[WikiEN-l] Viral marketing?

[Alphax]

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David Gerard wrote:
> Alphax (alphasigmax at gmail.com) [050816 17:55]:
> 
> 
>> I'd assume that a body corporate like the BBC would have its own
>> range of IP adddresses. If they will hold us to ransom, we could
>> quite easily block their entire IP range from editing, consequences
>> be damned; better yet, encourage people (read: slashdot users) to
>> DDoS BBC until they cease and desist. Remember, it's our site, we
>> make the rules.
> 
> 
> 
> Y'know, diplomacy does have a lot going for it as a first option.
> 

In the last 2 days 5 sites have been picked up by Google Alerts as being
about the viral marketing campaign. The first summary was:

> Someone has apparently abused collaborative reference site Wikipedia
> in a viral marketing campaign for a BBC online alternate reality
> game.

then:

> Yesterday, the BBC Alternate Reality Game, Jamie Kane and the
> presumed viral marketing use of Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia
> that anyone can edit, hit ...

I haven't read the stories, but some nutter in the marketing department
will probably not respond to diplomacy. And meanwhile, we, the
community, have to put up with this crap. We don't go and abuse their
services, do we?? People need to learn that Wikipedia has power far
beyond deleting and blocking.

For one thing, we have NPOV, and your remarks on its power are fondly
remembered :)

For another, we have plenty of users who would gladly go out of their
way to defend us.

DDoS has been remarkably effective in changing corporate minds in the
past. Look at the case of eToy.

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