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CBS and the Show Blogs

Posted by: Heather Green on October 17

Will there be a point when we say enough? “I don’t want a blog from the co-producer of the new remake of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley.” Well, probably not, if the blog features pictures of the British actress.

I do wonder when enough is enough,though, after reading the latest press release from CBS about the seven blogs they have or plan to launch around shows including CSI: Miami and Survivor: Guatemala. Not that I am dinging CBS. I think they’re one of the most aggressive in organically adapting to Web 2.0, by mining what they have to create podcasts, blogs, and even short term video blogs. They make mistakes, but they’re trying by doing, rather than by buying, as Newscorp is doing.

But the question is when do people not want a Survivor blog? And I guess the simplest answer is when it looks like something that’s just an opportunistic, flat use of blogging. I don’t think the Survivor blog is quite that, though I do wish they would open it up for comments.

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Reader Comments

Pete Zievers

October 17, 2005 12:02 PM

hi Heather-

It'd be great if there was a way to differentiate and filter the traditional blogs with traditional objectives from thinly disguised marketing. I'll continue to choose what I read, but it's going to be a pain in the posterior if I have to plow through a raft of bogus blog citations to get to the one that gives me what I'm looking for. I think that's where we're headed, though.

Sounds like a really great opportunity for some software developer. I bet I'm not the only person who feels this way...

Pete Z.

anu gupta

October 17, 2005 12:28 PM

You may not want that blog, but someone else will - the cost model of setting up a blog means that niche audiences can be catered for...isn't that the point ?

Frank Patrick

October 17, 2005 03:54 PM

I really hate "yeah, what s/he said" comments, but yeah, what anu said. Value is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone values differently. To the extent that some large org like CBS can connect further on down the -- dare I say it? -- long tail, in a cost effective manner, they should go for it.

Chris Thilk

October 18, 2005 05:32 PM

Heather,
Just wanted to let you know I commented on this post on my blog. You can read the post here.

http://moviemarketingmadness.blogspot.com/2005/10/do-we-need-production-blogs.html

--Chris

Kevin Dugan

October 19, 2005 01:53 AM

Heather: I'm sure CBS included Barney's Blog for the show "How I Met Your Mother?" Barney is played by Neil Patrick Harris, forever branded as Doogie Howser, M.D. Considering Doogie always ended each episode by posting to his personal, computer-based journal (not online in those days), he was an appropriate choice.

Barney actually references his blog in one of the episodes. So now we're even seeing the promotion of a TV show embedded in the show itself.

But is Barney's Blog really a blog? There are no comments, no trackbacks and no RSS feeds.
What are the minimum, essential elements are that make a blog more than just a web site?

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/how_i_met_your_mother/barneys_blog

mike

October 29, 2005 12:15 PM

my business is in trouble, vinyl replacement window business, is there a show that can help me business is great but is it to late, is any network running a show that helpsbusiness owners on the edge of being evicted, my land lord owns the bank and has his tenants running off my elec and gas, buiness is 6 months old starting to do great but i'm $3504.00 late so hes going to evict, i need help and advise guy thank s

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In Blogspotting Senior Writer Stephen Baker and Associate Editor Heather Green take a look at how cutting-edge technologies are changing business and society. Whether its blogs or wikis, data crunching or data targeting, technology’s advances are reshaping the world that we live in.

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