Hello there.

You must not be up to date with Around America in 2.0.  Shame on you.  This site is officially defunct.  I will no longer be posting here.  The new site at www.aroundamericaproject.com is up, running, and will now also be featuring written posts as well as video.  Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you over at the new site!

And, like always, volunteer to drive, house, and feed me on a trip across the US by emailing me at matt@aroundamericaproject.com!

Cheers,
Matt

Please don’t think less of me after having read this, however I feel that I should lift something from the office before I leave today. Just a little something? Earlier this morning I found myself looking around while waiting for the perfect moment. Still, I can’t imagine what I would steal. Why would I need a stapler or paper shredder on my trip across the country anyway? I guess you never know. Maybe I’ll use a hole-puncher to hole-punch leaves on route through a thicket in Wisconsin – just to mark a trail in case I become disoriented or lost due to an overdose on cheese. Then again, maybe I should take a glue stick to aid in fashioning a quick newspaper raincoat while walking along the dirt roads in Mississippi.  Or maybe…

Paperclips! Ah ha, paperclips. They’re like these steel amoebas that can be used in a diverse array of sticky situations. To this day every time I see a paperclip in the most domesticated of settings, I yearn to let my survivalist instincts take control. I’m pretty darn sure that without a hitch, armed solely with a box of paperclips, I could construct a ladder out of my 17th floor window in Rockefeller Center that would place me safely on the ground. It probably only take about 5 minutes. Seriously.  Paperclips are so darn universal, too. They can serve practically any function. Maybe the big heads of NYC are rubbing off on me, but I bet anyone in this city could physically reconstruct the Chrysler building to size with paper clips in no time flat.

Ah, yes, paperclips.

I’ve noticed an increasing amount of people asking why exactly I’ve created this trip. If you read my last post in this blog, a conversation I recently had with some folks on a social networking forum, you may understand my basic motivations. However, every time I think about AA2.0, I conjure up more and more rationales, and every time I think about what I’m about to do, I feel the same as someone who sees a celebrity, child birth, or flying squirrel for the first time – an excitable confusion that if provoked can bring you to the point of nausea and unconsciousness.

Last month I interviewed Noel Hidalgo from Luckofseven.com (a film project that will take Noel to seven continents on $7,777).  During our conversation, I asked him why he was taking his trip. With a serious demeanor he told me, “It’s my destiny.” Now, although I would never say Around America in 2.0 is my destiny (sounds a little too kamikaze pilot-esque for me), I do acknowledge it could potentially mean something rather large for the Internet community.   I also understand that it may be rather dangerous.  So, I suppose a tad of me admits to understanding how he feels.

This project represents an intense and enormous conglomeration of a thousand different ideas, feelings, hopes, dreams, aspirations, etc. Nevertheless, considering that, I still feel naive and irrational to try to pull this trip off only after planning for two months. However, in order to prove my point that the web has brought us to a position of unbelievable immediacy, unparralleled connectivity, and immeasurable mobilization, I feel that some measure of spontaneity is necessary.

My head is such a mess right now that lately I’ve found myself sitting in front of my laptop or a heap of maps staring blankly for sometimes close to 15 minutes. I feel the inside walls of my head so jarringly packed with clusters of names, professions, availabilities, boroughs, towns, cities, and states that I feel if I were to meet one more person, a simple, “Hello, my name is…” may cause a sudden cranial leak.

One of the strangest phenomenons I’ve noticed occurrs when I see or meet another person on the street. I immediately question what their MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, and Flickr account profiles look like. Do they have a popular blog with readership along my route? If so would they have any interest in reviewing my project? A quick head shake brings me back to reality. No, they simply want to purchase an apple ahead of me in line.

During the days when I find time after work to not stare at a computer screen, I feel lost between videoblogger meetups, sponsorship requests, and every single shape, size, and brand of US map.  Attempting to portray a noticable sense of assurance about the trip is difficult when I’m asking every person I meet if they know anyone with a car anywhere in the entire state of Alabama.

I also can’t stop thinking about whether or not I even have the talent, motivation, technical know-how, wit, or energy to survive a trip like this. I’m scared, nervous, thrilled, anxious, extatic, noxious, focused, confused, and overjoyed all at the same time 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I haven’t been able to eat properly in god knows how long. I’ve been sleeping an average of 4 hours a night for close to 20 days. I had to buy a new toothbrush yesterday because I lost my other one 5 days ago and don’t have time to look for it.

