Tune In, Log On: Soaps, Fandom, and Online Community (New Media Cultures) (Paperback)

by Nancy K. Baym (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Nancy K. Baym’s Tune In, Log On is an ethnographic study of an Internet soap opera fan group. Bridging the fields of computer-mediated communication and audience studies, the book show how verbal and nonverbal communicative practices create collaborative interpretations and criticism, group humor, interpersonal relationships, group norms, and individual identity. While much has been written about problems and inequities women have encountered online, Baym’s analysis of a female-dominated group in which female communication styles prevail demonstrates that women can build successful online communities while still welcoming male participants. In addition, a longitudinal look at the development of the fan group allows an examination of the endurance of the group’s social structure in the face of the Internet’s tremendous growth. Lively and engaging, Tune In, Log On provides an entertaining introduction to issues of online and audience community.

About the Author
Nancy Baym is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. She has written many widely-cited articles about online fan community and social aspects of online interaction and is the author of the book Tune In, Log On: Soaps, Fandom, and Online Community (Sage Press, Inc.). She is a co-founder and Past-President of the Association of Internet Researchers. She is an award-winning teacher whose courses address the use of new communication technologies in creating identities, relationships and communities, interpersonal communication, and qualitative research methods. She serves on the editorial boards of the premiere journals in the field, including New Media & Society, The Journal of Communication, The Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, and The Information Society. Her blog about fan activity on the internet can be found at http://www.onlinefandom.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; 1 edition (October 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761916490
• ISBN-13: 978-0761916499
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,637,650 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must Buy!", November 26, 1999

By	Carolyn A. Zaccaria (Cambridge, Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tune In, Log On: Soaps, Fandom, and Online Community (New Media Cultures) (Hardcover)

If you're a fan of soap operas, and communication about them on the internet, this is the BOOK for you! Ms. Baym's book is filled with insightful and thought-provoking information on a group of individuals in a newsgroup on the internet who all came together to discuss the good and bad of their favorite soap opera(s). And along the way, found a community of friends they never thought possible. In her long and dedicated research, Ms. Baym delves into the communication she discovered, both verbal and nonverbal of a group of people, many women, but also men, and discovers much more about them than what appears on the surface. Her conclusions are quite intriguing! She finds the common bonds between them and shows how they are not only gifted and talented individuals, but how they are able to personify themselves through they're words, acts and deeds. She also talks at length about the changes over the years and gives factual evidence as the internet became larger. The growth is written into her story. It is a fun-filled odyssey into one group of people brought together with one common bond from all walks of life, from locations all over the world and it is quite a fascinating journey. Don't waste any time - get this book!

Brava Nancy Baym!