Crowdsourcing to Save Chuck [Blast from the Past]
Posted: January 27, 2012 Filed under: Department of Broadcast | Tags: chuck Leave a comment »Editor’s Note: Back in April 2009, I wrote a post on a long-closed blog of mine about a show that had recently become a favorite of mine, NBC’s Chuck, and how crowdsourcing online among the small community of Chuck supporters was driving interest to save the show from cancellation after two seasons of low ratings. That post means a lot to me because it ended up somehow picking up a link from Mashable and then on IMDB. In honor of the show’s series finale tonight – almost three full years later – here’s that post.
Shortly after the Academy Awards this year, I pulled together some thoughts on the idea of the Twitter community expanding the size of a couch. Well, I’m actually really kind of excited to watch now that the community is focusing its energy on a pop culture cause: saving a bubble show from potential cancellation.
For those who aren’t familiar with NBC’s Chuck, it’s kind of a geek’s wildest dream type show. Guy (Zachary Levi’s Chuck – no relation) gets the entire secrets of the CIA downloaded into his head and has to balance his day job as a Nerd Herder (a TV-fied version of Best Buy’s Geek Squad) with being a super agent. Doesn’t hurt that his “handlers” include the smokin’ Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) and witty, business-as-usual, tough guy John Casey (Adam Baldwin).
No wonder Twitterers and Bloggers love the show: it’s the perfect type of show for the Geekdom. Scattered throughout the series are references to Tron, cheap shots at the Zune, and an episode this season in which Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” was proven to be the music of the universe as Chuck saves the world – again (check the recap of that episode below). It’s definitely perfect for the inside-the-series-of-tubes crowd.
http://www.hulu.com/embed/J196AqjbxSgACGLaxprVdQ
So, when rumors started circulating that NBC has yet to pick up Chuck for a third season, the groundswell started. TV blog Give Me My Remote shifted it’s focus to “Give Me My Chuck” with a week of posts and an entire kit for you to dedicate your online presence to the show, and make sure NBC notices it. GMMR was joined by TV Squad and a bunch of separate Twitterers to drive traffic and exposure of the movement by healthy doses of the #savechuck hashtag and some key follows to drive more awareness.
Well, NBC probably isn’t going to renew a show because of hashtags alone (although, I would have to chalk that up to Twitter winning the Internet if that happened). Someone over at star Zachary Levi’s fan site had an idea for an easy offline display: and the solution involves a jingle that will not leave your head once you read this.
Well, it’s getting noticed. Coverage of the movement in the LA Times TV blog and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, encouragement from some of the show’s actors and, then my favorite moment of the day, Zachary Levi at a Subway in Birmingham, UK, filling in as a Sandwich Artist (which, naturally, was Twitpic’d and is creeping up there in views).
Why I care? One, the show is one of my current favorites. It’d be a shame to lose one of the few shows that isn’t about hospitals or cops and if it gets replaced with more reality TV, I’ll cry. But, why I’m taking up space here is because I think this is a nifty case study on pop cultures new found place within Twitter. Think about the Subway idea – that would not have ever been possible back a few years ago. Not necessarily to ask people to do it, but the actual proof that it was done. Just check this Twitter search of “Subway Chuck” to see the archive of involvement.
Of course, this is noteworthy because it isn’t astroturfed by Subway or NBC (at least, it doesn’t appear that way). Imagine the storm that would happen if it was – and I’m not willing to bet the farm that someone tries this later as a copy cat campaign. Subway is the beneficiary, everyone has to eat lunch anyway, why *not* make an ironic decision to actually tweet about what you are eating – and why?
Could it be that if we had Twitter, maybe Arrested Development would still be around? NBC will announce its lineup for the 2009 fall on May 5. Please NBC: don’t cancel Chuck.
Chart of the Day: Your Tablet as the Evening News
Posted: January 23, 2012 Filed under: Department of Digital Leave a comment »I have thoughts on this, but even standing alone, it’s brilliant and makes a ton of sense: the tablet is fundamentally a reading/entertainment device. If you can connect a tablet app to some other primetime activity, perhaps there’d be something fascinating that could be done?
via PaidContent
Today in Commenting Irony
Posted: January 9, 2012 Filed under: Department of Digital Leave a comment »I could make a series out of comments like these, but this may be one of my all time favorites. From a post on THCB that is worthy to read on its own on health care and social media, this gem appeared in the commenting section:
I love when this stuff happens.
QOTD: Assuming the Costs of Piracy
Posted: January 5, 2012 Filed under: legal department | Tags: SOPA Leave a comment »Wonkbook is on the trail of some of the claims about the cost of piracy to the economy, but buried within the post is one of my favorite arguments. Brad Pulmer writes:
Part of the difficulty here is that it’s not always easy to tally up the true costs of piracy. For instance, if a person illegally downloads a movie or song that he never would’ve downloaded otherwise, then it’s not clear what the losses are (the benefits, by contrast, are much clearer).
That point of availability beyond the market, to me, is always fascinating. Just something I’m thinking about during this debate.
The Reddit Shark Jump May Be Coming
Posted: January 4, 2012 Filed under: Department of Digital | Tags: Reddit, SOPA Leave a comment »Gawker’s post on this is far too good. From fighting GoDaddy’s stance on SOPA to then going after bigger game and everything that could happen by way of that, will Reddit outgrow its stay? Methinks this is right:
Stories like this will make “the power of the Reddit hive mind” an inescapable meme of the 2012 race—replacing the old and busted “power of social media” trope.
Stat of the Day: New Levels of YouTube Dislikitidue
Posted: December 8, 2011 Filed under: Department of Digital Leave a comment »As of 12:45 ET on December 8, Rick Perry’s controversial campaign ad “Strong” has earned 181,393 dislikes and 3,916 likes over some 747,000 views (the Governor, in his wisdom, has not allowed comments). That’s almost 46 dislikes for every single person who liked the campaign, and an absurd 24.8 % engagement rate on the video.
In comparison, the nearly universally hated while loved “Friday” music video by Rebecca Black (on only its official post) clocks in at a measly 3.5 dislikes for every like and an engagement rate that is 3% (without comments) and 4.8% if you include the YouTube user free for all.
YouTube commenters would have had a field day with LBJ’s treatment of Barry Goldwater.
QOTD: Definitions
Posted: November 27, 2011 Filed under: journalism Leave a comment »Courtesy of Wolfgang Blau’s Twitter feed:
“I am much less concerned about who we call a journalist than about what we call journalism” –
@dangillmor
Quote of the Day: Spoiling Yourself on Twitter
Posted: October 24, 2011 Filed under: Department of Broadcast, Department of Digital Leave a comment »“ Twitter is a big room full of people who are interested in the same stuff as you. So the statute of limitations for spoilers on Twitter is, for all intents and purposes, zero minutes zero seconds.”
-Dan Kois, in a post on the New York Times’ 6th Floor
Remember, you pick who you follow. Don’t follow people known for spoilers, I guess is the mentality here.
Is there a community out there for people who want to watch Chuck on tape delay this Sunday?






