World Cup 2010 South Africa: The WinkBall Story

(Vocus) July 16, 2010

World Cup 2010 came to an astounding finale this weekend with millions of people across the globe witnessing this historic tournament come to an exciting climax with a closing ceremony that celebrated South Africa as the first African World Cup host. This was a World Cup not too forget full of drama and emotion, it encompassed the true spirit of Bafana Bafana. We saw a country defy its detractors and take centre stage as a nation who could proudly and successfully host the most prestigious event in sporting history. World Cup 2010 was a tournament that united South Africa as one and brought its people together.

There was a story behind this event that went further than a game of football: it was a story of people, a story of fans. It was WinkBall.com, the UKs number one video website, that told this engaging story via the emotional power of video. With World Cup 2010 being the first African World Cup, it was set to be the first online World Cup. With the onset of blogs and Twitter, we have seen the World Cups coverage stretch further than television sets. For this World Cup, WinkBall went one step further and it was WinkBall who provided the World Cup with an online video platform and presented the real story behind the World Cup. By seeing the World Cup from the fans perspective and from the intimate view point of street level, WinkBall has shown a real insight into what the World Cup truly means for its many fans.

WinkBall gave World Cup fans every chance to get involved and become a part of this historic tournament. It was with WinkBalls extensive video coverage and numerous initiatives that made this World Cup the World Cup for fans.

Aside from reporting in the UK, WinkBall took its World Cup video coverage across seas to the host nation of South Africa. Employing 40 local South African people as citizen reporters, it was the WinkBall South Africa team that reported on the streets of South Africa and spoke to the nations people in the lead up to and throughout the World Cup. Asking them what they thought of the World Cup coming to South Africa, what they thought of the games, who their man of the match was and how they rated their teams chances, it was an honest and real look at the World Cup that had not been influenced by mainstream media. To see WinkBalls World Cup coverage and see the real story of the World Cup straight from the streets of South Africa, see the following links:

http://www.winkball.com/users/World_Cup_SA/

With the World Cup blogosphere becoming a peripheral part of this years tournament, WinkBall got in on the action and launched their WinkBall World Cup Blog. A topically updated blog, the WinkBall World Cup Blog discussed all the big football stories and showcased WinkBalls best videos from their World Cup coverage. Creating huge debate and discussion, it was another avenue to let fans have their say about World Cup 2010. To see the WinkBall World Cup Blog and the newly created WinkBall Blog, see the following links:

http://winkballfootball.wordpress.com/

With WinkBalls World Cup coverage came their biggest online initiative to date. For this years World Cup, WinkBall were proud to announce Faces of the Fans, a visually unique site that showcases the 30,000 plus fans that have spoken to WinkBall throughout World Cup 2010. Capturing all the drama and emotion of this years World Cup, Faces of the Fans has given the World a unique flavour of World Cup 2010 straight from the streets of South Africa and directly from the people who matter, the fans. Faces of the Fans is something original, unique and alternative and is a true representation of the World Cup in South Africa.

With its aesthetical beauty, it was fitting for Faces of the Fans to be projected in iconic parts of South Africa and London. Faces of the Fans was projected in Cape Town Square where thousands of South African citizens saw the many faces that WinkBall had spoken to in the World Cup. And recently, London hosted a projected screening of Faces of the Fans in iconic locations such as Wellington Arch and Covent Garden. Are you one of the many faces of the World Cup WinkBall has spoken to? See yourself and others at http://www.facesofthefans.com/.

WinkBalls World Cup coverage has undoubtedly been real, insightful, honest and above all unique and alternative. World Cup 2010 has made itself known in history as the first African World Cup and most importantly the first online World Cup. WinkBall has paved the way for this and World Cup 2010 will no doubt be the first of many World Cups that tap into the online world and furthermore tap into the power of online video. Its still not too late to hear your voice just log on and have your say at http://www.winkball.com/worldcup.


