Encouraging a sense of community

Social networking sites have never been more popular but now sites offering localized social content are also becoming very popular. These are sites that focus on a specific area or community and raise a sense of belonging between users. My friend Kim who lives in Phoenix told me about a site like this that had all the information one needed to know what was happening or going to happen in the city, in regards to events, restaurants, clubs, movies, music performances, arts and even dating. It's social networking at a different level, getting people to be more socially active in a sense.

I personally think its a great idea as younger and working people can probably relate to a website giving this information much more than a newspaper, which people of a generation earlier will prefer. Azcentral.com is the top-ranked newspaper-affiliated site for the Phoenix DMA and has recently expanded its calender desk and freelance budget so that it could increase coverage of Phoenix events and entertainment in the Phoenix area. Azcentral.com now has 6 full time staffers to cover all the major events that are taking place and have a updated event search engine.