Recommending people or companies in answers

Question

A few times I have seen questions, where I really think that the OP could do with some outside help (This example Transition plan for PHP5 abomination to Drupal). And I have an idea of who may be able to help them.

I feel a little uncomfortable making recommendations like this, but one of Drupals great strengths is it's community. Knowing that people are experts in particular fields. Which new people are unlikely to know, and will never find out unless they are told.

Should we encourage or discourage making referrals from DA?

Answer 1

I think it is ok when done like you did it. As in, explain what needs to be done and then mention who is/are expert(s) on that topic. That is, IMO, valuable information when you're new to Drupal and have a big project to handle.

An alternative would be to do it as a comment to your answer, depending on how relevant it is.

I guess it gets a bit more complicated when you are related to the company you are recommending (work for them or so). Then you should disclosure that, as this somewhat the FAQ already explains.

Answer 2

I have never seen this type of recommendation being done on Stack Overflow, and I think it is rather counter-productive to reports to somebody who is asking a question on Drupal Answers to comment saying that s/he needs the help of somebody else.

I think that the focal point of a Q&A site should be answering the question being asked. If the question is not about somebody who could help the OP for creating a Drupal site, then referring to people or companies is not the point of the question.