Those humans who previously registered with the enigmatic Skynet Research website received email notification today that SR.com is now online and fully functional. I don't know if its learning at a geometric rate yet, but the site cleverly sets up a 2009 alternate reality environment tied into the franchise mythology but with a unique TERMINATOR:SALVATION perspective: "Skynet is interested in reaching out and working with humanity in many different ways." 

The viral marketing site is quite deep at the start, signaling that Warners is serious about getting fans involved months before the film releases this May.  Opportunities for fans to interact abound, and YouTube video embeds (like the one below) ensure the TERMINATOR word-of-mouth will infiltrate the web quickly.

A cool, synthesized female voice welcomes visitors to Skynet Research, which is divided into five navigation sectors: Who We Are, Products, Testimonials, Outreach and Communications.

The main page setup seems benign at first, prompting visitors to submit their own video/animations of their robotic projects, while a Featured Product blurb shows off Skynet's latest model, the Mobile Aerial Ground Support (MAGS), a bot designed for warfare use (of course).

Sowing the thematic seeds of Skynet's earliest steps toward the apocalypse of Judgment Day continue with the Enhancement Module - Model 101, a robot programmed to "provide a new level of speed and efficiency" to any consumer-level bots in the home.  SR even gives visitors a chance write in why they deserve a Module in their domestic environment, further speeding up the seemingly innocuous spread of Skynet into our world.

SR's Outreach Program allows users to create their own profiles in the site database, cataloging interest and aptitude responses to best apply your skills to Skynet's seemingly harmless needs. The simulated AI application will test your abilities, so be to give the short process your full attention to get the most out of the results.

The lines between the real world and this alternate reality game launch pad are further blurred as weblinks to an actual robot design tournament in Oklahoma — a clever way to have our real world bend to Skynet's fictional inevitability.

This is only the opening salvo of viral marketing at SkynetResearch and outside it, but so far the site demonstrates high promise for this truly alternate reality embracing the insidious concept of Skynet.  T:2018 will study Skynet Research closely as no doubt linked clues will expand the ARG soon, but so far these results should get fans even more involved with and fired up for TERMINATOR:SALVATION over the next three months.