Forum:Removing Red Links

Forums: Index > Policy > Removing Red Links

This page is for discussing a policy related to the Mass Effect Wiki that may or may not be passed by the community. The Form below serves to describe the Policy and what it is about, or what it will modify.

Policy:

Description of Policy: Administrators of the wiki will be allowed to remove all red links (wanted links: categories, files, pages, templates) from user pages, talk pages, and wherever else any red link may appear across the wiki. If any user has red links in his/her user page or in comments elsewhere, that user must be notified first and asked to remove the red links themselves; if the user does not comply or remove all associated red links within 7 days of notification, administrators may then remove those red links. In all other cases, administrators can remove red links at will.

Notes: See below
Supporting links or images:

Other Notes

So I'm sick of seeing red links. There's no reason to have them because they are removed on sight anyway in main space articles, but there are a bunch sitting around that no one can get to because of current restrictions. As it stands, all users are prohibited from editing the user pages and talk page comments of other users for any reason except to revert obvious vandalism edits, making it impossible for many red links to be removed. This proposal is meant to change that. I believe that it's reasonable to give administrators, who already have a wide range of powers and the implicit trust of the community to use them, the power to remove any red link anywhere. I realize that this is an invasive power for admins to have, but someone has to be able to do it and I don't see any other solution to the red link issue. Hence this proposal; nothing ventured, nothing gained. -- Commdor (Talk) 03:11, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

Voting

Support

1. As proposer. -- Commdor (Talk) 03:11, August 9, 2010 (UTC)
2. Sounds good to me. Arbington 03:22, August 9, 2010 (UTC)
3. I now also fully support. SpartHawg948 03:34, August 9, 2010 (UTC)
4. Here is my support to this as well. Lancer1289 04:34, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

Neutral

1. See my comment below. Bastian964 05:16, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

Discussion

Change the 'registered users who've commented within 30 days must be notified and given 7 days to comply' to 'all users must be notified and given 7 days to comply' and you'll have my vote. SpartHawg948 03:20, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

Done. -- Commdor (Talk) 03:33, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

Rog-o! SpartHawg948 03:33, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

Maybe this will prevent needless articles from being created over and over, and then we have to deal with deleting it. Lancer1289 04:35, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

I'll support this if instead of deleting the link the admins simply adds the <nowiki></nowiki> tags. It leaves the comments as they were originally written but without any obnoxious red links. Bastian964 05:10, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

But the current proposal would leave the comments the way they were originally written. All we'd be doing is removing the brackets, so basically turning (for example) Omega to Omega. I would have to oppose a proposal to do it with tags, as I hate using those tags. Just removing a set of [[]], on the other hand, is A-OK in my book. SpartHawg948 05:19, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

Indeed why add the nowiki tags when removing the brackets is much easier, faster, and instead of adding code, removes it. Lancer1289 05:23, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict)I guess we differ slightly on a semantic issue. I would like them how they were originally written with <nowiki></nowiki> added, whereas you want the comments to look how they originally did but without the links. I'm not horribly against your method, I just think my suggestion is more in keeping with the spirit of the current policies. Bastian964 05:27, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

But again, the way Lancer and I (the people who would actually be doing this) are proposing would, as you say, keep the comments looking like they do originally. How is that not in keeping with the spirit of the current policies? SpartHawg948 05:30, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

Like I said we differ slightly on semantics. If that is the way people want that is fine with me, I'll just remain neutral. Also please note I said "more in keeping" indicating your way was in keeping with the original policy, just that I didn't think it followed the spirit as well as my option. Bastian964 05:37, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

I dunno. I think the option more in keeping with the spirit of the current policies is the one that keeps the comment looking as nearly identical to the original as possible, which would seem to be the one that only changes the color of the text from red to white. SpartHawg948 05:39, August 9, 2010 (UTC)

And the voting period has concluded. The final vote is four in favor, one neutral, and zero against. The proposal passes. -- Commdor (Talk) 00:41, August 17, 2010 (UTC)