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Reality of the streets

By Elaine Paoloni | epaoloni@am-ny.com

January 21, 2008

During modcasts, users can vote for upcoming mods and chat with one another while watching the street action live. (January 21, 2008)

It's time to add two new words to your cyber vocabulary:

1. Mod: A user-submitted action.

2. Modstar: An actor, comedian, improv performer or other outgoing person who performs a mod.

These are the keywords that Mod My Life, a "reality" Web site founded by Andrew Keidel, 30, and Martin Codyre, 32, revolves around. After members submit and vote on what they think are the most interesting tasks, the street actors are immediately notified and perform the mods. The modstars are wired to record the real-time reactions of passers-by. During the "modcast," members can engage in a live chat about what's going on. It's like watching a hipster version of "Candid Camera" with your friends.

Here, Keidel discusses the finer points of his site:

Why is reality Internet so appealing?
For us, the primary appeal of "reality Internet" over "reality TV" is the interactivity that becomes possible. We are not trying to put reality TV online. We're trying to create a new experience for users that gives them the power to influence what happens in the very video they are watching.

How do you get people on the street to cooperate?
That's part of the art of being a modstar. There are plenty of times when people either ignore modstars or tell them to get lost. Once in a while someone freaks out.

Do the people know they are being taped or is it a hidden camera?
Depends on the situation. Sometimes we use hidden cameras, sometimes we use big, obvious cameras like a news crew. We also have minicams that can be attached to the modstar to broadcast first-person perspectives. We typically use wireless hidden mics for the audio. For communicating with modstars, sometimes we use hidden earpieces and other times we use a cell phone. Each setup helps us produce different types of interesting scenes.

How many mod suggestions do you get? How many get posted for voting?
Users can enter as many mods as they want, and all new mods go into the "mod pool." Users can vote on all the mods in the pool, and the most popular ones rise to the "finals." A winning mod gets chosen from the finals whenever the modstar is ready for a new one.

What do you find the best types of mods are?
That's what's great about live video. We never really know until we see it. Some mods turn to gold simply because of the situation or the people we encounter. Many times our modstars take what seems like an ordinary idea and turn it into a hilarious clip. Great mods just happen naturally, thanks to the tremendous creativity of the users who submit them and the modstars who perform them.

Who are the modstars?
Our modstars are actors, comedians, improv performers and other interesting and outgoing people. We don't currently pay them, but we do cover all expenses incurred during modcasts. We also plan to compensate modstars as our site grows. So far, we have about 25 who have performed with us and another 100 or so who are interested in giving it a try. If someone is interested in trying out as a modstar, they are welcome to write us at info@modmylife.com.

How long does each mod last? How long are the modcasts?
Each individual mod is dynamic. We don't start the next mod until we feel the previous one has played itself out (or failed miserably). So we've had mods that go for less than a minute, and we've had mods that have been too funny to stop and have gone on for 10 or 15 minutes. The average mod duration has been around five minutes, and most modcasts are one hour long.

Do you have plans to develop the site further, with additional features?