March 5, 1997

s both the number of websites and web-surfers in Orlando continue to skyrocket, Central Florida's webscene is beginning to gain the "critical mass" necessary to sustain local-focused online publications. The web might let you reach out and "touch the rest of the world", but this year you'll also find it useful for connecting with people right here in the neighborhood. Granted, Orlando isn't a New York or a San Francisco yet, but you might be surprised at the diversity of local content already waiting for you online.

ocal-focused webmedia is the new "Holy Grail" of such decidedly non-local companies as Microsoft and America Online/Tribune. Their unreleased projects have cutsey names like Sidewalk and Digital City but will probably be little more than corporate brand named pablum.

orget for a moment the Orlando tourist guides and yellow page websites, which are about as interesting to read as ... well ... tourist guides and yellow pages. You're still left with a startling variety of publications to enjoy -- all for free -- including webmedia publications (who publish only online, like The Slant) as well as magazines and newspapers with online editions.

n keeping with The Slant's focus on your opinions, I've avoided "reviewing" the websites I describe in the rest of this article. Instead, you can voice your opinion by giving each site your own "star rating" ... from a one-star "waste of bandwidth" to a four-star "must read daily".

Brian Clark I've worked as a professional musician, a pizza deliverer, a graphic designer, a record promoter, a database programmer, a youth empowerment coordinator and a recording engineer (not necessarily in that order.) Other Articles I've Written