First I want to thank everyone who made comments and posted some wonderful sites of their own. Here are two of my favorites posted last week by you--they both have made it into my personal bookmarks.
Stephen.com a site not unlike last weeks Jackson Pollack site. This one turns us into the artist Mondrian in two or three clicks. It's lots of fun and much more impressive than doodling.
The second, which was already on my list and mentioned in Bill Clinton's book Giving is Kiva.org, a giving site but with a major twist. On Kiva.org you loan the money you give "to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can 'sponsor a business' and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back."
Kiva.org is definitely another giving back site worth book marking.
Also mentioned last week were:
So now, week two of my bookmarks.
My first pick this week is a shopping site:
Deal of the DayWoot! I have no idea what Woot stands for but I would have had a hard time describing what Google or Yahoo meant either except we all know exactly what they mean today.
Here, a consumer electronics distributor unloads excess inventory of a single item each day at a steep discount. One day it could be a home theater system, the next a digital camera. The item is available until it sells out, or until 11:59 pm Central Time that night, whichever happens first. This oddball approach has generated a cult following, which keeps the community forums abuzz with product reviews and other chatter. Selection of one too limited for you? Try Overstock.com, a perennial favorite among bargain hunters that sells excess inventory at great prices. New to that site: auctions.
Giving Back
My second site is one that I plan to get involved with to help build awareness of this incredible charitable site. This is also mentioned in Bill Clinton's book. My friend Charles Best, CEO and founder of last weeks DonorsChoose.org, introduced me to Mari Kuraishi, President of GlobalGiving.org after I described a certain kind of site I would like to be involved with, the told me there was a site that fit some of the things we were discussing.
I spent time exploring this online interactive site and quite simply. I love it! Global Giving.org helps grass roots organizations all over the world fund their projects, while, once again, you become a philanthropist at any level of giving you can afford.
In their own words:
"GlobalGiving.org is a marketplace for goodness - where you can browse ways to help others around the world, pick the ones you are most passionate about, and give to the solution.
We connect people like you with great projects you might not otherwise find.
Much like eBay's approach to online commerce, GlobalGiving is changing the way people give. We work with a network of well-run organizations and carefully research their projects - gathering detailed information on the project leaders, as well as the projects' objectives and expected outcomes. Then, we make it simple for you to give to these projects and track the impact of your generosity."
If you get the chance to visit both or one of these sites, please let me know what you think, and for those of you who want me to check out certain sites you love, please post them in your comments and I will mention the ones that impacted me the following week.
Perhaps together we can all publish an online, offline handbook of our "best of the web" and give the proceeds to the online charity we all vote as the best?
Just musing.
Ttyl,
Carole