Tweet

The Deep Rooted Problems of Wikipedia

Guest post by: Didar Khalsa

Article Overview: First I would like to start off by stating that this is most definitely not an article bashing Wikipedia. Wikipedia has done a great deal in disseminating information and knowledge to the world and on this point they should be commended. However, that is not to state that there are not some serious problems with the site. Many of these problems do apply to Internet marketers.

The Deep Rooted Problems of Wikipedia

First I would like to start off by stating that this is most definitely not an article bashing Wikipedia. Wikipedia has done a great deal in disseminating information and knowledge to the world and on this point they should be commended. However, that is not to state that there are not some serious problems with the site. Many of these problems do apply to Internet marketers.

The sad truth is that for all of Wikipedia's good there are huge problems in the realm of fairness and abuse. The democratic nature of the site is so open-ended that it is really possible for anyone to log in and post or modify content. This in and of itself is a real problem. The counterbalance to this glaring problem isn't much better, in fact it might even be worse.

There are numerous individuals that patrol Wikipedia as unelected editors and restrictors of information. Studies have shown that a shockingly small number of people are the one's that have taken up these power positions. As a result, the opportunity for censorship is high.

Any Internet marketer would love to reach Wikpedia's audience, but with these unelected censors working the site, it is easier said than done. There is also a risk that some of these censors have their own business agendas and use their position to further their agenda for themselves, their groups or organizations. In a word, they are crippling what Wikipedia could be.

Regardless of how great of a company you might be running or how interesting your biography might be, you are not supposed to post information about yourself or your own ventures on Wikipedia. Yet, in reality, corrupt people just find away around this dilemma. Honest people are often kept out of the site altogether.

If you are thinking about using Wikipedia to promote your goods or services, just realize the site is highly problematic. At the end of the day, you will likely feel that your time is much better spent somewhere else and in some other fashion. As I am constantly reminding people, your time to dedicate to promotions is limited and you should use it wisely.

Making the most of your time is critical and I try to practice what I preach. I was working as a mortgage broker in 2007 and had built two companies from the ground up and then the real estate market tanked. I lost everything and had to start over. Today, thanks to Internet marketing and my years of studying meditation and yoga, I was able to turn it around.

I believe that the way that yoga and meditation trains you to approach problems has much to do with the success you can find. I also believe there is no reason that you cannot find your success. Don't let something like being rejected by Wikipedia's censors stop you on your path!

Related Articles
  Bootstrapping Your Start Up Business.
  Why Sales needs Content Marketing and Marketing Automation
  2 Take-Aways from a MarketingSherpa Case Study
  IV. Principle II: Prioritize Local Knowledge and Participatory Planning
  3 Reasons Qlikview is killing Microstrategy
  Tribe, Nation, Business Unit – Are we not are all the same?
  Managing Sales Reps' Defensiveness
  2012 Revenue – Making It Happen vs. Hoping It Happens
  Measuring Organizational and Team Energy Levels
  Getting Angry Doesn’t Benefit Anyone
  The Power of Article Marketing
  Whats The Best Corporate Structure For An Early Stage Company
  Social Media Optimization and Marketing with Web 2.0
  World of Turk: How Millions are Helping Billions
  Make This Economy Work For You
  Ok - It's Called Enterprise 2.0
  The Economic Recession Blessing
  Would You Trade Your Problems
  What's Your Niche? Make It Easier To Find People Who Want Your Product Or Services
  Sure Fire Confidence Builders

Article Tags: internet marketers, wikipedia
Referred by: http://jaykubassek.com



Related Forum Posts
What about a Wiki? - I've been thinking of putting a Wiki on my site - but I'm not sure how to go about it. I've done just a little bit of research today and it seems like you should only use it if you have millions of visitors a day... I'm a teeeeeeeeeeeeeeny tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiny website... But I sure would like to get a few people away from the Wikipedia...those people are annoying me!!!
Web Entrepreneurs - Great find Leo! I'm surprised that Bram Cohen (Cofounder, BitTorrent) and Mike Morhaime (President, Blizzard Entertainment) made it ahead of Jimmy Wales (Founder, Wikipedia) who has one of the most popular sites in the world and will soon be taking on Google in the search battles.
Re: Alert to Forum! - A message board I read on a regular basis was hacked about a week ago... Occasionally Wikipedia has been down for an extended length of time... always makes me wonder if its been hacked and a backup is being quickly loaded... I dont understsand the mindset of these hackers, why destroy somene else's hard work just for the fun of proving you can do it? But those are the same kind of people who spray grafitti and break street lights and so on...hopefully if they're ever caught they go to jail!
Laptop vs notebook - According to Wikipedia, and as I had suspected: A laptop computer, or simply laptop (also notebook computer or notebook), is a small mobile computer, which usually weighs 2-18 pounds (1-6 kilograms), depending on size, materials, and other factors. I have a desktop computer - a Dell Dimension 6600 (or some number like that!) and a laptop computer, a Sony VAIO. You can get a laptop, much like a desktop, with a variety of memory options, but I'd advise you to get one with the most memory and power that you can.
How to get links to your website - Thanks for the post Barbara! I wrote back in my response: [quote:2ar0xqpw]the trick with Wikipedia is that the link has to be of genuine value. If it’s obviously just a related link then you’ll get removed. If it’s adding serious value to the post then it’s more likely to stay on - but even then you can have an overbearing administrator who removes you. I’ve also found more luck with less popular pages than the ones that are constantly being update. Chances are you can add more value to a page that hasn’t had as much work and the link will stay. Good luck![/quote:2ar0xqpw]


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Fighting the Saw-Tooth Affect

What should your free giveaway be?

How To Calculate A Minimum Fee For Your Services

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.