In the essay The Inter(Active) Soap Viewer, by Melissa Ames, the main theme is how fans connect with the show. It talks about how fans have become more involved with the show that they watch. They watch episodes on television and then they immediately go to their computers to discuss the show they just watched on a community chat group. The ability to connect with other fans and discuss how the show pertains to them or how they felt about the show has attracted a lot of people to become part in the online soap community. The essay argues that it is very good that people are becoming so involved in shows via digital media such as the internet because it can create a much bigger fan group. This is because if people are able to watch the show and then discuss it with fellow fans, it attracts more people.
The essay also is showing how the producers can adapt to the fans. Soap operas are more targeted at women that stay at home because the show only airs during the day. So the producers follow the fan groups and are able to then change their show according to what the fans want. This creates a much more “happy” fan base.
I did not understand the point about how producers are able to make such fast changes in their shows. It would seem that an episode has to be planned far in advance and filmed so it does not seem possible that the producers are able to change on demand as the essay says they do.
