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

OverviewWikipedia, 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 PerspectiveOff 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” SectionVisit 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

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By:Jennifer LawheadPublic Relations

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