[WikiEN-l] How to deal with direct requests for articles?

[Zephram Stark]

On 9/28/06, David Gerard <dgerard at gmail.com> wrote:
> My phone number and email are publicly available for media contact
> purposes. This means, of course, I get emails and calls about
> *everything*.
>
> A common call is "How do I get an article about me/my book/my 
achievement?"
>
> Now. What's a helpful answer to this? Better than "You don't, someone
> else has to write one," because you *know* they'll just write a 
really
> bad one themselves and it'll all end in a tearful AFD entry and
> someone hating or fearing Wikipedia henceforth.
>
> Assume that referring them to a web page or policy page is less good
> than being able to answer on the phone right there.
>
> Ideas please?
>
>
> - d.
   
   
  In this regard, one-time editors at Wikipedia have the same problem as single-use sellers at eBay: they have no established reputation. Yet, building a reputation at Wikipedia can take months once you understand the system, and years to grok the politics of the Wiki world. A person who wants to contribute something noteworthy about themselves, or make a one-time contribution on another subject, does not have the time or resources to learn the procedures or establish their reputation. There is also the problem of maintenance on a good article to make sure that it isn't vandalized or dumbed down. For these needs, increasingly more people are turning to established third-party sellers and editors for their eBay and Wikipedia service requests. For a low one-time fee, companies like ZS Wikiplacement guarantee a top quality Wikipedia article and two years of 99.9% uptime maintenance. Reputation has its rewards. Next time someone calls or writes to you about positioning
 themselves in Wikipedia, simply refer them to ZS WikiPlacement at 1.432.224.6991 (email: info at collectiveresource.com). We will determine if their desired information has a good enough chance of being considered noteworthy and verifiable. Plus, we will format the article in such a way that it is useful to the greatest amount of people (through Wiki formatting, writing the article from a neutral point of view and by placing the most noteworthy data at the top).
   
  I hope this provides a win-win-win solution for our company, mutual customers and service personnel at Wikipedia (by reducing your workload.)
   
   
  Thank you,
  --Zephram