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FAQ's
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What is "Talk To Me" about?
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It's about talking to strangers. It's about meeting people
you might not ordinarily meet, in places you might not ordinarily
go. It's about getting to know the town, city, country, or world
you're in.
- Just what is it that you do?
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Well, we just hold up a sign (or even a name tag) that
says, "Talk To Me". Within minutes,
people usually suspiciously inquire what "talk to me" is
actually about. We simply say that we're "just saying hello" and take it from there.
Sometimes the topic might be restraining orders
for abusive husbands, sometimes, swedish nougat. You never know.
You can also check out our "How To" section of
our website.
- Who started it?
The two of us, Bill and Liz, first had the idea and painted the sign
simply out of curiosity. We started in New York in 2002, then
took the sign on our bicycles around the country in 2004. Since then,
others around the world have also tried the "talk to me" idea.
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What do people talk about?
You name it - it's been talked about. Seriously.
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Why are you doing this?
Because we're curious. And we think people are rather curious as well.
Because people need to talk to each other. Not with any agenda, hidden
motive, or business deal behind it, but just plain ol' fashioned friendly
conversation. Because strangers have a lot to teach each other in ways
they might not ever realize. Because there needs to be some place to
trade the thousands of ideas and perspectives that people carry
around with them just about wherever they go. Because this sign manages
to start conversations that might not have happened at work, at home, or
with the same old group of friends.
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How do you pay for this?
We live at around 8.00 or 9.00 per-person per-day total. OK, we admit, if we just biked 65 miles it might be $10 a day.
We're basically funded by the random jobs we've picked up along the way,
and the kind folks
who make donations on our site. On our year around the country,
we spent a total of $33 on lodging, by camping out or staying with folks
we met along the way. While we're in NYC, we afford doing this by
housesitting and petsitting for people instead
of paying rent.
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Does this ever get tiring?
There will always be the
occasional ranters and ravers across the spectrum who feel the need to
repeat themselves at loud volume for at least ten minutes, but they're few
and far between. And there's many ways to deal with them.
And sure, we'll take a few breaks on a fourteen-hour day
of conversations.
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Are you trained in psychology?
Formally? No. But can we talk and listen like anyone else? Sure. We're
not claiming any expertise, just a bit of street-side friendliness and
openness.
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Are you writing about this?
We've been scribbling in our journals for nearly every day of this
project, but that's not unusual for either of us.
We're not researchers seeking out data from "the American people". We just
try to write every night and jot down the overwhelming stories,
personalities, and places we've encountered.
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So what's next?
We're not sure. We have plenty of other crazy ideas to get strangers
to look their neighbor in the eye, and not many dollars to do it. Maybe
we'll take "talk to me" around the world! Who knows. For now, we're housesitting
in NYC, taking out the drawing board, and seeing what happens. Care to join us?
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Can I have a "talk to me" sign?
Sure. We've given out signs to folks who wanted to try it,
and also heard stories from others around the world who made
their own "talk to me" signs. We only ask that you have no
agenda when you're out with a "talk to me" sign. We also
have a slightly silly read on "How To Talk
To Strangers".
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How can we find you?
Since we're still housesitting around nyc, the best way to get in touch
with us is through e-mail. We get online pretty reliably, and try to keep in touch with people the best we
can.
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