I will point out that a significant number of apps failed miserably just trying to get guests to submit reliable wait times for rides. An app that asks guests to chronicle details of each effect on each ride they ride as they ride them? A massive undertaking to manage with presumably non-monetary "awards". To be accurate the volume of members you'd need and the levels of park attendance amongst them would be staggering.
I think 74 really hit the nail on the head with 2 points. First and foremost, this has to be treated like a job and not a hobby. To be successful someone has to put the time in. Writing for an hour or two every other night is not going to cut it. Random fan contributions being the bulk of your content will not work either. You will need boots on the ground every day from one or more dedicated writers.
Secondly, this needs to eventually get regular attention of the main stream press. The major networks have the hit counts that matter. WDW sees in excess of 120 million people per yer. Even an incredibly successful blog site with 50k regular readers is not even a blip on Disney's radar. Fox, CNN, MSN, etc running a story a week from the blog will get noticed.
I agree, the volume needs to be there and the people on the ground need to be there.
I would think reaching the point where you receive mainstream media attention requires endurance. Developing a following can sometimes take years, and respectable news outlets will (in theory) not run items from a source that does not seem reputable and with a somewhat large shadow. Websites in particular, no matter the format, often languish in obscurity for years before they finally take off, and that slow period is where the attrition often occurs. Gotta be in it for the long haul.
Yes, persistence is key. First and foremost a plan needs to be put in place that everyone is on board with. The only thing the Fan Community seems to rally around is "Fix the Yeti", but that's just one element. There needs to be patience to get this together, but I think there are some good people on board with this already. A blog component is one thing, but as flynn outlined and I have been working on, an efficient tracking method needs to be established. I can tell you right now that such a method is months away not days away. If someone else wants to do it, sooner, so be it.
Ok, so I read through this entire thread, and I can't help but think about a recent experience on this forum that has influenced my future posting. Everyone posting on this thread seems to have been here a while and may have insight to advise me, but also, just another thought to throw into the mix. I started a thread where I mentioned a very recent disappointment with an annual event as DHS. I did ask for opinions, as I am always open for new views, so I'm not complaining that people responded, and some gave very good advice. But, I did feel like some comments were a little demeaning/belittling, I try to keep a thick skin, but don't want to sully my reputation on the boards that I do so enjoy. Since everyone has their own opinion, and reality, it is very difficult to actually post an opion or participate in a discussion without being personally criticized. How would it be different on this "new" site unless it is more of a one-way reporting?
The way I see it is that if we're talking simply about effects or other missing offerings it's pretty cut and dry. Something is either functioning correctly, partially functioning, or not functioning. I apologize but I don't know what DHS event/issue you're referencing. I assume it's something related to Star Wars Weekends?
Yep - crowd-sourced data is extremely unreliable and basically pointless without huge numbers of users. Any new startup is not going to have those huge numbers.
This is a huge concern. Something the touringplans guys are able to deal with just because they have 10+ years of data, they can pick out the outliers. Fred actually told us that they can tell if wait time data is actual, posted, or on the tip board in most cases and they use it all. This was before they developed the ability to distinguish the data on the app itself.
To do this, it needs an initial "army" of people to monitor the status of things. These people will need to establish a certain credibility as users, to further validate what's being reported. If Joe Shmo says the Yeti is working, we want to send someone that we know over to DAK to make sure Joe Shmo is telling the truth. That means that perhaps for the short term, all "reports" from the parks will have to be screened until verified.
As for the reality of affecting change - it's unrealistic to expect immediately, but the objective here is to make people aware of the issues. The more vocal we are about the bad as well as the good, the more likely it is that things can change for the better. I've talked to a few people that are interested in this and talked to them about where this has failed in the past. It's an uphill battle, but if we truly are Disney fans, and we truly want to see Disney World improve there is reason to call out the issues.
In other news, paintbrushes on Tom Sawyer's Island are officially done. Here's hoping something else is coming to replace them.
