Blogs help auds talk back

Television used to travel a one-way street, from the producer through the network to the consumer. But in an increasingly interactive world, television writers, producers and performers have recognized the power of blogs and podcasts to interact with their audiences, bringing them into the creative process and expanding the fictional worlds the characters inhabit.

With poll questions drawing as many as 40,000 responses, even casual fans are checking out the show’s site. “We take into account what people say,” Wilder says. “We’re mindful what the fans feel. It lets us know if we’re on the right track or not.”

This is a bit oversimplified; people who felt strongly about a show always had the power to write letters, and many did. One need only look at the original Star Trek’s third season for a startlingly powerful example. Many didn’t, though, because it takes time, energy, and money to send a letter, and the majority of TV watchers would (and in some cases still do) simply change the channel or turn off the TV when a show becomes too offensive or too banal to bear. The interactivity of the web makes it considerably easier and cheaper for the viewers to get their message to the producers, which does give the series a chance to rectify problems before they lose the whole audience. Of course, then there’s the problem of certain sub-groups in the show’s audience getting an inflated view of their own importance and insisting on dictating everything to the producers - there has to be balance in all things.

Nevertheless, increased audience input is a good thing.
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