came in 10 hours after the Blogathon started. I can't tell you how pleased and satisfied I am with the whole thing.
Lastly, I just re-read the piece I wrote and I couldn't be happier with it. Perhaps it's that my brain is still a bit fuzzy, or that I'm too close (time-wise) to the writing, but I think that some of the entries rank among the best writing I've ever done. I can say with certainty that none of those pieces would have been written were it not for the Blogathon."
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Some of the sponsor instructional emails have gone out without the actual link to the charity. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we're working on the problem.
Sponsorships are now closed.
Our final total (not yet adjusted for currency differences) is $101,753.80.
That is amazing, people. Just amazing. Thank you.
Monday, July 28, 2003
Dr. Mani raised over $4,800 this year. He sent his inspiring story to the group, and I'd like to share it here:
Reader's Digest magazine influenced my life - twice.
In 1977, with a story about a living God. A heart surgeon named Denton A.Cooley. He was glamorous, a pioneer and entrepreneur. Operated on princes, presidents and prime ministers. In all, over 75,000 operations. Founded the world-famous Texas Heart Institute in Houston.
I wanted to be like him.
A 1989 issue I read during my medical internship featured a neurosurgeon named Tom Peters. One sentence in his interview remains burned into my mind:
"I don't accept children dying."
This time, I didn't just *want* to be like him. I LIVED LIKE HIM. I too won't accept a child dying. I made myself a promise. Anything... ANYTHING that is within my power to prevent it happening, I will do.
....
Many forms of heart birth defects make survival impossible. Unless they're repaired. That's one reason I became a pediatric heart surgeon. Apart from the challenge, the technical, intellectual and emotional puzzles the speciality poses its practitioners. The latter, sadly, creates robots. Unemotional automatons
that get caught up in their craft, forgetting or ignoring the human element. The stress, pain, trauma, helplessness associated with the problem.
Heart birth defects have a unique social dimension. Young families, just starting out on their careers and settling down, with little if any financial cushion, suddenly are confronted with a daunting choice...Raise the money - often paralyzingly huge sums - or watch your child suffer... or worse. Most of my work online aims to tackle this facet of the complex problem. I can - and do - handle the medical and emotional elements. But alone, I can't help with the financial ones.
And thanks to the heartwarming generous outpouring from a group of amazing folks, at least 3 children will live. Without you, they may not have. YOU have made a difference. YOU are special. I'm honored to consider you my friend!
Thank you -- from my heart!
--Dr. Mani Sivasubramanian
12 HOURS LEFT TO SPONSOR!
If you've been waiting, now is the time.
Small matter I forgot to mention: the deadline for blogger voting is noon Pacific time on Saturday, August 2. We will then send your nominations on to the panel for final judging.
Did you survive Blogathon 2003? Did you love it?
If the answer to those questions is YES!, I hope you'll consider volunteering for Blogathon 2004.
We will need monitors, translators, and other folks we haven't even thought of yet. Most volunteer positions do *not* disqualify you for awards. They will, however, make you a little busier.
If you think this sounds like fun, write me directly at: frykitty AT ureach DOT com.
Sunday, July 27, 2003
ATTENTION BLOGGERS: Two little chores for you
Now that this year's event is over (WOOHOO TO EVERYONE AGAIN!), there are just a couple chores for everyone:
CHORE THE FIRST: Customize the letter to your sponsors. Do this one ASAP, as the letters go out Tuesday.
- If you chose your own charity, please find the part of their website that includes donation information.
- Go to your account and click Edit Donation Letter Information. There you can put in the URL to make it easier for your sponsors. (Leave the field blank if you chose a suggested charity.)
- EVERYONE can put a special message to your sponsors, to be included in the email. That means you can thank even anonymous donors.
At the top of the right-hand column of your account page is a Vote! link. Go there and choose your favorite sites for the 2003 Blogathon. IMPORTANT: Read the instructions, all of 'em. Votes can't be changed, so it pays to be prepared.
In the post-Blogathon hours and days, we continue to feature sites that went the extra mile and offered readers something different.
Like Mimosa Wisdom, who—like only a few other Blogathon participants—blogged remotely, including from an automobile while traveling from location to location, Applebees, and even a pub. That's dedication (and creativity)!
Good morning!
Yes, I know it's 4pm here, but it's morning for me.
A few keepers...
"Mister Yawny" bounces back!
