LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
PART 1: AN OVERVIEW OF WIKIPEDIA
PART 2: ANATOMY OF A SCHOOL PAGE
PART 3: EDITING BASICS FOR WIKIPEDIA

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
PART 1: AN OVERVIEW

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
Wikipedia is an example of Web 2.0
Communications – Created by YOU
• Community (in this case, “community authorship”)
• Transparency
• Collaboration
• Control
• Conversation
Definition from Edward E. Ford Foundation, “What Is Your Message? The Power of 21st
Century Communications,” Stadium Classroom, NAIS 2009 Annual Conference, Chicago

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
Wikipedia facts:
• Launched in January 2001
• 685 million visitors in 2008
• 75,000 active contributors
• 7th most visited site online
• 12 million pages (nearly 3 million in English)
Online article – Wikipedia: Statistics

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
What would that look like if it was a traditional
encyclopedia set?

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
Estimated size of a printed version of Wikipedia
Online article – Wikipedia: Statistics

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
What are the implications?
Your school’s Wikipedia article is often the SECOND
entry that comes up when Web users Google your
school!
That makes it one of your most powerful online assets!

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
PART 2: ANATOMY OF A SCHOOL PAGE

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
Worcester Academy & Wikipedia
• Worcester Academy’s Wikipedia page was created in
March 2004
• The first edit was made later the same day by a
different user
• Since then, more than 500 edits have been made

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
The Worcester Academy article when first created

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
The Worcester Academy article today!

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
The Worcester Academy article today!

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
The Worcester Academy article today!

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
The Worcester Academy article today!

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
The Worcester Academy article today!

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
The Worcester Academy article today!

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
Scores of entries have links

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
Who edits Worcester Academy’s
Wikipedia article?
• Three primary employee contributors (no formal
duties); one alumnus who is an active contributor
• Anyone who want to contribute, or edit, can do so

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
Whatis an effective school Wikipedia article?
• Article with updated description, mission, history
• Crest/logo art
• At a glance box, facts & figures
• Links

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
PART 3: EDITING BASICS FOR WIKIPEDIA

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
How to edit a Wikipedia page

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
The Wikipedia edit page

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
The Wikipedia edit page

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
The Wikipedia edit page

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
The Wikipedia Edit page

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
The Wikipedia Cheat Sheet

The Wikipedia Cheat Sheet

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
“If you don't want your writing to be edited mercilessly
or redistributed for profit by others, do not submit it.”
Note located on all Wikipedia edit pages

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
“If you’re not on a social networking site,
you’re not on the Internet.”
Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), 2008

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA
Thank You!

LEVERAGING WIKIPEDIA IN
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
NEIL ISAKSON,
D I R E C TO R O F E X T E R N A L C O M M U N I C AT I O N S
W O R C E S TE R A C A D E M Y