Latest Social Media 'Experiment'?

[WDW1974]

To some, WDW or Disney in general is (like) a religion. That I can completely see. I've seen it re: people's behaviours in the parks and I've seen it on various boards or through blogs and media. There are people, who go into a crazed obsession "In Walt We Trust". I wish I could further go on to say how a particular religion and people's love for Disney are a bit related, but I won't go there because this is 'Murica and that would be blasphemous.

Great post and one I may have to respond to in pieces as it's almost time to go eat, drink, be merry and watch the greatest advertising of the year!

But, as I started to type yesterday before the Internet ate my post, Walt Disney is a personal hero of mine. But he was person, an imperfect, flawed person ... who also was a genius in many ways.

While Walt is a hero, TWDC is not.

It is a giant cold impersonal multinational media goliath (and I know my fair share about the subject and how these companies operate!:king.

It is one thing to put Walt on a pedestal, although the man would have been very uncomfortable with that idea. It is another to elevate a BRAND to such adulation. Would you do so for Walmart? Starbucks? McDs? GM? Microsoft? etc....

That's a very uncomfortable thought to me.

It's very unhealthy for people to love a BRAND. And Disney is cultivating that with many folks who aren't healthy to begin with and are searching for the childhood that never was and never will be.

There is a noticeable gap between Fanboys and Sweatshirt moms, who have been going to WDW since the 70s or early 80s and 90s baby fanbois and 20O0 sweatshirt era Moms. The expectations for quality and value are vastly different. One group has seen the entire resort evolve and change over the years (for better or for worse) and then the other has been going to the parks for less than 10 years and knows of a place like old WDW only on ebay.

For Spirit or anyone else to criticize WDW, you first must know that they enjoy the resort and have been going for years, but interactive and next gen aside, there is a noticeable cutback in show quality and performance. WDW is NOT what it used to be...and I don't mean one theme park and two hotels, I mean truly...the philosophy and dedication of running WDW is not what is was and for younger fanboys and sweatshirters, who grew up with the Epcot wand and 10 years of "reflections of earth" they only know what they have recently grown up with.

They have not seen over 20 to 40 some-odd years of growth and change.

Yep, Seeker. The issue is one of perspective. If someone first visited WDW in 2006 and was blown away and loved the place and is now a rabid fan, I can't argue with that. It is real and emotional for them. And you can't blame them for thinking that WDW always had a giant hat at the Studios or that food was always that overpriced or that vast areas at EPCOT were always closed off etc.

As I tell my younger friends, age is a funny thing. Most times people are never happy where they are, they wish they were older or younger. And the older you get, the younger you tend to want to be because we aren't living forever (even if we accept Mickey and The Weatherman into our hearts!:lookaroun)

But perpective and experience are so, so important in life.

If you were about to be wheeled into surgery, would you want a 28-year-old kid who just got out of med school or a 57-year-old who has done the procedure you need thousands of times?

If you're getting onto an airliner, would you feel more comfortable with a 20-something year-old studmuffin who looks like he belongs on GQ, but a few months ago was flying regional puddlejumpers for $24,000 a year or would you rather see an older vet like Sully Sullenberger (yes, the Spirit knows him too ... REALLY!!!:king welcoming you aboard.

What's the saying about youth being wasted on the young?

Of course with WDW it isn't all just the younger people being conditioned to a much lower quality product. There are plenty of 78-year-olds who visited for the first time in 2011. The thing is, they've been around long enough to get things ... to understand quality and value in a real world sense that goes back to an era with say ... no Internet ... no smart phones ... and no, GULP, Apple products!

You simply can't get what WDW was like in 1979 or 1991 because you see pics or video online or buy ephemera :wave: on eBay in mass quantities. At some point, it simply comes down to experience (which gives perspective) and you either have it or you don't.

There is a huge split in WDW fandom (as you state above) because you have roughly two groups: one that's older and was around in the 70s, 80s and 90s and another younger group or newer group.

