Social Media Experts Up for Auction

Jennifer Leggio has the goal of raising $10,000 for Team in Training, the fundraising arm of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which funds medical research for blood cancer cures and provides patient and family support programs. To help do this she has secured the time and creativity of some of the smartest folks in the marketing/digital/social media space. As of today, you have about NINE days to bid on the services of Chris Brogan, Joseph Jaffe, Geoff Livingston, Aaron Strout and Greg Verdino. So think about your business challenges, review the profiles below and then make your bid. All in a good cause (and for those in the USA, tax deductible too).

Chris BroganChris Brogan uses social media and technology to build digital relationships for businesses, organizations, and individuals. He has merged his experience in technology (enterprise IT and wireless telephony) with his passion for social media, such that he’s showing organizations how to use these tools inside the firewall, as well as to build authentic conversations between coworkers, customers, and even competitors. Brogan is cofounder of the PodCamp unconference series (with Christopher S. Penn), exploring the use of new media community tools to extend relationships and build value.

Auction: Speaking engagement anywhere in the U.S. valued from $5K-$10K. Bidding begins at $700. Full details available on the Chris Brogan eBay auction site.

Joseph JaffeJoseph Jaffe is one of the most sought after consultants, speakers and thought leaders on new marketing. He is president and “chief interuptor” at crayon, a strategic advisory group that helps companies “join the conversation” through the power of community, dialogue and partnership. He has spoken to audiences in North America, London, the Netherlands, Turkey and South Africa and to companies including Yahoo!, JWT, Modem Media, Conde Nast and iVillage. In 2007, Jaffe authored the book Join the Conversation: How to Engage Marketing-Weary Consumers with the Power of Community, Dialogue and Partnership.

Auction: Dinner and brainstorming session in the New York / Connecticut area valued at $10K. Bidding begins at $1K. Full details available on the Joseph Jaffe eBay auction site.

Geoff LivingstonGeoff Livingston has worked as a marketing strategist in the Washington, DC region for 15 years. Dubbed a “local blogging guru” by the Washington Post, Geoff’s Buzz Bin blog is nationally recognized, and is the top ranked independent PR blog in the Washington, DC region. He successfully launched FortiusOne’s GeoCommons using an aggressive social media strategy, and marketed Godsmack lead singer Sully Erna’s bio using a diversified My Space and blogosphere campaign. Geoff’s book on new media Now is Gone was released last autumn by Bartleby Press.

Auction: Two-hour phone consulting / brainstorming session valued at $1K. Bidding begins at $100. Full details available on the Geoff Livingston eBay auction site.

Aaron StroutAaron Strout is vice president of social media at Mzinga, a Burlington, Massachusetts-based provider of online communities and social networks for businesses. In his role, Aaron focuses on blogging, podcasting, webinars, blogger relations, and evangelizing the benefits of social networks for business. In addition to his knowledge of the interactive and new media landscape, Aaron has more than 15 years of online marketing and advertising experience, with a strong background in integrated and online marketing.

Auction: Two-hour phone consulting / brainstorming session valued at $1K. Bidding begins at $100. Full details available on the Aaron Strout eBay auction site.

Greg VerdinoGreg Verdino is a recognized expert on business and marketing innovation, emerging technologies and Web 2.0. Equal parts marketer and futurist, Greg has made a career of identifying key trends and helping companies turn disruptive changes into a real, sustainable business and marketing advantages. He works as Chief Strategy Officer at crayon, a strategic advisory group that helps companies ‘join the conversation’ through the power of community, dialogue and partnership. He has been profiled in and quoted by a wide variety of business and news media including Advertising Age, Adweek, BusinessWeek, Forbes, Marketing News, New York Times, Newsday and the Wall Street Journal, as well as on television news outlets including CNBC and Fox News Channel.

Auction: A 60-minute keynote speech or 1/2 day workshop anywhere within the U.S. or Canada valued from $5K-$7.5K. Bidding begins at $700. Full details available on the Greg Verdino eBay auction site.

Houses for the Homeless

Housesforhomeless Homelessness is a condition that can be surprisingly close. At any point in time unforeseen events can transform our ordinary, safe, secure lives and lead us into a spiral that results in homelessness. These unforeseen events may be mundane or extraordinary ... anything from an interest rate rise to loss of employment.

