Posts Tagged ‘chat’

Social networking technology has changed the way communication works. There are a variety of new levels of interaction that are possible. This is not only connecting people in new and unique ways, but it is also allowing people to tell stories across a whole new range of media. On the cutting edge of this new technology, creative individuals are experimenting with the basic elements of the story itself.

The idea of roleplaying is really about telling an interactive story. You get together with a group of people, each one of you takes on the identity of a character, and then you act out the story, each of you contributing you own ideas for the direction that you should all go in.

Social networking is a medium that was designed to help people tell stories. The goal of the site is to have members upload pictures, videos, and comments, that then tell their friends and family what is going on in their life. It is a form of personal narrative.

This storytelling function can also be used to create fictional tales. By signing up as a character, you can use all of the applications normally reserved for real people, to express the life story of the fictional person.

This story can then be expanded by interactions with other characters, or even with real people across the network. In this way the tale becomes interactive, with new life being breathed into it by a variety of creative minds.

Facebook and most of the other social networks are not intended to be used for fiction. In fact their terms of service will often include injunctions requiring anyone who creates an account to do so under their own name and connected with their real identity. While these rules are not usually stringently enforced, they still make it difficult to engage in creative endeavors on these sites.

There are however a few alternative, most notably http://www.RolePages.com was created precisely to fill this void left by the other social networks. RolePages is a website set up similar to facebook, however the creators of the site invite you to create a character that is not you. In fact they encourage you to create the strangest, and most creative character that you possibly can. Then you can take that character and use it to create stories by interacting across the site with other character members.

Social networks are a new frontier in the art of communication. Using them as a medium for telling stories is a trend that is just starting to catch on. As the sophistication of the technology increases the ability to create fictional works using these tools is only going to improve.

To read more about this subject visit RolePages.com an in character roleplaying social network where you can sign up as anyone or anything that you can imagine. There you will find more information on facebook roleplaying, as well as an eclectic cast of members including werewolves, vampires, fairies, psychics, aliens, madmen, monsters, demons, and anyone else that you can imagine.