Great concept, and it looks fantastic, but the site is moving way too slow to be of any use (at least from what I'm experiencing here). The music isn't even playing properly.
I think it's just a whole lot of data and a really slow connection right now. Do people usually pounce on Whedonesque links fast enough to hammer a site this badly?
It takes a really long time to load, but it's totally worth it. The site is really beautiful.
BTW: I've finished filming the recruitment viral vid, and should be done editing by tonight, so we should have something else to add to the Propaganda! :)
It's definitely a very nice looking site, but I would highly recommend an HTML alternative to users with slower connections or who don't have Flash installed. I have a brand new Mac on a 15 Mbps connection and it's still loading very, very slowly for me. I highly doubt non-fans will be willing to invest the time required to load the site.
If they're patient enough to wait for the site to load, this will prove that they'll be patient enough make it through the first 5 episodes of dollhouse without giving up on the show.
I must admit I didn't have the patience to wait for it to work for me but I'm sure it's great and I want to thank all the people involved. I'll go back in a less busy time of the day (for the either the site, the Internet and me ;)
I'll wait for it to load, for sure. But, yeah, if you're going to launch an all-Flash site in the midst of a fan campaign sure to draw traffic, buy the bandwidth to handle the likely incoming load.
(I say the above, of course, as the guy who, in the midst of the R. Tam Sessions releases prior to Serenity, was hosting session416.com on a Linux box on his home DSL. Ah, times.)
For what it's worth, when I tried earlier today (just after the link was posted) I got the loading screen. It got stuck three times, so I closed the tab. I just reloaded it and now I'm also getting the "future home" message.
ETA: Uh, just kidding. Tried it again and it worked - quite speedily too! Man, that's a pretty site.
OK, first of all, it's been a hell of a morning and I thank you all for your patience and indulgence. The site should be up on Media Temple now and it should hopefully run much smoother and faster. If the DNS hasn't propagated to your neck of the woods yet, it hopefully will soon (I'm in NYC and can see it fine).
If you have time in the near future, please write a "why i watch" blurb or post it here and I will collect and put them up. I was also supposed to finish an ad spot for this today, but after all the hosting craziness, it'll be more like tonight. If you have videos you'd like me to put up, please contact me and I'll stream them within the Flash.
Loaded for me. Great looking, but can I go on record as saying I hate all-Flash sites? They're bad for many reasons, not the least of which is there's nothing for a search engine to index, thus it won't show up when searched for. Also, won't work on hand held devices (goodbye, iPhone?) or for for those, who for security reasons, block Flash installation.
i'm already receiving a few "why i watch" testimonials from people, so thank you for this (and all the wonderful encouragement) and keep 'em coming! i will compile a page of them this afternoon and if we can get decent volume, would like to set up a targeted banner campaign via google's ad placement that showcases us on multiple entertainment-related sites and gives the show the exposure it's not getting.
Beautifully done. I have a lot of respect for Grant McCracken (other thread), but his analysis of the show and its hefty premise pales in comparison to the well-writen 'Why I Watch' commentary presented on the site. I got chills when I read 'searching for a soul' on the final screen of the introduction slide show. Very nice.
whyiwatch, I've been pimping this site and asking for testimonials on twitter, hope that's ok. If you have a twitter account I think that would help get the word out.
Also, have you checked out CrazyKidBen's Save Dollhouse graphics? Maybe you could link to them on the site too.
Spectacular work in (presumably) a very short time! My classes are intensifying right now, and I can't contribute a great deal to the effort except by spreading the word of mouth, but it's incredibly wonderful that this effort in general, and this site specifically, exist. Thanks, whyiwatch!
Beautiful site!
And you can also Digg it: http://digg.com/d316b3s
One thing though... it says "Friday @ 9 PM", but it doesn't say where...
It's on other parts of the site, but maybe it'd be better to be there in the main page.
Is still can't get it to work properly. The music in particular plays about a second and then stops, and then plays another second. I wonder if it's not Safari compatible?