As a general rule, it is claimed that spending more than 30% of your income on your rent or mortgage places you in a situation of stress. However, in cities such as Sydney, it is not uncommon to see families spending way above 50% of their income on ever increasing mortgages. And regardless of how these families arrived in this situation (whether through the unsafe lending practices of banks and financial institutions or bad decisions by borrowers), the impact is very real. In fact, Mission Australia estimates that right now there are 1.7 million Austalians facing housing stress.

RealEstate.com.au are currently running a promotion where they will donate $1 for EVERY click on the Houses for the Homeless website up to a maximum of $100,000. This money can go a long way:

  • $25 will help a Mission Australia bus take a person to emergency accommodation
  • $50 will accommodate single homeless person for a night
  • $100 will accommodate a homeless family for a night

There is more that can be done ... but you can start with the click of a mouse. Do so here.

Earth Hour

In support of Earth Hour, the Servant of Chaos blog will be blacked out for 24 hours. Very Staufenburger don't you think?

Thanks to Neil Perkin for the tip.

Support Tricia

Triciaribbon It is a beautiful day in Sydney. A busy week is drawing to a close and I am looking forward to a weekend with family and friends. Next week, I will be in New York meeting up with some of the brightest and most talented people I know -- the Blogger Socialites. Really, life is good.

But not everyone has the luxury of my rosy view of the next few days. An email this afternoon from my friend, Todd Andrlik shows how very different his weekend will be. You see, Todd's sister, Tricia, was diagnosed last week with the same aggressive form of breast cancer as Susan Reynolds -- invasive lobular carcinoma. That means that Tricia will spend the weekend in hospital undergoing a double mastectomy.

Todd has setup a website to keep family and friends up-to-date. You can share your support for Todd and for Tricia and her family by visiting the site -- 4tricia.com. And as you can imagine, there will be additional stresses and worries associated with medical costs -- with years of treatment and associated costs ahead. For those who can, you can support Tricia's family in three different ways directly from the site. Even the smallest donation helps.

Please keep Tricia in your thoughts over the next few days. And hold your loved ones close.

International Women's Day

IwdlogoIn 1908, 15000 women marched in the streets of New York demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. Three years later, on March 8, 1911, the first International Women's Day was launched in Copenhagen. Tomorrow, in Sydney, thousands will gather at Sydney Town Hall at 11am.

And in honour of International Women's Day, I thought it worth remembering that there are some fantastic blogs by women -- and what better place to start than with the W-list. If your blog/name is not on the list, then join up here to add your blog to the W Magical List of Women Bloggers. Also check out Wowowow.

Here are a couple of my local favourites that don't seem to be listed -- Dipping into the Blogpond by Meg Tsiamis, Laurel Papworth and Our Great Southern Land by Jayne.

