Wikipedia, Wikipedia Consulting

Harnessing the Power of Wikipedia article editing

Public relations and brand management professionals need to understand how to influence what Wikipedia says about their clients.

Effectively managing a Wikipedia presence for your organization or client should be a requirement for brand managers. Anyone charged with building a brand is doing their clients a disservice if these skills and services are not part of a brand packaging plan.

You can manage Wikipedia articles as a brand manager

As a reputation manager, you know that Wikipedia articles about your business are important. They not only drive traffic to your website, they offer readers an objective, factual look at your organization. But you may think managing a Wikipedia article is beyond your control.

It isn’t. Even if you are paid to manage your client’s brand, Wikipedia’s rules state that you are permitted to influence those Wikipedia articles

But you may prefer to delegate the job. That’s why To the Point Collaborative’s Wikipedia Consulting Services exist. Let us manage your Wikipedia work so you can focus on what you do best.

To the Point Collaborative’s Wikipedia Boot Camp

Even if you hire us to manage your Wikipedia presence, you should still understand how it works and why it matters to your organization to have Wikipedia expertise on your team. We offer a half-day Wikipedia Boot Camp training customized to fit your team. This training can also get YOU started as the in-house Wikipedia expert, if that is your goal.

Here’s what you will learn through our training program:

  • The specific rules of engagement for Conflict of Interest (COI) editing Wikipedia articles. We will teach you the risks of COI editing, as well as your rights as a paid editor.
  • The critical importance of transparency, of being honest about who you are and about your role as a brand manager.
  • How to connect and collaborate in an effective way with the volunteer community that sets the rules (and does most of the editing) for Wikipedia. Volunteers will become your advocates, not your adversaries.
  • The language and style of Wikipedia editing. Throw out everything you learned about creative writing. Why less is more, and boring is good.
  • Who and what is notable by Wikipedia standards. The single most important piece of knowledge to have before undertaking a new article on behalf of a client.
  • The techniques for managing Wikipedia articles so that they require as little maintenance on your part as possible.
  • Fighting fires. How to respond to a Wikipedia “crisis.”
  • Setting client expectations. We will teach you how to talk to your clients about 1) the value of being included in Wikipedia 2) the difference between Wikipedia and their website, and 3) leaving their egos out of their Wikipedia profile.

Contact us and start managing your Wikipedia presence–ethically, effectively, painlessly. Email us at info@tothepointcollaborative.com.

 

Share This Article