I'M A MEMBER OF THE NIELSEN FAMILY!!!

[gmdinformation]

My house was picked to be a Neilsen family house to do TV ratings. They hooked up a ton of monitoring equipment to two of my TVs and my laptop computer and told me I would get $500 every six months and that I could participate in the program for up to two years. I just got my first 6-months check. It was for only $75! I just got off the phone with the local rep who basically said that I must have misunderstood something and that they don't pay that much. I didn't misunderstand anything....

[IRONWORKER807]

Dude also part of the nelison family. The guy is coming today to check the system. Just sucks how ever hour that box starts flashing eh?

[hottfuzz2]

that sucks for u you got the dairy man that gets so friken annoying im glad all i have 2 do is push the button on the box-lol

[hottfuzz2]

i get that little catalog thing for neilsen and some guy posted a video on youtube where he got one too but it has like a xbox 360 that they can send you

[blackandblue10]

do have a digital monitoring system too.. I dont know how they determine who gets the diaries and who gets their TV's monitored by eqipment.

and.. you aren't supposed to tell anyone you are a nielsen :)

[MattHawes]

Oops!

Thanks for the comment!

-- Matt

[MrHollick]

I have six TVs in my house!

[battlebauble]

Congrats, Matt! I did a Arbitron survey on my radio listening habits last year. It was kinda fun. Off to get my Happyshow fix!

[Minniver]

I always thought they put little boxes on the sets, too. I hope the Happy Show comes to Florida!!! Meanwhile I'll be happy to see it here! Yayyyyyyyyyy!

[TheHappyShow]

Thanks for the kind comment, Deb! Yayy!!!

-- Matt

[Pramatus]

Matt don't do it. Its a trap by Viabomb. When you sign the "Nielson" form its acutally a Viabomb contract in invisible ink that lets them take control of all your individual content you put on the internet. Fight the Power. YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

[MattHawes]

Whew! Thanks for the warning, Michael! Yayy!!!

-- Matt

[BigRiggBlues]

Congrats on expanding the show into other regions! Hope it's a hit!

[MattHawes]

Thank you very much, Andy! Yayy!!!

-- Matt

[keenan1960]

You know what I would do? I would fill out the forms to say I watched the lowest rated shows.

[MattHawes]

That's an idea! Heh.

Thanks!

-- Matt

[keenan1960]

My pleasure. Always looking for ways to screw up the stats.

[krootasaurusrex]

I used to volunteer at a college radio station. It was a big deal for us when we made the Arbitron books. Like cake and ice cream big deal.

[MattHawes]

If the "Happy Show" made any impact on local ratings, I'd throw a party. LOL!

-- Matt

[GBRob08]

YAAAYYYYY!!!

:-D

[MattHawes]

YAYY!!!! :)

-- Matt

[mikma]

mikma was here

[MattHawes]

Yayy!!! I'm always glad to receive your comments, Mikma!

-- Matt

[ShadeofJeremy]

Heh heh heh...Nielsen diaries. I've done those a couple times before. It was a pain in the butt both times. I had a diary for each tv in the house. Have fun with it.

Looking forward to the Holiday special. Got those FX down then I guess.

[MattHawes]

Yeah, I think the FX will work (well, as well as anything works on the show). I think I remember you saying something about getting a Nielsens form before now that you mention it.

Thanks, Jeremy! Yayy!!!

-- Matt

[ShadeofJeremy]

That's great to hear.

Yep. I've filled out those forms. It is not fun keeping track of what people watch on 4 different tvs in the house. I ended up bluffing it some.

[BillyBughead]

Wow, I thought they were very secretive about who gets in and who doesn't...and they might disqualify you as you're sort of in "the biz"...and they apparently are a highly accurate random sample of the population...the stations use the ratings to sell ads...lol I studied this in college, and we had to analyze ratings and come up with ad campaigns (guess who the creative guy in our group was who wrote the ads) and figure out when to run the ads, and then "sell" the ad to a mock customer...

[BillyBughead]

who was really a dude from the National Association of Broadcasters in for the college's alumni week or whatever...damned if I was able to get a job doing this, though, without any "real" world experience...but had I stuck with it, I'd be rolling in dough by now, supposedly...and they do have boxes for more advanced ratings...

[BillyBughead]

But I needed to eat, and I graduated during a recession, before the 'net was even around, so I had to find another line of work...so now I specialize in saying, "no, click the big BLUE button, not the GREEN one, you moron...er...um...I mean is your modem plugged in...yeah...that's the ticket..." lol

[keenan1960]

Just tell them that the secret is to bang the rocks together.

[MattHawes]

Thanks for considering me as being in "the biz," Billy. I'm on the very, very fringe of it, if that, but it's cool to think I could even be thought of as being in "the biz." :)

As for disqualification, I don't even know how they picked me, other than being random. I didn't submit anything to them. Honestly, I hardly even watch broadcast TV anymore.

Thanks for commenting! Yayy!!!

-- Matt

[evangelian007]

Congrats Matt!!!

BTW Do you have Happy Show DVDs?Also can I do Happy show fan art?

[MattHawes]

I do plan on making some DVDs soon. I may put some together to sell through the website early in 2009. And please do feel free to make Happy Show fan art! I'd get a kick out of seeing it! Thanks!

Yayy!!!

-- Matt

[nanciesweb]

You would think that they would start to track stuff like that via the technology that has been around for, oh, I don't know, 20 years or so?

Get with the times major networks!

Of course, the internet is the new media and soon, most will be getting their entertainment fix here.

[MattHawes]

I all ready do! LOL! That's what makes this so hard for me, with the Nielsen ratings, as I mostly watch things on the Internet or on DVD.

Thanks for the comment! Yayy!!!

-- Matt

[keenan1960]

Make certain that diary reflects how many DVDs you watch...

[OhCurt]

I've never seen those books. Have always been curious. Thanks for giving us a peak.

The holiday special sounds fun (and I'm not even a fan of the holidays, YAY!).

:-)

Gotta wonder when the Nielsens will be tracked digitally instead of by the method they have you doing it.

*scratches chin, furs brow, and contemplates while saying "hmmmmm..."*

[MattHawes]

Yeah, I was really surprized to know that I have to feel out a diary instead of something more high tech.

Thanks, Curt! Yayy!!!

-- Matt

[somecallmejim]

I thought I was subscribed to this channel. Weird! Resubscribed!

Your report diary should document that you watched the Happy show on TV, and then on the rest of the thing, just scribble "YouTube" in all the blank spaces! :-D

Peace!

[MattHawes]

LOL! Thanks, Jim! And thanks for re-subscribing! Yayy!!!

-- Matt

[BradfordandLasso]

congratulations Matt!

Paul

[MattHawes]

Thank you, Paul!

-- Matt

[YTsHaDoWkNiGhT]

We use Nielsen NetRatings for market analysis in our work. Bring on the holiday special!!

[MattHawes]

It won't be too much longer. Thanks, Norman! Yayy!!!

-- Matt

[kateam1975]

that interesting .but abuse you power

[MattHawes]

LOL! Thanks, Kate!

-- Matt

[BorgKaraoke]

Do they count TV shows watched on the internet? I really don't watch broadcast TV anymore :)

*****

-Larry

[MattHawes]

Honestly, I don't really watch hardly any broadcast TV, either. When I have the time to watch TV, it's usually a DVD. I was picked by the Nielsens at random.

And, nope, they don't count Internet shows. They should, though. But, I guess that the studios can tell how many people are watching by the hit counters.

Thanks, Larry!

-- Matt