How much does Disney Social Media/TDO check on WDWmagic?

[lazyboy97o]

Just because YOU do not know something or because it doesn't make sense to YOU because YOU don't feel you (or the community YOU are a part of) has value, doesn't make it so.

This is something just perplexes me not only about the Disney park fans and community, but the general theme park fans and community. So many are so quick to belittle something they spend a good bit of time and money enjoying and discussing. Issues are dismissed as being of little or no concern, or people say to just not think about it, it is supposed to be fun, mindless. It is a global, multibillion dollar industry and many fans see it all as not much more than irrelevant nothingness that they just want to use up their time and money.

 

[tracyandalex]

I think it's a little naive to think that any company wouldn't "google" themselves on a somewhat regular basis just to see what's out there about the company. A lot of folks use the internet for information, reviews, and such. Companies need to know what is being said about them and what the general consensus is about their brand and what is "trending." Do I think that Disney has folks that are reading every post waiting for my awesome idea for the next best ride - no way. To not check out what's being said about your company at least every once in a while would be dumb.

 

[WDW1974]

Sites like this are not watched at all because 99% of the content is garbage, at least to those who matter in a large company. More highly regarded sites with actual, credible user information can be used such as Facebook and Twitter. CM online activity can also be monitored to make sure they don't say anything stupid or give away trade secrets.
Someone here liked to brag about how Phil read his posts but that hasn't happened.

First of all, you are flat out full of pooh.

Second, if you think 99% of what's here is garbage then one would wonder what kind of grasp of sanity/life you have that you opt to waste time here.

Oh, and while I never bragged that Phil read my posts, I have stated it. Because I know it to be a fact. Again, life is much easier when you actually deal in reality.

 

[WDW1974]

LOL yes, comical isn't it. Twitter, a place where anyone can say anything, with no regard to past posting history, knowledge or anything. Yet for some, if it is said on Twitter or Facebook, it MUST be true.

That is so true, Steve.

Ridiculous.

There was a dude a while back (maybe a year or nine months, not sure), think his handle was 'ThemeParkOne' on Twitter. He'd appear like once a week and 'open the window for questions' and then he'd toss out either tidbits of info on current and future projects or big pronouncements with nothing to back himself up, yet so many (including some current and former posters here) flocked to him like bees to honey or fanbois to Imagineers.

The amusing thing is he apparently was nothing more than a front-line DLR CM who often had access to very small pieces of information that he attempted to piece into knowledge.

That's Twitter in a nutshell, anyone can just say anything and suddenly they have the same or more cred than folks that have been posting on a Disney site like this (and others) for 15 years and have reps that they've built up by telling the truth and being right most of the time.

I think Twitter is truly useless, truly and absolutely ... and watching these fanbois attempting to have conversations, I can only feel for the future of our nation (well, that and mass shootings that we seem to have no issue with because we like our guns!)

 

[wannab@dis]

I'd submit, based on all the "exciting announcements, additions, changes" coming to WDW, that not one TDO executive has ever read anything once on these boards.

Out of touch with the market is an understatement.

You're making an assumption that the people on this forum are the focus of those marketing efforts...

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Yes, the InsideEars. It was all the rage of the Disney Lifestyle bloggers ... yet another attempt to control the message.

Much like the typical characters like Brigante, Corless and Mongello who never have a bad thing to say about Disney ... didn't 'The Mongello' recently call the new kiddie coaster at MK an E++++ attraction? That's the type of 'opinion' Disney wants out there.

That was it: The InsideEars. Reminded me of the Mom's Panel: hand-picked stooges to be utilized as puppets. Reminds me of watching a ventriliquist, really. Just didn't feel genuine or real. Too laden in corporate ooze. Not my thing. But if others enjoy it, good on 'em. Right?

 

[WDW1974]

There are already many social media monitoring/dashboard tools designed for large corporations; no need to write it themselves. They can easily pay for one or more of them and be generating data in a few hours.

Yes, and you better believe that Disney is actively using these tools. I wonder why so many people choose to live with their heads buried in the sand.

 

[flynnibus]

My apologies for the miscommunication. Yes, social media departments at businesses big and small post on Facebook, Twitter, forums, etc messages to market their products. The issue here is there are two types of "plants" being discussed. The actual ones that post marketing messages... and the non-existent scapegoats used whenever the D&G posters can't use actual facts and have to slip to the ad homs.

You must really have your head in the sand if you don't think there are shills out on community sites in the internet. It happens in most forms of industry - ESPECIALLY the travel industry. Shills posts testimonials, reviews, etc. The net is plagued with 3rd parties shilling for businesses of all types. Most larger companies try to keep their hands clean by having arrangements with PR firms or the like to do the dirty work making it more difficult to track the information.

Shills are real, in every industry, and the money does stem from the benefactor, even if indirectly.

