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What’s most fascinating about Wikipedia is that literally anyone can edit it and make entries. So, if you happen to be an expert on samurai swords, you can post information on the site about their history, manufacturing, etc. Even if you don’t know a damn thing about the sharp implements, you can also post information. But beware the Wikipedia editors. They will slice and dice you if you publish inaccurate or improperly attributed information.
Question 3: Can you get past/withstand/outmaneuver the Wikipedia police?OK, so you believe your entry passes the notability test and you want to publish it. There are many obstacles. First, you can’t publish your own entry or the Wikipedia police will scotch it. They want entries written and posted by objective writers. Worse yet are public relations people. We in the PR biz identified the value of Wikipedia several years ago, and the editors quickly decided that we can’t be objective. If you publish an entry and your email address is (insert name) @DavidPR.com for example, they will identify you as a PR person and stone you. Yes, this has happened to me.
Also, even if you are the best source of information on a topic, the Wikipedia police will pounce. Years ago, we had a client that didn’t like their Wikipedia entry. Silly me, I logged on to the Wikipedia page, made edits and then noted that I was a PR person for the client. I also noted that I would be regularly contributing to the page. Not so fast my friend. Wikipedia editors quickly reversed all of my edits and chastised me for suggesting that anyone so close to the topic could be objective. Undaunted, I changed the edits back and thumbed my nose at the editors. My edits were again reverted and the chastising continued. As the conversation degraded, I retreated to ponder a new approach.
Ever been called a sockpuppet?
A marketing person for my client, not as circumspect as me, went back and made the same edits. The Wikipedia editors decided that my client must have been me – just using another ISP. I was branded a “sockpuppet” – a person who impersonates another online. After a moment of being aghast, I laughed my head off.
Here’s a secret
The next time I wanted to create a Wikipedia entry, I worked with a third party editor to draft the page and completely distanced my connection (and my PR guy DNA) from Wikipedia. The page topic passed the notability test, the text was properly written and attributed, and the page was eventually published. To get a page published, you have to pass all the tests and then artfully game the system so your “perceived lack of objectivity” will not be immediately noticeable to Wikipedia editors. It’s tricky but not impossible.
Also, even if you are the best source of information on a topic, the Wikipedia police will pounce. Years ago, we had a client that didn’t like their Wikipedia entry. Silly me, I logged on to the Wikipedia page, made edits and then noted that I was a PR person for the client. I also noted that I would be regularly contributing to the page. Not so fast my friend. Wikipedia editors quickly reversed all of my edits and chastised me for suggesting that anyone so close to the topic could be objective. Undaunted, I changed the edits back and thumbed my nose at the editors. My edits were again reverted and the chastising continued. As the conversation degraded, I retreated to ponder a new approach.
Ever been called a sockpuppet?
A marketing person for my client, not as circumspect as me, went back and made the same edits. The Wikipedia editors decided that my client must have been me – just using another ISP. I was branded a “sockpuppet” – a person who impersonates another online. After a moment of being aghast, I laughed my head off.
Here’s a secret
The next time I wanted to create a Wikipedia entry, I worked with a third party editor to draft the page and completely distanced my connection (and my PR guy DNA) from Wikipedia. The page topic passed the notability test, the text was properly written and attributed, and the page was eventually published. To get a page published, you have to pass all the tests and then artfully game the system so your “perceived lack of objectivity” will not be immediately noticeable to Wikipedia editors. It’s tricky but not impossible.
