Jared's new website.

[ash48]

I'm struggling with my feelings on this, so I thought I'd post some stuff and see if anyone else had some ideas. Mostly, I can't figure out if it's "harmless fun" (and shut-up and stop worrying/whinging/fretting) or if there's going to be some major fallout in the future that will harm Jared and therefore worry lots!

I am also aware that it really isn't my concern. He's a grown man and can make decisions for himself. But I also seem to care quite a lot about him and so I feel protective. I would HATE to see this take a bad turn (and from what I've been reading, this has happened to celebrities in the past), and knowing how personally Jared takes things, this might not help him.



So, this is what I've been reading.

It appears that Jared's website Jaredpadaleckioffical is run by a company called Digital Mavericks. They are essentially in the business of generating money. Sites like this are often referred to as "click bait" websites (like BuzzFeed) - consumers are offered links to "interesting" articles in the hope that they will click on them. My (limited) understanding is that each time someone clicks it makes money for the owner of the website (and company running it). According to this article sites like this can make about $18 per 1000 fans. I really don't know the ins and outs of exactly how money is generated, but all the links on the sites leads to either advertisements or a tiny article surrounded by other ads (and often those horrid pop ups). They are truly awful.

I totally understand that life is about making money, but I have to say I am distressed (upset?) that Jared has made a decision to go down this route.

It's interesting that when the site first appeared many thought his FB page had been hacked. That's how "un-like" Jared it seemed to be. It was confirmed by TBTB that it was real.

According to his manager (Dan Spilo) , this is about finding "fun content" to share. He says "Jared is writing the headlines. We use the company to help find the content".

If you are interested in reading further information about it, check out this Facebook thread. His manager talks about it and basically condemns fans for not being "positive" about it. It also gives more info about Digital Mavericks (and a worrying thing they did with a past celebrity).

I think the thing that bothers me most is the decision to make money from his followers. Now, I have no idea if this is purely Jared or its been pushed by his management. It might even be a great way for him to generate income for his charities. I think it would go a long way if Jared explained why he felt he needed to have a click-bait style website. If he wanted to link "fun content" he could do that with it being embedded in a website. OR he could have his own, genuine, ad free website. Or am I just being naive? Perhaps life just doesn't work like that anymore.

I've seen some comments say "It's Jared's page, and he can do what he wants" - which I totally agree with. Just like this is my journal page and I can make decisions about what's on it. But the nature of the site seems to go against what we know about Jared, it just worries me. To me, it seems to cheapen his cause and even him. I can't believe he needs the extra money (maybe his manager does?) or maybe it IS about fundraising after all.

Either way, I know it's not something I like and it will probably mean I will *sniff* unfollow him on Facebook. Mainly because I can not stand those sites. I realise I can scroll past them (like I do many similar type sites), but each time I see it I will worry about Jared. And it's likely to make me angry.

Dan Spilo argues that Jared's fans a loving it (lots of comments) so stop being so negative. And maybe he has a point. If the majority of the fans are loving the new content then it's working - both for the fans and for Jared and the marketing company. It's just not working for me - which probably puts me in the minority.

Mostly, I'd like to see JP take a major step back from social media. Tweet occasionally, FB occasionally and enjoy his real life, family and friends. His fans will love him whether his has a website or not. Perhaps take a leaf out of Jensen's method of surviving the business. But he's a grown man and can obviously make his own choices. I just hope he takes care of himself.

*hugs* him SO much. I admire him for speaking out about depression and helping many people start a conversation about it. I'm not keen on the marketing for it, but that's purely personal. I'm pretty cynical it turns out. ;)

ETA: More about this here on Tumblr by the girl who has investigated it all. It's mostly about letting fans know it's not Jared posting. And pointing out that the posts are automated. I haven't investigated all this personally, so please take from it what you will.

Comments

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

i don't like this website thing because it's so impersonal - the nice thing about Jared having Twitter and Facebook was that we knew it was him talking - whether it was to us or to Delta airlines, it was Jared's voice. This website is just a marketing tool and yeah, I can see how it might have been sold to Jared as a great way of generating funds for his charities but it doesn't have anything I want. Those articles might be fun and interesting but they appear elsewhere and don't speak to me of Jared. So I'll probably only pick up stuff from there if it's specifically SPN/Jared-related posts that aren't appearing on his own FB or Twitter. (And I wouldn't even do that if I wasn't looking for content for our little FB group SSA).

