Difference between revisions of "Directory:MyWikiBiz"

MyWikiBiz, Author Your Legacy — Thursday March 28, 2024
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{{Infobox_Company |
 
{{Infobox_Company |
 
  company_name  = [[Company_Name:=MyWikiBiz]] |
 
  company_name  = [[Company_Name:=MyWikiBiz]] |
  company_logo  = [[Image:MyWikiBiz_Logo.png|275px|MyWikiBiz logo]] |
+
  company_logo  = [[Image:MyWikiBizLogo135fx.gif|135px|MyWikiBiz logo]] |
  company_slogan = ''Authoring '''Your''' Legacy'' |
+
  company_slogan = ''Author '''Your''' Legacy'' |
 
  company_type  = [[Company_Type:=Private|[[Private Company|Private]]]] |
 
  company_type  = [[Company_Type:=Private|[[Private Company|Private]]]] |
 
  genre = |
 
  genre = |
Line 11: Line 11:
 
  industry    = [[NAICS_Code1_Title:=Internet publishing and broadcasting|[[Internet publishing]]]]<br>[[NAICS_Code2_Title:=Independent artists, writers, and performers |[[Independent artists, writers, and performers]]]]<br> |
 
  industry    = [[NAICS_Code1_Title:=Internet publishing and broadcasting|[[Internet publishing]]]]<br>[[NAICS_Code2_Title:=Independent artists, writers, and performers |[[Independent artists, writers, and performers]]]]<br> |
 
  products    = [[Directory:MyWikiBiz/Services|See complete services listing]] |
 
  products    = [[Directory:MyWikiBiz/Services|See complete services listing]] |
  revenue    = {{profit}} [[United States dollar|US$]][[Revenues:=1000|1 thousand]] (2006) |
+
  revenue    = |
  operating_income = {{steady}} [[United States dollar|US$]]5 hundred (2006)|
+
  operating_income = |
  net_income    = {{steady}} [[United States dollar|US$]][[Net Income:=400|4 hundred]] (2006) |
+
  net_income    = |
  num_employees = [[Employees:=1|1]] (2006) |
+
  num_employees = |
 
  parent = |
 
  parent = |
 
  subsid    = |
 
  subsid    = |
 
  owner = [[Directory:Gregory J. Kohs|Gregory J. Kohs]] |
 
  owner = [[Directory:Gregory J. Kohs|Gregory J. Kohs]] |
  contact = [[Legal_Name:=MyWikiBiz.com]]<br>[[Address:=489 Lake George Circle]]<br>West Chester, [[State_Code:=PA]]&nbsp; [[Country_Code:=US]]&nbsp; [[Zip:=19382]]-[[Plus4:=2188]]<br>[[Phone:=302.463.1354]]&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Fax:=na]]<br>[[Web:=www.mywikibiz.com|[http://www.mywikibiz.com www.mywikibiz.com]]]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Email:=info@mywikibiz.com|[mailto:info@mywikibiz.com Email]]]|
+
  contact = [[Legal_Name:=MyWikiBiz.com]]<br>[[Address:=489 Lake George Circle]]<br>West Chester, [[State_Code:=PA]]&nbsp; [[Country_Code:=US]]&nbsp; [[Zip:=19382]]-[[Plus4:=2188]]<br>[[Phone:=(484) NEW-WIKI]]<br>[[Web:=www.mywikibiz.com|[http://www.mywikibiz.com www.mywikibiz.com]]]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Email:=info@mywikibiz.com|[mailto:info@mywikibiz.com Email]]]|
  reference = [[Year End]]: [[Year End:=1231|12/31]]<br>[[DUNS]]: [[DUNS:=pending]]<br>[[NAICS]]:[[NAICS_Code1:=51611]]&nbsp;[[NAICS_Code2:=71151]]<br>[[Entity Type|Entity]]: [[Entity_Type:=Sole proprietor|[[Sole Proprietor|Sole]]]]<br>[[Latitude]]: [[Latitude:=39.939586787168835|39°56′22.5″N]]<br>[[Longitude]]: [[Longitude:=-75.6117832660675|75°36′42.4″W]]<br> |
+
  reference = [[Year End]]: [[Year End:=1231|12/31]]<br>[[DUNS]]: [[DUNS:=796762651]]<br>[[NAICS]]:[[NAICS_Code1:=51611]]&nbsp;[[NAICS_Code2:=71151]]<br>[[Entity Type|Entity]]: [[Entity_Type:=Sole proprietor|[[Sole Proprietor|Sole]]]]<br>[[Latitude]]: [[Latitude:=39.939586787168835|39°56′22.5″N]]<br>[[Longitude]]: [[Longitude:=-75.6117832660675|75°36′42.4″W]]<br> |
 
