Theme Park Hype – Social Link & News Sharing for Theme Park Fans
Today I’m announcing the details of my new site, Theme Park Hype. When it launches next month it will be a social link sharing site (known as social bookmarking) like digg or reddit. It’ll be an online community where you’ll be able to discover, share, discuss, and vote on theme park-related links.
Not Just Another News Site
When I launched a similar site a few years ago it was really fun to see some of the cool stuff that surfaced. More than just news, people shared things like this black & white video of Playland Park’s legendary Aeroplane coaster. Coaster POV videos are older than you think!
A sample of other links included: CoasterMap.com (a site that’s mapped the countries theme parks), the first test run video of Led Zeppelin coaster at Hard Rock Park, construction photos of Dorney Park’s (then named) Voodoo roller coaster, an episode of the great A Walk in the Park Podcast, Coasterdom’s 2007 Season Review, and a sneak peak video of Disneyland’s ‘Dream Suite’ submitted by the LA Times.
Anything’s game, but what could set ‘Hype apart could be the non-newsy stuff as theme park fans have plenty of excellent news sites that they already frequent. To my knowledge, there’s no high quality community-driven mashup of great links where users can discuss and vote or ride their favorites.
As I said in my Top 3 Ideas for Theme Park Websites post, this type of site seems like a fun and easy way to share and discover cool stuff. There’s a lot out there that won’t always be unearthed by your favorite message boards or theme park blog.
Here are the main components of Theme Park Hype:
Discover – The Web’s BIG. See What You’ve Been Missing
Imagine a high-quality hodgepodge of theme park-related links. You’ll never know what you’ll find.
Vote – Ride the Hype!
Contribute to the pulse of the community by voting for links that you like. The cream will rise to the top and we’ll be able to see the most popular items.
Share – Break a Story, Share Something Really Cool
Did you find an interesting news story? Do you have an exceptional photo from your last theme park trip? Or, did you find a great (official) on-ride video? Submit it and share it with the World. It’ll be quick and easy.
Discuss – Give Your Take
You’ll be able to sound off about the great links that you find. Commenting on links will work just like a forum or blog post.
A More Social, Social Bookmarking Site
I’m not just giving this the old reboot like Hollywood these days. This social bookmarking site will be more social than my previous project. The kinks are being worked out as you read this, but Theme Park Hype’s users will have some social network-like features.
Game On!
Like other community-based sites you’ll be able to reach new levels of recognition. Also, users will be able to earn points based on their activity and even engage in games periodically. For example, one month the user with most points could win tickets to a theme park. Or maybe for one week, the user with the most hyped link could win some cool theme park gear.
The Countdown Has Begun!
I’m working through the details of the social aspects and game features, but I’m optimistic that they’ll be ready for the launch. That’s why I’ve invited some to a preview of the site. I’ll be getting feedback on the point system, finalizing the design, and removing any bugs.
The countdown has begun. Theme Park Hype will go live on July 7. Until then: Follow ThemeParkHype on Twitter for all of the latest developments and visit the site to sign up for an announcement email or request an invite to the preview.
What’s Your Take?
Enough hype. How does Theme Park Hype sound to you? Leave a comment below.
June 24, 2011 at 07:54
Could I please get to go to the early opening?
June 24, 2011 at 10:43
Sure piedude. You're a long time reader.
June 24, 2011 at 09:42
Do people have their own pages and/or accounts like facebook? Or something like sign ups for the site?
June 24, 2011 at 10:47
Good question.
They'll have their own accounts/pages, but they won't be as robust as facebook. You'll have a profile pic, you'll be able to friend people, view their recent activity on the site, a list of the links they've submitted, and any other 'personal' information that they want to share. I hope to add some favorite coaster/theme park types of fields on the profiles too.
June 25, 2011 at 05:32
Will we be able to make groups? I think it would be cool to make groups based of Theme park related stuff. Also, will we be able to create our own polls? I know I would enjoy re-starting some Bizzaro & MF fanboy wars.
This looks Awsome, CC.
June 25, 2011 at 11:51
This sounds really good. I'd love to see the opening!
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June 26, 2011 at 14:34
Could there be theme park fan pages like for example a theme park fan page for kennywood.
July 7, 2011 at 19:16
New homepage? I think so.