ORGANIZE

Flashmobs depend greatly on finding a system which can organize total strangers - this can be achieved a few ways. The easiest of course (and most obvious) would be via the internet. Whether it be email contacts, a yahoo group (such as flashmobau) or a mailing list. Other groups have also incorporated using text messaging on mobile phones and even some are even discussing the use of a GPS (for example, the unit would beep the closer the mobber gets to the designated spot) For the moment we're using a combination of email and a mailing list.

Once a interested number of people have made a successful contact with the mailing group, it's then that some cloak and dagger work comes into play. For every Flashmob there is a person who has become the organizer. This person should never be looked upon as the head of the group or leader, he/she is simply the one who noticed a growing interest in having a flashmob take place and took it upon themselves to rally those people around to keep that interest high and begin the process of bringing everyone together. There may be one organizer, or there may be two, three, four. You will never truly know how many people are behind the scenes. Surely then their identity would be revealed at the flashmobbing, I hear you say ? Ah, not quite.

When going to a flashmob, the mobbers would have received some simple instructions by email sent out the night before or that morning to inform them where they need to be, and at what time. Also usually another instruction is given, to locate an individual who will pass onto them via a slip of paper the next set of instructions which would contain all the info they need to know for what is required of them at that particular flashmob. The instruction given for locating them could be something as simple as looking in a certain area for a person (male or female) wearing a white pair of pants and a green hat or perhaps even carrying a certain book. The first given instruction may not actually contain the information a mobber would expect; it could be yet another instruction to locate yet another person who has the information they actually need. Below is an example of an instruction given out at a recent Flashmobbing:

*** MOB 6 ***

Duration: 6 minutes (Gather at 7:18; disperse at 7:24)

The Site: Toys R Us (Broadway at 44th St)

By 7:15, situate yourself on the second floor of Toys R Us, away from the Jurassic Park section.

At 7:18, approach the giant animatronics dinosaur. Fill in all around it. It is like a terrible god to you. Stare at it, transfixed.

At 7:20, drop to your knees, still staring at the dinosaur. Whenever it roars, moan and cower behind outstretched hands.

At 7:24, disperse. No one should remain in Toys R Us after 7:27

Keep this slip hidden.

No photos or interviews between 7:15 and 7:20

(Mob instructions from the NY FlashMob Number Six-Toys R Us, Times Square. More info and photos of the event available here )

One thing you'll notice in all the instructions handed out to mobbers are the key times for when events will be taking place and when you need to be at a designated spot. Without this, the mob would truly be unorganized and the whole effect would be unfortunately lost. So if you are attending a SYDMOB, please be sure to read, re-read, then read again the instructions handed out to you. This way when you are in the thick of it all, you will get that great feeling of being not just a single human being committing an act of silliness, but part of a group of people who were up to a few moments ago, strangers on the street.

CONGREGATE

To successfully pull off a FlashMob just right, the mobbers need to learn the subtle art of blending in with the rest of the general public. Now this might not sound like a big deal, but it's pretty important and a very vital part of any attempt at a mob. We've all seen those cornball movies where actors are trying to be inconspicuous but end up doing exactly the opposite (scarf, dark glasses.. you get the general idea) That's not the kind of "Act casual" effect we're aiming for.

Basically, at sometime during the FlashMob you will find yourself in a situation where for a short duration you will be gathered in an area about to go into the main part of the Flash Mobbing itself (the act) It's at this time that you may be in close proximity with other fellow mobbers and the following will help you "keep your cool", so to speak:

- When you're waiting in the area where the act is about to take place, act as you normally would.

It really is that simple. If you're sitting, sit as you normally would do in any other given situation where you are sitting in a public place. Standing ? Yep, you got it. Same deal.

- Conversing with other mobbers/friends/strangers

Now this is a bit of a grey area really. I mean, it would be pretty stupid to try and encourage people NOT to talk with friends in a public place. After all, that's what you would normally do, right ? As for strangers, well if someone asks you the time, do what you would normally do (long as that isn't punch them in the face) Talk about anything - just don't start up a conversation about Flash Mobbing. Common sense really. If you are having a conversation try not to be too distracted from watching the clock.

- Attempt to not "mob" too early

What this means is try to make room between yourself and other mobbers. Seeing a group of people who are supposed to be strangers (well.. ok for the record most of you WILL be strangers, but you get what I mean) bunched up together will perhaps give a passerby the impression that you and the people standing near on top of you are a mob of friends. This is something we all want to avoid at all costs. So if you are with a bunch of friends, do separate away from each other as much as possible. It certainly won't ruin the mobbing experience for you, and you all can get together afterwards and give each other your own personal account of what you saw from where you were when the act and eventual disperse happened.