What's worse is many of those newer fans have a strong belief that they are right and the rest of us, more seasoned, guests are simply bitter and crazy (we may be both, but we're also quite right about the way WDW was run then vs. now) But these newer fans get a jolt of what they feel is legitimacy now because TWDC wants them to believe its Pixie Dusted message ... wants them to buy whatever spin the Celebration Place Social Media Cabal puts out.

And ... I have a gathering to gather for ... so this will be continued.

But great post, Seeker. You may be smarter than I give you credit for!

~For One Night, NBC is a Network Again!~

 

[SyracuseOrange]

Great post and one I may have to respond to in pieces as it's almost time to go eat, drink, be merry and watch the greatest advertising of the year!

But, as I started to type yesterday before the Internet ate my post, Walt Disney is a personal hero of mine. But he was person, an imperfect, flawed person ... who also was a genius in many ways.

While Walt is a hero, TWDC is not.

It is a giant cold impersonal multinational media goliath (and I know my fair share about the subject and how these companies operate!:king.

It is one thing to put Walt on a pedestal, although the man would have been very uncomfortable with that idea. It is another to elevate a BRAND to such adulation. Would you do so for Walmart? Starbucks? McDs? GM? Microsoft? etc....

That's a very uncomfortable thought to me.

It's very unhealthy for people to love a BRAND. And Disney is cultivating that with many folks who aren't healthy to begin with and are searching for the childhood that never was and never will be.

Why?

Some people would elevate Starbucks, Microsoft, or any other number of companies to the place that we elevate TWDC to. Take a look at an Apply forum and you'll see the same arguments going on there that occur here.

Why is a high level of connection/admiration toward a brand "unhealthy?"

 

[Expo_Seeker40]

let's just the say the spirit and the seeker have had some experience in brand management in our MAGICal lives and know too well the mental and physical problems some die hard fans of brands will go through to believe in a message that's isn't true or was ever meaningful. The most powerful thing in advertising IMO, is "the permission to believe" offering great copy, or a powerful line or image and it is the worm and the person is the fish and once they are hooked they are hooked for life.

In a more physical sense, when Tropicana switched to a generic packaging in 2009, people actually though the OJ tasted worse. Same thing in late 2011 when Coca Cola came out with the white polar bear cans. People thought mentally they were tasting diet coke though it was regular coke, and diet coke drinkers were freaking out because they thought they had been duped.

~where's the beef~

 

[uklad79]

the mental and physical problems some die hard fans of brands will go through to believe in a message that's isn't true

most powerful thing in advertising IMO, is "the permission to believe"

a powerful line or image and it is the worm and the person is the fish and once they are hooked they are hooked for life.

I am just picking out a few lines of your post but what you are saying can be applied to fans of anything or followers (fans) of a religion.
Both are idolizers, have beliefs, want escapism, long for something better, think they know everything the idolized subject would think and do, think what they believe in is better than the other options, want to go to a place that is better than where they are.

So we are back to what's wrong with some people loving the Disney Co. like some people love God? Nothing at all. I see people foaming at the mouth in the Apple store but they are not hurting anyone.
The problem here is some people just don't want others to be happy so they try to find anything to pick and moan about because they are bitter and have some deep seated issue. I can only imagine people who come on a fan forum moaning how much they detest the subject of the forum while putting down the staff and customers of said forum subject have previously had some issues with the brand and feel hatred and disillusionment at they way they were treated. I imagine for anyone who many have a large ego this would be even worse and they would feel the need to vent as often as they could.

~Doesn't the USA have shrinks for people who can't get over issues~

 

[Expo_Seeker40]

The issue at hand is with people, who like a brand (in this case Disney Parks and/or WDW), but are relative newcomers to it and defend it for being great and perfect vs those, who have a longer experience with the brand and have noticed a decline in a certain part of the brand over the years and are pointing out to the newcomers that the quality or value of something in 2012 is not what it was 10, 15, 20, (40 :lookaroun) years ago in certain aspects. Both parties, young and old enjoy the brand and keep going back, but the older ones are trying to educate the younger ones that those 10 year old firework shows, 1970s rerun evening parades, high food prices, and generic items that can be found across all four parks (among numerous other problems) does not = the same quality and value that older generation experienced in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s.