2020 Hindsight by Susan Kitchens
21st Century Collaborative by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
4-women-in-insurance by Dina A. Privitera
45 Things by Anita Bruzzese
Abide | Living with chronic illness by Sharon Brogan
A Girl Must Shop by Megan Garnhum
A Little Pregnant by Julie
A Look at Art & Design by Lisa Mikulski
A Lucid Spoonful by Paula Crossfield
Aerophant by Tai Moses
Affirmagy Blog by Kristen Schuerlein
Aide-Memoire by Kate Carruthers
All for Women by Leigh, Naom, Patricia, and Barbara
Alkamae by Susan Reid
Allied by Jeneane Sessum[[http://www.artlook.typepad.com/|]]
Ample Sanity by Anne Matthews
andHow To Reach Women by Tami Anderson
angiemckaig.com: still a great pair of legs by Angie McKaig
A n n a r c h y by Ann Handley
Ask Dr. Kirk by Dr. Delaney Kirk
Average Jane by Average Jane
Babylune by Kate Baggott
Back in Skinny Jeans by Stephanie Quilao
Bag and Baggage by Denise Howell
Balanced Life Center-Spirituality applied to Life by Nneka
be Conscious now by Kara-Leah Masina
Be Relevant! by Tamara Gielen
Becoming a Woman of Purpose by Carolyn D. Townes
Becoming your StellarSelf by Mary Kearns
Be the One. Find the One: Advertising and Marketing Recruiting by DFBryant&Co (Jenny Meade)
Big Window by Robin Reagler
Biz Growth News by Krishna De
Blog Fabulous by Tracee Sioux
Blogging Blog | Tips, Tools & Toys for the Personal Blogger by Sharon Brogan
Blogging Sueblimely by Sue Bride
BlogWrite for CEOs by Debbie Weil
Blogaholics by Arienna Foley
Blog Til You Drop by Laurence-Hélène Borel
Brain Based Biz by Dr. Robyn McMaster
Brain Based Business by Dr. Ellen Weber
Brains On Purpose by Stephanie West Allen
Brand Sizzle by Anne Simons
Branding & Marketing by Chris Brown
Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk
Bread Coffee Chocolate Yoga by Fortune Elkins
Breastfeeding 1-2-3 by Angela
Build A Better Blog by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff
Build a Solo Practice, LLC by Susan Cartier Liebel
Burningbird by Shelley Powers
Cafe30 by Towanda Long (The Cafe Lady)
Career Goddess by Susan Guarnieri
Change Therapy by Isabella Mori
Chasing Daisy by Daisy
Chatting to my Generation by Anja Merret
Cheap Thrills by Ryan Barrett
CherylMillerVille by Cheryl Miller
Child-Centered Divorce by Rosalind Sedacca
Christine Kane by Christine Kane
Church of the Customer by Jackie Huba
CK’s Blog by CK (Christina Kerley)
Cocktail Party Physics by Jennifer Ouiellette
Colloquium by JHSEsq
Communication Overtones by Kami Huyse
Conflict coaching and resolution for the workplace by Dr Tammy Lenski
Confession of a Marketing Addict by Sunny Cervantes
Confessions of a Pioneer Woman by Ree
Confident Writing by Joanna Young
Conscious Business by Anne Libby
Contentious by Amy Gahran
Conversation Agent by Valeria Maltoni
Conversations With Dina by Dina Mehta
Corporate PR by Elizabeth Albrycht
Cottontimer by Hsien-Hsien Lei
Creating Passionate Users by Kathy Sierra
Creative Curio by Lauren Marie
Crossroads by Evelyn Rodriguez
Cruel To Be Kind by Nicole Simon
Customer Experience Crossroads by Susan Abbott
Customers Are Always by Maria Palma
Customers Rock! by Becky Carroll
CustServ by Meikah David
DailyAffirm by Jeanie Marshall
Debbie Millman by Debbie Millman
Deborah Schultz by Deborah Schultz
Decent Marketing by Katherine Stone
Defining Spiritual Presence by Greenwoman
Designers Who Blog by Cat Morley
Design Your Life by Ellen and Julia Lupton
Design Your Writing Life by Lisa Gates
Diary of Claudine Hellmuth by Claudine Hellmuth
Diva Marketing Blog by Toby Bloomberg
Do It Myself Blog by Glenda Watson Hyatt
Dooce by Heather B. Armstrong
Downshifting by Anne Howe
Driving Traffic by Carol Krishner
Echidne of the Snakes by Echidne
EdithYeung.com by Edith Yeung
Eie Flud by Heather
Elise.com by Elise Bauer
Email Marketing Best Practices by Tamara Gielen
Emerging Customer by Michelle Lamar
