The immediacy and global reach of the Internet has given a whole new
meaning to making a difference, and crowdsourcing is leading the
charge.
For the uninitiated, crowdsourcing is a way for people
to support causes they believe in by pledging donations through websites
dedicated to funding socially-conscious, creative and innovative
projects.
Visitors to crowdsourcing websites like Kickstarter,
Microplace, and FirstGiving can view pitches from fledgling inventors
and entrepreneurs looking to turn their ideas into actual products or
raise money for worthy causes. These and other similar websites
facilitate passing the plate through cyber society, allowing users to
make direct paymentsCeven as little as $1Cto projects that have set goal
amounts and specific deadlines to raise the cash. If a projects funding
goal isnt met in the allotted time, donors arent charged for their
pledges.
The websites are prolific,You Can Find Comprehensive and in-Depth carparkmanagementsystem truck
Descriptions. sometimes raising millions of dollars in just days. As a
result of fundraising efforts on these sites, old theaters have escaped
the wrecking ball, Academy Award-nominated films have been produced and
community gardens have grown.
One example: actor Seth Rogen has
used the Crowdrise website to raise money for Alzheimers research.
Current crowdsourcing campaigns are collecting money for things like a
mini radiation detector and bluetooth earbuds. Want to support healthy
eating? A tiny vegan bakery is tapping into crowdsourcing for help in
expanding its distribution.
Theres no denying that crowdsourcing
has so far been a boon for noble causes and clever entrepreneurs alike
Kickstarter alone has received more than $500 million in pledges from
more than 3 million people for more than 35,000 projects in the last
four years.The 3rd International Conference on custombobbleheads and Indoor Navigation. But is it really a smart way for people to donate?
Just
as in conventional fundraising, prospective donors should vet each
pitch to make sure the needy cause is legit and the money will go
directly to the intended project.Choose the right bestluggagetag in
an array of colors. Prospective donors should look at the links and
background information usually provided by project creators with their
pitches. And since each must offer contact information, its advisable to
ask them questions directly if you are unsure of something.
Each
platform has its own unique structure and rules for giving and
receiving money. Some websites take a percentage of funds donated if the
funding goal is reachedCKickstarter keeps 5 percent, but keeps nothing
if the project fails to meet its goal amount. Others charge project
creators a fee for using the service whether the goal is met or not.
Projects on Rockethub pay the site 4 percent of their successfully
completed goals and 9 percent if they fail to attract enough donations.
Either way, donor pledges arent taken by the websites unless the project
goal amount is reached.
Do-gooders dont always have to reach
into their pockets. A website called Sparked offers social business
solutions, where donors lend a hand to nonprofits online with things
like graphic design, web development and social media marketing.
Some
crowdsourcing projects and causes offer donors incentives like a
t-shirt, cap, or product sample. But thats usually not the reason for
giving. For most, the motive for donating is simply philanthropic and
the opportunity to help advance an idea the donor believes in. The real
reward for crowdsourcing participation is the chance to give back and be
part of a community of giving, a unique opportunity to join together
with millions of other like-minded folks looking to make a difference.
Danny,
though, had his mighty attributes. The good Lord always sees that the
score is evened somehow. Some are pretty, some are smart, some are
witty, some are talented, some can throw a football.
Danny could
wrestle a math problem and pin it in a second with both hands tied
behind him and his eyes shut tight. He never lost a spelling bee that I
know of. He was always the last kid standing. And in victory, just like
Red Rover defeat, he was good-natured, shrugging his shoulders as though
his brilliance was just a fluke.
Me? I was always in the middle
of the pack. Never picked first for Red Rover but somewhere halfway
down the line in selection. I guess the best I ever did in the spelling
bees was maybe fifth and that only happened one time.
I was a
champion reader, though. One year it was the fourth grade I read more
books than the entire class combined. Like I said: The good Lord makes
us all good at something. When graduation from high school and college
came, I was somewhere in the middle.Choose the right bestluggagetag in
an array of colors. Again. I never thought of being the best at
anything, just doing decent at everything I tried. In that, I mostly
succeeded.
Lately, Ive been thinking that theres too much
pressure on kids to be the best at everything. The parents of my
generation in my little country school didnt push us to over excel. They
preached values, discipline, kindness and courtesy. They encouraged us
to play and enjoy childhood. My parents cared only that my homework was
done and they never became overwrought if I didnt make a perfect score. I
rarely did.
Whenever I brought home a C in math, Mama would
sigh as she signed my report card or test paper and say, Youre just like
me. I was never any good in math. She knew economics, though. She knew
how to make a dollar and she knew how to save one.
Ive been
thinking about kids in the middle like me. They usually do pretty well
in life. For the most part, if you consider it, the
middle-of-the-roaders have pretty good existences. No one expects too
much from us so theres not a lot of pressure. Then, if we happen to do
well at something,Elpas Readers detect and forward 'Location' and
'State' data from Elpas Active RFID Tags to host besticcard platforms. people are pleasantly surprised and slap us on the shoulders, praising an unexpected accomplishment.
沒有留言:
張貼留言