Imagine launching a website that your readers can actually edit. That in a nutshell is a “wiki.” Sound scary?
Sometimes it goes horribly wrong. For instance, the LA Times launched a wiki for their editorials, then promptly removed it after it started getting defaced.
But then there are some amazing successes. The most oft-quoted wiki is Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia created entirely by its visitors and boasting over a half million entries. Here are some interesting stats on Wikipedia’s growth: here and here.
But Wikipedia isn’t really an example of a wiki used for marketing purposes. Here are a few examples that market or promote a product/service/company/destination:
- Channel 9 Wiki Part of the MSDN (Microsoft Developers Network). Microsoft uses this to engage with techies worldwide and keep the dialogue going. I’ve even contributed to it myself then blogged about it.
- SEOGlossary.com My company, Netconcepts, recently launched this wiki to provide a resource that is fluid and changeable as the SEO industry evolves. It’s part of our consultative selling strategy.
- NYWiki everything you’d want to know about people, places, and things in New York City. A privately-owned website. They make money off of Google AdSense advertising.
- NewPRWiki a wiki on new forms of PR, started by communications consultant Constantin Basturea
- Memory Alpha a wiki for die-hard Star Trek fans. They make money off of Google AdSense advertising.
Only the first two examples are really marketing initiatives.
Anyone have any more/better examples of wikis used in marketing?