Paul was in fact pretty ahead-of-the-curve when it came to cultivating Internet-based fans. He and Judd Apatow- along with several cast members and writers of “Freaks and Geeks”- interacted directly with their show-loving fans via the now defunct http://www.freaksandgeeks.com website. They were way ahead of the curve- doing this in 1999.

Fans were encouraged to contribute ideas to the writers- who in turn would frequently incorporate fan suggestions into the show itself. When the show was pulled from NBC’s lineup- Internet fans contributed funds to buy ads in Variety (“Operation Haverchuck”, we called it) hoping to get another network to pick-up-the-show. In the end, it wasn’t enough to save the show. But it wasn’t for lack of trying, nor was it for lack of sophistication when it came to Internet-based fan cultivation. It was just a hard sell when networks could throw cheap-to-produce “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” type crap on tv and not deal with all the hassle of an hour-long drama. In the end, it didn’t work.

Paul’s early and continued embrace of the Internet as an outlet for reaching out to fans is in fact why he has so large a following via Twitter. But it didn’t start last year- it started a decade ago- with freaksandgeeks.com!