Disney fandom – communication and shared interests
This weekend brings an interesting discussion to the Walt Disney Family Museum. Entitled “The Fan Driven Time Machine”, it promises a look at what fans have brought to the world of theme parks.
Having been around since the age when dinosaurs roamed the online world, I am looking forward to hearing what others have to say. My own connection to the outside world from home started way back when with dial up connections on a monochrome (a.k.a. green screen) Apple ][e. There were the local BBS (Bulletin Board Systems) at first. Then came the Internet newsgroups such as rec.arts.disney. After that it was the online subscriber services such as America OnLine, GEnie and Compuserve. And finally, when the Internet took off with folks creating their own websites. Today we have the mega-churches of online Disney fandom such as Mouseplanet and Micechat, with news/info sites like Yesterland and Jim Hill Media. Fanzines such as Persistence of Vision or the E Ticket. Toss in the podcasts such as Window To The Magic and various Youtube channels, Facebook pages/groups and you have a full multimedia package of information on your Disney fandom to choose from.
Take Disneyland for an example. Opened in 1955. The 25th anniversary? 1980. Fans gleaned what information they could from the resources available. Travel agencies or their local AAA clubs; the Magic Kingdom Club or the late lamented Vacationland magazine. The Disney Channel? Not until 1983 did it start sharing over local cable television.
No, it was the 35th anniversary of the Park when fandom communicated online on what to expect. Thanks to some of those resources, I took in the festivities from Park open to close with a couple of good friends. And actually was able to meet some of the people from across the country who I had only communicated with by online messages. Even e-mail was a rare treat in those days. Most folks simply didn’t have an ISP (Internet Service Provider) yet.
Now, every last detail of anything happening at the Park is available online for all to see, dissect and comment on.
In reality, it has only been that last ten years or so that most folks have taken up the online world and it’s fan communities in numbers worth noting. It has been amusing for me to have been a Community Manager at AOL and watch the growth we had there (notably X Files, Star Trek and Soap Opera fans) and how things have come full circle with similar communities now on Facebook. The only real difference is that instead of the paid subscriber model of services like AOL, today’s Facebook makes use of advertising revenue to drive the economics. Many of the same folks are still saying the same things or sharing the same information they did, oh so many years ago. Look over any of the message boards on the mega-church websites and you find things have not changed much.
The same dissemination of information was true in years gone by for fans of Star Trek as an example. Fans heard someone say something somewhere at a convention and took that for gospel, sharing it with one another. While that rumor may have been shared to gauge response with little truth behind it. For example, look how many years it actually took Paramount to have a new Star Trek series on television. Not on one of the major networks, but on it’s own network. And even that went through several attempts before it finally aired.
Part of the evil that this process has brought is that folks so want every last detail, that they are ripe for the misleading. Where one person may start a rumor because they heard information from a friend who heard from someone who works in a minor department in the Disney company, such rumors become gospel in short order. Spread out and about on the Internet, Twitter or Facebook, such rumors spread like wild fires. Running amuck with no one to stop them. Note the proliferation of scams for free this or that. Heck, I freely admit to having chimed in on some, because as much as anyone, I would like some of the free shrimp now and then.
And I have no doubt that folks at various levels inside Disney have used the online world to sample the waters now and then. Put out a good juicy rumor through a source and see what the response is. If enough folks like what they hear or hate it, that’s a good sample to craft future proposals. Or is it? Garbage in, garbage out or GIGO is a good online term. Folks who believe it because they saw it online? Oh, yeah…
Disney is not alone in this kind of thing. Be it theme parks or movies or other entertainment, plenty of folks have interests that they want to learn more about. And Disney is learning how to make use of this. Marketing using this as a tool? You bet! If you can go right to your consumers in the privacy of their homes with information, why not do so? As good as free advertising, directed marketing works. If people want you to share information directly with them, it would be downright silly not to take advantage of it. Why do you think all of these online pages/contests have that option to get more information? Because people ask for it.
Yes sir, it’s an age of miracles we live in!
Now, which one to believe…
An Afternoon in the City
In the words of the late Herb Caen, “Items! Items! Who’s got items?”
Yesterday saw the Disney cruise line “Wonder” make it’s one and only port call in San Francisco for 2014. The ship was on it’s way from San Diego to Vancouver on a 5-day cruise. Plenty of happy faces out and about along the Embarcadero and Fisherman’s Wharf. I’m still trying to figure out the 2:00 am departure. Guess it was sailing on the tides…
It was a glorious day in the City, if you didn’t get caught in the breeze from the West. Sunny and 70 degrees reported. Noted a good number of the double-ended PCC streetcars in service on the F Line. That Market Street Railway paint scheme on the 1011 is growing on me. The ultimate “what if”.
