Web site of the Day

Addicted to blogging? Surf aimlessly thru the net looking for other like you? Wish that your blogging could make a difference? Here is your change: Blogathon!!!!. Go here for the rules of the thon. Did I mention that they also have forums? Here is a bit of a history lesson: In it's first year, Blogathon was held on July 28th and a goal was set of raising $10,000 for different charities. With 101 participants blogging for organizations like RAINN, Save the Tigers and the Human Rights Campaign, together they just doubled the goal, ending the event with an astounding $20,099 having been raised. Users visited each other on the mandatory webring and contributed buttons to a button gallery on the website. It was in this year that Cat first started what later came to be known as Hot Spots, special group or themed projects which would take place during the event (it was called a "Viewer's Guide" in the first year); it was also the first year we were offered forum space by James at Nine2000 - we would keep forums there for the following two years. With all of the donor information being updated by Cat and Cat alone the first year of the event and knowing it would grow, she made the decision to expand the team and have a more automated system when the 'thon (as it is popularly referred to) returned the next year. On July 27th, 212 participants came together to raise $58,446 for charities. Truly a year of growth for the 'thon, it was also during this year that the webcam portal was added, the term "Hot Spot" came to be used for themed events during the Blogathon, and awards were first given out. Among the award categories were "Most Tired (but still made it!)" and "Best Undefinable Project", with prizes including free schwag at the Cafepress store and blog-related books (among other things). Last but not least, this was the first year a Blogathon chatroom was available. In the third year of Blogathon (held in 2003 on July 30th), 401 bloggers came together to raise a whopping $102,534 for charities. In its third year Blogathon got tons of press (from as far away as Australia - see the FAQ for more info) and had gone multi-lingual with the addition of German translations of some parts of the site, courtesy Elke of Elkit. Monitors were added as a way of ensuring that everyone on the ring was participating, and were divided into two groups ("The Yellow Darts" and "They Might Be Monitors"). 2003 was also marked by The Fiction Project, put on by members of the Zefrank community.