It's MTV's The Real World, plus digital cameras, Internet usernames and a cast of college students studying abroad in different countries.

That's the formula for www.BlogAbroad.com, the new Web-based reality show starring Penn State student Phil Assetto.

The BlogAbroad.com show chronicles the adventures of Assetto, who is studying this semester in Rome, and two other cast members from Brown University and St. Norbert College who are studying in Senegal and Chile.

The students then post blogs on their experiences, which anyone can read, said Adam Ostrow, co-founder of Mindsay.com, the site that features the student's posts.

Assetto said he was picked out of an audition pool of more than 100 students to be cast on the first season of the new reality show.

Assetto said that living in another country has made him proud of being a U.S. citizen, and he has had a fantastic time witnessing history during his stay in Italy.

"The crowd that came for the funeral of Pope John Paul II was unlike anything I have ever seen before," Assetto said.

The show was created through the dual efforts of Educational Directories Unlimited (EDU) and the creators of Mindsay.com, a blog Web site.

The companies wanted to combine the emergence of the popular, new blogging technology with educational motives, said Kim Gradel, author of the BlogAbroad bi-weekly newsletter.

Mindsay.com co-founder Brian Klug said blogging can change how people communicate, similar to the way that e-mail has changed society's dependence on the postal service.

"It's one thing to shout at the TV when somebody does something stupid on a reality show, but with BlogAbroad you can really participate," Klug said.

Gradle said Assetto's blogs present an interesting and informative cultural perspective. His posts juxtapose Italian and American views on topics ranging from soccer to the war in Iraq.

"It's amazing to be able to experience Rome vicariously through Phil at this historic time," she said.

Gradle said that many universities are starting to embrace the new trend of Internet blogging as a mainstream communication tool.

On BlogAbroad.com, audience members who log in to read the posts can send direct and instant feedback to the cast, Ostrow said.

Ostrow added that each of the three bloggers has an audience of about 500 to 1,000 viewers on a weekly basis.

Assetto said that sharing his experiences through a reality show format online makes it easier to keep in touch with his girlfriend, family and friends.

EDU co-founder and Penn State graduate Mark Landon said the blogs allow readers to experience what students are seeing almost instantaneously.

"We see BlogAbroad as a reality show because we are hearing about these students' adventures almost in 'real time,' " Landon said.

Assetto also said that having dinner with his girlfriend near the Coliseum, going to a carnival in Venice with his roommate and having a Roman family cook for his family were among some of the most memorable things he wrote entries about this semester.

Ostrow said officials at EDU and Mindsay.com are pleased with the positive feedback the show has received.

"We are talking about a second season with a new cast and different locations for next semester," Ostrow said.