Guagua Pública

I'm excited to have on my agenda a meeting with Caitlin Burns from Starlight Runner. She will be the first person I can talk freely with about transmedia, especially its impact on social networking. Caitlin is a transmedia producer, and writes frequently about the subject.

If you haven't read "Fandom and Social Networks: the Key to Evergreen Franchises, " you should. I think this a great piece that starts to touch on some of the critical conceptual jumps I have in mind for Mis Tribus. Caitlin does a great service to everyone when she notes:

The more often fans are validated by the properties they adore, the more loyal they become.

She also notes:

Social Media is all about interactivity, and modern audiences crave a sense of connection to characters and stories they love. Expanding the universe of a narrative into and around social networks, providing additional content and creating inroads for fans to feel ownership in a property’s fictional world is a sure way to extend the life of a property into a world-class, franchise that stands the test of time.

I think here though, maybe Caitlin prefers not to scare away her customer base by not telling them, "your fans already own your brand." Here's the thing: it doesn't matter whether you think you are giving them ownership or realizing that they already own it, they do own your brand. It's a numbers game, with enough engagement, there's more fans than there are producers; which is the ultimate level of permission. By recognizing their ownership you have the freedom to call for a sale at any time. Which is how and when everyone benefits.