Emily Chang - Strategic Designer by Emily Chang
Emily in France Emily
eMoms at Home by Wendy Piersall
EmpowerWomenNow.com by Ponn Sabra
Enter the Laughter by Marti Lawrence
Equip and Empower! by Carolyn D. Townes
Escape Blog by Melissa Petri
Escape From Corporate America by Laurel Delaney
Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pamela Slim
eSoup by Sharon Sarmiento
Essential Keystrokes by Char
Every Dot Connectsby Connie Reece
EvilHRLady by Evil HR Lady
Expansion Plus by Sally Falkow
Experienceology by Stephanie Weaver
Fabulous Geezersisters by Ruth Pennebaker
Fetch Me My Axef
Finding Blanche by Wendy Scherer
Fish Creek House by GP
First Light by Julie Keyser-Squires
Flash and Accessibility by Niqui Merret
Flooring The Consumer by CB Whittemore
Forrester’s Marketing Blog by Shar, Charlene, Chloe, Christine Elana, Laura and Lisa
Forward Steps by Thea Westra
Franke James by Franke James
frizzyLogic by frizzyLogic
Full Circle by Nancy White
Funny Business by Elena Centor
Fusion View by Yang-Amy Ooi
Garden Variety Family by Karin Marlett-Choi
GenPink by Elysa
Get Fresh Minds by Katie Konrath
Get Shouty by Katie Chatfield
Getting Granular by Aimee Kessler Evans
GGs Swedish WOTD by GG
Giant Jeans Parlour by Anjali
Girl With Pen by Deborah Siegel
Golden Practices by Michelle Golden
Goodness Gracious by Jennifer
GourmetStation Delicious Destinations by Donna Lynes-Miller
Great Presentations Mean Business by Laura Athavale Fitton
Hartsock Communications by Nettie Hartsock
Health Observances by JC Jones and Ijeoma Eleazu
Healthline Connects by JC Jones and Ijeoma Eleazu
Hey Marci by Marci Alboher
Hiring Technical People by Johanna Rothman
¡Hola! Oi! Hi! by katia adams
Holly’s Corner Blog by Holly Schwendiman
Horse Pig Cow by Tara Hunt
idealawg by Stephanie West Allen
ifelse by Phu Ly
Illustration Friday by Penelope Dullaghan
Indigo Ocean by Indigo Ocean
Infomaniac by Liz Donovan
Inspirationbit by Vivien
Inspired Business Growth by Wendy Piersall
Internet Geek Girl by Stephanie Agesta
In Women We Trust by Mary Clare Hunt
Jane Geneva by Jane Geneva
J.T. O’Donnell Career Insights by J.T. O’Donnell
Jemima Kiss by Jemima Kiss
Joyful, Jubilant Learning by Rosa Say
Katya’s Non-Profit Marketing Blog by Katya Andresen
KDPaine’s PR Measurement Blog by Katie Delahaye Paine
Kinetic Ideas by Wendy Maynard
Kristy T’s Home Business Blog by Kristy T
Kung Foodie by Kat
Lawgarithms by Denise Howell
Learned on Women by Andrea Learned
Life at the Bar by Julie Fleming-Brown
Lifeblog by anina
Lifecruiser
Lifehacker by Gina Trapani
Lindsey Pollak Career Blog by Lindsey Pollak
Lip-sticking by Yvonne DeVita
Little Red Suit by Tiffany Monhollon
Live The Power by Karen Lynch
Liz Strauss at Successful Blog by Liz Strauss
Lorelle on WordPress by Lorelle VanFossen
Mad Techie Woman by Shelley Powers
Making Life Work for You by April Groves
Marketer Blog by Leslie Jump
Marketing To Women by Holly Buchanan
Manage to Change by Ann Michael
Management Craft by Lisa Haneberg
Managing Product Development by Johanna Rothman
Managing With Aloha Coaching by Rosa Say
Mandarin Design Daily:The MEG Blog by Michelle Goodrich
Marketing Roadmaps by Susan Getgood
Mary’s Blog by Mary Schmidt
MediaBlog by Daria Rasmussen
Media Influencer by Adriana Lukas
Mediation Marketing Tips by Kristina Haymes
Mediation Mensch by Dina Beach Lynch
Misbehaving by Dana Boyd, Hilde Corneliussen, Caterina Fake, Meg Hourihan, Liz Lawley, Fiona Romeo, Dorothea Salo, Halley Suitt, Gina Trapani, Jill Walker
Mkgmd - le mag du marketing multidimentionnel by Christelle Alexandre
Moda di Magno by Lori Magno
Modite by Rebecca Thorman
Mogulettes in the Making by Carmina Perez
molly.com by Molly E. Holzschlag
More Than WE Know by Liz Fuller
Muddy Boots
My Beautiful Chaos by April Groves
My Shingle by Carolyn Elefant
Narrative Assets by Karen Hegman
