Logo by @alliepal

TwestivalSF Returns in 2011 Locally Contributing to Juma Ventures

SAN FRANCISCO – What happens when individuals from all over the world employ the power of social networking for a very good cause? Twestival happens! (Twestival = Twitter + Festival) – 100% volunteer run – 100% of proceeds go to charity.

Twestival local, the biggest fundraising event promoted and fueled by Twitter will happen on March 24, 2010.

TwestivalSF is focused is helping the nonprofit organization, Juma.org

Juma Ventures empowers youth to make successful transitions to independence in adulthood, through an innovative program that integrates employment in social enterprises and essential support services. Juma’s program provides the foundation for youth to fulfill their inherent potential to transcend challenging circumstances and impact their communities.

Over 200 cities around the world will gather in their hometown venues to help create awareness and raise money for the charity of their city.

Special guests include:
• @MilesTheDJ LIVE 105 radio host and DJ in the mix
from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
•Sioux City Kid – San Francisco’s newest hickabilly jazzgrass band
•John Vicino – Songer, songwriter, and talent
•Featuring products from companies such as: EyeFi, PopChips, PretzelCrisps, TruBlood, and more!

Taking place at
Atmosphere and Lounge
447 Broadway Street
San Francisco, CA

Times: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Tickets are $10
More information: www.sftwestival.com all proceeds go directly to the charity.

Here’s a preview of what you may have missed in previous years, that you won’t want to miss this year!

TwestivalSF Recap – Thanks to @landinimedia

TechSeen 2010

Love the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game? Then you should bid on Bacon Kevin Bacon! Ew?

Bacon Kevin Bacon is not edible.  But according to the folks behind it, owning Bacon Kevin Bacon will automatically make you the coolest person you will ever know, a champion of the underground meat sculpture movement and ties any room together nicely.

But in all seriousness, the proceeds from the sale are for a great cause – Ashley’s Team – a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization with a simple mission: bring joy to childhood cancer patients and their families.

Bacon Kevin Bacon was created in partnership between J&D’s Foods and What Do Bacon Do?

Tomorrow is World Malaria Day 2010 and the Social Media Envoys have already started their efforts in helping to end malaria in endemic African countries by 2015. The Social Media Envoy is a large group of influencers from Anderson Cooper of CNN, Queen Rania of Jordan, and Ryan Seacrest to Mashable’s Pete Cashmore, Jutine “iJustine” Ezarik and a host of others who have been brought together by Ray Chambers of the United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria and his team.

(photo credit: DailyBooth.com from user Sweetpea6497)

In a recent statement issued by the Office of Special Envoy, Chambers stated, “In our efforts to reach the Secretary-General’s 2010 goal of universal bed net coverage, and to reach the longer term goal of near-zero deaths from malaria by 2015, it is critical that acceleration continue in the malaria control movement.”

Chambers continued, “Social media content and user driven syndication have proven to be exceptional media assets in generating action behind, elevating awareness of, and increasing resources for global malaria efforts. With our malaria-related objectives within sight, this influential group of Social Media Envoys will help us exceed our awareness goals throughout the year.”

The Social Media Envoys have agreed to help spread the word across their networks through tweets, wall posts on Facebook, YouTube videos and photos on DailyBooth.com. The ultimate goal is to raise awareness across the Social Web in order to raise the needed funds to provide interventions against Malaria, such as insecticide-treated nets, in all endemic African countries.

In another statement issued by UNICEF, Caryl M. Stern, president and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF said, “It’s difficult to imagine that 24,000 children under the age of five die every day from preventable causes like malaria—but it is in fact a reality. Progress is being made on combating this killer disease in Africa but so much more needs to be done.  I’m confident that engaging individuals through social media is one very powerful way to elevate the profile of this disease and provide a real outlet for action.”

Stern is right, it’s incredibly difficult to imagine that 24,000 children under the age of five die EVERY DAY from preventable causes like Malaria. Together, let’s put an end to it. Join in and spread the word, make a donation and save lives.

To make a $10 mobile donation text NETS to 864233 (UNICEF). Or visit the Malaria Envoy Facebook page and make a donation there.

#WorldMalariaDay
#socialmediaenvoy
#endmalaria

Check out Jutine”iJustine” Ezarik’s End Malaria video:

Related Links:
http://www.tweetmixx.com/malariaenvoy
http://www.facebook.com/MalariaEnvoy

We are now only one week away from the first Silicon Valley Tweetup of 2010. Come join 200 other Twitter-inclined socialites for networking, drinks and fundraising for the Twitterkids of Tanzania.

The event will take place on January 20th in San Jose’s Santana Row from 6-9pm at the V-Bar inside Hotel Valencia. Drinks and food will be provided; all that is asked for is a $10 donation to the charity. A netbook and an iPod touch will also be raffled off to benefit the Twitterkids.

Shel Israel will be attending and signing copies of his newest book ‘Twitterville - How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods’. This is the perfect opportunity to connect with Shel in person and pick up a great Twitter resource.

You can RSVP for the event here, and connect with the event organizers Michael Brito, Jennifer Leggio, and Gabriel Carrejo on Twitter.

Be sure to come by and say hi!

Disclaimer: I work for FutureWorks, one of the sponsors of this month’s Silicon Valley Tweetup. I also regularly attend these tweetups, and have a great time.

By Sarah Townsend

Are you ready for Halloween yet? We sure are, and this year, it’s time to take the focus away from cavity-creating candy and onto doing good around the world. Today, SocialVibe launched a new program called Click 4 Good, a virtual neighborhood of haunted houses where you can go trick or treating to benefit charity.

- Stand Up 2 Cancer: Aims to urgently move cancer research forward by advancing technology available to scientists and clinicians.
- charity: water: Provides clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations.
- The Surfrider Foundation: Dedicated to protecting and preserving our world’s oceans, waves and beaches.
- Keep a Child Alive: Provides life-saving anti-retroviral treatment, care and support to children and families whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India.

Each visit yields a specific impact, such as 18 gallons of water for people in need through charity: water or 1 hour of HIV/AIDS treatment for a child through KCA. After you earn your impact, you’ll have the opportunity to share it on Twitter or Facebook, encouraging your friends to do the same. Each time that friend goes trick or treating, the impact grows. This has amazing potential to create enormous positive social impact around the world.

Take advantage of your time online and get some trick or treating practice in a little early this year by visiting SocialVibe’s haunted house neighborhood at socialvibe.com/click4good.

____

Sarah Townsend
E-mail: theoneinpink[at]gmail[dot]com
Twitter: theoneinpink
Blogs: theoneinpink, The Vibe

By Miiko Mentz @miikomentz

Today at the BlogWorld New Media Expo in Las Vegas, CNN Anchor Don Lemon (@donlemoncnn) talked about an idea he and BeEverywhere Co-founder Tamara Knechtel (@tamaraknechtel) came up with a week ago when they were out to dinner discussing the power of social media. Together they came up with the idea to use social media for social good and set a record using social media while raising money for cancer research.

Tamara contacted Guinness World Records and a few companies and got them to sign on and participate in this contest to set a record for the most tweets using the hashtag #beatcancer in a 24-hour period and raise money at the same time.

The #beatcancer contest is a great demonstration of how social media is changing the way people receive information, raise money, and give to charity; so whether you are at BlogWorld New Media Expo or not, take a second and add the hashtag #beatcancer to all your tweets, Facebook status updates or blog posts.

Check out this video of Don talking about the #beatcancer contest, and check back later to watch our interview with him.

#beatcancer  #bwe09