As The Web Turns...Soap Opera Storytellers Meet The World Wide Web

For Web surfers who don't get enough drama, pathos, intrigue, heartbreak and romance in real life, there's plenty to be found in cyberspace. In As the Web Turns, a feature article in the February issue of HomePC, Writer Marie Hodge introduces readers to some of the hottest soap operas and serials running on the Net, and highlights the advantages of tuning in online.

Hodge's story takes a look at some of the Web's most popular cyber-soaps and tells readers where to find them. For example, want to see where angst- ridden 20-somethings dwell on the Net? Then visit The Spot, at http://www.thespot.com/ or The East Village, at http://www.eastvillage.com/. Need a little dose of humor to break up the day's monotony? Check out GrapeJam, at http://www.grapejam.com/. If high-camp is more what a Web crawler is looking for, maybe a behind-the-scenes tour of the world of advertising at 475 Madison Avenue (http://www.475madison.msn.com/) is in order.

In an effort to be up front with readers, Hodge points out that the Net's soaps and serials can't compete with the slick production quality of televised programs. Instead, installments are delivered in text, with video clips added for novelty value. Apparently, this is not a detriment to the popularity of these online serials; Hodge writes that a spokeswoman for The Spot claims the site gets 40,000 visitors a day. America Online, currently developing its own soaps and serials, hosts a program called Insomniacs Asylum (Keyword: Insomniacs) -- a serial reminiscent of Cheers -- that receives 30,000 regular visitors, according to the show's producer. Not bad for a site that can be accessed only between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.

Hodge offers one explanation for the success of these soaps and serials: "Unlike Melrose Place or Babylon 5, which force diehards to juggle their schedules or remember to set their VCRs to accommodate a new episode air date, you can log on to an online serial anytime to see the latest chapter or revisit an old one," she writes. "Plus, the interactivity of the Web lets you join the fun." For example, some sites feature message boards where fans can post their opinions about the online action, vent about disappointing developments, or check out what others have to say about a favorite soap. Other serials host live chats, let fans e-mail characters and even organize votes about the direction a plot should take.

Hodge's article also points out that, when viewed from a different perspective, many online soaps are exemplary of what makes the World Wide Web such a compelling and fun place to visit. The Spot, for example, employs The Palace™ to enable users to engage in 3-D chat sessions. These sessions use animated characters -- called "avatars" -- to represent users, and conversation appears in comic-style word balloons. Many sites employ audio and video plug-ins (most of which are available through a free download) to supplement the action with brief clips.

So, for anyone who thought it was easy to get hooked on a TV soap opera, make way for the Netizen who can't help setting his or her browser to a favorite program.

Published monthly by CMP Media Inc., HomePC provides easy-to-understand information about home computers, and each issue is packed with engaging features, trouble-shooting tips and first-hand product reviews. The magazine's editors and columnists are the foremost experts in education, entertainment, and productivity products for home computers -- and can be reached via America Online (keyword: Home PC) or on the Internet at http://www.homepcmag.com/.

CMP Media Inc., now in its 26th year of uninterrupted growth, is the only provider of publishing, marketing and information services to reach the entire spectrum of the high-technology market -- the builders, sellers and users of technology. With sales of $418 million in 1996, CMP marked a quarter century of success with an average annual growth of 20 percent. All of CMP's publications and a series of innovative news and interactive services are available on the World Wide Web through CMP's TechWeb® http://www.techweb.com/, the industry's first free daily technology news and interactive services super site. CMP Media is also the creator of NetGuide Live (http://www.netguide.com/), the first comprehensive daily listing of live events on the Internet and commercial online services, and First-TV (http://www.first-tv.com/), the Internet's first 24-hour TV/video network.

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SOURCE: CMP Media Inc.

CONTACT: Leslie Dunbar of CMP Media, 516-562-7040 or ldunbar@cmp.com