StrategyWiki:Guide/External links

 '''This is a proposed policy. It is not yet binding.''' Please discuss this guideline on this page's talk page, the forums or the staff lounge.

External linking consists of content pointing to websites outside of StrategyWiki.org. This could be in the form of links, images or videos. When using external links, keep in mind that we aim to host all game-related content, so use external sites sparingly. In most cases, it would be better to add the content directly to StrategyWiki, either by writing your own content, uploading your own images or otherwise explaining concepts in a way that keeps readers on our site. Sometimes, however, it may make more sense to use externally hosted content as in cases where duplication of effort can be avoided, the content is dynamic, or there is no easy way to get complex concepts across using our own resources.

Partnerships
We have mutually beneficial relationships with our partner sites, where we host strategy guide content and they host game minutiae and trivia. For information in more detail than we care to go or which spans multiple games, use links to our partners.

Guide main pages
There are two places where external links should go on guide main pages. For links to a game's official site, use the  parameter in the infobox template. If there is more than one link to various sites, or to add a link to Wikipedia through use of the wikipedia template, start an "External links" section below the Table of Contents and Series Nav, where applicable. Links should not be to fansites, but rather to sites hosting content outside our scope, such as official forums, patch download pages, highly specific strategy sites, friend code pages, etc.

Use of the wikipedia template should be limited to situations where Wikipedia has information well beyond what is in the guide. In most cases, since our licenses are compatible with attribution, any good information on Wikipedia should just be copied to our site. This is especially true of the introductory information that we can use on the main page, as well as "game guide" information, which has a high probability of being removed from the Wikipedia page in the future. We do not want a Wikipedia link routinely added to every page – anything concerning playing and beating the game can and should be found within our own pages.

Guide pages
External links don't belong on guide pages. References are unnecessary and discouraged; this is not Wikipedia. To properly attribute any content you are adding, put the link and licensing information in the edit summary when you add it. Like always, if there is information elsewhere that you would link to, just add it to the page, keeping in mind copyright issues. If you find yourself wanting to add links to one site in particular on multiple pages, consider adding it under the "External links" section of the main page.

User pages
Feel free to link to your personal blog, other wikis you belong to, etc. on your userpage. Note that spamming or linking to ad, revenue or click-thru sites won't be tolerated. Your user page is for other users to get to know you a little better, so keep any links you add working toward that end.

Hotlinked images
99.99% of the time, you just need to upload the image to the site and use proper image links on the page. The only time you should hotlink to an externally hosted image on a guide page, is when it is constantly updated at the source in a manner that would be too taxing for us to replicate. An example is the ownership map on the World of Pirates/Maps page. This is simply to avoid having to upload new versions of the image all the time and still not be as up-to-date as the site it's hosted on.

The only other time you can feel free to use hotlinked images is on talk pages and user pages. Sometimes it may be necessary to prove certain information, such as glitches or pre-release information. In that regard, it isn't necessary to upload an image that becomes useless shortly after the parties involved have seen it. You can also use hotlinked images on your user page if you don't want to upload it, but be aware that the userspace is not meant to be a gallery, so use good judgement.

Videos
Videos are a hybrid of images and external links. They can help explain complex or intricate concepts and actions, but as of right now, readers must go off-site to view them. Because video is both image and external link, it follows the guidelines of each. Unlike images or our own content, we have far less control over the quality and focus of externally hosted videos. Issues to be aware of are copyrighted soundtracks, poorly written and/or inappropriate subtitles or text screens, unrelated content and more. Also be aware that sending readers to another site, such as someone's YouTube account, can reflect poorly on StratgyWiki if other content there is offensive or low quality.

Like images, videos should complement the walkthrough text and aid in describing things which aren't easily translated to text. Examples are hidden locations or a complicated series of actions. That being said, most things you would find in a video could be explained just as well with an image. Between the two, an image is preferred, as we can host and control it.

Because videos will be linked to on guide pages, they don't follow all the same rules as other external links. While external links should be focused on that which we don't cover, videos should have to do with the content on the pages where they are found. Like external links though, videos shouldn't be used to duplicate what is already (or should be) in the walkthrough. This means a video that is simply mirroring the walkthrough should be avoided. Videos should not be used in place of walkthrough text. An empty or sparse page with links to video walkthroughs does not meet our goals of being a one-stop, game strategy and information database. Also keep in mind that many things are better shown in text, such as multiple choices, consolidated information from different parts of the game, or explaining the reasons and consequences of in-game actions.