According to Wikipedia, Ward Cunningham originated the concept of a "wiki." He developed the original wiki, a computer science site called WikiWikiWeb. The name "wiki" is derived from the Hawaiian word "waka waka," which means fast.
NOTE is a student organization that provides students with an arena to put their knowledge of technology into practice. Club president Tosin Onafuwokan '08E said, "The club is an amorphous one because it literally does whatever its members are interested in learning or doing. Our hope is to excite learning and create useful applications for the community." Club members have helped to run other applications like the original RoomDraw site, the Student Directory, the New Athenian and PlanWorld.
Onafuwokan said the club developed NoteWiki to provide students, faculty and staff with a guide to life in Amherst and surrounding areas. The fact that they only started developing the program after one member had difficulty finding menus for certain establishments over summer reflects this purpose.
They hope that alumni will also contribute to the website, perhaps by describing their experiences after college. NoteWiki could potentially serve to bridge the gap between alumni and the College that inevitably sets in upon graduation.
Club members also realize that they're intruding into a space that was, until now, occupied almost exclusively by local magazine catalogues. However, they felt that a wiki would be a better way to inform people about life in the area because it would be constantly updated. Furthermore, a catalogue necessarily reflects the interests of a small group of people. "On the other hand," said lead wiki developer Justin Blanset '07. "A wiki is by the same people it is for, allowing it to fulfill those people's demands."
Club members similarly dismissed comparisons of NoteWiki with the New Athenian or the Daily Jolt. They pointed out that while these two applications were oriented towards online discussions, NoteWiki will serve a purely informative purpose. Blanset jokingly described NoteWiki as, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Pioneer Valley, but with a prettier front page."
But will NoteWiki be as successful as its predecessors? A small student population often described as "apathetic" could impede the likelihood of success. Kienan Greene '09E said, "I'd be interested in seeing what people have to say, but I might not add anything myself."
Aniruddh Rajashekhar '10 added, "It could be useful, I imagine, if you have guests over and you need to do something."
It may potentially be a very valuable source of information, but the problem is how to prod students into contributing to it.
Yuepeng Zheng '09 offered an answer. He said, "We need a core group of dedicated students to build up the site. If students see that the Amherst Wiki builds up quickly, it might actually be one of the most honest and valuable sources of information available."
Professor of Mathematics David Armacost thought NoteWiki could enlighten students about Amherst's rich and interesting history. He recounted stories about Amherst's Beacher Elms, the Frost Library and the Japanese Garden that many students are unaware of.
"It will be good to inform people about small things at Amherst that people don't know about," he said. However, he was reluctant to answer definitively when asked whether he thought NoteWiki would ultimately succeed.
Regardless, NOTE is doing everything it can to make this a successful venture. They hope to add movie reviews and RSS feeds, which are news headlines that are updated hourly. Still, they are aware of the fact that NoteWiki can only be as successful as students want to make it, and that it will take a while before NoteWiki is adequately populated.
They also said that the application is likely to change shape as more people contribute to it. "We hope that, as the wiki increases in popularity, it will begin a dialogue forum where people can have their requests for information met by their peers," said Justin.
Ultimately, there are people who are genuinely excited for it and others who are dismissive. Although most agreed that it's a promising program, some weren't sure that it would garner the attention that wikis require. Perhaps, as one NOTE member hinted, the fact that Williams has a fully functional wiki will spur people into activity.
NoteWiki can be accessed at wikis.amherst.edu/notewiki.