Is this Disney's attempt at discussion boards?

[pittsburghmarc]

Is this an assault on our beloved DISboards? I'm not sure how to feel about this.

http://insidears.disneyparks.disney.go.com/

 

[kimmar067]

...lame-o....

 

[WaltD4Me]

Please, Disney can't make their website work now, let alone adding a discussion board/forum.

It's kind of interesting though. They already have the Mom's Panel, wonder how this is supposed to be different?

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

I've been trying to "infiltrate the enemy" since yesterday, but it's a typical Disney website and can't handle people actually using it.

 

[sayhello]

They've had a website like this for Adventures by Disney for a couple of years, and it's a pretty lame excuse for a forum. Rarely gets posts, and a lot of the posts are obviously by people who's job it is to try & stimulate conversation. It really doesn't work. I tried posting on it for a while, but the lack of traffic is just sad. It isn't very user friendly, either.

Sayhello

 

[Justin Jett]

"Insidears" is rumored to be the new name for the Mom's Panel.

 

[Justin Jett]

http://youtu.be/Qcr61ZIeBh0

 

[WaltD4Me]

They've had a website like this for Adventures by Disney for a couple of years, and it's a pretty lame excuse for a forum. Rarely gets posts, and a lot of the posts are obviously by people who's job it is to try & stimulate conversation. It really doesn't work. I tried posting on it for a while, but the lack of traffic is just sad. It isn't very user friendly, either.

Sayhello

Not user friendly???? No way.

I was on the site and you need an invitation code to create an account. Someone on FB said invitation codes were sent out to people who had applied to the Mom's Panel. Not sure if they know that or are guessing that's who the invitations went out to.

 

[Justin Jett]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Disney-Parks-InsidEARS/159239287455373

Disney Parks InsidEARS
Thanks to everyone for your Likes, your great comments and excitement about Disney Parks InsidEARS. We're very excited as well as we prepare for our official launch. To answer some of your questions posed to us today, we are now beginning a beta-launch phase and have invited a list of 1,000 Disney Parks enthusiasts to help us test out the areas of the new site and prepare it for the official launch. So if you did not receive a beta-test invitation code, please stay tuned and keep your EAR to the ground! Once we work through the beta phases, our plans are to open to everyone who meets eligibility requirements. We do plan to launch in a couple of phases, so keep checking back here for the latest & greatest news and updates.

Disney Parks InsidEARS
Pardon the pixie dust. You may notice we are quiet on this page…it’s because we are sprinkling the magical finishing touches on the Disney Parks InsidEARS site. We can't wait to show you what we've been up to! LIKE this page and check back soon so you don't miss a thing!

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

To answer some of your questions posed to us today, we are now beginning a beta-launch phase and have invited a list of 1,000 Disney Parks enthusiasts to help us test out the areas of the new site and prepare it for the official launch.

Wow! Only 1,000. I feel special.

Dear Tom,

Have you ever wanted to "earn your ears"? Are you the type to "play it by ear"? Most importantly, do you "keep your ear to the ground" for the latest news about the Disney theme parks and resorts in Florida or California?

If you can answer "yes" to any of these questions, then we have an exciting new program that's just for you. In fact, you might say we have "earmarked" your name for it.

It's called Disney Parks InsidEARS, a soon-to-be-launched social community designed for fans (like you!) of Walt Disney World® Resort and Disneyland® Resort to share their opinions about these Disney Parks with their online friends.

To kick off this first-of-its-kind program for Disney Parks, we're inviting a select number of fans to become Charter Members of Disney Parks InsidEARS, get involved in a new social community and explore a Disney Parks InsidEARS Online Resource Center.

Disney Parks InsidEARS will be a thriving social community of Disney Parks fans. To join, each eligible fan will take a quiz relating to either the Walt Disney World® Resort or Disneyland® Resort. Upon successful completion of the quiz, you will receive a "virtual badge" that can be posted on certain social media sites. You'll also receive access to a Disney Parks InsidEARS Online Resource Center -- a password-protected site that is a treasure trove of information, features, tips and news updates concerning these Disney Parks.

And it will always be available to you at the click of a mouse.

Once a Disney Parks InsidEAR, you'll then have the opportunity to receive two additional "specialty pins" showing your interest in a variety of specialty subjects that are part of the Disney Parks experience, such as "Disney Dining," "Recreation" and "Traveling with Children." These pins, along with your Disney Parks InsidEARS badge, will proudly identify you on your profile page on the program site as a member of the community and identify some of your specialty interests.

The Disney Parks InsidEARS online community has two Community Managers, Disney Parks Cast Members devoted to providing you current Disney Parks information, feature videos, behind-the-scenes looks and hot-off-the-presses news that we hope will be music to your ears. And during this beta phase, our Community Managers will refine and improve the program as we prepare for its official launch.

