So, apparently having people talking, discussing, arguing and generally getting their collective panties in a twist about what you’re creating is a good thing. I could never have guessed.

According to a Nielsen and SocialGuide study, tweeting about a show has an effect on the popularity of a show. A 4.2 increase in Twitter activity connected to a show that is running mid-season correlates to a 1% increase in viewer ratings. The trend is stronger amongst younger demographics.

And, if you’re interested in the TV business and you so far haven’t read the excellent Wired article on how the industry is changing, please do so at your earliest convenience – it’s really quite good.

So that’s TV and Twitter then – where does Transmedia fit the picture? Transmedia storytelling is the method of creating more to create a foundation to tell stories from, a foundation that acts as the ”world” the story or stories plays out in. Now, by utilizing such storytelling methods when developing and producing a show that hopefully will encourage people to actually care about it and the characters in it, a creator can to some extent more precisely guide the conversation in a desired direction.

It will also enable a creator / producer to identify which tools are needed for the audience to engage themselves and share a message onwards in a way that is meaningful for everyone involved.

It can be something as easy as implementing a ”Tweet this” button that automatically will have the correct hashtag, perhaps even suggestions for content.

It can be something as complicated as dragging the audience into an online treasure / clue hunt, where they will have to engage their Facebook friends to solve the mysteries more efficiently. It all depends on the context of the content you’re producing.

TL;DR – investigate transmedia storytelling methods. This in order to better create entry points for viewers into your story and story world and better create ways for them to communicate that onwards.