Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[Clever Name]

How do you know? Most of them were blogging way before any perks and many blog without any perks period

I agree. Most bloggers blog to compensate for their inherent low self esteem.

 

[misterID]

I had a good long laugh at the bloggers in that video just like everyone else. But this is where I think the anti-blogger argument is going a bit too far.

If Disney wants to give perks to bloggers in addition to or instead of journalists, that's their perogative. They apparently think it will buy them good coverage (which it does) and for some reason, they value it enough to think that coverage is worth the freebies. We can debate their decision to treat mere bloggers with such reverence (while not so subtly mocking them to their faces) but ultimately, it's their stuff. They can give it away to whomever they please.

Personally, I blog. I have yet to get a freebie because I have yet to be offered one. I don't seek them out and I don't think my content is likely to inspire anyone to ask me to shill for them. If anyone offered my a free trip/meal/trinket, you're darn right I'd accept it. I'd make sure to put that info front and center if I wrote about the experience on my blog. Presumably, that is where some of these guys might be falling down. But they are bloggers. If you have any real exepctation of professionalism from the blogosphere, that's on you.

*NOTE to any Disney Social Media people who may be reading this: I will shill for you like nobody's buisness. I regularly get about 5,000 hits a day. Granted, most of that is to see pictures of Fat Val Kilmer or to find out what happened to Bridget Fonda. But, we should talk. That's gotta be worth lunch at BoG, doncha think?

Sorry. Lost my train of thought there for a second. The point I was trying to make is I think we are being a bit hard on bloggers who are doing what most anyone else would do in their place. No surprise that Disney bloggers are a nerdy bunch who don't exercise enough and are likely to embarass themselves when exposed to alcoholic beverages. It's okay to point and laugh. But let's not demonize these guys. Disney is at fault here.

I can tell you what happened to Val Kilmer. He turned down the role for The Insider, which won Russell Crowe an Oscar.

It's a shame he didn't take his career more seriously. He was one of my favorite actors.

 

[WDWDad13]

I agree. Most bloggers blog to compensate for their inherent low self esteem.

so what does that say about us on Disney message boards all the time?

 

[Clever Name]

so what does that say about us on Disney message boards all the time?

I have my staff respond to most posts.

 

[ford91exploder]

they do have the best Smoked Meat Sandwiches in the world. I used to drive up there just for that.

Mmm, Smoked Meat sandwiches - medium fat yummm.

Dunn's or Schultz'es

 

[flynnibus]

Would it change your view if msnbc was taking payola from the current administration (or fox from the other side) and not disclosing it?

Well it would certainly impress an opinion on me if you think Fox/CNN/MSNBC should be considered unbiased news journalists today...

The fallacies repeated in this thread that all the disdain hinges on are

- If you take something, you are automatically biased
- If you don't report negative things, you are tainted and controlled
- Enthusiast sites should all aspire to include critical editorial
- Anyone who posts news is acting as journalist, and so we should hold them to journalism standards

Weigh that list against every finger pointing.. and you'll see the hypocrisy on all of this. People can dream up all these 'rules' and they don't hold up to scrutiny.

You can CHOSE to be a 'all sunshine and lollipops' site.. You can CHOSE to be a 'critical skeptic'... what someone posts, or in whatever range of that they chose to, that is THEIR CHOICE. They are not required to post both sides.. and that reality has NOTHING to do with if people are biased, bought, or manipulated. People can be independent without posting all sides. What readers will follow, is going to be up to the reader. They too get to chose what type of content interests them.

What does matter is 'who is in control' of what people publish. It's when THAT gets compromised, that things are in trouble. If someone posts 'all sunshine and lollipops' because they feel doing otherwise would cause them some harm... then they are no longer independent.

Simply taking comps or swag does not compromise your independence. The risk and stereotype is that many can not maintain independence under that pressure. And in the case of Disney Social Media, people become DEPENDENT on the handouts for their existence... that people question their ability to stay independent.

That's the core issue... all the crap about people not posting all sides, or people taking swag, is just symptomatic behaviors that people misinterpret and try to make up behavioral rules that are complete garbage.

It blows my mind that people spend hours on a site like this every day... a site that does not meet any of these so called 'standards' and can throw stones... This is insane not because WDWMagic is in the wrong... but because people can't test their own theories against a site they believe to be in the 'right'.