For more information, please get in touch with: WinkBalls Head of Press:

jennifer (at) winkball (dot) com – 020 8962 3030

Notes to Editors:

About WinkBall

WinkBall.com is a free, web-based, personal video communication service, which allows anyone to record, send and share videos with friends and family – privately. Users can also create and post content to video blogs and video walls for group viewing. Video messages delivered by WinkBall can be accessed anywhere, anytime through a web browser.

WinkBall is also used by brands and organisations to share video content, which users can actively choose to watch and share. All messages sent through WinkBall are supported by targeted five-second advertisements, which are played at the end of video messages.

WinkBall is safe, simple and fun and makes video the best way to communicate online.

Established in London in 2005, the WinkBall Project team has evolved to become a leading player in driving the future development of online communication.

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World Cup 2010 South Africa: The WinkBall Story

World Water Crisis, Water Wars: Living Water International Guests on Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water Radio Show

Grants Pass, OR (PRWEB) November 04, 2011

On October 31, 2011, Sharon Kleyne, water advocate, Founder of Bio Logic Aqua Research and Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water host, interviewed Jerry Wiles, President Emeritus of Living Water International. Mr. Wiles’ non-profit, faith based organization is dedicated to providing water wells in third world countries.

In much of the world, according to Sharon Kleyne and Jerry Wiles, lack of safe and abundant fresh water causes dry air and numerous dehydration diseases, including dry eye leading to blindness. Water issues may also be responsible for lack of economic development and education and lowered status of women.

The interview may be played in podcast on World Talk Radio, Voice America, Green Talk Network, Apple iTunes, and naturestears.com. and Amazon.com

Living Water International was founded 21 years ago and continues to save and improve lives in the third world. They have completed 11,000 water well projects, with 1,387 in 2010 and 1,600 projected for 2011.

This faith based, non-profit organization works closely with the energy industry, which frequently donates drilling equipment. An energy industry employee on Living Water’s board developed a portable drilling rig for them that can be carried in a Jeep or canoe and runs on two gasoline engines. These are now in use all over the world.

Living Water works with the host nation (usually in Africa, Asia and South and Central America) and also assists in setting up local water committees (mostly women). Community wells may be located near a school or hospital and are maintained by the local committee, which also provides education on sanitation practices such as hand washing to prevent numerous dry eye diseases, including dry eye.

Jerry Wiles discussed bio-sand filters, developed by Living Water. It uses a barrel, gravity and layers of gravel, sand and charcoal to purify water. Water may be contaminated from human and animal waste, made worse by frequent drought. The result is dehydration disease, dry eye, cholera, diarrhea and malaria, leading to preventable blindness and deaths.

Water shortages in the United States

Sharon asked about charitable water wells in poor areas of the United States, noting that fresh water and agricultural water are becoming scarce. Jerry Wiles said that Living Water hasn’t yet drilled in the US and observed that in the US, the push for indoor pluming and reliable municipal water began 150 years ago with huge benefits. India and China are attempting to achieve that. Both have plenty of water but far too many people and much of their water is polluted.

The average American uses 100 gallons of water a day. The average third world villager uses less than five gallons a day. In villages with no wells, women walk an average of 3.17 miles a day to obtain fresh water.

Sharon asked about water for animals, mentioning the Mara River in Kenya and the diminishing water supply for migrating animals. Jerry Wiles observed that drought in the third world can be catastrophic for everyone. Living Water wells are mostly used for human consumption but could be used for livestock.

Listen to the Sharon Kleyne Hour – Power of Water Mondays, 10 a.m., PST/PDT. The syndicated show is heard on Voice America/World Talk Radio, Green Talk Network and Apple iTunes. Go to http://www.SharonKleyneHour.com for summaries and replays. Also be sure to visit http://www.naturestears.com, http://whatistheeye.wordpress.com, “Nature’s Tears EyeMist” on Facebook (lots of coupon offers) and “Bio-Logic Aqua” on Twitter.

