Wikipedia:FAQ/Article subjects

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Help:Contents
Help:Contents
 Help:Contents

Article subjects' FAQ

Shortcut:
WP:ASFAQ

Contents

[edit] The information in your article about me is wrong. How can I get it fixed?

Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that anyone can edit, but we generally ask people to try to refrain from editing articles about themselves. That's because as an encyclopedia, Wikipedia needs to present a neutral point of view, and it's very hard for people to be truly objective about themselves.

However, we want our articles to be accurate, so we are grateful when people point out mistakes or problems with any article.

Here are some ways to get a mistake fixed:

  • Click on the tab labeled “discussion” at the top of the article page. That will take you to the talk page for that article. We encourage you to make comments there. Just explain what you feel is incorrect, and how you think it should be fixed. It also helps if you can cite sources (such as media stories) that will help validate the facts.
  • If you don’t want to comment on the talk page, or if you haven’t been able to persuade anyone there to make the change you want, you can try sending the same information via our online form (the URL is below). Please note that the people who will read your input likely have not written the article, and probably have never even read it. They’re just volunteers working to make the encyclopedia better.

It is generally considered okay for you to edit your own article in certain circumstances:

  • If the article is clearly derogatory in tone and was written based on questionable sources or no sources.
  • If it contains private information you strongly don't want shared, particularly if you are not famous. (This might include, for example, your e-mail address, date of birth, religious affiliation or sexual orientation.)
  • If you believe it is libelous.

If the article seems to you defamatory or legally actionable in any way, please see the question about "legal concerns" further down in this FAQ.

Be careful in your edits. If people think you are misrepresenting the truth or trying to self-promote, that can sometimes provoke backlash.

[edit] Your article about me isn’t exactly inaccurate, but it could be better. How do I get it improved?

We welcome suggestions for improvement to all articles. Feel free to contribute new information or make suggestions on the talk page.

[edit] I hate the photo in the article about me.

Send us a better one! Feel free to contribute a good photo under a suitable free content license. There’s more information about free content licenses, and uploading images, at the end of this FAQ.

[edit] I work in PR, and would like to fix up the article about the company I represent. Is that okay?

Yes, if you do it carefully, in a way that respects Wikipedia's goal of being an accurate, unbiased information source. Please don't try to use Wikipedia to blatantly promote or advertise your company. Keep your tone objective, and don't write excessively long material that's disproportionate to your company's importance. It's probably safest, too, to stay away from material that's particularly controversial or where the facts are in dispute.

But, feel free to revert obvious vandalism, or to generally add or update factual information such as your company’s location, number of employees, recent major events, corporate history and similar details. Because Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, please only include information that can be verified through other sources and is significant enough for inclusion in an encyclopedia article. Also, if you're not sure a particular edit will be welcomed, feel free to ask in advance on the talk page.

Please be aware that other people will edit what you’ve written. If you aren't willing to accept that, it's probably best not to edit.

[edit] Somebody keeps vandalizing the article about me or my company. Can’t you stop them?

If it is truly, obvious vandalism (such as blanking the page or foul language), you can revert it yourself. If you don’t know how to revert, or would rather not, please comment on the talk page or fill out our online form. If an article is being reverted persistently, the Wikipedia community will ordinarily notice that and take steps to stop it, however, if it isn't drawing attention, you can post to the Administrator intervention against vandalism board.

[edit] Can I ask the police or someone else to stop it?

No. The fastest and most reliable way to address vandalism is through the avenues described above.

[edit] Someone keeps writing negative things about me or my company. What can I do?

It depends whether the information is true.

If it's uncomplimentary but accurate, there’s very little you can do about it. If you feel the article is poorly-sourced, unduly negative, contains information that is irrelevant or otherwise not worth including, or is particularly hurtful to someone who’s not a public figure, please make those comments on the article’s talk page. While Wikipedia is not censored, the editors do try to maintain balance in articles and abide by a neutral point of view. But information won't be taken down just because it makes you unhappy.