Beautiful, whyiwatch, and loading fine on US Left Coast ~2PM. Why do I fear it's too late?
Excuse possible double-post, as I got a funny screen the first time.
It's very pretty indeed, though still a little slow for me. It would be helpful, I think, if the home page at least was non-Flash. However, it really is a work of art in itself.
Wow. A gorgeous, beautifully done site. Right on, whyiwatch! I love your account of why you watch. Couldn't agree more with your insights as to why Dollhouse is a very, very smart show.
Simon's right. This puts the official site to shame. And how.
Four hours and a couple different browsers later (it doesn't like Flashblock, FWIW), I can finally check out everything the site has to offer.
And it is magnificent. Perfectly selected and cropped images, evocative music, elegantly laid out... the mind boggles at the work that went into this. The capsule descriptions of the cast of characters alone is... well, pretty much perfect.
Send everyone here. It makes the case for Dollhouse as well as anything I've seen.
That's a very pretty site, whyiwatch! It does put the official site to shame.
Also: the background music is great. I'm now officially heavily in love with the second song ('The Drifter & The Gypsy'). I've actually left the site open for just the songs at the moment :).
Anyway, I'll be sure to drop a line on why I watch soonish. People need to support this effort.
I really love your pitch, whyiwatch. It addresses what I love about the show better than I could have myself.
Mostly I rant about Whedon's overwhelming and clearly under-appreciated genius. I think a big part of the reason for his inability to get widespread word-of-mouth buzz is that the people who become fans tend to make the leap from casual viewers to devotees very quickly, thus scaring off many other casual viewers. Maybe we tend to trigger people's suspicious that it's too good to be true. Not to mention, Whedon seems to love flying under the radar in order to subvert people's expectations in as sudden and shocking a way as possible - and he's too good at it. The very things that make him amazing seem to keep his following a cult one.
(Of course, it doesn't help that FOX seems intent on helping him fly as far under the radar as he can.)
You've written one of the few testimonials that is earnest but retains a semi-detached, casual approach, thus allowing newcomers to make up their own mind. I could certainly learn from this. I'm constantly getting the feeling that my non-fan friends (and even some of the fellow fans) tend to look at me like I'm crazy.
It wasn't working for me earlier, but is now . . . and not only is it freakin' gorgeous, it has fabulous songs and short, intelligent words. Color me impressed.
I found a good site for TV show music, and found out that the one song is not called 'The Drifter and the Gypsy' but it's called 'Hazy'. By Rosi Golan. You should also check out 'Lonely Ghosts' by O+S. (Maybe also put that on the site? A beautiful song.)
Hello again, everyone! Thank you for the incredible outpouring of support! All this has made me remember why I started working in the online industry ages ago and that the absolute best use of my time and effort is putting them to use for what I truly believe in.
I have added a whole slew of testimonials to the site and have tons more to add (though they will have to wait till tomorrow). Objectively, I don't think that non-devotees will want to read through all of them, so apart from posting everything, I plan to also make a slideshow with one-line exerpts (kind of what they do with critical acclaim in trailers).
If you have other ideas or video clips that we can use (without stepping on Fox's toes), please email me. Also, keep the testimonials coming! Thank you again!
Gorgeous site. I sent in a few lines that aren't nearly as thoughtful or articulate as yours whyiwatch but I hope they help. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who loves this show.
Rhodey, my kneejerk reaction was to say the same, but I think it's just because it resembles comments like, "It's too smart for you" even though it in no way intends that. It just brings them to mind because of the unfortunate resemblance in word combinations ("you're not watching!" because it's a "smart show!" vs. "Smart show that you're not watching" and should!).
But maybe your issue is something entirely different. Either way, I very much am fine with the phrase, it just has the unfortunate effect of bringing to mind arguments I'm less cool with.
This is slick. It makes me like the show better than I actually like the show. If this doesn't attract new viewers then I don't know what will. It's attractive, that's what it is. The fact that this was a fan made effort is mind-boggling to me. Way to be.
