Why a Grassroots Information Site?

People who build grassroots information sites have a deep interest in a particular topic (see Figure A6.2) and have scoured the Web to build a comprehensive picture of that topic. Initially they might want a Web site for purely personal reasons, but eventually, realizing the value that their site could provide to others in need, the authors post their pages and let others read the information, reference it, and act on it.

Figure A6.2. Grassroots sites can be one person's attempt to right a wrong in his or her community. This site publicized the disrepair of a set of public staircases and energized the community to pressure the city to repair the damage.

(www.landsharks.net/landsharks/stairs, August 26, 2001)