Real Time: MTV's 'Real World: D.C.' Meets Social Networking

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WANT TO FIND the true story behind "Real World: D.C." before the Dupont-dwelling housemates stop being polite?

Easy: Hit up the World Wide Web. Thanks to the explosion of social networking sites, Washingtonians don't have to wait for the 23rd incarnation of the MTV show to premiere.

Just ask Chris Wiggins. As the man behind the Twitter feed Twitter.com/RealworldDCNEWZ, the 29-year-old freelance writer has become the go-to source when it comes to tracking the castmates' whereabouts.

Some sample tweets:

"KIDS: 'Hanging with' the Real World Cast is different from being in the same place as them and stalking them...thought u should know."

"CURFEW REMINDER: the #RWDC kids have to leave Third Edition and be home by 2:00 a.m... So rush on over there b4 their bedtime!"

Wiggins' frequent detailed updates have drawn followers in droves -- at press time he'd reached 3,771. What began as a whim has accidentally become a full-time reporting beat, with his Twitter feed serving as an aggregator of "Real World" online updates. But he's quick to point out where his self-imposed mission ends ("I'm not one of the many stalkers following people around," he said) and what his ground rules are.

"I try to be responsible with disseminating information. With that said, I'll share positive and negative information. I'm not biased."

Adam Rosenberg, however, is taking sides: The 28-year-old is a contributor to the Anti-Real World DC blog (Antirealworld.com) and Twitter/antirealworlddc. What's got him so riled?

"I live 40 feet away" from the "Real World" house, he said. "It's altered the way things are in my quiet little area." The culprit: Tipsy 19- to 23-year-olds who congregate on sidewalks hoping to get a glimpse of the stars — often as late as 3 a.m. "Two out of three days [two weeks ago], there was a fight outside my place," he said.

His site, which draws an average 4,000 visitors daily, focuses less on the cast and more on the effect the show's production has had on those in the area. Although cast sightings are still regular fodder for Rosenberg and his nine blogging cohorts, some of whom are fellow "Real World" neighbors.

Since every point in Washington must have a counterpoint, there is, of course, a site called ProRealWorldDC. Its updates are less adoring than its name would suggest, and its purpose, according to J.R. Russ, 29, who's one of four site contributors, is to tamp down the complaints of "Real World" naysayers.

"I understand the reason for [the Anti-Real World DC site] but at the same time, [their site] is more people griping," Russ said.

So, how do these guys keep tabs on the "Real World?"

Rosenberg takes a DIY approach: "Most photos are taken from my living room."

Wiggins scores much of his info through tweets from readers.

"The first tweet I receive I'll give it 10 or 15 minutes [to see if similar tweets surface] and then I'll tweet it as a rumor," he said. "If I receive confirmation, I'll send out a tweet saying that it's confirmed. I've been very, very careful."

Some of his informants have included cast members' friends and family, who probably have a good bead on what their loved one is up to.

The tipsters most likely to mislead him? Local promoters.

"Most of the promoters in D.C. seem to all have 'confirmed' on any particular night the 'Real World' cast will be there," he said.

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Photos courtesy Mark Parascandola, Adam Rosenberg