By Linda Kim
SoapCity.com is a website from Columbia TriStar Interactive for American
daytime soap opera fans. The site provides extensive coverage of the
major soap operas with daily updates, behind the scenes features,
live events, and chats with stars and other web users. Soap opera
fans can use the website to find out about the latest fashion styles,
get news on soap stars, participate in polls, and vote for their favorite
stars to receive awards. They can shop at the online SoapCity store
for soap opera paraphenalia. E-cards and screensavers are also available
for free.
SoapCity.com is actually a web introduction to the upcoming cable
television channel SoapCity. Unfortunately, most of the website is
textual with some photographs and graphics. No web soap opera shows
are on the site and even the interactive SoapVivor II on the site
is all text based. It's not very exciting and requires a lot of reading.
Previews of the next installment of each soap opera in audiovisual
media form would greatly enhance the site's attraction and usefulness
to its target audience. Photo archives of favorite soap stars would
also be a nice touch for soap star fans to download and use on their
own fan pages.
Despite its claim to be "the soap opera capital of the world,"
SoapCity.com is lacking in features for internet user retention. Nothing
on the website draws non-soap opera fans surfing the web to begin
watching daytime television or to return to the website. As a web
introduction to a new television channel, the website fails to attract
new viewers or even get long-time viewers excited about the upcoming
channel. The lack of visual and aural attractions definitely weakens
the potential for this website. SoapCity.com is mostly useful for
already hooked fans to read updates and information about shows and
stars, like they would read a magazine or Soap Opera Digest.