allysonkrieger
runonsentence.com
amkrieger@hotmail.com
650 703 7109
originally published on WildWeb, 9/8/99
Soapcity's
Population Boom
As Seen on WildWeb TV
By
ALLYSON KRIEGER / Freshman year in college, as a goof, a friend and I
mapped out the entire "family tree" for "The Young and
the Restless." John connected to Ashley, who connected to Victor,
who connected to Nikki... Call it six degrees of soaperation. We giggled
as we pinpointed the DNA formula for any self-respecting soap opera: Wives,
husbands, lovers, illegitimate children, random evil-doers, the obligatory
patriarchal overseer... Tens of characters wove and crossed in dastardly
ways. Of course, we were just kidding. We didn't really take that stuff
seriously -- we just watched "Y&R" as a lark, something
to do when the draw of class wasn't quite strong enough.
Or did we?
Mocked up on a ragged piece of blue-lined notebook paper, that flow chart remained on my dormroom door for the entire semester. In fact, I think I actually still have it kicking around somewhere. Oddly, there's a perverse pride in saying, "Oh yeah, I used to watch that back in the day." Soap opera addicition, in perspective, is a relatively harmless one; and boy, can it be fun. For high school and college students, off-hours workers or people who know how to program a VCR, soap operas are a silly indulgence much like trashy novels or cheesy movies. As I've attested to before, there's nothing shameful in a little mindless entertainment now and again.
For the creators and avid readers of Soap City, however, soap operas are more than just a passing fancy. They're a serious pursuit -- one that requires a "daily fix" of news, buzz, plot teasers and chatting. Soap City is a serious site devoted completely to soap fans, and it's giving daytime viewers a whole new addiction.
Soap City is a heftier site than you might imagine. It's clearly mapped out, well-designed and supported by a staff of 10. Executive Producer Michael Fairman says: "... We offer everything for the fans from events, chats, info for fan clubs, and it's a very fun environment. The site covers every show." Michael also has access to some of the genre's hottest events, like John and Marlena's wedding on "Days of Our Lives." Soap City isn't just about the plotlines, either -- fans get added bonuses like a trip to the salon with "Y&R's" Heather Tom or a Emmy fashion recap from Linda Dano of "Another World."
So what does a real, live soap opera fan think of being Web-ified? "It's kind of scary, actually," says Sharon Case, who plays Sharon on "The Young & the Restless." "I log on and see all these entries for my name. What is any of that?"
When I was
into soaps, ya know, back in the day, my friends and I didn't have Soap
City or a multitude of Internet resources at our fingertips. Our "Y&R"
fixation was limited to the 60 minutes between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m., and,
of course, the time we spent making silly projects. We couldn't get online
to see what happened if we missed an episode, or check on tomorrow's twists
and turns. I shudder to think how many classes we would've missed if we
did.