If the information is false, please comment on the talk page saying so. If it's defamatory or legally actionable in any way, please see the question about "legal concerns" further down in this FAQ.

[edit] I keep making a change in my article and somebody keeps changing it back. Why?

There are a variety of possibilities. Maybe someone thought your change was self-promoting or biased. Possibly the facts are disputed. Or it may be simply that someone thought your material wasn’t worthy of inclusion, or was written in a style not suitable to an encyclopedia.

To find out what happened, the first thing you should do is look at the history page for the article you edited. This will tell you who changed it, when, and often why. If it says something like “see talk,” then look at the article’s talk page. If you don't find a reason that makes sense to you, politely ask in talk page what happened to your change. Generally, then someone will tell you why your change was reverted.

[edit] Can I start an article about myself or my company?

We strongly discourage this. Wikipedia is intended to be an objective resource, and it’s hard for people to be fully objective about themselves or their company.

If your life and achievements are verifiable and genuinely notable, sooner or later someone else will probably create an article about you. If you write an article about yourself, the chances are pretty good that it will be deleted, and people may say uncomplimentary things about you on the talk page.

Please note also that anything you wrote on Wikipedia will be mercilessly edited by others. Sometimes people who wrote about themselves have ended up requesting their articles be deleted, because the original piece has, over time, changed in ways they didn’t like.

[edit] Why can't I advertise my company or product on Wikipedia?

Please see Wikipedia:Why can't I advertise my company or product on Wikipedia?

[edit] Who wrote the article about me or my company?

The articles on Wikipedia are collaboratively written by thousands of volunteers. Almost all articles have more than one author. If you want to know who wrote a particular article, click on the “history” tab at the top of that page. That will show who has edited the page. It will display usernames for editors who have registered with Wikipedia, and IP addresses for editors who haven't registered.

[edit] How can I get rid of the article about myself or my company?

We generally aim to improve articles rather than delete them. So saying an article is “bad” (inaccurate, biased, badly-written) isn’t reason enough for it to be deleted: we would prefer you try to help us make it better. If you truly feel a subject isn’t notable enough to warrant an article, it may be worth saying that on the talk page.

[edit] I am mentioned in an article about something else, and I would like the reference to me removed. How can I do that?

You probably cannot. If you think the reference doesn’t belong in an encyclopedia (because it’s incorrect, or not worth mentioning), you can make that comment on the talk page. But editors won’t remove the reference just because you don’t like it.

Also, please don’t just remove it yourself. It’s a bad idea, generally, to write or edit material about yourself.

[edit] I would like to sue you for lying about me in your article. How do I proceed?

In cases where you have a major legal concern, we ask you to tell us about it immediately. If there’s a problem, we’d like to try to get it fixed.

Please send e-mail to info-en-q@wikimedia.org with "Legal concern" in the subject line. In the e-mail, please be sure to include the exact URL of the article, and tell us what you think is wrong and why.

A couple of things worth noting:

  • Your e-mail will be answered by a volunteer whose goal is to help resolve the problem. That person is very unlikely to have been involved in your article, or even to know about it. There’s no reason to be angry with the volunteer who’s answering your mail.
  • Don't worry: we won't make your e-mail address public, nor the contents of your e-mail. Nor will we give you other people’s information, such as the IP addresses of registered users.
  • Please don't send legal concerns to other Wikipedia e-mail addresses: that just slows things down.
  • Please make sure to set your spam filter so you can receive our reply. If you don't hear back, check your junkmail folder.
  • We will not phone you back, even if you ask us to. The people responding to your e-mail are volunteers: they aren't given money for long-distance calls nor are they paid for their time.
  • Wikipedia has gotten several threats of legal action, but has never yet been successfully sued. Under United States and international law, the Wikimedia Foundation is not considered responsible for defamation posted on Wikipedia. Wikipedia is hosted in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA.

[edit] I would like more information on the topics covered in this FAQ.

  • For more information about free content licenses, visit the article on Free content.
  • For more information about wikis in general, visit the article on Wiki.