Here are a few gems from the end of the event:
I almost forgot:
(save this on your own server)
Thank you, everyone. This was a remarkable event. What a blast it's been! Things to think about:
For bloggers:
Some time tomorrow you will be asked to vote for your favorite blogs in a number of categories. If you're curious, check the Awards section. Only bloggers will be allowed to vote. You may vote once, and not for yourself. Be thinking about who your favorites were this year.
For sponsors:
Sponsorships will stay open for 48 hours. If you wrote me tonight, I deferred your email, and will get back to you soon.
For everyone:
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BLOGATHON YET!
Congratulations! I'll be contacting you momentarily.
We were three for three this year--you guys are on the ball!
And then, suddenly, it was the last drawing of the night.
The prize this time is one item of your choice from the Blogathon Store.
The poster who has 10 minutes to realize their good fortune and post to their blog: anything but ordinary.
Get to it!
TDavid of TDavid has joined the ranks of other shoutcasting 'thonners, only he's hosting a special edition of his weekly Script School talk radio show just to help get flagging bloggers through their final hours. He's even accepting callers Toll Free! Head over to his blog to get the stream and the toll free number.
At this late hour, I'd like to invite everyone who can get there into the chat rooms. There is an AIM chat and an IRC still available. Check the Chat link at the left for the IRC channel, and IM Jess: AIM evilpikachu420 for an invitation to the other rooms. Let's get through these last 90 minutes together!
Congratulations!
Time for another drawing! This time it's for a Blogathon t-shirt (see Mister Yawny below).
Same rules: see your name here, post to your blog within ten minutes, WIN!
This time I'm looking for Help Desk Humor. I know you're awake. Post!
Yep, that's how we all feel. PS: Nice shirt!
Congratulations to Jen! I'll be sending you an email shortly. More drawings soon!
WHO WANTS A BLOGGER T-SHIRT?
Here's how it works: I post a site. If the person running that site is still up and watching, they need to post at their site that they saw this, and be suitably excited! The post must appear within 10 minutes. After that, we move on to the next name.
The first site is: The Usual Dreams, The Usual Schemes.
Remarkably Purple Spots just announced an amazing pledge of $777 to his cause of Congenital Heart Defects Awareness.
...Remember I told you Paul Myers announced my blog to his list. Well, one of his readers is a big list owner, and he's going to sponsor me another $777 - AND tell HIS list about it!I'm speechless. What incredible things we can accomplish when we work together.
Now, I can tell you I'm too amazed for words. Stunned in disbelief.
A whole lot of good will come out of this. And I'm happy we're the people behind it. Thought you'd all like to know what a difference we're making today/night.
Saturday, July 26, 2003
Poor Michael has a family making him drink a can of Vanilla Coke for every entry he writes in exchange for sponsorship. Yes, that's almost 50 cans of soda. He may not have trouble staying awake during the 'thon, but no doubt he'll have trouble falling asleep afterwards!
Are your eyes getting sore from reading blog after blog filled with words, words, and more words? Well, why not try some of the blogs with less words and more pictures?
Like Sweet Sues pictures of animals (some drawn, some scanned, some with connected dots) or pixiecrap!. Or maybe Alasticity.net. And how about the ever-popular toilet pictures over at Twodolla.org?
There's a lot of imagery out there, so if you want to rest your eyes, there's no need to look away from your monitor. :)
It's always interesting when someone's blogging for a cause that's close to their heart. Whether it's because they're directly affected by a disease or know someone who is/was, the Blogathon takes on a new meaning for these participants.
Two bloggers that fit that description this year are Mark and Jeanette. Mark's daughter Hayley has Progeria, a genetic aging disease that causes children to age at about seven times the "normal" rate. He's blogging for the Progeria Research Foundation, which is making great advances in the study of aging and the cause of Progeria.
Jeanette is affected by Marfan syndrome, "a heritable disorder of the connective tissue that affects many organ systems, including the skeleton, lungs, eyes, blood vessels, and, most seriously, the heart and aorta." She is blogging for the National Marfan Foundation.
Parts is parts?
Jett's Blogathon project, Parts of the Whole, features blogger body bits. Which belongs to whom? Can you tell? Go guess, and vote for your favorite.
Serene Chaos is riding her stationary bike through the entire blog. While the rest of us sit on our butts and take in calories, she's getting exercise. I'm too lazy for that.
Digital Daydream's theme is children's literature. Quotes from favourite stories, book reviews and anecdotes about visits to strange exotic realms (yes, Wales!) - and all in aid of First Book, a charity which gets children's books into low-income households.
Yes, ladles and germs, we really did just make $80,000. Can I just say how much I LOVE OUR SPONSORS!? A smooch to every one of you!