The Sharon Kleyne Hour – Power of Water is sponsored by Bio-Logic Aqua Research

World Water Crisis, Water Wars: Living Water International Guests on Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water Radio Show

Silver Oak Casino Re-Positions Itself as Innovator in Online Casino and Online Gaming World

San Jose, Costa Rica (PRWEB) January 21, 2009

Today, Silver Oak Casino launched its brand new online casino and gaming site to critical acclaim. With hundreds of new features, a brand new design, more games to choose from and the mantra “Play. Win. Celebrate.” the new SilverOakCasino.com (http://www.silveroakcasino.com) is unique in the online gaming world.

The new site design was created from the ground-up, with a complete overhaul to focus on customer usability and enjoyment.

New site features include a live jackpot feed that will showcase which games have the most amount to be won, a real-time winners stream – so you can see who won it big, an entertaining and informative casino news blog, a second-to-none promotions program and, for those customers not sure where to put their money, a casino game finder – which suggests the best games to play based on your personal preferences.

With these and more changes the new Silver Oak Casino radically distances itself from other online casinos through leveraging the power of WordPress and the integration of Web 2.0 technologies throughout the new website design.

“We noticed a while back that there was a big opportunity to treat customers differently than our competition,” stated Michael Daniels, a customer service manager at Silver Oak. “Almost all online casinos offer the same stale presentation, the same selection of games, and promotions with vast amounts of fine print. We are committed to customer service, great games and straight forward offers.”

Anyone who has been to Vegas knows that while there are similarities between many casinos, they’re hardly carbon copies of each other. As such, over the course of the past six months we set out to provide our players with a real Vegas-style online casino experience.

On the new Silver Oak customers will have the opportunity to join in a community of players, see who has won it big, see where the big jackpots are and join in on the fun. While online gaming customers have many choices in who to play with, after they experience our new look and feel, as well as our friendly 24/7 customer service, every other online casino gaming experience is second-best.”

For additional information on Silver Oak Casino’s rebirth, contact Chris DiAngelo or visit Silver Oak Casino

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Silver Oak Casino Re-Positions Itself as Innovator in Online Casino and Online Gaming World

Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water Announces Growing World Blindness Rate Could be Preventable through Diet and Water

Grants Pass, OR (PRWEB) December 30, 2011

Sharon Kleyne, host of the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water radio talk show and Founder of Bio-Logic Aqua Research, recently interviewed Alan Taylor, PhD, of the Tufts University Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research. The topic was the growing world blindness rate. Dr. Taylor offered some simple, proactive nutrition suggestions for preventing blindness.

The interview may be heard on-demand on World Talk Radio, Voice America, Green Talk Network, Apple iTunes and Twitter.

According to Sharon Kleyne, the blindness rate is growing worldwide and in the United States. Leading causes, worldwide, are cataracts (50% of blindness increasing as you age), glaucoma, age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy (increasing in the US), trachoma (a viral infection of the eye), onchocerciasis (or “river blindness,” common in Africa), and leprosy.

There are 42 million blind people in the world, with 1.5 million in the US. An estimated 70% to 80% of blindness is preventable or treatable. In developing countries, where the blindness rate is much higher, the treatable rate is also much higher.

Blindness is increasing In the United States at a lower rate and with less treatable causes. Cataracts remain the #1 cause of blindness (and are easily repaired) but blindness related to air pollution, dry eye, dehydration, obesity and poor diet (such as diabetic retinopathy) is increasing.

Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water Announces Growing World Blindness Rate Could be Preventable through Diet and Water

World Vision International Interviewed on the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water

Grants Pass, OR (PRWEB) January 06, 2012

Sharon Kleyne, host of the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water syndicated radio talk show, recently interviewed Traci Coker of the World Vision Gift Catalogue regarding the catalogue’s wide selection of life-changing gifts that donors may give to impoverished families and children in developing countries, to improve heath and enrich lives.

World Vision representatives have previously appeared on the show several times and reflect Sharon Kleyne’s message about proactive self-help. World Vision also reflects the mission of the charity Mrs. Kleyne founded, the Save-a-Child’s Life Foundation. The interview with Traci Coker may be heard on-demand on World Talk Radio, Voice America, Green Talk Network, Apple iTunes and Twitter.

Traci Coker has been with World Vision International for four years, and works at their world headquarters in Federal Way, Washington, where they have been for over 60 years.

