Jan

28

12 Additional Websites to Follow Raleigh on the Web

Written by S. Beaumont and filed under Local Sites 

Information Overload!Samuel Johnson is quoted as saying, “Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it.” It’s unlikely that he was referring to the internet and its ability to gather and share information in so many ways, but that’s exactly where we find ourselves today.

Beyond the numerous local publishers referred to in our previous post, there are a number of other sites that allow you to refine their information to local results. These sites often lack a true local “feel,” but they can be pretty useful for scanning headlines from multiple sources, finding something new to do or connecting with other people in the community. With that, I present to you:

12 Additional Websites to Follow Raleigh on the Web

Beecoz - I’ll start with Beecoz, because unlike the rest of this group, they are actually local. Based out of the NC State Tech Incubator, they aggregate local headlines from a number of different sources, including blogs, and allow you to set up neighborhood groups to interact with others living around you. The site is still in beta, so if it doesn’t do much for you now–mark it and check back on their development.

Yelp - Yelp offers user reviews on categories like restaurants, nightlife and shopping. They seem to have a small following of local users, but their information is fairly well informed when compared to some of the others below.

Zvents - Zvents is a local search engine of sorts for things to do. Most of the local events listed are dominated by a small group of places that submit their schedules, but it can be a decent place to begin if you’re looking to get out of the house but have no idea where to go.

Upcoming - Upcoming is a lot like Zvents. You can search for things to do in your area and upload your own events. You can also interact as part of a group or just browse what others have contributed. They are owned by Yahoo, which gives them access to a deep pool of information and resources from which to draw.

Outside.in - Outside.in is an up-and-comer in the group in my opinion. Unlike some of the other sites listed here, they include local sites and bloggers in their aggregated headlines and allow you to further segment your news on topics like “development” and the “drought.” You can also target your news through a map view of the city or even by individual neighborhoods, though these are limited as of now.

Your Street - Your Street is another content scraper that aggregates local news sources and sites. Like Outside.in, you can find stories by navigating through a map, or just view top stories of the day, week or month. Their list of included sites is pretty small at this point and lumps Charlotte and Raleigh news together, but they may be worth looking into as they grow and refine their sources.

Topix - Yet another scraper/aggregator, Topix is more mature in terms of development than some of the sites listed above, but that doesn’t necessarily relate to a better user experience. They offer user forums, headlines, weather and a ton more–but therein lies the problem. Reading or navigating the site is a chore because it’s full of ads and there isn’t much emphasis on the differentiation of sections. Perhaps there is a correlation between this and the fact that it’s financially backed in part by The McClatchy Company, the same company that owns the N&O, and who’s site I really don’t enjoy visiting at all. Pop-up ads, seriously?

Newsvine - Newsvine relies on users to “seed” or submit and recommend stories to create their “vine” of content. The technology and the premise of the site has always seemed promising to me, but on the local level they seem to drop the ball. The RDU version of the vine currently does little more display stories from the N&O and other area newspapers. Like Upcoming (Yahoo) City Search (IAC) and several others, Newsvine has been scooped up by the “big boys” (MSNBC.com). This will certainly help them to grow and attract more users, and maybe at some point they will be a stronger source of local news.

City Search - City Search is one of the old men of the group, having been around since before the “hyper-local” media shift even had a name. They’ve gobbled up several competing/complementary sites along the way and have made their site much more friendly on the eyes than what I remember from many years ago. I will still sometimes use them as a yellow page listing for local businesses, and occasionally scan their reviews for a restaurant but don’t have much use for them beyond that.

Craigslist - I would venture to say that Craigslist is not a new site for many. Their free classified ads have forced traditional news outlets to completely reevaluate their revenue models and they continue to be a great place to find an apartment, an iPod, a job or maybe even a date. As a source for local news however, their relevant and timely information is scarce.

Meetup - Meetup is not a news source, but a dandy way to find something to do, or a group or cause to get involved in. They allow you to form groups of whatever may interest you and for others to join your group and “meet up.” If you’re new to the area, this is a great place to find people with similar interests.

Chow - Chow has a surprising strong following of “foodies” who like to talk about all types of grub around the Triangle. The closest local segment of our area they currently offer is limited to the “South,” but it’s still fairly easy to find some great local advice on different places to eat.

Wrapping it all up, none of these sites alone quench my thirst when it comes to keeping up with local news and staying on top of upcoming events and topics, but several seem to show a lot of promise and when combined or utilized for what they do best, it’s pretty remarkable the amount of information we have at our fingertips.

If I’ve left a site off the list that you use as a local resource, leave a comment and help to continue the sharing of information.

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Comments

2 Responses to “12 Additional Websites to Follow Raleigh on the Web”

  1. John on January 28th, 2008 7:13 pm

    Thanks for the informative post.

    Their list of included sites is pretty small at this point and lumps Charlotte and Raleigh news together,

    *gasp* I didn’t think I’d hear something more shocking than lumping Raleigh and Durham/Chapel Hill news together ;) Enough of a reason not to use them. They clearly do not understand the demographics.

    In all seriousness (sort of), what is the beef with newspaper writers in Charlotte and the residents of Raleigh? I consistently read nothing but praise for Charlotte in the N&O and on other mainstream news outlets most recently in their public rail system. But my perception is that every editorial writer feels obligated to get in a quick jab at Raleigh. From the negative vibes about the Hurricanes to the most recent one about “Raleigh, a suburb of Cary”.
    Am I biased? Do I only notice the negative?

  2. Leo on January 29th, 2008 9:16 am

    John,

    I found that article hilarious. I don’t really follow the Charlotte Observer so I’m not sure of this anti-Raleigh mentality from them, I thought it only came from Durham. I guess you’ll always find people that think their city is the center of the world. I would suggest that they do a little research and look into the cool things THAT ARE DIFFERENT in each NC city, even outside NC also, rather then sit at a computer and post their hatred through a newspaper or blog. City rivalries are dumb.

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