Newbie NYC by Mary Hilton
Netdiver by Carole Guevin
one coloured world by Anjolie
On My Desk by Linzie Hunter
Online Guide to Mediation by Diane Levin
Orlando Avenue by Colleen Kulikowski
Passion Meets Purpose by Kammie Kobyleski
Peggy Payne’s Boldness by Peggy Payne
Personal PR by Tiffany Monhollon
Poultry Discussion by Louise Manning
Power Energy Leadership by Michelle Kunz
Presto Vivace Blog by Alice Marshall
Productivity Goal by Carolyn Manning
Purple Wren by Sandy Renshaw
Purse Lip Square Jaw by Anne Galloway
Quality Service Marketing by Sybil Stershic
re:Invention by Kristen Osolind
Rebecca’s Pocket by Rebecca Blood
Resonance Partnership by Marianne Richmond
Sacred Ingredients by Nicole Hanley
Sanctuary for Change by Susan Hanshaw
Scattered Light by Cheryl and Janet Snell
Sent From My Dell Desktop by Alejandra Ramos
Settle It Now Negotiation Blog by Victoria Pynchon
Shiva’s Arms by Cheryl Snell
Small Biz Survival by Becky McCray
Small Business Trends by Anita Campbell
Small Failures: Sustainability for the Rest of Us by Jess Sand
So Close by Tertia
Solomother by Christina Zola
Spare Change by Nedra Kline Weinreich
Spirit in Gear by Debbie Call
Spirit Women by Carolyn D. Townes
Subterranean Homepage News by Sheila Lennon
::Surroundings:: by Linda Merrill
Susan Mernit’s Blog by Susan Mernit
Sweet|Salty by Kate Inglis
swissmiss by Tina Roth Eisenberg
Talk It Up by Heidi Miller
Talking Coaching by Krishna De
TechForward by Lena West
Tech Kitten by Trisha Miller
TechMamas by Beth Blecherman
Teen Health 411 by Dr. Nancy Brown
That’s What She Said by Julie Elgar
The Artsy Asylum by Susan Reynolds
The Blog Angel by Claire Raikes
The Brand Dame by Lyn Chamberlin
The Budgeting Babe by Nicole Mladic
the Constant Observer by Tish Grier
The Copywriting Maven by Roberta Rosenberg
The Curious Shopper by Sara Cantor
The Diet Dish by Tara Gidus
The Engaging Brand by Anna Farmery
The Entrepreneurial MD by Philippa Kennealy
The Family Fork by Andrea Giancolli
The Fitness Fixer by Dr. Jolie Bookspan
The Floozy Blog by Kate Coote
The Global Small Business Blog by Laurel Delaney
The Heart and Craft of Lifestory Writing by Sharon Lippincott
The Kiss Business Tooby Karin H.
The Krafty Librarian by Michelle A. Kraft
The Kristasphere by Krista Summit
The Lawyer Coach Blog by Allison Wolf
The Marketing Mix Blog by Ilse Benun
The New Charm School by Jennifer Warwick
The Parody by Sasha Manuel
The Podcast Sisters by Krishna De, Anna Farmery and Heather Gorringe
The Qualitative Research Blog by Reshma Anand
The Shifted Librarian by Jenny Levine
The What If…? Women by Randee, Lori, Anne, Lynn and Norka (Pink Collar Club)
Think Simple. Be Decisive. by Tina Su
Think Positive! by Kristen Harrell
this is rachelandrew.co.uk by Rachel Andrew
Tiny Starfish in a Great Big Sea by Carol Toscano
Toddler Planet by WhyMommy
unstruc chitchat about information by Daniela Barbosa
Veerle’s blog 2.0 by Veerle
Virtual Woman's Day by Heidi Richards, The WECAI Network™
Vivid by Erin Noteboom
VoIP by Association by Suzanne Bowen
Water Cooler Wisdom by Alexandra Levit
Watermark | A Poet's Notebook by Sharon Brogan
Wealth Strategy Secrets by Nicola Cairncross
WE Magazine for Women by Heidi Richards & Co. The Women's eCommerce Association
We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto. by Jenny Meade
What A Concept! by Sherry Heyl
What’s Next Blog by B L Ochman
White Trash Mom by Michelle Lamar
Wiggly Wigglers by Heather Gorringe
Women Presidents' Organization Chicago by Laurel Delaney
WomensDISH by Diane K. Danielson and Friends
Women's Media Summit by Heidi Richards, et al
Wonder Branding by Michele Miller
Woolgathering by Elizabeth Perry
Worker Bees Blog by Elisa Camahort
Working with Wisdom by Tricia Molloy
Write Ideas Marketing by Andrea Morris
You Already Know This Stuff by Jodee Bock
Ypulse by Anastasia Goodstein
Zenslaw by Karen Turner

