Maybe you have heard about the website "Social actions" whose catchphrase is "you make a difference, we make it easy". It is a kind of social network for philanthropists. On the homepage, there is a search field where you can find any kind of action you feel concerned about, such as climate change, education, poverty, animals, homeless or healthcare. Once you have choosen, the site will propose you a lot of actions : volunteer, donate, sign a petition or make a loan for instance. You can also propose an action to the other users.
And even if you are not Mother Teresa, this website can help you capitalize in good intentions. This is the purpose of the "Change the world challenge" they created on 2009.
The challenge has been a huge success. Here's the idea: as they say on their page, the challenge "encouraged the development of applications that share these opportunities to take action on the websites, blogs and social networks that people visit everyday".
Here are the three winners:
1st Prize $5,000, interactive map
2nd Prize $3,000 zemantas
3rd Prize $2,000 iphone app
That's exactly what we can call a win-win business. Netsurfers get both money and a clear conscience out of it (which is not at everybody's level...), and the website gets visibility and a publicity stunt out of it. Without being too cynical, we must admit it is a hell of a good viral marketing operation for Social Actions. I bet an advertizing campaign of that size would have cost much more than the 10,000$ they gave to the winners and what's more, it would have been much more difficult to infiltrate social networks and blug with "official" advertisements.
But if it is for a good cause, I suppose we just have to bow before this initiative.
MM.
Hi Marie-Morgane,
ReplyDeleteThanks for drawing attention to Social Actions and the Change the Web Challenge. A quick glance through these pages should shed additional light on why we create projects like this one:
Social Actions' principles, mission, and terms of collaboration posted here:
http://www.socialactions.com/platform-endorsement
A description of Social Actions' history and commitment to open, collaborative processes:
http://www.osbr.ca/ojs/index.php/osbr/article/view/914/883
Statements made by those who recently contributed to Social Actions:
http://www.socialactions.com/2009-fundraiser
Christine Egger
Social Actions
Twitter: @CDEgger
Bonjour Marie-Morgane,
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup pour le blog sur Social Actions et le Change the Web Challenge. Vous avez bien represente l'histoire de notre challenge at les effets positives. Aux niveaux d'un strategie viral, enfet nous n'avons pas de tout les moyens pour un grand campaign des advertisments mainstream. Et en plus, on regard notre project comme un alternative du monde advertising. On veux stimule l'activisme en lieu de la consomation.
A bientot,
Peter
Social Actions, Fondateur
- Montreal, Quebec