Make The Difference Network

A new social network for those looking to make a difference has popped up. This time it is backed by some celebrity firepower. Created by Jessica Biel and boasting other celebrities such as The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), Brian Griese, and Gabrielle Union amongst others. The following is the description of what MTDN is:

"Make The Difference Network (MTDN) is a cause-oriented social network that connects nonprofit organizations with potential donors and increases awareness for small-to-medium nonprofit organizations.

Our Misson is to democratize giving by increasing the visibility of thousands of nonprofit organizations and empowering potential donors to search, select and fund these organizations’ specific “Wishes” and then to see the results of their giving."

It will be interesting to see if all these "Make a Difference" Social Networks can coexist and indeed live up to their missions. They are great for connecting people and hearing about what others are up to but I have yet to see one post success stories of the site being the protagonist for creating good things. It just seems that they are used to highlight what is already happening and I would like to see one of these social networks pop up and take that as its raison d'etre. My other criticism of all these social networks is that they bite off a lot at once without letting the user figure out how things work and how they can make the most of their experience on the site. I log on and I am immediately daunted by everything that is available to me and I don't know where to begin. I usually end up clicking through a couple of pages and then logging off because there is just too much information. I think that a greater focus needs to be achieved when starting these sites, and instead of creating more of the same they should work together with other sites so as not to splinter the effects that they can have. If there are 4 million people spread out across 10 sites then it becomes difficult to keep up to date on all that is going on out in the world, effectively stifling what is possible. It is a real problem throughout the not-for-profit world but one that needs to be addressed.

I wish MTDN the best of luck and urge you to check it out. It may be exactly what you are looking for in your social network.

100 People: A World Portrait

A friend sent me a link to this website today and I thought I would share it. It is called 100 People: A World Portrait and here is a blurb from the website that explains what it is all about:

"The 100 People Foundation exists to provide a structure and an organization for the project 100 People: A World Portrait. We believe that visual arts-based educational and multimedia programs are the most powerful channels through which we can build awareness, facilitate communication about diversity and activate change within our global community.

The project will find and capture in film, photography, music and text 100 individuals who represent the global population, proportionate to annual global surveys and statistics. This World Portrait will be used to make an introduction between the peoples of the earth and to facilitate a greater understanding of the diversity and the commonalities among us."

The project will publish a book, movie, photography exhibit, a school curriculum and the website. The project is already underway and you can check out some of the videos online at the website at 100 People. If you have a minute to check it out I urge you to do so. I think it is an important realization to understand the makeup of the world and the place you inhabit within it.

Tomorrow is Pangea Day

It is a big day tomorrow and I hope you are able to see what will be an amazing experience. Pangea day will be broadcast around the world tomorrow from 2-6pm Eastern time and is available on CityTV here in Canada. 24 films from all around the world. 24 different views on one earth. If you want to learn more about the show and where you can catch it log onto the website at Pangea Day