Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…

It’s a reflex by now. Trying to remember the actress that played opposite Bruce Willis in “Die Hard”? When to prune a pear tree? The correct spelling of Dun Laoghaire?

Wikipedia.

While you’re there, you can’t help sticking you or your company’s name in the search box.

Ah, not yet.

Wouldn’t it be cool to have your own entry?

Of course it would. Everyone seems to trust Wikipedia to a large degree. Wouldn’t a write-up be a powerful tool for building brand authority and visibility? Well, yes.

But there’s a but.

Wikipedia would not be Wikipedia if it didn’t have guidelines and ethical considerations. An army of volunteer editors are constantly adding to it and chipping away at it.

They try to maintain its status as a collective encyclopaedia. So as you have noticed, Wikipedia is not a promotional platform. The site maintains strict neutrality policies and prohibits – and removes – promotional content.

However, having a properly sourced, factual Wikipedia page is a clear boost to you or a client’s credibility and online presence, not least because its search engine ranking is so unbelievably effective.

So the temptation is to sign up as an editor and start writing. Fine. Just remember that people do not go to Wikipedia to read fluff; they are there to get factual information about people and events. Play into this need by giving them just that.

The reason we check Wikipedia is because

What should you know before creating a Wikipedia entry?

You will be faced with some headwind. Here is what you should know:

1. Notability Requirements

• Companies must meet specific notability criteria to qualify for a Wikipedia page. Exactly how notable is yours? Apart from existing, what have you done of note?
• Must have significant media coverage from reliable, independent sources. You’ll need them to justify what you are saying.
• Self-published materials and press releases don’t count. Natch.

2. Conflict of Interest Rules

• Direct editing by companies or their representatives is discouraged.
• Paid editing requires full disclosure of commercial relationships.
• Transparency is mandatory under Wikipedia’s Terms of Service.

3. Best Practices

• Focus on verifiable facts and a neutral tone. What seems obvious to you will not be to the editors.
• Include balanced coverage, including criticism if relevant. Still with us?
• Maintain proper citations from reliable sources. The operative word is “proper”.
• Work through established Wikipedia editors when possible, which is where I can come in.
• All images should be loaded into Wikicommons and available with a Creative Commons licence.

While Wikipedia can be valuable for marketing, success requires understanding and respecting the platform’s guidelines and community standards. As a long-standing but occasional editor, my belief is that professional assistance should focus on ensuring accuracy and compliance rather than promotion.

Just for the record, I am none of these people. But you know where to find me.