The Importance of Market Research and the Struggle with Notability on Wikipedia

The Importance of Market Research and the Struggle with Notability on Wikipedia

Introduction:
As an entrepreneur, one of the biggest questions you may ask yourself is whether anyone will care about your new product. Building a product that taps into a large market with pre-existing demand can make things easier. Many successful companies, such as Google, Facebook, and Apple, entered their respective markets late but effectively competed with differentiated products to win. In order to determine the market potential for your product, it's crucial to conduct market research. One tool that can greatly assist in this process is Google's Keyword Tool. On the other hand, the struggle to define notability on platforms like Wikipedia remains a contentious issue. This article will explore the importance of market research and the challenges faced by creators on Wikipedia.

Market Research with Google's Keyword Tool:
When it comes to market research, it's essential to validate how mainstream a product category is. By using the Google Keyword Tool, you can gauge the level of demand and understanding for your product category. If the tool shows low search numbers for keywords related to your business, it may indicate that mainstream users don't understand or care about your product. In such cases, it's important to steer your product towards a category with millions of pre-existing consumer searches, as this demonstrates mainstream understanding and demand. Additionally, the tool can help you find the right words to describe your product. If your high-concept pitch generates millions of searches, it's a positive sign. However, it's crucial to remember that sometimes you may find millions of users searching for something that doesn't exist yet. In such cases, it presents a great opportunity if you can execute a compelling product.

The Struggle with Notability on Wikipedia:
Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, has its own challenges when it comes to defining notability. Out of the 1.7 million biographies on the platform, only 20% feature women. This highlights the subjectivity of notability as a notion. To tackle this issue, Wikipedia has set detailed guidelines for satisfying notability. The more reputable secondary media coverage a biographical subject has, the more likely their biography will be approved. However, the lack of clear criteria for notability can make it a vague and subjective decision left to the reviewers. Additionally, the credibility of publications cited on Wikipedia pages may vary depending on the country and the reviewer's subjective judgment.

The Importance of Secondary Sources:
One crucial aspect of notability on Wikipedia is the reliance on secondary sources. Mainstream publications like The Wall Street Journal are often considered reliable sources, while gaming or esports news publications may not meet Wikipedia's standards. This can create a discrepancy, as creators and their achievements may be covered extensively within their respective communities but not recognized by Wikipedia due to the lack of coverage in mainstream publications. It raises the question of whether content creators should be able to establish their own notability based on their impact and audience growth.

The Influence of Wikipedia:
Wikipedia plays a significant role in shaping the media landscape, just as the media influences Wikipedia. The struggle to define a creator's notability on a large, free source of knowledge like Wikipedia becomes increasingly relevant as the Creator Revolution continues to surge forward. Currently, the gatekeeping of information sharing on Wikipedia is primarily done by a small group of editors, with 90% of the top editors being male. This lack of diversity and representation may contribute to the biases and challenges faced by creators seeking recognition.

Conclusion:
Market research is a crucial step for entrepreneurs to determine the potential success of their products. Google's Keyword Tool provides valuable insights into market demand and helps refine product positioning. However, the struggle with notability on platforms like Wikipedia highlights the need for a more inclusive and diverse approach to recognizing creators' contributions. To navigate these challenges, here are three actionable advice:

1. Conduct thorough market research using tools like Google's Keyword Tool to validate your product category and refine your product positioning.
2. Engage with diverse communities and platforms to establish your own notability through impact and audience growth.
3. Advocate for more inclusive and diverse representation in platforms like Wikipedia to ensure fair recognition for creators.

By combining effective market research with a push for inclusivity and recognition, entrepreneurs and creators can increase their chances of success in today's competitive landscape.