Using Wikipedia to establish yourself as a local expert?

Question

Im not a local expert, yet, but I would like to establish myself as one. Im wondering, would creating a wikipedia page of myself be an effective way to do this? My ultimate goal would be to appear in google results when people search about topics relevant to what I do. For example "construction finance" "master planned development" or "new lot sales" in my hometown of Bend Oregon. They would then find my wikipedia page detailing the companies I have worked with, the deals I have been a part of, etc establishing myself as a good resource for them to get in contact with.

As far as sources for the page; I have a company website, there are a few articles written about me, there is info on the county website detailing properties that I own... Is there a good public source for transaction history? Other ideas about how to document experience on a 3rd party website to use as sources for the wiki?

Do you think that having a wikipedia page could support me in my networking and help establish me as an expert in my field? Or would you just think I was some kind of vein narcissist if you found my page?

I searched the forums and didn't find anything about real estate investors using wikipedia, does anybody have thoughts on this strategy?

David Robertson · Answer

I think if your ultimate goal is to show up in local Google search results for those keywords your best bet is to create a website with a blog that discusses those topics.

This should help with your SEO and get you found if someone searches for those keywords in your area.

You may also want to consider building a network on Linkedin and re-posting your blogs there to help drive traffic to your site.

Chris Mason · Answer

I'm guessing the wikipedians will flag it and remove it.

Grayson Graham · Answer

Thank you for the insight David! I have kept blogs of my sailing adventures in the past so I know it's hard work. Setting up a website is easy, but it's nurturing the blog over many years that takes a lot of dedication. I'm going to give it another go!

I went out on a limb and purchased the domains BendEmblemClub.com and BendEmblem.com just now.

The name is inspired by the Bend Emblem Club which was founded by a local real estate developer to promote the growth of the City of Bend. They invented the Bend Emblem and prominent members of the community pledged to wear it on a pin until Bend reached a population of 100k people. Well that was over 100 years ago and our city is just now at a population of 95k, the club disbanded a long time ago but the emblem became the unofficial logo of our town.

I figure revitalizing the historic movement will be the perfect platform for my new blog about growth and real estate development in Bend Oregon! I've been pondering the idea for a while but I needed a nudge, thank you for that.

Grayson Graham · Answer

Yeah the more I look into this, the more I agree with you. It is very difficult to get a Wikipedia page!

Considering that I'm not very noteworthy, I will focus on that for now 😂

By making the Wikipedia page a long term goal rather than a short term goal I can focus on building the supporting sources for my future page. I will continue being active in my community and saving the articles published about this, I have found my name mentioned quite a few times by my local chamber of commerce so being involved with their programs (BendYP, Leadership Bend) seems be a good way generate source material.

I also signed up for HARO (Help A Reporter Out) so that I can contribute to articles being written about relevant topics and get my name published that way. Only once I have a huge list of publications mentioning me will I think about making a Wikipedia page again.

Thanks for your input Chris!

Yolanda Eiland · Answer

Hi @Grayson Graham I personally think that’s a great idea. Of course you’ll never know until you try.

Grayson Graham · Answer

Yeah that is pretty likely. Ive only done a little research but from what I understand a Wikipedia page needs to have trustworthy 3rd party sources (I think I have those), it needs to be edited by multiple established editors (it's pretty cheap to hire people to do this), and the topic needs to be notable. The truth is that I'm not all that notable haha

But humor me for a moment and pretend that my accomplishments are notable enough to pass their test. Do you think that the Wikipedia page would be a good way to generate leads?

Chris Mason · Answer

I doubt it's going to happen. Have you ever read the "talk" pages associated with any wikipedia article, the wikipedians talking among themselves? Sometimes a famous person will try to go in and shape the narratives, sometimes hiring shills with zero contributing history, and they just get shut down. I don't have the link, but someone sent me an example of a porn star trying to pick (what she called) her "profile picture," - nope!

Using Wikipedia to establish yourself as a local expert?

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