  footnotes =
 
  footnotes =
 
}}
 
}}
  
'''MyWikiBiz.com''' ('''MyWikiBiz''') is a [[United States|U.S.]] [[Internet publishing and broadcasting|Internet publishing]] [[firm]], headquartered in [[Directory:West Chester, Pennsylvania|West Chester]], [[Directory:Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]]. MyWikiBiz specializes in helping commercial enterprises optimize their presence in wiki spaces.
+
'''MyWikiBiz''' is a [[wiki]] directory [[business]] that allows people and enterprises to author their own legacy on the Internet.  The brand began as a service creating [[Directory:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]]-compliant articles for paying [[corporation]]s, which is a consulting service [http://mywikibiz.com/Ordernow.html still available today].  However, the primary focus of the project is an [[Internet publishing and broadcasting|Internet publishing]] site at MyWikiBiz.com that uses a [[semantic web]] version of the famous [[Directory:Wikimedia_Foundation/MediaWiki|MediaWiki]] software.  The MyWikiBiz directory currently contains tens of thousands of pages of user-generated content about corporations and individuals. The business is headquartered in [[Directory:West Chester, Pennsylvania|West Chester]], [[Directory:Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]], with its web server in [[Directory:California|California]].
  
Founded in [[2006]] by [[Directory:Gregory J. Kohs|Gregory J. Kohs]], MyWikiBiz initially set out to create and edit [[NPOV|neutral-point-of-view]] [[Wikipedia]] articles for payment.  However, key leaders and administrators of Wikipedia expressed concerns about the potential conflict of interest in such practice.  MyWikiBiz adapted to these concerns and currently pursues activity in other non-Wikipedia editing spaces that utilize wiki markup languages, including [[Centiare]].
+
According to its main page:
  
MyWikiBiz has an interest in the [[Subject Interest::Category:Semantic Web|Semantic Web]].
+
<blockquote>''MyWikiBiz is a new directory where you can author your legacy on the Internet. We think you are notable, even if Wikipedia has rejected an article about you or your enterprise as being "non-notable". With MyWikiBiz, you create a beautiful, reader-friendly page that will get picked up by Google, Yahoo!, and Bing Search engines.''</blockquote>
 +
 
 +
== Why use MyWikiBiz? ==
 +
 
 +
MyWikiBiz suggests several reasons for contributing content to its directory.  Unlike traditional encyclopedias, editors who are legally responsible for the entity they are writing about may "protect" their advocate point-of-view, without fear of someone else altering their content.  Editors may also earn money at MyWikiBiz by creating a page, embedding [[Directory:Google|Google]] AdSense ads within it, and keeping 100% of the revenues generated from that page's advertising.  Page owners may also advertise and sell their products and services on MyWikiBiz. Contributors who are more interested in the community-edited dynamic of an encyclopedia like Wikipedia can do so with any topic that is not about a legal entity, such as "[[Jupiter]]" or "[[chess]]".
 +
 
 +
== Early history ==
 +
The genesis of MyWikiBiz was not as the current wiki directory of names and businesses.  Rather, it began as an idea in [[April]] [[2006]] to write encyclopedic content about businesses, in exchange for reasonable payment.
 +
 