~when parking cost 75 cents~

 

[uklad79]

The issue at hand is with people, who like a brand (in this case Disney Parks and/or WDW), but are relative newcomers to it and defend it for being great and perfect vs those, who have a longer experience with the brand and have noticed a decline in a certain part of the brand over the years and are pointing out to the newcomers that the quality or value of something in 2012 is not what it was 10, 15, 20, (40 :lookaroun) years ago in certain aspects. Both parties, young and old enjoy the brand and keep going back, but the older ones are trying to educate the younger ones that those 10 year old firework shows, 1970s rerun evening parades, high food prices, and generic items that can be found across all four parks (among numerous other problems) does not = the same quality and value that older generation experienced in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s.


~when parking cost 75 cents~

Many things are "not as good as they used to be" that doesn't mean people should try and spoil it for others by saying the usual moaning old git lines like "it was better when I was young" because your just living for the past. You do know that clothes made in china and mexico are not as good when they used to be made in the USA and the quality of foods which are overly processed are not as good and cars are not built as well as they were when you started going to Disney. The list is endless how do some people cope everyday with reminiscing about the past and not living in the present?

Ego tripper1974 is always going on about the past yet he says that people are looking for a lost youth in Disney, he fails to see the irony that he doesn't enjoy Disney anymore because it is not like it was he was younger.

 

[Expo_Seeker40]

Spirit loves Disney and one would hardly hear a complaint from him re: DLP, HK DL, and TK DL. (except for the asian woman breast feeding a duffy plush at tokyo disney sea) I can attest to that regarding one of those resorts and not through rose colored glasses and not just going there once and he's been multiple times to all three resorts.

His problem is that WDW is not up to the standards that the foreign parks and also DL USA. I agree with him re: that. We both enjoy WDW, but it does not compare to the other Disney parks. I'm just not as crazy as him and did not renew my AP. :lookaroun :lol:

 

[freediverdude]

In my experience, Disney lovers go through stages. The first stage is not knowing very much about Disney, not understanding what all the hub-bub is about, first time visitor.

Then after one or two trips some of these people turn into the foamer Disney-can-do-no-wrong types. I know because I was one. All of a sudden I wanted to stay in all the hotels, have a premium annual pass, several big trips a year, collect pins, plushes, etc. This phase lasts for about 5-10 years (depending on mentality of the person and budget, lol). I have seen other people including co-workers go through this phase as well.

Then you start to slowly see the faults (cracks in the pixie dust blindfold). More and more disappointing experiences add up over time for one reason or another (including real deterioration of the TWDC as the bean counters slowly take over, over the years). This phase is what I call the "sleeping beauty waking up to reality" phase, that Disney is a real company out for profit, that Walt Disney is in fact dead and his influence on the company is slowly dissipating, and that their culture has declined along with the rest of America's culture. This phase seems to be what most of us here are in currently, and have been for while.

The fouth phase would be the getting-so-disgusted-that-I'm-not-really-going-back phase, which does happen to some people, although I think most of the people here aren't quite ready for that yet, and may not ever progress to that, depends on the person. But my main point is, there seems to be a "lifecycle" of sorts to a person's relationship with Disney.

 

[WDW1974]

Disneyland blows WDW out of the water when it comes to upkeep, quality, and value. This has been an upward trend since 2005. Spirit is one of the few members here to have been to all Disney parks around the world, and I was fortunate to frequent DLP as an AP holder in 2011.

I am very fortunate to have been able to visit all the parks across the globe and be part of true FANBOI ROYALTY:king: ... I think we only have one other MAGICal regular :wave: who has done all of them. I know we also have a few that have 1-2 resorts on their lists left. But even that is a very special crowd.