Handy tool and neat as well, how about this live map showing the locations of all the streetcars in service on the line? Even those great throwback streetcars from Milan can be tracked using this.
Speaking of San Francisco Streetcars, a neat (and free) place to visit near the Ferry Building is the Market Street Railway groups museum and gift shop. Well worth a stop!
I guess I need to take in more of the tourist destinations now and then. Take Ghiradelli Square as an example. Who knew they had another location west of the usual one? Good to add more space to enjoy all of that good stuff.
A couple of other free stops along the way? The National Park Service has a great visitors center at the corner of Jefferson and Hyde. A great look at the Maritime history of not only the Bay but all of northern California. And the history continues outside at the paid Hyde Street Pier, with some fine ships to visit.
For something a bit more whimsical, hidden amongst all the usual tourist goodies at Fisherman’s Wharf, check out the Musee Mecanique on Pier 45. Marvels from all over the mechanical era await to entertain for only 25 cents each! Even that legendary arcade game of Pong! And outside, you will also find the World War II submarine USS Pampanito available for tours as well as the Liberty ship, Jeremiah O’Brien. The O’Brien is heading out this weekend on it’s annual Veterans Memorial Cruise – four hours along San Francisco Bay. Been aboard of those cruises myself and a good time it was!
Lastly, no visit along the Embarcadero is complete without a stop at the Ferry Building. Just too many great places to tempt the palate. Plenty of great dining choices or excuses to pick up something for later to take with you.
All with a good stretch of the legs along the way…
Disneyland Prices and the Beginning of the End?
Ah, yes… the inevitable annual price increases at Disneyland. As the modern era of stockholder value demands that double digit profits continue, who can be truly surprised when these come along?
But, wait! There is a bit of a wrinkle this year. Those wily folks in the offices at Disney have decided to suspend the sales of the Southern California Annual Pass. Depending upon who spins the tale out here in the blogosphere on the Net, this can be read as a simple adjustment or the oncoming rush of doom for this class of Disneyland Annual Passholder.
How about a few minor niggling details to cloud the view? For example, once upon a time, there was only one type of annual pass to the Park. That’s right! Only one. Good for admission and all attractions, excluding the Shooting Galleries in Frontierland and Adventureland. Including parking and good during all normal dates and times of Disneyland operation.
During a period when attendance numbers dipped, a bright solution was seen to be the local populace. Those folks who lived close to Disneyland, in the Southern California area. One way to attract them was to offer a lower priced Annual Pass which allowed admission to the Park during off-peak periods. During the busy summer months, those Southern California AP’s were blacked out – meaning you couldn’t use that AP for admission then. As the pass system matured, many Saturdays were added to that black out calendar. Still, a good value with Sunday’s available. As many of the folks who came from out of town used Sunday’s as a travel day, even during peak time of year, guest numbers in the park were not crushing.
Funny thing, Disneyland has suspended sales of this class of Annual Passes once before, in 2001. And when the numbers fell off, they resumed sales. It may be in the small print but on the Disneyland web pages, you can find this text: “Pass types are limited in quantity, and may not be available.”
In other words, Annual Passes are not unlimited in number. And a minor point? Disney is not eliminating these passes. Folks who currently have them or event those who had passes expire in the last 90 days can still renew their passes. Disney is just not selling any new ones, right now.
I know I have said this before, but the truth is that while the number of guests with Annual Passes is good, this is not the most desirable guest demographic. That honor lies with the mythical first time family of four, spending more per capita than the AP’s. To be sure there are some AP’s, such as the Premium, who may spend more than the rest of the AP world on their visits. But the problem are those AP’s who don’t spend, who may just visit Disneyland to hang out. Socialize with others, just even to take in being at the Park. Those folks who camp out for fireworks, Fantasmic or World of Color.
Overcrowding at Disneyland seems to have become an issue. You could expect it during those summer/holiday peak periods. But when the gates to the Park have to be shut because capacity has been reached? Those unusual occurrences have become more in number. When even parking lots are closed and there is simply no where to park all those autos. Those times are happening far too often. And that creates a conundrum for the folks at TDA.
