The City of Gainesville is asking residents to contribute information to its new wiki page.
A wiki is a website that allows users to post and edit information. Gainesville’s citizen-driven wiki was created as a way for residents to communicate with each other about anything from transportation issues to restaurant specials, said Gainesville City Commissioner Lauren Poe.
“I think it’s important for the city to offer multiple ways to be involved with their community,” Poe said. “This has the potential to make the city of Gainesville a better place if residents will get involved.”
Samantha Wolfe, senior analyst in Gainesville’s Administration Services Department, said the wiki can combine a variety of information in one place. For example, a single wiki page can show the local businesses that offer birthday deals, she said. The page would display maps, menus, links to other pages and anything else that might be relevant.
“We want there to be a community-driven effort to show the great aspects of the city of Gainesville,” Wolfe said.
Justin Marlin, a Gainesville native and UF alumnus, said a localized wiki will give students, families and visitors the opportunity to find many of the city’s “hidden gems.”
“The wiki would be a wealth of information about Gainesville written and maintained by the heartbeat of Gainesville — its residents,” Marlin said.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 4/14/2014 under the headline "Input wanted for city wiki"]
