Hart Hanson on Internet fans

Lo wrote:crzy4bones, I totally agree with you. And I'm not thriled with being grouped in that Internet group of fans. To me if I was Hart receiving tweets, letters whatever people are doing to contact Hart, it would feel like 3 million impossible to satisfy customers or bosses. Who the heck would wanna hear that? I feel like when I'm on these forums in here and other places people are always saying "well I'm going to tweet Hart about how he messed this up or how if he really wants to learn how to write a show take notes on such & such show... That is extremely insulting or at least it would be to me & and I'm pretty tolerant. Just how I feel.

I know people need to vent but I don't think that's the best way.

I know what you mean some of the things people say to Hart I'm pretty sure they'd never say to his face. But I think Hart gets that it's not all Internet fans who are rude. He's said in interviews before that there are crazy people on Twitter but most of them aren't. And he's tweeted that the nice people don't have to try and make up for the mean ones. Lol.

beaver...I don't think it's that HH thinks the internet fans are insignificant...just that he understands that the internet fans are the most passionate of his shows' fans but that they are a very small part of the viewership and he can't cater to their every wish just because they are the loudest.

That makes sense. Thank You!!!

mommahurley wrote:

Ratings going from 8 to 9 to 10 back to 9 million viewers...is a very slight change in the overall sceme of things... If I were doing a statistical analysis of these the results would fall in the range of Statistically Insignificant. Minor fluctuations.

And that is why the numbers alone can't show the full story. Without looking to see what those "minor fluctuations" are attached to, and seeing if there is a pattern in those fluctuations and the attached incidents, well...that's how you can miss the coming of a tsunami.

Personally I think that the higher ratings that Hart and Emily keep harping on about for last season were because viewers thought B&B would get together. Now that we know Hannah is coming and that B&B isn't going to happen, at least for the first half of the season, it will be interesting to see what the ratings do.

I think that Hart does most of his Tweeting to his other friends in the business...he almost always posts compliments to his friends and associates...he's clever, and glib..and he has a huge capacity to be fair and openminded...he's never rude...he doesn't issue challenges to people or insults...he's a good guy... he has family, friends a life other than Bones, and that's what he talks about on Twitter at least 50% of the time. It's insulting to insinuate that he's only there for our enjoyment suggesting he shouldn't be on Twitter unless he wants to get attacked. That's like saying women deserve to be harrassed if they're pretty and wear sexy clothing.

In return he gets a lot of positive reinforcement from friends, and associates...and he gets a lot of over the top rude comments, taunts and slurs...threats...dire warnings...and just plain rudeness from over the top negative fans. In return he has a sense of humor and he answers those people often... I've been there too once or twice...I tweeted him a very emotional, and not very diplomatic, response within seconds of the Finale...then felt bad about it, and wrote him a nice appology...he responded to my appology,,, something to the effect...It's nice to have fans that care enough to have a viceral reaction...I don't take it personally. Without our noisy fans we wouldn't be as successful as we are . That was when I began to have a change of heart...it's not right to attack someone! PEriod. Not on here...not on twitter...not the showrunner...never!

It's just too bad if you don't like the direction of the show! I once asked him if he was getting pressure to go against his vision by the studio execs...he answered. "Everone seems to want to believe the network is the evil puppet master...But I am responsible for all my own mistakes big and small".... "SN gets the credit for all the successes, we compliment eachother that way" lol.

I'm sorry if people don't like the storyline and are going to cut off their own noses to spite their faces...because they may be missing something that they would have enjoyed...however...I find their threats and arguments disingenuous. They may believe their claims...but they can't even go three posts without restating their opinions, so they are clearly heavily involved...they will be writing...and continuing to post their views...and I guarantee you they will be watching...they might not admit it. But why would they be as involved commenting ravenously...debating every issue to the point of redundency if they really weren't going to stick with the show?

Just like politics...when you're a noisy group, you sometimes convince yourself that you represent the majority...but there's nothing really to suggest that is true.... we're just the noisiest! Most people do what they like, watch what they like..try new things..and stop watching things, without ever uttering a single Cyber word. We are a very small sample group that is not even a random sample...it is insignificant from a statistical point of view. We probably do represent a small hint of what others are feeling...yet, we also don't agree to any large degree with either point of view. We all have our own ways of looking at it, and our own varying reactions and amounts of displeasure.

