Ad revenues and the I'M program

Here's a cool idea from the folks at Windows Live Messenger. I've been seeing
these little I'M logos popping up beside names in my contact list over the last
week or so and I just checked it out to see what's going on. We've talked here
about Web advertising programs, and here's a share-the-wealth idea with a social
cause.

If you are using Windows Live Messenger 8.1, a new I'M tab appears along the
left side of the Windows Live Messenger window. Click it to find out about the
program. Basically, it's this in a nutshell. You enter one of the following
codes at the end of your name in the Options screen, and Microsoft gives a
portion of revenues generated by the Web ads to the organization you choose.
Pretty slick. Here's the list of organizations currently involved in the
program:

Add         To support

*red+u   American Red Cross*bgca   Boys & Girls Clubs of America*naf  
National AIDS Fund*mssoc   National Multiple Sclerosis Society*9mil  
ninemillion.org*sierra   Sierra Club*help   StopGlobalWarming.org*komen   Susan
G. Komen for the Cure*unicef   The US fund for UNICEF

You can just add the tag at the end of your name, click OK, and start raising
money for the cause of your choice! :)

It is such a good idea, and for virtually little effort.

For me, UNICEF, always.

They do a lot of work helping impoverished children around the world.

*UNICEF: United Nations Children's Fund, formerly the United Nations Children's
Emergency Fund.

Agreed. The others do fine work, too.

Someday, I'll have to tell you the amazing story of a friend who worked for WHO
in Turkey before joining UNICEF. (He's at CDC now.)

Probably sooner rather than later, for we (my family) are thinking of visiting
wifey's cousin in Denver sometime in the summer.

I head that you're giving the keynote at the Democratic National Convention.

(Whoops, did I just break the embargo?)