Q: I don’t know how to use AltBase
Short guide here. Longer version incoming as we finalize UI changes.
Q: I don’t understand what AltBase is
AltBase.net is a collaborative database/browser platform dedicated to archiving and organizing contrarian information on science, economics, sociology, or psychology for reference purposes. The goal of AltBase is to give users the ability to quickly reference literature and related infographics through keywords and other helpful linkages – for posting on the internet, writing papers, or sharing IRL. You could compare AltBase to other citation management tools that already exist such as Zotero or Citavi. Basically, AltBase is a “short-cut” to substantiate any points/opinions you want to share without a clumsy (“optimized”) Google search.
AltBase is an in-progress project – and the 90s-tier, TempleO-esque version active now is the product of mostly one person with relatively little experience. Find us on saidit if you want to ask questions, provide feedback, or help us out.
Q: How can I help improve AltBase?
You can help by adding content and editing existing content (just create an account, do not provide PI) or reaching out to us on SaidIt.
Q: When was this project started?
Around mid-2017. AltBase went through a few offline iterations before becoming a fully-functioning web-based product in 2020. As of now (June 2021), AltBase is primarily run and maintained by a single person (AltBaseGuy) who lives an otherwise normal life and contributes to AltBase in his free time.
Q: What is the relationship with TheAlternativeHypothesis.org (AltHype)?
There is no affiliation. The similar namesake is a coincidence – ‘AltBase’ was conceived of when “Alt-Right” became a popular term (Alternative-Right Database) but TheAlternativeHypothesis.org predates this phenomenon by several years – a fact the main contributor has remarked on before. The term “Alt-Right” has fallen out of favor since then, so the project might be re-branded in the future.
Q: How is AltBase different from something like Metapedia?
Metapedia has great content – but it is not ideal for quickly referencing related topics, or posting (source-supported) claims or images elsewhere on the web. Leftists and non-aligned centrists will also never visit Metapedia, and view it as illegitamte. As such, it cannot be directly linked – you would need to provide a direct link to the supporting sources for whatever you are trying to substantiate.
Here is a better way to to think of the distinction: Metapedia is a collection of user-submitted articles that draw conclusions and make assertions using a variety of sources as support. AltBase contains no articles of its own – it is just a catalog of the many quotes, claims, and conclusions that describe relevant literature, with each “Claim” and “Source” being its own record. A standardized list of topics (‘#tags’) allow for linkages between different claims and sources, so that users can easily query and target the main points of relevant literature in seconds, without having to read full articles or papers. AltBase is almost the opposite of Metapedia, in that someone might use AltBase to write an article they would later submit to Metapedia.
Q: Hatefacts / Library of Hate
This wrongthink repository was the basis for the starting data set for AltBase. Broken links, links to blogs, no data on source material, and the fact that there was no mechanism for feedback could all be considered partial inspirations for the AltBase concept. At the time the AltBase began, the archive served as the starting point. Around 2017-2018, there was a new website that underwent a re-branding but is now defunct.
Q: Affiliations and Endorsements
This site contains references to other groups and websites but the project has no affiliation with these or other organizations.
Q: General “funding”
We are not accepting any donations at this time
Q: Holohoax?
No. Further explanation here
Q: Cookies Warning
Some users will get a cookies warning when accessing any WordPress site. WordPress.org uses cookies across their services – but we have no access to these.
Q: “Not Secure”
We have to renew our (free) SSL routinely and sometimes we lapse and aren’t diligent about that. If you don’t trust http then come back in a few days when it becomes https again
Q: IP Logging
We don’t and won’t log IPs – but we utilize hardware/software that probably could and might do so without our knowledge. Stay safe and use a VPN when possible.
ALTBASE 