Sharon Kleyne and Ms. Coker agreed that the primary need in developing or third world countries is access to safe and abundant water. Water releases women and children to other activities besides carrying water and drastically reduces infant and child mortality, and preventable blindness. In India, according to Ms. Coker, 4,000 children a day die from dehydration and sanitation diseases, all of which are preventable. Many more are blinded or disabled.

The catalogue began in 1996 as a way to help children, their families and orphans. The gift of a goat ($ 25), which requires very little maintenance, can provide up to 16 cups of milk a day to feed an undernourished child, with milk left over to sell in the marketplace.

Other gifts include: cows, chickens, ducks, art supplies, water, water wells, bed nets, seeds, water pumps, school books, clothing, bicycles, stocking for a fish pond, Bibles, computers, small business loans, and yestoys.

It is possible to purchase part of a larger gift, such as a tractor.

According to Traci Coker, these are all the same gift the gift of hope, opportunity and self-worth.

Everyone who gives a gift receives a small token such as a Christmas ornament, identifying them as a World Vision donor.

World Vision International operates in over 100 countries. When they become involved in assisting a community, they remain for at least 15 years and set up local committees to develop indigenous leaders. They also work with other agencies and organizations to help the community develop and maintain safe water wells, schools, community projects, etc.

Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water is sponsored by Bio-Logic Aqua Research, whose Nature’s Tears

World Vision International Interviewed on the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water

OurPangea.coms Dream to Unite the World, And Why They Think They Can

Boulder, CO (PRWEB) February 21, 2012

Recent developments in the tech sphere have helped people begin to realize the world-changing potential of a connected and collaborating online world. To the co-founders of OurPangea.com, Noah Simon and Ari Franklin, realizations such as this are just the tip of the iceberg for something much more exciting. These two have created OurPangea, an entirely new approach to social networking.

OurPangea has been conceived to answer some of the most pressing questions of how social networking can take the next great leap in creating more rewarding experiences for users. It is a new kind of network that allows individuals to collaborate with others that share their passions and make lasting impacts on their communities. The system combines different elements from existing online networking models to create a uniquely flexible and engaging experience that flips social networking on its head.

Were hoping this proves how woefully inadequate social networks are. While they’re great for things like ads, social networking really leaves a lot to be desired, says Simon. Were on the verge of discovering a new facet of our civilization and it’s exciting. The dream of a united world is pretty much spitting in our faces, daring us to come closer, and we want to meet it head on.”

Simon and Franklin believe in the power of collaborative thinking and hope it can bring about a new age of global interaction, but they believe that current social networks cannot accomplish this goal, arguing that despite all the connections people make on social networking platforms they are ending up feeling less involved in their communities. Social networks do not give us a sense of belonging. They have demonstrated that people like to be connected to one another but connection alone misses a lot, Simon continues. We are all hoping for something more. We all want to be a part of something bigger, and OurPangea will provide that. Once we connect with other users, the site gives those connections meaning and provides the tools that will make interacting and working together easier than ever before.

Increased speculation surrounding the future of social networks and the recently-popular concept of interest-based community discovery networks including Pinterest and Instagram have been indicative of what users are looking for. Beyond users wanting something new, the Internet is ready for a completely different type of network, and OurPangea was conceived with this in mind. Everyone wants to understand what our networks can mean to us and use that knowledge to improve our interactions with the world we live in, explains Franklin.

OurPangea.com is entering Series A funding and will be participating in Crowdfunding platforms, including Kickstarter. The site is in development and its private release is anticipated in the coming months. The OurPangea team is excited to see this network’s tools bring about an entirely new online experience that will change the way people interact both online and offline. To learn more, sign-up for updates at ourpangea.com and visit the blog at ourpangea.wordpress.com.

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OurPangea.coms Dream to Unite the World, And Why They Think They Can

World Population May Hit 15+ Billion by 2100 Says Author, More Than Twice Current Global Population: Disaster Looms

(PRWEB) June 04, 2012

Projections from the United Nations suggest that humans may number 10 billion by 2050 and 15 billion by the year 2100. Both of these statistics spell serious problems for a world having difficulty meeting the food and water needs of its current seven billion inhabitants, according to Canadian academic and author Steve Bareham.

