Fringe 100th Episode Celebration

This week has been one of celebration and reminiscing for Fringe fans. Our show has reached the milestone mark of 100 episodes!

This is no small feat in the business of television. Very few shows make it past their 13 episode initial gauntlet — RIP Alcatraz and Terra Nova — so this is an achievement. Especially– given its ratings history — for Fringe.

Joshua Jackson told CityTV, “It’s thanks to the fans that we’re still here.”

We are still here, too, Josh; loving our show until the last credits roll and beyond.

Two years ago, I joined Twitter in an effort to try and help Fringe. Just hoping for a season four, I never imagined where that decision would take me. Some good friends — some of whom I have met, and others I want to meet; long nights of brainstorming ideas and event hashtags; a trip to Vancouver; an experience of a lifetime.

All of our collective journeys as fans have helped to lead to this point.

With only 6 more episodes to go, there is still a lot of story left to tell. This week’s episode is entitled, “The Human Kind.” Fringe has long explored what make us human, and how all kinds of small decisions and circumstances shape and mold us into the people that we are and will be. But what do you think of when you think about this title? Is it concerning some type of Observer — maybe those that develop feelings or empathy? Is this about the boy who is a part of Walter’s plan?

The show has had a definite Matrix-like feel, and this week’s episode even introduces a guest star — Jill Scott — as an oracle-esque character named Simone. She will have some important things to tell Olivia. We’ll also see if Peter’s timeline calculations and predictions will net him one dead Captain Windmark, or a whole heap of trouble.

As we launch into the homestretch, I think it’s key to remember some of the lessons Fringe has taught us.

One of these lessons is that love and shared experiences are all a part of what it means to be human. This week, we’re going to use part of the episode title:

#HumanKind

TWITTER PROTOCOL

“Humankind cannot bear very much reality.”
― T.S. Eliot

Be sure to make your first tweet of the night a thank you to @FoxTV and @WarnerBrosEnt for making season five possible.

You can grab a cool icon for the event. They are updated throughout the week.

1) Don’t use #HumanKind before the designated time: 1 HOUR before Fringe airs.

The event will take place 1 hour before Fringe airs – 8pm EST — November 16. Gently remind others that use the tag before the event to wait until the right time, and tell them that using the tag too much beforehand will lessen trending impact. This happened when Fringe fans tried to trend #WhereIsPeterBishop for the season four premiere. The # had been used all summer long, was not anything new on the Twitter radar, so it did not trend. Trending happens with terms that are relatively new, and many people tweet about them at the same time. Terms break out onto the scene, but trending becomes more difficult the more they are used. Be nice! We want everyone to feel welcome.

2) One # term per Tweet. Use only #HumanKind (What Are Hashtags?)

3) Lots of people tweeting matters more than the number of tweets.

Tell everyone Fringie about the event. There is strength in numbers – remember that the more unique tweeters we have, the more likely we are to trend, and for a longer duration of time. Send your tweets out steadily – remember to pace yourself. You want to avoid “Twitter Jail.” Sustained tweeting over time matters.

Trending can be a distraction, but we need you to keep those wonderful tweets coming. You may have also noticed that the # will drop off the charts after a while, only to trend again when Fringe airs. This is due to other viewers joining in by tweeting the hashtag on the bottom of the screen.

4) Those with lots of followers help out a lot!

Alternate accounts with few followers do not have as much “influence” towards trending. But tweets from accounts like @JWFringe, @FringeOnFox, @VancityJax and @johnnob58004412 make a big impact. Let’s try to build our Fringe fan follower networks. One easy way is to follow people on fan Twitter lists. Here is my Cortexifan list. Follow some Fringies! Another way is to follow some folks on Twitter “Follow Fridays.” You may have seen tweets that are tagged #FF – followed by a bunch of twitter names. This is because they are recommended people to follow.

5) We want to pique the interest of non-Fringe fans.

This is the key to our trending duration success. It gives a chance to get our message about Fringe out to another audience. Try to construct a list of thoughtful and informative tweets before the event. These can be copied and pasted for easy tweets. Use some witty Fringe sayings – link some of the official promo videos – speculate about what happened to September.

We all have our speculations about the show and where it is heading towards the ending. Let’s get some conversation out there.

6) We can discuss aspects of the show in our tweets.

TRY to include the word FRINGE (with no #) in your tweet if possible. Talk about the characters and the actors.

7) Private accounts must have their locked status removed, as the tweets from locked accounts do not count toward the trend tally.

8) Retweets are the easiest way to help out the trending effort.

Just search for the hashtag, and retweet the ones that are interesting to you. If you know how to use a Twitter application suite like TweetDeck or HootSuite, this is made even easier.

9) Remember to check in at GetGlue for cool stickers and so that Fringe will trend there as well.
If you are in the U.S. and have an iPhone or Android phone, give Viggle a try. Their check-ins are included in the data of several prominent social television analysis companies.