Alanbasswriting
Alan Bass Talk Page
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Hi there, I am a representative of the hobby industry and we are interested in starting an initiative to edit all existing information about topics within our industry (plastic model kits, model railroading, model rocketry, crafts), in addition to companies whose pages are already on Wikipedia, but are inaccurate and incomplete. We are also interested in adding new articles for similar topics that are not yet covered, in order to create more accurate information on the web about our industry. I would like to obtain the help of Wikipedia to guide us through the process of getting members of our industry on Wikipedia and editing/creating articles the proper way, in addition to the possibility of working directly with Wikipedia to ensure any edits and article creations are within Wikipedia guidelines and beneficial to the Wikipedia community.
I would like to create a WikiProjects page, but am unfamiliar with it and am getting confused by the numerous pages with conflicting information about Wiki Projects. Perhaps some help? Thanks -- Alan Bass
- First of all you should have a look at our guideline on conflicts of interest. I expect industry representatives would find it difficult to edit articles on their industry from a neutral point of view. To be blunt, this sounds like a large-scale PR campaign to me.
- There indeed doesn't seem to be a WikiProject dedicated to modeling; the most appropriate is probably Wikipedia:WikiProject Toys which has model railroading among its area of interest. The creation of a task force within that WikiProject might be the best way forward; you should raise the issue on the WikiProject's talk page.
- Getting members of the industry on Wikipedia is easy; they can create accounts just as you did. For the creation of new articles I'd suggest the Article Wizard, which will allow you to submit the draft for a review by an experienced editor to make sure it's not unduly promotional and conforms to Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. See also WP:Your first article.
- In general, in cases of a conflict of interest I'd strongly suggest using talk pages to propose changes to articles instead of implementing the changes yourself, especially if those changes might be seen as spam. Huon (talk) 17:54, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
To be honest, I don't think it is a conflict of interest at all, with the right support and instruction. The Association for Psychological Science has been running a Wikipedia initiative for years on all psychology articles -- them being the ones to edit it. That is far from a conflict of interest. On the contrary, they are the ones with the best knowledge of the subjects -- just like in this scenario. I understand the worry, being that there is always potential for there not being neutral points of view. But there are no differing points of views on how to build a model or make a model railroad layout, that's all straight facts.Alanbasswriting (talk) 18:41, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
Welcome!
editHello, Alanbasswriting, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:
- Introduction to Wikipedia
- The five pillars of Wikipedia
- How to edit a page and How to develop articles
- How to create your first article
- Simplified Manual of Style
Please remember to sign your messages on talk pages by typing four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or ask your question on this page and then place {{help me}} before the question. Again, welcome!
I will leave the "helpme" because I am sure others will be able to give more detailed advice then I have time to, but for a start:
- Wikipedia:A Primer for newcomers, and the links from the Welcome message above, are a useful introduction
- Wikipedia is not to be used for any kind of advertising or promotion, and is extremely resistant to attempts to do that, including by people who protest that they are only trying to "tell the world" about their company or product; but anyone who asks for help, as you have done, and listens to advice, is welcome. The Wikipedia:Plain and simple conflict of interest guide is essential reading for anyone wishing to edit in areas where thay may have a conflict of interest.