Wikipedia, a renowned online encyclopedia, was created back in 2001. Since its creation, it has been among the leading platforms in the search engine due to a high volume of traffic. It has a global reach and that is evident from the fact that the content published on the platform is available in more than 300 different languages.
Anyone can be on the platform, whoever is notable and has an online reach. Wikipedia offers user generated content. Being an open-source platform, it makes it easier to publish your content. To ensure highest content quality the platform has a long list of guidelines and policies. If you want to be on the platform you need to show a strict adherence with the policies.
Every month millions of pages are published on the platform. The number of published pages in English languages go up to 6,372,861. Not only this, the number of monthly visitors is 1.7 billion. This showcases the growth and reach of the platform.
So, if you have a friend who is notable and has a renowned presence on the web, here is the easy guide to get a Wikipedia page. You can write it on your own or consult a professional for proficiency. Read on and follow the guidelines.
How To Start A Wikipedia Page For A Person?
To start writing on Wikipedia its better to contribute first. You need to carry out two major steps as listed below:
1. Create a Wikipedia Account
The first step is to create a Wikipedia account when learning about how to start a Wikipedia page for a person. To create an account, go to the Wikipedia.org and select your desired language. ON the right corner you will find the button, “create an account”.
You need to create a suitable username, a strong password and enter correct bio details to have a secured account. Once you are through you have to create a user page.
2. User Page
The user page gives you a complete access to the Wikipedia directories from where you can edit the already published pages and contribute to this huge knowledge hub. You need to make sure that the changes you make are valid and authentic. By doing so you get to make your Wikipedia profile more credible. As the platform appreciate its volunteers and contributors.
Moving forward, its time to begin the page creation steps. The next step is to learn about the Wikipedia guidelines and policies and see how you can execute them.
Wikipedia Guidelines To Create A Page For A Person
Wikipedia has a long list of guidelines and policies that makes it easier to publish a high-quality content. The platform receives a high volume of page requests, so to shortlist the best for publishing it has made its policy book which every writer is bound to follow.
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Principle of Notability
Wikipedia has specific notability guidelines that highlight certain criteria to decide whether a subject is notable or not. As per the guidelines, the subject should have an online reach.
Now here the online reach must not be restricted to the primary sources. The subject should be present on secondary, credible sources like The Times Magazine or The New York Times. These are highly authentic and credible platforms, if your subject is there that means he or she can get the Wikipedia page easily. It’s important to pass the notability test in order to be eligible to have a page on the platform.
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Research And Content Writing
Now that you are sure that the person you are creating the page for is notable, you need to check the research and writing guidelines. As per the policies, your researched material should be sourced from notable and credible platforms. All the references should be legit and authentic. There should not be any false context about the subject.
For content creation, the basic policy is to avoid adding promotional content. You must not add biased and argumentative content in your page. The other policies are discussed later in the blog.
Write The Wikipedia Page
If you have the expertise to write a well-versed content, you must try writing the Wikipedia page on your own. You need to make sure that your content is precise and does not have wordiness. It should not have verbosity in it. Your Wikipedia page should be interactive and informative. You need to create a reader’s journey to bind their attention and make them stick to your page till the end.
Your content should be written in a neutral tone. It should not reflect any controversial aspect as that is usually false. You should avoid two things as described below:
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Vandalism
Vandalism is about intentionally attacking the reputation of a subject that is already present on Wikipedia. You must not try out this black hat SEO practice as th4er have been many accounts which are now blocked permanently.
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Conflict of Interest
Its recommended not to have conflict of interest with the subject. Because if you have, you will not be able to do justice and you will not be able to pen down the information properly.
If you have any doubts to writing the Wikipedia page you can go check out the Article Wizard present on the platform intended to guide the new writers.
The Wizard is created for the newbies who are unaware about the page submission criteria and style.
Formatting and Citation
Its important to check how your Wikipedia appears in front of your viewers and readers. The presentation and readability are important to check in order to increase the growth. So, you need to practice SEO optimization techniques.
You need to index most searched keywords in your content. You need to make sure that the content is accessible easily through terms and content that is easy to access and effective to grasp. Furthermore, you need to format the content using sub headings, taglines and visuals.
The last step is to add citation. There are a lot of formats approved in the Wikipedia guidelines from where you can choose the one you want. You need to make sure that every link is verifiable. In case of conflicts and irrelevancies, the page gets rejected.
Submit Your Wikipedia Page For Review
So, finally, you are on to submit it. To create a Wikipedia page for a person, go sign in to your account and there you will find a button on the left side “create a page” click on it and in the field to attach the content file drop down your document. Below it will be the option to enter the citation and media files respectively. Its best if you double-check your content and the policies just in case if you are missing out on something very important.
How to check the notability of a person?
To check the notability, one has to pass through the notability test. The test ensures if the person has an authentic and notable presence or not.
