HTYP

HTYP is the HyperText Yellow Pages. This might seem a little redundant at first, but on the other hand most online yellow pages directories seem to be little more than searchable databases with plain text content and very little in the way of hyperlinks. Sometimes they will link to a business web site, but that's about it. HTYP goes far beyond that by allowing anyone to make new entries, create new pages, and even write reviews – basically anything relevant to any of the subjects HTYP covers.

HTYP has two major subject areas at present:

• A location-oriented directory (the "Here & There Yellow Pages")
• An (eventual) encyclopedia of practical knowledge (the "How-To Yellow Pages")

The HT in HTYP also refers to The HypertWiki, where the wikified version of HTYP was first tested.

History

HTYP has its origins in an earlier project on the web starting around 1997 (before Google, before dmoz.org). The Red House Yellow Pages (archive), which I had to abandon because the time spent maintaining it was beginning to be a drain – in part because people were starting to use it, and wanted to add listings; in other words, it was killed by the beginnings of its potential success.

Wiki software, however, makes it possible for anyone to add a listing, thus removing the single-admin bottleneck. HTYP was re-started in wiki format on the HypertWiki as a test in early 2005, and was moved to htyp.org beginning 2005-10-09 (John Lennon's birthday, by coincidence; this date was arrived at mainly because MediaWiki 1.5 had just become available) as it had became plain that the format could work, and would work better in its own framework rather than being mingled with the other information on the HypertWiki.

Redundancy

How HTYP is different from other available resources:

• Wikipedia: HTYP is less formal and is aimed at being more practical. Content on HTYP may be opinionated and personal. You can even advertise on HTYP, within limits, at no charge. Where Wikipedia attempts to be authoritative, HTYP is more like a huge (but organized and searchable) collection of working notes. Information on HTYP may be incorrect, but since HTYP is a wiki, anyone can fix any mistake they see (see this for a discussion of how this works).
• The Open Directory Project:
  • HTYP does not require an approval process before you can start editing.
  • HTYP's wiki format allows much more flexibility in the kinds of content which can be posted.
  • HTYP encourages articles as well as links
  • HTYP encourages uploading of relevant images and audio
• new 2006-02-10: yellowikis, apparently created in September 2005, seems to be taking on part of HTYP's mission, though with a slightly different direction

Here & There

HTYP is a directory of every place known, starting at the Earth and moving both outwards and inwards.

How To

HTYP is a directory of practical knowledge, e.g. how-to information, consumer product reviews, technology updates, and anything else that seems useful or interesting.

Related Projects

• Issuepedia: an encyclopedia of issues and related discussion