To get you on the Disney Parks InsidEARS track, the process is simple. Click on the link below to access the new website, DisneyParksInsidEARS.com. There, you'll be asked to enter your unique, one-time registration code found at the end of this email. You will then decide whether you want to become a Disney Parks InsidEAR*1 by successfully completing a quiz regarding the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida or the Disneyland® Resort in California.

And remember, because this invitation was sent to you with a unique registration code, it is non-transferable and will not work more than one time. (In fact, you might say that this is "for your ears only.")

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I will put this in the same category as D23. It is a lame attempt at a fan site, just as D23 is a very lame attempt at a fan organization. For a real fan organization, go to www.disneyanafanclub.org which has been in existence for 28 years (formerly National Fantasy Fan Club) and is an all-volunteer fan run organization.

 

[Justin Jett]

I will put this in the same category as D23. It is a lame attempt at a fan site, just as D23 is a very lame attempt at a fan organization. For a real fan organization, go to www.disneyanafanclub.org which has been in existence for 28 years (formerly National Fantasy Fan Club) and is an all-volunteer fan run organization.

I agree that this sounds a lot like D23.

 

[sayhello]

Disney Parks InsidEARS will be a thriving social community of Disney Parks fans.

I like how they already know it will be a thriving social community! "Make it so!" Takes more that saying it to make it true. They've never been too successful at creating this sort of thing themselves.

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

Not user friendly???? No way.

I was on the site and you need an invitation code to create an account. Someone on FB said invitation codes were sent out to people who had applied to the Mom's Panel. Not sure if they know that or are guessing that's who the invitations went out to.

Did the invites go out today? I applied for the Mom's Panel and did not get an invite (unless it came today). I'll let you know if the person on FB was correct or not when I get home this evening.

Sayhello

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

Not user friendly???? No way.

I was on the site and you need an invitation code to create an account. Someone on FB said invitation codes were sent out to people who had applied to the Mom's Panel. Not sure if they know that or are guessing that's who the invitations went out to.

Did the invites go out today? I applied for the Mom's Panel and did not get an invite (unless it came today). I'll let you know if the person on FB was correct or not when I get home this evening.

Sayhello

I got my code yesterday and never applied for the Mom's Panel.

 

[sayhello]

I got my code yesterday and never applied for the Mom's Panel.

Yep. And I never got an invite. So much for that person's theory!

Sayhello

 

[kaligal]

I don't even understand why anyone wants to be on the Disney Mom thing. You can answer questions here, if you want. I also don't get why people ask them there when you get more (and more interesting) responses here. Fights about line jumping and parade spot reserving and all that are fun. The DIS is just way more entertaining. You won't get that on Disney-run boards!

Disney wants to control what people say and profit from it, too. Duh. No surprise they want in on that game.

Disney is ruled by lawyers and accountants. Fan sites are ruled by fans. So, of course they will always be better.

For all the time invested and money spent by Disney when they try to figure them out, nobody knows the fans better than the fans themselves.

 

[sayhello]

I don't even understand why anyone wants to be on the Disney Mom thing. You can answer questions here, if you want. I also don't get why people ask them there when you get more (and more interesting) responses here. Fights about line jumping and parade spot reserving and all that are fun. The DIS is just way more entertaining. You won't get that on Disney-run boards!

Disney wants to control what people say and profit from it, too. Duh. No surprise they want in on that game.

Disney is ruled by lawyers and accountants. Fan sites are ruled by fans. So, of course they will always be better.

For all the time invested and money spent by Disney when they try to figure them out, nobody knows the fans better than the fans themselves.

While I totally, 100% understand and agree with what you said, that would be because I'm a devotee of the DIS, also. I can totally understand why someone would, alternatively, say "Why would I listen to a bunch of people who don't work for Disney, when I can get an official answer from someone who works for Disney directly?" I was hoping to join The Mom's Panel to be able to give answers that came from not only someone who worked for Disney, but had been on 4 ABD's, planned to take more, and had a lot of resources to pull from. (Last year's ABD representative on the Mom's Panel had only been on one ABD). I don't know this year's ABD representative, but at least she's been on 2 ABD's.

The Mom's Panel is very popular, and it was appealing to be able to answer questions, and spread the ABD love to an entirely new audience.

Sayhello

 

[Cheshire Figment]

But the people on the Mom's Panel do not understand ticketing at all. Every time I go over there and look I am disgusted over the misinformation (and not only ticketing) that they give out.

At least DisBoards are self-correcting. If someone gives an incorrect answer to any question they will be "jumped on" by at last a half dozen people with the correct information.

Personally I would like to see my sticky in TPA&S required reading for all members of the Mom's Panel.

 

[Mrs D]

Personally I would like to see my sticky in TPA&S required reading for all members of the Mom's Panel.

I second the motion.