Author Archive for Blogger Reps

Social Networking Added to Netflix

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Blogger Reps
on August 15, 2007
in Video and Social Networking
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As of July 30th, Netflix has joined the social networking craze. Tech Crunch reported yesterday that the video rental portal has added a new community aspect to its Web site, replacing its former “Friends” page with an entire section dedicated to user interaction.

Most of the community features added seem fairly standard for a site centered around movie downloads. Users can now view peer reviews in real time, see love/hate movie lists on their friends’ pages, get suggestions for movie rentals based on their previous title choices, and find formerly unknown users on Netflix who have similar taste in movies to their own.

There are also a few more unusual features, such as a “Friends’ Quiz” designed to test your knowledge of other users’ taste in movies and a list that shows your friends’ recent Netflix activities (renting, returning, etc.).

Adding a social networking aspect to Netflix isn’t likely to hurt the site at all, though the popularity of some of the features is questionable. Is there really a lot of interest in knowing when friends are returning their rented flicks? It remains to be seen whether social networking will increase Netflix’s traffic and user interaction, or whether there’s little call for community features on a primarily rental site.

(Source: Tech Crunch)

NBC Universal Plans Ad-based Web site

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Blogger Reps
on August 10, 2007
in Advertising and Video
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Didja.com to feature “entertaining advertising”

NBC Universal has announced its intention to launch a new video portal site, Didja.com, in early 2008. This site won’t feature the same streams and webisodes that can be found on other NBCU-sponsored sites, though - Didja.com is going to be dedicated specifically to entertaining TV spots, with product offers and brand pages available as well.

The purpose of Didja.com, and similar sites like Droga5? To bouy the more traditional TV advertising that TiVo, web streams, and file sharing have crippled. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a little fun, either, and TV spots are often rated highly on sites like YouTube, giving NBCU reason to think that a video site dedicated solely to ads could still get quite a few visitors.

Chris McCumber, the senior vice president of marketing and brand strategy at USA Network (part of NBCU), had this to say about Didja.com’s viewing appeal:

“Advertising should be treated as entertainment. We know people love commercials. You see that around the Super Bowl and Academy Awards. Why not create a destination where it’s celebrated?”

According to NBCU predictions, Didja.com will expand to include things like movie trailers and promotions for TV shows themselves, with higher paying advertisers (and NBCU properties) earning better placement and visibility on the site.

Visitors will also be able to comment on the commercials and use a “mash-up toolkit” to remix them right on the site, which may give Didja.com a little of the user-gen flavor so many Web sites are adopting.

(Source: Media Week)

Mefeedia: The Vlogosphere in Review

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Blogger Reps
on August 9, 2007
in TV and Video
. 0 Comments

Major media networks have been focusing on their online audiences more and more over the last few months, and quite a few of them have taken steps toward flooding the Web with their programming. In case you need a refresher on all of the recent initiatives, here’s a sketch (courtesy of the Mefeedia blog) of what the networks have been up to.

NBC and Fox are teaming up to create a new rival site to MySpace, featuring content exclusive to both networks; Fox is also on board with MySpace’s “Storyteller Challenge,” where user-generated pilots could turn into big-time TV programming. CBS has both acquired Wallstrip, a business video blog, and started an “Interactive Audience Network” to spread their content all over the Internet.

Sony’s video sharing site Crackle (formerly Grouper) has morphed into an original content site with quarterly contests that pitch users’ ideas to Sony executives. And between Sony and MySpace’s 6-minute “minisodes” and NBC’s “webisodes,” there’s plenty of video out there for an eager fan to find.

The distance between a TV show and one featured on the Web is quickly growing smaller, and the day may come when there’s no difference between how a network approaches each of them. If this recent trend toward online availability is a solid indication, that day may not even be all that far off.

(Source: Mefeedia)

Social Networking Gets a Sharper Edge

Published
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Blogger Reps
on August 7, 2007
in Social Networking
. 0 Comments

Duels.com merges RPG battles with community

Andrew Busey, formerly co-founder of the startup Pluck, is taking social networking in a different direction. Duels.com, host to a new online RPG, crosses the classic adventure of Internet gaming with a community forum site. The result is asyncronous play - since you choose how you want your character to fight but aren’t actually at the dueling controls, your character can accept challenges from other users even when you’re offline.

The social networking aspect of Duels isn’t lost, either - in addition to the option to challenge opponents of choice and list them as rivals (or allies), Duels hosts a forum area for players to discuss strategy, character tracks, or anything else that catches their interest. And of course, each user has a profile that displays their avatar, fight history, stats, and any comments other duelists might make.

According to Tech Crunch’s review, Duels is both “addicting and fun,” even though the site’s newness means there are few opponenets to battle. If you’re into online gaming - or if you just want to check out how Facebook and Warcraft combine - Duels is always waiting for more challengers.

