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« on: August 30, 2013, 06:49 AM »
It's not about "Towing The Line" with Hasbro regarding news. Are press releases important? Absolutely. And so is analysis of those releases and events. The analysis of those press releases is what sets sites apart from one another when Hasbro does an image dump.
Personally, I think that posting eBay auctions as front page content is bull****. I always have. But some sites like Rebelscum regard that as a revenue stream, and I understand their motivation for doing so. I don't like it, but I see what drives it. And it's not much different from Adam Pawlus's Figure of the Day feature (and other copycat features). Although in his case he's actually doing work, writing about and photographing the figures in question. Features like that are designed with the express purpose of generating content for a main page, especially during a drought in news. But I know that you know that, too.
As for stories that are hot right now? The TBS cardback issue is a significant story. That's a defect that's being seen across the board. When the blisters of brand new figures are falling off the cardbacks in the store, it's worth reporting. The spring issue with the Amazon exclusive Slave I is a story. The revelation of Merumeru (which didn't come through Hasbro) is a story. Why did Hasbro hold Merumeru back from SDCC/CE2 is a sideline story. The reception that the 6" figure line is getting is a story. And reactions to the 5 POA figures and scaled down vehicles are stories.
Regarding sales trends? That's a story that takes a little more time to develop. Especially with a line that's effectively been on hiatus for almost half a year. But the current climate of short attention spans is focused on pegwarming. All the while not taking account that it's on a line that's launched at the end of a slow summer, when people are vacationing. It comes across as being short-sighted.