Editing the Wikipedia Article about You or Your Company
Clients often ask should they edit their brand’s Wikipedia article – Is it okay to edit these articles yourself?
Wikipedia says:
“You are discouraged from writing articles about yourself or organizations (including their campaigns, clients, products and services) in which you hold a vested interest. However, if you feel that there is material within an existing article which is incorrect, or not neutral in its tone, you should point this out on the article’s talk page.”
In short, editing the Wikipedia page about your own company is discouraged, as Wikipedia wants to ensure its content is unbiased.
Before making a decision regarding editing your own, or your brand’s wiki page, consider the risk of getting called out for editing your own Wikipedia page. The Wikipedia community frowns on these articles, calling them COI: Conflict of Interest.
Always keep in mind:
- Edits to Wikipedia pages should focus on adding relevant content and correcting errors.
- Your IP Address and/or username will be recorded and can be seen by others. So it is never a good idea to edit Wikipedia pages about one’s own firm, using a company-owned IP address.
- Determine if there is significant interest in the Wikipedia article. Is it being tracked by other editors? Will edits potentially trigger alerts for these editors?
NEW! WikiAlerts™ – Track your Wikipedia page/s and get real-time change notifications. Click here for Wikipedia Tracking.
For help in addressing your Wikipedia challenge, please Contact Us. We have helped many companies and individuals navigate Wikipedia and would be happy to discuss your options.
We are happy to set up a quick call and provide you with a free assessment of your current situation and recommended approach.
Do you need help editing your company or personal Wikipedia page?
A few words about how we work with Wikipedia editors:
- We work with clients to create and submit factual content that may have been missed by Wikipedia editors. We also suggest corrections for mistakes and vandalism.
- We consult with Wikipedia editors to ensure that proposed edits meet the terms of service and appropriately represent client interests.
- We carefully consider timing. Introducing a Wikipedia page in advance of a crisis may be a good idea, while doing so in the middle of crisis could backfire.
For a free consultation regarding your brand’s Wikipedia challenge, Contact Us and let us know how we can help. If you prefer to speak by phone, send us a quick note and we will call you back!
NEW – WikiAlerts™ Track your Wikipedia page/s and get real-time change notifications. Click here for Wikipedia Tracking.
