WDW Social 'Media' and Conspiracy

Originally Posted By Bolna

<<It has come to my attention that a certain 'celebrity' podcaster/blogger is currently accepting $400 a person to walk around WDW with him. Unbelievable.>>

Wow, and I thought people were crazy to pay $200 for the Wild Africa Trek, but this just is insane!

 

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

^^I also can't believe it is legal ... at least as far as TWDC's policies are.

Just looking at the dude's website now and I am amazed ... truly.

The web has become a great source for people to simply leech off of Disney and make 'a living' by living at the parks.

And this dude, being an ex-lawyer and all (I wonder how that went!) seems like the worst I have seen.

Amazing. Just amazing.

 

Originally Posted By ReelJustice

^I have to imagine that tWDC is endorsing him. How else could he afford a generous stay at Bay Lake Tower from today until the end of Destination D?

Sure, he's making a hefty amount off of the rubes who follow him, but I can't imagine he can afford BLT and the other places he stays whilst trying to support his "family."

 

Originally Posted By leobloom

A satisfied customer says, "Lou describes everything in such wonderful detail that even a visually-impaired guest will be able to “see” Walt Disney World."

So he should be, like, the Poet Laureate of the Magic Kingdom.

 

Originally Posted By leobloom

And I can totally see myself paying $700 to walk around with this guy and *gasp* eat lunch with him, too. (Hey, it's only an extra $100 for him to pretend that he's your friend!) That'll make my cheeseburger at Cosmic Ray's even more special.

*obscene hand gesture*

 

Originally Posted By Bolna

<<Press Junkets have been going on for years and years>>

I am aware of the fact that journalists get all kind of things for free and I do consider this problematic as well. But they are much less dependend on just one company. Disney fans who blog and podcast about Disney are in a much closer relationship with Disney, both emotionally because they are fans but also because their whole "product" is just based on this one company.

And I think that there are some people who actually are doing a great job providing all kind of reporting about Disney on the internet in areas that normal media would not be interested in at all. The thing which worries me, however, is how Disney might actively try to influence on who in this group is getting access.

 

Originally Posted By Bolna

<<I have to imagine that tWDC is endorsing him.>>

I think they are indeed. I have seen comments by him on the Disney Parks Blog which he signed with the name of his podcast and always wondered why he was allowed to "advertise" on an official Disney website.

 

Originally Posted By -em

I really am in the wrong market.. Charging people to be a personal tour guide? Wow

Contemp is hosting the D23 event this weekend and it'll be interesting to see if my theory is correct on social media-

I've been in battle over some of the prices for the cash sales that banquets will have and that if we post a sign stating some of the (IMO) obscene prices (most are rather decent theme park prices) it's going to be blogged and tweeted and not in a positive light because you can bet most of WDW's Fanboi royalty will be in attendance...

-em

 

Originally Posted By Expo_Seeker40

So guys, how much you willing to pay? The good folks at Yellow Shoes are trying like hell to figure it out along with the digital designers, but I'll give it a go....

For X amount of money you can bring your smartphone or ipad into the parks. You download different park maps over the year. Each map has an annotation or "button" on it. You can sit down in front of Buzz Lightyear on a bench and watch movie footage of Dreamflight and If You Had Wings a long with a pop up screen that will tell you more about the ride, who worked on it, etc.

Disney has numerous films of their attractions. Full films too. America Sings may have been the first attraction to be documented by Disney before it closed, but numerous corporate sponsors all had their attractions filmed in full and then edited the reels when need be to send footage to their target markets.

There is footage out there of the GE carousel of progress and adventure thru inner space (with the lights on). Can I just show you it right now? No, but the footage does exist, it's a matter of obtaining it and restoring it.

Most of the 64 world's fair was filmed by corporate sponsors. It took years and years, but I finally was able to see the entire DuPont wonderful world of chemistry show thanks to it being filmed by DuPont for advertising.

Disney also has Imagineers, who filmed attractions (such as the man who is the only known person to have filmed adventure thru inner space with a camcorder from entrance to exit in one take) as well as cast members.