I had the same feeling, that maybe it took countering Fox`s advertising a too far in the opposite direction and became a bit elitlist for my own taste. Beautiful site though; the music is wonderful and the best creative one-sheets I`ve seen.
Fantastic site! Well done WhyIWatch. I'm really enjoying the music - gorgeous selection! I'm just gonna keep it playing in the background. :)
If I can make a few suggestions, I would recommend including a reference to Fox next to the "Fridays 9/8c" (as well as on the Episodes page for upcoming episodes) so that people know which station to tune into. And if it's possible to add the Season 1 Hulu links in the Episodes area, that would allow folks to catch up. Also, as Ivalaine noted, the episode numbers for "Insticts" and "Belle Chose" are around the wrong way. It might also be helpful to add the official Fox Dollhouse site to the Links list.
Thank you for putting such a wonderful site together.
Amazing work. And I don't think the tag line is condescending. What it says to me is, the show is smart and "you", being smart as well, are missing out.
Great site. And I love the description of Ballard as a knight in tarnished armor. A perfect description of the character. Joss should steal it for the show. (Well, unless it is a line from the show and I forgot about it.)
It might be more effective to change the "you're not watching" phrasing to something with a lower risk of making someone feel defensive. It could be painted more as "The smartest show you haven't seen." I would even add "Don't miss this season's sleeper hit!" Self-fulfilling prophecy can be a powerful tool.
Bonus: "sleeper hit" is punny for people who are already watching.
:(
ETA: Nevermind, it seems to be loading now, just very slowly.
[ edited by JMaloney on 2009-10-07 15:26 ]
JMaloney | October 07, 15:27 CET
I really really want to love this.
JMaloney | October 07, 15:32 CET
VaughnOfTheDead | October 07, 15:40 CET
I love it anyways.
gossi | October 07, 15:42 CET
Sunfire | October 07, 15:52 CET
Simon | October 07, 15:52 CET
HWT | October 07, 15:55 CET
CowboyCliche | October 07, 15:56 CET
I didn't even get to see the pilot! Not even FOX is so... nevermind.
Sunfire | October 07, 15:56 CET
buffywrestling | October 07, 15:57 CET
BTW: I've finished filming the recruitment viral vid, and should be done editing by tonight, so we should have something else to add to the Propaganda! :)
glorificus314 | October 07, 15:58 CET
Knuckleball | October 07, 16:19 CET
mortimer | October 07, 16:27 CET
(c;
filops | October 07, 16:30 CET
edit: No, wait. After about five minutes of blank screen, I now see a "Loading..." bar. Which doesn't appear to be moving, though.
ruuger | October 07, 16:31 CET
Simon | October 07, 16:32 CET
nyrk | October 07, 16:42 CET
mortimer | October 07, 16:53 CET
mutt999 | October 07, 17:23 CET
The One True b!X | October 07, 17:37 CET
The One True b!X | October 07, 17:42 CET
yellowcrayon | October 07, 17:53 CET
DaddyCatALSO | October 07, 17:56 CET
The One True b!X | October 07, 17:59 CET
Also, very ironical now that a site asking for patience in dealing with a complex show is itself asking for patience to load. :)
But if the bandwidth-problem gets solved, this should be plastered all over the place. I like it a lot.
wiesengrund | October 07, 18:09 CET
ETA: ...like others before me. At least I mentioned the Domain Name issue as the likely cause.
ETA: And now I see it, as well. I can't download the images kit zip, though (404 error.)
[ edited by peacemonger on 2009-10-07 18:45 ]
peacemonger | October 07, 18:11 CET
ETA: Uh, just kidding. Tried it again and it worked - quite speedily too! Man, that's a pretty site.
