Air-B-N-Me

Although I was uncertain of what to expect from this experience, I must say that I had a fun time navigating our class NetProv, Air-B-N-Me. Prior to taking this class, I had never heard of NetProv (aka Networked Improvisation), and I had no idea what to expect. Even having grown up in the midst of all of this technology, it's still mind-blowing to consider the possibilities that the Internet has to offer. Networked participation can link together people from all over the world for so many different reasons, and this was a cool way of exploring those possibilities.

I think the concept of Air-B-N-Me was a fun spin off of Air-B-N-B, and I honestly wish it was a real life possibility. How wonderful it would be to check out of the boring or unpleasant times, and into a different kind of life. Truly, a way to "walk a mile in someone else's shoes." The work that went into the story behind Air-B-N-Me was innovative, and I also liked the feeling that we learned as we went. Last I checked, people still seem to be participating, so that's a mark of success!

The most daunting part of this NetProv for me was coming up with a character because, as much as I love writing, coming up with characters isn't really my strongsuit. But, after doing a little brainstorming, I decided to with the concept of an antisocial writer and StudentofLife42 was born!

Considering the resources I had at my disposal, that is, more books than the NY Public Library (possibly a slight exaggeration), an obnoxious cockatiel, and a senile old poodle, I decided on the character of a misanthropic, animal loving writer. 

All things considered, when it came to developing a character, the creative side of this project wasn't as difficult as the video execution. I came up with a few different character ideas, but the issue I ran into was the lack of ability to share in those characters' lives. For example, I might pretend that my character is a supermodel at "yet another photo shoot," but no part of my life would allow me to make a convincing video of that-- even for 60 seconds. This issue was discussed with a few classmates, and we agreed that instead of making up characters, we would have preferred to come into this project as ourselves, and make videos about moments in our own lives. I also would have liked to work with other students on a more personal basis, and I think that videos of our own lives would have enabled that kind of connection. That being said, improv is all about creating characters and acting in set situations, so I understand why making a character was necessary for this scenario.

That being said, once I was able to create a workable character, I had fun! I chose to make YouTube videos instead of using Periscope, because my schedule can be a little crazy and I wanted the ability to post a link, rather than set up a time to live stream. Additionally, I do much better when working off of a script. I did download and check out Periscope, but the app seemed a little iffy to me, and I didn't really want to have a presence on it. The idea that anyone could check in and see what I was up to freaked me out slightly, whereas I felt that YouTube was a more fixed and controlled way to share my life. 

Here's were my two videos:

Two people swapped lives with me each time, and reported back with good experiences!

I swapped lives with three people, one of whom I knew (hey, Deb! :] ) and two of whom I don't. This was a very cool aspect of the NetProv, getting to work with people across the country who are students just like me, also involved in this project. 

Here are the three links that I explored:

http://robwit.net/airbnme/forum/topic/Midnight-stroll.htm

http://robwit.net/airbnme/forum/topic/Morning-Routine-2016-04-18.htm
http://robwit.net/airbnme/forum/topic/Deck-Dancing.htm

I wrote response paragraphs to each experience in the comments of their forum post, and I enjoyed stepping into their lives. The first link introduced me to Funky_Freshman, a 21 year old college student whose life I stepped into as she walked across her campus at night, from her dorm to the library. An eerie experience to be sure, but I liked seeing another college campus!

The second link brought me to the life of Valerie18, who allowed me to step in to her morning routine, in which she made a delicious looking smoothie. In addition to making me really want a smoothie, this was such a typical morning occurrence that I felt like I truly did step into someone's life.

My third and final life swap was with DebDupray, and here I learned a little about ballet dancing on a beautiful afternoon- what more could I ask for? Although, it's been a while since I last tested my ballet skills, so I was a little rusty!

Overall, I enjoyed this NetProv. It took us beyond the 4 walls of the traditional classroom, and that was the perfect way to conclude our studies of new media. I liked that everyone I was working with was a student or a teacher, all involved in the same project and working together, but I also liked that, for the most part, I didn't know who I knew and who I didn't know. Everyone was on the same field, playing the same game. I would certainly participate again, and recommend NetProvs to people interested in getting to work with people all over the world.