Seeking "Tech for Good" Stories for ABC News
Submitted by KatrinVerclas on Tue, 03/13/2007 - 6:28am.
I am seeking some very good stories from YOU for a piece on ABC News/vcast TODAY that will feature "technology for good' or how nonprofits are using tech to make the world a better place. Here is what I am looking for:
Nonprofits are getting more and more savvy in using tech - and deploying techies who are doing good in the world. In April, more than 1,000 of these "Techies for Good" are coming to Washington DC.
What do these orgs do? They...
- run online campaigns and interactive games (yep, games) to highlight the plight of the people in Darfur...
- use innovate distributed Internet calling centers to provide legal help to low-income people with pro-bono volunteers....
- use mobile phones to engage volunteers
- run online communities of moms with children with birth defects...
- use video and audio in support of human rights work around the world...
- use and build social networks of people who care for a cause
- run online friend-raising campaigns with a cool widget, a community of friends, and a purpose (help a child in Cambodia ;)
- build emergency wireless systems out of the box as the next hurricane hits (remember those mash-networks in New Orleans?)
- provide health services in the street via PDA
You get the idea.
What I want:
- a story from YOU - compelling, simple (remember, this is mainstream television) and with an angle that middle America can grok
- some real and verifiable background data - how many people reached, how much money raised, policy changed, lives saved... -- more than punditry, please, and yes, we fact-check.
- a URL, a flash site/animation (yep, Free Range), a ringtone, a compelling message, a branded phone, an IM client, a map, a campaign, a policy victory, a fine widget, a video -- give me something to show. It's TV, after all. I come with Mac, Ipod, and phone and will swing them all around;
- any tech and any issue welcome - make your case.
Post them here or pots the URL of your blog post/story. I need this by TODAY COB or midnight :-) . If compelling, we'll use them for the story (and we'll give you a heads up as to when it airs/goes online). Thanks!
I am a member of an organization called Speed Matters. We are dedicated to the mission of Affordable High Speed Internet For All.
1.Speed and Universality Matter for Internet Access
2.The U.S. “High Speed” Definition is Too Slow
3.A National High Speed Internet for All Policy is Critical
4.The U.S. Must Preserve an Open Internet
5.Consumer and Worker Protections Must Be Safeguarded
You can learn more about our group at - http://www.speedmatters.org/
Life for Relief and Development is a Muslim relief and development organization that dedicates itself to alleviating human suffering around the world regardless of race, color, religion, or cultural background. .
LIFE’s online campaign raised nearly $100,000 online in a few weeks. Email response rates from its list of 8,000 addresses ranged from 1.2 to 1.8%. The campaign allowed for the organization to distribute packages of cow, goat, or sheep meat to the most poor and needy in countries such as Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Somalia, Ethiopia, Palestine, Sierra Leone, and more.
We're a nonprofit organization serving survivors of torture living in San Diego. In the past we've focused on just health and mental health services, but now we're launching some big awareness projects. We recently started a myspace page, and we already have more than 1,030 contacts! We also sent our first e-newsletter today, and we're finding that online is the best way to find great volunteers for our organization. Email me if you'd like more information!