 

[WDWDad13]

Well it would certainly impress an opinion on me if you think Fox/CNN/MSNBC should be considered unbiased news journalists today...

The fallacies repeated in that the hate hinges on are

- If you take something, you are automatically biased
- If you don't report negative things, you are tainted and controlled
- Enthusiast sites should all aspire to include critical editorial
- Anyone who posts news is acting as journalist, and so we should hold them to journalism standards

Weigh that list against every finger pointing.. and you'll see the hypocrisy on all of this. People can dream up all these 'rules' and they don't hold up to scrutiny.

You can CHOSE to be a 'all sunshine and lollipops' site.. You can CHOSE to be a 'critical skeptic'... what someone posts, or in whatever range of that they chose to, that is THEIR CHOICE. They are not required to post both sides.. and that reality has NOTHING to do with if people are biased, bought, or manipulated. People can be independent without posting all sides.

What does matter is 'who is in control' of what people publish. It's when THAT gets compromised, that things are in trouble. If someone posts 'all sunshine and lollipops' because they feel doing otherwise would cause them some harm... then they are no longer independent.

Simply taking comps or swag does not compromise your independence. The risk and stereotype is that many can not maintain independence under that pressure. And in the case of Disney Social Media, people become DEPENDENT on the handouts for their existence... that people question their ability to stay independent.

That's the core issue... all the crap about people not posting all sides, or people taking swag, is just symptomatic behaviors that people misinterpret and try to make up behavioral rules that are complete garbage.

It blows my mind that people spend hours on a site like this every day... a site that does not meet any of these so called 'standards' and can throw stones... This is insane not because WDWMagic is in the wrong... but because people can't test their own theories against a site they believe to be in the 'right'.

*** APPLAUSE ***

 

[ford91exploder]

so, i think you're debating two separate issues: your perceived sense of paranoia in this thread and the actual issue of disney controlling its message.

here's a more accurate analogy than the political bribe (this is why stringers on political campaigns cover the exact same stories in an identical tone -- an issue recently depicted rather effectively on "the newsroom"): imagine if the administration threatened to take away credentials from a white house reporter if he/she reported a negative story. in short, they took away access to something integral to do their job.

[OT]
Now both George the Second and George the Second Prime have both taken away press creds for exactly these reasons
[\OT]

If I were blogging I would have put a picture of the swag front and center on my blog, perhaps slugged as neat stuff from Cali Grill event. And then gone on to say whatever I will about event let people draw own conclusions

 

[flynnibus]

True - Currently there are no properties in Orlando which currently could command that price level, All UNI needs to do is to build a boutique hotel say all club level with services and amenities commensurate with that price in Orlando and the crowd who @TheEmpressLily noted will abandon the Poly and GF in an instant, Now some Disney hotels their lobbies have a WOW factor but that's as far as it goes.

What the high-end hotels lack is the resort/destination feel. But just wanting high end hotel experience is there.. Peabody, Ritz, Gaylord, etc. But none of those are destinations in themselves. I doubt building a ultra-lux hotel would drain those people away from the Poly/GF/etc. Why? Because they obviously aren't paying for the Poly/GF because of the ultra-lux services and amenities (they don't exist!). They pay because they want to be in the Disney bubble and can.

 

[danlb_2000]

I am not currently employed in journalism and I am not a blogger. I am under no obligation to mention if say a friend maingates multiple friends or family members or gets me a $50 room at Portofino Bay. I mention things like that (I always point out that since 2007 I have paid $80 total to spend dozens of days at DLR, for instance) because I am a pretty open and honest Spirit. ...And the one lesson the true top one percent have taught me is that you should never pay for anything if you can help it.

And if someone or some corporation wants to buy me, good luck to them. My price starts at seven figures, not a free meal at the California grill or even a few free vacations.

An argument could be made that you are a blogger, you just post in a thread on a message board instead of a dedicated blog.

 

[Bolna]

You bet your @$$ he is. He didn't even do anything and the video got taken down!!!

Makes you wonder whether Jeff Lange reads the Spirit's thread...

 

[nytimez]

[OT]
Now both George the Second and George the Second Prime have both taken away press creds for exactly these reasons
[\OT]

If I were blogging I would have put a picture of the swag front and center on my blog, perhaps slugged as neat stuff from Cali Grill event. And then gone on to say whatever I will about event let people draw own conclusions

To turn the political end of this discussion into something relevant, any number of administrations - including the current one - have tried at times to exclude unfriendly media from interviews, background briefings and more.