- Converge to the area from random directions

This one ought to be pretty obvious already. Seeing people heading up a public street in mass looks like a crowd of people not only who most probably know each other personally, but also look to be headed somewhere with a purpose. That's a big no no right there. What you would need to do is plan from which direction you will be coming from to reach the area and also observe how many people seem to be heading in the direction as well. If there already appears to be people taking the same route, take a few extra twists and turns. Also put some distance between yourself and others. But remember to once again keep an eye on the clock. Time is of the essence.

- Don't arrive too early and don't arrive too late

This is probably the most important thing to remember; For a flashmob to converge, act then disperse at instructed times, then everyone involved needs to be on the same watch. That is, have the same time. This is best done by the mobbers synchronizing their watches. A good place to do that is online sometime before you head off to the mob itself. This site is an excellent place to do just that. For the flashmob to have the best impact, It's all a matter of timing.

All in all, most of those points should be pretty easy to understand and in practice will become second nature. Hopefully no one will be interpreting these as "rules" that will be enforced upon people by scary burly men with no necks. No, not all. These are simply more guidelines for people to follow so their flashmob experience will be a good one.

ACT - this bit is missing from the sydmob website! :( {i think what it was gonna say is basically, whilst 'performing' or 'executing' the mob event - don't over act. you need to keep your participation at the same level at the rest of the mob, most of the time. 'ad lib-ing' per se is not encouraged. you will find that amusing things will happen out of the ordinary anyway, with stranger reaction and interaction, so you just need to keep to the instructions. at the same time, be enthusiastic and don't be half assed about what you are doing - especially if you thing you look stupid - THAT'S THE POINT! you look no more like an arse than the rest of the mob and that is most of the fun of it!}

DISPERSE

From the accounts of anyone that has participated in a FlashMob, its the actual end of the whole planned act that really leaves the impact on both those involved and those watching. Witnessing 100+ complete strangers suddenly come together and perform a pre-written instruction in itself is impressive enough, but seeing those same people suddenly leave the area in totally random directions acting like nothing actually took place is where the real fun begins.

Here's some basic guidelines for the final act of a planned Flashmob:

- If you are attending a mob with either a partner or a large group of friends, organize to meet at a designated spot after the act has taken place. Preferably this spot should be far enough away so that people who have just witnessed the event don't put 2 and 2 together.

- When the act is over, disperse from the area at the allocated time outlined in the instructions handed to you by the organizer. Choose a direction and leave *alone*. This cannot be stressed enough.

- Try and not converse with anyone when you are leaving the area, fellow mobbers and especially spectators. If someone really wants to ask what happened, shrug and deny any knowledge. What just took place didn't actually take place at all.

- If you're attending the mob with digital equipment and wish to take a shot of the disperse, try and allocate yourself away a bit from the area. Or have a friend organized to take the wanted shots for you so you don't miss out on the fun.

- There has been reports at some mobs that participants have suddenly gone into a round of applause at the end of the act just before the disperse happens. Even if the instructions don't outline this action during the act, there's nothing actually wrong with doing it. Feel free to share your appreciation with fellow mobbers. But try and disperse as planned as well.

- When the disperse happens, leave the area in a calm and sensible manner. When you have a group of people which could reach over 100 it's never a good idea to initiate a mass stampede, the threat of injury happening is quite real.

- If there is a presence of authority (police, security etc) and they give out explicit instructions to leave the area, do so. Even if its before the designated disperse time. Having people arrested for taking place in a flashmob is not the kind of attention we are seeking.

- Leave nothing behind but the lasting effect on the minds of your fellow mobbers and the witnessing general public.

 By at least attempting to abide by these guidelines your mob experience should be a total success. Also these guidelines should not be seen as appointed by the "head of sydmob" or anything like that, that isn't the intended purpose. These are simply guidelines which have worked well with other organized mobs, and in practice you will understand how and why they work so well.


N.B. i can tell you that with previous melbourne mobs, genreally, instructions are sent out by sms on the day, not by meeting with a person somewhere. also, usually, a location-based common timing point or cue is prefered to synching watches. eg. public clocks or times on tram stop screens, traffic light actions, events such as a tram arriving or departing, or sometimes a person will signal the cue.