“Anyone can edit – you just have to know how to do it, which is the challenge,” said our instructor at the Hackney Society Wikithon this September at Hackney Archives.
The event brought together locals eager to learn the basics of Wikipedia editing and, ultimately, improve the representation of women connected to Hackney.
“An awful lot of women who’ve achieved so much don’t have a page simply because most Wikipedia editors don’t find them interesting. It’s time to change that,” said X.
The stats back this up: only 20% of English-language Wikipedia biographies are about women, a figure that has risen from 15% in recent years, but only after much campaigning.
A significant barrier is that new entries must be supported by verifiable, published sources, which has often not been the case for women in history. And why our Women From Hackney History series matters.
“I’ve written several pages simply because I googled a woman, found she didn’t have one, and got annoyed,” she explained. “Sometimes it’s taken me a couple of years to pull everything together.”
So, what makes a good Wikipedia entry?
Notability and verification – the subject must have been written about in reliable secondary sources. Primary documents, such as birth certificates, are not accepted.
Sensitivity – take care with living people, protecting privacy.
Conflict of interest – don’t edit pages about yourself, friends, or employers.
And, importantly, neutrality – in other words, just the facts.
“It has to be bland and unemotive,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean it can’t be powerful.”
One example is Andrea Enisuoh, featured in Women of Hackney History Volume One. After her page was edited, it appeared on Wikipedia’s homepage and drew over 2,500 views in a single day.
If you’re interested in getting involved, sign up for our newsletter to hear about the next Wikithon – there are plenty of women to choose from in the books, from suffragists and naturalists to stage performers and murderers.
And if you’re already editing, remember Wikipedia’s “Teahouse” – a friendly space where you can ask questions and get guidance.