Although when I see people that have 46 trips to WDW listed below their sigs and none to even DL, let alone DLP or TDR or HKDL, I feel bad for them. I don't believe , in most cases, that they're Disney fans or Disney parks fans. They are simply WDW fans ... or WDW addicts ... because if you can afford 46 trips to WDW, you can afford to go elsewhere too!

Culture aside, the foreign parks make WDW look like a flea market.

Not simply the foreign parks. DL consistently delivers a higher quality product across the board (although it has its issues, as does DLP).

"So then why do you keep going Expo? WHY?" I like WDW, and there are noticeable improvements such as the repaving in Frontierland, the refurbed facades of Main Street, etc, and a new fantasyland, but when Epcot hasn't had a new country since the 80s, rides like Splash, Space, and Thunder were run into the ground until they needed a refurb, hardly anything new has come to AK since Everest (disco....disco Yeti) and we have fireworks shows that have been playing for over 7-10 years now...can one not help, but notice how stale WDW has become?

What little new is offered is lost in what continues to be old and constantly running. Sure, I would love and hope classic rides like CoP will be saved, and am glad tiki room got a refurb, but how can we let Universe of Energy continue to play the same show from 1996?! That was over 10 years ago!....in future world?!

Folks that are from that new group of fans ... lets call them the Y2K group (although I believe WDW was on the slide from pink castle in 96 on!) they don't expect WDW to change. They expect it to be a museum. They don't recall when new parades and stage shows happened regularly ... when every park got updates (and often new major attractions) regularly ... when everything was kept to a much higher standard of show quality, general upkeep and cleanliness.

They just go and say 'this is a helluva lot better than my local Six Flags' ... well, sure it may be.

But I don't go to the California Grill and compare my tamarind BBQ filet to Sizzler, let alone Burger King!

The criticism for WDW comes from the passion for it and the expectations that many grew up with and were given as both children and as adults in the 70s and 80s. After the 25th anniversary ended, it seems the culture really changed and the resort has become a cash chow of excess merch carts, stroller parking, and the ticket prices keep going up, but less and less in offered, and what is there has been there for so long that the average 2 timer guest will never know the difference and TDO loves it because it means they can spend less.

Is it no wonder I did not renew my WDW AP and can't wait to get out to DL.

We shall get you to DL. ... I find it so weird you wound up a regular at DLP before you ever set foot in Anaheim!

The point that everyone misses above ... and, rest assured they'll continue to miss it again here ... is that these aren't MY personal standards or even TDR standards or DL standards. ... I was conditioned to a level of quality BY WDW Co. ... I never visited another park/resort until the 1990s. Disney's TDO operation conditioned me to a quality level they dropped over a decade ago and they are the ones who would like to shut me up for pointing out when they do not meet those standards, which is pretty much most of the time.

And, yes, the culture definitely changed in the mid/late 90s. But it was more of a change in business model. It was then you had many longtime execs leaving the company and many MBAs and consultants coming in. You had maintainance manuals changing ... you had shops that operated for the show value (like antique and silver shops in LS) closing as every location had specfic profit margins they had to meet ... you had dining slimmed down in variety while prices really started to rise ... you had Disney looking for a new type of guest (yes, DVC absolutely factored in) who wasn't as discerning and wouldn't hold them to their own standards.

And that's why you have the WDW of 2012. ... A product that can be ... nice ... but isn't mindblowing (it really used to be!)

 

[WDW1974]

What's wrong with people treating Disney like a religion?

Because ... it isn't.

And you are praying and committing yourself to a giant media corporation that is ONLY interested in making you happy so much as it will improve the price of a share of stock tomorrow and next quarter's results.

That's it.

It's not a healthy thing. And, again, I am not talking loving visiting the parks as a vacation desination etc ... I am talking about LOVING THE BRAND and treating it with reverence, thinking it can do no wrong and making excuses for anything/everything its management does.

