User talk:CeraWithaC

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Please help me with... Conflict of Interest & Other Concerns

I want to write my first Wikipedia article, however I want to be sure that there aren't any conflict of interest issues and that it meets all the guidelines. Here are the full details:

The article I want to write is for Crime Scene, which is a website that features fictional crime cases through realistic case documents which can be investigated by the public. Crime Scene started in 1995 and was described by its creator as one of the "first internet hoaxes"^[1]and is now described as a "unique combination of interactive fiction and gaming".^[2]

Notability: When the website first went live, it was the subject of some controversy due to the fact that it was presented as a real crime. Several people who visited the website believed it to be real.^[3] The controversy was written about in some reputable publications (I have 3 so far but I'm still trying to track some down). And the site was mentioned in the book Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace.^[4] Crime Scene was later involved in litigation with the band Slipknot over a copyright dispute regarding the use of one of Crime Scene's characters as the title of, and possibly the inspiration for, one of Slipknot's songs.

Conflict of Interest: I have been a fan and member of Crime Scene for about 2 years, and I have been a contributing/freelance writer for them for about 3 months. I volunteered to write the Wikipedia article for the site since I've been getting more involved with editing on Wikipedia and I am truly interested in Crime Scene as a subject, but I will be receiving compensation.

If I'm understanding it correctly, in order to comply with guidelines I must and/or should do the following: 1. Include a disclosure statement on my User Talk page as well as on the Talk page (or in the edit summary) accompanying any paid contribution. 2. Put it through the Articles for Creation process and have it peer reviewed.

I am more than willing to do any/all of these. Would this be okay, and is there anything else I should do to ensure that the article is acceptable?

Thanks!

CeraWithaC (talk) 03:39, 1 July 2017 (UTC)

Hi, Cera. I'm an administrator on Wikipedia, and hopefully I can answer some of your questions. Yes, if you've been paid to create the article, you must disclose that. You are also expected to be upfront about any conflict of interest, especially when editing. You aren't strictly required to do anything else when creating a new article. However, the best practice for any editor with a COI is to create new articles through articles for creation (AFC).

If you don't go through AFC, it will be assumed that you're familiar enough with our guidelines and policies that you don't need any help. As a result, the article will be judged in what may seem a very harsh manner, including the possibility of immediate deletion. If you want my opinion, it's much better to take advantage of AFC, even though it may seem like you're being directed to a ghetto version of Wikipedia for COI editors. This way, you avoid the frustration of having your article deleted with minimal explanation. AFC is also useful in getting feedback for many of the issues you've described, such as neutrality and notability.

There isn't really an easy answer for notability, but once you've got multiple sources independent of the subject that describe it in significant detail, you've satisfied the absolute minimum requirements to create an article. Beyond that, the more sources you have, the better. I personally consider four independent sources a good minimum when I create a new article; otherwise, there's the risk of deletion. The Teahouse, a forum for new users, can help immensely in getting started on Wikipedia, especially when it comes to navigating Wikipedia's more confusing or bureaucratic areas. You may also wish to read this guide. NinjaRobotPirate (talk) 07:15, 1 July 2017 (UTC)