% Influencing Wikipedia Readers
% Michael Stone
% October 6, 2012

Almost 30 years ago, Robert Cialdini wrote a classic book, ["Influence"], on
six principles underlying common compliance tactics.

Shortly after reading his book, I realized that the [perspectives] I'd seen so
far on getting more people to edit Wikimedia felt incomplete: none seemed to
address Cialdini's basic claims about how we get people to do things:

  Mnemonic    Principle            Description
  ------      --------------       --------------------------------------------------
  **R**       reciprocation        We experience strong social and internal
                                   pressures to reciprocate gift-giving. The
                                   gift-giver can often choose the form of
                                   reciprocation.
  **C**       commitment &         We usually strive to act in ways that are
              consistency          consistent with our own self-image. Even small
                                   changes in our self-images resulting from new
                                   commitments can produce large and lasting
                                   changes in our behavior.
  **P**       social proof         When uncertain about how to behave, we tend to
                                   mimic *visible* bystanders who resemble us.
  **L**       liking               We are more willing to do things for people we
                                   like or find attractive.
  **A**       authority            We respond to authority, both real and imagined.
  **S**       scarcity             We covet scarce goods over abundant ones,
                                   especially in competitive situations, and we
                                   fear loss more than we enjoy gain.


As for how these principles can be applied...? Here are three rough thoughts:

  1. *R, C*: Ask people who've used Wikipedia intensely in the recent past to
     make an edit or to send a thank-you note, through Wikipedia, to one of the
     authors of the pages they were using.

  2. *P, L*: Get some editors who resemble the demographic(s) you'd like to
     grow in to encourage (in person, in social media, in on-page ads...)
     readers to edit.

  3. *A, S*: Ask some local authority figures -- professors, mayors, first
     ladies -- to praise/thank local editors.

----

P.S. - (Got other ideas? If so, please write about them and send me a link!)

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Tai: How is Wikipedia already doing this?
Tai: How are other sites doing this?

Bts: Standard principles of behavior formation should be a link!

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["Influence"]: http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X
[perspectives]: ../wikipedia-20120704/