Thursday 20 December 2012

BBC One Goes Social Networking...


One of the interesting things about a show you love becoming successful in other Countries is watching how they promote it.  We cast envious and, admittedly, sometimes irritated eyes across the pond at BBC America and their huge presence on Twitter and Tumblr.  Yes, we have the Official Doctor Who twitter account and, of course, BBC America is a subscription channel so they HAVE to be a sight more aggressive  as regards marketing but you can't help but feel that we Brits could learn a thing or two from BBC America - and it's beginning to look like we have.

BBC One have caught the social networking bug - and they've started really well.  Obviously, they're promoting the channel itself but there's a nice focus on "Doctor Who" because it's such a huge show for them.  They've gone all out and have Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr accounts.

BBC One on Twitter: - this is a delight.  Seriously.  Go and follow them.  Not only do they post show reminders and clips, they're also happy to reply back to questions and observations.  A case in point - I tweeted them this morning about the photo they're using in the picture above - I asked if they have a large version which we could use as desktop wallpaper.  They replied saying 'no' but they'll post a tweet if they manage to get hold of one.  They also tweeted me later in the morning about an animated "Doctor Who" gif they'd put on their tumblr account.  Now, THAT is the kind of chatty and friendly account you like to see.

BBC One on Facebook - again, photos and youtube clips but for the Christmas period you can send some fantastic "personalised" greetings to your facebook friends.  There's a selection of images from various BBC One shows but, obviously, the favourite has to be the Doctor.  Here's one I sent earlier:


They're terrific - simply select the friends you wish to send the card to, select the image and the text and it's done - and it's downloadable so you can keep it on your desktop.  I expect big things from their facebook account - and they're off to a cracking start.

BBC One on Tumblr - this is new.  Very new - so much so that there are only a few animated gifs there at the moment.  However, three are "Doctor Who" related - Mrs Brown going into the Tardis; Miranda falling as she chases the Doctor and a rather nice Tardis "Closed for Business" gif.

This new style for BBC One could be a huge success - they're approaching social networking in the right way: by being interactive, friendly, approachable and posting regularly.  It helps, of course, that they're promoting "Doctor Who" - and, as such, it's only fair that we get behind them and give them our full support in this enterprise.

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