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?