Writing Effectively for Wikipedia
How to Write Sticky Copy that Anybody Can Edit
Wikipedia is not the source of easy promotion and marketing that many novices believe it to be. It takes practice to avoid being reverted.
Wikipedia may seem like a dream come true to the novice, a nightmare to the experienced web writer, and a tool of finesse for the savvy web professional. It is a gigantic web site that is linked to by just about everybody and will let you add or edit its content instantly. However, writing effectively for Wikipedia takes practice and study.
Wikipedia revolutionized the internet by creating an encyclopedia “that anybody can edit.” Founder Jimmy Wales launched it in 2001 in the hopes that, if every human being has access to it, that it would become the sum total of human knowledge. Putting up content is very easy . . . but providing copy that is sticky enough to survive editing and "reverts" (undoing all your hard work with a click of the mouse) requires truth and integrity.
Selling on Wikipedia
A writer for the web may find his mouth waters at the thought . . . imagine the possibilities! "I can add my company’s information, increase my PageRank with links from this huge site, make all sorts of edits that benefit me or my clients!" Unfortunately for those writers, writing for Wikipedia is not so easily abused, precisely because anybody can edit it. Everything on Wikipedia is one revert from obscurity.
Anyone interested in writing for Wikipedia should understand three guiding principles of Wikipedia:
- All information must be verifiable: this means referencing it, like you did in term papers. Unsourced information doesn’t last.
- Neutral point of view: superlative language about a political candidate, harsh criticism of a company, or any other biased language will be rewritten before long.
- No original research: this is the kicker for most writers that wish to use Wikipedia to advance something other than the sum of human knowledge. States Wikipedia itself:
“articles may not contain any previously unpublished arguments, concepts, data, ideas, statements, or theories. Moreover, articles may not contain any new analysis or synthesis of published arguments, concepts, data, ideas, or statements that serves to advance a position.” That means you can’t make stuff up.
Don't Use Your Own Words
Wikipedia strives to be an encyclopedia, which means a collection of information we already know, not things you think people should know. Continually violating the rules of Wikipedia can result in being blacklisted, or having your editing privileges temporarily or permanently revoked. A gentler, more effective approach: find independent sources that support your position, such as articles about your field - if you can find articles that happen to quote you and are still good sources, so much the better.
Is there any commercial benefit to becoming a Wikipedia editor? Directly, no. However, writing on Wikipedia has a number of indirect benefits, just like any writing on the web for free does.
- Links on user pages. Wikipedia allows registered users to make personal pages, and the guidelines for what may be included are considerably looser than for the actual entries. One may include, for example, links to personal web sites.
- Building a reputation. Editing and writing pages can build goodwill in the Wiki community, leading people to judge you based on your writing reputation. You can build up your expert status this way.
Writing for Wikipedia is a hobby and a passion. It is, by design, not a marketing tool. However, an ethical writer can find ways to promote accurate information that will remain on Wikipedia for years to come.