I’ve been putting myself through a form of travelers bootcamp.  I’ve stopped washing my clothes and showering on a regular basis in order to adapt to this lifestyle now before I get on the road. I literally have been wearing the same pair of pants without washing them at least for a few hours every single day since the project began.   I know many that will definitely attest to that one. If you’ve been wondering why I appear in a white v-neck undershirt in every video, it’s because I purchased 20 of them to get myself used to wearing the same t-shirt day in and day out. I have decided that the best way to save room on packing is to simply discard my clothing and purchase additional cheap clothing as I move throughout the trip.

I’m still working 9:30-6 every day as a newspaper reporter and am about to be flown to California to interview some really big names in the Internet industry, but I honestly could care less. I can’t stop thinking about the route ahead of me in September.

My daily activities are flying past me like roadsigns or telephone poles along a highway that I barely catch in my peripheral vision. All I see is are blurry trails of the actions my hands are performing in front of me, while I race to catch up to reality.

I’m so nervous that all of the hype, all the talk, all the money, and all the faith people have put in me thus far could literally be for nothing. My hands literally shake when I think about it.

And, after all is said and done, if truth really be told…

I wouldn’t have it any other way.  :)

Although I disagree with the literal necessity of ever using a phrase such as “making experience transactions equitable.”  I acknowledge the point and find the concept rather intriguing.  I simply question which group in this conversation is not thinking broadly enough.  Nevertheless, again, this is an interesting philosophical conversation about the project.

Person A:

Okay, this is a bit offbeat. There is this guy who wants to travel around America (the U.S.) for free and video blog the experience.

Excerpt from his website at http://www.aroundamericaproject.com/about/

At its foundation, this is an experiment about human interaction and whether relationships formed on digital platforms can transcend into the physical world. The project, seeks to answers to three questions:

1. What level of trust can be carried from social networking and video sharing platforms to the physical world? Are digital relationships condemned to a life on the Internet?

2. Is a cultural flattening phenomenon occurring among America’s youth?. (i.e., Is Joe Brooklyn really that different from Michael Wyoming?) If so, has Web 2.0 contributed to it and how?

3. And, the basic question: will people give their time, money, and effort just to connect with a person they only know digitally? Meaning, are online users actually interested in meeting the individuals that contribute to the deluge of profiles and video clips that comprise Web 2.0 or is their interest founded in the safety of anonymity and geographic separation?

Seems like a unique task and one people around the country could help with… just a thought.Person B: 

My immediate question when I heard about this guy was “why would I want a dude like this sleeping on my couch”? I think it would be far more useful if he presented himself in a more reciprocally helpful/useful nature – like the guys on the side of the road who hold signs that they will “work for food”. What’s the advantage of being on his video blog outside of vanity? I’m a big advocate for unconditional charity and my door is generally open to stragglers, but when it looks like his intention is driven by being the next internet starlet – I generally question his motives. How does this help anyone?

Would you trust your house with this guy?

Person C: 

It doesn’t meet the sniff test – too self-serving. Needs to be more creative and interesting.

Person A:

Good points.

I don’t know this guy any more than I know anyone on Grasshoppers. Always wise to be wary.

I can’t imagine that his efforts would help anyone else, but then again who knows what the project will do…

I do know that if I was in his shoes, I would definitely be wary of the motives of those offering assistance. But that’s just me and my suspicious nature.

Thanks for the comments.

Me (Matt – Around America in 2.0):

Person A, B, and C-

Hi. How are you all? It’s super hot in New York. Hope it’s a bit cooler where you are.

Anywho, I saw what you wrote. I think you all raise very interesting points. It does come across as quite self-serving. And, to a certain degree it is. I mean, I get to meet all the wonderful people that are going to participate in the project! However, if you read the “about” section of my page at www.aroundamericaproject.com/about, you’ll get a better sense of why I’m doing it.

Rich, when you said, “I do know that if I was in his shoes, I would definitely be wary of the motives of those offering assistance. But that’s just me and my suspicious nature,” you illustrated my primary purpose for creating the project. I believe suspicious natures are running rampant throughout the United States. I also believe that these suspicious natures are for the most part unwarranted. Personally, I feel that suspicion and a lack of mutual trust and understanding are the causes of many of the world’s most horrendous atrocities. Why exactly do you not trust people? Why don’t I? And, more importantly, what is the cause of this mistrust?

