# People who rather obviously have written their own Wiki entries **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 17, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356 "2014-07-17T12:43:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nippless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/df788c/32.png) [@Nippless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nippless)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/1 "2014-07-17T12:43:09Z")
I don’t mean in a factual manner, correcting or adding information, I mean basically a PR article/brief autobiography. Such as [Johnny Vegas’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Vegas) entry. I can read about that “portly figure” in his voice no problemo. Aside from some corporate entries I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Wiki entry where the author was so obvious. ---
**Author:** ![blue\_infinity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_infinity/32/2817_2.png) [@blue\_infinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blue_infinity)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/2 "2014-07-17T12:57:35Z")
Tennis ‘star’ [Alexandra Stevenson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Stevenson). ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/3 "2014-07-17T14:06:06Z")
If you click on the “View History” tab, you’ll see quite a few contributors. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/4 "2014-07-17T14:12:31Z")
Moved Cafe Society --\> MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/5 "2014-07-17T14:51:52Z")
Here’s [Jack Klugman](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jack_Klugman&oldid=528121753)’s page from a week before he died. Pretty clearly he did a lot of it himself. But that’s cool by me. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/6 "2014-07-17T14:52:18Z")
I am awed by your amazing psychic ability to divine authorship. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/7 "2014-07-17T15:10:43Z")
You talkin’ to\* me!?\* I’m prepared to defend my claim, unless you were specifically talking to someone else. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/8 "2014-07-17T17:54:29Z")
I usually assume that people who have siblings named (like Johnny Vegas) have their pages updated by their siblings, or other relatives (aunts, uncles, etc). My brother is the one of us more likely to _have_ a Wikipedia page, while I would be the one most likely tasked to update it and keep it clean 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/9 "2014-07-17T21:21:36Z")
> [@bup](#): > > You talkin’ to\* me!?\* > > I’m prepared to defend my claim, unless you were specifically talking to someone else. To the OP really, and to **blue infinity** , as I didn’t see your post (made just a minute before mine), and so did not have the chance look at Jack Klugman’s page. However, in general, I doubt anyone’s ability to tell this with any degree of reliability just from the content. Many of these pages are probably made principally by fans, who will know a lot of trivia about the subject and be inclined to give them a very favorable write-up. But if you have specific evidence, by all means tell us. I am not impressed by that offered by the OP, however. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/10 "2014-07-18T07:31:46Z")
A good friend of mine is a published, award-winning writer with a weekly column in a national paper. She had a wikipedia page that she absolutely did not write herself. For what seemed like no reason at all some wiki-wanker decided she wrote it herself for self-promotion and deleted the page! I just checked, she still doesn’t have a wiki entry. It does make you wonder how anyone thinks they can determine who wrote it. It didn’t even seem remotely like self promotion. It was a stub that mentioned her published work and awards, nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/11 "2014-07-18T16:17:51Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > It does make you wonder how anyone thinks they can determine who wrote it. It didn’t even seem remotely like self promotion. It was a stub that mentioned her published work and awards, nothing else. If a Wiki moderator thinks you’re not famous enough to have a page, that is usually all it will take to get it deleted. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/12 "2014-07-18T17:22:19Z")
That would explain why mine keeps being deleted. Oh, well, the 3,402,741st time may be the charm. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/13 "2014-07-18T19:23:25Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > To the OP really, and to **blue infinity** , as I didn’t see your post (made just a minute before mine), and so did not have the chance look at Jack Klugman’s page. However, in general, I doubt anyone’s ability to tell this with any degree of reliability just from the content. Many of these pages are probably made principally by fans, who will know a lot of trivia about the subject and be inclined to give them a very favorable write-up. > > But if you have specific evidence, by all means tell us. I am not impressed by that offered by the OP, however. Well, I don’t know how impressive this is - if the threshold is preponderance of the evidence, I say it was Jack Klugman. Here are the comparisons between two pages [after several edits all made from the same IP](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jack_Klugman&diff=528121753&oldid=525356844). Besides the very personal > [@wikipedia](#): > > Klugman currently lives in Malibu, California with his wife, Peggy Crosby,and he’s close to his sons Adam (Born 1963) and David (Born 1959). Although his body is frail due to his age, he still makes public apperances and has interviews for atricles. He lives life positive, and hasn’t changed even though he has aged. which almost seems like an assurance from Jack to his fans that he’s doing OK, thanks for asking, there are weird little edits, like changing years active from 1950-present to 1948-present, without citation. [This earlier version](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jack_Klugman&oldid=483870887) has lots of weird, uncited trivia that strikes me as the kind of thing an old storyteller would tell anyone willing to listen. Noting that wikipedia is public domain, I quote freely (and add emphasis): > [@wikipedia](#): > > Klugman starred in several classic films including 12 Angry Men in 1957 ( **which he says is his favorite film** )… > > appeared in four episodes of the acclaimed series The Twilight Zone ( **tied with Burgess Meredith for the most number of appearances** ). **Klugman says his greatest thrill** was appearing with Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda in a 1955 live television broadcast of The Petrified Forest. He also appeared in The Fugitive episode “Terror at High Point” in 1963… > > Klugman was nominated for a Tony Award in 1960 for Best Featured Actor (Musical) for his role in Gypsy, losing to Tom Bosley in Fiorello!.