Jonas continues his trip around San Francisco's less-seen side (though he's currently taking a break for a shower). He's already blogged from an Emergency Room, talked to a homeless man at Starbucks, and interviewed an AIDS counselor. He's proof positive that the Blogathon doesn't necessarily mean staying in one place all day.
Answer:
blog... Blog... bLog... blOg... bloG... Blog...
blog... Blog... bLog... blOg... bloG... Blog...
blog... Blog... bLog... blOg... bloG... Blog...
Question:
How do you do the wave while you are Blogging?
The monitors are working hard, keeping an eye on participants while also finding some mighty cool activity happening on various blogs. We'll be highlighting some of the neat stuff to keep you busy reading between your own posts...
While we've seen fiction themes before in the Blogathon, Clay is trying something new and unique: his blog is written from the perspective of a ficticious teenager. What's made up and what's drawn from Clay's own life? That's for you to read and guess for yourself. These are some good, substantial entries, too... take a look.
Will you survive the Blogathon?
Note to sponsors:
If you have an account problem, I'll get back to you tomorrow. Sponsorships will be open 48 hours after the end of the event this year, so there is plenty of time.
Blue Calx Radio
Chemical over at Blue Calx is not only streaming live radio for the Blogathon, she's giving away CDs!
If you have Winamp, open http://bluecalx.shoutcast.ispeed.com:8000/listen.pls.
For Windows Media Player: http://bluecalx.shoutcast.ispeed.com:8000/.
She's getting breakfast right now, so hop over and enjoy the electronica.
Mapping the Blogathon
Rob at Malbela has put together a map for Blogathon participants, so we can see where everyone is. Go add your distinctiveness to the collective!
Are you ready? I know I am.
Ladies, gentlemen, and little pug dogs:
WELCOME TO THE 2003 INTERNATIONAL BLOGATHON!
Chat!
I've added a menu item to the left, Chat. Check it out for complete instructions for chatting during the event. Chat rooms are where the action is at!
Thursday, July 24, 2003
Press Spotting: Montgomery Advertiser and The Oregonian
The Montgomery Advertiser did a fantastic write up on local participant Heather, at Yummy Blog. Heather is blogging for Reading Is Fundamental.
Here in my home town, The Oregonian carried the local 'thonners (Jenn, Karel, Laura, and ME!) on the front of their Living section.
Good job everyone on getting the word out locally!
ADDENDUM: Also hitting the press today is an article by MSNBC's Jon Bonne, in their Technology and Science section. Between this and the Blogspotting coverage, MSNBC has given Blogathon the most comprehensive and positive coverage. The quality of the articles has been wonderful--hands-down the best this year. A tip of the hat to Bonne and MSNBC. Thanks, guys!
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
*waves to Mena*
Mena Trott of Six Apart, not to mention Movable Type, mentions the Blogathon on SA's front page today. Did you know that Mena designed our webring graphic? Several images were put to a vote, and hers won. We've happily kept it ever since.
This is it!
Well, one of the "its". Tonight at midnight Pacific time, blogger signups close. Got a friend who's been thinking of participating, but they haven't quite gone in yet? Get 'em to the sign up form today!
Sponsorships will be open all the way through the event. In fact, Dobbs at Victory Shag had a good idea--we're leaving sponsorships open for 24 hours after the event. When people ask you why you're groggy the next day, you can get them to sponsor. It's an experiment--we'll see how it works this year.
More news: Two important functions have been added to the blogger account pages: the webring and a drop button. We want you to click on the former, we hope you won't click on the latter! Seriously though, we do realize that things happen, so we've automated the drop function this year.
Been wanting a way to remind yourself to post every 30 minutes? A few folks had some good ideas on the bboard, but Melissa at Geekgrrl.com went one better. She was considering buying an egg timer, but her husband, being a good geek, whipped something up for her instead. It's specifically made to remind you to post every 30 minutes. RepeatingTimer v1.0 can be found here.
Finally, a big shout out to Dave at The Stuffed Dog for finally coding a countdown timer that works!
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
Beans to Blog on
Steve and Leticia at Flying Bean are not only sponsoring the Blogathon, they've set up a special affiliate program for participants!
We are excited to be able to offer an additional way for US and Canadian paticipants of the 2003 Blogathon to be able to contribute even more to their favorite charity.So hurry over and get signed up.
The way it works is if someone comes from your blog website via an affiliate link to our site and makes a purchase, your charity will receive 15% of the total sale, excluding shipping. The money will be contributed to your charity of choice by September 10th.