Personally, I believe it’s mainstream media outlets’ focus on fear. Think about it. Whenever you pick up a paper, watch the news, or listen to a news program on the radio, you’re immersed in information about individuals dying or being harmed in some way by others. Seriously, think about that. So, if you spend 1 out of your 14 waking hours a day total reading, watching, or listening to news programs about death and violence, it’s only natural to become suspicious of others. Frankly, I think that sucks. So, one of many of my goals is to show that trust can and should exist between strangers. Sure, bad things happen in this world. There are even more than just a few bad guys out there, but I feel that there are far more sensible, caring individuals than bad. However, they are all shaking and biting their finger nails locked away somewhere in their houses thanks to the media’s push on fear.

I realize I may not look it, but believe it or not I’m a newspaper reporter and researcher for a very large paper. And, one thing I’ve come to fully understand, not necessarily through my paper though, is that “if it bleeds, it leads.” However, I’ve always questioned why that is. For instance, why is a story about feeding the homeless less important than a story about three people dying in a car crash?

Anyway, just some thoughts on a very late night. I find that I’m straying a bit far from my point, so I’ll try to add some more thoughts at a later date. My main point is that I think the world needs to regain a sense of trust and community that we seem to have lost quite a long time ago, AND I believe web 2.0 can assist us in that. Again, you all raise some interesting points, and I sincerely appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Matt
www.aroundamericaproject.com

Person C: 

You are presenting an experience transaction, where by each party gains in an exchange of new experience. It is self serving in that you get more from the transaction – financial support, proof of concept, new place, film, etc. You offer up a net societal benefit, but I don’t see it. I don’t think you are purposefully presenting a “con” , but I think in practice it might come close. In experience transactions you should provide something besides just your presence. Are you promising participants to be in the film? Are you promising them an invitation to the opening? Are you promising to wash the dishes? What is your responsibility? How do you make the experience transaction equitable?

http://electrichands.com/artexperience.htm

If it was a guy or gal who stays a couple of days, cooks for a party of 6 (you and friends) and films the process, would it work better? A designer who’ll redecorate your house during the week he stays there? These ideas raise even more doubts and questions, but do they make more sense?

I have to say, I dismissed the idea for many reasons, the main one being that I don’t live in the US :)

Person D to Person C:

philosophically, he is exploring the experience “space” that artists have started exploring the past few years. He is connecting it to Web2.0 by conjecturing that such technology/culture enables more experience/material sharing. It makes sense if you embrace the expanded definition of a transaction that leads to productive results. My only qualm with this is that the transaction does not seem equitable. He will benefit significantly more than the participants – which I think he should balance.

Me (Matt – Around America in 2.0)

I make the experience transaction equitable by creating tangible evidence for any of the viewers that services and commodities can be as freely traded and donated by the national collective as ideas and information are now being aggregated and dispersed on sites like Wikipedia. Why limit ourselves to the pursuit of an accumulation of the world’s knowledge? Why not actively pursue an accumulation of the world’s goods and services for the benefit of individual adventure, education, and experience?

I understand the project is self-serving. And, that’s the point. Think in a broader context about what the trip will mean if I’m able to pull it off. Yes, the trip is self-serving because I get to take it. However, anyone can do what I’m doing, and by providing evidence that a trip like this is possible I will hopefully get ideas flowing about what else is possible if we, the American Internet community, come together to help one another to reap the benefits of unification in the name of individual prosperity.

In addition, I feel that the connectivity that has been occurring on sites just like this one is fantastic. However, I believe there is a certain degree of isolationism that comes with web 2.0. Connectivity = great. Isolationism = bad and, in my opinion, dangerous. A site like Couchsurfing.com is not only an amazing example of what is possible if we pool our services and goods together to help one another, but it works also as a great example of how we can help bring this connectivity that I’ve mentioned to a physical reality.

I simply am trying to take these ideas a bit further as well as test the boundaries of trust. So, what exactly will the people that are helping with the project receive in return for helping me? They will receive a good friend and the benefit of knowing that they are helping to test the limits of how we perceive trust and social interaction on the web. Maybe that sounds a bit too prolific, but I’m quite serious about this topic.