(Source: Tech Crunch)

Update: Blogging Shield Laws

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Blogger Reps
on August 6, 2007
in Blogging
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Just a quick update to our previous story about blogger shield laws in the works at Congress: Friday, Aug. 2, a bill that would protect bloggers’ rights to maintain the confidentiality of sources passed the House Judiciary Committee. So far, the bill maintains a fairly loose definition of the “journalists” it will protect, but “financial gain or livelihood” earned by blogging is still a prerequisite.

A similar version of the bill is under consideration by the Senate; right now, the House version of the bill has strong support from both parties, as well as the support of over 40 organizations affiliated with journalism and/or the media.

The story’s still in development, and the end result unknown, but we’ll try to keep you posted on any news pertaining to this issue.

(Source: Ars Technica)

Following The Joker’s Footsteps

Published
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Blogger Reps
on July 27, 2007
in Viral Marketing
. 2 Comments

The Dark Knight takes viral marketing to a whole new level

Heath Ledger’s Joker is on the loose! Right now, people all around Comic-Con in San Diego are chasing the elusive clues of planes, bystanders, and whysoserious.com, a site set up to promote the upcoming Batman movie. What started as an Uncle Sam poster with the Joker at its center has turned into a huge-scale riddle and treasure hunt, requiring cooperation and effort from both those on the Web and those on-site in San Diego.

Whysoserious.com is now showcasing a series of pages with riddles, cryptic messages, and a spot for the answers, each of which takes you to another puzzle. If you’d like to play along, you don’t need an assistant on the ground in San Diego - plenty of Web sites are providing answers to the riddles so that everyone can follow along with the dynamic marketing game.

Want the answers to the Joker’s riddles? Find them here.

Click here to see .jpgs of each Web page.

The original Digg site that showcased whysoserious.com.

Fox, MySpace launch “Storyteller Challenge”

Published
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Blogger Reps
on July 26, 2007
in User Generate Content
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User-generated content already dominates many video and streaming sites on the Web, but Fox Network and MySpace are teaming up with the Producers Guild of America to take it one step farther.

Beginning in September, MySpace will host The Storyteller Challenge, which invites civilian moviemakers across the Net to submit 5-7 minute television pilots of their own creation. These pilots will be judged by visitors to the site, as well as a panel of professionals and film students organized by the Producers Guild. The top two pilots will earn $25,000 each (winners to be decided in January), and their creators will also get a shot at a development deal with Fox.

The Storyteller Challenge didn’t come out of thin air. This summer, Fox ran a show called “On The Lot,” a reality TV-style contest about theatrical directors competing on the air, but the show lost out in the ratings. MySpace has also done something similar before: “Prom Queen,” a webisode-based show that got 15 million streams and is preparing for another season. The Storyteller Challenge is a mix between the two.

Producers Guild of America chief Marshall Herskovitz had this to say about the upcoming challenge:

“Producing will always be a difficult and competitive job, but I’m proud that our Storyteller Challenge will give unique new voices the chance to find their audience. You never know where the next great storyteller will come from.”

There’s no denying that user-generated content is on its way to the top of the Web entertainment sphere, especially with all the new streaming sites rising in prominence. All that remains to be seen is whether Fox and MySpace can tap into that interest to generate not only a contest, but possibly a dynamite TV show as well.

(Source: Variety, Tech Crunch)

Is Xu Jinglei really the top world blogger?

Published
by
Blogger Reps
on July 23, 2007
in Blogging
. 1 Comment

Last Thursday, Chinese actress and director Xu Jinglei was announced as the world’s most widely read blogger by the Beijing News. Based on figures recorded by Sina (www.sina.com.cn), a Chinese web portal dedicated to blog services and utilized by many Chinese entertainers, Xu achieved her 100 millionth hit within 600 days on July 12, making her blog the most widely read in the world.

Some of Sina’s figures are in doubt, however. On Friday, just one day after the initial announcement, Valleywag ran a post explaining why Xu’s title as most widely read blogger was full of holes. All Sina can really claim is that Xu’s blog is the most widely read of the blogs that it hosts personally. And according to Valleywag, since 100 million hits in 600 days is equal to roughly 166,000 page hits a day, a site such as Perez Hilton’s gossip blog (over 1 million hits a day) easily outstrips Xu’s traffic figures.

After closer examination, Xu Jinglei’s may not be the most widely read blog in the world. But 100 million hits in 600 days is still nothing to scoff at - nor is the increased traffic that the actress’s blog has seen since the Beijing News’s announcement, which has brought Xu’s daily page count up to about 250,000. Perhaps it won’t be too long until Xu Jinglei really is challenging the world’s top bloggers.

