Bar Karma - the love child of an online community
The world’s first television programme devised from an online community premieres tonight in the US. Bar Karma was conceived a year ago by members of a site started by The Sims creator Will Wright.
Everything from plot lines to costumes were discussed and voted on by participants on Current’s Creative Studio site, which has had over 12 million visits.
The result is a drama set in a bar at the end of the universe, starring William Sanderson from True Blood and Deadwood, and is being shown on the ET network.
The production company Worldwide Biggies now has ultimate creative control over the project, but producers are said to regularly seek advice from their online community.
Online collaborators submit plots for episodes to the site and three plots are chosen to be voted on. Participants whose stories are chosen get credited on the episode.
We are beyond excited to see if a whole community can deliver something not only new and interesting but cohesive and sustainable. Watch this space.
Managing Online Communities 