So what is this all about?

Better Alamance Wiki is a collaborative project to build a repository of interesting information about Alamance County, North Carolina. Everyone is welcome to add and update pages on the wiki.

What is a wiki?

A wiki is a set of web pages that visitors are encouraged to edit from their browsers, and generally reflect updates and changes in real time. Wikipedia -- "the encyclopedia that anyone can edit" -- is likely the world’s largest and best-known wiki. Sites like wikia.com host wikis devoted to topics ranging from Pokemon to weddings to World War II, and Elon University's technology help desk provides support via the Technology Wiki.

What is a Localwiki?

A more recent development is the creation of "local wikis," or wikis that are focused on local, geographic communities (check out a demo video here). The Davis (California) Wiki is used by residents for everything from learning about local news and local history to helping return lost pets to their owners — and it's become the largest, most used media source in the city. Closer to home, the Triangle Wiki helps residents share information on topics ranging from places to plug in electric cars to the Hopscotch Music Festival.

Check out Localwiki for more information about the software that runs this site, as well as other Localwikis being built around the US and world. Here's a cool video created by the Localwiki team that might help explain the concept:

LocalWiki Demo from philipntest on Vimeo.

Who is running the site?

Better Alamance Wiki was launched and is maintained by lackaff and his students at Elon University. Please get in touch if you would like to get more involved, discuss collaborations and new projects, or have any questions!