Are You a Talker or a Doer -- Do Some Good Now

I have been watching the gang at Decisive Flow for almost as long as I have been writing this blog -- which is now well over two years. In start up world, that is about 10 years. And when you consider that Nat and Tim and the gang are based in New Zealand, far away from the spotlight and funding of Silicon Valley, then their successes are magnified several times over.

Why have Decisive Flow succeeded in a world of cut throat agencies, design shops and digitial sweatshops? I would like to say because they are nice folks ... because they are clever. Because they do good work. Well it is more than these things ... sure good work is important. Sure you need smart folk, good talent and it helps to be pleasant. But clearly, Decisive Flow deliver results. They identify gaps in the market and then seek to fill them. They create value for themselves, their clients and the consumers that they serve. They go beyond the mere creation of websites and applications, tapping into a global movement that aligns personal conviction with global need. It is the difference between talking and doing.

This project is a great example of how content, need, strategy and action come together in a Web 2.0 world. For every 100,000 visitors to THIS site between now and July 1st, one mason will be trained by LJ Urban to build houses in the land locked country of Burkina Faso (in Africa). That's right ... all you need to do is VISIT the site and encourage others to do so. This will make a REAL difference to the lives of a family. Learn more in this video ...

And while the first step is to visit, there are many more options for action:

  1. Blog about this site. Let your readers know what is going on. Encourage them to visit.
  2. Write emails to your friends. Bookmark the site. Create traffic.
  3. Visit the blog and comment.
  4. Go the whole hog -- buy a house and train a mason

Oh, and obviously, if you have a digital project that you need to activate. Give Tim and Nat a call. I am sure their simple and loveable approach will ring true for your business and your customers.

Twitter Over Delivers

I am pleased to see that the community collection for Ashley Spencer has achieved its goals -- $5000. Through the work of a number of dedicated folks and through the generosity of a wide Twitter community, Ashley's family will have at least a little financial respite in the immediate term.

For those of you who have not heard the tragic story, click here and here. And for those of you who have not yet, but can, donate, please do so by clicking the ChipIn button above. For while the target has been achieved, the costs of raising a young family never end. Your small donation can make a big difference in the Spencer family's life.

UPDATE: Dan advises that a NEW TARGET has been set -- $6000. If you have not as yet contributed, please do consider.

Is That CHANGE in Your Pocket?

Yesterday, as I watched the Twitter messages flash on the bottom corner of my computer screen I saw something that made me freeze. In less that 140 characters I suddenly knew more about about the life (and unfortunately, the tragic death) of someone I had never really met. A link came through to announce the terrible news that Ashley Spencer (known on Twitter as AshPEAmama) had died in a car accident.

But what the news report did not, and could not know, is that this spurred a flurry of "Tweets" that spanned the globe, and this flurry explained the tragedy of the event, the very human cost and its devastating impact on a young family.

Today, also via Twitter, I found that it is easy to help ... easy to reach out and provide a small amount of assistance to a family in crisis. Dan Mosqueda went ahead and setup a ChipIn account to collect donations for Ashley's young family. Through this (and through the security of PayPal) you can donate as much or as little as you choose. But unlike the formal charity structures, every single cent goes through to Ashley's family.

With such innovative and powerfully direct ways of making a charitable impact on the lives of people, is it any wonder that Seth Godin sees challenges for business methods of charities? We don't need to look far to see need ... and when tragedy hits your social network, the whole world catches its breath. Please don't forget to use your small change to make a change.

Frozen Pea Friday

I read this week (unfortunately I can't remember where), that you KNOW you are part of a community when you disappear from it for a while and the community members come looking for you. And this is what is a revelation about social media -- not only do we participate in the big picture ideas of others, through micro-blogging such as Twitter, we are also exposed to the minutiae and sometimes intimate details of the lives of others. Others who we, at some point, come to recognise as friends.

With this in mind, in a matter of hours, Susan Reynolds heads into surgery. And in support of her efforts to overcome cancer, many of us are turning our images, our avatars etc into pea-themed pictures.

This great idea was the brainchild of the charming and energetic, Connie Reece. And if you want to participate, you can do so easily -- change your Twitter avatar and post it to this Flickr group. And as you post, send you best wishes and thoughts from your place in the world to Susan.

You Are With Life, Or Against It

With thanks to Katie Chatfield for opening my eyes, ears and heart to Suheir Hammad.

Vote for Mr Splashy Pants

Spalshypants200 We all debate whether you can intentionally create something that "goes viral". Drew was asking the same question earlier.

My view, for what it is worth, is that we can (and probably should) design our marketing to be virally-enabled. That is, we should make it easy for others to pick up our idea and make it their own -- via links, embedding options, voting/ranking and send-to-friend options etc. BUT it is important to remember that "viral" is not about the brand ... it is actually about the users -- about me and you. If I forward a "viral" piece I will do so, because it says something to you about ME. It provides me with SOCIAL CURRENCY.

