You know what aggravates me the most about famous people? They say they love their fans, but they rarely interact with them except with maybe a tweet or a FB post (and that's only if their PR agents aren't posing as them).
As a consumer, I have many questions to ask those who are in the limelight. Yeah, call me a dreamer all you want, but I always wonder what it would be like to know what my favorite singers do when they're in the recording studio, or what my favorite actors are doing when they are preparing for their role in a movie or a TV show.
Now, I know that there are a few famous people who take the time to do vlogs every now and then, but still, that's technically not interacting with their fans. And with all of the technological advances we've made in the past few years, you would think that people in the spotlight would use this to their advantage (interaction with your most loyal fans will bring in new fans). But it doesn't seem that way (please correct me if I'm wrong). So, from my meager perspective this is what I would do:
If I were famous, I would let my fans know every single time that I was interviewed that I want them to talk to me, give me suggestions, and offer ideas.
If I were famous, I would be in control of my own Facebook and Twitter page, and do my absolute best to reply to anyone who leaves me an interesting post (for posts such as 'I love you' or 'You're amazing!', I would probably just like, +1, or retweet...a genuine critique or detailed post will definitely get a reply).
If I were famous, I would make sure to hang out with fans wherever I visit instead of just staying in my hotel room with my 'entourage' (seeing as I'm not shopping obsessed as most girls, I would have a lot of time to do that).
If I were famous and I visit a new place for the first time, I would meet up with fans and they'd take me around sight seeing while I answer any questions they have (if they speak a different language, I'll make sure to have a friendly translator with me).
If I were famous, I would take advantage of Google+'s new features and create a weekly hangout with my fans. I will set time out of my schedule at least once a week (now I know famous people have SOME free time, so this shouldn't be much of a problem), invite my fans to join the hangout, and answer any questions they have face-to-face (kinda). I don't know if the hangouts have a limit of how many people can be in one at the same time, so it'll most likely be on a first-come, first-serve basis. I'll tell them about my day, they ask questions, I answer them, I ask questions about them, they answer, and they become that much closer. And if I find interesting people, I'll add them to a special circle on G+ and send them my contact information, thus having a 'global' entourage. (I think this would actually be good for G+ if Google got famous people to do this. Famous people get new fans, fans get to interact with those they admire, and G+ gets more users. Everybody wins!)
I'm not a big fan of Skype, but If I were famous, I would make sure to have Skype sessions with the fans I've given my contact info to that will soon become my friends.
I know, I'm not famous. So I wouldn't know if this would work. I don't know if famous people are doing it right now. I don't know if they're too busy to be doing this. I'm just saying what I would do. You can disagree if you want, or maybe you can add suggestions to my list. What would all of you do? What would you talk about with your fans? Life, fame, likes, dislikes, family, politics, religion, science, social movements (shameless #BlackMarch plug)? I would love to hear about it.
Magic is love, so keep magic in your heart!
Signing off,
DesieDeep
These are some great ideas & presented very well. I've reshared your blog post saying the same. As for G+ Hangouts the limit is ten people. On FB, especially someone famous, may have millions of fans, they can not be expected to keep up with even a tenth of them, nor give out their contact info to same, since they would then never get a moment's rest whether online or off. There are also crazy fans, obsessed fans, stalker fans & even killer fans out there for these people to worry about, so any access to them must be controlled for their safety.
ReplyDeleteHowever, many famous people, especially musicians/bands, hate performing for large crowds, hate the disconnect from their fans, and wish there were a way to bridge that gap without the safety risks. Some bands allow fans right up to the stage without any security & ended up with serious problems in some places, cool listeners in others. I truly feel that many of the suicides, drug & other deaths of celebrities & stars comes from the disconnect between them & everyday people, as well as their isolation, they can not just go out to the mall, or Burger King, or go dancing at a club like the rest of us. Everyone they date will know who they are & possibly their annual income, so motives are never quite known in dating & social situations.
I was semi-famous once & did the fan meetings whenever I traveled I'd publicize a certain location I'd be filming, and called them Member Meets. Anyone was welcome to attend to meet me, socialize & have a drink, much fun for everyone involved with no bad experiences luckily for all involved, but then again, I was not FAMOUS famous, and that makes a big difference. Can you imagine if Brad Pitt declared he was going to be at your corner bar to meet with fans, what might happen? The logistics alone can be a nightmare.