 

[flynnibus]

As for the substance of the conversation, I strongly suspect that there is a division of Disney that regularly monitors certain forums and other sites to take a "pulse" of the community. I am less confident on the plants existing, as it seems that would largely be an exercise in futility (does the internet suffer from mob mentality to such an extent that 2-3 people can sway the course of a thread?), but Disney has been known to engage in the futile, so I wouldn't rule it out.

Shills work by not owning the discussion but by rather 'planting seeds' or distributed coverage.

If you are looking at product reviews - you tend not to make your decision based one one review alone, but rather by sampling over several. You don't need the #1 review to swing a sample over many reviews. Just put several out there that are noticeable, but not over the top... do it from several angles... and you've lifted the overall average and 'spread out your coverage' rather than 'putting all your eggs in one basket'.

General users forget the website operator has a lot more visibility into the source of posts/comments then the average reader does. And the lack of sophistication in how most shills operate makes them very easy to spot. Like the old addage of 'criminals are stupid..' so are most who try to the internet to try to be someone else

 

[WDW1974]

Haven't people, in the past before Disney realized it was a mistake to use such public measures, found Disney job postings in which the job description included monitoring and sometimes engaging with fan websites?

YES!

 

[flynnibus]

Frankly, I don't get the appeal of following hundreds or thousands of other people. How can you possibly process all those tweets, even if you're perpetually and obsessively checking your account? Isn't it all the more likely that tweets from the people that are actually important in your life -- your friends, family members, etc. -- are going to get lost among the dozens of bad jokes and pointless observations that are being tweeted and re-tweeted every minute?

\

You mean like hitting 'new posts' and seeing hundreds of new threads or posts?
Or seeing hundreds of new stories in your Facebook feed?
People are following others to bring information to them - which they themselves will scan and decide what to deep dive on.

Most people aren't following tens of thousands of people - people have tens of thousands following THEM. It's not a bidirectional thing.. it's uni-directional.

Twitter is deeply misunderstood here in both it's use and value.

 

[wannab@dis]

no one at Celebration Place really cares whether you'd rather dine at 'Ohana or Cape May

That would be a fail. That would be more up their alley to get the reviews of dining locations than printing out the same rant being made by the same people.

recirculated stuff from the Casey Junior Pee While You Play Fountain

That place really bugs you for some reason, huh? When I see lies like this it makes me wonder what other lies you post?

I think many people in both the real world, and this crazy MAGICal community, can't think outside themselves or their own life experiences. So, if you aren't particularly significant in your daily life, if you don't travel extensively or deal with major corporations, if you don't have knowledge of how media companies operate well ... then, you likely sit back and say 'I'm not important. What I post isn't important. Therefore no one else here is important and their words are also not important? So, why would anyone waste their time reading about why I love WDW and think it's never been better?''

As opposed to ego and self-importance?

Just because YOU do not know something or because it doesn't make sense to YOU because YOU don't feel you (or the community YOU are a part of) has value, doesn't make it so.

Just because you THINK you know something doesn't make it so.

I can't tell you what metrics Disney uses to determine what they will read and how they interpret it. That's something you might want to address to Josh Hallett or Shell Holtz or any other of the 'top' consultants that Disney pays to direct their dealings with social media ... everything from what is posted here to reacting to something someone like Kevin Yee wrote about to what Mommy Blogger needs to be wined and dined on a company Visa.

Again, it seems more like you're upset that you have not been selected to be wined and dined.

I'll also tell you that everyone from execs to Imagineers to real media read these boards. To what level, I can't say because I don't know.

I think everyone agrees the information on boards such as this one is reported. I don't know what level either, but I've seen reports from social media research and it's not specific... more about trend analysis. The information reaching management and executives is filtered and summarized. Unless they need some fodder for the latest laugh and forward emails...

As to plants (not trolls), well, that's another subject. I have no idea why anyone would doubt their existence. Corporations have been paying people to appear on online forums for years now. The closest example to theme parks I can think of would be the cruise lines who openly and actively pay people to appear on sites like CruiseCritic.com and spin the company line and also shout down anyone who has had a less than desirable experience with a company.

Again, you're missing a huge point. Any interaction by "plants" is controlled and on message. Doing otherwise just opens them up for embarrassment if they are found out. They're not out there shouting down people and they are (or should be) very careful about the message. Same as if you visit guest services with a complaint. When was the last time you heard of any guest being shouted down (even if they deserve it)? Customer interaction is controlled.

Another example is the recent debacle about BoG being 2 CS/TS table service credits supposedly coming from a travel agent liaison at WDW. Very doubtful it's accurate given the other information already known. But whether it's accurate or not, that is information from Facebook and this forum that may be presented to management. There's a chance heads will roll and someone may lose their job. Or, their research may show enough doubt was present in Facebook / forums to not warrant a rebuttal, but a stern warning will be made if someone went off message!

 

[WDW1974]

This is like saying a local business doesn't bother to clean their store because they contract a janitorial company to do it at night. Disney clearly has some social media staff, they post on their own blog and I doubt that is all they do each day. If Disney had no concern, they would not do it themselves or hire a company that specializes in such matter to do it for them. Such companies report what they see to their clients.

