SuperStar Avatar Statement of Intent

Statement of Intent for the Use and Application of SuperStar Avatar

To introduce the power and functionality of social networking architecture into the fabric of everyday life (bringing it out of the computer)

To facilitate the spread of self-organizing, social networking based on the assessment and exchange of personally-determined VALUE.

To introduce the tools and conventions of SuperStar Avatar as a robust approach for seamlessly establishing social networks across multiple platforms (live social space, online, media, text messageing, etc.)

To both host our own SuperStar Avatar Community (SuperStar Nation.com) and offer our approach to interested parties and clients. (SuperStar Avatar.com)

BY:
· assisting individuals and communities with creating rewarding social identities
(Avatars)

· assisting individuals in identifying, creating and participating with their own, and other, communities. (Houses)

· assisting individuals in assessing and valuing their personal ‘wealth’ (assets/ social capital) both creative and practical. (Powers)

· assisting individuals and communities in engaging in rewarding interaction and exchange of this ‘wealth’. (‘ creative currency’)
(Activities, Reality Scripting)

· assisting individuals and communities in sustaining and maintaining healthy, rewarding relationships dedicated to these exchange networks. (based on fluid, dynamic negotiation of agreements & standards of etiquette)
· (Star Charter, Star Guides)

To offer cross- community tested, knowledge embedded tools and guidelines for support of all of the above.
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For SuperStar Avatar to exist as a Premiere Experience Brand known for supporting the celebration and exchange of authentic expression, The Human Spirit/Capacity.

For SuperSTar Avatar to educate all participants through direct experience, the value of taking an active role in brokering their own agreements/ interactions/ exchanges.

To introduce a set of social standards and conventions that enable scaleable collaboration and exchange on a massive level.

To make it fun, easy and rewarding to use the SuperStar Avatar tools for ‘scripting’ experiences for yourself and others.

To enable existing entertainment destinations to increase brand value by introducing our tools into their environments for their patrons to use. (SuperStar Avatar)

To identify and invite existing communities on a Global level to use the tools and Standards of SuperStar Avatar (SuperStar Nation.)

To deliver exciting, enriching and memorable experiences that communicate all of the above via Direct Experience.

SUperStar at PlaNet Work Conference

Report on The PlaNet Work Conference-
Polly and Scott Present SuperStar Avatar to The Geek Chic

The Planetwork Interactive
Planetwork.net
At the San Francisco Presidio
June 5 - 6, 2004
“Join innovators from the world of information technology, peace and social justice activists, environmental visionaries, independent media pioneers and many others to explore how social networks, information technologies and the Internet can play a key role in…”
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Now I must first point out, dear readers, the large N in PlaNet Workers.
(though on our conference badges the T had been left out to aptly read- PlaNe Workers)
Hmmmm……an omen that our FUN presentation was needed)
Now, The topic of our presentation, which was the first chosen from 24 entries, was entitled:
“Social Architecture for The Masses- Lets Make It fun!”
Yeah. That’s right. Hip factor And Sex Appeal & Social Networking Technology.
…gets you the the top, baby!

Our intention was to present ‘the challenge in bringing social networking tools into the real world’, present our solution (SuperStar Avatar-Nation), and connect with new talent and resources for moving the project forward. (Funding, programmers, biz advice, etc)
Rolling bags at the ready, we arrived via cab to the fog enshrouded Presidio Conference Center; costumes, disco light, Senor Coconut CD and laptop presentation at the ready.
It had been a looooong week preparing presentations, chucking them out and starting over, crunching new features into the website, finishing and printing the New Avatar Handbooks, etc. and we were ready to get on with the action!
We arrived during the opening PlaNet Work ceremony at which some sort of innovation in persistent identity, E-name, social networking technology was being heralded.
Riiiiiiight.
(Note to self: find out what an ‘ename’ is later from someone that can hook it up for us.)
Time for coffee!
We were greeted by fellow SuperStar Avatar- The Sensational Sensei, at the towering coffee station and soon jumped in to join him ‘at the pour’ as fellow work exchange coffee droids.
Ah-ha! Much to the delight and dismay of the activists, technologists and docker-wearing, geek-a-zoids, Polly and I brought the ART OF ATTENDING THE COFFEE STAND to a whole new level. We whipped out card after card and turned a dull corner of the conference basement into THE energetic and cultural hot spot of the whole conference. Cards displaying Geek Error Message Haiku, Coffee Facts, Mini Conference Schedules and the like brought many a smile.
We attended a haphazardly facilitated morning session in which ‘teams’ of planetworkers assessed their skills and ideas for Bigger &Badder social tech onto big, blank white cardboard boxes. These boxes were then supposed to be connected in a “Glass Bead Game’ style brainstorming session. This session,however, sort of degenerated into an egoic, semantic noise riddled, ‘preaching to the converted’ kind of collegiate playground chaos.

