Everything You Wanted To Know About Wikipedia, Part 6: FAQs

Here it is: the very last in our Wikipedia blog series. We’re wrapping things up this week with a few odds and ends, random tidbits, and FAQs that didn’t quite fit in any of our other posts in the series.

Enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I want to write a Wikipedia article about my company – but we were sued for discrimination last year and it was all over the papers. Do I have to include that in my article?

A: If it’s notable, you should include it. Wikipedia is supposed to be a source of neutral and unbiased information – and it’s supposed to include all relevant facts, not just the facts that make your topic look good. You can choose to omit a scandal, if you really want to. But remember that literally anyone can edit your article. Chances are good that someone will find the information and add it in – and you won’t be able to do anything about it. What’s more, an article that is too blatantly positive might get flagged for neutrality issues or a conflict of interest – and that could put your article and your entire Wiki account at risk.

Q: Can you guarantee that my Wikipedia article will stay up and/or remain intact?

A: No. We can review your sources and tell you if your topic is Wiki-eligible. We can write and/or edit your article to ensure that it “sticks.” We can make sure that your article is neutral, unbiased, and properly sourced. But because anyone can edit Wikipedia, we can’t offer any type of guarantees that your page will remain as-is.

Q: What do you mean, “Anyone can edit Wikipedia?”

A: We mean exactly that: Absolutely anyone can create or modify a Wikipedia page – as long as they follow the rules about neutrality, notability, and sources.
Q: What if someone vandalizes my page? Does that happen?

A: Vandalism can happen, but it’s rare. Fortunately, the Wikipedia community is fairly vigilant about spotting – and more importantly, correcting – cases of outright vandalism. That said, it’s unlikely that your page will be vandalized.

But when vandalism – or even bad, nonsensical editing – does happen, it doesn’t stick around long. Here’s an example of a type of almost-vandalism that Wikipedia calls “patent nonsense”:

This may or may not be straight-up vandalism. Someone could have accidentally “published” a test edit, or this could be the result of a language barrier or a (really, really) bad translation. Whatever the case, this, um, unusual lead paragraph didn’t last long at all.

The vandalism – or whatever it was – was quickly cleaned up:

Q: Why can’t this letter/diary entry work as a source for my Wiki article?

A: Wikipedia articles must be created using information from secondary sources – magazine and/or newspaper articles, books, and some websites. Letters and diaries are considered primary sources – and therefore not suitable to use as sources for your Wikipedia article. If you want your Wikipedia article to stick, you have to follow the rules.

For a more detailed discussion of sources, check out this post.

Q: Who made you the boss? Why do you get to tell me what I can and can’t put on my Wikipedia page?

A: Nobody made us the boss. We don’t have an agenda. We don’t work for Wikipedia. As Wikipedia writers/editors/consultants, our job is to know the rules and standards – and help our clients follow those rules and standards. Our only goal is to help you create a well-written, neutral, properly sourced article that doesn’t get flagged. In other words, we’re sticklers about following the rules because we want your page to stick. We’re sticklers because it’s our job.

Q: Why do I need to cite this? It’s true – I promise!

A: We believe you. But you still have to cite the information – it’s Wikipedia policy:

Q: Is my company/topic/product Wiki-eligible?

A: That depends. To be eligible for a Wikipedia page, a topic has to be notable – in other words, it has to have received some amount of media coverage. If your company/product/topic has appeared in a newspaper or magazine, you might be eligible.

You can use this handy Wikipedia checklist to see if your topic is eligible.

Four Ways to Flag-Proof Your Wiki Page

Want to make sure your Wikipedia page remains free of flags? Here are 4 ways to help create a page that sticks:

1. Use citations from neutral, third-party sources such as newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, or government websites.

2. Avoid stating opinions as facts. Use neutral language to describe conflicts or differing viewpoints.

Good:Some critics say that Company XYZ treats its employees unfairly.”
Bad: “Company XYZ treats its employees unfairly.”