Bonus - As an added bonus, we are offering a FREE sample to the first 50 affiliates.
Attention Bloggers: Camlist Goes Live!
You may now log into your account and click Edit Cam List Info and add your webcam. All you need to have is the URL that goes directly to the webcam image.
Monday, July 21, 2003
*waves to LiveJournal*
The Blogathon got a very nice mention in today's LiveJournal news. Mucho thanks to denisep!
Deadline Looms
Potential bloggers: you have until the end of the day (Pacific time), July 23rd, to sign up. It's getting close! If you've been sitting on the fence, now is the time to pick a side. Remember: blogging is not the only way to support the Blogathon!
Saturday, July 19, 2003
Project: The Book of FSCK
This is a blog I will be watching during the event. I can't watch everything as I'd like to, but what Jonas is doing for 24 hours is unmissable:
"I’ll grab my laptop, a cell-phone (for wireless Internet), and a camera, and show you, for 24 hours, the world of those who aren’t as fortunate as most of us are. You will find me in an emergency ward at six AM, writing about those who work there and those who need them, at eight I’ll be at a homeless shelter soup kitchen, making breakfast, and telling you stories, at ten we’ll provide, together, comfort and help to some of the death-watch inhabitants at the local AIDS-ward, only to move on, later, to be at a candle-light vigil for Rachel Corrie at the local Synangogue. We’ll go and meet a juvie probations officer and his “clients”, we’ll dive into the night, seeking out a San Francisco needle exchange (NX) (some place I won’t take pictures, I hope you’ll understand), and talk to some people there. We’ll meet the hookers, the bums, the dying, and the dead."
A big Blogathon shout-out to Jake, who was our youngest sponsor in 2002, and is back again to support the Blogathon this year. Jake's story is a must read for everyone, and can be found here at the site of the amazing Jett Superior.
24 Hour Broadcast
Jimmy of Cam Mafia and John of Johnale.net will be running a streaming broadcast on Cam Mafia Radio for the entire Blogathon.
"Besides blogging on our individual sites having
streaming cams run, we will be doing a 24 shoutcast of
music, comedy, and talk on Cam-Mafia Radio, which can
be found on our sites.
We'd be happy to make any announcements you or any of
the other bloggers would like to have done, and we'll
also be taking requests. We all need help keeping
fired up in those late late hours."
Thursday, July 17, 2003
Attention Bloggers! Hot Spots Go Live
Does your blog have a theme or gimmick for this year's Blogathon? Sign into your account page and click Edit Hot Spot Information to add it to the Hot Spot list on the Viewer's Guide. NOTE: BE PREPARED! You will need a direct link to a 50 x 50 pixel graphic, and a short description of your theme. All submissions must be approved before going on the page.
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
Press Spotting: MSNBC
In what I must say is the nicest article yet, MSNBC's Blogspotting says:
"The charitable streak in bloggers is well documented. In the past we’ve seen blogs used for social causes ranging from spreading democracy to local libraries. The annual Blogathon represents that social consciousness, concentrated into 24 hours."
Charity Watch: RAINN
One of the most popular blogger-selected charities this year is RAINN, the The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.
"RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE. RAINN also publicizes the hotline's free, confidential services; educates the public about sexual assault; and leads national efforts to improve services to victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice."They have a Blogathon writeup on their front page, as well as a list of bloggers who are raising funds for them this year. Monica Taylor, the Director of Development, has been great to work with, and the Blogathon plans to include RAINN as a suggested charity for our 2004 event.
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Charity Watch: PCOSupport
At least five bloggers have chosen the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association, an organization dedicated to "provide comprehensive information, support, and advocacy" for those with PCOS, a syndrome affecting the fertility (and much more) of 6-10% of all women. Visit their site to find a write-up on the Blogathon, and support their bloggers!
Monday, July 14, 2003
Press Spotting: Guardian UK
We ended up at the bottom of a story about blogging and politics. It appears we may have a member of Parliament on board. Whadd'ya say, Tom? Will you go the whole way and blog for a charitable cause?
ADDENDUM: Welcome aboard, Tom!
Sunday, July 13, 2003
Charity Watch: AICR
One of the greatest pleasures of this Blogathon has been hearing from Jack Cumming of the Association for International Cancer Research. Jack has kept track of each blogger choosing AICR and made contact with them. It's a joy to have a charity embrace the event the way AICR has--a rarer thing than I wish it were. Working together makes the Blogathon a bigger success for everyone.
