As we prepare to move into the next generation of the Linguistic Atlas Project website, we now must engage in theoretical discussion about a critical issue in DH: how to democratize online information in accordance with what has become known as Web 2.0. The LAP has long-standing authority within academic discussions of the development and characteristics of the different varieties of American English. One of the goals of the LAP editors is the expansion of the use of LAP data by non-linguists. In order to reach a new, wider audience we plan to create a "Teaching and Sharing" extension of the LAP website, which raises the question: how do we, as sponsors of the LAP website, negotiate authority with participation; in short, how do we let people participate without letting go of the authoritative nature of the website? This presentation addresses this question along with some possible answers.