Web Gave "Twilight" Fresh Blood
When we talk about the new literacies and their impact on people, this article shows how a new medium can connect with people on a different level.
Everyone has heard of the successful "Twilight" series by Stephenie Meyer. However, at one time she was starting out and trying to promote her book. The company did what they could for a beginning author-- a short tour and a website."But that site failed to pick up on the book's subtler themes -- the bridled desire and self-deprecating humor that connected with fans and were representative of Meyer herself."
So Stephenie Meyer took things into her own hands and started her own site. She included things about herself and her family. She answered people's emails and blog comments. She wrote on other people's blogs. She gave permission for others to start "Twilight" websites.
She connected.
We talk about connecting with people face to face, and for our closest connections, this is probably true. Face to Face time builds an intimate bond. Though, there are plenty of people we meet face to face and know on a "friend at work" or "friend of a friend" basis. So, perhaps we CHOOSE to spend more face to face time with those we are closest to.
At any rate, Stephenie was able to CONNECT with people and build a fan base for her book. She offered personal information and made friends. She engaged her readers with her site by listening to them and writing back.
This phenomenon has caught on to other social networking sites. You can follow authors and musicians on Twitter. Nevermind that they aren't following you and your friendship may not be reciprocated. Think about the fact that I can tell when Neil Gaiman is out shopping with his girlfriend or see pictures of him walking his dog through the MN blizzard! I feel a certain connection to people who are complete strangers with no interest in me at all!
Stephenie capitalized on this phenomenon. I am curious to know whether she is still as connected to fans since the popularity of her books took off. Instead of just using a website as a static, information only, advertisement, she took the idea of online communication to a more personal level that grew a fan base for her.
And actually this goes to show that people still DESIRE the closeness of connection that we associate with face to face time. The website about the book didn't do much for Stephenie. It was her reaching out and engaging people.
So our desire for connection and communication is the same. Our means of connection, however, has broadened to include more people than we can imagine.
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