[ash48.livejournal.com]

*nods*

And the good thing is, it's easy to see when it's him and when it's the website posting. His posts don't have the "jaredpadaleckiofficial" at the bottom of it. I know he uses his FB to promote his cause, which I think is a positive marketing way of using it. The website does seem very impersonal. I have a feeling he's shown the article, writes a blurb and it's posted. I am concerned that maybe this means this company has access to his Facebook.

I suppose we'll just have to see what happens. My feeling is that if it was to raise funds for charities he may have said something. But maybe he's just wanting him to trust him on this. It's why I'm confused. I want to trust him, but I worry he'll get stung.

[katwoman76.livejournal.com]

Not just did everyone assume it was spam, but we also haven't seen any actual comment about it from Jared hinself (at least I didn't) that would let us know what he is planning with this. it just seems very un-Jared-like.
Maybe someone at the DC-con will ask him about it.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping we'll get more info after the con. Jared not saying anything is the confusing part I think.

[el1ie.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I just don't get the point.

If it is to raise revenue for charities then why not be upfront about it? I don't see anything like the 'click here' to raise money buttons you see on other websites or any explanations about why he'd want something like this, which is so obviously far removed from his own personal hands.

*shrug* I agree, to each his own, but this is kind of a strange move to make. I hadn't heard anything about it, so did click your link above, to me it's more like his management has just traded on his name to make an advertising site, it could be anyone's name at the top. That's my judgement of it just looking at it cold and my first gut reaction is always the thing that sticks with me, so, let's just say, I won't be clicking it again.

If he's linking to it from his Twitter and Facebook accounts all the time, I think I'd frown on that behaviour too, but it's his network and his fans, so it's up to each individual to choose whether to click or not, but it honestly makes me uncomfortable, as fans can be enthusiastic but still end up feeling used.

Yeah, seems I'm pretty cynical too!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

So far, I haven't seen anything on his twitter. He's just been making posts to his FB. Looking at the FB thread where one particular girl talks about what's going on it seems its purely a marketing tool. And it seems that his manager is behind it (seeing how much defending he does). Now, I has to assume Jared is the one who had to gave the final ok and nows what it's like. I just wonder if he's aware how, um, tacky it is (that could be my cynicism or age talking!)

as fans can be enthusiastic but still end up feeling used.

What really makes me a bit sad is seeing fans interact with the posts as though Jared is posting them - or talks to him and share personal experiences. I mean, it's cool if those articles really do help people and maybe Jared really does see them. Perhaps people can enjoy the articles without actually clicking all the click-bait sites at the bottom and on the side.

[cloex-brosluvr.livejournal.com]

I think people are liking it is because they really think it's all 100% Jared which it is not and they want him to think 'hey look at me liking what you post'. I just find the whole thing 'icky' and deceiving.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

*nods* I think that this sad thing for me. I love the support he gets, but with this site I'm not sure he sees it. I don't know. I almost feel that by saying something it's not supporting him, which is the last thing I want to do. But it's hard when it's not even him. Ugh

[frozen_delight]

I think it's a terrible site for multiple reasons and can't really see what Jared is trying to do with it. Who's the target audience? Obviously not possible future employers, because it's not professional enough. It's not directed at fans either, not really, because the content is too random. So probably it's supposed to be part of AKF - except that the quality of the articles is so low (not that I've read them all, but what I clicked on contained cringeworthy stuff like "go hiking, it just magically wipes your depression away") that it makes it look like Jared knows nothing about mental illnesses and isn't taking this project seriously. Which given how much time and emotion he's already invested into the campaign is clearly the opposite of what he wants to project.

I don't think that a lot of people like the site either. There were so many who first posted about Jared having been hacked that I'm pretty sure most people actually had a negative reaction to it. Sure, now many will comment on the articles as though there's nothing wrong with them, but I think that's mostly because they're following Dan Spilo's bizarre logic of "being a good fan". Speaking of which - fan-blaming instead of taking responsibility is just vile. How does this man still have a job?

As for the money issue - even if it's for the fund Jared and Jensen set up, it's still not an okay method of fundraising imo.

