Searchengineland has an interesting article today about different methods one could hypothetically use to manipulate a wikipedia entry.

Manipulate may actually be too strong a word, as you can't really manipulate a wiki for an extended period of time (as another member of the community will undo your edits). Instead, you can make subtle changes to a wiki entry to influence the readers impression of its content.

For example, as suggested by searchengineland.com:

1. Add content to the top of the entry, pushing content you don't want people to read below the fold.

2. Change the organization method (i.e. lettering/numbering) to influence what people focus on. If volume numbers are quoted without sources, erase them with an explanation that they have no reference.

3. Manufacture paragraphs which hide negative content. People rarely read full paragraphs - make sure the first and last sentence of each is positive.

4. Super-extend a post: Internet users are lazy - the length of a wikipedia entry is directly proportional to the likeliness it will be read completely.

5. Include pictures to draw attention away from statistics. Use different sized pictures to push negative content in a low visibility area.

Just on a side note, does anyone else find it ironic that searchengineland.com does not have search engine friendly URLs?