Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[nytimez]

Just wondering why bloggers' wives are suddenly more willing to defend the work than the bloggers themselves?

There's a good and lively discussion to be had here... one that I hope would be civil... if we could get some participation from the players instead of their significant others.

 

[muteki]

My two cents on this topic... I enjoy listening to Ricky's podcast as well other Disney and non-Disney podcasts, but I don't for a minute consider them journalism, for me they are entertainment. I just see these as fans of a certain topic talking about what they love, and thanks to the accessibility of the internet they get to share those thoughts with others.

Problem is you and I may be able to read a blog and interpret it as such because we know the background, but Jane or John Doe browsing the internet may not be as informed.

That is why full disclosure is necessary.

 

[mistryl]

Just wondering why bloggers' wives are suddenly more willing to defend the work than the bloggers themselves?

Because, to be honest, he doesn't care. He doesn't feel the need to defend himself, which is why I've stayed quiet for so long.

 

[PhotoDave219]

And, no, I am not a blogger. Just another wife of a blogger jumping onto the bandwagon. My thoughts frequently get put into his posts, but I am not mentioned by name. I really can't say for sure if you are familiar with his work, and it doesn't really matter who he is, does it? I'm just part of the community by default, with a shared love of the parks.

Okay....

A little birdie told me who you are. Relax, I wont out you out of respect.

That being said, you're lumping yourself and your husband's well-respected work in with the "Goodie Bag Brigade" of the world when in all due respect, you have no business doing so.

Your husband's work has been forthright, ethical and honest. You have no need to step in here because you're not whom is being referred to here. You guys don't go out seeking free things from the mouse and you certainly didn't start your site for that reason.

So relax, you're not being referred to. Think about that room you were in Sunday night. Look around. There are plenty up there that fit in exactly with this stereotype.

We have no problem with your or your husband's work.

So respectfully, I ask you to step away from the conversation.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Just wondering why bloggers' wives are suddenly more willing to defend the work than the bloggers themselves?

There's a good and lively discussion to be had here... one that I hope would be civil... if we could get some participation from the players instead of their significant others.

Leave this one be.

Trust me on this one.

 

[nytimez]

Because, to be honest, he doesn't care. He doesn't feel the need to defend himself, which is why I've stayed quiet for so long.

Fair enough. But it's hard to say whether or not he's even part of the "crowd" we're talking about if we don't know who he is.

EDIT to add: See the post by @PhotoDave219 above. I'll take his word for it.

 

[mistryl]

It's kinda like bribery, actually. When someone gives you something (especially at a 'free' event) they are more/less anticipating a kind return on their investment. That return would be a glowing review, a nod, a mention of how great something is. In actuality, the 'free gift' is a payment for a positive review.

In this case, the post would have been positive anyway. I'd like to think that even if the experience had been negative, the free gift wouldn't change that. But, seeing as it didn't happen that way, who knows.

 

[flynnibus]

Sadly, the line between journalist and commentator becomes more blurred every day especially with the rise of 24 hour-You tell us the news YOU want to hear and we report it back to you' Channels.

One must not forget... the ethics references so highly here is a relatively recent phenom when it comes to media and newspapers. The separation between editorial and reporting is an ideal born in more modern times. Head back into the 18th and 19th centuries and you'll find media as a social force... Even today, not all news strives to be fully objective - it's simply not their goal.

There are those that strive to be objective and independent - but not everyone wants to be that type of publisher and it's stupid to think everyone who isn't needs to be. Consumers need to recognize products for what they are.

 

[Travel Junkie]

Reading some tweets from people listening in on the Universal conference call.

Universal wants to get to 10-15,000 hotel rooms asap
USO attendence is up 20% most weeks since Transformers opened
They want to add at least 1 attraction per year in Orlando and Hollywood for the forseeable future.

Sounds like they took some subtle shots at Disney along the way.

A lot of this confirms what 74 has been saying.

 

[spaceghost]

So, just to elaborate on my previous comments, after watching the "meet up" video, I felt icky because it was clear that Disney was exploiting a certain group of their social media fans. There were people on that video that just should not have been there. I know that is a broad brush based on a few minutes of video, but I'm going to trust my first impressions and instincts on this one. That said, I think that saying that 99% of the people there should not have been is a bit extreme. I think that there are certain sites that are legit and are have a a solid reputation on the line (like AllEars and Touring Plans), although I don't know for sure if they were part of this event. Speaking of Touring Plans, here's their review from Monday, where they paid to get in: http://blog.touringplans.com/2013/09/10/hits-misses-california-grill/ - less than effusive, that's for sure.

 

[mistryl]

Fair enough. But it's hard to say whether or not he's even part of the "crowd" we're talking about if we don't know who he is.

