MyWikiBiz
Encyclopedia
MyWikiBiz is a wiki
directory that allows people and enterprises to write about themselves. The brand began as a service creating Wikipedia
articles for paying corporation
s; the founder and owner of MyWikiBiz, Gregory Kohs, was soon blocked from Wikipedia. , the MyWikiBiz directory contained over 70,000 pages of content about corporations and individuals. The business is headquartered in West Chester
, Pennsylvania
.
Professor Jonathan Zittrain
of the Harvard Law School
’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society
discussed the case of MyWikiBiz in his book The Future of the Internet – And How to Stop It. Kohs appeared on Attack of the Show!
on January 25, 2007, and discussed MyWikiBiz. Heise Online expressed a suspicion that while MyWikiBiz’s “attempted corporate infiltration” of Wikipedia was discovered, MyWikiBiz was not an isolated case.
in July 2006, initially as a paid editing service, writing content for inclusion in Wikipedia
and other community-edited sites. The idea came from Wikipedia's "Reward Board", where interested parties would offer cash rewards or gifts to create or improve Wikipedia articles. MyWikiBiz's prices ranged between $49 and $99 for adding entries that conformed to Wikipedia's standards and policies. No official Wikipedia policy prohibited paid-for contributions at the time. Kohs argued that there were tens of thousands of clearly notable
companies and nonprofit organizations unrepresented on Wikipedia.
Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales
called the commercialized editing "antithetical" to Wikipedia’s mission and "absolutely unacceptable" and blocked Kohs' account from editing Wikipedia. However, in August 2006, Wales issued a "mutually beneficial" compromise where he encouraged MyWikiBiz to author and post content on a GFDL-compliant
section of MyWikiBiz.com, which could then be scraped by non-paid, independent editors into Wikipedia and other GFDL sites.
In October 2006 Wales again blocked Kohs from Wikipedia, and cautioned any business from using its services. In late October 2006, Kohs formed a partnership to promote and market a wiki-based directory at Centiare.com, but when the site's owner discontinued the site, Kohs negotiated a transfer of its contents to MyWikiBiz.com.
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
directory that allows people and enterprises to write about themselves. The brand began as a service creating Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
articles for paying corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s; the founder and owner of MyWikiBiz, Gregory Kohs, was soon blocked from Wikipedia. , the MyWikiBiz directory contained over 70,000 pages of content about corporations and individuals. The business is headquartered in West Chester
West Chester, Pennsylvania
The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Professor Jonathan Zittrain
Jonathan Zittrain
Jonathan L. Zittrain is a US professor of Internet law at Harvard Law School and the Harvard Kennedy School, a professor of computer science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a faculty co-director of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society...
of the Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Berkman Center for Internet & Society
The Berkman Center for Internet & Society is a research center at Harvard University that focuses on the study of cyberspace. Founded at Harvard Law School, the center traditionally focused on internet-related legal issues. On May 15, 2008, the Center was elevated to an interfaculty initiative of...
discussed the case of MyWikiBiz in his book The Future of the Internet – And How to Stop It. Kohs appeared on Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show! is an American live television program shown weeknights on G4, G4 Canada and Fuel TV in Australia. The program is hosted by Kevin Pereira and Candace Bailey...
on January 25, 2007, and discussed MyWikiBiz. Heise Online expressed a suspicion that while MyWikiBiz’s “attempted corporate infiltration” of Wikipedia was discovered, MyWikiBiz was not an isolated case.
History and controversy
Kohs and his sister started the MyWikiBiz venture in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in July 2006, initially as a paid editing service, writing content for inclusion in Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
and other community-edited sites. The idea came from Wikipedia's "Reward Board", where interested parties would offer cash rewards or gifts to create or improve Wikipedia articles. MyWikiBiz's prices ranged between $49 and $99 for adding entries that conformed to Wikipedia's standards and policies. No official Wikipedia policy prohibited paid-for contributions at the time. Kohs argued that there were tens of thousands of clearly notable
Notability in Wikipedia
Notability is a term used within the English version of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. It is as an editorial metric used to determine topics meriting a dedicated encyclopedia article...
companies and nonprofit organizations unrepresented on Wikipedia.
Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
called the commercialized editing "antithetical" to Wikipedia’s mission and "absolutely unacceptable" and blocked Kohs' account from editing Wikipedia. However, in August 2006, Wales issued a "mutually beneficial" compromise where he encouraged MyWikiBiz to author and post content on a GFDL-compliant
GNU Free Documentation License
The GNU Free Documentation License is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation for the GNU Project. It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers the rights to copy, redistribute, and modify a work and requires all copies and...
section of MyWikiBiz.com, which could then be scraped by non-paid, independent editors into Wikipedia and other GFDL sites.
In October 2006 Wales again blocked Kohs from Wikipedia, and cautioned any business from using its services. In late October 2006, Kohs formed a partnership to promote and market a wiki-based directory at Centiare.com, but when the site's owner discontinued the site, Kohs negotiated a transfer of its contents to MyWikiBiz.com.