Digital extensions are an effective way to pre-introduce characters and pre-sage storylines. This evangelical organization is heavily featured in the show's second season; its "official website" offers information about future events and introduces a character that could potentially appear in future episodes.
In Jenkins' case study of Dawson's Desktop, one of the project's creators noted the emotional payoff for fans when one of these pre-introduced characters appears on screen: "In three or four or five episodes, when Aunt Jenny [a minor character in Dawson's Creek first introduced via the Desktop] arrives, you are going to feel good because you already know this character was from the 60s and drinks too much. You know the complete back story so that when the character walks on screen, you know who they are and your relationship to the series has been enriched" (Convergence Culture 117).
The blog page on the Christ Teen Messengers site functions in the same way. It is ostensibly maintained by the organization's youth minister -- a character that does not currently appear in the show. The blog's commenting feature could help a producer gauge reaction to the character, effectively beta-testing him on fans of the show before introducing him into the central storyline.
Posted by Jonelle Lonergan on July 18, 2008
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