[Wikipedia-l] linking

Mon Nov 25 22:01:23 UTC 2002

Tom Parmenter wrote:

>A start.
>
>Should be linked:
>
>-- birth and death dates
>-- major connections with the subject of the article, that is, if it's
>   an article about, say, B. B. King, there should be links on
>-- [[blues]], [[guitar]], and [[singer]]
>-- significant names mentioned in the article, defining significant to
>   mean people who deserve an article.  Opening for the [[Rolling
>   Stones]] had a big effect on B.B. King's career, but that doesn't
>   mean B.B.'s bass player should get a link.
>-- Anything you think there *should* be an article about.  Linking
>   gets it on the Most Wanted list.
>  
>Should not be linked:
>
>-- dates of marriage, book publication, and other dates between the
>   big two unless they bear some kind of significant connection with
>   the date.  That Charles Reich's "Greening of America" was published
>   in [[1970]] is significant because it was a zeitgeist book.  
>-- Every song on a record album.  "[[Helter Skelter]]" deserves an
>   article, "Back in the U.S.S.R." doesn't.  
>-- Likewise, every book and short story by an author, unless you're
>   prepared to back it up by writing all the articles, as some Robert
>   Heinlein enthusiast did.  Otherwise, leave the various works
>   unlinked until you get around to writing an article.
>
Although I would disagree in a few of the details, I think this list is 
a good starting rule of thumb.  I would add to the should not be linked 
list:

  -- up-links that are not germane to the article.  Thus, a link in 
saying that B. B. King was born in the [[United States]] is not helpful 
because the reader is not likely to be interested at this time in a 
general discussion about the United States.  Another way of saying this 
might be "Avoid uplinking to an article where you would not reasonably 
expect a down link back.

Eclecticology