AirLockAlpha.com

There is a lot of debate on whether or not the future of media will be found almost exclusively on the Internet.

As Airlock Alpha gets ready to enter its 10th year of existence, I have personally watched the Internet grow from the few country roads of news and opinion to the media powerhouse it is today. Believe it or not, however, I'm a traditionalist. I still believe that others avenues of distribution -- including print and broadcast -- will continue to have a place in our global consciousness for some time to come. Yes, my real-life job that has nothing to do with Airlock Alpha is as a print journalist, and I've been in the newspaper industry for 15 years now. If newspapers are savvy enough, they will find a place in a new digital age, and I'm lucky to be working for a newspaper that has that kind of forward-thinking and a strong Web product. Just as I'm lucky that I thought ahead nearly nine years ago and joined the growing revolution of Web-based journalists.

It certainly hasn't been easy. The first thing studios did as Web sites focusing on their properties became more prominent is try to shut them down. We never were specifically targeted, but we did get some indirect threats from a studio or two in our early days, and it seemed like the only way Web sites like SyFy and others could even survive is to stay as unofficial as possible. Producers, writers, not even actors were that interested in talking to Web sites. Heck, I remember one time starting a phone interview with an actress that turned completely sour as soon as she found out I wrote for a Web site and not for a magazine.

Internet news sites have been kicked around almost since the beginning. Over recent years, however, networks and studios have started to realize the marketing strength of Internet sites, whether they are associated with actual publications or not, and many digital news sites have grown from being ignored to being courted.

No one studio has embraced the digital media more than NBC Universal. And SciFi Channel, a popular division of the mega-media company, proved it by inviting online journalists -- no matter how big or small their sites were -- to its first-ever Digital Media Tour in Vancouver, B.C.

When I was first invited to this event, I was worried that it might be nothing more than a half-hearted attempt by NBCU to get into the good graces of sites like SyFy and others. It's not that NBCU is that kind of network, it's just that major studios had never even given many sites the time of day, let alone a full-fledged press tour.

But even as I got off the plane in Seattle and headed north to Vancouver, I wasn't sure what to expect. Would I be dazzled or disappointed?

I can tell you that it was neither. I was literally blown away.

NBCU treated all of us as if we were the kings of entertainment journalism, almost as if we were TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly or even the E! network. We received extensive tours of sets for shows like "Eureka," "Battlestar Galactica," "Stargate: Atlantis" and even the new "Flash Gordon" that comes out in August, as well as unprecedented access to the actors, producers and other important crew members that make all of this programming possible.

There are enough stories from this one two-day event to last me at least a month, and we'll continue to bring you various stories throughout the next couple weeks or so. But I have to say that for me, personally, I needed to attend something like this. We maintain a great relationship with many sites like GateWorld and SciFi Wire, but there are many times I face burnout from all the work that goes into these sites with this feeling that I am not making a difference.

But then I meet new people, amazing people, and I feel my inspiration return. People who run or work at extraordinary sites like Media Blvd, The TV Addict and TV Squad: These are fans, just like me. These are people who may make some money doing this type of work, but would do it even if there was no cashflow coming in.

These are just a sampling of the entire Internet community, and an inspiration to constantly keep going. Sure, many of us are competitors, and in some cases we might even act like competitors, but we all have a common goal, and that is to be an amazing place for readers to visit, and to have them walk away not just entertained, but informed.

Does entertainment have importance in a world where international news, the environment and government seem to be ignored? Of course it does. There are times to be serious about life, but then there are times we need that escape. And if we can never find that time to have fun, to let loose, then we are nothing more than poor excuses for human beings.

SyBits

If you haven't been checking out my blog (which will continue to be updated over the next few days as I try to catch up on life after the Vancouver trip), you should take a look now and see some of my personal insights and some various pictures and such from the event. Keep checking back for more by clicking here, and keep visiting Airlock Alpha over the next couple of weeks to get the latest on many of SciFi Channel's great shows including "Battlestar Galactica," "Stargate: Atlantis," "Eureka" and "Flash Gordon."

Our last stop Wednesday was a trip to Langley near the American-Canadian border in a bunch of old horse stables that is now the home of the Mongo and some Earthly destinations for the new "Flash Gordon." After spending the day before visiting the massive sets of "Atlantis," "Battlestar" and "Eureka," I have to admit that the "Flash Gordon" sets almost seemed ... how can I put it ... dwarfed.

One of the advantages all of us had with the other three shows is that we've seen these programs on television, something we have yet to do with "Flash Gordon," and I have to keep reminding myself that. Believe it or not, the "Battlestar Galactica" sets are quite cramped. I am not sure how they fit so many people into the CIC, for instance, as it was crowded with 25 of us in there. But when the cameras are rolling, CIC suddenly becomes huge.

I have a feeling the same might be true for "Flash Gordon." We have some stories coming soon from that show, and I'm very excited to tune into SciFi Channel Aug. 10 to see what exactly the cast and crew have in store for us.

Ok, I guess I don't have to keep avoiding the spoiler about ["Battlestar Galactica's"] "Razor" now that you've put it in the title of your editorial, eh?
-- M

I wanted to start off with this letter as it was one of several we have received about our reporting of the upcoming "Battlestar Galactica" telemovie. In those stories, we reveal that a character is going to be identified as a homosexual -- something that is major for those who have been battling for a gay character on the show -- but in the long run, is virtually unimportant to the overall storyline.

We did put up some spoiler warnings, albeit minor ones, on a story, but what M is talking about is the fact that the headline identified the character. We have a strict policy about spoilers at Airlock Alpha, but when I say "strict," I don't mean just one way. We don't consider minor characterizations that have minimal impact to the main storyline as a spoiler. In this case, the character's sexuality was interesting from a news standpoint, but was not a spoiler by Airlock Alpha's definition. The only reason why we had a spoiler tag is because we did identify the person that the character was having a relationship with, which we considered a minor spoiler.

We work hard to try and balance the sensitivity readers have with spoilers and our commitment to news. Unfortunately, with tens of thousands of readers every day, we're not going to make everyone happy. We can try, but we'll never succeed, I guarantee that.

If you want to avoid even the smallest spoilers, then don't visit message boards or Web sites that report or discuss shows. You are inevitably going to run into a spoiler somewhere, and if you don't want to read them, then all you are going to do is make yourself upset.

We will continue to keep an eye on our spoilers policy, and will tighten or loosen where necessary. Of course, always feel free to write us if you think we are not doing enough to balance our policy ... just also at the same time understand what we are up against in trying to please as many readers as possible.

If you want to send me a letter, just drop me an e-mail at mhinman@airlockalpha.com and you might find your words right in this very spot

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Have a great week, and don't be a stranger!

Michael Hinman, named Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2006, is the founder and site coordinator for Airlock Alpha, writing out of Tampa, Fla. He can be reached at mhinman@airlockalpha.com.