Talk:Crystal Sceptre
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External links
[edit]I agree with Firebrace that those external links that are to unmoderated blogs should be removed. Interested users can search for these, but per WP:ELNO I don't think we should be putting them in the article itself (one is also a dead link). Theramin, could you explain why you think they should be included? › Mortee talk 00:35, 25 August 2019 (UTC)
- Hello, Mortee. Thanks for asking - and within six minutes! I am very impressed! Sorry, it has taken me a bit longer to compose this reply. Here are a few reasons.
- First, we don't have a good image of the crystal sceptre, and many of those links do.
- Second, the one image we do have shows an illustration of the mace being carried in 1821. The postcard from 1902 shows this tradition continuing in 1902 (and it would be great to see a photo of the sceptre being used in 1953, or more recently).
- Third, WP:ELNO does not say never, it says normally avoided, and generally avoid. Exceptions are permitted. This is not a link farm, but a carefully curated set of useful links.
- Fourth, they are not all blogs or personal web pages. I've just added the BBC, but for example agincourt600 was not either (sadly seems to be a deadlink but I live in hope that there is either an archived version somewhere, or with some effort we'll find where it has gone on that website).
- Fifth, even if the are blogs or personal web pages, I'd assert they are reliable. IanVisits is very good for this sort of thing; I'd trust a qualified London Blue Badge Guide; RoyalCentral looks good to me, etc.
- Lastly, what harm do they do? That are not being used as sources, but as pointers towards additional information. For example, it would be a real shame to lose the Hedon connection, particularly the comments from Dr Michael Hall, Curator of the Rothschild Collection at Exbury House in Hampshire. (Did he ever write up his book? That would be a better source, of course.)
- No doubt you will now explain to this grizzled veteran the error of my ways, because it always is so much easier to knock things down than build them up. I guess I will be adding this to the short list of articles I can't bear to edit again. Shame.
- (Incidentally, while you are here, Le Roi à la chasse is not an equestrian portrait. I'll give you a hint: he is not on the horse.)
- Happy editing. Theramin (talk) 01:22, 25 August 2019 (UTC)
- You're quite right about the painting. Thank you for the correction. I'll have a think about what you said about the external links and reply a bit later. I certainly wouldn't presume to "knock things down rather than build them up", and I hope you wouldn't be put off editing the article at all because of a disagreement about what should be linked to. All the best, › Mortee talk 01:30, 25 August 2019 (UTC)
- (In case you're wondering - the fact that I commented here and edited Equestrian Portrait of Charles I today, both of which I now see you and Firebrace had previously edited, is coincidence. I have Crystal Sceptre on my watchlist from when I wrote City of London swords and equestrian portrait was an interesting link in the first line of today's picture of the day, which I noticed was a copyright violation and set about rewriting, which led to a bit of branching out that included a mistake.) › Mortee talk 01:50, 25 August 2019 (UTC)
- You're quite right about the painting. Thank you for the correction. I'll have a think about what you said about the external links and reply a bit later. I certainly wouldn't presume to "knock things down rather than build them up", and I hope you wouldn't be put off editing the article at all because of a disagreement about what should be linked to. All the best, › Mortee talk 01:30, 25 August 2019 (UTC)