web stuff

So, despite being on the interweb the Wigshop is not chock full of web savvy people. We're writers, artists, and wannabe politicians. It was a big deal for us to even get our own domain name.

Well, we done got claim jumped on that one (see? writers.) http://wigsphere.com accidentally expired and was snatched up by a fella named Zach in Ft. Lauderdale. Be sure check out his awesome website. Assuming he wants to profit from our misfortune, and that we don't make any money doing this, it's time to move on to a new domain. We're having an internal Wigshop debate about where to go, but feel free to chime in on the comments below.

In related news, we've ventured into the popular social media site Facebook with our very own page. If you feel like elevating your status from "casual observer" to "fan" feel free to check it out.

Things should be back to normal in a few days. If you're voting in the Best of Knoxville poll (and would like to vote for us) be sure to put "wigsphere.com" for the sake of consistency. Thanks for all your votes!

Coming up, we have BBQ Quest returning, the inside scoop on the Biscuit Fest, Cades Cove is reopening, and a rant against the concept of the One Way Street. Come on back!

The Best?

Be sure to vote for your favorite stuff for the News Sentinel / Knoxville.com "East Tenessee's Best" poll. Other than their new graphic, however, it looks like business as usual. Any poll that lists Weigel's and Pilot Travel Centers in their "Best Coffee Shop" category is hard for me to take seriously.

But just like the Oscars, here are a few genuine CK predictions:

Best Clothing Store - Gap

Best Pizza - Pizza Hut

Best Mexican - Taco Bell

Best All-Around Store: Walmart

Sigh.

follow us... even more!

Heads up to all you dear readers: The Wigshop is twittering (tweeting?)... uhh, we're on Twitter!

If you also like putting 140 character or less thoughts out on the interweb, maybe you like to see our thoughts too. Click here to start following us! This is hyperblogging, ladies and gents. Just think of it as hooking jumper cables to the Sunsphere. That's how awesome it is. Trust us.

our (ten year) plan

In an email I received today, I saw a link to this site: http://knoxtenyearplan.org/, the city's decade long plan to end chronic homelessness in Knoxville. Kudos to the government for adopting a blog-like site, with updated posts and even a tag cloud in the side bar. This makes it easy to surf around and find the info you want. Aside from a good wed presence, how is this program doing? I was surprised to see that we are already in Year Two of the proposed ten years. That means eight years until the plan is supposed to have worked. Living downtown, it doesn't seem like much progress has been made. If anything, there seems to be more of the "chronic" homeless type around than there was two years ago. True, soon Volunteer Ministries will soon be moved from the gentrifying 100 block of Gay Street to their new facility in the "Homeless District", sandwiched between 4th and Gill and Mechanicsville. That's a change.

But is it progress?

I am still educating myself about the 10 year plan. Maybe it will ratchet up its efforts as the decade goes along. But based on the last two years I'm not optimistic. What do you think?

our uber-viral marketing

about 6 months ago ck put out some wigshop stickers.

I finally found one. It's right outside of the brewery on the back of a street sign. I think we may need a new marketing director.

here is the sticker, you can win a prize if you can find others.

first friday [may]

The Wigshop continues our running commentary on First Friday, bringing you the brilliant insight that you've come to expect from us.

Wigshop First Friday Tip 'O the Month:

Attire!
First Fridays are nominally about art, but we all know why people come: To be seen by other people. Art means artists will be present, with their carefully chosen bohemian garb. Don't be fooled- that disheveled ensemble took all month to get together. The least you can do is dress for the occasion.

Cold Weather is over, so no more thrift store jackets and bright colored scarves. That can only mean one thing: t shirts! Picking out the right t-shirt is the holy grail of FF attire. Arty? Ironic? Vintage? Beware: the FF crowd can sense a fake Old Navy vintage shirt from a block away. Walk into a gallery with one those bad boys and kiss your art cred goodbye.
The ideal t shirt will be one-of-a-kind, tissue-thin, and form-fitting. T shirts with actual art on them are a plus, or go one further with a t shirt featuring a band the bourgeoisie haven't heard of yet. It's also hard to go wrong with black. With matching black jeans and hair, you're sure to get into a conversation with one the artists themselves discussing Postmodern Philosophy as it Relates to Hindu Vedas in no time! Remember, First Friday is all about being seen. Spend at least a few hours in front of the mirror tonight getting ready. You know all the artists are.

Bonus:
Steven Lareau is a digital artist who will be showing his art at this week's First Friday. Looking around for info on the web about the rest of Friday's showings, he found some out of date gallery sites and... mostly nothing. First Friday has been built up on word of mouth, but for the average person who isn't in the art scene it's hard to find out what's going on. Even for someone who has gone for years, with so many galleries and businesses participating some kind of guide/preview is definitely needed.So Mr. Lareau has set up a central website, a clearing house for info on each month's First Friday. I'm glad that someone has taken an interest in helping First Friday put it's best foot forward on the internets. Hopefully through his efforts more Knoxvillians will venture downtown and see some good art.

CK, Stan, The Pol, and a New Site

Just a quick little update for everybody at the Wigshop. Stan and CK have been hard at work on my campaign site and it looks fantastic.

These guys do the best work that my money (read: me painting CK's house) can buy. But seriously It's worth a look just to see their handiwork.

Write-In Spellings... come on you know you want to.

instaknox

Instaknox, a concept from the guys over at Knoxify and Knox'd, is trying to make a forum where Knoxvillians can meet and discuss things that are going on here in, get it, Knoxville. There are a whole slew of subject based forums on the internets, but geographic/city-based forums are relatively new. Instead of meeting someone virtually because, say, you both love Battlestar Galactica (which is not to say that I, um... anyways) but because you both live in and contribute to the same community. Sounds worthy, right?

While sci-fi and political forums receive legions of users, this little Knoxville forum is just getting going, with only 16 users. The success of the concept will really depend on the growth of the user base. In short, the more people that use Instaknox, the more conversations that will go on, the information that will be spread, ect. While our blog network has started to create a digital Knoxvillian community, I think a neutral forum like Instaknox is just what we need.

So go check it out and join.

rootclip.com

These guys contacted me a few weeks ago and asked me to help promote their new website/concept: Rootclip.com. The idea is this: they film a short intro clip that sets up a plot, and then anybody can film and submit a continuation clip, furthering the plot. Think "Choose Your Own Adventure" meets YouTube. After uploading the clips, the user community votes on which one should further the story. This continues until the sixth and final chapter, when only the previous winners of a plot line can upload their resolution for consideration. Oh yeah, and the winners get cash prizes- $250 for each chapter and $2500 for the finale. So expect the see "film crews" of college students all over town in the near future.

The quality of the clips is mixed, but I expect it to get better as the pool of would-be-filmmakers grows. Go vote and support this creative endeavor. We all need to support creative culture in Knoxville, and Rootclip.com is a great way to get started.