Wikipedia:WikiProject Integrity

(N.B.: Although this page is in user space, feel free to treat as if was in main space (e.g., edit it, sign on, whatever). It'll be moved to main space if it generates any interest.)

Some Wikipedians have formed this project to systemically address issues regarding paid editing on Wikipedia, in which people are compensated to create and edit Wikipedia articles.

For more information on WikiProjects, see Wikipedia:WikiProjects and Wikipedia:WikiProject best practices.

Project information and scope

Founding principles

See Principles.

Goals

• Advocate for the elimination or closer control of overt paid editing of the Wikipedia.
• Provide support for organized actions against overt paid editing of the Wikipedia (such as petitions to the Foundation or other actions).
• Identify, watch, publicize, and as needed correct articles for which third parties are known to have engaged persons to edit in return for compensation.

N.B.: Covert paid editing is outside the scope of this WikiProject at this time. Down the road we can talk about plans to engage covert paid editing. For problems with suspected covert paid editing, go to Wikipedia:Conflict of interest/Noticeboard.

Project technical information

Title

WikiProject Paid Editing Watch

Parentage

None; this is a top-level Wikiproject.

Related Wikiprojects

• Wikipedia:WikiProject Cooperation

Subprojects

None.

News and alerts

Alerts

Articles to be checked and corrected (if required)

What I'm thinking is that project members could "adopt" articles that have been reasonably claimed be showing problems in this area. Adopting would mean checking the article and then either removing it from this list or taking initiative to fix the article. I don't know if this is a functional scheme or not; we'll see.

• (empty)

Other alerts

• Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, an article with considerable involvement from a paid agent of Cracker Barrel (User:WWB Too) is currently undergoing peer review here: Wikipedia:Peer review/Cracker Barrel Old Country Store/archive1.

Project news

• Draft project created in userspace.
• Bunch of external links of possible interest added.

Articles tagged as part of this project

(No articles tagged at this time. A tag presently remains to be created.)

Tasks

• We're in the process of investigating the phenomena of paid advocacy generally, so the list links to helpful internal or external material and so forth continues to be built.
• Add articles to the Alerts list.
• Check articles on the Alerts list, and either remove them (if they're OK) or adopt them.
• Additions to the Registry are welcome and needed. Editors are invited to add themselves if they qualify.
• We need to think about about crafting an essay(s) that covers our basic stance regarding paid editing, including rebuttal of objections to this stance, so as to avoid writing out the same arguments over and over when engaging in policy-level discussions.
• Add other tasks here, or suggest below.

See Tasks discussion section on talkpage

Participants

• Herostratus (talk) 19:22, 6 January 2012 (UTC)
• Ebikeguy (talk) 21:03, 6 January 2012 (UTC)
• Wikid77 (talk) 08:51, 7 January 2012 (UTC)
• Cavarrone (talk) 09:35, 27 January 2012 (UTC)
• Phearson (talk) 20:56, 27 January 2012 (UTC)
• Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 00:51, 12 February 2012 (UTC)
• Mistress Selina Kyle ^{(Α⇔Ω ¦ ⇒✉)} 14:18, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Subpages

• Paid editor registry

Templates

Talk page template

(To be created. The eye image is a placeholder, a different image open to discussion. Improvements in the text open to discussion. This is not an active template and should be used yet.)

Userbox

(To be created. The eye image is a placeholder, changes open to discussion.)

This user is a member of the Paid Editing Watch Project

Project barnstar

(These are placeholder images until proper project-specific images are constructed.)

Corresponding ribbon: [[File:Placeholder barnstar ribbon.png|120px]

Links

Internal links

• Wikipedia:COI#Financial, a policy
• Wikipedia:Plain and simple conflict of interest guide, a policy supplement
• WP:Gaming the system (WP:GAME), a behavioral guideline
• Wikipedia:Paid advocacy, a proposed policy
• Wikipedia:Paid editing (guideline), a failed proposal
• Wikipedia:Paid editing (policy), a failed proposal

• Wikipedia:Paid editing (essay), an essay
• WP:Wikifinagling, an essay about skirting or bending rules
• WP:Wikifogging, an essay about fogging or clouding judgments
• Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Paid editing, a 2009 request for comment
• Wikipedia Review, non-commercial internet watchdog
• Wikipedia:Bell Pottinger COI Investigations

• Category:Articles with a promotional tone

Archives

• Jimbo's talk page, January 2012, re paid editing
• Jimbo's talk page, January 2012, re Bell Pottinger
• ANI, January 2012, regarding whether it's proper to bring pressure to bear against third-party entities paying for Wikipedia edits
• ANI, December 2011, regarding Association of Global Automakers.

External links

General

• Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Member Code of Ethics
• Ethical Guidance for Public Relations Practitioners, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
• MIT Technology Review article about "crowdturfing"

Pertaining specifically to paid editing of the Wikipedia

Not sure about this. On the one hand, some of these links provides a kind of one-stop shop for people looking for ways to influence the Wikipedia or sign on with entities that are. On the other hand, forewarned is forearmed. It's no good to blunder about in ignorance. It makes sense to us to have materials collected that would be helpful to Wikipedians wishing to consider and discuss this phenomenon.

• CREWE (Corporate Representatives for Ethical Wikipedia Engagement) Facebook page CREWE was created on January 5 2011; as of January 12 2011 it had 105 members on Facebook.
• "An Open Letter to Jimmy Wales and Wikipedia" on Where the Fisherman Ain't, Phil Gomes's blog
• Post on John O'Dwyer' blog re CREWE (January 2012)
• Edelman, a PR firm. According to their Wikipedia article they're world's largest independently owned public relations firm. They apparently consult with clients on their Wikipedia image, we don't have details at this time (there's this podcast.) A number of Edelman employes are CREWE members, and CREWE was founded by Phil Gomes, an Edelman employee.
• MyWikiBiz. Run by Greg Kohs, this entity has a Wikipdia article. Kohs edited Wikipedia under the usernames Thekohser and MyWikiBiz but these are now blocked (although Kohs still edits or influences the Wikipedia covertly, or claims to: "You'd have to explain to at least my last 10 clients how 'banning' me had no effect on my ability to get the content they wanted in Wikipedia, into Wikipedia." -- Greg Kohs, January 10 2012)
• The Wikipedian, a blog by William Buetler (Wikipedia editor WWB and, as a paid agent, WWB Too.) The Blog just discusses Wikipedia generally (and well, too) rather than paid editing per se.
• "Grande Guide to Wikipedia" by the marketing firm Eloqa, written by Mr Buetler (according to this) or at least partly (according to this.)
• Wiki Experts Not sure of what their deal is, but they apparently advise clients re Wikipedia placement,
• Waggener Edstrom, a PR firm. Their article is here. Where they fit in is not clear, but according to this they've had involvement with the Wikipedia.
• Bell Pottinger Group, a PR firm. According to their article they've had involvement with the Wikipedia.
  • Here's a 2011 article on some of Bell Pottinger's activities; their Wikipedia involvement is mentioned in passing.
  • BBC story on Wikipedia and Bell Pottinger
• A plain old solicitation for paid Wikipedia editors. How typical this sort of thing is we don't know.