 +
=== Paid editing ===
 +
[[Directory:Gregory J. Kohs|Gregory Kohs]] and his sister started the MyWikiBiz venture in [[Directory:Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]] in [[July]] 2006, initially as a paid editing service, writing encyclopedic content for inclusion in Wikipedia and other community-edited sites. Tiers of service were priced at $49, $79, and $99 per article. Kohs stated his intention to make [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view neutral], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources sourced] content, and expected the general public to continue altering and improving the articles he created. Although no official Wikipedia policy prohibited paid-for contributions, and although Wikipedia endorsed (and still hosts) cash-for-editing via its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reward_board#Money Reward Board], Chairman Emeritus of the [[Directory:Wikimedia Foundation|Wikimedia Foundation]] [[Directory:Jimmy Wales|Jimmy Wales]] first called the commercialized editing "antithetical" to Wikipedia's mission. 
 +
 
 +
However, in [[August]] 2006, Wales issued a "mutually beneficial" compromise [http://wikimedia.7.x6.nabble.com/MyWikiBiz-td953402.html] where he encouraged MyWikiBiz to author and post content on a GFDL-compliant section of MyWikiBiz.com, which could then be scraped by non-paid, independent editors into Wikipedia and other GFDL sites. Over the course of late 2006, [[finance|financial]] [[conflict of interest|conflicts of interest]] became regulated under Wikipedia's new conflict of interest policy.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Conflicts_of_interest]  In [[October]] 2006, despite there being little reason to do so, Wales aggressively reversed his earlier compromise with MyWikiBiz, banning the account from Wikipedia and cautioning any business from using its services.  Days later, Wales issued MyWikiBiz an imaginary trademark violation complaint, but the legal threat was ignored, as it had no basis in actual law.
 +
 
 +
Ever since 2006, Mr. Kohs has continued a low-profile [[Directory:MyWikiBiz/Paid editing|paid consulting]] service that focuses on Wikipedia content.  His clients range from individuals (e.g., artists, authors, journalists, and lawyers) to corporations worth a billion dollars or more.
 +
 
 +
=== Centiare alliance and takeover ===
 +
In late October 2006, the owner of [[Directory:Centiare|Centiare.com]] reached out to Kohs to form a partnership that resulted in Kohs promoting and marketing the alternative wiki directory at Centiare.  This effort gained strength through early 2007, but ultimately began to fade.  When Centiare's owner opted to pull the plug on the site, Kohs negotiated a transfer of the entire contents of Centiare.com to MyWikiBiz.com in December 2007.  Thus, MyWikiBiz has undergone a substantial re-branding and re-purpose from its original mission.
 +
 
 +
== The current brand ==
 +
[[Image:MWB visitor map.jpg|left|thumb|165px|Snapshot of 250 recent visitors]] MyWikiBiz achieved substantial gains in registered users, original articles, and visitor traffic since its re-launch in January 2008.  While site traffic is predominantly U.S.-based, there is a global reach, especially into Europe and East Asia.  A few pages on the site are published in Spanish, in German, and in Latin.
 +
<br>[[Image:MWB traffic trend 2008.jpg|right|thumb|165px|Visitor traffic increasing]]
 +
As with any new website, growing traffic to the site depends on search engine relevance, inbound links from other authoritative sites, and word-of-mouth. MyWikiBiz has received a substantial amount of attention [[Help:Press_Releases|in the press]], in books, and on blogs.  The domain rendered over 200,000 page views in its first year since the wiki launch.  Web analytics site Alexa.com at one time rated MyWikiBiz site popularity (reach) about on a par with familiar sites like DailyIowan.com, BudLight.com, and PhiladelphiaZoo.org.  It was clear that MyWikiBiz was appealing to more and more visitors over time.
 +
<br>[[Image:MWB demographics.jpg|left|thumb|165px|Age & gender of visitors]] Most visitors to MyWikiBiz are male, as is the case with many wiki websites' user composition.  Well over half of the site's guests are between the ages of 35 and 54.
 +
However, around 2011, Google began to deprecate the search engine results featuring sites like MyWikiBiz, which were prone to spammy out-links to questionable sites.  This had an adverse impact on MyWikiBiz's usage statistics.
 +
 
