Left to Right: Will Garris Jordan Myska Allen Nick Hambley Thomas Mings
Web site revolutionizes personal interactions one question at a time Two Rice undergraduates are revolutionizing the way people engage in meaningful discourse about existential issues that can be difficult to discuss. Their project is called Big Talk, and it centers around a Web site featuring an interactive magazine format. The idea behind the Big Talk Project came to senior Jordan Myska Allen during meditation last year. He discussed his ideas with junior Nick Hambley, and the two worked to develop a venue where they could engage their peers. Their ideas initially evolved into an e-mail list but soon became a Web site, with the support of The Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance, Leadership Rice, religious studies professor John Stroup and site designer Will Garris, a Rice senior. Every month, a set of existential questions is sent to eight writers from different backgrounds and social networks. Each writer is given two weeks to answer the questions with a video response and an essay. The essays are posted to the forum’s discussion board, where viewers are encouraged to respond. The site draws about 4,000 unique visitors each month, and more than 300 users now receive the e-mail newsletter. “What’s the difference between a duck?” is the project’s catchphrase. It was one of the questions that Allen posted on walls at a party he hosted to stimulate conversation. The questions spanned issues of life, death and the nonsensical. As he listened to partygoers debate the meaning of the question, he realized it was more than comic relief. It was a question that drove people to seek more understanding, and
16
Rice
Learn more about Big Talk at www.betweenaduck.com.
it generated a range of emotions. Those reactions summed up what Allen had hoped to accomplish. “I do this because I love to engage with people on a more meaningful level than ‘How’s the weather?’ and ‘What are your plans after you graduate?’” Allen said. “I want to know why you plan to do whatever you plan to do and how you came to that decision, because I think that really says something about you.” Allen works closely on the site with Stroup and contacts at Leadership Rice and the Boniuk Center. “In a way, this is my senior thesis, and I’m certainly learning invaluable skills,” said Allen. Hambley said the team is beginning to see some of the fruits of its labor. On his way to class, he overheard two students discussing the meaning of “What’s the difference between a duck?” “In one way, that was a ‘mission accomplished’ moment,” Hambley said. “When we set out on this project, Jordan and I were aiming to deepen the level of talk on campus, and this is a perfect example of success.” Both Hambley and Allen said that feedback from the site’s visitors motivates them to do more. “It’s the encouragement I get from individuals who are affected by the project that keeps me interested,” Allen said. “It’s the text message that says, ‘I just read your response and can’t wait to talk to you more about it’ and the e-mails that state, ‘I really enjoyed reading what others have to say.’” Allen and Hambley hope that Big Talk becomes part of everyday life. They recently expanded their team to accommodate growth and reader demands, adding seniors Thomas Mings and Elizabeth Blears to their staff. Although the project currently is limited to the Rice community, they hope to see it spread to other universities and to spiritual organizations as it grows. —Jessica Stark