Stacy Horn
Encyclopedia
Stacy Horn is an American author, businesswoman and occasional journalist. She grew up on Long Island, New York and received a B.F.A. from Tufts University
and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. She received a graduate degree is from New York University
's Interactive Telecommunications Program.
In 1990, after working as a telecommunications analyst for Mobil Corporation, Horn founded Echo, a New York-based bulletin board system
.
, one of the oldest virtual communities in continuous operation, was an influence. Horn later decided that Echo stood for "East Coast Hang Out".
Horn saw the Echo bulletin board system
as a place where conversation could revolve around literature, film, culture, and sex, rather than the more pervasive topics of computer technology at the time. Originally run out of Horn's apartment in Greenwich Village
in her spare time, Echo rapidly expanded its membership, and eventually consumed every free phone line in her Greenwich Village neighborhood, requiring New York Telephone
to run a separate cable to Horn's apartment. In 1990, Echo became a company with a core group of members chosen by Horn for their "strong on-line personalities", who were responsible for creating enticing discussions to attract users.
The publication of her second book, Waiting For My Cats to Die: A Morbid Memoir (St. Martin’s Press, 2001), a memoir about her midlife crisis, revealing an unusual fascination with death, coincided with a series of commentaries for the NPR's All Things Considered on the same subject.
Her third book, The Restless Sleep: Inside New York City’s Cold Case Squad (Viking, 2005), recounts the stories of four of New York's cold cases and profiles the detectives who investigate them.
Her fourth book, Unbelievable: Investigations into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena, from the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory, was published in 2009. She is currently working on a book about singing for Algonquin Books, scheduled for 2012 publication. It’s tentatively titled, "The Sopranos: Facing the Music at Middle Age, or How Singing in the Choir Saved my Soul."
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. She received a graduate degree is from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
's Interactive Telecommunications Program.
In 1990, after working as a telecommunications analyst for Mobil Corporation, Horn founded Echo, a New York-based bulletin board system
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
.
EchoNYC
Stacy Horn founded EchoNYC, a New York City Internet salon, in 1990, whose members are called Echoids. The WELLThe Well
- Titled works :* The Well , 1986 novel by Elizabeth JolleyMusical albums:* The Well , by Waking Ashland* The Well, 2001, by Jennifer Warnes* The Well, a song from the "Come to the Well" album by christian group Casting Crowns...
, one of the oldest virtual communities in continuous operation, was an influence. Horn later decided that Echo stood for "East Coast Hang Out".
Horn saw the Echo bulletin board system
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
as a place where conversation could revolve around literature, film, culture, and sex, rather than the more pervasive topics of computer technology at the time. Originally run out of Horn's apartment in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
in her spare time, Echo rapidly expanded its membership, and eventually consumed every free phone line in her Greenwich Village neighborhood, requiring New York Telephone
New York Telephone
The New York Telephone Company was organized in 1896, taking over the New York City operations of the American Bell Telephone Company.-Predecessor companies:...
to run a separate cable to Horn's apartment. In 1990, Echo became a company with a core group of members chosen by Horn for their "strong on-line personalities", who were responsible for creating enticing discussions to attract users.
Books
Her first book, Cyberville: Clicks, Culture and the Creation of an Online Town (Warner Books, 1998), describes the community that formed on Echo, the problems Horn encountered as Echo's final authority, and her observations about the nature of the virtual world. Through the 90s, she was often profiled and quoted in articles about life and business on the internet. Her book is still used in courses on the sociology of virtual communities.The publication of her second book, Waiting For My Cats to Die: A Morbid Memoir (St. Martin’s Press, 2001), a memoir about her midlife crisis, revealing an unusual fascination with death, coincided with a series of commentaries for the NPR's All Things Considered on the same subject.
Her third book, The Restless Sleep: Inside New York City’s Cold Case Squad (Viking, 2005), recounts the stories of four of New York's cold cases and profiles the detectives who investigate them.
Her fourth book, Unbelievable: Investigations into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena, from the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory, was published in 2009. She is currently working on a book about singing for Algonquin Books, scheduled for 2012 publication. It’s tentatively titled, "The Sopranos: Facing the Music at Middle Age, or How Singing in the Choir Saved my Soul."
External links
- Stacy Horn’s Official Website.
- Stacy Horn’s Restless Sleep Blog - A resource for cold case investigation.
- Echo