Finally, maybe I'm just as cynical as you are, but right now it seems to me that Jared (possibly because he's being advised really badly by his clearly incompetent manager) is milking all the attention he's been getting after his break-down both from the media and from fandom to the fullest, and so while I really hope he'd take a step back from social media I can't really see it happening any time soon.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hey!

Who's the target audience?

I'm going to guess it's fans. I can't speak for him but I think it might be about giving fans articles that he thinks they might like to read. In itself that's fair I think, it's just a shame he chose this way of doing it, rather than create his own website.

So probably it's supposed to be part of AKF

I'm not sure really. It might have come off the back of that, but there's no direct link to it as far as I can see. I think it's about inspiration etc. Positive articles that might be interesting to his fans.

that it makes it look like Jared knows nothing about mental illnesses and isn't taking this project seriously.

Hmm, again it's hard to say. I think Jared probably does know about mental illness (hearing him talk about his own struggles), and I think that maybe the articles are about making people feel good. In themselves the articles are pretty harmless, it's all the click bait next to them that I personally don't like.

but I think that's mostly because they're following Dan Spilo's bizarre logic of "being a good fan".

There's a lot of pressure from that. I've been called out a number of times for being "negative" (on a variety of show related topics), but I think being critical is not about being a bad fan. Saying everything is "great" when it's not is not being true to oneself.

I just hope it all works out for him. More than anything I hope he speaks about it this weekend and we have a better insight into what it's all about.

[amnisias.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering whether this is direct back lash from his mental health problems, if he's seeing a professional they'd very likely advised him not to invest into on-line/virtual relationships because of their unhelpful or even toxic nature. This goes for depressed teen-age girls as much as for celebreties, although for them it's on a very different scare. I could see this as an attempt to depersonalization of his 'brand', rather than just shutting everything down. Hand it over to your management, let them manage it and don't get invovled. That doesn't specifically the click bait thing, though I think it might be that this is not actually about the money, but just a very quick and easy way to generate content?! But it's all just wild speculation.

In terms of how you chose to react to it, I normally go with your guts. If you think that Jared is a 'good person', then I'd assume he's doing it for a 'good reason' (e.g. to protect his mental health) and move on. Stop using the site if it upsets you or keep popping in if you find it interesting.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hi.

*nods*. I have stopped following him (*sniffs*) but it's just to painful and until it's cleared up I think it's best just to ignore it.

It might well be a way of protecting himself, but boy - I would have advised something different. I seriously hope this doesn't come back to bite him. Or, that he has some good protections if it does. And if it doesn't - fantastic! I really hope it all goes well for him. :)

[borgmama1of5.livejournal.com]

Huh, so I am not the only one who is disturbed by this site being linked to Jared...The promo links on the page are to rather sensational looking articles that hardly seem appropriate for his demographic and I have a hard time figuring out why Jared with be okay with being associated with such tawdry links. I actually hope he is getting poor advice, that his judgment is better than this. :(

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Reading some stuff just know it could be that it's having some teething problems. Or that they haven't worked out exactly what they want (and by that I mean his management). They might be tailoring it more to his fans in the future and hopefully controlling some of the advertising. But yeah. I don't know. I hope it works out for him.

[citrusjava.livejournal.com]

The content is not just horribly written click bait, it is socially problematic. If this goes on they WILL publish something hurtful to enough people for them to have to care. But considering the way they've dealt with that sort of thing before, they won't. That will suck.

I'm pretty sure, or at least want to believe that Jared has little to do with this (I'm guessing he's being paid to promote it x times a day or such).


Yes, it is not ok and cynical to use - I mean - so many of his followers are there because he did an amazing thing - talking about mi the way he did - and that is super meaningful and needed. But that was a GIFT. Using the people who came because they need it is not ok.


(and to any nice liberal fans who never experienced this sort of thing and want to protect poor Jared from evil evil me for saying this - just don't. Just don't reply here)
(I care about Jared's feelings too, very deeply and personally, but I also care about the feelings of whatever kid trying not to kill themselves or dealing with abuse. And this is not rhetorics, this is literally and simply who this can harm )

[ash48.livejournal.com]

(I'm guessing he's being paid to promote it x times a day or such).

