QuantumLink Serial
Encyclopedia
The QuantumLink Serial by Tracy Reed
on AOL
(1988–89) was the first episodic online story. The series was also known as the PC-Link Serial and the AppleLink Serial before all three services were unified when Quantum changed its name to AOL.
Unlike ad-supported The Spot
by Scott Zakarin
(1995–97) (which also added photographs and video to the concept), the The QuantumLink Serial was included in the price of a monthly subscription to AOL.
The QuantumLink Serial was played out in online chat rooms, emails and traditional narrative. After each week's chapter was published on each of the three AOL online services (Commodore 64
, PC
and Apple II
/Macintosh), users wrote to author Reed suggesting how they could be part of the story. Each week Reed chose one to a handful of users on each of the three services and wrote them into the narrative, depicting how they interacted with the story through chat rooms, emails etc. Reed altered story lines to reflect the readers' input to the characters, as reflected in their unique custom-written "guest star appearances."
Reed began the story with a series of sample chapters, then pitched the project to AOL founder Steve Case
and producer Kathi McHugh. Case bought the project immediately, and within three months The Serial was the highest-rated text segment of AOL (excluding chat rooms and message boards).
The story ran for one year, when the death of Reed's father led to a hiatus for the writer. Both Reed and AOL turned to other projects and the series was not re-instituted.
The concept was brought back on line in 1995 when The Spot
by Scott Zakarin debuted as an ad-supported site, adding photos and video to the original QuantumLink Serial model. It was highly successful and ran through 1997.
Tracy Reed (writer)
Tracy Reed is an American writer who created the first episodic online story, the QuantumLink Serial on AOL .The series debuted in 1988, and was played out in online chat rooms, emails and traditional narrative...
on AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
(1988–89) was the first episodic online story. The series was also known as the PC-Link Serial and the AppleLink Serial before all three services were unified when Quantum changed its name to AOL.
Unlike ad-supported The Spot
The Spot
The Spot, or thespot.com, was the second episodic online story , after an earlier experiment by AOL's QuantumLink Serial, and pioneered the underwriting of bandwidth and production costs by offering paid advertising banners on the web pages and product placement within the journal entries...
by Scott Zakarin
Scott Zakarin
Scott Zakarin is an American writer, film producer and new media entertainment pioneer.-Career:In 1995, while directing commercials and early interactive television tests for the Fattal & Collins advertising agency, Zakarin became fascinated by the Internet. He spent time in chat rooms and quickly...
(1995–97) (which also added photographs and video to the concept), the The QuantumLink Serial was included in the price of a monthly subscription to AOL.
The QuantumLink Serial was played out in online chat rooms, emails and traditional narrative. After each week's chapter was published on each of the three AOL online services (Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
and Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
/Macintosh), users wrote to author Reed suggesting how they could be part of the story. Each week Reed chose one to a handful of users on each of the three services and wrote them into the narrative, depicting how they interacted with the story through chat rooms, emails etc. Reed altered story lines to reflect the readers' input to the characters, as reflected in their unique custom-written "guest star appearances."
Reed began the story with a series of sample chapters, then pitched the project to AOL founder Steve Case
Steve Case
Stephen McConnell "Steve" Case is an American businessman best known as the co-founder and former chief executive officer and chairman of America Online . Since his retirement as chairman of AOL Time Warner in 2003, he has gone on to build a variety of new businesses through his investment...
and producer Kathi McHugh. Case bought the project immediately, and within three months The Serial was the highest-rated text segment of AOL (excluding chat rooms and message boards).
The story ran for one year, when the death of Reed's father led to a hiatus for the writer. Both Reed and AOL turned to other projects and the series was not re-instituted.
The concept was brought back on line in 1995 when The Spot
The Spot
The Spot, or thespot.com, was the second episodic online story , after an earlier experiment by AOL's QuantumLink Serial, and pioneered the underwriting of bandwidth and production costs by offering paid advertising banners on the web pages and product placement within the journal entries...
by Scott Zakarin debuted as an ad-supported site, adding photos and video to the original QuantumLink Serial model. It was highly successful and ran through 1997.