Marcia W. DiStaso, Ph.D.

Pennsylvania State University

Survey with 1,284 responses conducted with PRSA, IABC, IPR, WOMMA, and NIRI members 2/14-3/14 2012

of Wikipedia articles for companies and clients of respondents who were familiar with them had factual errors

of respondents who used talk pages thought the rule should change

of respondents have engaged with Wikipedia When requesting changes you should expect to wait 2-5 days for a response

said making changes was near impossible

According to Jimmy Wales, "There is a very simple bright line rule that constitutes best practice: do not edit Wikipedia directly if you are a paid advocate."

Wikipedia rules, policies and guidelines need to be clarified to consistently reflect what PR/communications professionals should and should not do. Regular reviews of Wikipedia articles for accuracy and balance need to be conducted. If errors are found or if you believe content needs to be added or changed, refer to the CREWE Wikipedia Engagement Flowchart available on Wikimedia Commons.
For full results and to learn more go to:
Measuring Public Relations Wikipedia Engagement: How Bright is the Rule?
Vol. 6, No. 2 Public Relations Journal

Exploring the Problems with Wikipedias Editing Rule for Public Relations
Institute for Public Relations

Infographic created by: Alexa Agugliaro & Samantha Temkin