I've added a link that suggests the posts are automated. According to Dan Jared writes the intros and then the posts are made - at certain times during the day. I haven't confirmed this though, so I'm not sure how true that is.

But that was a GIFT. Using the people who came because they need it is not ok.

I have issues with this on a very different level. It's massively complex so I'm not going to even attempt to discuss it. I will say that for those who it's helped I'm thrilled for. :)

I care very much for Jared feelings and I really hope he's protected from any fall out if it happens.

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

It's possible his management have decided to cash in on his popularity and appeal and his far reach to the fans. I just hope this doesn't come up and bite him in the ass because he's such a gentle soul and he does take things to heart!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Exactly! He's such a gentle soul and I so hope this has been really thought though. There are times I just want to wrap him in cotton wool!

[stormcloude]

I gotta say I am not a fan of Dan Spilo. He doesn't seem to have Jared's best interests at heart.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I don;t know a lot about him at all. I really hope he does have his best interests at heart - Jared deserves it.

[daisychains1957]

So again Jared gets hurt :(

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Man, I hope not. I really, really do.

[manzanita-crow.livejournal.com]

I'm not keen on it either. It may be a misguided attempt at social networking, but I don't like it, however much I like Jared.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

That's me too. I adore jared and hope it's simply misguided. Or maybe it's a work in progress and will lead to something that actually represents him as we imagine him. :)

[cuddyclothes.livejournal.com]

First, it is HIDEOUS. You can go on Godaddy or register.com and find free templates that are 100% better. I mean, WTF???

Second, as I wrote elsewhere, it's like one of those Twitter users like "Oscar Wilde Quotes" which alternates quotes with "One Weird Trick Housewives Use to Lose Weight!".

Third, the very concept is demeaning to Jared. Obviously he okay'd it, but it's hard to believe he's actually looked at it. He's used to sophisticated web design so why would he sign off on it?

Fourth, if there's money being made, I'm sure Jared doesn't know where it's actually going. He's a smart man, but it seems like he thinks with his heart first, not his head.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

It really isn't a nice site and I can only hope that maybe it's a work in progress. Though, it's pretty clear it's a money maker and a way to gather more fans (though why he - or his management - thinks he needs more fans I don't know).

I would love to see him have a website that's professional made and thrown together for the sake of clicks.

But, I'm stepping away from it. I've worked out I can follow Jared on FB without seeing his official website or his ads. That makes me happy! :)

[amypond45.livejournal.com]

This is the first I've heard of this website and I have to say, the whole things sounds pretty disturbing. I'm guessing that manager of Jared's is a money-grubbing jerk who doesn't seem to care if people get the wrong idea from his public announcements on Jared's behalf (going on record that Jared was suffering from "exhaustion" when everyone in the business immediately thinks "rehab" when they hear that word is just beyond bad representation, imho). I love the way Jared has been so transparent with his fans, but I worry he's being exploited here. His success with his recent fund-raising campaigns has drawn the wrong kind of attention, it looks like. Damn. I hate to see him get hurt just for being generous and trying to use his celebrity for good causes.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Exactly this. Just hoping our lovely Jared doesn't end up hurt. I would like his manager is involved considering how much he has defended the site. My feeling would be Jared would be defending it if he thought it was such a great idea. interesting to note there's nothing been posted for the last couple of days.

[ex1led-nyer.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm not the only one disturbed by the site. I don't know whether you're in the minority or whether it's a case of people not wanting to be negative about anything connected to Jared, so they're just not expressing dislike of the site.

Sometimes I think to myself, What would it take for me to not love these guys? and so far my only answer has been, If they became Scientologists. And I do love Jared and I'm not going to feel differently about him because of the site, but I think it's a bad move for him. I won't unlike his FB page but I'm trying to ignore the posts that are Buzzfeed-like. I clicked on one, once, and was so disappointed by the clearly PR driven site.

While we're expressing potentially unpopular thoughts about Jared's public persona and how we receive it, I think it would be good if the fandom chilled out a bit about how brave and inspiring JP is for talking about his depression/anxiety. Not because I don't think he's sincere or that I don't feel he is brave and inspiring -- I do, on all counts. But it's time we moved past talking about it quite so much. Jared is more than his cause, he's more than his depression. And once you've honored someone with a display of nearly 7k candles, you've pretty much topped out.

