An interesting web tie-in for fans of T.V. show LOST! ahead of the launch of Season 4 the creators of the show have convinced ABC to create a specialized website: Find815.com.
(Warning - if you're a LOST! fan this site is addictive and you'll end up sinking a significant amount of time into exploring this parallel story). This site lays out an intriguing spin-off story line where LOST! fans get to be pulled further into the main story. The premise behind the site is laid out in a series of chapters and videos that document the efforts of Sam Thomas the significant other of a missing stewardess Sonya from Oceanic flight #815. What is interesting about this Adobe Flash based site is that its very well designed with 5 separate chapters detailing the efforts of Sam to find out what happened to flight 815. Each chapter follows the same structure with a video recap, a video clip, a user challenge which involve a Flash based game that the user must win to continue with the story, a clue hunt that leads to a special preview of Season 4, and finally a video diary entry made by Sam.
Overall the site is very well designed and thought out and serves to draw you further into the story line and build buzz around the premiere of Season 4. My expectation is that we'll see more of these types of satellite websites in the future as networks seek to build and maintain an audience.
