Ok. So you’re at work. You have a little downtime. Someone asks you a questions about, let’s say, a band’s first album. So you google Flock of Seagulls, review the band’s discography, and end up clicking a link that takes you to a page about seagulls. Next thing you know, it’s three hours later and you’ve somehow ended up on a Wikipedia page about the origin of the chair. It’s interesting for sure and, fun fact, it isn’t the first time you’ll fall down a wiki wormhole nor will it be the last time. Wikipedia is THE site for fast, free information and it’s easy to see why. Their ability to utilize the content development from their own user base is beyond admirable. Below we discuss web content and how Wikipedia ranks so high.
Where Does Wikipedia’s Content Come From?
There is an almost unlimited number of articles on Wikipedia. That’s an awful lot of content for their users. So you’re probably wondering (rightly so) — where does Wikipedia’s content come from? Well, their web content comes from you. Anyone can create an article for Wikipedia and anyone can edit an existing article. There is no training that needs to be completed to participate. If you’re interested in participating, there’s nothing standing in your way. Contributors come from all over the world, from all different backgrounds, with different levels of expertise in writing, tech, and organization. These people are called Wikipedians, or editors. That’s right. Wikipedia is free and their volunteer base of contributors are responsible for all of the content on their site. As of now, there are around 35 million users contributing to the English Wikipedia.
What Is Demo Breakdown For Wikipedians?
The content development pros of having a diverse group of contributors is invaluable. While there are a lot of male participants, there are other voices:
- 10%-20% of participants are women
- This gender gap is very unfortunate and will hopefully change soon
- Steps are being taken to remedy biases that exist and can’t be put in place soon enough
- Students contribute
- Industry insiders contribute
- Hobbyists contribute
- PR firms contribute
- Scholars contribute
- Those with a passing interest in a subject will also contribute.
As with anything public, there is always the possibility contributors will do so in order to cause mischief. Meaning some folks may decide to post false information in the hopes they’ll trick Wikipedia’s reader base. It’s also possible these same folks may do so as a prank. How does Wikipedia combat this phenomenon?
Who Watches The Watchmen?
Well, as with contributors, editors are you. Myself. Really all of us. We can edit any article if we see something that is factually inaccurate. There are tools in place to help. If you know an article needs to be cleaned up, you can place a notice at the top of the page. If you’re able to find a reliable source, you can add those sources to the page. Additionally, if you happen to find an article that covers a controversial topic, Wikipedians can tag said article as the subject of a dispute about a neutral point of view. This can be especially helpful if article is about a current issue. Once the tag is in place, a group of interested editors can work together to come to a consensus on how to most accurately and fairly present the topic being discussed.
Web Content Development – How We Can Help
If you’re looking to improve the content development of your website or business, contact the team at Web Content Development today! We’re here to help you.
