What's a Wiki? Part I

You've probably seen Wikipedia entries slowly but surely migrating to the top of your search results pages. You're likely accustomed to the format and tone of the site, and may even seek it out when looking for answers. Even here at Small Biz Resource, we link to relevant Wikipedia entries when appropriate, such as if we mention the topic Section 179 depreciation.

Does Wikipedia have the best entry on the Web concerning Section 179 deductions? No way. In the version of the article as of today, there are only two brief paragraphs about the deduction, and the rest is a supposedly objective digression on the deduction for large vehicles such as SUVs. Bankrate.com offers a much more useful article for small businesses. Even the IRS would be a better place to research the topic.

If I were so inclined, I could stop what I'm doing and rewrite the Section 179 article on Wikipedia. I could also pitch in on WikiProject Taxation, an effort to improve the quality of the taxation-related entries on Wikipedia. By doing so, I could earn the respect of my peers as a self-appointed authority on the invaluable Section 179 deduction.

But if I were to simply ignore the Wikipedia entry's deficiencies, I wouldn't be alone. According to an article in B2B Online, out of 5,300 technology buyers surveyed, only six percent of respondents regularly contribute to a wiki, even though 86 percent were very or somewhat familiar with them.

Still, getting even 300 people out of 5,300 to write for a wiki is quite an accomplishment. It's an example of a virtuous cycle: As more people contribute to Wikipedia, the better its content becomes. That, in turn, leads to a greater number of credible sites linking to Wikipedia, which boosts Wikipedia in the search engine rankings, thereby attracting more readers and encouraging additional contributions.

The Wikipedia formula is not easy to scale down to small business. Take smallbusiness.com, for example. Although the site's been live for about a year and does contain a well-considered home page and some useful information behind the links, neither the frequency of contributions nor the number of contributors match up to the crowd responsible for a typical Wikipedia page. (You can click on the "history" or "talk" tab on any wiki page to see how, when, and why it was built.) That's because smallbusiness.com is a privately-owned initiative that hasn't offered to pay me -- either in cash, self-promotion, or the warm, fuzzy feeling of altruism.

In the absence of financial incentives and because self-promotion doesn't work on a wiki, if I'm feeling altruistic I'm going to contribute to the largest entity possible, where my contributions will have the greatest impact, visibility, and shelf life.

Learning how to put together a good wiki entry takes practice. MediaWiki uses a specialized markup language, and there are numerous guidelines on how best to organize pages and make them accessible to a broad audience. Again, Wikipedia comes out on top as the best way to learn this art, as you can easily find other Wikipedia editors willing to point out your deficiencies and provide guidance on generally accepted practices.

Go ahead, pick a topic and start editing! And then, you'll be ready to consider how wikis can work for your business.

Next time, I'll talk about what you can do to build your own wiki, and the reasons to consider doing so.

— Ivan Schneider recently set out to start his own business, ivantohelpyou, helping others with theirs. Follow his ongoing adventures here. You can write to him here.