Recently, [[User:DennyColt]] has created an essay article, [[WP:BADSITES]], that advocates banning all links to sites that are considered to be "attack sites". Although this is an essay, and explicitly says that it is not a policy, he then proceeded to invoke his own essay in pursuing a draconian campaign to suppress all links to Wikpedia Review, an anti-Wikipedia web forum. In doing so, he did things that are normally considered to be against Wikipedia policy, such as altering other people's comments on talk and project pages, and editing archive pages and closed AfDs. While I am on the record as strongly critical of the tone and atmosphere of the WR site, I am also strongly against the imposition of a flat ban on linking to it, even on user, talk, and project pages. This is part of a consistent position I have of opposing all flat bans on linking to particular sites other than blatant spam sites of the "Buy Herbal Viagra Now" variety (and even *those* might have rare cases where links to them are appropriate, such as when methods used by spammers are being discussed and criticized). When one is engaged in a discussion about those sites themselves, and the people on them, and the things they're saying, we are tying our own hands if we can't cite specific things there in the course of the discussion. For instance, there's a very interesting thread that discusses this very "anti-attack-site" campaign: http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?showtopic=7988 I don't know about the merits of the legal claims that guy is making (does fair use for the purpose of commentary require citing and linking to the source?) but some of his points about how absurd various talk-page comments became once "redacted" by Denny are right on target. But how would I be able to comment on this if I weren't allowed to link to the thread involved? We should "know thine enemy"; we shouldn't act like a mind-control cult trying to stop its members from finding out about critics and what they have to say, but we should encourage our editors to read such criticism -- and refute it on the many occasions where it's wrongheaded. But occasionally the critics say something right, too. Anyway, when they're threatening to sue Wikipedia and its editors, shouldn't we make ourselves aware of this? Banning all links to the site would prevent that too. -- == Dan == Dan's Mail Format Site: http://mailformat.dan.info/ Dan's Web Tips: http://webtips.dan.info/ Dan's Domain Site: http://domains.dan.info/