Wikimarketing

Let's just admit it, we've all come to know and love wikipedia (6th most visited collection of web properties in the world, according to comScore). Sure we know it's not 100% accurate, but that's not the point, the information is good enough and you know it's not something put out by some marketer. Marketers are now starting to use wikis as an extension of consumer generated content. "eBay has used wikis in its customer-support section, letting users collaboratively write answers to frequently asked questions. The NBA's Dallas Mavericks announced a plan to let fans wiki every game using the same software as Wikipedia. And T-Mobile launched a Sidekick wiki that has produced collaboratively written pieces including tips on how to pimp out the inside of the phone and a wish list of improvements the community would like to see. T-Mobile said the wiki is a forum where the Sidekick's biggest fans can tell others how to get more out of the product and relay information that isn't necessarily T-Mobile-related, such as how to create ringtones and find the best wallpaper. A T-Mobile spokesman said the company won't edit out negative feedback on the product, since that is valuable as well." (http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=114732) Wikis are a way for users to interact with the brand and make the product easier to use. They tend to be superior to message boards because boards can be very difficult to follow and you are less likely to have tangential posts on a wiki as oppossed to a message board. As long as marketers don't interfere with the wikis they should be well accepted by consumers an excellent source of brand interacation.