Wikipedia:WikiProject Red Link Recovery/FAQ
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This page contains the FAQ - that is a list of frequently asked questions and their answers - for the red link recovery wikiproject.
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[edit] What is a red link?
A red link is a link within a wikipedia article that doesn't point at an existing article. For example this is a red link. They are called red links because they normally appear as red text within articles. They are sometimes also called broken or bad links, although neither of these names is strictly accurate. The converse of a red link is a blue link - one that does point at a wikipedia article. For example this is a blue link.
[edit] What's wrong with red links?
Red links indicate one of several things, all of which can be solved. Perhaps the link indicates an important subject on which wikipedia has no article... yet. Alternatively, the subject might be so inconsequential that it will never deserve an article of its own. Or, maybe the author of the red link realised that something in the article needed to be linked, but couldn't find the right thing to link to. Another common problem is that red links are indicative of typing errors and other unprofessional habits. Case and spelling are very impotant. Example: Red Hat Linux is correct, but Red hat linux is not.
[edit] Are you trying to remove all red links?
As of 15th May 2005 there are over 2 million red links in the English Wikipedia alone. We will never be able to remove all of these, and neither should we try - If Wikipedia had no red links left at all, then it would be "finished", with nothing left for anyone to do! What we are attempting is to keep the number of red links in Wikipedia down a bit.
[edit] What can I do to remove red links?
Join the project! For starters there are a number of lists of suggested fixes for red links on the main project page. You'll find instructions on how to use these lists to find and fix red links at the top of each article. Add your name to our list of participants so we know who you are.
[edit] I have an idea to help fix red links
Share it with us on the general discussion page for the project. If it's good, we might be able to make use of your idea.
[edit] When will the lists of suggestions be updated?
Rebuilding the lists of suggested things that red links should be changed to takes a lot of time and effort - often several days per report. Ideally they could be rebuilt on a monthly or quarterly basis, but in practise it is likely to be less often.
