• by Brandon Miller , July 22, 2008

Sure, you bitch and moan from the comfy confines of your couch about the plot twists in your favorite TV shows, and you sure as hell made sure the entire office knew what you thought about the latest McDreamySteamyWhatevy hookup at the water cooler. But if you could actually talk to the producers of your favorite TV shows, what would you say? Would you pipe up to the big guns?

If you're one of the customers invited to join Fox's new online community, you'll finally get your chance. As last season's No. 1 network, Fox already has a handle on what its viewers want (and it's not just Cops reruns). But with the help of Passenger, a company specializing in creating online communities, Fox will fine-tune its programming and attempt to go where only ABC has gone before - directly to the people.

Once given their golden ticket, the chosen 1,500 or so consumers will be asked to create public and private profiles, participate in message-board discussions and attend real-time "sessions" with different production personnel. Designed for the 18-to-49 crowd, the participants' online networks will then be tailored to the shows they actually watch.

The online community doubles as an invite-only social network where people can exchange messages and browse profiles. "People here, first and foremost, interact with a brand," says Justin Cooper, Passenger's cofounder and chief of innovation and marketing. "But the social aspect is what drives the conversation."

Passenger's clients, including Coca-Cola, MySpace and Chrysler, each have their own community of more than 5,000 customers who interact with product developers on new products, marketing concepts and package design. "It's about brands that don't have to always be polished and perfect," Cooper says.
At Fox, the initiative has launched in time for the fall pilot season. Participants will likely view series that may never make it onto the airwaves, and they'll have a say in what shows stay on the air. The software's analytics tools will also allow Fox to see what a particular demo thinks at any given point in time.

So now can we start a campaign to rid ourselves of Paula Abdul for good?