In addition, one thing that I should say is that as of now I have absolutely no intentions whatsoever of making a penny from this project. In fact, quite the opposite. I have already spent $3000 of my own money and will unfortunately probably be draining every last dime I have on AA2.0. If truth be told, I will most likely have to sleep on friends’ couches when I return until I’m able to save enough for my next apartment. I also should say that I do not believe in fame in any way shape or form. Sure, I’ve been featured in the videos I’ve been creating so far. However, it would literally be next to impossible to get individuals to participate if they did not get to know me and my personality at least somewhat in advance.

Anyway, Joseph, you present some wonderful points that I should explore further. I can appreciate your thoughts and urge you to question the project a bit more. I’m trying my best to develop and maintain a solid project. However, after all is said and done, this is something that I am also doing for fun and for the experience of seeing what is possible if we think outside the box. If you would like to speak further and live in New York, let’s get off our computers, benefit from the connectivity of this social network, and chat in person over coffee and a cookie.

Matt :)

Person C 

beer is better, but cookie and coffee will do – where and when?

]]> http://aroundamerica.wordpress.com/2007/08/15/semi-philosophical-disagreement-about-aa20/feed/ 0 matt http://aroundamerica.wordpress.com/2007/08/13/sit-down-and-relax-can-i-offer-you-a-drink/ http://aroundamerica.wordpress.com/2007/08/13/sit-down-and-relax-can-i-offer-you-a-drink/#comments Mon, 13 Aug 2007 01:03:44 +0000 matt http://aroundamerica.wordpress.com/2007/08/13/hi-lets-talk/ ]]>

Thanks so much for everyone’s support during the pre-prep stages of AA2.0.  Thanks for all the emails, phone calls, meetups, sponsorships, etc.  The filmmaking and online video world has been SO incredibly great to me.  Anyway, I apologize for not updating this in the past month or so.  My site went live on July 16th and the project is well underway.

The request video was posted on Blip.tv and YouTube on Monday as well.  I nailed down 12 out of approximately 52 volunteers to house, feed, and drive me around the US just within the first 3 days.  I really hope it continues going the way it has — now at 22.  *Knock on wood.*  I did actually hit some minor glitches along the way.  As it turns out, the song I was using for my “request video” was actually owned by a rather large record company.  After about 3 hours and much deliberation, the nice guys at Deep Elm Records decided to just let me put a few more creds on the vid and keep the song.  Thanks guys!  However, I do have to repost my vid on my site, Blip, and YouTube.  So if you notice my viewership is a bit low, that’s why.  Better safe than sorry though!

Well, again thanks to everyone helping in this process – Blip.tv, Rocketboom.com, every single blogger that has hyped up the site, everyone at the NYC VidBloggers Meetups, Tilzy.tv, Tokyo News, Wired Magazine, .Net Magazine, the Scranton Times, Chuck, Amanda, Debbie, Brian, Amory (band), Latterman (band), Deep Elm Records, and all those that have already volunteered.  I was going to say that this would be my last post on this site, but I’ve decided to attempt to explain what is going on as frequently as possible.  So far, some have said that AA2.0 could be a big leap forward in terms of what the web can offer individuals, still some say I’m naive for attempting it, some say genius, and still others are concerned for what may happen to me.  Who knows what will happen. 

Nevertheless, don’t forget to check my site for weekly videos, especially starting Sept. 15th 2007.

I guess all that’s left to say is… here goes nothin’.

See you around America.

Matt

www.aroundamericaproject.com

matt@aroundamericaproject.com

Have you ever taken a test, dated someone, participated in a project that/who seemed so incredibly intimidating, you get butterflies in your stomach just thinking about it.  Yep, that’s how I feel about AA2.0.  Literally, what scares me is that I think it might actually happen.  That’s the scary part.

I’ve spoken with the creators of somewhat similar projects recently, and they started the planning process years in advance.  How long exactly did I start planning for my project that starts in 11 days?  I started in May.  May.

However, I realize that this is partially my point.  Web 2.0 is immediate in its nature.  Relationships are formed, videos are posted, and people express themselves in incredibly short increments of time.  Thus, it seems natural for this project to have such minimal planning. 

Right?