So, in this instance, when I ask you all to Vote for Mr Splashy Pants, this is what is happening:

  • I am linking to Nat who brought it to my attention. This means that I hope that she checks her Technorati profile and sees that I am linking to her. Then she can respond and engage in conversation (hi Nat!)
  • I am hoping that you good folks are going to click through to check Nat's story because it is much better than mine
  • I am also using Nat's cute pic which has a nice call to action ... reminding you, dear reader, to help promote Greenpeace's efforts to save the whales (and if you "right mouse click" on the picture, you can save it and republish it on your blog -- nice one, thanks!).
  • Hopefully you love the silliness of the name of the whale and want to promote this to the world in an effort to fight the barbarity of whale slaughter with the power of cuteness while adding to your karma credits (remember, when you write this on your blog you will also receive additional karma credit transfers from others to you -- after all, you are encouraging the good in all of us)
  • As this effort accelerates, your sense of belonging improves, and provides you with a story to tell other (I was there, talking about Mr Splashy Pants, when he was only a baby beluga).

Most importantly in this process, the "value" of social currency cannot be dictated (by a brand or organisation). This is more organic. And sure you can plan for it, design for it and even hope for it, but I think "viral" is like comedy -- all in the timing.

And speaking of timing ... you can only vote until DECEMBER 7, 2007 (at 17:00 Amsterdam time). Oh, see that -- three calls to action in the one post. Lovely.

UPDATE: Mr T pities the fool who doesn't vote for Mr Splashy Pants. Got to love T.

Thanks Bernie Banton

Very few of us know what it means to be an evangelist. Sure, we can believe in some cause, issue or even technology, but the challenges that the modern marketing evangelists have to overcome are relatively lightweight concerns -- lack of awareness, market inertia, apathetic employees. The real life evangelist, however, deals in a world of magnified challenges where the outcomes are counted in lives.

In a time where the economic, social and political power of corporations has reached its zenith, Bernie Banton stood out as an individual willing and (barely) able to confront it. Despite suffering from asbestosis, mesothelioma and Asbestos-Related Pleural Disease, Bernie took on the might and legal wiles of James Hardy and the Australian legal system, working to secure the rights to compensation of thousands of workers affected by unsafe working conditions in the James Hardy factories.

At 1am, on Monday, Bernie died at home, in the presence of his family.

In many ways in the last decade, Bernie was the voice of a forgotten Australian consciousness reminding us all of our fundamental humanity and Australian spirit. It was a voice that we sorely needed and one that will be greatly missed.

Next Wednesday, a State Funeral will be held at Acer Arena in Homebush. May you rest in peace, Bernie. And thanks.

Planning for Good

A while back I got involved with a number of folks wanting to use their brains to help solve problems and support non-profit causes. This group, called Planning for Good, have organised themselves mainly through Facebook, but have recently started a blog.

The Facebook group has over 1000 members with 35 city groups established -- so there is certainly a lot of participation. We have answered two high profile briefs and there is a second on the way (in the next 48 hours).

The city groupings have turned out to be a great way of extending your online interest into offline activism (and it is a lot of fun to meet people face-to-face). If you are based in Sydney and would like to participate in Planning for Good, please JOIN our Facebook group. You can expect to meet Emily Reed, Tim Longhurst, Jax Weschler, Katie Chatfield, Samantha Heron and many others. Come one, come all.

Blog Nothing Day

Feelin' Furry this Movember

Movember07 As you know, I am making my annual offerings to the furry lipped gods in the fight against prostate cancer. That's right ... it is the month of Movember. And this year I have recruited a number of men who are proud to wear the mark of the unshaven.

But we need your help. You see, any good team needs a sponsor, and so we are turning to you, kind folks, to support us in our most earnest of endeavours.

To sponsor me:

  1. Visit the Movember website
  2. Choose to donate or to sponsor
  3. Enter my registration number : 158914
  4. Begin to FEEL GOOD about doing good

To JOIN the team:

  1. Visit the Movember website
  2. Choose the Join a Team option
  3. Use the Captain's registration number 158914
  4. And my email address: servant [at] servantofchaos [dot] com
  5. Begin to FEEL GOOD about participating

Give One, Get One (OLPC)

I have written about the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative before ... and you may remember that for a SHORT TIME ONLY, the cool OLPC is available for purchase in North America.

That's right, as of yesterday, the XO Giving site allows you to purchase two of these cool laptops for $400 ... one being donated to a child in a developing nation, the second being sent to YOUR child at home. The offer is open for 15 days!

But, listen, if you are a school buyer and you want to purchase new PCs for your kids next year, consider the OLPC and have double the impact on the lives of children -- locally and globally. Now, that's really a great idea!

Sponsor or Join me this Movember

Movemberservantofchaos You might remember that I participated in Movember last year -- the annual event to raise awareness around prostate cancer and to raise money for research into the "most common non-skin cancer".