 +
=== Article within Wikipedia ===
 +
[[Image:MWB article traffic.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Views of ''MyWikiBiz'' on Wikipedia]] Wikipedia articles about MyWikiBiz have gone through several stages of creation, deletion, and resurrection.  In 2007, an old version of the article failed to assert sufficient notability, but because many more sources had appeared by August 2008, one Wikipedia administrator named "Neil" believed that his rewritten version of the article met all the necessary criteria: being ''neutral'', ''reliably sourced'', and asserting ''notability''.  A few Internet trolls who inhabit Wikipedia attempted to block the article's publication, but level heads prevailed, and the article [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MyWikiBiz persists on Wikipedia].  MyWikiBiz promptly issued a [http://www.prlog.org/10111841-mywikibiz-gains-entry-into-largest-encylopedia.html press release] to commemorate the accomplishment.  Traffic from Wikipedia to MyWikiBiz witnessed a dramatic increase, thanks to Neil's efforts.
 +
 
 +
== Helpful links ==
 +
*[http://mywikibiz.com/Main_Page MyWikiBiz]
 +
*[[Help:Press Releases|MyWikiBiz press and reviews]]
 +
*[http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/view_press_release.php?rID=16892 Original press release]
 +
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/MyWikiBiz MyWikiBiz's Wikipedia contributions]
 +
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:MyWikiBiz MyWikiBiz's Wikipedia block log]
 +
*[http://www.sbwire.com/news/view/15726 Re-launch press release]
 +
*[http://www.prlog.org/10056251-wiki-sites-aim-to-be-more-inclusive-than-wikipedia.html Biographical wikis press release]
 +
 
 +
=== Media coverage ===
 +
*[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16793247/ "Idea of paid entries roils Wikipedia"] Brian Bergstein, [[Associated Press]], January 24, 2007.
 +
*[http://news.google.com/archivesearch?hl=en&ned=us&q=MyWikiBiz&ie=UTF-8 Mainstream media story] Over 150 publishers pick up the AP story
 +
*[http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/1831/wikipedia-blocks-a-pay-for-play-scheme "Wikipedia Blocks a Pay-for-Play Scheme"], Brock Read, The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 24, 2007
 +
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2006-08-14/Wikimercenaries "Editing for hire leads to intervention"] ''Wikipedia Signpost''. August 14, 2006.
 +
*[http://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article147789/Wikipedia-Artikel_die_man_kaufen_kann.html "Wikipedia-Artikel, die man kaufen kann"], Von Mathias Peer, Die Welt, August 24, 2006
 +
*[http://dan.tobias.name/controversies/cyber/wiki.html "Wikipedia Controversies: Victims of Wikipedia.... or Wiki Whiners?"], Dan Tobias, Dan's Political and Controversial Site
 +
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2006-10-09/MyWikiBiz "Account used to create paid corporate entries shut down"] ''Wikipedia Signpost''. October 9, 2006.
 +
*[http://tinyurl.com/MyWikiBiz-Zittrain '''The Future of the Internet'''] Book by Jonathan Zittrain, Yale University Press, 2008.
  
 
<br clear="all">
 
<br clear="all">
Line 33: Line 79:
 
==Internal links==
 
==Internal links==
 
* {{FULLPAGENAME}} is "owned" by [[Has Page Owner::User:MyWikiBiz]].
 
* {{FULLPAGENAME}} is "owned" by [[Has Page Owner::User:MyWikiBiz]].
* [[User_talk:MyWikiBiz/Free_offer|'''To Do''' List]]
+
* [[User_talk:MyWikiBiz/Discussions|Thoughts from other sites]]
  
==External links==
+
==Geolocation==
*[http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/view_press_release.php?rID=16892 Our first press release] We began our biz in the bright sunlight of full disclosure
+
Latitude: 39.939586787168835
*[http://www.nabble.com/MyWikiBiz-tf2080660.html A public compromise from Jimmy Wales] The agreement brokered with the co-founder of Wikipedia
+
Longitude: -75.6117832660675
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2006-10-09/MyWikiBiz A public dispute with Wales] When our agreement was withdrawn by the co-founder of Wikipedia
 
*[http://www.sbwire.com/news/view/9912 MyWikiBiz changes "teams"] We're so happy we found Centiare!
 
