Sure, the first "W" in "WWW" stands for "World," but don't sleep — there's a gaggle of content on the World Wide Web designed to hit audiences very close to home. And yes — believe it or not — even here in good old Charlotte. Denizens of the Q.C. are busy posting tons of blogs, podcasts, photos, MySpace pages and more on the Internet seemingly every second of the day. Curious to see how your neighbors have influenced cyberspace? Well, check out the following piece and decide whether our local online superstars are reppin' the city properly ... or not.
Get Yo' PARTY On(line)
Charlotte Webmasters love to party ... and then get online and tell the world about it. Here's a taste of some the city's most popular party-centric sites:
LazyDay
Lazyday.com is the place to see and be seen. The site is home to a group of intrepid photographers who seem to slide into every bar in the city to snap pics of drunken partiers and buxom blondes. A recent "Bud Light Photo of the Week," however, featured a lot more color: two Asian gals and their two-fisting friend (no not that kind of fisting). Looking for your personal mug? Hit the Photos tab at the top of the screen to find your picture from the night before.
Charlotte DNoche
An events calendar with a Latin slant is the best way to describe Charlotte.dnoche.com. The first thing you see after logging on and bypassing the list of photo galleries is a press release for Wisin y Yandel, a reggaeton duo that garnered "Artist of the Month" honors from MTV's Tr3s. That is, if you can tear your eyes away from the neon images of a woman, a butt and a group of friends pulsating on the Charlotte skyline. The coolest part of the site is the videos: artist interviews, comedy, live concerts and a candid camera category called "Gotcha!"
Charlotte Vibe
If you want to be informed on a little of everything that going's on in Charlotte -- with an urban twist -- visit Charlottevibe.com. This site seems to have it all: a calendar of social events, freebies (like tickets to an advance screening of This Christmas -- the movie destined to take over where Soul Food left off), reviews and even editorials.
Mingleberry
The subhead for Mingleberry.com is "The Queen City Scene." And they ain't lying. This site is all about what's going down in the streets ... of Charlotte, that is. From parties to "The Eyes Wide Shut 'Freak Fest,'" everything is covered. BTW: A link marked "Freak" pulls up some flyer for a Sugar Shane Mosley fight viewing party and a pair bikini-clad chicks boxing. Oh, and the highlight? "Q.C. Cutie of the Month" -- complete with measurements (36-25-30, ya know?).
Lake Norman Fun
This site seems geared to the grown and sexy in Charlotte's favorite suburb, Lake Norman. LKNfun.com offers the obligatory pictures, an event calendar, reviews ... but the most interesting thing by far is the coupons. Lake Norman is one of the wealthiest areas in Mecklenburg County, so it seems funny to see a $2 off coup for Quizno's. Or maybe that's just me. Weather is provided to aid in that all-encompassing decision of "What to do?" Sunny? Hang out on the deck at the Midtown Sundries on the Lake. Raining? Head indoors for karaoke at Shooters Bar & Grill.
BLOG-tastic
To hell with Perez Hilton and Arianna Huffington. Charlotte's got its own brand of all-star bloggers:
Observing the Observer
www.observerobserver.blogspot.com
The Charlotte Observer has fallen to ruins -- or so says the Observing the Observer blog, which harps on the once heralded paper's many shortcomings. You'll definitely want to see the clock that counts down to the paper's selling out. The intended outcome of this little-blog-that-could is "to get [the Observer] back to its roots as a public servant and watchdog for the community." Godspeed. You'll need it.
Charlotte's Young, Black and Fly
The tagline for charlotteybf.com is "Keeping Charlotte's Young, Black, and Fly connected to news and entertainment that affects our world." That's probably why the first thing you see is a post about Johnson C. Smith's homecoming. There is no bigger party in Charlotte ... except maybe CIAA. Visitors are encouraged to add their two cents or promote their involvement in something newsworthy. Fight the power, pop your collar and reach out all at the same time.
The Soul Movement
Where does the man behind every major hip-hop concert in the city go to talk about his happenings and more? TheSoulMovement.com. Michael "Kitch" Kitchen is the concert promoter responsible for bringing The Roots, Rakim, Kid Capri, Common, Nas, John Legend, Jill Scott and De La Soul to the Queen City. Online, he basically gives a run-down of every thing he's got poppin' and a list of do's and don'ts. For example, for the Jill Scott concert, DON'T be a "+1" at the door without the person whose name is actually on the list. You won't get in.