They will find a way to get multiple angle, different quality of footage, but can stitch it together to give you one smooth view of what an old attraction looked like.

Another idea is virtual reality with your smartphone. You have your vintage park map on your phone...it tells you to hold it up to the sky above Dumbo, and there you see skyway buckets traveling over fantasyland on your phone screen as a narrator explains to you what the skyway was.

 

Originally Posted By SeventyOne

<$400 a day to walk around the parks with him?>

Yeah, you don't even get to ride a ride.

How much would the Spirit charge for a walking tour? I'll take snarky over drooling fanboi any day of the week.

<I wonder if that even goes against WDC policy?>

You mention the Jim Hill thing, and yeah, as I recall he was kicked out of DL for trying to give a tour.

However, "Tour Guide Mike" and others (full disclosure--a good friend of mine is one of the others) have made a very nice living giving "VIP tours" of WDW. Granted, they do a lot more than Mongello--help avoid lines, arrange dining and transportation, know show schedules--but the idea is largely the same. AFAIK, TDO has done nothing to shut them down, other than trying to hone in by offering their own VIP service (with guides who are often CPs with minimal knowledge of the parks).

 

Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer

I just don't understand the market for this $400 buck tour...

...Who wants to go around WDW with a stranger? Heck, I go on vacation to get away from people.

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

People with limited time. You go to Paris, they will do a bus tour from DLP to Paris, take in the key sites and a Seine Cruise. They charge $120 a person - I did the same using trains and metro and paid out about $90 for my family of 4 (saving $390). But it took time, research and confidence. Some people would rather be spoon fed.

I cannot believe how much money Rick Steves makes for his advice on Europe (when the guy really seems to know very little in the grand scheme). But people pay it, including some LPers. I have even considered stopping my work in government and the social sector and doing something similar, giving American History Tours of Europe (Washington's birthplace, the implications of Scottish persecutions on the American Revolutionary War, implications on the US civil war of supply trains, where Walt Disney's family came from, design facets of Europe that shaped America, cullinary tours etc.

If there is a market (and there is - I never forget the Japanese tourists that used to follow the flag at Disneyland in in the 70's and 80's), people will do it.

 

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

<<I have to imagine that tWDC is endorsing him. How else could he afford a generous stay at Bay Lake Tower from today until the end of Destination D?>>

I do not see how TWDC can/would be endorsing him. I do not believe Burbank knows what's going on here. I just know how Disney operates and this is over the top in a way I've never heard of.

It should be an 'off with your heads' moment for anyone in WDW Social Media/Press and Publicity that has allowed or encouraged this. Mindboggling.

I get this guy thinks he's better than Walt himself and that he can give tours that will put tears in the eye of any socially awkward (are there any other kind?) fanboi. But I may be able to make better coffee than Starbucks, but I can't walk into a unit and co-opt their brand and IP and goodwill to sell my own coffee.


That is apparently what this dude is doing and he should be put out of business.

Just having a group walking thru the park, which is private property that provides the same service, looking official, immediately makes guests who aren't crazy online fans by implication believe this is Disney-sanctioned.
ANYONE doing this should be shown the door.

Wonder if my pal Thomas.Smith@disney.com wants to deal with this on the verge of D23? I tend to think its something for Zenia.Mucha@disney.com myself. (I am VERY tempted, but won't ... put a direct email to Tom Staggs here ... no, it's not the one you think of that goes to a reader).

This is the company that attacks day care centers for painting murals of their characters on walls ... but this character is GUEST at their events. Whose DUI did he fix before switching careers? Actually, to get this kind of business, it would have had to be worse than that ...


<<Sure, he's making a hefty amount off of the rubes who follow him, but I can't imagine he can afford BLT and the other places he stays whilst trying to support his "family.">>

Apparently, he lives a few hours away and yet makes VERY frequent treks to WDW, all staying at high end resorts.

This isn't someone doing something for free.

Just amazing ...

Oh, and shares in TWDC are down 5.47% today thus far.

No ... Lou isn't the cause ... he's just a massive symptom of brand degradation.

