I kept hearing the Odd Couple theme when I read Henry Blodget's post on iVillage and NBC and how their dreams are yet "unfulfilled": like Felix (NBC-staid old media) and Oscar (iVillage--savvy but messy new media) these are still learning how to peacfully co-exist...
And Henry makes some excellent points--but there's some reasons why NBC made the decisions it did..well, at least some I could see....to Henry's points:
Henry's #1 point sez: "Viewers don't visit web sites just because you promote them on TV." But the thing is if you look at how PBS's sites get all sorts of traffic during and after shows are broadcast, it might lead a broadcaster to think they can do it too (wish I could find the stats/report on this. if I do, I'll repost link). But what may work well for PBS and independent producers like ITVS may not work for lots of MSM sites because of....
...Henry's #3 point: "Don't create bad TV shows to promote web sites--viewers hate bad TV shows. Excellent and compelling programming will keep people comming back and engaging in conversation (although maybe more with each other than with the content.) If you have wan, somewhat lifeless, pop-y content, that a site may not be known for, then you could, in all likelihood, kiss your community good-bye.
Which raises the notion of disgruntled communities--both in-house and online. These matters are addressed in Herny's points #2 ("Don't decide to move Manhattan staff to New Jersey. " and #4 Don't panic and buy web properties just because Rupert Murdoch hit a home run with MySpace To point #2: just because people can work virtually, doesn't mean they want to be pushed to the other side of the river and made to work virtually. This also forces a disconnect within the main office--what is out of sight (or is it site??) is out of mind. Which it shouldn't be.
And to point #4: if you as a main portal have trouble understanding social networking and social networks, by all means DO NOT try to Be Like Rupe! Rupe's an exception--also, I'm not sure how much Rupe tried to steer the MySpace guys' editorial direction after he bought the site. So, the MySpace guys had a direction, Rupe let them run with it via a huge cash infusion, and really didn't monkey with it by trying to incorporate it into any main Fox Network portal in the manner that NBC tried with iVillage. iVillage had a very good reputation for being a nice community as much as for its content, and sometimes to switch ownership can cause a downturn in the community. It's a loyalty thing for some people who play in online communities. And if you don't have an iron-clad strategy for re-building that community (as Rupe did with marketing MySpace to a much-younger than average MySpace demographic) you could get the downturn with no upswing.
So, there's always much more to a disappointment than meets the eye...still, with a little bit of reflection, all isn't necessarily lost in the NBC/iVillage merger. Depends on if NBC is willing to invest in good content to propell comments and create community, and if it's willing to find other strategies to building loyalty among those community members.
just a thought...
Update: At MediaPost, Seana Mulcahy reviews habits of teen-agers as to how they relate to TV content...this could give NBC some insight....maybe...
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