The last few days have been eventful for a niche community of Wikipedia editors. A Wikipedian for hire (like me) removed negative commentary about his client on Wikipedia under the guise of enforcing policy, rallied friendly editors to support him and made quite a show – enough for Jimmy Wales to condemn him personally.
That’s no surprise, Jimmy has always been a strong anti-paid editor advocate on Wikipedia and I’m sure he doesn’t have a warm spot in his heart for me either.
Meanwhile Edelman’s Phil Gomes had a rallying cry of his own – to get Jimmy to change his mind about paid editors like PR pros and allow for more open, welcomed, direct editing. Phil feels PR professionals aren’t welcome on Wikipedia. In most cases he may be right, but it depends on your behavior. PR pros aren’t the only new editors that feel the site can be intimidating and complex.
The conversation on and off Wikipedia went on for miles between established ethical paid editors, Jimmy Wales, PR pros, the PRSA, and a large number of volunteer editors with a range of stances as diverse as the wildlife in a rainforest preserve.
What will become of it all? It’s tough to tell, but there’s a few things in the works:
- WikiProject Cooperation
A project page on Wikipedia with substantial contributions from myself with a mentor program, a help page, links to useful documentation and instructions for companies looking for brief factual corrections. - A Facebook Group
Called “Corporate Representatives for Ethical Wikipedia Engagement” (CREWE) started by Phil Gomes. - A Move For New Policy
Jimmy Wales is pushing hard for what he calls “a bright line.” PR professionals who aren’t familiar with dozens of relevant policies feel Wikipedia’s documentation is confusing, long and contradictory. A single rule of thumb, “never edit articles directly” may be in the works. Everything a PR pro could want to do can be done through community processes anyway, but few know how.
If nothing else, the story has made more clear than ever the lack of expertise within marketing communities on Wikipedia. Basic concepts like noticeboards, policies and other basic elements of Wikipedia were like a foreign language. Luckily, there is some initiative to improve education and the PRSA mentioned hosting something on Wikipedia at their next big social media event.
The big question in my head is, will PR professionals be humble enough to learn? In a world that prides itself on “thought-leadership” it’s unnatural to be humble, ask questions, and acknowledge you don’t have the answers. That there’s a need to learn or obtain new skills the organization doesn’t have.
“But I thought we were already amazing, you mean we’re missing something?” Yes sir.
It’s so much easier to keep knocking on the door insisting it’s Jimmy’s fault. That he just needs to let us in the door onto Wikipedia’s precious carpet with our muddy sneakers. We’ll have to pay the admission fee in sweat, experience and good manners.
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Image source: Wikimedia Commons