From: calguire@tcfreenet.invalid   
      
   from broadcasting and cable   
      
   NBC.com Enters the World of Social Networking   
   By Christian Lewis   
      
   NBC Digital Entertainment plans to roll out through this summer and   
   fall a variety of new content via its online property, NBC.com.   
      
   The offering will include social-networking tools, streamed episodes   
   of Late Night with Conan O’Brien, expanded applications for Heroes 360   
   and new wireless-access-point sites for new and returning online shows   
   The Office 360 and NBC Fantasy Talent Scout.   
      
   “We are the first network to marry gold-standard content with social   
   networking,” said Vivi Zigler, executive vice president of NBC Digital   
   Entertainment. “We've listened to our users through message boards and   
   focus groups and are building them the playground they've asked for.”   
      
   Beginning Aug. 27, NBC.com will allow fans to stream episodes of Conan   
   O'Brien. Daily episodes will become available at 8 a.m. (EST) the   
   following day.   
      
   Also in August, the network is offering The Office 360, allowing fans   
   to participate in operations at fictional paper company Dunder-Mifflin   
   from the series The Office.   
      
   In addition, existing online community Heroes 360 will be expanded   
   with Webisodes via two NBC.com microsites: Yamagato Fellowship and   
   Activating Evolution.   
      
   Beginning in September, new social-networking tools will enable users   
   to create customizable profiles with user-generated content; interact   
   with the NBC online community; gain access to exclusive content and   
   live interactive events; create blogs, photo galleries and video   
   galleries; join discussions on their favorite shows; download widgets   
   for their social-networking profiles and blogs; and log the games   
   they’ve played and contests they've entered.   
      
   Also coming in the fall, three online-talent agencies will support   
   virtual competition NBC Fantasy Talent Scout. By actively playing a   
   subset of their fantasy roster each week, users will earn points and   
   enter for a weekly cash prize, as well as a quarterly top prize of   
   $100,000.   
      
   Due in October is NBC.com's first exclusive online original series,   
   Coastal Dreams, following two 20-something friends who hope to escape   
   the doldrums of their everyday lives.   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)