slate were somehow classified as a site to
which one should not link (not going to happen), and even if some editor links to Slate,
it would take there being a very good reason not to link to the specific page, and then an
obstinate defence of linking in the teeth of advice not to, before anything actionable in
ArbCom terms has occurred. If some loose cannon of an admin decides they can
"ban" someone independent of such a case, it is they who are more likely to end
up in court, for abuse of admin powers.
Any real fracas over linking in this general area ought to be sorted out by proper
Wikipedian interactions. Everyone still needs to exercise good judgement, with respect to
those interactions, just as much as in what to link to.
Charles
Charles - I agree with all of this. What is unreasonable is to expect
every editor to be aware of it - *especially* when they're not allowed
to ask.