Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Kyle XY

The Kyle XY- ABC Family website is a gateway to the world of fans and into Kyle's life. Right off I couldn't help but notice a small login box with the words "welcome to our family." The website offers videos, cast bios, episode guides, blogs, forums, shops, and web exclusives such as behind the scenes videos. Everything you need to get acquainted. There is something for everyone in this imagined community.

The Kyle XY phenomenon doesnt only stop there. The ABC family based website allows access to the Latnok Society website, the Kyle XY Continum, and the 781229 website. The Latnok Society is the website dedicated to the secret society that follows and torments Kyle. It is filled with information about the society's history, their members, and projects. Everything about is fake like the articles about stem cell research and the PhD holding members from John Hopkins. However, their efforts dont go to waste because if you sign up just to learn whether any of this actually exists outside of the Kyle XY world, you will start receiving SMS about the show and their promotions. The Kyle XY Continum provides all the challenges Kyle goes through a series of games. You are put in Kyles shoes and you must climb walls, catch cards thrown at you, balance yourself while carrying weights, and practice your memory. Not to mention trying to uncover all the secrets that Kyle is still unsure about his life.
Now the 781229 website is very interesting. Besides the ABC family website, it is the only one that connects the reader to the other websites. 781229 is the ultimate fan blog. The website allows you to read Cooper's blog. Cooper is a character created by ABC family who believes that Kyle exists. His blogs are filled with his ideas about Kyle and the Latnok society. He is even supposedly being followed by the Latnok Society because he knows too much!!

Being a fan of the show, I know how the mystery just gets you hooked, but discovering these websites makes it impossible to stay away. Four websites dedicated to one show and the sponsors have their name all over it.

You think you can avoid commercials by watching your favorite shows on television, but you are probably getting yourself more brainwashed when you access the internet. While looking at the shop section of Kyle XY, I found Seenon.com. That website is insane. It provides clothing and accessories to you as those seen on your favorite shows. ABC, ABC Family, Bravo, CBS, CW, E!, Fox, MTV, NBC, SciFi, Spike, Style, and TV Guide are all part of this. You can shop by character. Each piece of clothing also lets you know which episode the clothes appeared on. The website itself won't sell you the clothing, but it will lead you to the retailer's website.

It's a huge network. The scary part is that if you watch these shows on TV you probably will only hear about half of the websites dedicated to them. If you try to avoid all these ads and use the internet instead, you will see more ads than those you were trying t avoid.

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