In just a few short years, Wikipedia, a collaborative online encyclopedia filled with user-generated content, has become one of the country’s most visited Web sites. According to Alexa, it ranks number nine, ahead of Amazon and AOL, a few spots behind eBay and Facebook. Why? Wikipedia boasts more than two million articles in its English-language version.
Anyone — including you — can write a new article, contribute to an existing article, and start a discussion and correct errors. Although you could, theoretically, post an accurate article resplendent with objective information about your company, most corporations hesitate to make even minute edits. Why? Regardless of your intentions, if you make changes while logged in, readers will know the content came from a source with a vested interest in looking good. On the other hand, if you don’t log in, Wikipedia makes a note of your IP address, which looks doubly suspicious if anyone traces it back to your company.
In a recent post at his blog, Hyku, Josh Hallett wonders out loud about how to edit his client’s entry without looking untoward.
This is the process he decided to use:
- Post an item in the corresponding Wikipedia discussion thread explaining the edits he would like to make.
- Allow discussion for a set period of time.
- Post edits that receive community approval.
- Invite edits from the community.
Because the accepted protocol for modifying your own Wikipedia entry is still evolving, play it safe by remaining completely transparent and inviting community input.