Is Live Tweeting Saving Appointment Viewing

By: Dominic Jones

Building of what was discussed in lecture, I will be discussing the phenomenon of live tweeting.  The concept of appointment viewing was invented by the TV networks to get people to tune into certain TV shows because everyone will be talking about it the next day.  This was done to combat the VCR and early versions of delayed viewing.  Today, TV audiences are more fragmented then ever thanks to the emergence of cable channels like HBO and AMC as well as internet platforms like Netflix and Hulu, and the proliferation of DVRs.  

Now, TV shows are trying to get audiences to tune in during the first airing of an episode through live tweeting.  We discussed in seminar the impact of Twitter on live events like Eurovision, but what about narrative shows.  Unlike singing competitions and sporting events, there is no need any more to tune in live.  Shows are now combating this by having the shows stars and creative teams tweet their reactions to episodes and interact with fans on Twitter while the episode is airing.

Deadline ran a story back in 2014 about this very phenomenon in which they discussed the benefits of this. Writer David Bloom wrote,

But there’s something special about getting the show’s team in a room, especially for scripted programs such as Scorpion that otherwise might not get watched until hours or days after their broadcast. Unlike specials, sports and reality competitions, which pretty much need to be watched in the moment, scripted shows can easily end up on the DVR, VOD or Hulu for consumption days later. Live tweeting pulls the fans back into the moment, something that’s good for advertisers, good for ratings and good for the show.

“The momentum from a live tweet has a crazy social domino effect and the buzz builds,” says Marc Karzen, CEO of RelishMix, the social-media consulting firm advising Scorpion. “The conversation in the room from live tweets take on a bigger dimension with writers posting lines and actors challenging fans.”

We live in a celebrity culture where people feel they have greater access to celebrities through social media.  By having telling people they will have a chance to interact with their favorite stars at a certain time seems like a good way to get people to tune it.  People will feel like they have to watch the show while it airs to both avoid spoilers and to know what the star is talking about (it would be hard to interact with the stars during the broadcast when you don't know what they are talking about).

While many networks still use archaic ways are determining viewership of TV shows, Live Tweeting seem to be a way to boost those numbers by encouraging people to tune in.  It can also serve as a means of demonstrating other forms of engagement that producers could show to networks to help save a show that is struggling in the traditional ratings.

Spimatic Fandom: The Perfect Chance to Plug My Podcast

By: Dominic Jones

In this week's lecture we discussed fandom and the ways in which someone is a fan, or a superfan.  The idea of Spimatic fandom is participating in the discussion or the creation of the content surrounding a fandom.  In lecture we discussed this in relation to crowdfunding, but I wanted to share the ways in which I am spimatic fan.  I help run the Star Wars Underworld fansite and podcast.  Through this, I write news articles, op-eds, and host podcasts relating to the Star Wars franchise.  Here are some examples of how I do this.

Podcasts
I host three related podcasts related to Star Wars.  The main one is The Star Wars Underworld Podcast, which is focused on discussing the news surrounding the franchise and how this affects past and future content.  There's "The Clone Wars Strikes Back" which is about celebrating and keeping alive the spirit of the show Star Wars: The Clone Wars by discussing old episodes.  And finally, there's "Live From Lothal" which discusses the weekly Star Wars Rebels episodes as they are released.  I've included the most recent episode below,

Writing
I write news stories about the Star Wars universe as they break, weekly reviews of Star Wars Rebels, and opinion pieces about Star Wars.

Reporting
I also get to go to conventions as a member of the press and interview people involved in creating new (and old) Star Wars projects film reports from these events.  As examples, I have included the interview I did with Star Wars Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni at New York Comic Con as well as the analysis I did of the The Force Awakens poster from D23 this summer,

Appropriation, Objectification, Conversion, and High Holidays

By: Dominic Jones 

Following last week's lecture, here are my experiences of appropriation, objectification, conversion, and high holidays.

Appropriation:  I recently acquired a soundboard that I use for podcasting.

R2 is helping me record The Clone Wars Strikes Back this afternoon. New episode discussing the S5 Droids Arc coming tomorrow. #StarWars #TheCloneWars

A photo posted by Dominic Jones (@dominicj25) on May 12, 2015 at 1:27pm PDT

 
Objectification:  When I first acquired the soundboard I use for podcasting, it changed the layout of my desk.  I went from having my computer in the center of the desk, with space for books, papers, and small collectibles on the desk.  Once I got the board, I changed the arrangement so that nothing is centered on the desk.  Both the laptop and the board take up one side of the desk and now 

Conversion: The obvious example of this is the smartphone.  Now our primary form of communication seems to be through the phone, usually texting or other messaging apps.

High Holidays:  Again, this may be the obvious one but it's the one I have the most vivid memory off from when I was young.  9/11.  I remember being in grade two on September 11th, 2001 and I remember there was announcement before recess that during recess there was a mandatory staff meeting that all teachers must attend.  I remember after recess my teacher sitting us all down on the carpet.  What was extra significant was that she spoke to us in English, I was in french immersion and this teacher more so than any other French teacher I had until high school, avoided speaking to us in English whenever possible.  She told us that the U.S had been attacked and people had flown airplanes into buildings and knocked them down.  I also remember a letter was sent home to all the parents explaining that we had been told the facts of what had happened and nothing more and that it was up to them if they wanted to discuss it with us any further.

Star Wars Celebration Logo

By: Dominic Jones

One logo I thought would be interesting to analyze would be the logo for the Star Wars Celebration convention that Lucasfilm puts on for fans every year or two.   This is one of my favorite logos, as its a convention I have attended every one of since 2010 (including the one in Essen Germany).  So I've broken down the Dominant hegemonic position, Negotiated position, and Oppositional position of the most recent iteration of the logo which was used earlier this year for the Convention held in Anaheim and that is currently being used for the upcoming London convention held next year.

Dominant hegemonic position: The dominant hegemonic position is that this is a nice gesture on the part of Lucasfilm/Disney towards their fans, by putting on a fun event where fans can hang out and enjoy special events.

Oppositional position:  That this is another example of Lucasfilm/Disney trying to get as much money out the fans as possible, by selling the tickets at an expensive prices, selling overpriced exclusive collectibles and using the fans as a means of word of mouth marketing by showing them small previews of new projects and encouraging them to tell others about it.

Negotiated position:  While there is definitely a commercial aspect to the events, it is the coming together of fans which makes Celebration special.  The marketing aspects are fun, but it is having so many fans together in one place that makes the event truly special.