WIKIS

WIKIS, such as Wikipedia, are systems for collaborative publishing. They allow many authors to contribute to an online document or discussion.

WIKIPEDIA

http://www.wikipedia.com is defines itself as "a multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project. Wikipedia is written collaboratively by volunteers; the vast majority of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the Internet. Wikipedia's name is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a type of collaborative website) and encyclopedia. Its main servers are in Tampa, Florida, with additional servers in Amsterdam and Seoul."

"Wikipedia's English edition was launched on January 15, 2001, as a complement to Nupedia, an expert-written and now defunct encyclopedia. The project is currently operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization created by Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia. Wikipedia has approximately 7.5 million articles in 253 languages. It has steadily risen in popularity since its inception, and currently ranks among the top ten most-visited websites worldwide. With over 1.83 million articles in the English language edition, it is the largest encyclopedia ever compiled in human history."

"Due to its open nature, critics have questioned Wikipedia's reliability and accuracy. The site has also been criticized for its susceptibility to vandalism and the addition of false or unverified information, uneven quality, systemic bias and inconsistencies, and for favoring consensus over credentials in its editorial process. Wikipedia's content policies and sub-projects set up by contributors seek to address these concerns. Two scholarly studies have concluded that vandalism is generally short-lived and that Wikipedia is generally as accurate as other encyclopedias."

WINNING WITH WIKIPEDIA

Do you have an entry? It is worth ensuring that information about your organisation, business or brand is available to the millions of people searching Wikipedia daily, not only to reach the considerable Wikipedia audience, but also for the high ranking all entries receive in Google and other search engines.

As part of your PR activity you should regularly check websites like Wikipedia anyway to ensure the information given on there is appropriate and accurate. Don’t sterilise any existing entry or be surprised if people add to or edit a new entry you create, remember there are lots of other Wikipedia users out there and it will not fit Wikipedia’s ethos if you remove their contributions and simply reproduce your brochure. (Infact it may lead to your changes being removed and your IP address being barred!)

Editing content on Wikipedia is easy - simply register as a user, experiment in the “Sandbox” provided to learn how it all works, and then click on the “Edit” links on the relevant page. Wikipedia retains previous versions of entries and will revert to them if recent changes made by anyone are unhelpful, malicious etc.

Having given consideration to your own Wikipedia entry consider associated entries of interest, for example keywords like “Architecture” etc if you are the RIBA. Ensure you are included in associated entries wherever relevant. If associated themes or topics are not yet listed consider adding them, ensuring your organisation or business is mentioned!

[This section is currently being updated - please check back soon.]