Jedi Master Carr
Apr 10th, 2003, 11:53:15 AM
This is from theforce.net
Soon you might have to be paying for any substantial official Episode III coverage. Starwars.com is hoping to offer in the near future a pay subscription service to their website. Sure, you're going to get some neat exclusives for the cost - but are you willing to pay for the service?
Celebrity Talks: Scheduled interaction with the team behind the scenes from the set of Episode III, plus other artists, actors, authors, editors and Lucasfilm personalities behind the entire Star Wars saga.
Exclusive Deleted Scene: Subscribers will see an exclusive deleted scene from Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones, not included on the DVD and never before been made to the public.
Set Diary and Webcam: This summer, as Episode III is being shot in Sydney, Australia, subscribers will have a first-hand look at the process. A regular diary from an on-set correspondent will take you behind the scenes. Also in Sydney, a live webcam will be placed in a different positions to give you a live look at the making of Episode III.
Episode III Selects: George Lucas will personally select exclusive photos from the making of Episode III to share with subscribers first. This candid and compelling weekly photo series will begin in the fall.
We've always felt that this was in the long-term picture for the Official Site, it seems as if they've been preparing this for some time. It has even been mentioned in passing at various conventions and we've heard rumblings for a while now. But now that we have received inside word on this matter, we're going to sit down and analyze a bit.
First of all, if the majority of Episode III news on the official site is on the pay basis - we're all in trouble. We've been getting all of this for "free", so to speak and all of a sudden it will stop or you will pay. To top it off, we'll barely be even able to cover it ourselves since we can't be taking away from their pay content. For context you have to consider what others are doing as well. Do we see other franchises producing subscription-based websites? Nope. Of course, the ad market is shot and we all hate pop-ups, but is this the best option?
Now, as much as we personally dislike it, it is a good business move for Lucasfilm. For the longest time suits have looked at websites as a drain rather than a supply. They take but don't give - but that could change if you could get people to pay to visit them. For more than the price of a magazine subscription, you can get access to all of stawars.com. Sure, plenty of people will pay to see it. But I'm afraid plenty more will just hack the content and share it online with buddies. And for those on the edge, maybe one more financial drain will push them away.
I'm all for new content to be sure, I want LFL to push ahead in the official website game and become the progressive company they once were online. Is pay subscription the right move? Let us know what you think via email, or post your thoughts in the Jedicouncil Episode III spoiler forum. We'll post a pile of them soon.
Exclusive Online Clone War Comics: Online subscribers will have access to exclusive Flash-based comics telling an original story from the Clone Wars.
Enhanced Star Wars - Clone Wars Animated Shorts: The Cartoon Network will begin airing a series of animated Star Wars: Clone Wars shorts this fall. Starwars.com subscribers will not only be able view the shorts online first, but can also view them with optional DVD-style audio commentary from the creators themselves.
Personalized Message Boards: Users of the Official Message Boards will be denoted with colored screen names, be able to select avatar icons, and have access to personality profiles that will allow them to customize their online postings.
Enhanced Collector's Database: The enhanced Cargo Bay collector database will feature quick browse, advance search and want alerts that let you to find the collectibles you're looking for even faster. It's the quickest way to navigate the thousands of entries in the database. You can even get email alerts when the collectible you want is available in stores.
I don't think everything will be pay probably just some inside stuff. A lot of it they have never offered before like the Collector Database. It sounds cool, have to see how much the subscription is before I would think about it.
Soon you might have to be paying for any substantial official Episode III coverage. Starwars.com is hoping to offer in the near future a pay subscription service to their website. Sure, you're going to get some neat exclusives for the cost - but are you willing to pay for the service?
Celebrity Talks: Scheduled interaction with the team behind the scenes from the set of Episode III, plus other artists, actors, authors, editors and Lucasfilm personalities behind the entire Star Wars saga.
Exclusive Deleted Scene: Subscribers will see an exclusive deleted scene from Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones, not included on the DVD and never before been made to the public.
Set Diary and Webcam: This summer, as Episode III is being shot in Sydney, Australia, subscribers will have a first-hand look at the process. A regular diary from an on-set correspondent will take you behind the scenes. Also in Sydney, a live webcam will be placed in a different positions to give you a live look at the making of Episode III.
Episode III Selects: George Lucas will personally select exclusive photos from the making of Episode III to share with subscribers first. This candid and compelling weekly photo series will begin in the fall.
We've always felt that this was in the long-term picture for the Official Site, it seems as if they've been preparing this for some time. It has even been mentioned in passing at various conventions and we've heard rumblings for a while now. But now that we have received inside word on this matter, we're going to sit down and analyze a bit.
First of all, if the majority of Episode III news on the official site is on the pay basis - we're all in trouble. We've been getting all of this for "free", so to speak and all of a sudden it will stop or you will pay. To top it off, we'll barely be even able to cover it ourselves since we can't be taking away from their pay content. For context you have to consider what others are doing as well. Do we see other franchises producing subscription-based websites? Nope. Of course, the ad market is shot and we all hate pop-ups, but is this the best option?
Now, as much as we personally dislike it, it is a good business move for Lucasfilm. For the longest time suits have looked at websites as a drain rather than a supply. They take but don't give - but that could change if you could get people to pay to visit them. For more than the price of a magazine subscription, you can get access to all of stawars.com. Sure, plenty of people will pay to see it. But I'm afraid plenty more will just hack the content and share it online with buddies. And for those on the edge, maybe one more financial drain will push them away.
I'm all for new content to be sure, I want LFL to push ahead in the official website game and become the progressive company they once were online. Is pay subscription the right move? Let us know what you think via email, or post your thoughts in the Jedicouncil Episode III spoiler forum. We'll post a pile of them soon.
Exclusive Online Clone War Comics: Online subscribers will have access to exclusive Flash-based comics telling an original story from the Clone Wars.
Enhanced Star Wars - Clone Wars Animated Shorts: The Cartoon Network will begin airing a series of animated Star Wars: Clone Wars shorts this fall. Starwars.com subscribers will not only be able view the shorts online first, but can also view them with optional DVD-style audio commentary from the creators themselves.
Personalized Message Boards: Users of the Official Message Boards will be denoted with colored screen names, be able to select avatar icons, and have access to personality profiles that will allow them to customize their online postings.
Enhanced Collector's Database: The enhanced Cargo Bay collector database will feature quick browse, advance search and want alerts that let you to find the collectibles you're looking for even faster. It's the quickest way to navigate the thousands of entries in the database. You can even get email alerts when the collectible you want is available in stores.
I don't think everything will be pay probably just some inside stuff. A lot of it they have never offered before like the Collector Database. It sounds cool, have to see how much the subscription is before I would think about it.