This year, I want to go a step further. I have setup a team ... and I would like you to either sponsor me or JOIN. To make this easier for those based in the USA, I have setup a team with the US organisation which means that any donations made are tax deductible in the US.

I am particularly keen to see the following folks with a MO ... David Armano, Mack Collier, David Reich, Peter Kim, Cam Beck, Drew McLellan, Clay Parker Jones, Greg Verdino, Kevin Dugan, Lewis Green, Mark Goren, Matt Dickman, Mike Sansone (ok you have a headstart), Sean Howard and Paul McEnany. Anyone else you want to see with a mo? Let me know and I will add them to the list.

To sponsor me:

  1. Visit the Movember website
  2. Choose to donate or to sponsor
  3. Enter my registration number : 158914
  4. Begin to FEEL GOOD about doing good

To JOIN the team:

  1. Visit the Movember website
  2. Choose the Join a Team option
  3. Use the Captain's registration number 158914
  4. And my email address: servant [at] servantofchaos [dot] com
  5. Begin to FEEL GOOD about participating

Make a Ripple

rippleGive MoneyGive EducationGive FoodGive Water

Regular visitors to this blog will have noticed this little box up the top (the same one shown here feedreaders). It is a neat little good works widget that translates your clicks into REAL, TANGIBLE things that people need ... like drinking water, education, food and interest on loans for new business establishment. In a way it is a form of pay-per-view ... in return for your attention, the advertisers are donating money in support of basic human needs.

You can find out HOW it works here ... and you can get the code for your own widgets here.

Go on ... what is the cost of a click? Or, more importantly, how valuable is your click in someone else's life? You'd be surprised!

What Global Climate Policy Should Learn from Year 2000

Back in the lead-up to the Year 2000 I was working at IBM. There were massive ... really, massive projects underway to eliminate the "Year 2000 bug" from worldwide computer systems. These involved combing through millions of lines of computer code to remove any instances of six number dates (MMDDYY -- those dates that reset the year counter to 00 rather than 2000).

To achieve this, there were whole, global divisions established, new competencies developed and careers were established for life ... on both the technical and client side. The investment in people, technology and processes was amazing. The cost was hugely expensive. And the outcome? Well ... the new year clicked over and not one plane fell out of the air. No catastrophe hit the financial markets. Hospitals continued to function. And I had a great night out.

But I was just watching this great video (courtesy of David Koopmans) on the relative risks of global climate change and our INACTION on this crisis (and yes, let's admit it is a crisis). One thing that the Year 2000 folks understood was risk management. They understood that there was going to be a cost no matter what decision was taken ... but the upside of action was the "management" of the cost and the outcome. The downside of INACTION was catastrophe on a scale never before imagined. This is the same situation today -- just the debate is now about global climate change, not computer code failure.

I encourage you, watch this video. Invest the 10 minutes. And then push it. Spend five minutes more telling others about it. Don't let this be the MOST TERRIFYING video you will ever see. Make it the most important.

Calculating the Risk of Breast Cancer

There is a lot of information available about breast cancer, but do you REALLY know what the important risk factors are?

Now, in an Australian first, it is possible to calculate your risk of breast cancer using the National Breast Cancer Council's interactive calculator.

Check it out. It's free. And it could save your life.

Blog Action Day

Adoptthesky With Blog Action Day almost upon us, I took a look at the large number of online resources available to those who are keen to support this global initiative. And it just so happened that I found this site -- AdoptTheSky.org who are petitioning the US Environmental Protection Agency over air quality. And as a former asthma sufferer, I fully support any initiative that is going to help thousands of people breathe easier.

One of the cool things about this site is that it automatically registers your name against a mile of US air space. I ended up somewhere over Illinois ... and found that there are almost a million adults and kids who suffer from asthma in that state. That is almost a million people who daily battle to get enough oxygen into their lungs ... who worry about being caught without their inhaler ... or who live the constant threat of hospitalisation. As part of Blog Action Day, make sure you drop by and sign up. It will make us all breathe a little easier.

Bloggers Unite - Blog Action Day

Bloggers Unite -- Free Burma

Free Burma!

They say that actions speak louder than words, but tomorrow October 4, 2007 we are combining action with words ... writing a single blog post with the title "Free Burma". (For those who have not seen the coverage, take a look at the latest update from Amnesty International.

Of course, this applies to those who write or contribute to blogs. But there is more, so much more that can be done (and needs, and SHOULD be done -- with thanks to Dina Mehta):