And when it happens, the "friendly" media gets unfriendly fast. MSNBC will back Fox - and vice versa, and I'm just using those two as an example, because all of them back each other - and raise a stink. In some cases, reporters have refused to attend briefings until all are included.

This is what helps with the overall objectivity, to whatever extent it exists; a reporter knows he can safely criticize and not lose his credentials/access because he will be backed by both his friends and rivals.

No such safety net exists in the world of blogging.

Again, as I've mentioned before, my problem isn't the individual bloggers per se - it's the attempt by the company to control the message, something all companies have always tried to do... always dreamed of doing... but having this sort of second-level "media" around in the form of blogs finally gives them that ability to an extent they've never had before.


/end of ramble

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

An argument could be made that you are a blogger, you just post in a thread on a message board instead of a dedicated blog.

Not the word I was thinking of.

 

[mgf]

Universal: New hotels, rides every year, investment

Disney (via Garcia):

"....repeated Disney's basic strategic premise w/NextGen: The more pre-planning Disney visitors do, the more time & money they spend at WDW..."

"Rasulo also was a bit more direct in discussing the data-tracking motivation behind MM+, as well. 'The more you share with us as a guest the more we’re able to tailor services and, we think, get lift in selling those services.'"

"Jay Rasulo says 125K Disney World visitors have now tested MyMagic+ systems. Said tests have produced "very, very positive results." /ducks"

-------

That last one cracks me up. 125k is approximately .7% of the yearly (est 17M) turnstile clicks at MK - not that the results have been remotely positive. Can't wait for the spin after they scale up!

 

[mgf]

And Garcia kinda burns 'em!

"That's it from Rasulo and Disney. Didn't hear anything new at all. Maybe they can bring Steve Burke back for an encore?"

 

[lebeau]

I can tell you what happened to Val Kilmer. He turned down the role for The Insider, which won Russell Crowe an Oscar.

It's a shame he didn't take his career more seriously. He was one of my favorite actors.

WTHH to Val Kilmer?

Short story: Kilmer PO'd a lot of people with his diva attitude and substance abuse. Then his movies started to bomb and he got fat. The article contains all the excruiating details.

 

[lebeau]

I agree. Most bloggers blog to compensate for their inherent low self esteem.

Funny. Most bloggers I know have anything but low self esteem.

Maybe, just maybe, you were overgeneralizing a ton.

 

[GLaDOS]

So yesterday we have NBC/Universal telling us they'll be increasing additions to their theme parks, spending at least 500 million every year.

Today we have Jay Rasulo saying Disney will be spending between 6 and 8 billion to buy back stocks while simultaneously cutting CapEx and hiring.

That's the ONE DISNEY(TM) I know and love.

 

[wannab@dis]

Ahhhhhh. This certainly triggers the question I have been contemplating.

With critical "reporting" (I use this term very loosely) will the perks dry up?

I don't think anyone is saying that on this forum, but the issue is people turning a blind eye to the current state of affairs at the Florida property ... potentially because they are getting free handouts ... without fully disclosing the handouts.

Based on the example PhotoDave provided earlier.....yeah. Absolutely.
Ask tough/wrong questions and find yourself on the outside looking in. No matter how big and well-respected your site is.

So, Ricky and his wife will either do the right thing, and suffer the loss of perks, or ....

Maybe Ricky doesn't find everything at the parks to be the doom and gloom that a few around here want.

Why don't you all go start your own site about all the horrible things going on at WDW? Please, take your small group and build a site that highlights every little thing you find problematic. You all know SO MUCH MORE than any of the Disney social media employees, their "whores" and all those lifestylers, so your site should be a monster success in just days or weeks. Do it. Prove you actually have the all-knowing, superior capabilities you claim.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Mmm, Smoked Meat sandwiches - medium fat yummm.

Dunn's or Schultz'es

Dunn's when it was still there. Once the old man at the door (I assume Mr. Dunn, never asked) passed away, so did the business. It was amazing, I don't care what time of the day or night you went there he was at the door, all dressed in a black suit and greeted everyone with a smile. More for the sake of convenience I then went to Rubens next door after Dunn's closed. Not the same, but pretty close.