Talk:Penobscot Narrows Bridge

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[edit] Accessing the PNB observatory and link war

I am not either of these folks adding and removing the same link, however quoted verbatim below is some text from the page which that link points to. This paragraph appears about 1/2 to 3/4 down the first page:

The newly constructed Penobscot Narrows Bridge boasts an observation tower, rising 420 (feet) above sea level, which may only be accessed through the Fort. Set to open this spring the observation tower will provide a breathtaking view of the Penobscot River Valley, and is the only observatory like it in the Western Hemisphere! (emphasis added)

So it would seem to me that placing a link to this external page IS appropriate if attached to the External Links section of this article about the PNB. JackME 14:34, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Follow up note: The page at the link in question is an official page for Fort Knox, which is owned and operated by the State of Maine Parks department. Though there is a park entrance fee to the public park, it is not a private commercial page, and if the quoted comment (above) is fully accurate, then there is no other way to access the PNB observatory except through this Fort Knox park, which is what the external page is about and why the link to it, is appropriate on the wiki PNB article, I would say. here quoted is more information which appears on that external page:

Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory $5.00 Adults $3.00 Children 5 - 11 $2.50 Seniors 65+ Free Children 4 & under Observatory fees include admission to Fort Knox

JackME 14:59, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

I removed the link this morning, as it was a dead link. Previous revisions were from a combination of myself and other users including spambots. My previous removals were based on the fact that the link was to a site primarily about Fort Knox and not the Penobscot Bridge. References to the observatory are limited to the sentences you mentioned and a chance to win tickets to the observatory. The limited facts presented in those 2 sentences could be worked into the Penobscot Bridge article. An external link should be not used if only 2 sentences on the page have any reference to the subject.

In general, I see no problem with a link to information about the Observatory, as it is a unique feature of the bridge. However, if any link is going to exist, I think there should be two criteria to meet. First, there should be information about the observatory in the main body of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge article. Second, the external link should be more primarily focused on the bridge and/or observatory. A quick Google search turned up this website, which seems to be a better link: http://www.penobscotnarrowsbridgefest.com. Anyway, just my thoughts.

The official page for Fort Knox State Historic Site is actually [1], the link in question is to a site run by a non-profit organization, Friends of Fort Knox. Which brings up another point, the editor adding the link FOFK1 would appear to be affiliated with the non-profit as the user name is their acronym and their email address (FOFK1@aol.com). Per WP:COI you should not edit pages about yourself or organizations which you're closely affiliated. VerruckteDan 15:40, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

I take your points, but still feel the link should be considered legitimate for these reasons: The wiki page is about the PNB, however a major component of the PNB is the Observatory Tower. That Observatory is only accessible via the Fort Knox Maine publicly owned historic site. That historic site is operated by an non-profit as evidenced by this quote from the FAQ of the site in question:

March 2001 - A formal partnership agreement between the Bureau of Parks and Lands and the Friends is signed.

November 2000 A long-term license agreement covering the Friends use of a new gift shop and office space is signed with the Bureau of Parks and Lands.

Therefore by extension, the state of Maine has also contracted with the non-profit to operate the access and admissions to the PNB observatory tower. Ergo, the web site in question is connected to both the PNB and the wiki article on the PNB.

If you look further into the site in question while that site is obviously more focused on the fort of Ft. Knox, you will never the less find that the PNB is referenced more than just the two times I had previously quoted.

As for your comment about wiki policy, IMO, that might certainly apply to commercial ventures, but just being affiliated with a non-profit shouldn't bar you from adding appropriate links to articles about, or connected with, your non-profit org.

Stepping back, if a user comes to this wiki article and reads about the observatory located on the bridge, it seems likely the user might want to know more about that part of the PNB, specifically how to access it, and so following a link to an external page which clearly answers that question seems logical and appropriate to me. JackME 17:08, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

I see your points as well. I've gone ahead and added a section to the article regarding the Observaiton Tower. Additionally, I've added both the links. VerruckteDan 18:09, 16 March 2007 (UTC)