Question about Wikipedia use of my name. My real name.

[aquart]

They refer to me as a film scholar and quote me about a movie I never saw. My name is NOT common. I have always been pretty clear that I'm the only one who has it. But I do have cousins I've never met.

I know you can edit Wikipedia. If that's MY name being falsely represented (not maliciously, but giving me credit I never earned and don't deserve), I want it out of there. But if there IS a film scholar with my name...then she should stay in the piece.

I'm seriously confused. Is there a protocol for this?

[NMDemDist2]

1. contact wiki admins with your questions n/t

[Tesha]

2. Wikipedia takes very seriously questions about "Biographies of Living Persons"

Wikipedia takes very seriously questions about
"Biographies of Living Persons"; see the topic
WP:BLP on the encyclopedia.

Yes, the Wiki administrators should be happy to
assist you, assuming that you can document your
actual identity.

Tesha

[aquart]

3. Well, it turns out it was a cousin I never met.

She's written books, done an op ed in the NYT...but her first name is NOT the same as mine and I don't know anyone who knows the both of us and would accidentally put mine instead of hers. I edited the change. I even saw her picture. She looks like a cross between my sister and another cousin.

Then I had to go out and buy chocolate because she's done so much better with her life than I have.

Oh, and I emailed her to tell her I'd done it.

Did I do that right or have I violated some protocol?

[Rex]

4. Maybe she will be happy to learn of a relative she didn't know.

Sounds right to me.

[aquart]

6. She knows. I've been getting her phone calls for decades.

Since we're both A. Quart. That's originally how I found out about her. My mother explained the relationship but I don't remember it except that someone on her mother's side performed the weddings for both my uncle and my mom. Loooonnng time ago.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. If you're really concerned about who did the Wikipedia entry

you can track down when the change was made using their change history system - you can look at a version a year ago, if it wasn't there then look at a version 6 months ago, and so on. You can also compare 2 versions side by side.

That then gets you down to either a Wikipedia username, or an IP address. If it's the latter, you won't be able to track it further - but you could look if they made other changes to the article at the same time, and that might reassure you it was a harmless mistake, perhaps. If it's a username, you can look at what else they write in Wikipedia, which again might tell you if they meant something by using your name rather than your cousin's.