Professional Documents
Culture Documents
3) Personally, I use Wikipedia when I really want to be schooled a subject... just like how
I used to use a bulky set of Encyclopedia Britannica (aah, the Internet). Compared to
Wikipedia, Google amounts to the proverbial bathroom wall: Wikipedia cuts through the
bullshit.
2) When you’re Googling a subject… have you noticed that the Wikipedia page pops
up nearly #1?? So from a SEO perspective, having a Wikipedia page would be
awesome. PLUS, a Wikipedia article page about your personal brand leverages the
credibility Wikipedia has created – and actively maintains. Wikipedia is authoritative: It
is governed & edited.
1) Tom Peters has one. Robert Kiyosaki has one. I love that Russell Simmons and Rick
Rubin have 'em. Even Malcolm Gladwell has one. Yes, Michael Jordan has one. And of
course, Oprah has one.
Will you also have a Wikipedia page about your personal brand?
This is an in-depth 6 page guide to do ethically: You can stream the audio in the
background (so you can do something else) – on MarketingInCompliance.com! Or
download the mp3 podcast there.
Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about actively branding yourself through it. Many
notable personal brands already have Wikipedia articles dedicated to them. You can too:
I’ve quoted Wikipedia’s policies and distilled it into simple steps & thumb-rules.
Wikipedia has many, many rules to follow. And rightfully so. Wikipedia is ripe for
abuse. So please don’t… Abusing an unbiased platforms like Wikipedia is a great way to
ruin the ethical character of your personal brand!!
As they literally say, “Wikipedia is NOT a democracy.” They have editors who scour
(and get notified) of violations.
Updating pages with your opinions or first-hand research is also not allowed. And
updating pages with your auto-biographical information is also strongly frowned upon –
due to conflicts of interest.
Guess who was the amateur poet that launched the campus’ only platform for writers?
I’m still proud of the witty pun: After all, SUNY Albany is known for the many
fountains on our campus, and the big one in the center - with its own opening ceremony,
Fountain Day. (And I used to write with fountain pens. But in the networking world, we
share our pens. So now, I just use a Cross ball point that a client gave me.)
But I digress.
How can you create your own Wikipedia bio page? First of all, this is what Wikipedia
says, “If your life and achievements are verifiable and genuinely notable, someone else
will probably create an article about you sooner or later.”
“Creating an article about yourself is strongly discouraged.” But you can still do it.
Here’s what Wikipedia tells us… I’ve quoted the juiciest parts:
“If you create an autobiography you must have no promotional intent and must be
willing to accept it being neutralized if it is not neutral. If you do turn out to be notable,
you have also got to expect the article to stay — you cannot just get it deleted because
you are not happy with it. Our neutral point of view policy is absolute and non-
negotiable, and all encyclopedic topics are fair game for Wikipedia.
One thing which you can do to assist other Wikipedia editors is, if you already maintain a
personal website, please ensure that any information that you want in your Wikipedia
article is already on your own website.
As long as it's not involving grandiose claims like, "I was the first to create this widget,"
or "My book was the biggest seller that year," a personal website can be used as a
reference for general biographical information.
AWESOME, so…
Step 1. Create your own personal website with a biography of notable achievements.
Who owns your name.com?
But you may still be deleted because well, Wikipedia believes writing autobiographies
are inherently one-sided. Thus, not fair and balanced (in the un-trademarked journalistic
sense).
Wikipedia rules use that word a lot. And they mean it. It’s not so easy to be notable,
according to Wikipedia.
For example, while they say it’s not a deal breaker, Wikipedia prefers you be the subject
of (not just cited by) published secondary sources. What does that mean?
Wikipedia says, “Secondary sources are often peer reviewed, and produced by
institutions where methodological accuracy is important to the author's and publishing
house's, or research institute's, reputation.”
But you should meet other criteria worthy of a Wikipedia page about you. Again I quote
the juiciest parts:
• The person has been the subject of published1 secondary sources that are reliable,
intellectually independent, and independent of the subject.2
o If the depth of coverage is not substantial, then multiple independent
sources may need to be cited to establish notability.
o Trivial coverage of a subject by secondary sources may not be sufficient to
establish notability.3
o Once notability is established, primary sources may be used to add
content.
• The person has been the subject of a credible independent biography.
• The person has received significant recognized awards or honors.
• The person has demonstrable wide name recognition
• The person has made a widely recognized contribution that is part of the enduring
historical record in his or her specific field.4
• Commercial endorsements of demonstrably notable products.”
Wikipedia specifically says, “If an academic/professor meets any one of the following
conditions, as substantiated through reliable sources, they are definitely notable. If an
academic/professor meets none of these conditions, they may still be notable, and the
merits of an article on the academic/professor will depend largely on the extent to which
it is verifiable.
When Wikipedia when you create a free membership and go to write your own article,
Wikipedia warns, “Do not write articles about yourself, your company, or your best
friend.
While you can create a controversial article or page about you, it will most likely by
deleted very quickly due to conflicts of interest. Instead, develop a personal brand
environment where others would want to write a page about you.
Step 4: CONTRIBUTE your subject matter expertise to current Wikipedia articles. You
can cite primary sources that just happen to quote you – but not written by you! Of
course, if your subject doesn’t have an article, you can create one. But by now, your
specific area of expertise is mostly likely covered in one way or another:
Look up all your professional jargon! And help to develop the authority of that article,
especially with scholarly citations.
Remember, Wikipedia doesn’t want your opinions, insights, ideas, original research,
theories, or proprietary processes as subjects.
But you can link the Wikipedia page article to agencies, institutions, and (preferably non-
profit or educational) organizations that are relevant to the subject matter.
For overall personal branding benefits, become active in these organizations. As you take
leadership, you’ll warrant a mention on their websites. As you become a significant
leader, your name may be allowed in the Wikipedia subject matter article.
Step 6: Develop relationships with academics and scholars who research your subject
matter expertise. Academics are often required to publish regularly. They will want to
reference primary-source media. You may be the subject of, or at least quoted within,
such media.
As academics reference materials about you, you will become cited by secondary
sources. As you develop a series of scholarly citations, you will become the SUBJECT
of scholarly work.
These six steps are the most direct and ethical way to earn a Wikipedia page about your
personal brand.
There are other ways: For example, focus on having your articles published by others.
Self-publish all sorts of intellectual property, like books, audios, videos, and blogs. Do
not insult your fellow subject matter experts. In fact, edify them. Help peers recognize
and reference your work.