And I'm starting to experience that fund-raising weariness. I have a drawer full of SPN tshirts but I have a thing against wearing photographic images of people; nonetheless, I've participated in all three AKF tshirt campaigns. But I don't think I can do another one, no matter the cause, unless I actually like the shirt.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

You have expressed many thoughts that are similar to mine (i seriously hope they don't become Scientologists!). The website seems to go against everything we (well, I) think about Jared. But I suppose I don't know him personally so it's hard to really know what's going on.

Re the campaign. I am extremely conflicted but that also. I love that he's opened up dialogue and it appears to have really helped some people but I agree there's a level of fatigue about it. I was surprised there was another t-shirt campaign to be honest. I love the way it's brought fans together, but there will come a point when it will all be overload I fear.

I confess to not buying any shirts (I also have an issue with wearing someone's imagine - even if I love them!) I also prefer to donate directly to the cause rather than pay for the manufacturing of t-shirts. But I totally appreciate fans wanting the shirts also - it's a wonderful way to connect. For me it's a purely personal choice and I love that so many people have supported the cause. :)

[mollyamory.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this bothers me, too. Honestly, it kind of reminds me of some of the NSYNC members' misguided attempts to engage with fandom, which often came off as weirdly self-serving even if they weren't. Though maybe what I mean by that is that it just comes off as really immature and stupid, when previously I hadn't thought of Jared as either of those things.

I still don't think Jared is those things, but it really does make me think he's more distressed and drifting than I had realized. :(

[ash48.livejournal.com]

but it really does make me think he's more distressed and drifting than I had realized.

Oh gosh, I hadn't looked at it like that. It might also be why he's made a decision to go this way - not thinking clearly about it. Maybe? It's so hard to know. I really wish he'd come out and say something, but maybe he feels it's not that important and not worth mentioning. Ack. I just don't know.

[novakev.livejournal.com]

I wonder if he was swayed into this when he was depressed because depression can affect your judgment. I see his shoulder and body are well, and he is smiling and engaging (which is awesome) but it doesn't mean all his brain cells are back to normal.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

So hard to know. It has been great to see him smiling and happy - hopefully he'll have a chance to re-think the way he presents his website maybe. It's also been nice to see no "official" automated posts for a couple of days. :)

[percysowner.livejournal.com]

I admit I looked at the site, thought it was terrible and left. I don't follow people on Facebook, so I'm not seeing what's going up. I think it was an error and if Clif hadn't confirmed it really was Jared's site, I would have thought it was someone trying to piggyback off of his name. I'm just ignoring it. I do hope it doesn't affect his reputation in some way, because it's really bad.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

It really is bad. I keep looking for the "good" side of it, but there's no getting away that the format and the click-bait content and ads are just plain bad. Maybe he's experimenting with some ideas and he might decide to move onto a better style. Or give the whole thing away. Hard to know. There hasn't been a post in a couple of days so he might be thinking twice. He's made some lovely personal posts, which is so much more him. :)

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

I agree, it's depressing and a bit disgusting (though not surprising) to see this kind of thing happening as a way of cashing in on Jared's fan support. I'm sorry that he acceded to it.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Me too. It's the cashing in on fans that I dislike the most. And then the worry that it will backfire and bite Jared one day.:/

[fireheart13.livejournal.com]

I feel many of htese feels. While I didn't even knpw about the clickbait thing, I totally felt that this was a manufactured site. It didn't seem like Jared at all. All these articles that coud be something from buzzfeed or wherever and had nothing to do with Jared or his thoughts/feelings/.causes. I wa massively unimpressed.

Finding out this further aspect, I totally feel like this is a Spilo creation 100%. Maybe they're running stuff past Jared for the headline, but c'mon, he doesn't have time to actually read all that stuff. I already thought that the majority is all manufactured shit.

I'm going to keep following him on facebook because what he does there (barring the new postings from the crapsite) is really him. But sadly, the "official" website will not see any clicks from me.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I'd be pretty sure Jared wouldn't read the stuff that's being posted - or even see the site and all the articles. And I feel he creates the little intros in good faith. It's great the Spilo has seen some of the fan reaction - he knows fans are aware.

