Bloggers get Charlotte home for DNC

When thousands of visiting bloggers come for the convention, most of them will need a place to work.

That's the premise behind a project called PPL (say "people"), which formally launched last week at one of its two locations - Packard Place on South Church Street. About 80 people attended.

PPL will provide space and resources at the McColl Center for Visual Art on North Tryon Street, too.

Early registration is now open for bloggers for a limited-time rate of $45, which includes access to workspaces, power, Wi-Fi and other amenities. The group also looks to raise $500,000, and welcomes nonprofits to partner with them as sponsors.

Founders Justin Ruckman, Matthew Tyndall and Desiree Kane want to draw a range of independent media members - from bloggers to filmmakers to painters and sculptors.

"These are the folks that are advocating for issues, from sustainability to education reform," Ruckman said. "(We) encourage folks to talk about the real issue at hand."

Find the group on the Web (theppl.us), Twitter (@ppldnc) or Facebook (/theppl). Or send email to info@theppl.usbrief.

Celeste Smith