General Information:

Media Type: Book
Type: Other
Release Date: 2020-11-06

Geek's Thoughts: It All Started With a Blog – Detangling the wide web of Disney Bloggers by Paul Lane explores the world of Disney Content Creators on the web. The book profiles fifteen content creators and interweaves the evolution of Disney content on the web with these profiles. The author includes a mix of content types including podcasts, traditional sites, blog sites, and news sites.

 

Trying to tackle the history of Disney content on the internet is an ambitious objective. Disney sites have exploded over the years. With each new type of distribution channel the number only seems to grow. This ever expanding universe is a very large and diverse topic with fans, critics and everything in between.

The concept drew my interest since I have had a firsthand view of the evolution over the years. From a personal perspective I experienced the time frame and many of the events discussed in this book. I was one of those kids back in the 80s that used to dial into numerous BBS systems and would read about various Disney topics. I was there as networks grew and systems like America Online (AOL) came into existence and the UseNet grew. Then came fast connections and the ability to browse the internet via text based systems. Then even faster connections and a graphical front end through Mosaic. I launched my first site in 1994 that featured Disney facts and opinions and it has continued to grow since then, just as the Internet has. I have followed and know many of the people profiled and mentioned in this book so I thought it was interesting from that perspective.

I found the book was trying to do two competing objectives at the same time – chronicle the history, showing the evolution, of Disney content creation and profile several individuals showcasing how they grew and manage their sites/content. These topics are intertwined throughout and really felt like a tug of war vs complementary at times. From an organizational point of view I would have liked to have seen more delineation between these, it would have made for a more natural read for me. Then in closing the book veers into another direction and asks the creators what Disney’s Biggest Hit and Miss has been since the year 2000. As with any attempt to take on a topic this large there are omissions and choices that have to be made on what to include and how topics are to be broached. I always find it interesting to look at what was included and many times what was not.

It All Started With a Blog is worth considering to read if you are curious about some of the history of Disney content on the internet and some of the stories/people behind several sites. If you are just starting out with a site you may find it interesting some of the history and thoughts of those that have been around for quite a while. If you are like me and experienced the events of the book it is a trip down memory lane.