Why Can't We “Claim” Wikipedia Articles?

Responding to recent criticism, Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales told CNET that to avoid future problems, the open source encyclopedia will bar anonymous users from creating new articles; only registered members will be able to do so. Anonymous users will still be able to edit articles. More importantly, Wales said he's not sure how to approach the question of whether people should be allowed to post on subjects in which they have a personal interest.

Here's an idea. Individuals and companies should have the right to “claim” articles that are entirely about them. Right now, if I am a podcaster, I can “claim” my channel on Odeo. If I am blogger, I can “claim” my feed on Feedster. If there's an article about me or my company on Wikipedia, there should be a mechanism that allows me to do the same on Wikipedia.

Now claiming an article on Wikipedia, if that feature were available, doesn't mean the subject would own it. However, it could allow people to have a more prominent say in what they feel is accurate in an entry that's about them and what isn't. Wikipedia is now growing into a cultural force, whether it likes it or not. With this comes some responsibility to put systems in place that help those who question it's accuracy have a more “visible” say in response to what the masses are saying, while being careful not to override it.

UPDATE: Wikipedia already has these boxes on its talk pages that indicate when a subject has edited their article. This is similar to “claiming.” They should be on the article pages too.

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