Memory Alpha talk:Book sources

Links to Amazon
A user has been adding links directly to Amazon.com from articles on this site so people can purchase DVDs of Trek episodes. (See, for example, ) Is this in keeping with Memory Alpha policy? Aholland 11:40, 15 March 2006 (UTC)


 * I'd rather see those "ASIN" links on the articles of the actual media instead of on each episode article - and in that regard, I don't know if we really need a section "DVD Media information" at all - but with the new template, an ASIN link from the media article itself shouldn't be a problem, I think. -- Cid Highwind 11:48, 15 March 2006 (UTC)


 * The problem is, no episodes link to which DVDs that episode was on. If I clicked on and there was no reference link at all, how would I be able to find the two DVD collections its has been released on (or for that matter, the two VHS releases?). The novels pages have a "reference" field where the ISBN can be linked -- maybe each episode should link to whichever DVD article(s) are relevant, and place the purchasing information there. And should we start VHS articles for each individual tape? Either way, i think that episodes do need a media information link. -- Captain M.K. Bartel 14:46, 15 March 2006 (UTC)


 * That's true, but I still think that there shouldn't be a direct off-site link to "some" releases but not others. Having a list of all releases of any specific episode on the episode article still seems like the best alternative to me - perhaps in the form of another standardized sidebar template in the background section of any episode article; otherwise as a new section, but one not specifically restricted to DVD releases.
 * In that case, this list should contain links to media articles here on MA, which then can contain ISBNs, ASINs or whatever - this doesn't necessarily mean that we have to create separate articles for each VHS tape, though. Perhaps an article TNG VHS Collection (or whatever the "official" name might be) which contains a table listing all individual tapes with contained episodes and ISBN/ASIN number?
 * If we start listing those numbers on the episode article directly, we'd just end up with an unmaintainable mess of duplicate information... -- Cid Highwind 15:24, 15 March 2006 (UTC)


 * I support creating a list of VHS ISBNs/ASINs and linking it to each episode article -- a unified storehouse of the ordering info, rather than disseminating it to individual pages. This would also be valuable to unify the info should we ever decide to abort/alter the ASIN template/system to direct to another site -- only a few pages would need to be changed rather than all 700+ eps/movies...
 * Star Trek: The Original Series (VHS)
 * Star Trek: The Animated Series (VHS)
 * Star Trek: The Next Generation (VHS)
 * Star Trek Movies (VHS)
 * Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (VHS)
 * Star Trek: Voyager (VHS)
 * Each episode has only been released on video one or two times, and i don't think new releases are forthcoming, so this wouldn't be a huge problem to maintain either -- Captain M.K. Bartel 15:43, 15 March 2006 (UTC)
 * We should still have one article per "product" (so to speak), and not just one huge list for all VHS releases of one series. One "product", in this case, would be the whole range of 2-episodes-per-VHS releases for each of the series. Other "products" could be specific releases - I remember seeing something like a "Q Box" or "Borg Box" with all Q/Borg episodes on VHS, for example. These different products shouldn't be listed on one page, but get their individual articles.
 * As a suggestion, I created a sidebar template that I added to the top of this section... -- Cid Highwind 16:01, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

Nice form -- i was was in a "show preview" of some episodes to see if i could accomplish something similar (great minds, and all that...)
 * merged discussion

For TOS episodes, AFAIK, they were released in the following formats:
 * Columbia House VHS (2 to 4 episodes per tape)
 * Paramount VHS (1 episode to a tape)
 * Paramount series DVDs (2 episodes per set?)
 * Paramount season DVDs : TOS Season 1 DVD, etc..
 * Paramount "fan collectives" : part of a multi series collection

So all the VHS releases would be linked to as TOS VHS? (rd to Star Trek: The Original Series (VHS)...)

and then we'd probably need a link to unwritten articles about the earlier DVD releases for the individual break downs (TOS DVD, rd to Star Trek: The Original Series (DVD) ?) -- Captain M.K. Bartel 15:59, 15 March 2006 (UTC)


 * I'm a little unsure how to name each article if we are breaking them down that far -- for example should link to TOS Season 1 DVD and Star Trek: Fan Collective - Time Travel, but what should we name the DVD article and VHS articles. It was released along with Devil in the Dark on one 2-episode tape by Columbia House, then released by itself on a single tape be Paramount, and also on a DVD with another episode from the first TOS DVD release. Is that three new articles we should make?


 * Out of curiousity, does MA get a percentage when Amazon makes a sale through us? I know many other sites use this?  It may be an avenue to explore to cover any costs that may arrise. Jaz talk]] 06:07, 18 March 2006 (UTC)


 * MA-fr : There's an english contributor whose only contributions on MA-fr consists in adding ISBN or links to amazon  and nothing more, letting me complete the informations on new articles :(. Personaly, I won't let links to Amazon in the articles each time there is something to sell on american, german or all the amazon sites around the world. I only let the ISBN and ASIN codes, eliminating those links. Even if there's no functionalities for ASIN like ISBN, the codes are enough because it can be used for search via google, ... and the first site to appear in that case is often Amazon. We are not a commercial wiki working for Amazon. - Philoust123 12:05, 19 April 2006 (UTC)


 * I agree with Philoust123. I would go further, though, and remove all Amazon links.  It's not like these items are hidden from view or impossible to find at any of a number of websites, brick-and-mortar stores, or catalogs.  By having all the Amazon links it certainly has the appearance that Memory Alpha is somehow endorsing Amazon.com.  And why stop at Amazon?  Why not link to products at Towerrecords.com, Circuitcity.com, Trekcore, and StarTrek.com too?  Unless we're getting paid by Amazon for advertising specific items to a very specific demographic market, it just seems wrong.  Aholland 20:25, 19 April 2006 (UTC)


 * Ahhhh, but we do get paid by Amazon for any referrals to them from this site. The links to Amazon have our site URL in them, and we're apparently a registered Amazon affiliate. -- Renegade54 23:36, 19 April 2006 (UTC)


 * Then I take it all back. Link away!  Aholland 00:48, 20 April 2006 (UTC)