From politicians to actors, celebrities to businesspeople, and authors to athletes, almost everyone who has made a name for themselves has a Wikipedia existence.
And it’s no accident, neither did these people just get lucky. They worked smart, built their image step by step, stayed consistent, and made sure the world knew who they were and what they stood for. However, it is not necessary to be a celebrity to have a Wikipedia page.
What matters more is having something meaningful behind your name. So, if you’re thinking of putting yourself out there, here’s what to consider before making that move.
Seven Important Tips Before You Get a Wiki Page
Let’s begin with the basics of getting a Wikipedia page for yourself. Here is a quick recap of what this fuss is all about, how it happens, what the benefits are, and when someone is eligible to have a page.
- Overview of a Wikipedia Existence
A Wikipedia page is a simple online article that anyone can read and help update. It is built using wiki software and allows people to edit together for improved content over time.
Thus, when you want to create a page, the topic needs to be important and supported by trusted sources like news or books. Moreover, the page must also be fair and neutral, free from any personal opinions. In a nutshell, it is all about sharing true, useful facts in a way that makes learning easy for everyone who visits.
- Various Types of Wiki Pages
There are different pages that you will come across on the platform because Wikipedia covers a massive range of topics. For example, there are pages for:
- Places like cities, countries, rivers, and landmarks.
- People, including public figures, historical personalities, and notable professionals.
- Organisations such as companies, charities, and institutions.
- Entertainment includes movies, books, video games, and fictional characters.
- Events, comprising historical moments, festivals, and major incidents
- Even concepts from science, philosophy, and social studies
- Technology covering inventions, software, and digital platforms
- The Detailed Process
The process of having your own page is very simple. The first step is to create an account on the platform. Once you’re signed in, you’ll find access to a personal space called the sandbox. This is the required area that lets you draft your article before publishing.
So, when you find it, start writing your content using either the visual editor or the source editor. However, make sure that you keep your tone neutral and use trusted sources to back up your points. Later, format your page with clear headings, links, and citations as needed.
Then, once your draft is ready, you can publish it in the sandbox to save your progress. After that, just take a quick look to see if everything seems alright, and finally use the “move” function to shift it into Wikipedia’s main space. However, this step will require you to give your page a title and a reason for the move.
- Short-Term & Long-Term Benefits
| Immediate Advantages | Continued Advantages |
| Having a page makes people take you seriously. It shows you are notable, verified and worth paying attention to. | Over time, your page becomes a historical snapshot of your achievements. It also keeps your name and work alive online. |
| The pages are more likely to rank high in the search results. This means others will easily find you online. | You can keep updating your page as your career evolves. Hence, your growth always has a record. |
| A well-made page adds polish to your public image and makes you look sharp in professional and industry spaces. | Your page lets students, professionals, journalists, bloggers and researchers in several ways. |
| People who search your name will find organised, up-to-date, and reliable information in seconds. | It serves as a centralised information hub and adds depth to your public presence. This means people will see you as worth knowing. |
Who Decides the Eligibility? Let’s Find Out
- Who Decides It?
According to Wikipedia experts, the eligibility for a page is judged by the community of volunteer editors. They follow the platform’s guidelines, especially the “notability” rule, which helps decide if a person, organisation, or topic deserves a page.
- What Makes You Eligible?
Honestly, you don’t have to be a celebrity. What matters is whether your work or achievements have been written about in reliable, independent sources like news articles, books, or respected websites. Though keep in mind that self-promotion and personal blogs don’t count.
- What to Expect?
Once your page goes live, it can be updated or changed by others several times. Hence, the pages are constantly reviewed and improved. So, if it doesn’t meet standards, it might be flagged or removed. This means you need to stay on your toes and only include accurate and notable facts.
7 Significant Considerations Before Requesting a Wiki Page
1. Verify Notability
The platform has specific guidelines on what topics are considered notable enough for an article. So, before you hot publish, take care of it. The word notability means the subject has received significant coverage from reliable, independent sources. Moreover, your subject needs to have received media coverage from reputable publications, not just personal websites. Hence, if your subject isn’t extraordinary, it’s unlikely to be approved and may be deleted.
2. Gather Reliable Sources
Next, you need to make sure that your claims in the Wikipedia article are verifiable. For this, you should be using trustworthy sources like reputable newspapers, scholarly journals, or books. On the other hand, avoid using forums, blogs, or social media as sources. In addition, if you’re requesting a page for a company, you must provide citations from credible sources.
3. Maintain Neutrality
The third tip is to make certain that your articles are written from a neutral point of view (NPOV). It is important to avoid any bias or promotional language, as the article has to be super professional and to-the-point. Moreover, as the writer, you need to focus on presenting facts objectively. Then, in the end, remember not to use the page as an opportunity for self-promotion or marketing.
4. Avoid Promotional Language
On the same note, here is another reminder that your Wikipedia page is not a platform for advertising. Hence, you need to stick to the facts and avoid using marketing buzzwords or jargon. For example, if you’re writing about a company, you cannot call it a “leading provider”.
5. Check for Existing Pages:
Moving on, take a look around before requesting a page, and search Wikipedia to see if an article already exists on the topic. This is crucial because if an article already exists, you can improve it or request changes (if needed). It is going to save a lot of your time and energy!
6. Understand Conflict of Interest
Then we have the treasured advice about understanding the conflict of interest. It means that Wikipedia, the platform, discourages writing about yourself or topics you have a close connection to. So, if you have a conflict of interest, you should disclose it and consider asking an independent editor to create the page.
7. Write a Draft
Last but not least, before requesting, you need to create a draft article in the sandbox or draft space provided by Wikipedia. Quickly begin writing the article by following Wikipedia’s formatting guidelines and structure. You might want to use an encyclopedic tone and avoid jargon. Besides that, try to make sure that the article is well-written and easy to understand. Then, finally, once the draft is complete, submit it for review.
The Summary
To sum up, we’d say that before requesting a Wikipedia page, make sure that the subject meets the “notability” criteria of the Wikipedia platform. This refers to being covered in reliable, independent sources. Then, familiarise yourself with the policies on neutrality, verifiability, and no original research. As soon as you are confident of everything, you can start writing an article, focusing on neutral language and verifiable information. However, do not forget to check if the page already exists and only use sources that are reliable.