 

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

<<And I can totally see myself paying $700 to walk around with this guy and *gasp* eat lunch with him, too. (Hey, it's only an extra $100 for him to pretend that he's your friend!) That'll make my cheeseburger at Cosmic Ray's even more special.

*obscene hand gesture*>>

''They must be idiots (to let that go on)'' said someone who overheard me talking about this and knows almost nothing about the subculture of the online Disney fan community.

I'm seriously thinking it might be time to set up my own Disney retail outlet (we'll call it 'Plush and Gush by Winky') on Main Street.

I'm stunned. And it takes a helluva lot to stun this Spirit when it comes to do with WDW.

This is the kind of behavior that would get you escorted off property under threat of arrest ... sorry, but until I get a statement (from Burbank) I'm believing this is happening under their radar.

There's whoring ... and then there's ... this ...

 

Originally Posted By ReelJustice

Well, he isn't exactly being under the radar about it Spirit. He talked about it on his podcast according to someone on DK, there's the website, he's always tweeting about the high-end resorts he stays in, someone has to see him doing this in the parks, and on every recent visit, I've seen doing podcasts and shooting shows live in EPCOT.

I'm eager to hear what you find out from Burbank.

 

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74


<<I am aware of the fact that journalists get all kind of things for free and I do consider this problematic as well. But they are much less dependend on just one company. Disney fans who blog and podcast about Disney are in a much closer relationship with Disney, both emotionally because they are fans but also because their whole "product" is just based on this one company.>>

It takes a helluva lot to buy off a real journalist (and most have certain ethics policies that limit what/how much they can take from any company they are covering).

A real journalist won't be bought by a free night at the Poly and a two-day cruise to nowhere with some swag thrown in. That isn't even near the starting line for even the most unethical reporter because they're smart enough to realize that doesn't cost Disney a thing. It's all part of a larger marketing budget.

But if you're a nobody ... a pdocaster who has decided on a life leaching off of TWDC instead of getting a real job or career ... well, you can be bought off just by having a credential dangling around your neck at a Disney announcement.

And once these folks get a taste of it, it might as well be crack. They're addicted to it, and they aren't going to say, do, write or photograph anything that puts Disney in a bad (or sometimes just plain honest) light.

<<And I think that there are some people who actually are doing a great job providing all kind of reporting about Disney on the internet in areas that normal media would not be interested in at all.>>

There are plenty. But the best ... folks like Al Lutz, are always critical of things ... and they don't ever get invites to anything (nor to Al's credit, does he want it ... I do believe his less-critical O-Town based writer, Kevin Yee, would like to snag a place on Disney's whoring list. But he is fair and balanced, so that isn't going to happen either.)

<<The thing which worries me, however, is how Disney might actively try to influence on who in this group is getting access.>>

It's obvious they are doing that now. They may not be endorsing someone giving tours at hundreds of dollars of PURE PROFIT each, but there clearly are people at TDO who are just looking the other way and letting it go.

 

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

<<I really am in the wrong market.. Charging people to be a personal tour guide? Wow>>

Well, you see it sure sounds like a perfect little 'get rich off the rubes' scheme ... but the reality is Disney isn't allow everyone to do this.

Just imagine if the evil, vile, Commie, pinko, Iger-disliking Spirit decided he wanted to give tours ... I bet there would be a helluva online audience for it. And I could even undercut the competition on price and throw in a ride or two (better yet, a burger at Pecos Bill's) ... but wanna bet Disney Security would suddenly try and haul my Spirited arse out of the park?

This isn't open to any/every one who wants to attempt it.

And I gotta believe Burbank is going to shut them down.

<<Contemp is hosting the D23 event this weekend and it'll be interesting to see if my theory is correct on social media-

I've been in battle over some of the prices for the cash sales that banquets will have and that if we post a sign stating some of the (IMO) obscene prices (most are rather decent theme park prices) it's going to be blogged and tweeted and not in a positive light because you can bet most of WDW's Fanboi royalty will be in attendance...>>

I'd love to see those prices ... and considering how Disney wasn't able to sell the event out multiple times (extending deadlines, letting more non-members in etc) I do wonder how sales of food and beverage will go.

