大胆になれ

There is an enthusiastic Wikipedian in the editorial team of our web media Hokuroku, which covers the Hokuriku region in Japan.

Even if you’ve never heard the term Wikipedian, you’ve probably heard of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which is freely available online.

Wikipedians contribute to Wikipedia by adding new entries, correcting the content of existing ones, and attempting to raise doubts about the accuracy of other entries. They are called Wikipedians because they edit Wikipedia.

Of course, no one asks them to do it. These people work without any compensation. They act voluntarily, using their time to write and edit in the rare moments they have, such as after finishing their jobs, setting aside household chores, or putting their beloved children to sleep.

The term “Wiki crack” (a slang term for Wikipedia addiction) exists in English, and these people are editing Wikipedia worldwide today.

Is it Necessary to Include a Newly Born Web Media?

As the Hokuroku’s editorial director, I know that traditional paper encyclopedias and Wikipedia are fundamentally different. That much is obvious.

The biggest difference is that Wikipedia doesn’t use a system where experts and authorities in various fields are responsible for the writing. Instead, it is an “encyclopedia” that ordinary people edit, sharing their knowledge and wisdom.

Quote from Wikipidia

Anyone can write or edit. These volunteer writers are, to me, strangers, intangible beings with no physical presence.

Naturally, I never imagined that people like this were in my immediate surroundings.

But, to my surprise, there were several Wikipedians in our editorial team. Moreover, they seem to take pride in this fact, sharing it with delight.

One day, our producer, Hiroyuki Akashi, told me in an editorial meeting, “I want you to create a Wikipedia entry for Hokuroku.”

“Do we need to add an entry for a small, newly born web media in an encyclopedia?” I honestly hesitated.

As an editor with old-fashioned ideas, I tend to think of an encyclopedia as something that includes only topics worth writing about. I honestly felt that Hokuroku, being brand new, didn’t quite fit the criteria.

There’s a Need to Remove Promotional Content

However, the demand for it kept growing, so I decided to start researching. Apparently, there are differing views among Wikipedians about creating new entries.

Some people (called inclusionists) argue that since it’s the web, there are no space limitations like in print media, and anything should be included. On the other hand, others (called deletionists) believe that selecting and curating entries is essential for maintaining the quality of Wikipedia.

There’s a real possibility that some deletionists would criticize the creation of a Hokuroku entry due to its recent launch.

Quote from Wikipedia

Yet, when searching for someone’s name, if a Wikipedia page comes up, it can change the way you perceive them, thinking, “Wow, this person is important enough to be on Wikipedia.”

From an SEO perspective, it also seems beneficial. Although promotional content is not allowed, creating a Wikipedia entry for Hokuroku probably won’t hurt. There are likely no significant drawbacks.

If we document the process of creating this page, it might even serve as a reference for others who want to create their own Wikipedia entries in the future.

Famous Japanese comedian Egashira 2:50 even corrected his own Wikipedia entry on his official YouTube channel, and the content was quite heartwarming.

As a writer and editor who secretly admires Denis Diderot (1713–84), who tried to describe the entire world, including both nature and human society, through the creation of an encyclopedia, I had a desire to be involved in the making of such an encyclopedia.

There’s also a core principle in Wikipedia that encourages boldness.

With all this in mind, I started a special feature called “The Story of Adding Myself to Wikipedia: Apologies for the Self-Promotion.”

The “sorry” is, of course, an apology to the deletionists for the promotional nature of the entry. I hope they will kindly overlook this.

(Deputy Editor-in-Chief Otsubo’s note: The next article will revisit the basics—what exactly is Wikipedia?)