When And How To Get Involved With Wikipedia

As one of the most visited sites on the Web, Wikipedia serves as the reference guide for almost one-fifth of online adults. But the information they see on Wikipedia — which can be created and edited by anyone — may not necessarily be accurate or reflect a viewpoint companies like. Nevertheless, companies should refrain from simply jumping in and making changes to articles about themselves, but they also shouldn't just sit on the sidelines. Instead, marketers should understand and abide by the policies, guidelines, and rules of conduct established by the Wikipedia community and, when appropriate, participate in the community discussion to get their company's perspective represented in articles. Marketers and PR professionals should treat Wikipedia like any other journalistic outlet, with the key and sometimes frustrating difference being that a community, not an individual journalist, is the target of your efforts.