This is the point Hart is making when he says, as long as their talking about it...it's good. I believe he knows what he's talking about.

Please keep comments and spectulation to the show and its components - not other posters. Thanks!

I agree mommahurley.

Hart is on twitter for his own personal reasons and none of them include wanting to be attacked by fans. There is a difference between attacking and giving him an opinion. It's great that he realizes that internet fans are not the entire fan base. It's the truth. It means he listens to market research, listens to ratings, and follows his own judgement instead of letting 10 thousand fans (or however many) online fans steer the ship.

He IS the Captain. Whether I like it or not. I can hate the storylines. I can yell and scream and throw a fit and at the end of the day, it wont matter because it's his show. It's not mine. I don't write it. I don't own it and I can't expect it to be what I want it to be. I came to that conclusion at the end of last season and it really helped me just get over my perception that Hart owed me something. He doesn't owe me anything. I watch it for my own enjoyment, not because I want to collect up at the end of the season and say "well....i spent all this time watching your show. Now you owe me to make it what I want." Entertainment doesn't work that way.

I'm glad that hart has stayed on twitter and gives us insights into the show and tidbits about how it is done. That's the best part for me. I asked him a question about a filming thing and he answered me. Sure, I could have looked it up on wikipedia....but it meant more that he actually cared enough to answer.

I

tinkrella wrote:

Hart is on twitter for his own personal reasons and none of them include wanting to be attacked by fans. There is a difference between attacking and giving him an opinion. It's great that he realizes that internet fans are not the entire fan base. It's the truth. It means he listens to market research, listens to ratings, and follows his own judgement instead of letting 10 thousand fans (or however many) online fans steer the ship.

He IS the Captain. Whether I like it or not. I can hate the storylines. I can yell and scream and throw a fit and at the end of the day, it wont matter because it's his show. It's not mine. I don't write it. I don't own it and I can't expect it to be what I want it to be. I came to that conclusion at the end of last season and it really helped me just get over my perception that Hart owed me something. He doesn't owe me anything. I watch it for my own enjoyment, not because I want to collect up at the end of the season and say "well....i spent all this time watching your show. Now you owe me to make it what I want." Entertainment doesn't work that way.

I'm glad that hart has stayed on twitter and gives us insights into the show and tidbits about how it is done. That's the best part for me. I asked him a question about a filming thing and he answered me. Sure, I could have looked it up on wikipedia....but it meant more that he actually cared enough to answer.

I actually do agree with this. I may not like what's happening and think it's a mistake that is going to backfire, but I certainly don't think HH owes fans anything. I think the majority of fans who tweet him are probably benign, a few needle him a bit when they don't like stuff, and then there are the ones who are really mean and nasty. I don't tweet much in general, so most of the really out-of-line stuff I hear about on the forum.

Things like twitter and facebook have changed some things - for better and worse. It's better in that shows can get some direct feedback on what the audience thinks. In theatre, a writer/director can sit in back of the show and SEE where the audience reacts and how. That's why before bringing it to Broadway a show will tour other places: to see how audiences are receiving things whether stuff has to be changed or tweaked. While ratings show if people watched or not, it doesn't tell what about a show was really liked or why someone turned the chanel. Twitter does something similar, although because of the vast numbers and the nature of tv it's only a small snapshot of opinion. Likewise, in the old days there were those people who would boo and throw stuff if they didn't like a show - today, showrunner's may get some nasty tweets.

I personally don't think saying or tweeting you don't like a story direction is wrong. Just be polite about it. Doing so doesn't mean a fan thinks HH owes them something or expects him to them just change things. However, if you don't know which way the wind is blowing, you can't adjust your sail. You then either get stalled, capsized, or at worst dashed against some rocks. When you are writing for a mass audience and want them to keep watching, it helps, I think, to have as many means available to see what they are thinking. A couple of angry tweets is one thing, a steady stream of tweets from DIFFERENT people, all about the same issue? That's information.