How to Start a Wikipedia Page for Someone

Wikipedia is the largest online encyclopedia that the world has today. It was initiated with the aim of providing information to every region of the world, including the areas where people had no access to information. The makers identified the need for authentic information for the world to outgrow in an intellectual way. They believed that knowledge gained through authentic information is the strongest resource someone can have to bring revolutionizing change in the world. Hence, Wikipedia came into existence and is successfully providing reliable information to every person visiting it. Talking about its popularity, Wikipedia is one of the fifteenth most visited sites in the world with 22.67 billion views annually as stated by Alexa.

However, the two major factors of its success are easy accessibility of data anywhere and vast language options. This platform gives a user an option to choose from 304 languages to read. If you ponder on the numbers, the languages are even more than that of the total countries in the world. Nonetheless, although it is a user-generated site, the credibility of it cannot be doubted because every little detail is backed up by proper referencing and citations. Hence, with such reliability and authenticity, the site has a total of 53.31 million articles followed by 52.07 million are pages. Wikipedia has rigid community guidelines that everyone is obliged to abide by.

Being on this platform is a big thing itself. However, the question is, do you ever wonder “can I make a Wikipedia page about someone?”. If yes, then guess what, this blog is going to answer it all by answering all the queries on how do you create a Wikipedia page for someone.

9-Step Guide on How to Start a Wikipedia Page for Someone

The process is quite simple if you stay attentive and follow each step with dedication. Here is how you will start making a Wikipedia page for someone.

1.    Know Your Aim and Audience

The first and most important step about can you make a Wikipedia page for anyone is that you decide the person first. It is going to be useless if your page creation process is aimless and has no specific direction to go on. You need to make sure that you have done adequate research on the person you have chosen to introduce to the world. Know as much as you can about the person from authentic sources. From their lives to the current situation, get information about it all.

Wikipedia is referenced by major major information publishers, including websites dedicated to medicine and drugs.

Also, make sure that you are aware of the audience who will be interested in reading the information. Analyze what they demand from the page and try to bring the page up to their expectations. Knowing your audience will ease out a lot of things for you in the future or while writing the content of the page.

2.    Opt for Creating a Wikipedia Account

Just like to take an exam, one has to be registered in an institute, for having a Wikipedia page for someone, one has to have an account. This is the first step in the ladder of how do you start a Wikipedia page. A lot of confuse a Wikipedia page with an account. However, it is not the story, these two are different and the reality is that for a page, you need to register yourself as an account, there is a long way to go after account creation until you reach the final step. With the account, you can perform different activities on the site.

Steps of Wikipedia Account Creation

• Go to Wikipedia Homepage

• Choose English as the language
• Go to the right corner of the page
• Click on the ‘create account’ option

• Fill the registration form
• Confirm your email address by clicking on the confirmation email
• Go to the homepage again and then log in to your account

3.    Make Positive Reputation on the Platform

Carrying forward the previous example, when you are done with the admission process in an institute, what else do you do? You prepare for the exam and attend classes. Similarly, if you want to know how to make someone a perfect Wikipedia page, then there is nothing better than generating a positive reputation on the platform. You have to show that you exist. Therefore, you are obliged to make reliable changes to relatable pages. Remember that an account can only apply for page creation if it is at least 4 days and has made 7 authentic edits in existing pages.

Interesting fact: Wikipedia pages through 1.9 edits every second making millions of changes in a single day.

 How to Edit a Wikipedia Page for Someone?

The editing process is not that hard, however, one thing that you need to keep in mind is that all the edits should be backed up by authentic citations. Here are the steps.

• Go to Wikipedia and open any accessible page
• On the right side of the page, click on the edit option

• Post the edited content on the Wikitext box
• Give justification for each change made through citation
• Preview the changes
• By clicking on the ‘publish change’ option, submit the edits

4.    Choose a Suitable Title and Check for Its Feasibility

Now since you have made adequate changes and have created a positive reputation on the platform, it is time to select a unique title for your page. Although when you are making a page for someone, the page is usually supposed to be with their name, however, this does not bound your creativity by any means to not come up with something different. You have the liberty to choose a title that can attract the readers instantly.

However, there is one thing that you need to take care of and that is the red link. The page title you proposed, has to appear in a red link, then only you can proceed with the system. A red link is a way to check if your page is unique or no.