This really shouldn't be that tough a concept here.

~Wishes he were in Rancho Cucamonga now!~

 

[WDW1974]

Yes - and it does not only have to be angry fanboys, just a normal guest complaining loudly about the mold in the bathroom in their resort and others starting to tell their little stories of not so magic things in their resort rooms.

I just can't imagine how they are going to handle this unless they have many many people doing nothing else than screening every post.

I don't know. I just commented that we have over 100 posters right now looking at the thread Steve posted on the new changes to FP (which some Spirits here have mentioned were coming) and most don't like them. I don't like FP in general, but have no issue with the changes as Disney is finally enforcing a policy that really has been around since 1999 (and ignored since 1999). But my point is that most MAGICal folks here don't seem to like it ... I'd love to see them all over on Disney's official blog (no, not trying to kill the site, Steve!) posting at the same time. ... And if Disney's special Celebration Place Social Media Cabal can't control the message, I really wonder how this new deal will.

I don't think it will at all!

You simply can't screen everything and not destroy your site ... can you imagine this place if you submitted a post and had to wait 8-9 hours to see it show up because it had to go through the thought police first?

And as someone else pointed out: why pay for controlling the message this way instead of actually use the money to deliver such a product which will have no need for measures like that?

That is a question for others ... like Duncan Wardle ... or Shell Holtz ... or Josh Hallett ... the folks who are running or telling Disney how to run its social media circus.

No ... actually, it's a question for Bob Iger ... and one you can bet he'll never be asked!

I am sure they consider the Kevin's Splash Mountain video some kind of PR disaster (at least on some level). So why try to introduce a new forum where things like that will not appear instead of just maintain the animatronics?

I am sure they weren't happy. I doubt anyone put heat on Kevin because they tend to ignore him and hope he'll go away or develop a Pixie Dust addiction.:wave:

But judging from the fact the attraction is still in awful shape, they did a very quick fix (and may be doing so on a daily basis) and what they need is probably a good 3-4 month closure, which will never likely happen.


~If Madonna is 53, then I want her plastic surgeon!~

 

[WDW1974]

Why?

Some people would elevate Starbucks, Microsoft, or any other number of companies to the place that we elevate TWDC to. Take a look at an Apply forum and you'll see the same arguments going on there that occur here.

Why is a high level of connection/admiration toward a brand "unhealthy?"

I would say the only BRAND that comes close to the OCD bizarre deification might be Apple.

I love people. Family, (some) friends, even pets. I don't love BRANDS.

And there is nothing wrong with admiring something a company does (I often do) or even feeling some connection (I'd venture to say everyone here -- well, except that dsneyrocks gal who doesn't give two craps about Disney -- feels some connection to Disney or we wouldn't be fans).

BUT ... there's a difference between being a fan and blindly loving a BRAND and treating it in a very strange way.

~That was a tasty burrito!~

 

[WDW1974]

So we are back to what's wrong with some people loving the Disney Co. like some people love God? Nothing at all. I see people foaming at the mouth in the Apple store but they are not hurting anyone.

Well, you're headed into an area that I feel like I need to walk on eggshells ... but you do realize that many people believe God exists as much as Tinker Bell does, right? You do realize you have people who believe in higher powers in different ways? BUt ... I just don't really want to head in that direction.

And any foamers in the Apple Store scare me as much as the people who believe in WDW as a religious experience.

The closest thing to a religious experience I had at WDW happened years ago in a room at the WL! :zipit::king:

The problem here is some people just don't want others to be happy so they try to find anything to pick and moan about because they are bitter and have some deep seated issue.

Nope, the problem here is some people have nothing better to do than to criticize the critics and take shots at them thinking it will somehow help their stance. It doesn't.

But I am, personally, quite bitter (not really at Disney) ... and deep seated issue? I have enough ISSUES to start my own library.

And guess what? None of that has a thing to do with Splash Mountain looking ghetto ... or Disco Yeti ... or princess rooms at Port Orleans ... or Social Media whores spinning for Disney PR etc.