Until recently, said Bareham, an instructor at Selkirk College, Nelson, B.C, the UN cited about nine billion by 2050 (see footnote*), then a levelling off and gradual decline, as global prosperity spread and as developing nations followed the lead of the developed countries toward fewer children per family. Evidence now, however, indicates fertility rates are not declining as expected in the developing countries, so the revision to the higher ranges has a lot more credence. If those come to pass, its difficult to imagine a better world for todays young people by 2050, let alone 2100.

Bareham discovered the little-known UN statistics while researching courses in cross cultural communication and conflict management. The research led to the release of two eBooks that draw attention to an issue that could be absolutely catastrophic within four decades. The books are titled PROGENETER, an acronym for progenetic enhancement & entropy termination. They are published through Summa Publishing.

In addition to food and water disparities, its likely that people will face worsening pollution, more dramatic climate change, socio-economic strife, growing inequities between developed and developing nations, and the extinction of thousands more animal species. While 15 billion is unfathomable, even the 10 billion number by 2050 is the equivalent of another China and another India, he said.

The epicentre of growth will be Africa; its population now stands at about one billion but is projected to reach 3.6 billion by 2100, and that continent already has problems supporting its peoples. Conversely, he notes, the Italians and several other European nationalities, are theoretically on their way to extinction because their birth rates have dropped below the 2.1 replacement ratio.

Many statisticians believe the higher population projections are likely to transpire, given the exponential growth of humans over time. Consider, said Bareham, that it took from the beginning of time until the year 1804 for one billion people to inhabit the earth. Then, human numbers exploded:

World Population May Hit 15+ Billion by 2100 Says Author, More Than Twice Current Global Population: Disaster Looms

Forward Inc Web Development uses qTranslate and WordPress to help Real Life Network bring the real Germany to the World

Boston, MA (Vocus) September 27, 2010

Real Life Network is an organization connecting the international community to the real Germany. Their goal is to provide real life guides and resources to international travelers to Germany to allow these travelers to experience attractions, events, people, and places in Germany that you won’t find in the guidebooks or from a travel agent.

Real Life also supports and organizes Language Immersion programs to help foreigners learn the German language via intensive courses and immersion within the German culture.

Forward Inc. developed their site to match these endeavors, including a language translation module that automatically translates the site between German and English. The sites admins can either edit the translation themselves, or leverage Google Translator to make the translations for them. On the front end of the site, a visitor need only click on the English or German flag at the top of the page to see each language.

Not that this front end technology hasn’t been seen before, but this fairly new method of managing languages on the back end makes things much quicker and easier for content admins (and easier on web developers as well).

The module used was a plugin for WordPress called qTranslate and a method called ‘poedit’ was also used to translate some of the non-body text content such as the calendar labels found on the Real Life site.

These new WordPress technologies will make life easier (and cheaper) for many website owners wishing to translate their sites and reach new international markets, and will allow developers to provide language translation to their clients in a much more user friendly and affordable way.

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Forward Inc Web Development uses qTranslate and WordPress to help Real Life Network bring the real Germany to the World

U.S. Artist Carole Turner on Olympic Sculpture World Tour

Portland, OR (PRWEB) October 25, 2007

Portland sculptor Carole Turner has been named as one of 3 finalists to represent the United States on the international tour of the Beijing Olympic Landscape Sculpture Collection, and she has just returned from the Sacramento exhibition opening ceremonies.

According to the IOC the tour that is circling the globe and is now making stops in the U.S. “aims to promote the activities linked to the Olympic games and strengthen cultural links, thus showing the world a new cultural image of China.”

