WIKI FAQ
Do you guarantee article acceptance on Wikipedia?
I guarantee that I will use my experience and best practices to compile well-referenced content consistent with Wikipedia standards. However, understand that Wikipedia does not have a central acceptance authority that makes a final decision about submitted articles. The tasks are left to their volunteer community. An article can be edited, flagged for improvement (via a banner), or even removed at any time – within certain community rules. That’s the nature of this site.
What are the minimum requirements for Wikipedia articles?
There is no finite answer to this. Yet, the buzzwords used within the community are “verifiable notability.” New articles need at least five authoritative third-party references with more than one being in-depth. Notability is relative, of course, but people with any type of awards, rankings, accolades, etc. that have been mentioned in the media are the easiest to establish while notability for companies and organizations is established mainly by certain media coverage criteria.
Do I have control over the wiki article’s content?
On Wikipedia, the answer is “not completely.” We will work together to compile an article (page) based on your thoughts about the content combined with my experience on what adheres to site guidelines. It’s a fickle community with subjective rules. But, I’ve found it best to jump through the hoops the proper way. Articles must be written from a neutral point of view, especially when the subject is a current company, brand, or living person. These types of articles are the most scrutinized on Wikipedia.
Can we add my photos and/or logo?
Images are one of the trickiest parts of Wikipedia because of copyright issues. I don’t advise adding them to new articles because they tend to draw greater scrutiny to the entire article from other Wikipedia editors. The article needs to be presented in a neutral manner and photos/images seem to make other Wiki editors question that. They are best handled after the article is established on the site for a period of time.
My article was deleted, can I try again?
Yes, but maybe not immediately. Using the Draft uploading process greatly reduces the risk of deletion. Yet, if this happens, after a period of time we can move forward with another attempt as we will work to improve the article by adding current references along with editing and reorganizing via any improvement suggestions during the deletion process. Then, we will make another attempt as a Draft on Wikipedia and allow others to comment on potential improvements until it is accepted by one of those member/editors as a regular article. That said, Wikipedia now has a direct competitor, Everipedia, that has much less scrutiny when starting new pages.
Do you consult or train individuals and corporate staff on this topic?
I do provide consulting services at an hourly rate and have just launched a new e-course to train interested individuals and especially public relations and media professionals. I provide an overview of the world’s largest encyclopedia and how the site affects online reputation management along with the rules and best practices of interacting with wiki sites, specifically Wikipedia. It’s a must for anyone dealing with the site on a long-term basis.