I can only imagine people who come on a fan forum moaning how much they detest the subject of the forum while putting down the staff and customers of said forum subject have previously had some issues with the brand and feel hatred and disillusionment at they way they were treated. I imagine for anyone who many have a large ego this would be even worse and they would feel the need to vent as often as they could.

Issues with the BRAND?!??! DUH!!! You are quick!:hammer:

~Doesn't the USA have shrinks for people who can't get over issues~

The USA healthcare system is growing close to third world standards, so only if you make Meg Crofton's salary are you likely covered for mental health in most plans without spending thousands out of pocket first ... but you shouldn't care about that, you only come to the USA for a dose of Pixie Dust, right?

 

[TalkingHead]

The closest thing to a religious experience I had at WDW happened years ago in a room at the WL! :zipit::king:

And here I thought you were going to say it happened near the quail tiles in the Peter Pan restrooms in MK!

Thanks, too, for the unsightly restroom update from SoCal. I made sure to update the Unofficial Disney Parks Magical Restrooms Blog. :animwink:

 

[WDW1974]

Many things are "not as good as they used to be" that doesn't mean people should try and spoil it for others by saying the usual moaning old git lines like "it was better when I was young" because your just living for the past.

Really? Your opinion is exactly the type of opinion that allows companies to lower the bar. Things shouldn't be as good as they were in 1991. They should be BETTER.

It's the Carousel of Progress. Not the Carousel of Regression.

I have no desire to live in the past. I might actually be reading a book now instead of pontificating about Disney theme parks on some online site.

And people saying it ruins anything for others is patently absurd. If anything I write here ruins someone's trip, then they need to seek immediate mental health care.

If I can still enjoy the place, then I don't see how pointing out realistic criticisms could possibly impact strangers' trips.

You do know that clothes made in china and mexico are not as good when they used to be made in the USA and the quality of foods which are overly processed are not as good and cars are not built as well as they were when you started going to Disney. The list is endless how do some people cope everyday with reminiscing about the past and not living in the present?

Clothes are definitely not made to former standards. From Disney tees to designers labels you'll find on Rodeo Drive. ... But food and cars are actually much better than they were just a few decades ago. Autos are vastly safer and have a lot more toys too! As for food, most everything that goes in has to be clearly labeled and there are so many more healthy items at places as far down the ladder as McDonald's.

So, no, while somethings were better in the past, everything absolutely wasn't.

And that's a statement from the present, comparing the past with a firm eye on the future. My feet are also on the ground, but I'm reaching for the stars!

Ego tripper1974 is always going on about the past yet he says that people are looking for a lost youth in Disney, he fails to see the irony that he doesn't enjoy Disney anymore because it is not like it was he was younger.

Ego tripper 1974? I think I like 'douchy' better. Opinions? :ROFLOL:

And yet again someone here tries amateur hour psych analysis on a very complicated Spirit (although I do love irony).

First, I still enjoy Disney. Enjoy it a great deal, less so in O-Town, but such is life. So you are starting with a faulty premise. About me, what a shock, right?:ROFLOL: Can I get some high-fives here?

I don't enjoy WDW as much as I once did because it isn't BETTER than what it was and because it isn't close to what it could and should be. Understand?

~Oh, look at me ... I'm in Disney World!~

 

[WDW1974]

Spirit loves Disney and one would hardly hear a complaint from him re: DLP, HK DL, and TK DL. (except for the asian woman breast feeding a duffy plush at tokyo disney sea) I can attest to that regarding one of those resorts and not through rose colored glasses and not just going there once and he's been multiple times to all three resorts.

Small correction, but I do like to get things right. The breast-feeding Duffy momma was not in TDS, but in TDL. She was actually smack dab in the midst of a huge walkway that connects Fantasyland with Frontierland and Critter Country. She was sort of close to Dumbo and sitting there amidst all these people and no one (except some Spirted Americans) found her behavior to be a bit ... off.

