The Wikipedia Dilemma

by guest writer: Jennifer Lawhead

© 2014 Off Madison Ave. All Rights Reserved.

employed at the company, from editing pages. It is

also against Wikipedia’s regulations to be paid to edit

Wikipedia articles.

This presented a major dilemma for marketers who

felt helpless in managing their company’s image on

one of the world’s largest websites. Over the years,

tension mounted as marketers tried to work around

Wikipedia’s regulations by anonymously editing

or hiring others to edit for them. In late 2013, the

Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, said it

was investigating more than 300 accounts it believed

were fakes set up by people acting for just one PR

agency seeking to remove damaging information

from entries, according to a BBC News report.

In 2014, Wikipedia and marketing agency

representatives from across the country came

together in Washington D.C. to settle this complex

issue, and determine mutual best practices. The

result was that agency representatives agreed to

understand and uphold Wikipedia’s guidelines

whenever possible, and publicly announced this

through a formal statement.

The Wikipedia Dilemma 01

The Wikipedia Dilemma How Businesses Can Be Accurately Represented While Following Wikipedia Guidelines

Overview

Wikipedia, a free content Internet encyclopedia that

allows anyone to edit pages, has grown in influence

over the years. Housing 30 million articles in 287

languages, Wikipedia is ranked fifth globally among

all websites in terms of incoming traffic, according

to a New York Times report in 2014. Wikipedia’s

influence is extremely wide reaching, and companies

around the world count on Wikipedia to provide

accurate and helpful information for its 1.2 billion

visitors per month.

However, because anyone can edit or contribute to

any Wikipedia page in real time, articles may contain

inaccuracies, biases or irrelevant information until

another editor finds the errors. These errors are

especially damaging for companies. Oftentimes,

employees of companies or brands that are

inaccurately represented are the first to recognize

discrepancies. However, Wikipedia rules and

regulations prevent someone with a bias, like being

The Wikipedia Dilemma 02Our Perspective

Off Madison Ave recommends clients abide by the

latest best practices established at the 2014 meeting,

which include the following (source: Wikipedia):

1. To seek to better understand the fundamental principles guiding Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.

2. To act in accordance with Wikipedia’s policies and guidelines, particularly those related to “conflict of interest.”

3. To abide by the Wikimedia Foundation’s Terms of Use.

4. To become aware of potential violations of Wikipedia policies by our respective firms, to investigate the matter and seek corrective action, as appropriate and consistent with our policies.

5. To take steps to publicize our views and counsel our clients and peers to conduct themselves accordingly.

While it may be tempting for business owners or

representatives to simply click “Edit” and make

changes to a page, this subjects them to a possible

lawsuit and violates Wikipedia guidelines.

So what should business representatives do if they

find outdated or incorrect information on their page?

The best way for a business to edit its own page, in

accordance with guidelines, is to make suggestions

to the “Talk” portion of a page. This option gives

Wikipedia editors the chance to review changes

and decide whether to implement. There are no

guarantees that changes will be incorporated, and it

can take time to see any changes reflected, but it is

currently the best option for companies to abide by

the latest standards and ensure they aren’t subject to

a lawsuit.

How to Make Edit Suggestions

in the “Talk” Section

Visit the company page on Wikipedia that you wish

to edit. This can be found in a tab at the top of each

page called “Talk:”

From there, suggested edits to the main article on

the company page can be proposed. Once posted,

these suggestions will be a permanent part of the

“Talk” page, available for anyone to read. It also alerts

Wikipedian editors to consider the suggestions to be

more accurate.

The Wikipedia Dilemma 03This practice abides by Wikipedia guidelines:

Start by announcing your role, affiliation or bias as a “Talk” page contributor to

abide by Wikipedia’s conflict of interest guidelines. Be as clear as possible, like

this example:

Once you have stated your affiliation to the page, clearly outline the proposed

changes and the reasons for the suggested edits if possible. It is important to

be as unbiased and factual in the proposed changes as possible to increase

the likelihood of a Wikipedia editor accepting and making the edits. Cite outside

sources, like news articles or research journals, whenever possible to show the

validity of proposed edits. Wikipedia also strongly recommends

reviewing and following its Manual of Style to increase the

likelihood of your proposed revisions being accepted.

The following is an example:

Lastly, note that once changes have been submitted, the login

name used to make the changes will stamp at the end of the post,

along with the time and date. Be sure to use your real name to be

compliant with Wikipedia guidelines:

Off Madison Ave recommends a public relations professional

or someone well-versed in a brand’s communications make the

recommended changes in the “Talk” section. Once submitted,

the verbiage will be a permanent part of the page, whether or

not it is incorporated into the article section of a page, so it is

important that submissions are accurate, factual and represent

the company appropriately.

The Wikipedia Dilemma

visit:www.offmadisonave.com

contact:info@offmadisonave.com

By:Jennifer LawheadPublic Relations

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