Still not all of your ideas would be impossible to implement safely, and it gets people thinking in the right direction, IMHO anyway. How can fans & stars reconnect in a way that is meaningful & safe?
Well, I guess the first 10 to sign on will get to talk to their idols I suppose lol.
DeleteAnd yeah you're right, but the thing with facebook and twitter is that they're not really personal (at least, not when you're famous). But here on G+, it's better because not as many people are using G+, so stars can be using this now to set up friendships with their fans before they get ambushed. It's also easier to reply to them. Unlike facebook and twitter, where you have to be friends or following someone to mention them, with G+, all you have to do is type in their name and you can reply to them directly.
Remembering what happened to the singer, Selena, I definitely understand that. There are people who are a little bit too crazy. They'll get obsessed and end up stalking them, and if they're obsessive in the bad way, they may just end up killing them. It's all very dangerous. That's why doing a Hangout is pretty safe. So long as you don't give away your location, people shouldn't be able to find out that type of information unless you want them to. I also wrote that maybe stars should hang out with fans wherever they go, but at the same time, I would definitely advise them to do background checks and make sure all who are invited aren't mentally ill. Safety always comes first, which is probably why being famous isn't always the greatest thing. You have to watch your back almost all the time.
My opinions aren't too detailed, but I wouldn't advise anybody famous to just declare where they are going to be at. I would be a little more subtle. Wait until I get there, and invite any fans who are in the area to come hang. Of course, security will make sure nobody's got a lethal weapon, then they can come chill with the star in the VIP section. They'll chat, mingle, and just have a good time.
Well, it is a small step. If I were famous, I would let all my fans know immediately that I won't tolerate any crazy fans who can't hold a conversation with me without bursting into fits of screaming or giggling. If they can't keep their cool and treat me like a normal person, then I don't want to deal with them. If famous people just let people know what they expect from their fans, then when fans meet them, they'll already know what to do and everybody can have a great time. The stars already know how to act (well, unless their douchebags in real life...then maybe not); it's up to the fans to make sure the stars are willing to keep meeting with them. Unfortunately, in this type of business, one rotten apple can spoil the whole bunch.
Was thinking about this again last night, a sign of a great topic when people keep thinking about it long after closing the page :-) Anyway, Brad Pitt & other celebs DO mix in public when they are doing disaster recovery stuff, like in New Orleans, Pitt is in with all the people helping to rebuild homes & such, think DiCaprio is also involved in similar activities, when not filming. I'm not sure how it works that the people there don't overwhelm them, but seeing a celeb sweating right beside you must bring them down to earth in one's mind too?
DeleteI didn't realize you meant their electronic contact info, instead of their real life contact info, yes electronic is safer but then again, it's still not really interacting with fans on a f2f level, so is similar to vlogs, which you mentioned wasn't the same. I suppose if there was good security & metal detectors (won't be available at every location they go to though), then if someone turned out to be crazy, they could just add them to a list of not allowed entry in future, thus allowing both stars & fans to interact, and a background check wouldn't really be necessary as long as the star had some good bodyguards & boundaries. It could definitely be done.
I can't wait to see what you write about next, now that you've got my brain twirling in new directions, really loved this topic, as you can probably tell :)
Well, if the place doesn't have security, then I'm pretty sure actors tend to walk around with bodyguards. So if someone looks suspicious, they'll be patted down before meeting with the celeb. I also respect it when celebs help out when disaster strikes, but it's pretty sad if the only way they'll interact with regular people is through tough and difficult times. I applaud them for the effort, nevertheless. Who knows? Maybe they'll find new friends while saving the day.
DeleteI would be cautious giving out the real life contact info. Make sure you've known them for a long time before giving out info like that. And you're right. Electronic contact still isn't really interacting with the fans. This is the dilemma: how can stars interact with their fans without jeopardizing their own safety? It's really hard to find the right answer because there are so many different types of people, thus different types of fans, which leads to different types of reactions when you interact with them. It also depends on the celeb's willingness to meet with new people. For some people, it's hard to associate with new people in social settings, and that goes the same for stars. Maybe just tweeting and blogging is what they're most comfortable with. Celebs are people too, so we have to expect this. BUT, at the same time, they chose to put themselves in the spotlight (well...most of the time), so they should be expecting having to interact with different types of people everyday. It kind of goes with the job description.
With that being said, I'm thinking up new blog ideas now and it won't be long before something new is posted. Thanks so much for supporting my first blog post. :)