A recent article published by MIT Technology Review documented how the community of volunteer Wikipedia editors has shrunk by a third since 2007. While some believe this to be the demise of Wikipedia and that Wikipedia will soon become nothing more than a third rate website, this is actually a sign that Wikipedia will continue to be the authoritative website that it is. Those who are left in the edit community are a small group of totalitarian editors and administrators who would never let the site die. After all, it is their playground and they control it like the former Soviet Union controlled the many republics prior to its collapse.
If you are reading this article, chances are that you are looking to hire a Wikipedia writer to create and publish your article. As a Wikipedia editor who gets paid to do so, of course you are going to assume that I want to talk you into hiring someone, but I thought it better to provide you with some basic facts from MIT so that you can make the decision on your own.
Fewer participants who edit for free:
According to the MIT report, the volunteer edit base has shrunk by more than a third since 2007. This means that there are fewer editors on the site who are creating articles, editing articles, and fighting off vandalism to articles. If your article was not created back in 2007 when there were three times as many editors, chances are that it is not going to happen on its own now.
While there is a location on Wikipedia where you can request that your article be created, requests often sit there for months or years without being answered as the current volunteer base cares more about getting their point of view across in established articles than they do about expanding the current article base with new information. Just take a look at the backlog of requested biographies at this link and tell me what you think the odds are that adding your name to this list will get you closer to article creation. So, you can hire a Wikipedia writer to help you out, or you can always put your article on the list of requested articles for creation and hope and pray that someone falls upon it.
Newcomers are not welcome:
According to the MIT report, newcomers are not welcome. If you do not hire a Wikipedia writer and decide to create an article on your own, chances are you will run into what MIT describes as “a crushing bureaucracy with an often abrasive atmosphere that deters newcomers.” I believe this quote is fitting as it is right on point. Countless times I have seen new editors chased off because they tried to edit an article without putting in a citation or put in information that was too promotional. Instead of educating, editors are more likely to warn the newcomer that failure to follow guidelines could get them blocked from editing. Even worse, editors are likely to place ugly tags at the top of articles in retaliation for new editors trying to introduce content.
Understanding the process is too difficult:
I absolutely agree with this one. According to MIT, the motto of Wikipedia should be “the encyclopedia that anyone who understands the norms, socializes him or herself, doges the impersonal wall of semi-automated rejection and still wants to voluntarily contribute his or her time and energy can edit.” Of course this motto is a little longer than the actual one of “the encyclopedia that anyone can edit,” but it is also right on point. While editing Wikipedia used to be fun to me, it is no longer something that I enjoy doing unless I am being paid. The policies and guidelines that the community has created are way too complicated and I would have bowed out years ago had I decided not to offer my services as a paid editor. So, you can try to navigate the hundreds of complicated rules, or hire a Wikipedia writer who understands how to navigate it for you.
While I am always willing to be that person you hire to create your Wikipedia article, I want to make it clear that you do not need to pay someone to do the job for you. Wikipedia is a free website that you can edit on your own time and without paying anyone a single dime (that is unless you decide to throw Jimmy Wales a bone when he asks for a donation). Unfortunately, the very site that does not welcome paid editing is the same site that has created an environment where paid editing thrives. The more difficult they make it for someone to edit, the more there is a need to hire a Wikipedia writer to create your content.
by Michael Wood – Michael Wood is an online marketing expert and owner of Legalmorning.com. He specializes in reputation and brand management, article writing, and professional Wikipedia editing. He is an expert Wikipedia editor and has helped hundreds of businesses and people post their articles to the site where they have otherwise failed. He is a regular contributor to many online publications including AllBusiness Experts, Yahoo, Business Insider, Business2Community, and Social Media Today.