(Source: CNN.com, Valleywag)

NBC Day 1: Reeling in the Laughs

Published
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Blogger Reps
on July 17, 2007
in TV and TCA Conference
. 0 Comments

Now that the cable networks have finished their run, the TCA Press Tour is moving into its network-specific days and panels, which will extend until the end of the event. Yesterday marked the first day of NBC-centered programming, which featured an executive session with NBC’s new co-chairmen, Marc Graboff and Ben Silverman; a panel on the new drama Life; and a session focused on NBC’s Thursday-night comedies: My Name Is Earl, Scrubs, The Office, and 30 Rock.

The biggest hit by far was the half-hour comedy panel, which hosted a creator and star for each of the above series - Greg Garcia and Jason Lee for My Name is Earl, Bill Lawrence and Zach Braff representing Scrubs, Greg Daniels and John Krasinski for The Office, and Lorne Michaels and Tina Fey from 30 Rock. All of these guests got a chance to talk about the upcoming seasons of their shows - and found time for quite a few jokes in between.

Scrubs: Will the upcoming season of Scrubs truly be its last, and will J.D. and Elliot finally end up together for good? Bill Lawrence addressed the first question by saying that unless “we finally become a huge mainstream hit,” Scrubs will end its run with this season. As for the tangled love story of J.D. and Elliot, Lawrence admitted that he has looked into the online fan base for his show, and will try to satisfy the fans with his series finale.

My Name is Earl: Everybody’s asking whether Earl ending up in jail at the end of last season was a fluke, but creator Greg Garcia took advantage of the comedy panel to put those rumors down. According to Garcia, Earl will have to stay in jail much longer than the end of the season premiere. The show’s surprising new direction is one more way Garcia hopes to shake up the TV formula and keep My Name is Earl out of a rut.

The Office: Most of the issues broached with the panel revolved around the whos, whens, and relationships of the now hour-long episodes. Greg Daniels announced that Rashida Jones, who plays Karen Filipelli on the show, will be back this fall, and that while David Denman’s Roy has been fired and isn’t with Pam any longer, he’s still liable to pop up at any time. B.J. Novak’s character, Ryan Howard, is also going to spend a little more time in the spotlight, according to Daniels.

30 Rock: Despite rumors to the contrary, Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels announced that Alec Baldwin will be playing Jack for another season of 30 Rock, and Tracy Morgan will stay on the show as well. Fey also confirmed that Jerry Seinfeld will be playing himself in the season premiere, which she hopes will drum up a lot of interest: “Maybe people in America will actually watch it, even if it’s just for that one time,” Fey said.

(Sources: E!Online, NJ.com)

Want one blogger’s live diary of Monday’s NBC events? Check it out here.

TCA DAY 3.1 - Lifetime, FX

Published
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Blogger Reps
on July 15, 2007
in TCA Conference, Blogger Reps News and Uncategorized
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TCA hit the ground running for the kickoff of its cable segment on Thursday morning. Two very strong female-lead shows were presented - Lifetime’s State of Mind, starring indie film fave Lili Taylor, and FX’s Damages, starring Glenn Close, Ted Danson, and Danny Boyle ingenue, Rose Byrne. Nip/Tuck was also on the agenda.

Lifetime has been pleasantly surprising a lot of critics lately due to Army Wives, which seems to have lifted the Tori/Valerie/Meredith tragi-movie of the week cloud that’s been hanging over its head. State of Mind will hopefully keep them going on this path. In State of Mind, Lili Taylor plays a therapist in a large practice who has problems of her own. Despite the large ensemble cast, the panel was very Lili-focused. As candid as ever, Lili freely admits that she regularly attends therapy herself: “A hundred bucks and you feel a little better, then it’s worth it.”

Watch the premiere episode here.

Glenn Close was luminous on the Damages panel, as was Ted Danson, who’s officially gone gray. It’s very apparent that a lot is riding on this show for FX, which is known for its critical success but relatively modest ratings. The legal thriller has gotten stellar reviews, promising to be their crown jewel - let’s hope it succeeds.

Rosie O'DonnellLocation, location, location seemed to dominate the Nip/Tuck panel. In case you missed the season finale of Nip/Tuck, Troy and Namara have made the big move to L.A. - a welcome change. Along with opening a new firm, the ambiguously gay duo score a new gig as plastic surgeon advisers on a low-rent makeover reality show.

With the move to L.A. come more opportunities for celebrity guest stars. FX V.P. of Publicity John Solberg confirmed that Rosie O’Donnell will be back as Dawn Budge starting in episode four. The following individuals will also showing up for consults: Portia de Rossi, Bradley Cooper, Lauren Hutton, Oliver Platt, Paula Marshall, and Stifler’s mom, Jennifer Coolidge.

Coming soon: A full report on HBO, Showtime, E!’s latest Reality programming, and High School Musical 2.