Posting external links in replies

[shyam_uthaman]

HI,

I see a question in the comments section of a post in SCN.

The answer is elaborated well on a blog in an external website and it would be good to post it as a reply to this question.

Now, I would like to know if it's ok to post external links as long as it is a relevant answer.

Please let me know.

Thanks,

Shyam

[matt]

If an answer comprises only links, then that indicates one of two things:

1. The original poster could have searched

2. The answer just picked the first links off a search, regardless of actual relevance.

The problem with answers comprising only links is that you have to follow the link to see the relevance. For that reason, in the ABAP space at least, such answers are rejected on site. I don't check the relevance, I just get rid of them. Removing any awarded points at the same time.

It doesn't matter whether the link is internal to sap.com or external.

Also, consider this blog:

[JL23]

The problem with links in general  is that the host can change his site at any time and the user might get  such nice message like:

Sorry

We couldn’t find the page you were trying to access.

Unfortunately this happens not just for external links, it happens as well for links to help.sap.com, as the links are release related.

We had a kind of useful page in 2007 for freshers, it was sticky on top of the MM forum: New to Materials Management / Warehouse Managem... | SCN

Today you will get for about 90% of all those links a Sorry or 404 page not found.

In short the whole thread turned into garbage.

It is much better you give the answer with your own words, finally you can add a link to a source that can even emphasize in more detail what you said. 

In general should the answer be useful even when the link is broken.

A link shall not be used as a replacement for an own answer.