'General Hospital' stars engage fans through social media

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- "General Hospital" fans are among the most loyal in all of television, and millions of them have embraced social media as a way to keep in touch with the stars of the show.

"What I like about (social media) is the fact you are instantly in touch with the fans, the people who are watching the show," said Finola Hughes, who plays Anna Devane on the show.

Hughes is happy to take the good with the bad, and members of the cast told us fans are surprised when the actors answer back.

"The really common question is always 'Is it really you tweeting?'" said Ryan Paevey, who plays Nolan West. "Oh yeah, it's me. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's really me."

For today's performers, using social media isn't an option. It's now a part of the job description.

"When I first started, I didn't have (social media) in my world," said Vinessa Antoine, who portrays Jordan Ashford on the show. "I didn't have social media to kind of dictate whether you work or not. Now, that's the deal."

But soap stars face a real challenge when using social media because they tape their episodes so far in advance.

"I think there's a fine line we're trying to walk to engage the younger people and keep everyone active, but also keep the stories on edge," said Lyn Herring, who plays Lucy Coe.

"And there is a constant sort of struggle as to how much you want to share with the fans," added William DeVry, who plays Julian Jerome.

Executive producer Frank Vaentini is described as "incredibly strict" about what can and cannot be revealed.

"We're not even supposed to tweet who we worked with that day," one cast member said.

It's no wonder then that Laura Wright says when it comes to the world of soaps, everything has changed with social media.