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Headine: Davis Wiki Hits 10,000-Page Milestone; User-Edited Website Receives Top Honors for Community Education, Awareness

DAVIS, CA – Davis Wiki (daviswiki.org), a community-created resource about everything in Davis, CA — from recycling to llamas — hit the 10,000-page milestone this week, solidifying its place as the first and most active wiki for a local community in the world.

“Raw size isn't everything,” says site co-founder Philip Neustrom. “There are a lot of other factors that determine how successful this is — things like how many people are involved, how useful is the information to the people in the community? We have 10,000 pages, but the real question is: Are we helping provide something useful, interesting and fun to our community?”

That question was answered by the Davis Human Relations Council last week with a resounding “yes” when it decided to award Davis Wiki the Thong H. Huynh Award for Community Education and Awareness. The award is given to organizations that promote positive human relations, civil rights, cultural awareness and peaceful means of conflict resolution. According to Ward Cunningham, the creator of the wiki format, "Just about every page I landed on had something interesting in it. It has a lot of character. It made me want to go to Davis."

The Davis Wiki has become a space where restaurants are reviewed, local organizations post information about themselves, and Davis residents and UC Davis students can share everything they know about the town they call home. The genius of the wiki format is its simplicity — anyone can log on and add or improve content. Experience with Web editing is not necessary.

Three years ago, then-UC Davis undergraduates Philip Neustrom and Michael Ivanov started the Davis Wiki with a simple goal: Collect all the interesting and amazing things they learned about Davis in one spot, and let other people help and build on what they knew. The project launched in October 2004 and quickly grew to become the most detailed and comprehensive "community wiki" in the world. Neustrom feels this was a remarkable achievement.

“I think it's great that we've hit 10,000 pages and that the Davis Wiki continues to grow,” said Davis Wiki contributor Graham Freeman. “But I'm especially excited about the Thong H. Huynh Award. The fact that the city of Davis is honoring this community-driven Web site lends additional validation to the idea that wikis can be used to really build and maintain community.”

“This is, without a doubt, the first time that a wiki has been recognized by a local government. It really says a lot about how far we've come, both from a technological perspective and as a forward-thinking community here in Davis. It's really remarkable!” said Neustrom.

Neustrom plans to help bring the power of community wikis to other cities through a new nonprofit organization called Wiki Spot (wikispot.org).

"Lots of people living in different places and having different interests wanted to set up wikis for their communities. We helped a few people set up wikis, and helped provide a home to the Rochester Wiki, Santa Cruz Wiki, a housing co-op, Chico Wiki, and the Pittsburgh Wiki. But we didn't really have the proper infrastructure to accommodate a lot of different communities and do so in a way that let them have complete control over their wikis. And what we've been working on — Wiki Spot — does just that." Neustrom said.

Press Contacts

Call or email us for more info!

Philip Neustrom
Davis Wiki co-founder, lead Wiki Spot programmer, Benevolent Dictator for life
[email protected]

Graham Freeman
Davis Wiki Board of Directors member, Wiki Spot volunteer
[email protected]

Arlen Abraham
Davis Wiki Board of Directors member, Wiki Spot volunteer
[email protected]