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Today, 355273: How to Install 0 A.D on every version of Ubuntu and contribute to its indiegogo page caught my eye. The question contained (in both question and answer) various links to the indiegogo fundraising campaign for 0 A.D. and an installguide wrapped around it.

For one, this was crossposted to Arqade (10k+ on gaming.SE needed) where it was promptly flagged for spam and subsequently removed by the asker.

I post this question to ask the simple question: Do we think this is acceptable behavior and do we want to keep it around?

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
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For supporting software there is the community advisement at the right. Anyone interested in giving support to any project should use that method. The guide would be okay if the links that could be considered spam were edited.

Community Promotion Ads - 2013

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  • +1 never knew that the ads here were a community decision!
    – blade19899
    Commented Oct 8, 2013 at 13:57
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No, we should not keep these around

I've taken to flagging our version of the question as spam as well on the simple grounds that, to me, this smells advertisement. It's a link to what is essentially a commercial initiative and the question is most certainly posted purely with the intent to gather support for said fundraising campaign.

It's one thing to give an install guide. It's another to seed that guide with off-topic commercial links. It's one thing to support FOSS. It's another to leave time-sensitive links in a question that should not be time-sensitive like that.

This is bad form in multiple ways and I just don't see why we should keep such questions around.

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  • Is the argument to remove various sections from either/both the Q&A or "no, we should not keep these around" mean that the whole Q&A should be deleted?
    – fossfreedom Mod
    Commented Oct 8, 2013 at 12:55
  • @fossfreedom I'm saying that applying spam flags is the course of action to take in such a case.
    – user98085
    Commented Oct 8, 2013 at 12:56
  • As i said as a comment on my Q: this was not intended to be as spam, and i sincerely apoligize if thats how it came across! this was about creating a howto install in ubuntu question. And at the same time helping foss. Nothing more and nothing less. and i also deleted the link to my own website containing screenshot from 0ad
    – blade19899
    Commented Oct 8, 2013 at 13:02
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You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face.

"How to install 0 AD" ok, if you have a problem and found the solution to installing it. ~ Didn't realize there were widespread issues with installing it on every distribution of Ubuntu...

"What is 0 AD" - not actually a problem with ubuntu, and the answer is essently duplication of what would be in a wiki or promotions on a website... Would we keep "Who is Justin Bieber, How can I buy his music on Ubuntu One?" no.

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    But aren't packages available in the official repositories on-topic? And there are already a lot of "what is xyz?" questions on Ask Ubuntu, those are on-topic.
    – Dan
    Commented Oct 17, 2013 at 12:37
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Links to fundraisers on the face of the post should never be posted (be it Proprietary or Open Source project) - they are irrelevant for any question (except for cases where people ask about how they can support a particular project).

Comment should be okay till the time fundraiser is on.

However, if it's an Open Source project which is seeking to raise funds and a link to such fundraiser is posted as a comment to one of the questions relevant to the project - I wouldn't mind that; ie; till the time the fundraiser is on and thereafter the comment could be flagged for deletion.

I should also add that spamming all the questions relevant to the project with a link to the fund raiser as a comment should not be entertained either. Even if it's a comment it should be made in good faith.

But a link on the face of the post is a strict no in any sense.

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    "except for cases where people ask about how they can support a particular project" -- are such question on topic on AskUbuntu?
    – Andrea Corbellini
    Commented Oct 8, 2013 at 14:49
  • @AndreaCorbellini I think they should be okay as far as one can relate them with Ubuntu (eg: Ubuntu Touch :-))... Also, see this example question... Moreover, Help Center doesn't explicitly prohibit such questions - help/ontopic, help/don't-ask
    – Aditya
    Commented Oct 8, 2013 at 17:47

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