Wikipedia:Raising awareness

This is an essay on the promotional editing and promotional username policies..

It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.

Shortcut

WP:AWARENESS

This page in a nutshell: ”raising awareness” is the exact same thing as promotional activity

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. People often seem to forget that.

Sometimes, when a new user creates a page or a user name that promotes something, they reply that they actually aren’t promoting anything but rather they are simply raising awareness. There is no difference between the two. They are literally the exact same thing.

Promotion, in the advertising sense, is disseminating information about something in order that the public be more aware of it. Your motivations for doing so are not relevant (although you are required to disclose if you are being paid to edit Wikipedia). How great the product, person, or cause is is not relevant. It’s all the same as far as Wikipedia is concerned, and it is not acceptable in an encyclopedia.

But it’s for a good cause!

That’s great. Finding a good cause to support is wonderful. There are many, many other websites that would be more than happy to let you post all day about your great cause. Wikipedia is not one of them. Because that’s promotional editing and it is not allowed here.

But my friend (is sick/house burned down/lost their dog/is stranded overseas/etc) and needs help!

That’s terrible. Hopefully you can help them get the help they need by using crowdfunding sites, social media, a real-world fundraiser, or something else of the sort, none of which are something one would find in an encyclopedia. Because that’s promotional editing and it is not allowed here.

But my startup has a really great product and just needs more exposure!

This isn’t where you do that. Because that’s promotional editing and it is not allowed here.

The point

If you’ve been pointed to this page, it is probably because you have made one of the above arguments when your content was deleted or reverted, and/or your username represents an organization or website. Don’t take it personally. It isn’t personal. It isn’t a judgement on whatever it was you were trying to raise awareness about. It isn’t a sign that your awareness campaign has failed. All that has happened is that you added something that didn’t belong, and it was removed. Because that’s promotional editing and it is not allowed here.