|
|
What do you get when you take a cross-section of Miami’s most vocal residents and give them unlimited space to say whatever they want and a virtual audience that spans the globe? Answer: a blog scene strangely reminiscent of The Breakfast Club, minus the 1980s high school conundrums. Add a cafecito in the city of eternal discontent and you’re even closer. What, you may ask, is a blog exactly? “A personal Web site that provides updated headlines and news articles of other sites that are of interest to the user; also may include journal entries, commentaries and recommendations compiled by the user,” according to Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English. A little more lingo: A “blogger” is someone who writes content on a blog; a “post” references each entry appearing within said blog; a “link” connects the viewer to another site with a click of the mouse; blogging is the act of entering a post. Though the format was originally introduced in 1997 and went mainstream in 1999 with the advent of free, user-friendly software by companies like Pitas and Pyra, Miami is still a little behind when it comes to the blogosphere (Forgot one. Blogosphere: an Internet network of blogs). Not for long though. Already, streamlined city blogs like Gothamist and Metroblog have taken notice and set up shop locally, not to mention the fact that The Miami Herald now has its own staff of bloggers. But, for now, the indies still have the pulse of Miami reverberating through their keyboards. Here’s a look at a few of the Miamians who keep nine-to-fivers occupied when the boss’s head is turned. The Casual Observer You drive to work and get stuck in construction traffic, nearly hit a lady and her shopping cart as she darts across the congested lanes, then notice that a new Publix opened on the corner. As humans it’s only natural to constantly process information. It’s fodder for dinner discussions and eats away the minutes of your cellular plan as you gab to friends. But what most do without a second thought, Alesh Houdek has turned into a science with Critical Miami, one of the most widely visited blogs in town. “When I started there were a lot of blogs particular to one city and nothing like that in Miami,” Houdek said of his foray into blogs about a year ago. “At this point, a lot of the blogs I wanted to see now exist. I thought there was really a need and it took a long time to realize that.” Often armed with a camera, Houdek’s blog reflects most of what Miamians see (and dismiss) on a daily basis, only with a new eye, a little commentary and lots of background information. On any given day one might find a restaurant review, a preview of the weekend to come and a new take on the controversies rocking City Hall. “I think that just by writing what we think is interesting, it highlights it,” Houdek said. “When something goes on a blog, in some ways it becomes permanent. When people look back, our stuff will be the easiest to find.” |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