 

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

<<So guys, how much you willing to pay? The good folks at Yellow Shoes are trying like hell to figure it out along with the digital designers, but I'll give it a go....

For X amount of money you can bring your smartphone or ipad into the parks. You download different park maps over the year. Each map has an annotation or "button" on it. You can sit down in front of Buzz Lightyear on a bench and watch movie footage of Dreamflight and If You Had Wings a long with a pop up screen that will tell you more about the ride, who worked on it, etc.

Disney has numerous films of their attractions. Full films too. America Sings may have been the first attraction to be documented by Disney before it closed, but numerous corporate sponsors all had their attractions filmed in full and then edited the reels when need be to send footage to their target markets.

There is footage out there of the GE carousel of progress and adventure thru inner space (with the lights on). Can I just show you it right now? No, but the footage does exist, it's a matter of obtaining it and restoring it.

Most of the 64 world's fair was filmed by corporate sponsors. It took years and years, but I finally was able to see the entire DuPont wonderful world of chemistry show thanks to it being filmed by DuPont for advertising.

Disney also has Imagineers, who filmed attractions (such as the man who is the only known person to have filmed adventure thru inner space with a camcorder from entrance to exit in one take) as well as cast members.

They will find a way to get multiple angle, different quality of footage, but can stitch it together to give you one smooth view of what an old attraction looked like.

Another idea is virtual reality with your smartphone. You have your vintage park map on your phone...it tells you to hold it up to the sky above Dumbo, and there you see skyway buckets traveling over fantasyland on your phone screen as a narrator explains to you what the skyway was.>>

You shouldn't post when asleep, Expo.

Grea post ... just about NEXTGEN and I believe you have hit on some of the possible future uses of said tech.

 

Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

<$400 a day to walk around the parks with him?>

<<Yeah, you don't even get to ride a ride.

How much would the Spirit charge for a walking tour? I'll take snarky over drooling fanboi any day of the week.>>

I dunno ... I was thinking I should charge extra (maybe $75) for snark ... like cheese on a burger?


<I wonder if that even goes against WDC policy?>

<<You mention the Jim Hill thing, and yeah, as I recall he was kicked out of DL for trying to give a tour.>>

I know I recall hearing something about that. And I agreed with it.

Disney gives tours. On private property. Of its parks. Why on earth should/would they allow others to do likewise?

<<However, "Tour Guide Mike" and others (full disclosure--a good friend of mine is one of the others) have made a very nice living giving "VIP tours" of WDW. Granted, they do a lot more than Mongello--help avoid lines, arrange dining and transportation, know show schedules--but the idea is largely the same. AFAIK, TDO has done nothing to shut them down, other than trying to hone in by offering their own VIP service (with guides who are often CPs with minimal knowledge of the parks).>>

I don't know anything about 'tour Guide Mike' (unlike Lou, I have never even heard of him but again) and nothing against him or your friend, but I believe Disney needs to shut them all down. It's patently absurd (and angers me to no end as a stockholder) that they let these people fly under the radar and compete with their own product and tell tales of who knows what?

But this is complete and utter bull-&*t ... I thought the DVD and video sellers were bad. This is just a whole 'nother level.

The bizarre thing is there are folks who try and do things the right way and get shot down. I have a friend (really ... not talking about me because I wouldn't ask) who is an amazing photographer and has taken some photos at DLR that she'd like to turn into postcards or other such art ... not talking about things like the castle either. I'm talking about maybe a flower bed on Main Street where 99% of people would never even know it was taken there.

She went to numerous different people at TWDC, including the same publicity whores who deal with folks like these tour 'guides', and was basically told 'No, you can't use that image. We hold all the rights. If you do there's a good chance you'll face legal action.'

Just freaking amazing.

I'm still trying to digest the whole idea of this industry of whoring that has sprung up.

 

Originally Posted By MPierce

>> I'm seriously thinking it might be time to set up my own Disney retail outlet (we'll call it 'Plush and Gush by Winky') on Main Street. <<

You'll be locked in a copyright infridgement battle. Winky has exclusive use of his name when connected to anything Disney! It'll cost you 20% off the top for exclusive use of the name.