And it all comes to a crescendo Dream Cruise Weekend, when many bloggers post event photographs and video in real time.

'We're giving a window to what happens at the Dream Cruise to all the people around the world who can't make it there on their own,' said John Neff, editor-in-chief of AutoBlog, which covers the auto industry.

Car enthusiasts are 'not satisfied waiting for car news to come once a month,' Neff said. 'They want it once a half-hour.'

AutoBlog was just one of 52,819 blogs mentioning the Woodward Dream Cruise that turned up in a recent Google search.

Dream Cruise organizers have gotten in on the action, launching their own official event blog in May. Executive director Don Tanner has been writing two or three posts each week on topics ranging from the hazards of pirated Dream Cruise merchandise to how to make the most of the event. He dutifully responds to reader comments, which come from as far away as Australia.

'If someone takes the time to write, those are important questions to the people doing the asking,' Tanner said.

The Woodward Dream Cruise earned its own Wikipedia entry in May 2005. There have been 42 contributors to the page, according to Sean Whitton, a Wikipedia spokesman. Though the site does not provide official visitor counts, a third-party site that monitors Wikipedia usage, shows a steady increase in traffic as the event draws near, with 1,199 hits in June, compared to 352 in December.

Haters join forces online

Fans aren't the only ones logging on to talk about the cruise. Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace percolate with virtual groups where cruise friends and foes alike air their opinions.

A Facebook group called 'Abolish the Woodward Dream Cruise' claims more than 50 members. Its creator, Wayne State University junior Michael Goode, said the idea for the group grew out of a discussion with friends who agreed that the cruise brings traffic congestion and pollution to the area each year.

'We were like, 'Well, let's just see how strong a feeling other people have in terms of the Dream Cruise,'' Goode said.

A description on the group's page adds that 'nobody' cares about the cars. 'There is a reason that these things are no longer in production. They are old, loud and look like something that should stay in a junkyard,' it reads.

Goode said about 25 percent of the group's members are friends from his social network. The rest joined through word of mouth.

A similar MySpace group, 'I hate the Woodward Dream Cruise,' has about 30 members.

'It stinks of diesel and noxious fumes, and it's a pain in the butt to get anywhere,' said the group's founder, piano technician Colby Buhl.

Fans outnumber naysayers

For every anti-cruise page on Facebook and MySpace, however, there are multiple fan groups.

Miranda McEwen, 22, of Holly said she started her MySpace Dream Cruise fan page, which has more than 80 members, to share her love of the nostalgic cruise. 'I have a blast every time I go,' she said.

Internet banter does not worry Dream Cruise organizers.

'Everybody has an opinion about an event of this size,' Tanner said.

But he said he will consider the organization's blog a success if it can create a sense of community among classic car lovers. It's a community that extends far beyond Detroit.

In Germany, Alyssa Berthelsen, 29, a Detroiter stationed with the U.S. Army, welcomes the Web connection.

'I just want to say that ever since I was a little girl I have never missed a Dream Cruise,' she wrote on the event's official blog. 'I hope you post a lot of pictures so I can get a taste of home.'