So I am like up here at 4:11 AM, trying to understand the angst of the TGDC fan. Did we over promise and under deliver? It definitely appears so. Can we fix things? We will try. There have been some wonderful suggestions - the “message board for fans” idea.. Aargh - how could we miss it!!

But first let me get the facts straight. Here is all the content that has been published in past 24 hours and more - just so we can set the context.

Where is the problem? (a) Is it about the volume of content? (b) Or is it the lack of quality? or (c) Is it the lack of engagement?

There are varied expectations - for some real time means REALTIME. They were possibly looking for the TV experience on web. (Nothing wrong with the expectation - it is just important for us to know that). For some, the 160 character tweets from a rail road crossing, delivered in real time, don’t qualify as engaging content. While some recommend one meaningful post a day, for others, even this long list of posts (above) are not enough (and I am sure many of you have not read all the posts end-to-end).

I think what we are missing is “engagement” - but I may be wrong. Maybe you want to connect more often with the couples, have a conversation and be a part of the journey. Personally I think that is what is missing from the format - and that makes a TGDC fan feel lonely. Over promise and under deliver - possible. Maybe we did not understand that we were in effect setting the wrong expectations while announcing live web-cast.

In an era of ‘cloned’ reality shows and bathetic soaps on Indian TV, when every bit of unreality is portrayed (and consumed) as real - it is interesting to wake up to the fact that the real ‘reality’ is actually kind of boring. “Manufactured reality” is what we seek as consumers, and that is what we get. TGDC (contestants and organizers) may have failed to manufacture reality for the audience, and yes the TRPs will drop - but Team TGDC is not going to push anyone around - neither are we going to pit one against the other. As one of the Jury put it so nicely during an interview - you can’t really have competitive tourism.

The TOP 3 are “on the road” and we really hope they enjoy their journey; and here are some of my humble suggestions to them (just in case they read this post).

a) Stay in touch with to your fans - We will open their comments as often as possible - respond - stay engaged
b) Discover the “undiscovered” - there is so much magic left unseen and stories untold
c) Be yourself - not a bionic reporter