The competition, initiated by the Beijing Olympic Games Organizing Committee in 2005, and overseen by renowned artist and cultural ambassador, Xikun Yuan, is documented as “the largest solicitation for sculptures in Olympic history,” and has attracted more than 2400 design proposals from 90 countries. In keeping with the theme, “One World, One Dream,” the goal was to collect landscape sculptures from around the world. And in honor of the 29th Olympiad, 29 sculptures will ultimately be chosen for monumental display throughout the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games venues.

A panel of 17 judges from the U.K., Russia, Italy, Germany, Austria, South Korea and the U.S. chose 290 “Excellent Works” from five continents. Among these finalist designs were 10 Americans. Winning artists were notified and sent their design models to China. The sculptures were then reproduced in the appropriate materials (bronze, stainless steel, etc.) in triplicate to allow for simultaneous exhibitions first in China, then abroad.

After a 6 month tour of China, the judges narrowed the list to the current 110 finalists for the International Tour. Carole’s sculpture is one of 3 chosen from the U.S. These sculptures will compete for the 29 gold, silver and bronze medals to be awarded in a nationally televised ceremony in China in January 2008.

Carole’s award winning bronze sculpture, “Rhythmic Dancer,” captures the exuberance and Olympic dreams of a young gymnast mastering the ribbon dance. She was honored to present “Olympic Dream,” a study for her Olympic sculpture, to Professor Xikun Yuan, Director of the Organizing Committee for 2008 Olympic Landscape Sculpture Designs Contest during the opening ceremonies in Sacramento.

Asked for her impression of the Olympic competition, Ms. Turner said, “I am just in awe seeing all of these sculptures for the first time,” and “I am very thankful to Professor Yuan for inviting me to enter the competition. It has been an amazing experience.” She and several of the finalists have followed the tour together via email and she was happy to finally meet them in person. Another highlight was the many emails she received from people around the world, “mostly sculptors who have seen my sculpture in different countries or in the exhibition catalog. We have been told that millions of people have seen this collection; isn’t that incredible?”

“I love the theme of the Beijing Olympic Games – One World, One Dream. It’s a great theme — not only for these Olympics, but for our global community. So much time is spent focusing on our differences, when we share so many similarities.”

That theme is nothing new to Carole. In recent years she has spent time in Asia and Europe creating large sculptures in stone, and earlier this year she went to Russia to participate in a bronze sculpture symposium. While there her sculpture, “Same Sky,” was acquired by the Penza Art Museum as the first American work of art in its permanent collection. “Same Sky” carries the same message as “One World, One Dream.”

The international tour of the Beijing Olympic Landscape Sculpture Collection debuted in London, host city of the next edition of the Olympic Games in 2012. It has traveled to many cities that have already hosted the Games, such as Athens, Seoul, Tokyo, Barcelona, Sydney and Los Angeles, passing through other cities, including Dubai, Wellington and the Olympic Capital, Lausanne, with a stay in the Olympic Museum.

The next Olympic Sculpture Collection exhibition will held at the Navy Pier in Chicago, October 23 – November 3, and the last U.S. stop will be a much-anticipated exhibition at the United Nations in New York in December 2007.

For more information:

Carole Turner

http://www.turnerstudio.com

Beijing Olympic Sculpture News

http://www.beijingolympicsculpture.wordpress.com

International Olympic Committee

http://www.olympic.org

http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/beijing/full_story_uk.asp?id=2325

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U.S. Artist Carole Turner on Olympic Sculpture World Tour

PayPal, Convio, TakePart, and Challenge Your World Sponsor Competition to "Change the Web"

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) February 23, 2009

PayPal, Convio, TakePart, and Challenge Your World will sponsor Social Actions’ Change the Web Challenge, a competition to create innovative tools that help people find and share opportunities to take action on the websites, blogs, and social networks they visit each day. Social Actions, a web-based nonprofit initiative, will launch the Change the Web Challenge on February 23, 2009.

“We’re extremely excited to be a part of such a wonderful program,” said Judy Chang, Product Manager for Nonprofits at PayPal. “We hope the ideas and fundraising tools developed through this contest will have a lasting impact on nonprofits across the board, helping them use the web to increase and streamline donations.”

