Friday, January 29, 2021

Will Wikipedia Think Your Page Is Notable?

You want a Wikipedia page for your brand, your C.E.O., or even yourself. You know how to tell the story but aren’t sure if the page will pass publishing muster. Your success lies in a single word — notability.

Notability is the test Wikipedia editors use to decide if a topic merits its own article. You need to develop a case, using only sources that Wikipedia recognizes, which explains why your entry warrants inclusion in a global encyclopedia.

Wikipedia’s requirements are exacting, especially for pages about living people. You can’t lean on a blue check mark on Instagram or a page on IMDb. Nor can you use the loftiness of a client list or celebrity endorsements. Those credentials are impressive, but they’re unreliable, according to the Wikipedia powers that be.

The notability gold standard is media coverage that meets a variety of painstaking criteria. Let’s dive into that rabbit hole.