Since I'm often involved with things on Wikipedia, I get a lot of questions from clients and other businesses about managing an article on Wikipedia. Many of them are surprised to hear my initial advice: If you don't already have an article on Wikipedia you absolutely, without a doubt, do not want one.

Don't get me wrong - I completely support the Wikipedia project and its goals, but with that comes an understanding of its limitations. Since it does practically take a PhD to understand how Wikipedia works, here's some additional insights:

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia

Many people forget that the main goal of Wikipedia is to cover encyclopedic data. If you need to check out an animal, math concept or even an ancient philosopher, Wikipedia will most likely have a good overview, a picture or two and links to other good references. Outside of typical encyclopedic realms though, things can get a bit shaky.

While articles on major topics and large corporations are often frequented by editors genuinely interested in the topic and preserving the integrity of the article, the same doesn't hold true for less popular subjects. Articles that get less attention are more susceptible to vandalism, bias and sometimes complete insanity.

Anyone can edit and they do

People who choose to edit articles on Wikipedia aren't always able to put aside their own opinions and prejudices. The openness of Wikipedia and the ease of editing make it possible for disgruntled employees, for example, to spill their sour grapes to the world. Sometimes these things are easy to fix, but if there's a grain of truth to their claims, you may never be able to resolve things to your satisfaction.

Many folks who thought they wanted an article on a Wikipedia later found out that since they don't have any control over the content and may have to spend their own time watching the article for vandalism, its just more trouble than its worth. Even if you could watch an article all the time, don't forget that Wikipedia often hits above your own site in search engines. Now imagine an anonymous vandal calls your CEO a child molester at the exact moment Google decides to take a snapshot of the article. Its just not a pretty sight.

If its out there, someone will find it

Thanks to the internet, we have tons of information at our fingertips. In terms of Wikipedia, this means that any bit of information on yourself, your family, your business and even your associates may turn up somewhere and find its way to your article.

Its also important to remember that Wikipedia itself it very transparent. The Wikipedia community is strongly against changes being made by someone with an interest in the subject so any attempts to finesse your article will likely result in a backlash.

Ideas for fixing legitimate problems

Except for obvious vandalism that everyone is welcome to revert, don't try to fix any issues yourself. Instead, use the discussion page of the article (found by using the tabs toward the top) to bring the problem to the attention of regular editors. Don't try to hide who you are, instead, identify yourself and your relationship to the subject up front. If you'd prefer not to give away your IP address, make sure you create an account before making any changes or comments.

When discussing issues with other editors, be prepared to provide reliable third-party sources that back up any changes you'd like to see made; remember that newspapers, magazines and journals will usually be given more weight than a press release. Feel free to suggest additional sources that can be used to expand the article but keep in mind that editors at Wikipedia are volunteers and may not choose to work on the article.

Be polite and respectful in all your communication. Not only do you need these editors help to correct any problems, but your actions are public and do reflect on yourself or your company. Never, ever make a legal threat on Wikipedia as this will cause you to be permanently blocked from editing the site and make resolution that much more difficult. If an issue reaches the level where you feel there is a legal concern (i.e. copyright infringement or defamation) you'll want to deal directly with the Wikimedia Foundation.

If you're unable to resolve a problem or don't seem to be getting any answers to your comments on the discussion page, the last resort is the volunteers who answer emails to Wikipedia. To get in touch with them, you can either drill down through Wikipedia's contact information or send email directly to info-en-q at wikimedia.org. Since there is no central editing authority, these volunteers won't be able to rewrite an article in your preferred format but they can help you resolve issues such as false or misleading information, unreliable sourcing and even copyright concerns.

Things to read

• Wikipedia's FAQ for Businesses
• Wikipedia's FAQ for Article Subjects
• Wikipedia's policy on Conflicts of Interest