Yes, stock holder value is being served. Profits are good. But the quality of the guest experience? Not what is should be. When lines for food/beverages are too long – even at an outdoor vending location – people tend to become discouraged and will not wait. And when the lines for a restroom rival some attraction waits? Not “good show” by any means.
So, what to do? Suspending the sales of the Southern California Annual Passes is a good start. Fast Pass Plus? Still to early to tell if that experiment will ever come to Anaheim. The return of ticket books? Less likely than the return of the People Mover.
Disneyland is just too popular. As long as people continue to pay the prices for all of the experience, don’t look for price cutting. If things continue so well, could the suspension of the Southern California Select AP be next? Perhaps.
Lest anyone think otherwise, there are people inside the management of Disneyland who do have a clue or three. They understand that the draw of the place is magic to guests. And they do want to know what guests think about their visits to the Park. As odd as it may seem, the suspension of sales of new Southern California AP’s is a positive step in the improvement of the overall guest experience. That concept, a positive guest experience, still drives the best publicity/promotional effort that Disney can hope for – the good word of mouth. If I have a good time during my Disneyland visit, odds are pretty good (especially in today’s world of social media) that I will share it with family and friends. Who will likely come to visit the Park and have their own positive guest experience.
Somehow, it seems to work. Because in the words of Mister Willy Wonka, “they’re certainly not showing any sign that they are slowing!”
When fandom becomes obsession.
Let me start by saying that Disney is only one thing amongst many that draws my attention. Sometimes, and I am not ashamed to admit this, the line between fandom and obsession is one all too easily crossed.
If such a moment is a rare thing, it can be accepted. We all have had those experiences, moments when we were star struck. Carried away to be there. Fanboy or fangirl gushing over someone, something or someplace. And that is okay. Really.
The problem? It is when momentary becomes primary. For example, why do people spend good money to go to the Disney theme parks in search of peeling paint or burned out light bulbs? Is that to be the highlight of their day, experiencing joy in not only finding such, but sharing it with others similarly concerned?
I think if one had the chance to ask Walt, that kind of experience would be rather low on the scale of what he hoped that people would enjoy during a day at Disneyland. And to be fair, I am sure Walt would not tolerate some of the lapses in quality either. Yet if one looks back on how the Park operated during his lifetime, those moments when guests were not in the Park on stage were opportunities to address issues such as peeling paint and burned out light bulbs. Especially on days when the Park was closed. Work could be done without fear of prying eyes. And yes, I agree that the company can do better at paying attention to the details at theme parks, all around. Not just for special occasions.
Another point raised by someone recently was what Walt would have thought about the Internet and social media. Being interested in technology and communication, it wouldn’t surprise me if Walt would have been a lurker. Just as he liked to go out in the Park and be anonymous (when he could), I think he would have been out there listening and even responding to discussions to see what folks had to say. (And if one thinks Disney does not have people being paid by the company to do this, think again.)
It isn’t just the Disney fandom with this kind of mania. For example, the Union Pacific Railroad is in the middle of moving one of it’s Big Boy steam locomotives from Southern California to Cheyenne, Wyoming. The railroad had decades earlier donated the locomotive to a historical society for display. Corporate policy today had decided that the railroad would take on the project of restoring one of these locomotives – of which there were only 25 built; the biggest steam locomotives world wide.
Now for same railroad fans, this is the closest thing to the Second Coming that they could ever imagine. Something they never expected to see now or ever. So much so that for months, these railfans have been chomping at the bit for even the tiniest bit of information on this project. You name it and those tiny bits have become the focus of the obsession. Fans of this have watched by webcam from around the world as the locomotive was moved from it’s display site across a parking lot to the connection with the mainline railroad. And that will continue as the locomotive makes a very slow trip back to Wyoming.
Other examples? How about fans of the Star Wars films? Since production began on this series of sequels, rumors of this and that have been the stuff of big news. Even the smallest details were shared across the planet. And now, with filming under way in Abu Dhabi… well, let’s say that for some people it is just too much. They have to be there to see it as it happens. Even though they won’t actually see anything, they have to buck up and be there. On that off chance, they might.
If you try to understand why that line between fandom and obsession is so easily and so often crossed, you can get about as many opinions as stars in the night sky. I won’t take up space here adding to those. But I will say that on some level, I understand. Yet on another, I also can see the reality. The unvarnished side of the coin, if you will. Folks who create the products that give fans interest are just doing what they can to pay the bills. Disney, steam locomotives or Star Wars, all the same.
