Many emails come my way daily from people asking if you can write about yourself on Wikipedia. This question is a little more complicated than the Wikipedia community would like you to think.
There are guidelines that state if you have a conflict of interest that you are strongly discouraged from editing about the topic. If you post the question if you can write about yourself on Wikipedia on any Wikipedia talk page or project page, you will receive the simple answer of “NO” and likely get yelled at in the process. In fact, a story by Gregory Kohs originally published in the Examiner outlines how most people are simply ignored when they make a request.
I want to take a few minutes to tell you that you actually can request an article be written, but that I also strongly advise against it. Here are the reasons why.
Understanding conflict of interest guidelines:
Wikipedia’s definition of a conflict of interest is simple (you will hopefully see the sarcasm in that statement in a minute). “A Wikipedia conflict of interest (COI) is an incompatibility between the aim of Wikipedia, which is to produce a neutral, reliably sourced encyclopedia, and the aims of an individual editor.” Simply put…….a conflict of interest is anything that would get in the way of you writing a neutral page or making a neutral edit.
You will notice the term “neutral” quite a bit. I use it as often as the Wikipedia community and it is something that helps keep Wikipedia from becoming a website for public relations professionals to promote their clients in a way that is more favorable to their client than the references would support.
There are many situations that would create a conflict of interest, one such situation is if you want to write about yourself on Wikipedia.
Simply put, writing about yourself makes it difficult, but no impossible, to stay neutral. After all, I think I’m a great person, but the press may think definitely and the sources from the press is what determines the content of a Wikipedia page.
So I have a conflict, but can I still edit?
Absolutely. There is nothing in the guidelines that I have found that prohibits you from editing if you want to write about yourself on Wikipedia. What the guideline says is that “[conflict of interest] editing is strongly discouraged.” However, as Wikipedia doesn’t like to keep things simple, they created yet another guideline that deals specifically with autobiographies.
If you are going to write about yourself on Wikipedia, I recommend that you read the guideline as it does contain very good points about autobiographies, including that it is “difficult to write a neutral, verifiable autobiography, and there are many pitfalls.” Which brings me to the reason why I would discourage you from taking it upon yourself to write your own Wikipedia biography.
For whatever reason you want to cite for you being able to write about yourself without difficulty, there are dozens more reasons why you cannot. This is true for the most part that people find it difficult to write about themselves. There is nothing wrong with it, just a fact of life. If you choose to write your Wikipedia biography, chances are that you will not make it “neutral” by Wikipedia’s definition. And, even if you can, you risk it being damaged and/or deleted by editors if they find out that you are the writer behind the masterpiece.
Wikipedia actually warns that that you should be prepared to have your article “edited mercilessly by others” if you are the author. Editors presume that since you wrote it, there is nothing within the article that is neutral. So, without so much as checking the references, you will see the article gutted to a few short sentences, or even recommended for deletion.
Ways to get your article on Wikipedia:
While I will not give you advice on what specific route to take, there are a few ways that can get your article published without the need to write about yourself on Wikipedia. The first is one that Wikipedia assumes and I actually somewhat agree. If you are notable enough to have a Wikipedia article (meaning that there are plenty of reliable sources that talk about you), then it is likely that someone will write an article about you on Wikipedia. There is no telling how long this will take or if it will even happen, but there is some weight behind that statement.
Another thing that you can do is hire a professional Wikipedia editor. This way you have someone who can use the available sources and create an article for you that meets neutrality guidelines (notice I said hire a professional editor, not just a paid editor or a paid advocacy editor who will simply write anything to make you look like a superhero).
How to make a request that your article be created:
The last option, and the one that this article is about, is to ask that your article be created. This option, often as slow as the first, is to request that a Wikipedia editor write an article about you. Simply add your name to the list of requested articles and you will be among the thousands of others who are waiting patiently for someone to see their name on the list and an editor to write the article.
Follow the link in the previous paragraph and you will be taken to the main page where you can request that your article be created. Once you are there, select the main subcategory that you best fit in. After you are there, add your name and any supporting information about the article. You can see the current list of requested biographies at this link.
If you do not wish to go through the trouble of adding your name and hoping for the best, you can always contact me for a quote to create your article. If you choose to write your article anyway, good luck with your ventures and may the Wiki-trolls stay far away from you and your goal.