The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article: September 2007, Volume 6, Issue 9
Wikipedia: Rules of Engagement
by Alan Rothstein, Operations Analyst, iProspect
For those of you who still may be unfamiliar with Wikipedia, it’s a free,
ever-evolving, online encyclopedia whose content is comprised of submissions
made by individual contributors around the globe. Basically, anyone with a
computer and Internet access can participate in the continued development of
its content. And while you don’t need any special credentials, permission, or
money to make a contribution, the encyclopedia does employ guidelines, and all
submissions are reviewed by volunteer community members (or “editors”). To
attain editor status you must demonstrate a history of contributing high quality
content to Wikipedia while still adhering to its behavioral guidelines for
accuracy, notability, and credibility.
But what does all this have to do with search engine marketing? Fortunately, it
has important implications for online marketers. Participating in the Wikipedia
community can improve visibility, brand awareness, and increase traffic to your
website. How? Through links and references listed on Wikipedia Web pages that will
lead qualified visitors to your website. Sounds great right, but, where do you
start? Before you do anything, there are a few things you should consider.
Is Your Company, Service/Product, or Spokesperson Notable?
According to Wikipedia guidelines, the subject matter you are considering submitting must be
“worthy of notice,”
and already have significant editorial coverage from independent
sources. Some of the current categories that are seen as “notable” for inclusion in
Wikipedia include books, films, music, companies, people, as well as various brand
name products and service types (e.g. brand names: Elmo, Guess Jeans; service types:
email marketing, financial planning). And, each category has its own notability
guidelines.
The Three Headed Monster
The guidelines governing the content within a Wikipedia article are three-fold. First,
each article must include a full citation, making sure the Wikipedia editors have
enough information to identify the source of references. Second, you must write the
article from a neutral point of view. Finally, Wikipedia is not a place for original
research. Use only existing research and references from independent third-party
sources. Follow these guidelines closely to ensure your articles stay on Wikipedia
long-term.
Don’t Revise Directly!
Recently, many companies have been caught red-handed by Wikipedia editors for making
revisions to articles where a blatant conflict of interest existed. The result? Some
were banned from Wikipedia, while others made the news — and not in a good way. My
advice? Don’t let this happen to you. If you find content on Wikipedia that you feel
is inaccurate, make your case on the discussion page of the article, as each article
includes a place for the community to talk about revisions.
Wikipedia Ally: Answers.com
Answers.com — among other websites — supplements their content with Wikipedia
articles. This offers users additional opportunities to access credible information
about your company, and overall increases the visibility of your Wikipedia content.
Final Advice
Become very familiar with
Wikipedia’s
guidelines before submitting an article or augmenting existing articles. Also,
it would behoove you to become an active member of the community and foster
relationships with Wikipedia editors. After all, you don’t want to spend hours and
hours contributing content only to have it all erased by an editor, or worse yet, net
bad press from your efforts.
Set up your analytics to track your success in Wikipedia. Mining such data can
provide valuable information that can help shape your Wikipedia strategy moving
forward. Lastly, be sure to archive all the content you’ve developed for
Wikipedia. Since the venue is open source, you never know when someone will decide
to delete your contribution, and once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Unless, of
course, you archived it.
Overall, marketers should give Wikipedia careful consideration. Savvy marketers
will figure out how to seize the opportunity, play by the rules, and capitalize
on all it has to offer.
