The third, and usually most allusive
types of sites are newsgroups and other
discussion-oriented sites which actually engage the subject matter
of television shows. Discussion-oriented sites are the most
unpredictable of the three types, however. Because the information
on these sites is in the form of exchange, either through
e-mail-type correspondence or through on-line asychronous
discussions, the readily available information changes on a
monthly, weekly, daily, or even hourly basis. This condition is
especially unpredictable when students access newsgroups through
web browsers like Netscape because they only present the most
recent postings. The postings can be decontextualized, unreliable,
and incomplete. In addition, with some shows, students cannot
find any sites which include such information. For those who
find discussion sites, some postings may be the most
critical information available on a topic.
Most of the Web pages about Friends contained no
critical information, but on my last visit to the show's
newsgroup, I read a thoughtful and intriquing discussion
about the absence of minorities in the cast. Compared with the
level of critique on all of the Friends Web pages,
the quality of critical exchange in
that newsgroup thread is extraordinary.