Red link: It denotes differentiation and means that the prosed page title does not exist. This is the signal that you can create the page with the suggested title.

Blue Link: It means that the title already exists and you cannot continue with it.

Red Links Methods

Finding a red link is possible in four different ways. You can follow any of it.

ü  Search on the Homepage

• Go to Wikipedia homepage at wikipedia.org
• Choose English as the language
• Click on the search bar
• Write your proposed title there
• The next screen will either show a red or a blue link

ü  Use the Previewing Method

• Open any accessible Wikipedia page
• Click on the edit option
• In double brackets, write the title
• Click on the preview option
• The next screen will either show a red or a blue link

ü  By Saving a Red Link

• Go to the user talk page on Wikipedia
• In double brackets, write the proposed page title
• Click on the publish changes option
• Click on the revealed red link

ü  By Changing the URL  

• Visit any accessible Wikipedia page
• Click edit on it
• Go to the URL bar
• Edit the existing URL with your desired title name
• The next screen will either show a red or a blue link

5.    Ask for the Page to Be Created

You have now identified either your title is unique or not. Moving forward, once you get the red link, your signal to request for a page application is accepted. Hence, the next thing you need to do is click on the ‘ask for the page to be created’ option. This option lies right beside the red link on the right side. This is by far the easiest step in the entire how to make a Wikipedia page for someone process.

6.    Post Content on Article Wizard or Practice on Article Wizard

Once you click on the ask for the page to be created option, you will see all the instructions and rules of Wikipedia page creation stated on the next window. On the same page, you will see an option saying ‘Article Wizard’. You are supposed to click the option which will lead you to another screen where you will be asked to post the content of the page.

However, if you feel reluctant about writing the content directly on Article Wizard, Wikipedia gives you the option of using Sandbox. The Sandbox makes it easier for you to practice writing the content and get used to of the pattern.

Guidelines on Writing a Wikipedia Page

If you are confused about what to write on a Wikipedia page for someone, then these are the guidelines you need to follow.

ü  It has to be informative

Remember Wikipedia is the leading information providing platform in the world, anyone who visits this platform has the urge to look for informative content that can help them increase their knowledge. If you fail to provide valid information, the whole purpose of you creating a page is wasted.

ü  The language should be appropriate and easy  

Wikipedia is open to every individual around the globe. Therefore, you need to make sure that the content is written in simple layman language for better understanding.

ü  It should be notable

Notability is the most essential element in the creation of any Wikipedia page. it means that the content you write should be authentic, reliable, and verifiable. It should encourage the user to come and read again.

ü  It must talk about achievements and accomplishments  

Writing about someone and not mentioning their achievements and accomplishments will be wrong. The audience wants to know about the success story and you have to make sure that you do profoundly do so.

ü  It should have authentic references

Last but not least is that you need to add a proper citation to the content to add authentication to it. Every piece of information you use needs referencing from credible sources.

7.    Time to Preview the Content

You have come down a long way. It is now time to preview the content you have written about the page. Previewing makes it easier for you to spot any errors in the content or formatting. You can edit the content and make it perfect before you opt for the final step.

8.    Turn the Page in for Submission

The page is now ready to submit. You at the verge of being the best Wikipedia page. All you have to do is click on the submit button. However, do keep three things in mind that the page should be notable, reliable, and credible enough to be approved.

9.    Always Keep a Check on the Page through Maintenance

Here is the catch, if you want high traffic on your page, then you need to keep it updated by doing changes to it every once in a while. Only creating a page is not enough, you have to keep the audience engaged in order to make the page successful.

How much time does it take for a Wikipedia page to be approved?

As there are thousands of pages requesting for approval, the process does take time. Hence, the estimated time for a page to be approved is a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 6 months. The duration will not go above six months.

What factors can cause rejection of a Wikipedia page?

Wikipedia strongly abided by all the authenticity factors, it does not tolerate any kind of vandalism, threats, or unethical content on the page. If a page fails to abide by its reliability and credibility criteria, it will be rejected right away.

What are the criteria for getting a Wikipedia page approved?

Wikipedia gives a person the opportunity to share information with the world, however, the approval criteria are simple, all you have to do is follow the policies and make sure the content is written with proper referencing.