Saving Jericho - Be a Fan

This isn’t so much about a new or existing campaign but a practical way to ensure a future for Jericho. We can write all the letters we want or spend all the money we want on billboards, ads and nuts but it will not mean anything if we do not have one essential commodity, fans or more to the point a vibrant growing fan base. It is fans that can make or break a show, fans who tune in to watch, fans who purchase merchandise (DVD’s, memorabilia), fans who can rescue a show from cancellation (Friday Night Lights) or fans who can bring a show back from the dead (Jericho). Without fans nothing can be accomplished. Therefore it is important that fans should not be neglected but nurtured. How do we do this? How do we develop a vibrant, growing fan base? Let me tell you a few ways we can do this.

Discuss, discuss, discuss! Really, we’re fans this is what we’re suppose to do. We need to discuss the past episodes, the future episodes and Jericho in general. We can speculate on season three. We can discuss what we would like to see in future episodes. We can talk about how the characters developed and where we think they are headed. We should discuss Jericho with each other, with our friends and with our neighbors. We should discuss on message boards, at the water cooler, on our patios and in our neighborhood watering hole. Wherever fans meet we should discuss. We need to revive the Episodes, Mythology, The Residents of Jericho and Season 2 Burning Questions folders.

Reach out to other fans. I know this may be a shock to you but not all fans come to the CBS board or the other message boards. How many of you would never be here if Jericho had not been canceled last May? There are many more fans out there that we need to connect with and keep up to date with what is going on. These fans will not come to us. We need to go to them. Yes, this means we must venture out from these boards and find them. While this can be scary, it can be so rewarding. How many of you who were involved with the Tom Tooman game met up with the Unfiction folks? Did you regret it? Did you come across some Jericho fans you never met before? While maintaining traffic on the CBS board is important it should not be to the exclusion of everything else including meeting up with other fans.

Recruit new fans. The only way we will grow is by recruiting new fans. I know; I know “how can we recruit new fans if there are no new episodes being made?” It didn’t stop Star Trek fans. The reason there were four series and six movies for 18 years was a growing a fan base. Before that they only had 79 episodes and four movies to build on. We have 29 episodes of a great epic story. Just because it is unfinished doesn’t make it any less compelling. An ever increasing fan base can spark a revival, if not now then in the future.

Participate in fan activities. I already covered discussing Jericho but there are other activities we can do together. Right now we have The Great Jericho Rewatch, The Fancast Marathon and the upcoming Jerichon. We, also have various chatrooms, some with special events. All these things help bond us together and forge new friendships.

Build each other up not tear each other down. When I came to the CBS boards I was a timid, shy person spending most of my time lurking. If it wasn’t for some encouraging words, a “good post” on those occasions that I did post, I would not be writing this. We are a large group and we all will not “see eye to eye” but we can “agree to disagree” and not let a disagreement escalate to an all out brawl. Nothing is sadder than to see a fan retreat to lurking because someone could not disagree civilly. We should be encouraging each other to state our opinions in a respectful manner and openly debate them civilly. We should not accept boorish behavior nor should we return in like kind but set the example for all to follow.

These are just a few things that we can do to build a bright future for Jericho. If we don’t grow and maintain this community than all our efforts to save Jericho will be for naught. Let not this community whither because we are too busy campaigning and we forget to be fans. Let’s build this community up to what it should be.