10.7.11 Adam News & Info

Duh ...clueless here.... what is her message...what does #FF mean?

I disagree, I think it's a terrific first impression. Most people surfing the web for the first time to find out about Adam are not immediately looking for an interactive forum to post on a daily basis too, they just want to find out about Adam.

From a straight design perspective (not a user interface one, which once again, casual fans are really not gonna do more than dip their toe into at most) both AO and ALF are GORGEOUS. I mean, really beautiful. The star strewn night sky with the tinge of aurora borealis and lean leggy Adam striking a pose on every AO page is eye catching to say the least. And the stunning pictures of Adam along with the classy typography and terrific balance of content with negative space on ALF is memorable branding as well. And both are very very Adam.

Yeah, if a person digs down into the site and wants to communicate with other fans then things get a bit more challenging LOL. But I'd be willing to bet that only a fraction of the visitors to either of the sites have any intention of doing that, although more may be curious enough to lurk the forum areas.

As far as updating the sites with timely info and branding for the new era, someone above said that Adam was sort of taking us for granted. I see it a different way, I think he trusts us, trusts that those of us who frequent those sites regularly enough to be irked by some of the details slipping will not let that stop us from sticking around until he has time to focus on that area. Frankly, I personally don't want one single thing distracting him from that shiny new album, even if it is just meeting with candidates for a Day Manager to take Lane's place. IMO that can wait. Music takes precedence. There really isn't anything of any substance to announce now anyway.

And I really don't get the fuss over the membership at ALF, if you paid the minimum amount, you get access to the site and probably any presale codes that are given in the future. If you paid for the higher amount, at the very least you will get a mirror of the last package, a t shirt and a message from Adam. Anyone worried that it will be the same t shirt is being silly, of course it won't. So I don't get what they want Grnd Ctrl to tell them, this has already been communicated in their last email.

Thanks SusieFierce for doing the flailing for me. Just did not have it in me today!

I do think that DMG still has a bit of time to step it up, but they are starting to run out. imo, letting the fan base hang is totally understandable, because quite frankly the 10,000 asylum committed nutcases that Adam does have in his corner are exactly that - part of asylum - and will never run away. So, he can ignore us, fortunately.

But his online presence he cannot ignore and presently he does. The top site everybody goes to when google-ing his name is AO. We have no idea and neither does Adam probably how many people were driven away from researching anything about him by what they found there.

IF RCA were smart they would shut that AO forum down and actually rely on the fan sites for discussion type interests and 'unconfirmed news' and gossip, etc. by allowing fan sites to link there, instead of blocking every user who ever posts a link to another site and treating them like competition.

They (RCA) cannot play that role themselves, neither resource wise, nor legally, so providing a list of connected links, but stating that they are not responsible for any content on those sites is exactly helpful to them.
Then can concentrate on a nice looking general official website instead of that news and music page, that is out of date and awkward. Could also use Facebook, of course. Very little moderation needs, just keeping up a couple of simple web pages. Voila!

ALFC suffers in my mind mostly from an ill-conceived layout. Can't find anything among those threads. In the end other fan sites had already proven how to do it right, they came later, why couldn't they even copy?

ALFC serves in my mind only a few purposes right now.

a) pm some folks on other fan boards. Obviously, if we don't read there regularly, and I am only a very casual visitor (once a month or so), then things sit a while before they are found.

b) Future pre-sales and seniority within fandom (agree with Rihannsu here)

c) Announcements from his management used to come from there (mostly Lane) and this is missing right now. I am giving them a bit more time there. Perhaps it is in the work. I agree that an "under construction" statement would be useful at this time, if that were actually the case.

I do not believe that DMG has its official numbers of people or revenue updated and published. Those numbers cannot be right for 2010 or 2011, but could be correct for a pre-KP-latest album and latest tour time.

The thought has occurred to me that part of this DMG's small company approach might be that it allows for a high artist involvement in management itself, and that Adam went for that because he wants to be in charge.

But with being Executive Producer on the album, the actual album creation itself and doing your own management, Adam may have created his own problem by over-extending himself.

His constant assurances to us that he is working hard....are not helping to diminish that impression at all.

He is not the first young manager I have seen in my life who has to learn how to delegate. I do believe that this is a struggle for Adam the perfectionist.

It's called Fast Forward Friday and it is sending out recommnedations of who your followers should follow!