[ayane42.livejournal.com]

yeah this bothers me.

the first post i saw was the one about the best dad's of the year and his comment about not being #1. i thought was a weird thing for him to say.

then the next one was about the social experiment about the lost girl, and i thought, wow he has time to browse the internet?

his facebook has always been like a personal connection from him to his fans.

and now it's changed and it bothers me.

i'll be reading that tumblr post, but yeah, it's not as special as before.

[lavinialavender.livejournal.com]

I think your response is definitely warranted. Jared's a hell of an actor -- that's his business, not some silly clickbait website. He doesn't need this, and I hope it wasn't his decision. Hopefully he'll come to see it's doing more harm than good.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I hope so too. Maybe he'll even realise he doesn't need it to gain fans or earn extra money. I'd love to know the thinking behind it - and whether it was his decision or not.

[missyjack.livejournal.com]

I shouldn't be but i am astonished at the criticism its getting. Is there no room for someone like Jared to try something and not get it perfect out of the box?

Maybe he'll make the website better, maybe he'll delete the whole thing, maybe he'll start only posting pictures of food. Does it matter? He's trying something that may or may not work and isnt that what life is about?

I remember back to all the flack Misha copped over the Rhino puzzle challenge. If he had've stopped after that, GISHWHES and its magnificence would never have been born!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I think there's plenty of room for him to try something. And from what I've seen on FB he is getting a lot of support. I don't think it should mean that we can't be concerned for him though? Or that there isn't room for discussing it a way from any place he will see. This post was about opening up a discussion on it, not just criticism for the sake of it. I'm conflicted and was curious to see what others felt. I hope it all works out for him. I have a lot of respect for him and what he does. I appreciate that this is a good way to generate extra income and reach out to fans at the same time. I know that just because those type of sites are my thing doesn't mean they don't appeal to many others (which, clearly they do - it the 7.7k likes on a recent one is any indication!). And you're right! Maybe this will lead to something better and I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops. He certainly loves reaching out to fans and it seems that this is one way he's found to do it. :)

[ayane42.livejournal.com]

well someone's listening. there's hasn't been a post from the official site since 25 july, 2:34pm, cst

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's interesting. I did see on twitter some mention of a virus that might have been attached to it. Absolutely no idea if that's correct or what the story is, but I am happy to know that the posts have eased back. Maybe they're trying to sort something out. Or maybe the unease about it has been felt. We'll see what develops. Thanks. :)

[yourlibrarian]

I hadn't heard about this before your post but agree completely about how awful that site is. It also doesn't make me think well of him that this is the choice he'd make.

It reminds me of what happened with James Marsters' website. The domain was originally bought by a fan who created what I gathered was an informative, useful webpage. When he decided he wanted to commercialize it, the fan turned the domain over to him. He spoke frankly to fans that the people running the site were smart guys who told him how he could make money with it. I don't know if that turned out to be true but unless you wanted to buy autographed photos it was definitely not an improvement. There was also controversy over his manager writing entries supposedly from him that was revealed when he was asked about the posts at a convention and said simply that he didn't write them.

Although I haven't visited in some time, a friend who recently got into Buffy complained to me about how useless it was to know about upcoming news on him -- new jobs, con appearances, etc. She had to go to fan sites to actually find information she wanted.

A lot of celebrities are pretty dumb when it comes to the Internet and how things work in terms of self-marketing. If someone tells them they can get an income stream they rarely think past what it might cost them in terms of their reputation or fan relations, especially since the people selling them on the concept either don't care or don't want them to know.

Realistically it's rarely a celebrity's own site that is the major hub of activity for their fans, in part because it's rarely timely or truly interesting in the way fans want it to be. That's because in order for it to be well run it needs paid employees and that costs money rather than making it, and the employee(s) need to be in close contact with the celebrity and have a long-term plan for the site. Honestly, if celebrities thought their webpages could be used to get them work in the industry they'd probably approach it very differently. I really doubt they'd go this route.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hi. Thanks so much for this. I have no idea about the history of other celebrities and their websites. I suppose they get swept up in the marketing of it all (and of themselves) that they probably don't see how it really looks.

It's interesting to note that nothing has been posted to the site since 25th July, so I'm hoping it' either going to just go away for maybe it will be re-vamped and Jared will go a different route. I have noticed he's posted more "personal" things to his Facebook. Maybe he's realised that that's what fans love, not these re-hashed monetising links.