[WikiEN-l] FredBauder"clarifies"on attack site link policy

[Blu Aardvark]

Fred Bauder wrote:
> The remedy was applied after a personal attack on MONGO was featured on the Main Page.
>
> Fred
>   

I would honestly hope that this wasn't the sole reason. Because a 
third-party satirical website which Wikipedia has no control over posted 
a piece on its main page making fun of an editor, we're gonna have a 
tissy and ban all references to it? Even going so far as to change all 
links (/most/ of which were used appropriately) from 
encyclopediadramatica (the actual site) to encyclopediadamatica (a 
domain squatter filled with typical spam), thus destroying the point of 
links in the first place?

Encyclopedia Dramatica is a satirical wiki designed to document internet 
memes, drama, culture, and people, often done in an offensive manner. 
Common sense dictates that, for this reason, there wouldn't normally be 
a reason to link to it from Wikipedia. It isn't a critical site, and by 
its nature isn't a reliable source. References in talk and userspace 
should generally be avoided due to its offensive nature. However, the 
are occasions where even a link to ED would benefit a discussion (and 
indeed, prior to the ban on such linking, most every link would qualify 
as productive), and Encyclopedia Dramatica, despite the warped consensus 
to the contrary, is a notable website; if an article on it was ever 
allowed to be created again, a link would be wholly appropriate in that 
context.

But we're going to utterly refuse to link to it under any circumstances, 
for any reason, because it made fun of MONGO in an article on him (that 
didn't contain any personally identifiable information, mind you) that 
was front paged. That strikes me as an attempt to use a cannon to kill a 
fly.