I accept that, but those are his own opinions, and believe it or not, we are not the same people. I'm just a regular person with no name attached to me, just like everyone else.

 

[Clever Name]

To be fair, you guys are mixing Jeff up with the wrong guy. Disney has turned a blind eye to Jeff selling his own filmed videos. It's a grey area as technically, they likely own the rights to all of the music used during the live shows he records. Lots of people record for their own purposes but selling them crosses a line IMO. Thankfully we have guys like Martin who put great effort into their films and make them freely available to all.

I am not mixing Jeff Lange up with anyone else.

 

[flynnibus]

So he didn't like a dessert from France...

Does he mention what a poor value you get for your dollar at WDW?

Does he ever mention how stale the parks have become?

Does he discuss how few new headliner attractions have been built in the past decade?

And for kicks does he ever compare/contrast the visible effort between WDW, Uni, and SeaWorld?

does WDWMagic do any of that on their 'news' articles? Or are they both simply reporting on news and activities at WDW?

 

[Goofyernmost]

And you don't find that troubling? Biased opinion in order to get a kickback? Sad state of affairs for both the business world and the "media" but probably a microcosm of what goes on further up the chain. But just shrugging it off explains a lot about the amount of bs what we are prepared to accept.

No don't find it troubling at all. Disney did not call them up randomly and say..."Listen if you start a blog and write only good stuff about us we will have all kinds of goodies for you". What they did say was..."Hey, thanks for all the nice words. We would like you to have (whatever) as a token of our appreciation." It is also one of the most basic methods of promotion of any company, perhaps the biggest. That would be word of mouth. It is something that every company strives for and has since the first business sign was chiseled out of stone and placed in front of a cave. Without it we wouldn't have what we have today. So to think that this is shockingly new, is just about as naive as can be. Here's another news flash, a lot of life, business, and even (especially) religion is nothing but BS, always has been and probably always will be. You choose which you want to believe, no one can do that for you.

 

[nytimez]

I accept that, but those are his own opinions, and believe it or not, we are not the same people. I'm just a regular person with no name attached to me, just like everyone else.

Totally fine. But do you at least understand the larger concern? This isn't about any specific individual, at least in my view. It's about Disney using gifts and access to fill the blog-o-sphere with friendly opinions even when they are not necessarily earned by the quality of the specific product.

Assuming your husband has legitimate views and honest opinions - and I'm not putting it that way to be skeptical of you, only because I don't know who he is - should he not be concerned that his voice will be drowned out by the collective voice of those who are bought and paid for?

I'm not against bloggers, I think they can play a valuable role. In fact, we've seen that in Disneyland - I just think everyone needs to be open about what that role is.

 

[Lee]

In case y'all wanted another topic to discuss...

Garcia has an article up covering Steve Burke's comments from today
http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-77362317/

How does 10,000 more hotel rooms and a minimum of $500m per year on attractions going forward sound?

Rasulo speaks later today. Likely all about MM+ and other associated nonsense.

 

[Captain Neo]

In case y'all wanted another topic to discuss...

Garcia has an article up covering Steve Burke's comments from today
http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-77362317/

How does 10,000 more hotel rooms and a minimum of $500m per year on attractions going forward sound?

Rasulo speaks later today. Likely all about MM+ and other associated nonsense.

How about shrinking the rooms down to 5,000 and increasing the spending on attractions?

No need to overbuild hotels like Eisner did only to be caught with his pants down when the tech stock bubble burst and 9/11 happened.

Also he clearly says they are only building rides that can be easily marketed so expect only attractions based on big hit movies not unique stuff. Which of course Disney will follow along with so don't expect anything like the original Epcot Pavillions or Space Mountain. Unless its based on a big tent pole film it's not getting built sadly.

 

[flynnibus]

Could "anyone" try to get into this "meet-up".....was it for any reader of the Disney Parks Blog, or was it only open to the social media types?

anyone... but a tangent of this discussion is that the social media group is two faced when it comes to these events. They present it as fan registered events, yet supposedly they still have their own private invite lists. Meaning, the 'chosen' ones would displace honest open fans from being able to attend.

 

[flynnibus]

In addition to being pretty obviously selective in inviting sites that "played ball," Uni saw fit to invite several "fans" as media to attend the event. Why is this a problem? These specific fans I'm referring to are known for never criticizing Halloween Horror Nights and in fact outright attack people who do criticize it, even when the criticism is fair

What universe do you all come from that you believe MARKETING in a company is supposed to be fair and balanced?

 

[ChrisM]

No, you misunderstand my point. My issue is with people demanding to be treated as they are a professional journalist when they freely admit they are not.

Help me out here, Dave: what exactly does "demanding to be treated as...a professional journalist" mean?