I think the real problem is that none of the Disney related fans sites are independent and autonomous. All of them are beholden to sponsors, advertisers and have affiliations with the travel industry. Therefore, they can’t be objective and everything they communicate is suspect. Some are much more blatant than others. I recognize that it costs a lot of money to run these websites so I can understand their need for funds. Some of these websites turn a tidy profit as well so it goes both ways. Also, the perks from Disney have already been mentioned. :wave:
Sponsors are absolutely necessary as a site grows larger. I understand that this presents a trust issue for recommendations, so it's really up to the listener/user as to how the judge that.
The sponsor for our show is Pixie Vacations, and as such they are afforded certain privilidges on our show (such as appearances and a weekly mention).
Last February I had a negative experience with another travel agent - basically seeing her acting entitled at Kona Cafe, when the truth was she was incorrect in her understanding of a policy. Her behavior was inappropriate for an adult and I shared the story on the show. This individual worked for a travel agency that we were going to be involved with at one point, but for completely different reasons it didn't happen. Had this been the case, I would have certainly reached back out to the company and informed them of what I witnessed. I didn't mention the name of the other travel agency on the show, nor can I say how I would have handled the situation on our show if they were our actual sponsor.
Having said that, having a travel agent as our sponsor has changed my approach to Disney trips. Now I always reach out to them to see if they can get a better room rate for me. It doesn't always mean that I'll use it, but there is no harm in asking, and no cost to me.
If a show or site is up front about their sponsor, I really don't see an issue with it. I can tell you from our own experiences that TouringPlans.com is not a sponsor of ours, but we have had Len Testa and Fred Hazelton on the show on multiple occasions because we like their product. That's not to say that I wouldn't oppose to them being a sponsor in the future if there was mutual interest, but at this point we have them on the show because we feel they are benefiting the fan community.
I would agree with that ... to a point. Sites like this one that aren't all glitz and glamour (I haven't seen Steve in heels and feather boa singing show tunes yet!
) are much more about information (putting facts out that help people, mostly fans, better understand what's going on and plan resort visits) AND discussion boards.
So long as the boards allow free, frank and open discussion, Disney isn't going to have control. Now, there are times when Disney will put heat on webmasters when people say things that get legal's attention ... just an FYI, but you probably don't want use words like 'child' endangerment' and 'Disney Social Media experiment' in the same post. :zipit::drevil::king:
But it all remains open until webmasters take things from Disney and I'm not talking about banner ads. I'm talking about cash, tickets, free flights, hotels stays, cruises, meals, party invites, gift cards, swag, access to celebs, Imagineers and execs etc. THAT is when there is a sort of quid pro quo and it often means 'shut those posters up' ... it's not ever put in writing and it hardly ever comes from a bigwig whether in Burbank, Glendale or O-Town, but it is filtered down and the message is delivered.
I believe this site is quite profitable and doesn't (to my knowledge) even take invites to events (one would think it should be given them ... but they aren't offered to Kevin Yee either), so you don't exactly need Disney's seal of approval to do this ... yet. And that's a good thing.
We've talked about this in the past - Disney can certainly hand pick their independent "shills", and they are certainly entitled to do so. They also have a vested interest in these online bloggers and podcasters covering their content, the assumption is that it will be covered positively.
Speaking from personal experience I have never received an unprevoked gift from Disney either in the form of an invite or free or discounted lodging. Not in the form of a pin code, nor as a co-host for a Disney podcast. I have however requested two press passes to cover the D23 Expo, had one denied and one granted. This leads me to believe that requests like this are handled on a site traffic basis.
I don't regularly listen to any podcasts ... ANY ... although I have been asked to appear on more than a few.
I won't talk specifically about Ricky because I don't know him (although he apparently hails from the same area I do), but I do get a kick out of these O-Town based folks who consider what they do to be 'a job' or 'work' when it isn't. Living in theme parks 4-5-6 days a week is a very sad existence unless you are an employee of said parks (and even then it is!) The fact the Internet has allowed these folks to sort of leech onto Mickey's butt and start s__________g away an income stream doesn't make it work or legit. The Kardashians work harder!
Ricky actually gave up covering the parks as a job (he founded Orlando Attractions Magazine) citing that it took away from his enjoyment of the parks. I definitely respect that.
See here is where I am going to have to disagree. When people get worked up about a religion they are nasty, refuse to see anyone else's point of view and usually a war starts. I mean come on.....this is a THEME PARK. Again I just want to say that I appreciate the passion many of you have for Disney and I understand why you want to point out the flaws. But can you please take a quick look at what you just typed. You just compared a persons view on Disney to a view on religion. That is soooo over dramatic and a little weird. Also I don't see anyone here running and hiding when they want to offer a differing of opinion. What I see quite often lately (and I am not directing this towards you 74) is immaturity and taunting towards people who may not be as invested in Disney as you Reconstructionists. Someone that still goes on a vacation and enjoys it, is now labeled a pixie dust whatever. A person who says "I think you guys may be going overboard" is labeled a dirty pixie dust snorter. Really? I mean really? I do not understand how someone types that "saying" without feeling completly lame. Being passionate is good but being too into something just seems creepy. I see your points, I am okay with what you say, I am okay with everyone here that agrees with you. But this immature BS has got to stop......It is just pathetic now (again not towards you 74). Everyone keeps saying "oh it is a discussion forum, blah blah, we can say how we feel, blah blah, well try feeling something original and maybe something a mature adult would feel.
The thing is, if you disagree with someone on anything that they "believe in", it immediately becomes contentious. To many of us, in some way, shape, or form, Disney is something that we "believe in".
It's a relatively obscure thing to reference, but Kevin Smith nailed this concept in his movie Dogma. (I'm paraphrasing) "People should have ideas, changing an idea is easy. Changing a belief is trickier." The most glaring examples we see are religion and politics. But when we discuss people's "beliefs" they immediately get defensive and are incapable of having rationale conversations. I love talking about religion, but to do so with most people requires walking on eggshells. The same can hold true for politics, fans of a sports team, and in the case of those of on here - Disney.
Having rational, well thought out conversation is healthy. But people are often afraid of, or incapable of doing it.
