“The Office” Renews Character Blog Debate

A few months ago, NBC created a blog for its comedy “The Office.” Posts from Dwight Schrute, the fictional office know-it-all who takes his job a little too seriously, routinely generate hundreds of comments per post. (A fan site noted that Rainn Wilson, the actor who plays Dwight, actually writes the posts.)

These types of character blogs are gaining popularity. One article notes that shows such as “General Hospital” have joined the list.

The value of character blogs – most often authored by a fictitious person, brand or toy – has been continually debated. Several noted bloggers – such as Steve Rubel and Neville Hobson – think character blogs are a complete waste of time, arguing that real dialogue cannot take place with fictional characters. Others (including Shel Holtz) don’t categorically dismiss them but feel they are rarely implemented effectively.

As blog adoption continues to grow, we’ll certainly see more character blogs – and they’ll likely continue to rankle early bloggers who feel strongly about the open, authentic nature of the medium. A branding essay from last year makes the distinction between character blogs (which are strictly for entertainment purposes) and transparent blogs, which attempt to connect an organization with its consumers. As long as a blog’s perspective and motivations are clear, there’s probably room for both types.

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Comments

tanster wrote on Mar 21, 2006 at 06:04 PM

Hi Dean!

First of all, thanks for mentioning my site. :)

Not only does Rainn Wilson actually writeShrute-Space, but he sometimes writes it while sitting at Dwight’s desk during the actual filming of “The Office”! (The set of the “The Office” has real working computers with Internet connections.)

That’s as authentic as you can get without it being a real blog by a real person, wouldn’t you say?

Shrute-Space, along with MySpace pages by other characters of “The Office”—notably Pam, Angela, Kevin, and Meredith—all help to build buzz and loyalty for the show.

The fact that the actors behind the characters are the ones doing the actual blogging makes a big difference. The cast takes their writing responsibilities seriously, and their fans love them for it.

Kind regards,
tanster at OfficeTally.com

wrote on Mar 22, 2006 at 08:22 AM

tanster: Thanks for posting. Shrute-Space definitely adds a new wrinkle to the character blog discussion. As you noted, it’s far more authentic than most character blogs – and it clearly has developed a following. It’s great the actors are serious about their blogging responsibilities.

I’m glad the show’s ratings have improved this season. Offering episodes on iTunes has obviously been huge. Let’s just hope Dwight doesn’t begin referencing famous world dictators in his blog posts (as he did during his big award speech in a recent episode).