And while TDR was close to perfect, there were small issues (some surprising to moi) ... and I've had issues with DLP and HKDL. But overall, the level of quality in all of the basics just makes WDW feel like the outlet mall version.

His problem is that WDW is not up to the standards that the foreign parks and also DL USA. I agree with him re: that. We both enjoy WDW, but it does not compare to the other Disney parks. I'm just not as crazy as him and did not renew my AP. :lookaroun :lol:

You shouldn't call me crazy my young padawan ... desires to visit Anaheim, does you? :animwink:

~Future Miami Dolphins QB is on Letterman ... oops, I mean future's QB's brother!~

 

[WDW1974]

Quote:
Originally Posted by WDW1974
The closest thing to a religious experience I had at WDW happened years ago in a room at the WL!

And here I thought you were going to say it happened near the quail tiles in the Peter Pan restrooms in MK!

No. This happened in the warm confines of the fifth floor (above WCC) of a lovely room on a chilly night in a ... :animwink:

Yeah, THAT ... was MAGICal!

Thanks, too, for the unsightly restroom update from SoCal. I made sure to update the Unofficial Disney Parks Magical Restrooms Blog. :animwink:

I wish I could say my pleasure, but that did make me wanna :hurl: ... but no one here noticed (other than you) because it was a DL criticism and not a WDW one.

~Eli's security wouldn't let Buffy pass and meet him? ?!?!?~

 

[Bolna]

I don't know. I just commented that we have over 100 posters right now looking at the thread Steve posted on the new changes to FP (which some Spirits here have mentioned were coming) and most don't like them. I don't like FP in general, but have no issue with the changes as Disney is finally enforcing a policy that really has been around since 1999 (and ignored since 1999). But my point is that most MAGICal folks here don't seem to like it ... I'd love to see them all over on Disney's official blog (no, not trying to kill the site, Steve!) posting at the same time. ... And if Disney's special Celebration Place Social Media Cabal can't control the message, I really wonder how this new deal will.

I don't think it will at all!

You simply can't screen everything and not destroy your site ... can you imagine this place if you submitted a post and had to wait 8-9 hours to see it show up because it had to go through the thought police first?

That's exactly it. A forum lives as a free place for discussion. I can see the reason for moderating to some extent (I did read discussion groups on usenet, so I know what it is without it). But generally a discussion needs to be immediate and direct and free. Otherwise it is just a collection of statements without any connection to each other.

That's what the comments on the Disney Parks Blog are like at the moment. And even there people try to communicate with each other. Often people adress their comment to some previous comment which included a question (which of course very rarely gets ever answered by the person who wrote the blog).

That is a question for others ... like Duncan Wardle ... or Shell Holtz ... or Josh Hallett ... the folks who are running or telling Disney how to run its social media circus.

No ... actually, it's a question for Bob Iger ... and one you can bet he'll never be asked!

Well, one could try to ask him.

And from a business perspective, I wonder why those inverstors keep asking about the end of the discounts (it seems like in every investor phone conference Bob Iger is announcing that the end of them is near...), but not stuff like this.

 

[KevinYee]

BTW Spirit, you asked elsewhere about Josh Hallett. I think I met him briefly through another local blogger / social media expert.

It wouldn't surprise me if Disney simply handed over strategy for new media to someone already entrenched in new media. Their old timers don't get it, I think. Of course, just being an outsider doesn't guarantee you 'get' it either, especially when it comes to Disney's specialized audience.

 

[Bolna]

It wouldn't surprise me if Disney simply handed over strategy for new media to someone already entrenched in new media. Their old timers don't get it, I think. Of course, just being an outsider doesn't guarantee you 'get' it either, especially when it comes to Disney's specialized audience.

Interesting thought, however if the old timers don't get it, how do they know whether they actually get a quality product from theose they outsourced it to?

I would think a media company ought to be able to formulate its own media strategies.