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The top six social media tips to know before you leave the office.

The seemingly authoritative and impartial articles found on Wikipedia often provide Web users with easy-to-access information on the topics, issues, companies, and products they care about. As the Internet’s “free encyclopedia,” articles on this popular information-sharing site are almost always at the top of search results for millions of keywords and topics. This deep library of content has made the site the seventh most popular on the Web. But, the site’s reliance on community members to add and update these articles leaves it vulnerable to inaccuracies that arise from simple mistakes and malicious abuse.

 With such wide reach and tremendous potential for misuse, how can companies protect themselves within the confines of this dynamic resource? This week’s Six@Six outlines tips for managing your Wikipedia reputation and protecting against unwarranted online attacks to ensure that users can find positive information about your company or organization. Do you have additional suggestions? Share them with me @pjkerley.

1. Monitor Your Brand

The most basic online reputation management tactic – for Wikipedia and elsewhere – is to monitor for mentions of your brand. Without actively monitoring your Wikipedia reputation, it may be too late to reverse the damage by the time that online attacks or misleading allegations are noticed. Even if you don’t take any proactive steps, it is imperative to set up a robust monitoring system to track if and how your brand is discussed on Wikipedia. And monitoring doesn’t mean just checking your own Wikipedia page every now and then. While your brand’s own Wikipedia page is obviously the most important from a monitoring perspective, also be sure to consider mentions of your brand in other Wikipedia articles. And remember, just because there’s no article about your brand today doesn’t mean somebody won’t create one tomorrow.

2. Correct Misinformation

Once your monitoring system is in place, be sure to take note of all negative references, especially anything you know to be untrue. Misinformation on a corporate or individual’s Wikipedia page can have devastating consequences, as many Wikipedia readers do not bother to fact-check what they find on the site and will consider the information found on your page to be the gospel truth. While some companies may hesitate to make updates to their own Wikipedia page in an effort to avoid stirring up controversy and encouraging allegations of corporate manipulation, correcting misinformation in a straightforward and transparent manner is always acceptable. In many cases, the Wikipedia community will correct the error itself, but there’s no shame in doing it yourself, especially if you include third-party citations to back up the correction.

3. Be Objective in Your Content

Especially when creating or editing your own Wikipedia page, it is imperative to maintain an objective tone. Wikipedia users are quick to point out and remove anything that seems too promotional, sometimes even going on to attack the individual or organization that initially uploaded the promotional content. As such, approach any Wikipedia updates the way you would an op-ed or journalistic publishing opportunity; while it’s acceptable (and recommended) to portray your organization positively, do so in a factual manner. Include numbers, awards, data, and any other supportable information – and avoid sweeping subjective statements. For example, instead of writing “the best restaurant in the city,” try something more along the lines of “has been on City Paper’s list of Top 100 restaurants for ten years running.” This goes for companies, brands, or individuals who are far enough removed from the spotlight that no Wikipedia page exists as well. If you fall into that category, it might be time to consider developing an objective description to upload to the site – before someone else starts shaping your online reputation for you.

4. Footnotes Add Credibility

On a site such as Wikipedia where anyone can make updates, add content, or delete selections, credibility is key. You can add as many positive references as you like, but there’s always a chance someone else may swoop in and remove them. The best way to prevent this is to include footnotes and citations linking to third-party validation of such claims, as these help boost credibility and discourage other users from arbitrarily removing such references. Link to news articles, blog posts, academic studies, or any other sources that support of claims or facts. Doing so will not only discourage other users from removing positive references, but will altogether strengthen your Wikipedia reputation by encouraging those reading your page to find out more about your brand’s positive attributes. As the saying goes, “the proof is in the pudding.” In the case of Wikipedia, “the proof is in the links.”

5. Don’t Disguise Your Identity

Trying to disguise your identity on Wikipedia is a surefire recipe for disaster. While it may seem like a good idea to make it seem like just any user with no specific agenda has made updates to your company’s Wikipedia page, there are serious reputational consequences for getting caught. We’ve seen it happen before – most often when political candidates and public officials caught trying to disguise their identities land in hot water. It’s OK to make updates from your home computer or an IP address not tied to your corporate server, but avoid creating user profiles based on false pretenses. Transparency is critical in today’s online environment, so don’t be afraid to have your company’s name tied to Wikipedia updates. If you follow the guidelines above, are objective in your updates, and include generous footnotes and citations, users won’t be concerned.

6. Consider Uploading Images

If you want to improve your Wikipedia page, increase visits, and focus readers’ attention on particular items, it may be worthwhile to consider uploading images to your Wikipedia page. Images grab readers’ attention, improve search optimization (making your page easier to find), and add an advanced perspective to a Wikipedia page. From a reputation management perspective, some of the best images could be charts or graphs that clearly illustrate some sort of success your company has had – such as sales increases or stock price jumps. Such images can draw visitors’ attention to specific accomplishments, especially if they represent complex items that are difficult to explain in just a few words. Even uploading images as simple as a company logo, photo of the company headquarters, or a headshot of the CEO can improve the readers’ experience and make your page (and the photos) easier to find.

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Patrick Kerley is a Senior Digital Strategist at Levick Strategic Communications, the world’s top crisis firm. He is also a contributing author to Bulletproof Blog™ and is on Twitter @pjkerley.