Welcome to Ithaca Wiki, business owner! Because you're part of the Ithaca community, we'd love to have you become a part of the wiki community. Here's an introduction that might help get you started on the right track.
A few things to keep in mind:
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Please read the page on the Importance of using your RealName. While editing as "BusinessName", is better than editing as "FakeName", using your "RealName" either "FirstNameLastName" or "FirstInitialLastName" or "FirstNameLastInitial" adds credibility to your edits and your business.
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You can use the wiki to engage your customers in a productive dialog that will demonstrate your customer service to everyone who reads the page about your business.
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You can add plenty of useful content to your business' page, but it is edited by the entire wiki community. That includes, but is not limited to, you.
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Please understand that even though the page is about your business, the page belongs to the community. So generally, business pages are written in the third person rather than the first person ("they offer" instead of "we offer"). And while detail about your business, including special offers, is welcome, please try to avoid having the entry read like advertisement.
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Often times people will leave negative reviews. Don't worry too much about this; look at the pages for other businesses (your not the only one). Take a deep breath— customers sometimes forget that business owners have feelings, and write things that are much harsher than they would be willing to say in person. One thing that can be done is to include the following code right before the [[Comments]] macro: [[Include(AboutReviews)]].
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The wiki is a great place to explain policies that customers may not be familiar with. For example, the restaurant guide and tipping pages illustrate a few policies from an industry standpoint. Several businesses have taken the opportunity to respond to comments and in doing so have cleared up misconceptions about standard business practices. They educated not only those who left the comment, but all who read their response.
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Both you and your customers have important things to say, so don't remove their comments. The customs are being established now for archiving old comments from business pages so that past performance will not outweigh recent changes. The wiki isn't anti-business, but we are pro-consumer and need your input to help us achieve a good balance. Also, all edits remain in the page history, so simply removing them will appear to be an attempt to cover up problems. Try addressing the problem directly - it looks good when you leave a (friendly) reply explaining or offering to resolve any problems that patrons have noted on your page.
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Sometimes people will add untrue stories or facts. Note that before wikis existed these things were being said about your business through phone conversations and physical conversations. The wiki is a great advantage for you in this regard because instead of these stories being whispered behind your back, you now have an opportunity to address any rumors, bizarre anecdotes or out and out lies floating around Ithaca. Keep in mind that simply trying to delete the stories from the wiki won't remove them from regular day to day sidewalk conversations, and it may just make it look like you are trying to "hide" things. While it can be frustrating to read incorrect information, patiently addressing your customer's comment or clarifying what happened gives you an opportunity to respond to the things people are saying about your business on the streets of Ithaca. It also makes it look like you really care about your customers.
That being said, use the wiki! The traffic generated by the wiki makes it the ideal place to get the word out about what you offer. Do you sell a unique product? Do you offer hard to find services? Let people know! Also, if you need to update prices, contact info, or store hours, doing it on the wiki is by far the most efficient way to inform customers. Above all else, don't shy away from adding to the content of your page because you feel obligated to first respond to specific user comments. Your role on the wiki is whatever you want it to be, so do whatever you feel best serves your business interests.
Just keep in mind that it is an effort by the community to document itself: Everything is written by a group of people...just like it would be by the Ithaca Times or the Cornell Daily Sun... but unlike in a newspaper article the records are open: there is no such thing as a "staff article". Each individual editor is tracked, and as a result, each individual line can be accounted for. As a result, the process is more open and auditable (click the "Info" icon on any entry, and you can see the entire history of exactly who wrote what). In addition, businesses have the ability to respond directly, as opposed to a newspaper review. If the Ithaca Times gives your business a negative review, you have no real recourse. Here on the wiki, you can address a negative review and answer the individual directly and publicly. It is sometimes a bit alarming to realize that there are people saying negative things about your business, but the people who are saying those things are already complaining to their friends and peers, often on various websites and their private internet blogs. The wiki gives you an equal and open forum to address their complaints... and most businesses find that their happy tenants and customers step up to defend them as well. Fundamentally, when it comes to content on the wiki, everybody in the community is equal. That means that the tenants/customer/clients have a say, but unlike a newspaper article or traditional website, so does the business owner. The entire community has an opportunity to have input equally, including you. Please respect that.
In general, if it is part of Ithaca, eventually somebody adds it to the wiki. You (as part of the Ithaca community) are more than encouraged to contribute. Most editors will also work to help you as much as we can: we all want to make sure the wiki is as factually correct and up to date as possible. If you have any specific questions about anything, always feel free to ask.
