Random Actioneers

From the CouchSurfing Wiki, an informal workspace which anyone can edit.

Random Actioneers will be using worldparty to spread Random Acts of Kindness (RAoKs) in general, rather than (like CouchSurfing) hosting and surfing in particular. We hope that worldparty and the Random Actioneers will have a very fruitful and mutually beneficial relationship with CouchSurfing.

Random Action is about using twitter-based mobile technology and messaging, schedule and location information, and a community of trust (based on fnetd) to facilitate acts of kindness and senseless beauty with strangers: taking a stranger out for a five-minute cup of coffee and then passing them off to someone else; just a few words exchanged on a street corner; a high five while someone is walking past; a brief tour of your workplace; a wink or a free drink in a bar; an anonymous gift left for someone on arrival in your country; etc.

At the worldparty site, actioneers will be able to register as performers, as recipients, or as organizers of random acts. Each month there will be a new "featured" act of kindness, marketed to millions worldwide. A pool of "action artists" will work with the programmers and marketers involved to choose the random acts, to build the coordination technology, and to involve the masses of people.

Contents 1 Some of our actions 2 Mottoes 3 Next Steps 4 Support 5 See also 6 Random Acts and Marketing 7 Other attempts at RAoK communities 8 Original Announcement (June 2006)

Some of our actions

• talking with homeless people
• setting up treasure hunts for strangers
• various friendly flashmobs
• flash counseling
• dynamic carpooling
• tool sharing
• visiting the elderly
• distributing farm produce
• shoveling snow for strangers
• picking up garbage when you go for a walk
• pulling weeds from public gardens and people's boulevards and front gardens
• smile and say 'good morning' to strangers as you pass
• trimming overgrown shrubs for people who need it
• invite strangers in for a meal
• water someone's flowers or plants for them
• place a flower in someone's bird bath
• look for 4 leaf clovers as you walk. When you find one, give it to the next person you pass, or someone who could use a day brightener
• leave spare change where children will find it in a playground
• write an "inspiration sentence" on a piece of paper and give it to someone, smiling
• setting up Geocaching small treasures, but easy to find as well, ok?

Mottoes

• Random Action: Complete Strangers are Conspiring on Your Behalf.
• Welcome to StreetSurfing: the network that connects you with strangers on the street to do beautiful things.

Next Steps

• a basic architecture for the raokserver open source project which will run the site
• gathering "action artists" interested in working with the programmers
• gathering a group to think about marketing
• gathering programmers: we want to have *lots* of people helping on the programming side, all the way through.
• early marketing:
  • is this "secret agent" or "spy mission" stuff, or "random acts of kindness"?
  • a short video explaining the concept
  • a comic strip or storyboard?

Support

• Joe
• Guaka^CS
• phauly^CS
• Luna1
• amylin
• Raminta
• Navinkurian2002
• Digs
• Tiara - beautiful idea
• Dani! (i do this now, it's a way of life =)
• Diane (I also do this now, as a way of life =)
• chmac^CS
• add your name if you support the creation of this new online community

See also

• http://del.icio.us/tag/community global
• http://del.icio.us/tag/smartmobs
• http://www.ning.com/
• http://del.icio.us/tag/kindness community

Random Acts and Marketing

• http://www.cultureby.com/trilogy/2006/10/anne_saunders_t.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs

Other attempts at RAoK communities

• http://www.payitforwardmovement.com/
• http://www.generosity.org
• http://www.generosity.org/stoner/
• http://aboutbryan.com/stagedkindness/

Original Announcement (June 2006)

This is an opportunity to take CouchSurfing to the streets! Until now, we have been focused on longer-term interactions--taking someone in, showing them around. But what if we could facilitate quicker things: taking a stranger out for a five-minute cup of coffee and then passing them off to someone else; just a few words exchanged on a street corner; a high five while someone is walking past; a brief tour of your workplace; a wink or a free drink in a bar; an anonymous gift left for someone on arrival in your country; etc.

We can use the maps and landmarks from travel guidebooks to mix up the worlds of locals, college students, and travelers, breaking down the barriers that keep us in our own scenes. We can plan rendezvous with complete strangers in public squares and places. Rewrite the social map!