[ edited by Ildeth on 2009-10-07 18:42 ]
[ edited by Ildeth on 2009-10-07 18:42 ]
Ildeth | October 07, 18:38 CET
If you have time in the near future, please write a "why i watch" blurb or post it here and I will collect and put them up. I was also supposed to finish an ad spot for this today, but after all the hosting craziness, it'll be more like tonight. If you have videos you'd like me to put up, please contact me and I'll stream them within the Flash.
Thanks again and sorry for the glitches!
whyiwatch | October 07, 18:46 CET
Really? I thought that was Mad Men.
Polter-Cow | October 07, 18:46 CET
Leaf | October 07, 18:57 CET
Rachelkachel | October 07, 18:58 CET
The One True b!X | October 07, 19:00 CET
Animal Mother | October 07, 19:01 CET
Whedonage | October 07, 19:03 CET
wiesengrund | October 07, 19:03 CET
electricspacegirl | October 07, 19:11 CET
curlymynci | October 07, 19:17 CET
Simon | October 07, 19:20 CET
Now, how do I politely nudge people there, without having it be, "Here, this is what I think you should think, too!"
Hah, I've been jonesing for some of these songs. If nothing else, I may just have the site up in the background so I can listen to them.
[ edited by ManEnoughToAdmitIt on 2009-10-07 19:25 ]
ManEnoughToAdmitIt | October 07, 19:26 CET
whyiwatch | October 07, 19:27 CET
RavenU | October 07, 19:31 CET
flugufrelsarinn | October 07, 19:33 CET
haney-hop | October 07, 19:34 CET
Also, have you checked out CrazyKidBen's Save Dollhouse graphics? Maybe you could link to them on the site too.
electricspacegirl | October 07, 19:38 CET
Laz | October 07, 19:56 CET
Mercenary | October 07, 20:09 CET
And you can also Digg it: http://digg.com/d316b3s
One thing though... it says "Friday @ 9 PM", but it doesn't say where...
It's on other parts of the site, but maybe it'd be better to be there in the main page.
[ edited by maxsummers on 2009-10-07 20:34 ]
maxsummers | October 07, 20:32 CET
josswhedonaddict | October 07, 20:38 CET
NathanG | October 07, 20:49 CET
Really? I thought that was Mad Men.
Except that a lot of people are watching it.
electricspacegirl | October 07, 21:23 CET
Saje | October 07, 21:36 CET
Ain't. We. Just. | October 07, 21:38 CET
Emmie | October 07, 21:55 CET
flugufrelsarinn | October 07, 22:03 CET
The One True b!X | October 07, 22:10 CET
flugufrelsarinn | October 07, 22:13 CET
ShanshuBugaboo | October 07, 22:18 CET
Excuse possible double-post, as I got a funny screen the first time.
FloralBonnet | October 07, 22:28 CET
the Groosalugg | October 07, 22:31 CET
Gill | October 07, 23:08 CET
jiggyfly | October 08, 00:24 CET
Simon's right. This puts the official site to shame. And how.
phlebotinin | October 08, 00:44 CET
And it is magnificent. Perfectly selected and cropped images, evocative music, elegantly laid out... the mind boggles at the work that went into this. The capsule descriptions of the cast of characters alone is... well, pretty much perfect.
Send everyone here. It makes the case for Dollhouse as well as anything I've seen.
Tin Ear Tom | October 08, 00:54 CET
silent knight | October 08, 01:03 CET
electricspacegirl | October 08, 01:15 CET
gossi | October 08, 01:23 CET
Also: the background music is great. I'm now officially heavily in love with the second song ('The Drifter & The Gypsy'). I've actually left the site open for just the songs at the moment :).
Anyway, I'll be sure to drop a line on why I watch soonish. People need to support this effort.
