Forum:No inline external links in articles?


 * See also Forum:Link Context

So, for quite some time, we've had the "policy" not to mix in-universe and non-universe links in articles. However, when was the decision made to remove all external links in articles (ie, those going to either Wikipedia or IMDb)? A couple of users of late have started going through various articles and have been removing all of those links.

We have templates for inline links to those sites (for example) such as IMDb-name and w, so where did this sudden change in policy come from? Did I miss something along the way, or is it primarily the work of one person here? -- Sulfur 14:53, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
 * My preference has been to only use those inline links in realworld info, either realworld articles or background, apocrypha, etc. sections of in-universe articles (since I view using those in in-universe articles is similar to mixing in- and non-universe MA links). I don't think there is or should be a push to removed all external in-line links from real-world info, though. -- Renegade54 15:14, 17 November 2007 (UTC)


 * I've been wondering about that. I remember seeing some administrator telling some user not to use external links in the body of an article. I wondered then, why have templates to do so. But I figured since he was an administrator, then that was policy. If that is not so, OK.– Watching...listening... 18:29, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
 * The basic rule is to not use them in the body of an in-universe article... if something in-universe needs linked to, then it should be to an in-universe topic, otherwise it shouldn't have a link. -- Renegade54 18:58, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
 * OHHH...I see; the policy applies to in-universe articles only. OK. Thanks.– Watching...listening... 19:01, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
 * No problem. :) If you find an external link in an in-universe article, delete away (and that includes episode summaries in my book, which are somewhere between real world and in-universe). And to expand on the whole topic a bit further, a real-world article shouldn't have in-universe links, except to a character or episode for an actor article, for example, or a ship or item for a production designer article, etc. An actor born in California shouldn't have a link to the in-universe California article, though. -- Renegade54 19:05, 17 November 2007 (UTC)