A new Web site, Web encyclopedia (better known as a “wiki”) and student resource is picking up speed at the University of Massachusetts. The website, umasswiki.com, created by UMass graduate Gordon Morehouse and Smart Cat Media, acts like the well-known wikipedia.com by providing information and allowing users to edit or add content.

UMassWiki was founded nearly two years ago as an answer to frequently asked questions about the UMass community, but was created outside the classroom. Smart Cat Media, an alumnus-run business, helped create the site, though Morehouse, a 2007 computer science graduate, works as the site’s operator.

“UMassWiki’s primary mission is to make information about UMass and the surrounding communities available to students, faculty, alumni and

locals,” said Morehouse. “From a technical standpoint, the wiki allows multiple students to collaborate on a single page, which can be anything from an article about UMass to a paper for a class.”

In April 2007, the Web site already had a million hits. At the end of the spring semester, it received key upgrades, making the site move faster. The upgrade will prepare UMassWiki for a bigger crowd of users when classes start in September. At the same time, the site also changed its look to colors inspired by UMass of gray, maroon and white.

The front page of the Web site shows links to the most popular pages, including Bruno’s Pizza, a list of bars in Amherst and information on Southwest Residential Area, as well as important dates at UMass and a list of pages that need editing.

UMassWiki is one of the leading student-run wikis for a higher education community, alongside the wikis created at Columbia University (WikiCU), Oberlin College (OberWiki) and Duke University (Duiki).

The site will also be used to teach two classes this fall. Graduate student Stephanie Jo Kent, who teaches English 112 and Communications 375, will use UMassWiki as a peer editing tool.

“Every version of every article that ever existed is stored on the wiki, and there’s an easy way to compare any two versions to see what was added, deleted or changed,” said Morehouse. “This makes it a great platform for peer editing.”

Kent, a communications major, has already used the wiki to teach classes for three semesters, but will now make the site a much larger part of class as well as homework. Any user on UMassWiki, whether in Kent’s class or not, may view work done by students in the class and can even edit it. A list of the semester’s assignments and due dates are also available on the site.

“I believe the way UMassWiki can change the way students do work is through its strengths as a means for peer editing and review,” said Morehouse.