Yep. To say that a MEDIA company like Disney isn't actively engaged in all forms of MEDIA is stupidity. They like their outsourcing and their very overpaid consultants (amazing for how many times i'll drop say ... Josh Hallett's name here that he'll never respond, but I'm sure he gets a msg everytime his name is uttered online), but Disney Social Media is part of Press and Publicity and their JOB is to follow what is being said about the company (good, bad and ugly) and keep track of it. Sure, it's harder with things like Twitter and Facebook ... but it's not very hard to scan MAGIC and see what topics are 'trending' (love the new age lingo) and what's being said. Disney is quite capable of doing that themselves. You didn't think that Thomas Smith just sat at his cubicle all week writing say a 250-word blog post on the second Dumbo spinner opening when he wasn't taking a Mommy Blogger to lunch at Coral Reef or Tutto Italia and that was it, did you?

 

[wannab@dis]

people choose to live with their heads buried in the sand.

You must really have your head in the sand

LOL. keep on message!

 

[flynnibus]

LOL. keep on message!

A funny conincidence.. as his post showed up as I was typing mine. But good way to ignore the message and stay oblivious to the real meat of the matter!

His point about ignorance leading to belief is so true. I often wonder what people's professions are in these communities because they seem dumb as rocks in terms of what they've been exposed to how businesses actually operate.

 

[WDW1974]

This is something just perplexes me not only about the Disney park fans and community, but the general theme park fans and community. So many are so quick to belittle something they spend a good bit of time and money enjoying and discussing. Issues are dismissed as being of little or no concern, or people say to just not think about it, it is supposed to be fun, mindless. It is a global, multibillion dollar industry and many fans see it all as not much more than irrelevant nothingness that they just want to use up their time and money.

I think that goes back to the whole point of feeling insignificant (or really being it). Many folks feel that way, so they don't believe that anyone else here can't possibly be anything else too.

And, yes, people (many who use the 'Disney is a business' line of BS) don't want to look at Disney through a clear lens. It has to be rose-colored glasses with a dash of Pixie Dust. No reality to bring them down.

 

[MrsWhiffo]

As a lover of the Pixie Dust, I would gladly be paid by the mouse to sit on this forum all day.

 

[Kuhio]

Most people aren't following tens of thousands of people - people have tens of thousands following THEM. It's not a bidirectional thing.. it's uni-directional.

Twitter is deeply misunderstood here in both it's use and value.

I didn't assert that anyone follows "tens of thousands of people"; I said "hundreds or thousands of other people." And maybe your comment was meant to be made more generally, but since you specifically quoted my post, I'm assuming that part of it was at least directed at and in response to what I said in particular.

In any case, if by "people" we're talking about members of the general public, as opposed to public figures or corporations, then "most people" are neither following tens of thousands of people, nor do they have tens of thousands of people following them.

A substantial number of Twitter users -- and by that, I mean average, non-famous, flesh-and-blood individual persons -- do have hundreds, or even more than a thousand, other Twitter accounts that they follow. Just a cursory check of the Twitter accounts of a dozen people I personally know -- friendly acquaintances from work and school, though none I would consider close friends -- produces a range of 250 to 1200 in the "following" category, with one peaking at close to 3000. So... "hundreds or thousands of other people."

Most of these people have far, far fewer followers, which is to be expected -- they're not in the pubic eye themselves, and the vast majority of the athletes/actors/musicians/politicians that they follow didn't reciprocate/#followback -- so their own followers are almost exclusively people they personally know.

(In contrast, where actual "famous" people are concerned, the following/follower ratio is typically reversed -- their "followers" number is usually much larger than their "following" number.)

So yeah, I do understand how Twitter is used; I just don't find the same value in its overuses that some others do. Having a different opinion of something's utility is not the same as "deeply misunderstanding" it.

 

[Clever Name]

As a lover of the Pixie Dust, I would gladly be paid by the mouse to sit on this forum all day.

Disney does not now, nor have they ever had, such jobs.

Disney does not monitor this forum or any other forum. There are many specific reasons why they don’t, but let me just give you one. If you were to write a letter to Disney with a great idea for a new movie, your letter is going to be returned and you will be instructed not to send them any more unsolicited material. The reason is simple; they don’t want your ideas.

Disney has fought many a lawsuit from persons that have claimed that Disney stole their idea. The story is always pretty much the same. “I sent a letter to Disney and told them about my great idea to make a movie about Elvis not being dead and that he was really a space alien. Then within the next few months that movie, “Lilo & Stitch” came out. They stole my idea!”

To avoid that sort of nonsense, Disney has always turned its back on any unsolicited ideas. That includes all Disney fan forums.

As I said before, they hire professional firms to monitor the various forums. Those professional firms are also not interested in what members have to say. They are collecting data pure and simple.

 

[MrsWhiffo]

Disney does not now, nor have they ever had, have such jobs.

I guess my subtle comedic tone was unnoticed ...