[4] **During the pre-Broadway tryout tour in 1959, several songs were cut, including a song for the character ‘Herbie’ (played by Klugman) called “Nice, She Ain’t” cut because Klugman had a terrible singing voice**… > > In 1993, Klugman appeared on a special ‘celebrity versus regulars’ version of the United Kingdom quiz show Going for Gold. The special episode was mostly made up of actors and actresses that appeared in programmes that were on around the same time slot as Going for Gold competing against past series winners. Klugman was invited to participate as the show Quincy, M.E., in which he starred, was often on afterwards. Klugman won this special airing before going on to win the entire 1993 series… > > Klugman, who appeared on the first week of Match Game in 1973, asked the show’s producers to give Somers a guest shot on the panel. She fit in so well that she stayed with the show for its entire nine-year run… > > Klugman caused a mild controversy in 1980 when, during an ABC-TV special from the University of Louisville on the eve of the 1980 Kentucky Derby, he made disparaging comments about the University of Louisville’s “Red Barn.” The Red Barn was the location of the broadcast and home to on-campus concerts held at the University. Klugman said on-air that if his horse, Jaklin Klugman, won the Derby, he would use the money won to tear down the Red Barn. **The comment was met by boos by the audience, and the University named the men’s and women’s restrooms in the Red Barn “Jack Klugman” and “Jaklin Klugman” for many years afterwards. A plaque explaining the names was placed on the wall between the two restrooms.** I mean, there’s knowing about Jack, and then there’s, “come on Jack, stop pretending.” None of those weird little asides have citations, either. A rabid fan would have read this crap somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/14 "2014-07-18T20:13:32Z")
I don’t see any problem with a celebrity correcting their factual information at wikipedia. Who better knows their life and career than the person that lived it? Does Wikipedia have a way that celebrities can submit factual information? The cite coming directly from that person as a verified source? That would make the entry’s much more reliable. It would be pretty narcissistic to correct personal observations. He was a jerk. Hated kids. Kicked his dog. \* No, no I wasn’t like that at all.\* 😉 ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/15 "2014-07-20T02:41:46Z")
[An automated Twitter account tracks Wikipedia edits coming from Government of Canada, House of Commons, and Department of Defence IPs](http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/twitter-account-highlights-history-of-ottawa-staffers-making-wiki-edits-1.1916720) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/16 "2014-07-20T08:29:28Z")
I was tempted to start a Wikipedia page for a friend of mine, who is a successful actor and comedian, but wasn’t sure if it was fair of me to do so. Especially as I would likely just ask him a bunch of questions to fill in all the blanks. Like **ZipperJJ** , my brother also should probably have a Wikipedia page, and if he did I’d likely spend some time fleshing it out and correcting errors. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/17 "2014-07-20T08:47:23Z")
I once fixed my bosses Wikipedia page. Just added some biographical information, like DOB, education etc. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/18 "2014-07-20T11:50:45Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I was tempted to start a Wikipedia page for a friend of mine, who is a successful actor and comedian, but wasn’t sure if it was fair of me to do so. Especially as I would likely just ask him a bunch of questions to fill in all the blanks. > > Like **ZipperJJ** , my brother also should probably have a Wikipedia page, and if he did I’d likely spend some time fleshing it out and correcting errors. PM me the names and I’ll get the ball rolling. You can fill in edits and make corrections after that. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/19 "2014-07-20T14:27:01Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I don’t see any problem with a celebrity correcting their factual information at wikipedia. Who better knows their life and career than the person that lived it? Does Wikipedia have a way that celebrities can submit factual information? The cite coming directly from that person as a verified source? That would make the entry’s much more reliable. I think it’s against the rules, although I admit that it’s a little weird. If Albert Einstein were still alive, he couldn’t correct the page on his theory of special relativity without someone asking for citations for every change. I believe there are other user-edited encyclopedias that allow vetted experts to write and edit articles without needing to cite everything. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356/20 "2014-07-21T02:00:40Z")
The relevant guidelines are at [Wikipedia:Autobiography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Autobio). The short version is: > [@](#): > > Writing autobiographies is discouraged because it is difficult to write a neutral, verifiable autobiography, and there are many pitfalls. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-rather-obviously-have-written-their-own-wiki-entries/693356.md?page=2)