  
==Geolocation==
+
==Additional Reading==
{{Mapit-US-cityscale|39.939586787168835|-75.6117832660675}}
+
*Read a 3-page [http://www.mywikibiz.com/images/e/e5/Talking_Points.ppt presentation] by [[Directory:Gregory J. Kohs|Gregory Kohs]] about the advantages of a semantic web wiki directory (requires PowerPoint).
 +
*Semantic web expert, Harry Chen, discusses our software implementation with  [http://www.geospatialsemanticweb.com/2007/01/05/centiare-semanitc-mediawiki-opens-for-business "MediaWiki Opens for Business"].
 +
*IdeaGrove was the very first blog to profile Centiare, with a story entitled [http://www.ideagrove.com/blog/2006/12/move-over-yellow-pages-here-comes.html "Move Over Yellow Pages"].
 +
 
 +
 
 +
[[Category:Wikis]]

Revision as of 21:45, 19 July 2017

MyWikiBiz
MyWikiBiz logo
SloganAuthor Your Legacy
Type [[Company_Type:=Private|Private]]
Founded [[Year_Started:=2006|2006]]
FounderGregory J. Kohs
Headquarters Template:Country data US [[City:=West Chester|West Chester]], [[State_Name:=Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]], [[Country_Name:=United States|USA]]
Key people[[Key_Person1:=Gregory Kohs|Gregory J. Kohs]], CEO
Industry[[NAICS_Code1_Title:=Internet publishing and broadcasting|Internet publishing]]
[[NAICS_Code2_Title:=Independent artists, writers, and performers |Independent artists, writers, and performers]]
ProductsSee complete services listing
OwnerGregory J. Kohs
Contact MyWikiBiz.com
489 Lake George Circle
West Chester, PA  US  19382-2188
(484) NEW-WIKI
[http://www.mywikibiz.com www.mywikibiz.com]   [mailto:info@mywikibiz.com Email]
Reference Year End: 12/31
DUNS: 796762651
NAICS:51611 71151
Entity: [[Entity_Type:=Sole proprietor|Sole]]
Latitude: 39°56′22.5″N
Longitude: 75°36′42.4″W


MyWikiBiz is a wiki directory business that allows people and enterprises to author their own legacy on the Internet. The brand began as a service creating Wikipedia-compliant articles for paying corporations, which is a consulting service still available today. However, the primary focus of the project is an Internet publishing site at MyWikiBiz.com that uses a semantic web version of the famous MediaWiki software. The MyWikiBiz directory currently contains tens of thousands of pages of user-generated content about corporations and individuals. The business is headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, with its web server in California.

According to its main page:

MyWikiBiz is a new directory where you can author your legacy on the Internet. We think you are notable, even if Wikipedia has rejected an article about you or your enterprise as being "non-notable". With MyWikiBiz, you create a beautiful, reader-friendly page that will get picked up by Google, Yahoo!, and Bing Search engines.

Why use MyWikiBiz?

MyWikiBiz suggests several reasons for contributing content to its directory. Unlike traditional encyclopedias, editors who are legally responsible for the entity they are writing about may "protect" their advocate point-of-view, without fear of someone else altering their content. Editors may also earn money at MyWikiBiz by creating a page, embedding Google AdSense ads within it, and keeping 100% of the revenues generated from that page's advertising. Page owners may also advertise and sell their products and services on MyWikiBiz. Contributors who are more interested in the community-edited dynamic of an encyclopedia like Wikipedia can do so with any topic that is not about a legal entity, such as "Jupiter" or "chess".

Early history

The genesis of MyWikiBiz was not as the current wiki directory of names and businesses. Rather, it began as an idea in April 2006 to write encyclopedic content about businesses, in exchange for reasonable payment.