So if you enjoy something, good! All the better to have anything that gets you involved. Go Sports Team!!! But when you have that moment where the line is crossed between fandom and obsession? I hope you can step back and enjoy what it is really all about.
Sharing any experience makes it all the more enjoyable because of those you share it with. Be it Disney theme parks, steam locomotives or science fantasy motion pictures.
Disney: Why I worry about it.
Let me begin by saying that I have no fiscal interest in the activities of the Walt Disney Company. I am neither an employee or a stockholder. I am strictly a consumer of the products produced by the Company. Finally, as a consumer, I am appreciative of the quality that the Disney name has come to represent. Yes, I easily admit it. I am a fan. Even a Disneyland Premium Annual Passholder.
So, what does that get me? Not much. I can, if I so choose, to give the Company part of my disposable income, contributing to the bottom line; a.k.a. profit.
I have opinions though, readily expressed if sought by anyone. In the overall scheme, they do not count for much. Yet, if enough folks share similar opinions and act in a similar manner, that becomes a trend. Good or bad, trends do tend to draw attention. And sometimes that attention results in action.
Now if I were a stockholder with a sufficient investment in the Company, I might be seriously considering if now is the right time to reconsider that investment. As things go, profits are in line with expectations. Right now, that is. But as one of the Company’s recent acquisitions reminds us, “Always in motion, is the future.”
If one looks at the motion picture projects of the Company in recent times, there is indeed cause for concern. Even with the successes such as “Frozen”, the playing field is littered with some spectacular failures. “John Carter”, “The Lone Ranger” and “Pirates: On Stranger Tides” leading the way. And no one will say it, but even Pixar has seen less than impressive “successes” in “Cars 2” and other projects. The bloom is off the rose, so to speak. Where once was genius, now is just another link coming from the sausage factory that is the world of motion picture production.
If all goes to plan, there are projects in the works that could reverse fortunes. Specifically, projects in the Star Wars universe as well as the Marvel one. Yet, one has to wonder what may take place if these don’t meet the lofty goals set in their paths. Careers stand to be made or broken at all levels.
As part of the entertainment industry, the theme park world is not immune from the future either. The juggernaut that is Harry Potter is coming, to both the east and west coast of the USA. And not at Disney. So, what do the suits in Burbank have to counter? Avatar. Sure, it did numbers at the box office, but it has not joined the pop-culture scene in the ways of the boy wizard, the ways of the Jedi or even where no one has gone before.
I am not saying that Disney should not be concerned about this. No matter what, people still will shell out those monthly payments for Annual Passes; especially those cheaper Southern California Select Passes. Hotel rooms on property will continue to be sold and the typical 4.3 family will continue to make that “once in a lifetime” trip to a Disney resort – be it Anaheim, Orlando, Ko’Olina or voyage aboard a Disney cruise. Because no matter how vocal the many fans may be, they will always constitute a minority in the overall numbers of Disney guests. Face it folks. Disney raises prices not simply because it can, but it does so because guests continue to pay those prices. No matter how large the raises, people keep shelling out the dollars.
Until such time as consumers cease giving Disney their disposable income in sufficient numbers and a sizable drop in revenues rings alarm bells for Accountanteers, the Walt Disney Company will continue right on doing what they have the last few years. Sure, we will see the occasional bone tossed towards the fans. Something to drool over, along with promises. Some to be kept and others just to keep us salivating. Don’t believe me? Look back a few years and you see the path littered with examples. Everything from the Disney Decade to Disney Sea and Westcot all promised. All fan excitement at the moment but not delivered. Even what we did get finally less than expected. DCA 1.0, a shining example.
Okay, all good points. But as long as the consumers continue to give the Company their disposable income, not much will change. Odds are better than good that when Bob Iger sails off into the sunset after his term as CEO, his replacement will continue on the same course. The kind of person who will take the chances and dream the kind of dreams Walt Disney did is not in the cards. You don’t get to the top of a company today by doing those kind of things. People like Walt or Steve Jobs don’t have that kind of freedom any more. Play it safe, increase shareholder value through the tried and true and you will be rewarded with all of the proper stock options.
And if you think the “Save Disney” efforts really effected the Disney Company, think again. It wasn’t the fan base that had any effect. It was the institutional stockholders who made the Disney Board of Directors take the actions they did.
I would love to be proven wrong. But the problem is that folks have come to expect those double digit profits, year after year after year. Not that there is anything wrong with a goal like that. How you reach it should be a matter of taking the chances on quality, not quantity.
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Walt Disney