PanicStream.com
2006-03-15
This month we feature PanicStream.com. Here is what founder Curtis George has to say… PanicStream.com is a unique fan site offering the fans of Widespread Panic a wide range of resources, information and entertainment. Over the past 12 months it has steadily grown from a simple webpage into a portal for the digital WP community and has become a regular online destination for over 3,000 visitors a day. PanicStream began as a basic single-page website that served as a ‘virtual hangout’ for a small group of friends to use during the workday. When Widespread Panic ended their 15 month hiatus with a performance at the Fox Theater in Atlanta in March 2005, word got out about existence of the site and its popularity has since grown beyond my wildest expectations. It is no longer simply a little hobby. The site currently features over 200 Widespread Panic related audio streams with more being added all the time. A live chat board is always active with regular users, affectionately known as Addicts, discussing a wide range of topics. Simply put, they are the reason the site has evolved into such a successful online community. I encourage the Addicts to contribute content (photos, shows, and information) for the site with the belief that they will then have a greater vested interest in its overall success. The site is constantly evolving from their suggestions, comments, and ideas. They are the lifeblood of what this site has become. When Widespread Panic is on tour, they volunteer to text in the setlists from shows they are attending so the songs can be posted immediately on the board. It is not unusual to receive over 2,000 visitors during a three hour period as people hop on the site to check out what is being played. A live setlist was posted for every Widespread Panic show during 2005. PanicStream has come to serve as a portal to the other Widespread Panic related sites on the web. I use it to promote all the other sites as we each provide valuable resources to the online community as a whole. News and information related to the fan base are posted and linked quickly. The PanicStream SurfBar can be used to quickly browse related websites with a simple click. Currently, a ‘Best of’ Compilation Page is in development so users can upload individual audio tracks of their favorite Widespread Panic performances that I can then use to create compilation streams for the site. A ‘Friends of Panic’ page will soon be developed as well. It will contain streams of related bands and links to their own fan sites. In short, there is a simple statement that has come to define PanicStream. Good music enjoyed by good people.
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