mobile

Be Extraordinary - In Less than 20 Minutes

by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on 17 Nov 2008

This past weekend, I sat down with Ben Rigby and Jacob Colker in between sessions at the Net Impact Conference in Philly. Ben and Jacob are co-founders of the Extraordinaries, and they want to turn your spare time into social good by delivering on-demand opportunities to volunteer. Sounds simple enough, but the real kicker, is that they are building a platform to enable all of this volunteer activity to take place on your mobile phone. Read more »

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Should We Give to the Red Cross?

by Julia Rocchi on 2 Sep 2008 8

"Donating to the Red Cross to support victims of Hurricane Gustav is like buying a GM car - why would you when there are so many better choices that fit the Connected Age? C'mon, Team Obama, stop trying to appease and start trying to change the world!"

That's the intro to Allison's blistering post over at Personal Democracy Forum about the Obama campaign's call to aid Gulf hurricane victims by donating to the Red Cross. This ties in to one of our favorite (and as yet unanswered) issues -- are traditional institutions outdated? And if so, should we try adapting them, or rather let them fall by the wayside and move to more progressive models?

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Live Blogging: 2008 YPulse National Mashup

by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on 14 Jul 2008

Today, we’re live blogging from the YPulse National Mashup here in San Francisco. It’s a convening of some of the leading social marketers in the world who are reaching young people. This year’s major themes focus on the future of mobile. I am a bit out of my comfort zone sitting here blogging from my Dell computer and feeling slightly inadequate without the new iPhone at my side, but I am taking it in and have already seen some interesting discussions.

First speaker was Antii Ohrling, co-founder of Blyk, an innovative new mobile advertising service that is sweeping throughout the UK. The basic idea of Blyk is that 16-24 y/o sign up to receive free text and mobile minutes in exchange for advertising. In a sense it’s a quid pro quo – trading minutes for marketing. And, what’s more, it’s working – with astonishing success. Ohrling explained that the campaigns average a 29% response rate, which far exceeds any traditional web banner or mobile campaign ads. Read more »

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Warm Up Your Fingers, It’s Time to Text-to-Give!

by Megan Stohner on 10 Jul 2008

Good news everyone, you can now officially give to Children’s National Medical Center by sending a quick text message on your mobile.

Here’s how it works:
1. You text “NATS” to 90999 (today or any time before July 31).
2. You receive a text message asking you to confirm that you want to make a $5 donation to Children’s National Medical Center.
3. You confirm your donation and a $5 charge will appear on your phone bill.

All proceeds (minus a 5% processing fee to the nonprofit Mobile Giving Foundation) will go to Children’s National Medical Center to help build a new Pediatric Diabetes Care Complex. Tickets for the Nationals game this Sunday are also still available, and remember, $15 of the ticket cost goes to Children’s.

It’s easy. It’s fun. It’s for a great cause. As Ben Stiller would say in Starsky & Hutch, “Do It.”

Interested in other fun ways to give using your mobile? One of my favorite new Facebook applications is the Giving application by mgive. Download the Giving application, and check out how easy it is to give to a charity using your mobile. I have the Alicia Keys’s Keep A Child Alive widget on my Facebook profile. I love how it looks, and it’s amazingly easy to give.

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