User talk:DavidBlackwell

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Hello, DavidBlackwell! Welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions to this free encyclopedia. If you decide that you need help, check out Getting Help below, ask me on my talk page, or place {{helpme}} on your talk page and ask your question there. Please remember to sign your name on talk pages by clicking Image:Signature icon.png or using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically produce your username and the date. Finally, please do your best to always fill in the edit summary field. Below are some useful links to facilitate your involvement. Happy editing! CobaltBlueTony 16:32, 5 October 2007 (UTC)
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[edit] February 2008

Hi, the recent edit you made to Lynn, Massachusetts has been reverted, as it appears to be unconstructive. Use the sandbox for testing; if you believe the edit was constructive, ensure that you provide an informative edit summary. You may also wish to read the introduction to editing. Thanks. —DerHexer (Talk) 23:16, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Thank you DerHexer for reverting your revert. DavidBlackwell (talk) 01:24, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] History of Massachusetts 1871 Atlas of Massachusetts Links

I believe the additonal links are necessary. The user interface at the Registry of Deeds website is difficult to navigate. You can only see the plate or page numbers not the names of the Counties or Cities. I request that it be reverted back. Thank You. DavidBlackwell (talk) 21:24, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

Upon looking a second time at the book, I see that the source fails to display scans of the entire table of contents, which seems to be the difficulty you're aiming to ameliorate. The intent of the section "References" is not to provide an index of the contents of the referred to work, but to let it be known the reference exists, and was relied upon or useful for further reading. That there exists an online version is wonderful, but non-essential as an item in the article. You'll note your addition was unique in listing pages within the book. Perhaps Wikipedia:Citing_sources#Further reading/External links will interest you.

As to the book itself, the table of contents lists the counties, but stops very short on the cities; it is not the task of wikipedia to create finding aids for other's web sites, especially for material not cited in footnote fashion. It would make sense in a citation, say for an article on Lowell, to cite particular city page, for example. Now, looking over your own page, I see that perhaps you were involved in the scanning, and perhaps no longer connected with the web-master at the deeds office, which is where the fix to the table of contents would be best implemented. -- Yellowdesk (talk) 05:43, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

Hello, thanks for adding the links to all these atlases and books to towns in Massachusetts - as a person interested in the geography and history of the Merrimack Valley, I find them useful. However, as they aren't directly cited, I believe they belong in the External Links section, not the References section. As the guy above said, if they aren't cited in the article, they don't go there. Thanks, CSZero (talk) 15:13, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

I never have gotten the hang of what the differences are for References, Sources, Biliography, Citiations, and External Links. Seems like these links fall into multiple catagories. DavidBlackwell (talk) 01:29, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Citing_sources might be of use to you.
Below, in order, from specific to general support of the article, and then to non-support of the content of an article:

  • Citations (footnotes) support a particular statement of fact
  • Bibliography, References, Sources (variably named) are relied upon to support the article in a general way, without reference to a particular supported fact, or statement in the article.
  • Further reading - items not relied upon to support the article, but of general interest.
  • Links - especially web links - items not relied upon in the article, but of interest, and providing perspectives or information not provided by the article (the least important category of referred-to works).

-- Yellowdesk (talk) 03:04, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] March 2008

Hi, the recent edit you made to Boston and Albany Railroad has been reverted, as it appears to be unconstructive. Use the sandbox for testing; if you believe the edit was constructive, ensure that you provide an informative edit summary. You may also wish to read the introduction to editing. Thanks. CWii(Talk|Contribs) 22:54, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

All those links can be considered spam and are unnecessary. CWii(Talk|Contribs) 23:44, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Your comment is insulting, it is not spam it is links to maps at the Registry of Deeds and the original plan to the Railroad. You are not even looking at the links. DavidBlackwell (talk) 23:55, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

I am and linking to every page is wasteful and not necessary. CWii(Talk|Contribs) 00:10, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

The Boston and Albany Railroad goes across several counties and cities. There is no good table of contents at the Registry of Deeds. People just get confused going to the one link. If you want you can move the references to the external link area, but I think it better in the references section. DavidBlackwell (talk) 00:16, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

My decision stands. CWii(Talk|Contribs) 01:32, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Thanks

Thanks a lot for improving the Norman Prince article. It was pretty pitiful before, but now it is a lot better. Cheers! Remember (talk) 13:35, 24 March 2008 (UTC)