Paid-editing companies specializing in WP

[EricBarbour]

Has anyone devised a list of known companies that specialize in WP editing?
Leaving out general "reputation management", PR and SEO outfits.

So far I've got
MyWikiBiz
WikiStrategies/Forsyth
Wikipedia Writing
WikiExperts/Konanykhin
The amazing David King

Any others?

[thekohser]

William Beutler (Beutler Ink / Wiki Relations)

The Writers For Hire, Inc. (Wikipedia is not a primary front for them, though).

Where are you going with this, Eric, if anywhere?

Who is "Wikipedia Writing"? Would be helpful if you provided a link for each.

[Zoloft]

BNB Websites

Eastwick.com
Recent post

WikiPR

Legal Morning

[EricBarbour]

Where are you going with this, Eric, if anywhere?

I'm going to describe as many of these firms in the book as possible. And point out the ones that have insiders associated.

Who is "Wikipedia Writing"? Would be helpful if you provided a link for each.

http://wikipediawriters.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk: ... s_to_do_it
OMG OUTING!!!

I might add that Beutler created the article about his previous employer, New Media Strategies (T-H-L), openly, and was not harassed for it. Although there were a few aborted attempts to delete it. Also note this, on the article talkpage:

These guys did indeed engage in Koch brothers whitewashing (wikipedia's had a huge sockpuppetting discussion about this). They also got canned for Tweeting a bad word (which was the last straw as far as Chrysler was concerned). What source would be good enough, chzz, if thinkprogress isn't? These are going to come back to haunt these guys -- NMS I mean -- so it would be nice to see just what is good enough to be cited here. kctipton (talk) 14:12, 18 March 2011 (UTC)

For information, Beutler is a Wikiproject Oregon member, and close friend of Pete Forsyth.

[EricBarbour]

So, I just found WikiPR. Do any of those guys ring a bell? They've been spamming businesses to edit WP articles for years.
Why does the name Darius Fisher sound familiar?

[thekohser]

So, I just found WikiPR. Do any of those guys ring a bell? They've been spamming businesses to edit WP articles for years.
Why does the name Darius Fisher sound familiar?

Andreas and I were sniffing them out back in August 2012. Based on one of their website's "case studies", I was able to figure out in about 3 minutes which was one of their WP user accounts. I had a short e-mail exchange with Michael French, Fisher's business partner.

[EricBarbour]

Andreas and I were sniffing them out back in August 2012. Based on one of their website's "case studies", I was able to figure out in about 3 minutes which was one of their WP user accounts. I had a short e-mail exchange with Michael French, Fisher's business partner.

That's always gonna be a major problem with advertising for paid editing of WP -- it's helpful to use case studies, or at least mention
"satisfied customers". After which the SPI twits could figure out the socks/SPIs used. (Admittedly they often don't, being a bunch of
ha-ha-"volunteers"-ha-ha who often have personal axes to grind, and a few of them are after the same clients. But you get the idea.)

If the PR and "reputation management" industry, such as it is, really cared about this, they'd bribe Jimbo or twist his arm somehow,
to get the whole thing reformed. Instead we have this broken, insane mess, that crawls and flops along, year after year.

[HRIP7]

So, I just found WikiPR. Do any of those guys ring a bell? They've been spamming businesses to edit WP articles for years.
Why does the name Darius Fisher sound familiar?

Andreas and I were sniffing them out back in August 2012. Based on one of their website's "case studies", I was able to figure out in about 3 minutes which was one of their WP user accounts. I had a short e-mail exchange with Michael French, Fisher's business partner.

Yeah. And then they deleted the case study from their website.

[WWB]

Bill Beutler here—longtime listener, first-time caller. Two points of clarification:

• I've only met Pete Forsyth once, at an edit-a-thon he organized here in DC. Seems like a fine fellow, but I hardly know him.

• I stand by the work I did for Koch Industries during my time at NMS 100%. This was the pre-Bright Line era, but even then I went to Talk first and was especially careful around topics relating to environmental and safety issues. I left the firm at the end of July 2010, and haven't followed the article since.

[tarantino]

Bill Beutler here—longtime listener, first-time caller. Two points of clarification:

• I've only met Pete Forsyth once, at an edit-a-thon he organized here in DC. Seems like a fine fellow, but I hardly know him.

• I stand by the work I did for Koch Industries during my time at NMS 100%. This was the pre-Bright Line era, but even then I went to Talk first and was especially careful around topics relating to environmental and safety issues. I left the firm at the end of July 2010, and haven't followed the article since.

Welcome, WWB.

I watched you recently on Wikipedia Weekly #101. Your comments were interesting, particularly the one at 7 minutes 30 seconds.

[EricBarbour]

Bill Beutler here—longtime listener, first-time caller. Two points of clarification:

• I've only met Pete Forsyth once, at an edit-a-thon he organized here in DC. Seems like a fine fellow, but I hardly know him.

• I stand by the work I did for Koch Industries during my time at NMS 100%. This was the pre-Bright Line era, but even then I went to Talk first and was especially careful around topics relating to environmental and safety issues. I left the firm at the end of July 2010, and haven't followed the article since.

Thanks, Bill. Yes, you were a lot more careful than most paid editors. Not that it helped in your dealings with Wikipedians.

I'm writing this subject up for our book about Wikipedia's history. Might need your help later. Obviously I have a somewhat incomplete view of it.

[HRIP7]

Bill Beutler here—longtime listener, first-time caller. Two points of clarification:

• I've only met Pete Forsyth once, at an edit-a-thon he organized here in DC. Seems like a fine fellow, but I hardly know him.

• I stand by the work I did for Koch Industries during my time at NMS 100%. This was the pre-Bright Line era, but even then I went to Talk first and was especially careful around topics relating to environmental and safety issues. I left the firm at the end of July 2010, and haven't followed the article since.

Welcome.

[WWB]

Thanks, all.

@tarantino—I had to go back and look to remember what I'd said; I'm afraid I don't have much more to add at the moment, but I think it's an interesting topic. And I'm still very skeptical that the attorney-plaintiff would not be considered a limited-purpose public figure.

@EricBarbour—Actually, most of my on-wiki interactions while representing clients are cordial and constructive. I've had the occasional disagreement or hostile editor, but more often the difficulty is simply finding an editor to look at something for me. "There is no deadline", after all. I'd be happy to discuss more off-forum, if you'd like.

[thekohser]

So, I just found WikiPR. Do any of those guys ring a bell? They've been spamming businesses to edit WP articles for years.
Why does the name Darius Fisher sound familiar?

Andreas and I were sniffing them out back in August 2012. Based on one of their website's "case studies", I was able to figure out in about 3 minutes which was one of their WP user accounts. I had a short e-mail exchange with Michael French, Fisher's business partner.

Yeah. And then they deleted the case study from their website.

Looks like these guys are going to be back in the news, but not related to Wikipedia.

[Vigilant]

So, I just found WikiPR. Do any of those guys ring a bell? They've been spamming businesses to edit WP articles for years.
Why does the name Darius Fisher sound familiar?

Andreas and I were sniffing them out back in August 2012. Based on one of their website's "case studies", I was able to figure out in about 3 minutes which was one of their WP user accounts. I had a short e-mail exchange with Michael French, Fisher's business partner.

Yeah. And then they deleted the case study from their website.

Looks like these guys are going to be back in the news, but not related to Wikipedia.

They're a pair of shitheels regardless of venue.