Tracey Ross's Guide to Web Surfing Etiquette

SoapCity was chatting with Passions' Tracey Ross and learned that the actress enjoys going on the Internet. "I think it's common knowledge -- I believe by now -- that the only thing I really have in my life besides my son and my job, is coming home and going on all the discussion boards that talk about Passions. [I enjoy] reading every day what they're saying, and usually I'm cracking up because everybody is so funny," laughed the actress. "The way they phrase things and the way they say things is so hilarious. Even when they don't like my character or criticize me, it's just so entertaining!" But are their discussions as fun as the show? "I think second to Passions are the people who post on the Internet boards about Passions. I could not get through a day without going on there and seeing what all people [have to say]." Tracey proudly added, "I have the whole thing under 'Favorites.' I go from one board to the next, to the next, to the next, to the next till I have seen what everybody has to stay -- and it's 10 o'clock and it's time for bed!," she laughed. "And that's my evening!"

But why would she want to read things that could possibly be negative about her? "It's fun for me! I don't even post; I think if you're posting you're at least participating. I just do what they call lurking. I'm just lurking in the background, looking over shoulders and seeing what people are saying because I'm just nosey," she shared. So will Tracey consider posting on one of those boards? "Well, you know what? I intentionally do not post because if you post as somebody that's not you, it throws an unfair monkey-wrench into the community and that's not right. It makes it so that you're deceiving them and using and manipulating. No matter how innocent you may think it is, you're coming from a place of knowing things they could not possibly know and it's just not fair." To clarify her point, Tracey explained, "Some look like they have a well-balanced community and you can only change that balance -- and not for the better. And the other thing; if you post it as yourself, it's not fair because then the people won't say what they think. [If they have to] think about hurting your feelings or wanting you to like them, they won't be able to be themselves. You know it's a good reason God keeps himself kind of secret. You know? Because what if you knew he was just looking over your shoulder, like literally every day? You know he's there and we all believe, but wouldn't it be awful if you just like, you just knew he was going to sit there. You know you wouldn't want to do anything! You wouldn't want to move! You know? So it's just like -- don't interfere. I mean, it's enough to look and see what people are thinking, but to go in there would be to interfere with the course of how they're thinking."

So this begs the question, is there a show Tracey is a fan of and would post about on a message board? "I don't know if I would... oh no, that's not true. I did post on an American Idol board before. I posted because I was as clueless as anybody else on that board about anything that was happening on American Idol outside of my own opinion. So I had no magic, nothing -- no advance knowledge. I could just argue my point like everybody else.