Also: the Oscars, Oscar awards, Twitter oscar awards, academy awards twitter
If The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) had a New Media Division, one initiative should be something called "Oscar Friday". It's like Follow Friday on Twitter, where in that case it's a day, today, that Twitter users are encouraged to follow other Twitter users.
On Oscar Friday, Twitter users flying the hashtag #OscarFriday or #OF are encouraged to follow others who have the use that same hashtag or are recommending following other Twitter users under the #OscarFriday hastag. The idea is to have a kind of ring of connected Oscar followers that could better propagate an Oscar-related tweet.
Moreover, AMPAS could use its Twitter account to ignite the effort. That would mean stars like, if they were so encouraged to do so, Ashton Kutcher or @aplusk, and Iron Man 2 Director Jon Favreau or @Jon_Favreau, both active on Twitter and with many followers, could push an Oscar-related tweet. Maybe AMPAS could get Miley Cyrus back on Twitter? She's a presenter this year.
The current problem is AMPAS doesn't have a Twitter account, still, as of this writing. The reasons for this are not officially known here, but one can guess. AMPAS is stuck, hopefully not forever, in an old media mindset. While social networks and blogs are helping to spread the TV-generated Oscar talk, what's missing is Twitter, which can start media buzz without the aide of television, yet cause people to watch television. Why AMPAS doesn't get that is beyond comprehension.
For anyone who requires an example of how Twitter drove people to television, and indeed to demand TV coverage of a something, it's the Iran Protests. Now, for those who read this and have to launch a cynical "You're comparing the Oscars to the Iran Protests" comment, go ahead, but from the perspective of media relationships and message activation there is a clear equation: if something happens or is made to happen in the World, and a set of Twitter followers deems it important and they are large enough, those Twitter users can influence a change in what television does.
That's what happened in the case of the Iran Protest. CNN was panned so badly for its awfully small coverage of the Iran Protests that a new hashtag called #CNNFail was created and propagated. It was both a curse and a complement: Twitter users knew CNN had the resources to cover the Iran Protests and demanded they do it. Eventually CNN fell in line.
The point here is such a relationship can be manufactured to increase TV ratings. I've tried to explain this, in various ways to AMPAS, and I know it's on their radar, but nothing has been done. The fear in this corner is TV ratings would certainly improve under the Twitter system I suggest. Of course, having an active blog to feed to Twitter's part of the deal.
But of course, who cares? Well, millions do. Oscar's a celebration of the great things that people do in film. In fact I frankly get annoyed at those who tell me "I don't follow the Oscars or I didn't see a film.." That's not the point. If those people knew someone who was in line to get an Oscar, they'd change their view in a heart-beat.
As one who's been surrounded by death and funerals over the last three years, it's vitally important and morally right to celebrate people while they're alive. That's really what all these award shows are about, especially Oscar. That's why it's important to make sure people know about what's happening with Oscar and that's where Twitter and New Media comes in.
My prediction is Oscar's ratings will be much better than in 2009, but not quite up to record levels. It's the record levels that are key. Not using social networks effectively is the problem. It's one AMPAS must correct and sooner rather than later.
Now, my bags are almost packed (or at least enough for me to blast a blog post), and I'm getting ready to fly to LA and to Beverly Hills and Hollywood and Highland for the Oscars. Never been there before. I'm looking forward to checking out the Oscar MTV-U event Saturday morning, where college journalists will learn who's won the right to report from the Red Carpet. That will be something to see the faces of the winners. Then there's a number of TBDs for me, and finally Red Carpet Sunday morning and the Night of 100 Stars Party for The Oscars.
Stay tuned for my predictions, Tweets, and videos starting later today.
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