Lunch was nice. Sitting in the sun and grass with the Who’s Who of The Social Networking Set. Eating Salad and sandwiches with biodegradeable ‘sporks’ that looked like your average white plastic. A ‘hippie-geek’ type, overhearing my confident ramblings about Spork technology, made quite the face when I said convincingly that they were made of compost.

Time to present.
4.30 PM in The West Room. Classic academia surroundings, chairs, video projector….College Time again!
We pulled out our materials and got our costume changes ready, attendees filled the chairs,
A silence descended, a lone tumbleweed blew through the room…..and then it happened, the InterNet went down.
Polly seemed to take the whole thing in stride while yours truly sort of paced madly, quietly pleading to any tech-head present to please help…please help!
We forged ahead, bravely, daringly….internet be D*MNED!
Of course, and I say this humbly, we were brilliant.
Point after point was delivered with consummate skill and panache. Examples of things obtuse and noble were offered to dazzle and delight the crowd.
The smiling faces of our friends present beamed at us while we hailed the power of play and sang the praises of Truly Social Architecture.
I think it was the costume change paired with the KraftWerk cover by Senor Coconut that sent the crowd into a ‘Justin Timberlake’, post presentation frenzy.
Literally, after the 30 minute chat, our offer for the crowd to come up and grab a handbook was met with a ‘angry towns-folk’ type of scenario.
Pocket liners flew and Birkenstocks were scuffed that afternoon, let me tell you!
Basking in a post-presentation glow, we were approached by programmers and tech types of many descriptions. This continued into the evening cocktail hour as we (and by we, I mostly mean Polly) were approached by more of the same.
Except now, inebriated.
Riiiiiiiiight. Time to go!
Overall: Some good contacts were made and SuperStar Nation introduced its colorful message to the PlaNetWorkers Conference. Only time will tell what effect that week had.
(Final note-the Internet came back up directly after our presentation!)
Scott Levkoff
A.K.A.
Prof Violet
scott@superstaravatar.com
'Lifes A Game, Are You Playing?'

Future Thoughts

More Future Thoughts on Birthday:
camping trips and nature magick
Medicine Show format as a script that can occur throughtout the SuperStar Nation
(July 24th MoonTree Medicine Show)
Medicine SHow as a base Catalytic Narrative (Arche-Story/ meta-narrative)

Burning Man Designs and self organzing community action, esplanade Star Dome
Star Dome as Star Temple?
Place of intention for avatar embodiment and High Play

Reality Scripting components; create a range of core scripts-

approach first Star Pilots...soon?


Scott Levkoff
A.K.A.
Prof Violet
scott@superstaravatar.com
'Lifes A Game, Are You Playing?'

PlaNet Work Presentation

Theme Social Architecture
Title Social architecture for the Masses- lets make it fun!
Abstract
Translating the complex theoretical systems of ‘social networks’, ‘distributed accountability’ and ‘collaborative tools’ into practical solutions for mass empowerment is a daunting challenge.We must create transparent, intuitive tools that have sex appeal and ‘Hip Factor’ if popular culture is to incorporate them into their everyday lives. The process of using the tools must be rewarding!(FUN)
This is the PlaNetWork Presentation Abstract that got us top billing:

Description
The SuperStar Avatar approach puts a friendly face on these rather daunting, intellectual concepts and repackages them in a pop-culture skin for distribution to the masses. It works as both a low tech, analog process (live interaction) and as a knowledge embedded, online technical application which individuals and communities use to assess and manage the flow of their practical and creative ‘data’. It transparently delivers with a familiar, intuitive and experiential interface that mirrors the way successful communities already operate.

We have successfully concluded our play-testing, and are now hosting an emerging experience economy (live time community interaction and exchange) using our functioning online prototype.
We will present how the SuperStar Nation is operating and how the participants are having their needs met by:
· Creating and Assessing their Social Identities
· Creating and Building their communities
· Assessing their practical and creative wealth
· The standards of etiquette for exchanging their ‘wealth’ in live exchange
· The Tools for Maintaining and Sustaining Distributed Accountability
· Scripting their own experiences

Post PlaNetWork

ooof...tired.what a draining weekend
Presentation went well, the new avatar HandBooks flew off the table to a frenzied mob
SuperStar was once again branded as the wacky game for people who like to dress up and freak out.
One fellow saw the potential in what we are doing, the others either wanted to flirt (not with me) or go to the parties.
Funding, Scalability of the application, initiating play using the tools...
these things way heavily on mind....June 7th, my birthday.
I feel gratitude for the community resources and Joy that has shown up and
judgement (from the self) for not having the SuperStar phenomenon more established by this point in the timeline.
And, what toe-hold does it have?
How can i know the extent to which it is brewing and germinating in the hearts of SuperStar AVatars to be?