At AltDaily, a common topic of discussion is “what does Hampton Roads need?”

Local celebrity, Hollywood | (Photo: Matthew Prescott)

By common, I mean every single day, several times a day. One thing we all agreed on was that there was no central repository of local information that the community could access and edit at will, so we created one using wiki software. Over the past few weeks we’ve been adding content to get it rolling.

What’s a Wiki?

For those unfamiliar with the wiki concept–and if that’s you then please walk away slowly from the computer and call someone for help using your rotary phone–it’s a software package that runs on the back end of a website to allow visitors to create and edit the content of the site. The most popular wiki is Wikipedia.org, which is the online repository for all things completely true, and the killer of door-to-door salesmen. Wikis are easy to use, and the articles are posted instantly– moderators check in routinely to clean-up articles and enforce the policies, but the content is truly user-generated.

How the AltWiki Works

For launch we’ve broken the wiki down into five sections, all separated by cities or regions:

Eat – Local opinions of restaurants. Not reviews, just opinions.

Drink – A nice, concise list of where to get all liquored up.

Be Merry – Looking for something to do? We have you covered.

Local Celebrities – Some pretty awesome people live in Hampton Roads. Find out more about them here.

Urban Legends – These fine cities have been around quite a while, in American terms, and so there are bound to be some interesting tales to tell. Let’s hear ‘em!

These sections may change to adapt to feedback from users. That’s the beautiful thing about a wiki – it’s completely adaptable. It’s also a lot of fun to post to. Anyone can add content any time they wish, just by registering for free. Once your account is created, you can login and review the tutorial to get you started.

Some Ground Rules

Let’s all keep it civil, fun and honest. The wiki is a place for fun local facts, not gossip. Let’s not turn this into an electronic version of The View. The View is dumb.

It’s up to you now, Hampton Roads. Make AltWiki your own.