Friday, July 11, 2003
Challenge: Ziggymarley.com
The good folks at Ziggymarley.com, the official Ziggy Marley community, will be turning their bulletin board into a blog for the blogathon. Every 30 minutes, the moderators will post a new message on the boards for Amnesty International. Daneane and the community challenge other band boards to do the same! Is your band board up for it? If we get five signups, I'll create a special page for the Battle of the Bands.
Press Spotting: The Comics Journal
TCJ gives Rob Callahan a shoutout for supporting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Best of all, they glommed the link from one of my favorite comics creators, who also gave us a great write-up.
Thursday, July 10, 2003
Press Spotting: USA Today Hip Clicks
A huge thanks to Todd Williamson, who wrote USA Today about his friend who is blogging for the National Marfan Foundation. To see the quick paragraph, go to Hip Clicks and scroll down a bit.
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Charity Watch: The Jennifer Trust
Working with your charity pays! Battbaby.com worked with her charity, The Jennifer Trust for Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and got not only a nice write-up on their site, but a direct link to her sponsorship page!
The Jennifer Trust is the UK support group for people with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and for their families. Stop by their site for more information on this important cause.
Project: Pet Rock Stars
The songwriters of Pet Rock Stars will give us a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process:
For 24 straight hours on July 26, Shannon Campbell and Scott Andrew will be co-writing songs online as part of Blogathon 2003, to raise funds for the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation.A good listen for a good cause.
Shannon and Scott will be posting every step of the songwriting process here on this site — lyrics, melodies, rough mix MP3s, everything.
Monday, July 07, 2003
Charity Watch: Modest Needs
Modest Needs has a special place in my heart because, like the Blogathon, it was the child of one person with a hair-brained idea to do good using the web. Keith Taylor started MN as an "experiment in giving"; a place where people could ask for short-term financial assistance, without further obligation. With tremendous support from the web community, the organization has come a long way. Whenever I get cynical, I think of Keith.
They've published a wonderful write up on the Blogathon on their news page. Pop on over and take a look.
Sunday, July 06, 2003
Oops! We really do want you in the Yahoo! Group
We had a glitch with the My Account page for a little while, and folks were unable to subscribe to the Yahoo! Group to get updates. If you were one of those unfortunates, please go try again, or send email to blogathon-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Saturday, July 05, 2003
Heart and Soul, aka The Yellow Darts and TMBM
This year we're doing something new and exciting with the Blogathon, and already it's turning out to be tremendous fun.
Last year, it was nearly impossible to keep up with the all the cool stuff going on. Even I wasn't sure who was doing what. This year, we've implemented a monitoring program to keep everyone in the loop, as well as do mundane things like make sure the webring stays intact. Our two monitoring teams, The Yellow Darts and They Might Be Monitors, are already hard at word ferreting out the best of Blogathon content. The Team Leaders (Sheana and Jenn, respectively) and I will be grabbing stuff from both sites to post up front, so everyone knows where the action is.
Friday, July 04, 2003
Project: Scavenger Hunt
Tracee at Thought Bubbles is hosting something of a free-association scavenger hunt:
"When the thon starts, I will post a photo every hour along with a word or phrase. You then have that hour to post a photo that shows how you interpreted my photo or word/phrase. This way you have a choice. So if I put up a picture of my cat and you hate cats, you can go hunt for something to do with the word or phrase. Choices are good."So I'm thinking if she puts up a picture of a cat, I can send a pic of my smiling mug!
Thursday, July 03, 2003
Press spotting: Terra's Informatica section
Didn't this happen in '01 as well? Our first press coverage comes from Brasil, in what looks like a great article on the 'thon. Here's the best I could do for a translation. If anyone speaks Portuguese, it would be great to have something better.
Updated Press Kit
Need a flyer? Maybe a letter for your charity? Our PR Rep, Peter, has put together a good package of promotional materials on the Press Kit page. Keep your eyes peeled for further updates and opportunities to publicize the 'thon!
Wednesday, July 02, 2003
Project: Virtual Quilt for Blogathon 2003
Alhena has a great idea for a project, and I encourage everyone to pitch in (I'm signing up now!). All you need to do is color a piece of a virtual quilt she's drawing. The end result should be worth archiving for Blogathons to come. She's listed the details on a special page at her site. If you're interested, drop her a line and get on board!
Are you a UK blogger? Say hello on the b-board! Soon we'll be adding a few features to the blogger account pages, including location, hot spots, webcams, and more.