Hackpad aims to build a better wiki with real-time updating

Creating and managing a wiki can take work. It requires a special syntax to format your text and build out the wiki how you’d like it. Hackpad is trying to make the wiki fresh again, with real-time updating and no special text editor.

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“Hackpad is easy to edit, works in real-time, and is simple to share,” said co-founder Alex Graveley.

Hackpad is aiming to create a better option for collaborating than the traditional wiki or Google Docs. Hackpad uses color coding to show which authors have contributed which content. When someone makes a change to the wiki, all the collaborators are emailed. You can also send an email to update the wiki, without having to visit the wiki page. A simple, but useful feature is the ability to create a new page by just typing @ before the page title link.

Hackpad has more features than a traditional wiki, such as in-line photos, check lists, and a smoother text editing format. Companies can use it for collaborative work between co-workers, and everything typed into the wiki is updated in real-time.

The company says its users are creating 1,000 new documents per week and that 400 companies are using its beta service. Thee service is simple, but looks clean and makes using a wiki much easier.

Hackpad is one of 39 companies presenting at Y Combinator’s Demo Day Spring 2012 event. Check out other cool companies making their debut here.