Considering how Andrew Dalby's recent book has been mostly shot down here as "not for the Wikipedia Review crowd", I think it might be a good idea for me to conduct a little pre-release market research for my upcoming self-published (via Lulu.com) e-book that will cover the subject of "Your Business and Wikipedia".

Based on the notion that it will be approximately 50 pages, and sold for approximately $10, what is your likely action regarding this item?

What about people who are certain whether or not they will purchase it, yet intend to make no recommendations…

Just go with the "probably purchase" or the "probably not purchase" tags in that case. Sorry, it's not a perfect poll, to be sure. Just a finger up in the air.

It's a very good subject. Wish I'd thought of it, but, to be honest, without a history of writing on business and marketing, I probably wouldn't have got anywhere much.

Incidentally, about the Amazon figures you quoted on another thread, how much do you know about how they are calculated? More than I do, perhaps. I've been watching the amazon.co.uk figures with interest (in the case of my book, more interesting so far than amazon.com) and trying to align them to real amazon sales.

I would probably be interested in purchasing. Depending on content, I might recommend it to various contacts within the startup tech crowd in London etc. There are still several wiki-evangelists out there who think the concept is brilliant but not got involved, like the hot dog fan that never tries his hand at sausage making. I think that giving these people insight into the flipside will hopefully mean that WPs mistakes don't get repeated in other projects.

However, I think that there are a couple of other titles in the "Your X and Wikipedia" series that probably need penning. "Your Biography and Wikipedia" being the obvious one (and probably being a strong recommendation to avoid having one for as long as possible). I still meet people of reasonable notability that ask me what would be involved in gaining an article on Wikipedia. Usually after I recount some of the BLP horror stories they go completely off the idea (and tell their similarly notable friends as well). Being able to point them to a handy e-book for further reading would be fantastic.

Looks like we've had a surge of: I will definitely not purchase, and likely recommend against purchase by others.

But, no comments from members (that I can see) who voted that way.

These must be the current PoetEntity socks, plus our "Happy Drinker" ilk.

I'm unlikely to purchase, but would probably recommend it to others if it seems suitable.

If you're open to title or subtitle suggestions, I like "Working Wikipedia".

[x] Will definitely not purchase, but will recommend purchase by others

Interesting, Guido. Is that because you wouldn't find the content relevant to your own situation?

Trust that I'm trying to make the book engaging on several other "human interest" fronts, so that its appeal will actually extend beyond just the Communications & Marketing department conference room.

Maybe I'll sway your opinion later, but at the very least, I have your word of mouth!

I don't have the $10 ....

I see the logic. Obiously, nobody in their right mind could possibly be other than ecstatic about a book by Greg Kohs Thekohser, so if anyone doesn't vote that way he justifies himself by claiming that it must be some bogeyfigure.

I would not deign to take part in this "poll" and I do urge those who voted in this apparently trollish way to explain why.

Thing is, Happy... I've experienced in previous times here on WR, the actual effects of the PoetEntity "ganging up" on me with socks for a community-esque hate fest.

I see you're being a dick and using my surname again on this forum, with the cutesy-pie strikethrough, even though that will get picked up by search engines, just the same.

This is why you're hiding behind your anonymity -- so that you can be an arrogant, cowardly prick, without having to suffer the consequences of mutual review of your reputation. Enjoy!

Yes, I've been ganged up on in a poll here too, so I do sympathise.

However, there is an alternative explanation. If you keep having silly polls, people will react by either ignoring them or giving votes that they think will not be what you want. Who started the poll where the alleged ganging up occurred?

I hadn't realised that you were so thoroughly converted to the realisation that you should not have your real name on this board.

Yep, it does look an awful lot as if Drinker is PL.....

You forgot an item in the voting list, Greg:

[x] I hate Greg Kohs and I want him to die.

May I object most strongly to the way Thekohser has inserted things into the quote as if they were things I had said.



I see. Anyone Thekohser doesn't like has to be framed.

Ironic, isn't it, that one of the charges against Poetlister was that he/she was such a strong supporter of Thekohser that he/she allegedly voted twice for Thekohser in the WMF elections. I assume that he would like those votes struck off his total.

As far as WR is concerned, there was no such "charge" at all - that would have actually been a reason to forgive him. Frankly, given the amount of work the Poethorde put into Wikipedia, he probably should have been given at least three votes, not just two. (He put a great deal of work into WR, too, of course, but we actually gave him four votes...)

Yeah, feel free to object strongly to the situation you've created here. Be my guest!

[x] I decline to participate in a poll unless there's something in it for me.

And by the way Gregory:
A) Thank your for the article review, and;
B) You achieved pre-cognition.

How many sockpuppets did you have on Wikipedia? How many do you have now? And of course, on the critical question we came out level in that poll last time I checked.


Do we have a policy here about deliberately misquoting people? And how did I, previously one of his supporters on Wikipedia, create the situation that Thekohser made a series of unprovoked attacks on me, including threats of physical violence? Does he wish to make me regret my support for him?

Happy, if your brain is the sort of thing that supported me on Wikipedia, I don't wish for you to regret that support... I demand that you regret it.

Granted, most of the folks here on WR are decidedly not my target audience. But, in case you're curious...

Preliminary teaser about Your Business and Wikipedia