GVH | October 08, 01:24 CET
Is there a good list somewhere of Dollhouse-used songs? I think I want them. All of them. Right now. ;)
VeryVeryCrowded | October 08, 01:38 CET
Ivalaine | October 08, 01:40 CET
Mostly I rant about Whedon's overwhelming and clearly under-appreciated genius. I think a big part of the reason for his inability to get widespread word-of-mouth buzz is that the people who become fans tend to make the leap from casual viewers to devotees very quickly, thus scaring off many other casual viewers. Maybe we tend to trigger people's suspicious that it's too good to be true. Not to mention, Whedon seems to love flying under the radar in order to subvert people's expectations in as sudden and shocking a way as possible - and he's too good at it. The very things that make him amazing seem to keep his following a cult one.
(Of course, it doesn't help that FOX seems intent on helping him fly as far under the radar as he can.)
You've written one of the few testimonials that is earnest but retains a semi-detached, casual approach, thus allowing newcomers to make up their own mind. I could certainly learn from this. I'm constantly getting the feeling that my non-fan friends (and even some of the fellow fans) tend to look at me like I'm crazy.
zoinkers | October 08, 01:40 CET
Jobo | October 08, 02:15 CET
erendis | October 08, 02:43 CET
I found a good site for TV show music, and found out that the one song is not called 'The Drifter and the Gypsy' but it's called 'Hazy'. By Rosi Golan. You should also check out 'Lonely Ghosts' by O+S. (Maybe also put that on the site? A beautiful song.)
And the site works perfectly for me.
VeryVeryCrowded | October 08, 02:54 CET
Sunfire | October 08, 03:19 CET
I have added a whole slew of testimonials to the site and have tons more to add (though they will have to wait till tomorrow). Objectively, I don't think that non-devotees will want to read through all of them, so apart from posting everything, I plan to also make a slideshow with one-line exerpts (kind of what they do with critical acclaim in trailers).
If you have other ideas or video clips that we can use (without stepping on Fox's toes), please email me. Also, keep the testimonials coming! Thank you again!
whyiwatch | October 08, 03:53 CET
deadbessie | October 08, 04:02 CET
Usually I don't think those things work but... can't hurt, right?
And maybe we should do some noise in the Official Dollhouse forum?
And what about emailing askfox??
[ edited by maxsummers on 2009-10-08 04:26 ]
maxsummers | October 08, 04:27 CET
Why couldn't you be running the official promotion. :(
One nitpick, the "Smartest show you're not watching" is just a little condescending don't you think?
Rhodey | October 08, 04:41 CET
But maybe your issue is something entirely different. Either way, I very much am fine with the phrase, it just has the unfortunate effect of bringing to mind arguments I'm less cool with.
Jobo | October 08, 05:06 CET
ailiel | October 08, 05:15 CET
This website is stunning. So beautiful. And no matter what happens it is so great to have a place to express our feelings on this amazing show.
Harmalicious | October 08, 05:18 CET
buffywrestling | October 08, 05:25 CET
Heh. (I'm listening to the songs again.)
Ooh, and there are "reasons other people watch" now!
ManEnoughToAdmitIt | October 08, 06:02 CET
If I can make a few suggestions, I would recommend including a reference to Fox next to the "Fridays 9/8c" (as well as on the Episodes page for upcoming episodes) so that people know which station to tune into. And if it's possible to add the Season 1 Hulu links in the Episodes area, that would allow folks to catch up. Also, as Ivalaine noted, the episode numbers for "Insticts" and "Belle Chose" are around the wrong way. It might also be helpful to add the official Fox Dollhouse site to the Links list.
Thank you for putting such a wonderful site together.
JenskiJen | October 08, 06:03 CET
Really lovely site.
jcs | October 08, 06:21 CET
tac_tics | October 08, 08:03 CET
flugufrelsarinn | October 08, 08:45 CET
Shey | October 08, 10:12 CET
BTW it works just fine with Safari on my MacBook.
[ edited by Michael on 2009-10-08 17:33 ]
Michael | October 08, 16:50 CET
Bonus: "sleeper hit" is punny for people who are already watching.
Sunfire | October 08, 17:43 CET
For the record it loaded without any noticeable delay and is smooth as silk here (Safari 4.0.3, OS X 10.5.8).
asterizk | October 11, 18:00 CET