Web developers who enter the Change the Web Challenge have a chance to win a share of $ 10,000 by building web applications that draw on Social Actions’ open database of 60,000+ actions people can take across a range of issues. Social Actions currently aggregates opportunities to make a difference from over 40 online platforms, including VolunteerMatch, Kiva, DonorsChoose.org, Idealist.org, and Change.org.

“Making a difference in the world is no easy task, but the Change the Web Challenge is trying to change this very notion by harnessing the power of the Internet to encourage online philanthropy and social change,” said Sara Spivey, Chief Marketing Officer for Convio.

To be eligible for prizes, participants must use the Social Actions API, have an open-source license, and submit a fully functional application. Developers are encouraged to create applications for popular open platforms and websites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Mozilla Firefox, Google Apps, WordPress, Drupal, Google Gadgets, Joomla, OpenSocial, and OpenConvio.

A handful of applications have already been created by developers using the Social Actions API:

DonorsChoose.org Possibly Related Classroom Projects: A WordPress Plugin that analyzes a user’s blog posts and shares related classroom projects from DonorsChoose.org.
Twitter Action Pack: Over 30 Twitter feeds that automatically post action updates related to particular issues (i.e. the environment, human rights, education).
Firefox Ubiquity Command: A Firefox mashup that allows users to highlight any phrase as they browse the web, and find related ways to take action.
“Online tools that connect people to real world actions in creative and accessible ways have the potential to rapidly accelerate social change. We are thrilled to support this Challenge and look forward to implementing these tools on TakePart.com,” said Chris Gebhardt, General Manger at Participant Media’s new social action network, TakePart.

The Challenge will be hosted on Netsquared.org, an initiative of TechSoup Global. A community vote in early April will narrow project submissions to 20 semifinalists. A panel of web and social innovation experts will then determine three finalists based on the applications’ innovation, user-experience, and potential for impact. Winners will be announced at the NTEN Nonprofit Technology Conference in San Francisco on April 28, 2009.

“For the public school teachers who have posted the 11,000+ classroom requests at DonorsChoose.org, the Change the Web Challenge has the potential to make a real difference,” said Oliver Hurst-Hiller, the CTO of DonorsChoose.org. “It’s an exciting opportunity for developers to put their skills to work to connect donors with students in high-need classrooms.”

During February and March, Social Actions will also host face-to-face Change the Web meetups, and an online Change the Web Conversation Series to discuss how to use specific technology platforms, like Facebook, Twitter and the iPhone, for good.

“By bringing actions to the people, people can bring change to the world,” said Bennett Grassano, the Director of Development for Kiva.

For a schedule of events and more information about the Change the Web Challenge, go to http://www.socialactions.com/changetheweb.

Change the Web Challenge sponsors:

Host: NetSquared, an initiative of TechSoup Global.
Sponsors: PayPal, Convio, TakePart, Challenge Your World.
Technology Partners: Mozilla, WordPress
Media Sponsors: CauseWired Communications, Mashable, NTEN, Ode Magazine, Osocio, Livingston Communications, ProgrammableWeb, Replyforall, See3 Communications, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and Techvibes.

About Social Actions:

Social Actions (http://www.socialactions.com) is a nonprofit initiative committed to making it easier for people to find and share opportunities to make a difference. A search engine on SocialActions.com helps users find ways to take action for the causes they care about from over 40 action sources including Kiva, DonorsChoose.org, Change.org, Nabuur.org, DemocracyinAction, GlobalGiving, Idealist.org, SixDegrees, VolunteerMatch, and Care2. Social Actions creates incentives such as the Change the Web Challenge to encourage the distribution of their open API to websites, blogs, and mobile devices.

Social Actions was selected as a 2008 Stockholm Challenge finalist, and received 2008 NetSquared Mashup Challenge and DonateNow Mashup Challenge awards. Social Actions has been featured on PBS Online, SFGate.com, The Wall Street Journal, and The Daily Telegraph, and by leading tech blogs such as TechCrunch, ReadWriteWeb, and Mashable.

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PayPal, Convio, TakePart, and Challenge Your World Sponsor Competition to "Change the Web"