Good:According to XXX, Company XYZ makes the best widgets.”
Bad: “Company XYZ makes the best widgets.”

3. Don’t omit negative/controversial details just because you don’t like them. If the information is out there, you should include it.

4. Use neutral words and a disinterested tone. State facts and let the reader draw his or her own conclusions:

Good: “Senator Smith was elected 5 consecutive times.”
Bad: “Senator Smith was popular and well-liked by her constituents.”

Good: “Senator Smith sponsored 20 pieces of legislation related to education and children’s issues.”
Bad: “Senator Smith was a champion of education and children’s issues.”

So, that’s it for the series. Hope you’ve enjoyed it! Have any questions? Need some advice? Still not sure if your topic is Wiki-eligible? Leave us a comment or email [email protected] – we may even feature your question in a future blog post!

 

Everything About Wikipedia, Part 5: Content

At this point, if you’ve been following our Wikipedia series you’ve got a pretty good grip on the rules: You know how to determine a topic’s Wiki-appropriateness. You also know how to find good, third-party sources, and you understand how to keep things neutral.

So, now what?

Now, we talk about content.

Determining Length

Wikipedia is funny: You could practically write a book about all of the rules governing sources, notability, and neutrality. But when it comes to article length, there’s not much to go on. There are a few general guidelines, but there’s very little in the way of hard-and-fast rules.

Here’s how Wikipedia sums up its guidelines on article size:

See? Not super-helpful, or super-specific. On one hand, this lack of rules is good – you have the freedom to make your article as long as it needs to be. On the other hand, though, this freedom can be a little daunting: How do you know what to include? How do you know what to leave out? How big is “too big”, exactly? How small is “too small”?

What to Put In, What to Leave Out – and How to Format It

There’s no single answer or magic formula that can help you figure out exactly how long your Wiki article should be – but you can use some of the following guidelines to help you decide what information to include, and how to organize it.

Start with a helpful lead section.

A “lead” is an introduction or overview that should summarize the contents of the article. A lead can be anywhere from a sentence or two to a few paragraphs in length, depending on the topic and the length of the article.

When we read this, we get all the important information: We know what Firefly is, we know who wrote it, and we know what kind of TV show it was. You can read on to get more in-depth about the episodes, cast, critical responses, and so on. But if you didn’t read any farther than the lead, you’d walk away with at least a basic knowledge of the topic.

Include important, relevant details.

Remember that Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. Although the online format allows for longer articles than you’d find in a traditional, printed volume, it’s best to stick to notable details that are appropriate for a general-interest audience.

Still not sure about what to include or what to leave out? Check out a few Wiki articles on similar topics, people, or companies. It’s always helpful to look at examples before getting started.

Use the search field in the top right of the page, or check out the list of Wiki categories:

Use sections and headers to group information.

Putting information into sections is a good way to keep your Wiki article from feeling too long. Plus, because most people will be reading your Wiki article on a screen, headers and sections will make your article easy to scan.

Use bullets and/or tables when appropriate.

Although Wikipedia articles should be primarily written in prose, a bulleted list or two within an article can make lengthy lists easier to read and understand. When you’ve got a long list of information – such as a list of awards won, positions held, published works, etc. – you can avoid the “wall-of-text” look by using bullet points.

You can also use tables to organize more complex lists of information. On the “Firefly” page, you can view a table that lists the details of all 14 episodes:

Most importantly, use good judgment.

There really is no set length when it comes to Wikipedia articles. The best way to ensure that your article isn’t “too short” or “too long” is to use common sense and good judgment. In other words, your article should be as long as it needs to be to get the point across.

Don’t worry about length. Don’t worry that your article about Company XYZ isn’t as long as the article about Company ABC. The best Wikipedia articles contain useful, neutral information.

That’s it for now. Still have questions? Stay tuned for our final blog of the series where we’ll wrap things up and answer some common Wiki-related questions.