Buzz about programmes

About buzz

• What is buzz?
• Why is the BBC doing this?
• What types of buzz are there?

What is buzz?

Buzz is what's being said about a programme. We've built a tool that finds where on blogs, Twitter and other online communities people are discussing BBC programmes, and presents links to them on the relevant programme page.

If people are talking about a programme, a section called 'Buzz about this programme' appears on its programme page. Clicking on the links in that section will take you to online conversations about that programme.

If you want to see more buzz about that programme, you can do so by visiting the programme's dedicated buzz page by clicking on the 'See all buzz for this programme' link in the buzz section.

Why is the BBC doing this?

In the same way news stories are improved by linking out to the same story on other news sites, we believe programmes are improved by connecting them to the wider discussion and their audience. We want to help you discover and get involved with the conversations other people are having about your favourite programmes on the web.

These pages aren't about creating hype around BBC programmes, however; they're about reflecting what people are already saying. We don't even mind if they don't like our programmes; both positive and negative views will appear on these pages.

What types of buzz are there?

The sorts of places we are looking are:

1. Discussion on blogs

   We search the web for blogs and online journals where people share their thoughts, discuss and link to BBC programmes. Links to those blogs are then moderated and published on a buzz page for the relevant programme. For more information on the process of finding and checking blogs, find out how it works.

2. Discussion elsewhere on the web

   These are links to established online communities, such as discussion forums and fan sites, where lots of people are talking about our programmes. These links are not found by our automated system, they are chosen by our team. If you run, or know about, a community page or forum dedicated to discussing a BBC programme, suggest a link.

3. Twitter

   In this section, we also include links to mentions of our programmes on Twitter. We do this by linking to the hashtag (#eastenders, for example) that people on Twitter are already using to discuss the programme. If you've seen a popular or interesting Twitter hashtag dedicated to discussing a BBC programme, suggest a hashtag.