Everything You Wanted to Know About Wikipedia But Were Too Embarrassed to Ask

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EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT WIKIPEDIA BUT WERE TOO EMBARRASSED TO ASK

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MY CREDENTIALS

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The Continental Pool Lounge Arlington, Virginia 2007

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18 That’s how many years I’ve been helping clients navigate Wikipedia.

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5 That’s how many services I offer. 1. Create 2. Improve 3. Monitor 4. Consult 5. Train

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WHY WIKIPEDIA MATTERS

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Reason #1

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Reason #1 (Cont.)

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Reason #2

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Reason #3

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Reason #4

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The Bottom Line

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WALK LIKE A WIKIPEDIAN

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Are you notable? Create Improve Are your sources reliable?

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Pillars Policies Guidelines RULES STANDARDS BEST PRACTICES

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Wikipedia Is Not a Crystal Ball Verifiability There Is No Deadline Conflict of Interest Consensus Wikipedia Is Not a Newspaper Manual of Style Sock Puppetry Edit War Username Policy Wikipedia Is Not the Place to Post Your Résumé Advocacy Articles for Deletion Citation Overkill Vandalism Assume Good Faith Please Do Not Bite the Newcomers

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G.N.G. N.O.R. R.S. N.P.O.V. U.P.E. General Notability Guideline No Original Research Reliable Sources Neutral Point of View Undisclosed Paid Editing To qualify for a Wikipedia page, your media coverage must be extensive. Every fact on your page must be footnoted. Your footnotes must be trustworthy. The editorial tone of your page must not contain any biases. If you have a conflict of interest, you must disclose that fact. Jargon What It Stands For What It Means

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1.Neutral Point of View WP:NPOV

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Apple revolutionized per- sonal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. How Apple Describes Itself How Wikipedia Describes Apple Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services.

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2. Reliable Sources WP:RS

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“Unreliable”

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MEDIA COVERAGE

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THE 6 CRITERIA

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CRITERION #1 Your Media Coverage Must Come From a Media Outlet

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“Unreliable”

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No content

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“Unreliable”

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Q&A

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Q&A Press Release

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WAIT!

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“Are you saying there’s a blanket ban on all Q&As?”

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What You Say I employ 600 people. Q&A I employ 600 people. Reported Article According to Rick, he employs 600 people.

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WAIT!

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“Does this mean that all broadcast hits are useless?”

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Television

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Podcasts

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Interviews Reportage

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WAIT!

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“What about the text before the Q&A?”

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Q &As

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No content

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CRITERION #2 Both the Outlet and the Content Must Be Independent From You

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FreeEnterprise.com O utlets

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Content

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Forbes “The Forbes.com article, posted in 2013, praised Epstein as ‘one of the largest backers of cutting-edge science around the world’ while making no mention of his criminal past.

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Contributor Staffer Forbes (Cont.)

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CRITERION #3 The Media Outlet Must Be Reliable

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ARLnow.com Patch Local Pubs

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The Executive Communication Report The Washington Business Journal P.R. Daily Nextgov Trade Pubs

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WAIT!

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“Trades are arbiters of the given trade; nobody knows me better than my peers.”

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The M ainstream M edia

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To be “reliable,” a media outlet must have a reputation for two things: 1. Fact-checking. 2. Accuracy. “Reliable Sources”

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In general, the more people who are engaged in the following three activities, the more that readers can trust that publication: 1. Checking facts. 2. Analyzing legal issues. 3. Scrutinizing the writing. “Reliable Sources”

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How can you prove a publication’s bona fides? Here are the questions that Wikipedians will ask: 1. Does the publication employ editors? 2. Does the publication disclose conflicts of interest? 3. Does the publication issue corrections when it makes a mistake? “Reliable Sources”

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Here are a few more ways you can bolster an “RS” argument: 1. Does the outlet clearly identify the author of articles? 2. Does the outlet publish the names and contact info for its editorial team? 3. Is the outlet widely cited by other reliable outlets? “Reliable Sources”

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CRITERION #4 The Coverage Must Focus on You

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3,500 Words 6,000 Words 11,000 Words Individuals

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3,500 Words 4,000 Words 9,000 Words Com panies

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“What about an article that quotes me extensively or cites my work heavily?” WAIT!

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CRITERION #5 Your Coverage Must Be Available Online

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Wikipedia is what economists call a “lagging indicator.” A topic is Wikipedia-worthy only if the outside world has already taken notice of it. “No Original Research”

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CRITERION #6 Your Coverage Must Be Sustained

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Recentism occurs when a Wikipedia page has an inflated or imbalanced focus on recent events. A recentist page lacks a long-term, historical view. “Recentism”

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“Wikipedia’s stated goal is to be an encyclopedia, not a newspaper, which generally means the project should focus on the information that will be historically significant for the long term.” —STEPHEN HARRISON “Wikipedia Is Not a Newspaper”

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APPENDIX A Cheat Sheet

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Source Significant? Independent? Reliable? Pass /Fail? Is the coverage of you in the given article significant? Being cited or even quoted a few times in an article is not particularly helpful. Being quoted extensively is better, but still not a deal maker. What you’re looking for are full-fledged profiles where you’re the focus. Is the publication completely independent from you? This rules out news releases, sponsored content, and Q&As. Does the publication have a reputation for fact- checking and accuracy? Does it employ editors, disclose conflicts of interest, and issue corrections when it makes a mistake?

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Let’s Recap Criterion #1: Your media coverage must come from a media outlet. 1/6

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Let’s Recap Criterion #1: Your media coverage must come from a media outlet. 1/6

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Let’s Recap Criterion #2: Both the outlet and the content must be independent from you. 2/6

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Let’s Recap Criterion #2: Both the outlet and the content must be independent from you. 2/6

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Let’s Recap Criterion #3: The media outlet must be reliable. 3/6

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Let’s Recap Criterion #3: The media outlet must be reliable. 3/6

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Let’s Recap Criterion #4: The coverage must focus on you. 4/6

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Let’s Recap Criterion #4: The coverage must focus on you. 4/6

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Let’s Recap Criterion #5: The coverage must be available online. 5/6

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Let’s Recap Criterion #5: The coverage must be available online. 5/6

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Let’s Recap Criterion #6: The coverage must be sustained. 6/6

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Let’s Recap Criterion #6: The coverage must be sustained. 6/6

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QUESTIONS YOU DIDN’T KNOW WERE QUESTIONS

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QUESTION #1 Isn’t Media Coverage a Flawed Gold Standard?

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📝 Editors ⚖ Lawyers 🎯 Fact Checkers

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QUESTION #2 Can I Work on a Page for a Client (or, for That Matter, My Employer)?

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QUESTION #3 Must I Subject Myself to the Disclosure Gauntlet?

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North Face Forced to Issue Grovelling Apology After It Was Caught Editing Wikipedia Pages to Boost Its Results on Search Sites Political Staffers Tried to Delete the Senate Scandal (and Other Bad Behavior) From Wikipedia Congress Banned From Editing Wikipedia After Staff Caught Trolling Senator Doug Mastriano Caught Editing Wikipedia Page With Sock-Puppet Accounts N.Y.P.D. Caught Trying to Edit “Police Brutality” Out of Its Wikipedia Page