Compete has some interesting data on the top Wikipedia articles for February and March.
It is quite apparent that Wikiepdia is the destination of choice for people looking for more information about people in the news as Eliot Spitzer demonstrates. Spitzer’s Wikiepedia page saw a 5316% increase in views after news of his scandal broke.
Most popular articles on Wikipedia during February 2008.
- Barack Obama – 553,364 Views
- John McCain – 266,661
- Miley Cyrus – 186,851
- Wikipedia – 167,925
- Naruto – 163,817
- Chinese New Year – 134,950
- No Child Left Behind – 132,270
- Hillary Clinton – 123,609
- Valentine’s Day – 119,302
- Heath Ledger – 115,058
Most popular articles on Wikipedia during March 2008.
- Barack Obama – 279,568 Views
- Easter – 233,967
- Eliot Spitzer – 207,095
- Naruto - 157,027
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl – 152,957
- Miley Cryus - 149,262
- Sex – 137,721
- John McCain – 136,448
- Kim Kardashian – 134,448
- Saint Patrick’s Day – 132,912
What surprised me the most from the data was how many people use Wikipedia for current events searches like Easter, Saint Patrick’s Day and Chinese New Year. Wikipedia’s Easter page for example was its second most viewed page in March, trailing only the page on Barack Obama.
Wikipedia is a preferred destination for people who want to learn more about a person or subject. For companies whose business model is built around proving that type of information, the growing power of Wikipedia has to be threatening.
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