In a bid to position itself as an online industry authority and snare some search traffic, Foot Locker has launched Sneakerpedia, a Wikipedia for sneakerheads.

Though modeled after Wikipedia, the site, which launched officially (it has been in beta) on May 17, differs in several respects. There are no writeups, just information about the year a shoe was launched, its brand, type (basketball, running, etc.), the material it’s made of and the color.

The entries also let users record their “personal sneaker stories” and look for related sneakers. At the moment, there’s no link to buy any of the sneakers online. Foot Locker’s branding is also restrained — there’s just one “Powered by Foot Locker” mention below the Speakerpedia logo.

Matt Powell, an analyst with SportsONESource, a sporting goods industry news portal, says Sneakerpedia is a “very clever idea,” which will associate Foot Locker with the sneakerhead community. Unlike the influential sneakerhead sites which are focused on future releases, Sneakerpedia has more of a backward focus, which might find an audience. “The hope is, this will give them more street credibility,” Powell says. “Foot Locker doesn’t get all the shoes out there, but this says ‘We get the culture.’” It’s also likely to get some search traffic, especially as the site becomes more robust.

Sneakerpedia launches as Foot Locker thrives under new management, which was installed about 18 months ago. On the marketing front, the chain has gotten some attention with a video featuring the Cool Kids performing a song on behalf of Nike that’s gotten 2.5 million views on YouTube since it hit on April 8.