LOCAL STUDENT BECOMES REALITY SHOW STAR
CHESTER, PA, January, 25 2005 -
Philip Assetto from Coatesville, Pennsylvania has landed his own educational reality show called BlogAbroad.com. As he studies abroad in Rome, Italy during his Spring semester he will have a potential audience of hundreds of thousands of reality show fanatics tracking his experience. The difference between his show and other reality shows like The Real World is that his is not filmed, it is posted over the Internet via an interactive web log, or blog.
Assetto, a 21-year-old Junior at Penn State University, will be using cutting-edge blogging technology to entertain people while informing them about the inside facts of studying abroad. All his stories will be posted on a website called www.BlogAbroad.com. People will be able to read these posts as well as see pictures and videos. They will also be able to respond to them and ask questions or make comments. The interesting part about making a blog reality show is that for the first time ever, the audience can interact with the star of the show. The audience actually becomes the supporting cast.
"This is a new breakthrough for the reality show genre," says Mark Shay, president and CEO of StudyAbroad.com, the company behind BlogAbroad.com. "The audience has an influence over the show like never before. Plus, while being highly entertaining, it is a terrific educational tool. It is a way to show what it is like to study abroad first hand."
Assetto was chosen from among nearly a hundred students studying abroad who auditioned for the part. Three judges chose him based on a 300 word written audition as well as answers to a few of their questions. He will be given tasks to complete during his semester and will post new episodes at least three times a week. All of his episodes will be available for viewing 24 hours a day.
"I am so excited to have been chosen," Assetto said. "I love traveling and know I am going to have a great experience. But more importantly, I want to be able to encourage others to study abroad and get a global perspective. BlogAbroad.com is the perfect way to do that."
"Blog" is the number one searched word of 2004, according to Merriam-Webster. It is a new technology that allows users to stay connected to each other via interactive journals, even when they are oceans away from each other. Blogging has been growing in popularity since it first made waves during the 2004 Presidential election.
StudyAbroad.com
StudyAbroad.com is the Internet's leading source of information on educational opportunities for students to study in other countries. It is a comprehensive directory of study abroad and intensive language programs organized by subject and destination. StudyAbroad.com is a service of Educational Directories Unlimited, Inc. (EDU), a leading Internet company serving higher education. Based in suburban Philadelphia, EDU's steady growth since its inception in 1989 has led to its inclusion in the Philadelphia 100, Inc. Magazine/ICIC Inner City 100 and Inc. 500 lists of fast growing businesses.