Media & Communications: Wikipedia

How to Approach the Challenge

While you shouldn't (or can't) just ignore Wikipedia, you also should not approach it without knowledge of its basic rules and a degree of circumspection. Whether you are considering creating a Wikipedia article for your firm or have been approached by a client about theirs, there are some key pieces of information that you should know:

1. Wikipedia is not a directory of corporate profiles. It is, first and foremost, an open-source encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers according to an array of guidelines they have created. The site is backed by a non-profit organization (the Wikimedia Foundation) that ' except in rare instances ' stays out of content issues. If you are seeking to add or update information, it is very important to understand that there is no central body to which you can submit information or register complaints. All content on the site is open to editing by anyone, at any time, and there is no way to “lock” an article from being edited. Finally, the content of the site aims to be “encyclopedic,” not promotional or deferential to a company or individual's own view of themselves.

2. While Wikipedia may be edited by anyone, there are specific rules and guidelines if you have a “conflict of interest.” If you wish to edit Wikipedia on behalf of a company, organization, or individual as an employee or in another paid capacity, you must disclose the fact clearly when engaging Wikipedia. From June 2014, this rule is non-negotiable, and is ratified by the Wikimedia Foundation in its official Terms of Use. If you edit your firm's Wikipedia article or seek to create an article for your firm or a client, you must disclose your relationship. If you do not, you risk reversion of your edits, deletion of the article, and even a ban from the site.

Besides the disclosure requirement, the site's community has developed more detailed guidelines, which can be summarized as “discuss, don't edit.” Most editors feel better about considering suggestions from marketers and “conflicted” editors than allowing them to create or edit articles directly.

What this means is you should register an account on Wikipedia, disclose your paid interests, and offer requests via the “Talk” pages that sit behind each article. While it requires a small time investment to set up an account and become familiar with the site, it gives you the opportunity to build trust with active editors. Working with the community in this way avoids potential pitfalls such as negative publicity for breaking the site's rules.

3. The content of Wikipedia articles is based upon information that has been published by independent third-party sources. Typically, this means coverage in the news media and trade publications. It can also include peer-reviewed academic journals and books, and for some legal topics, government or regulatory body websites.

This restriction presents two challenges. First, if you are seeking to create an article or include certain information in an existing article, you must have third-party sourcing to support the content. Second, if you want to remove existing information, you'll have a very difficult time arguing for that if said information is easily found in news articles or other sources. A related point worth noting here: Wikipedia strives for neutrality and aims to include not only positive information, but also critical details if they have been the subject of coverage in reliable third-party sources. To make a case against inclusion of negative information, there must be a factual error or lack of sourcing to support the information.

Above all, however, tempting it may be to make a change you believe to be right, it is better to take the long view: Asking the Wikipedia community to make the change for you may take more time, but the edits are much more likely to stick.

4. Not everything or everyone can have a Wikipedia article. This is by design; otherwise, the site would be clogged up with articles on every person and conceivable topic, no matter how obscure. To be eligible for an article, you must meet a certain threshold, defined as multiple examples of in-depth coverage in third-party sources. It is a tricky threshold to meet, and the rule is not always fairly applied. Some undeserving articles do sneak through, yet pointing this out will not give your proposed article a pass, unfortunately.

To avoid a disappointing cycle of draft, submit, delete, consider this first: A firm or individual must be able to show that news media and industry sources consider them interesting enough to write about before a Wikipedia article can exist. For this reason, Wikipedia should not be considered as a tool to gain awareness, instead it must follow a successful earned media and PR effort.

Conclusion

Summing up all of the above, if you are thinking about how to address your Wikipedia presence, you should be aware of the site's rules about paid contributions and inclusion requirements. Following a careful, considered approach does require some investment of time and education, but is much more likely to produce an outcome you are happy with.

Rhiannon Ruff is co-founder and Vice President at Beutler Ink, an independent digital agency, where she leads the Wikipedia relations team.