WhatGives!? Do Something Good…

It’s easy to make fun of all the folks walking around typing with their thumbs, seemingly oblivious to what’s going on in the world. But it is a misperception. People involved in social networks are more involved, more engaged, and more connected to the wider world than you can imagine. (Well, okay, not you, you’re reading this. But more than all those other people can imagine…)

Robert Chatwani, eBay, and CNN anchor Don Lemon during the eBay/PayPal #beatcancer challenge

This weekend a few folks decided to try something to harness all that connectivity for social good. A discussion over dinner led to some phone calls, which led to a 24-hour drive to use social media to spread a message and raise some cash for cancer charities. BlogWorld sponsors eBay/PayPal and MillerCoors Brewing Company agreed to donate a penny every time someone tweeted or blogged or posted on Facebook the phrase #beatcancer. A call to the Guinness Book of World Records set up the challenge to create the Most Widespread Social Network Message in 24 Hours. Then www.beatcancereverywhere.com quickly went up.  Game on!

#beatcancer quickly became the top-trending topic on Twitter (try saying that three times). The hashtag flew around the internet and around the world, topping over 200,000 mentions in just 24 hours. In addition, people were donating directly to cancer-related charities including SU2C (Stand Up to Cancer), Alex’s Lemonade, Bright Pink, and Spirit Jump. Not satisfied with mere pennies, eBay/PayPal chose to pay a buck a tweet during a one-hour period.

Don Lemon chats with Melissa Jones about Alex’s Lemonade Stand, one of the beneficiaries of the #beatcancer campaign.

All the final tallies and stats are below. It was an amazing campaign that happened so quickly it was over before more traditional media could even mention it. No matter. The thumb-typers were the medium, creating a specific network for a specific need thanks to the generosity of eBay/PayPal, Miller Coors Brewing Company, Everywhere, Don Lemon, and BlogWorld. Very powerful stuff.

Cause Media Group and WhatGives!? were proud to be a part of it. But we know with great power comes great responsibility. We’re doing good things. Then we’re telling people about it. And then, trust me, we’ll be doing it again.

#beatcancer by the numbers
(with special thanks to Radian6 for donating its tracking services for this campaign)

The New Record:
209,771

What that means, cash-wise:
Over $70,000 in total donations From MillerCoors, eBay, PayPal and others

The Official #beatcancer Total:
1.4 Million+ mentions to date

Worldwide Media Impressions:
Over 100 Million

Everyone’s talking about it!

• Don Lemon exclusively with WhatGives!?
• CNN
• Mashable

And please keep supporting the charities you care about!

• Alex’s Lemonade Stand (@alexslemonade)
• Bright Pink (@bebrightpink)
• Spirit Jump (@spiritjump)
• SU2C (Stand Up 2 Cancer) (@su2c)

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Tags: #beatcancer, Alex's Lemonade Stand, Blogworld, Bright Pink, charity, eBay, Guinness Book of World Records, MillerCoors Brewing, PayPal, social media, Spirit Jump, SU2C