Gregory Kohs and his sister started the MyWikiBiz venture in Pennsylvania in July 2006, initially as a paid editing service, writing encyclopedic content for inclusion in Wikipedia and other community-edited sites. Tiers of service were priced at $49, $79, and $99 per article. Kohs stated his intention to make neutral, sourced content, and expected the general public to continue altering and improving the articles he created. Although no official Wikipedia policy prohibited paid-for contributions, and although Wikipedia endorsed (and still hosts) cash-for-editing via its Reward Board, Chairman Emeritus of the Wikimedia Foundation Jimmy Wales first called the commercialized editing "antithetical" to Wikipedia's mission.

However, in August 2006, Wales issued a "mutually beneficial" compromise [1] where he encouraged MyWikiBiz to author and post content on a GFDL-compliant section of MyWikiBiz.com, which could then be scraped by non-paid, independent editors into Wikipedia and other GFDL sites. Over the course of late 2006, financial conflicts of interest became regulated under Wikipedia's new conflict of interest policy.[2] In October 2006, despite there being little reason to do so, Wales aggressively reversed his earlier compromise with MyWikiBiz, banning the account from Wikipedia and cautioning any business from using its services. Days later, Wales issued MyWikiBiz an imaginary trademark violation complaint, but the legal threat was ignored, as it had no basis in actual law.

Ever since 2006, Mr. Kohs has continued a low-profile paid consulting service that focuses on Wikipedia content. His clients range from individuals (e.g., artists, authors, journalists, and lawyers) to corporations worth a billion dollars or more.

Centiare alliance and takeover

In late October 2006, the owner of Centiare.com reached out to Kohs to form a partnership that resulted in Kohs promoting and marketing the alternative wiki directory at Centiare. This effort gained strength through early 2007, but ultimately began to fade. When Centiare's owner opted to pull the plug on the site, Kohs negotiated a transfer of the entire contents of Centiare.com to MyWikiBiz.com in December 2007. Thus, MyWikiBiz has undergone a substantial re-branding and re-purpose from its original mission.

The current brand

Snapshot of 250 recent visitors

MyWikiBiz achieved substantial gains in registered users, original articles, and visitor traffic since its re-launch in January 2008. While site traffic is predominantly U.S.-based, there is a global reach, especially into Europe and East Asia. A few pages on the site are published in Spanish, in German, and in Latin.

Visitor traffic increasing

As with any new website, growing traffic to the site depends on search engine relevance, inbound links from other authoritative sites, and word-of-mouth. MyWikiBiz has received a substantial amount of attention in the press, in books, and on blogs. The domain rendered over 200,000 page views in its first year since the wiki launch. Web analytics site Alexa.com at one time rated MyWikiBiz site popularity (reach) about on a par with familiar sites like DailyIowan.com, BudLight.com, and PhiladelphiaZoo.org. It was clear that MyWikiBiz was appealing to more and more visitors over time.


Age & gender of visitors

Most visitors to MyWikiBiz are male, as is the case with many wiki websites' user composition. Well over half of the site's guests are between the ages of 35 and 54.

However, around 2011, Google began to deprecate the search engine results featuring sites like MyWikiBiz, which were prone to spammy out-links to questionable sites. This had an adverse impact on MyWikiBiz's usage statistics.

Article within Wikipedia

Views of MyWikiBiz on Wikipedia

Wikipedia articles about MyWikiBiz have gone through several stages of creation, deletion, and resurrection. In 2007, an old version of the article failed to assert sufficient notability, but because many more sources had appeared by August 2008, one Wikipedia administrator named "Neil" believed that his rewritten version of the article met all the necessary criteria: being neutral, reliably sourced, and asserting notability. A few Internet trolls who inhabit Wikipedia attempted to block the article's publication, but level heads prevailed, and the article persists on Wikipedia. MyWikiBiz promptly issued a press release to commemorate the accomplishment. Traffic from Wikipedia to MyWikiBiz witnessed a dramatic increase, thanks to Neil's efforts.

Helpful links

Media coverage


Internal links

Geolocation

Latitude: 39.939586787168835 Longitude: -75.6117832660675

Additional Reading