Second Annual #Twestival Underway

25 Mar

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Second Annual #Twestival Underway

By Kyle Aevermann In Social Media, Social Networking, Viral Marketing

Ah, the power of Twitter. We use it to share and learn about breaking news, to express our feelings, to offer and find exclusive deals, and to keep up to date with our friends. Twitter can be so much more than that though, like making new friends and/or making a difference.

I, myself have met some of my best friends here in Seattle through Twitter. And I always am using the site to promote things that can make an impact, like Earth Hour happening this weekend. But wait! Wouldn’t it be a neat concept if myself and all of my Twitter friends and followers could do something to make an impact on the world. Luckily, there is such an event.

Twestival is being celebrated in more than 118 cities across the globe today. Cities like Auckland, New Zealand, Sydney, Australia, and Hong Kong, China have all completed their Twestivals due to the time difference. This is the second year Twitter users have come together to help raise money for a particular organization. This year’s organization is Concern, an international humanitarian organization dedicated to reducing suffering and ending extreme poverty.

The Twestival event this year will be focusing on children’s education, just one of the many areas Concern tries to help with.

Amanda Rose is the founder of Twestival and says she’s excited to see how the event will take place this year, since last year was such a success. “she said. ”

“There is no shortage of people who are passionate and want to help,” she said. “The challenge is coordination, not participation. By using social media platforms such as Twitter, Twestival is able to connect hundreds of independent local events into a powerful global initiative. At last year’s Twestival, more than 1,000 volunteers and 10,000 donors raised more than $250,000 to provide clean and safe drinking water for more than 17,000 people. We know this works and we’re excited to make it work for every child in the world that deserves an education.”

The chance of an event happening near you are quite high, however in our busy lives of 2010, it can be somewhat hard to attend last minute events. So Twestival has set up a number of other way you could help from the comfort of your own home. Of course a donation via paypal is the easiest way to get involved. There is also a Twestival store, where you can purchase a t-shirt or a book.

The two funnest ways to get involve include an eBay auction and an online radio station. The ebay auction has some pretty amazing thing for up for grabs. Some of the items up for grab are a goody bag prepared by Paris Hilton, a behind the scenes tour of Wine Library TV, a VIP Social Media Makeoverwith Yuli Ziv, a signed cookbook from Jamie Oliver, and my personal favorite a VIP tour of the NBC studios in New Yorkand meet the Today Show’s Ann Curry, an avid Twitter users herself. At the time of this posting the lowest price for an item was $ 73.97 for entry to the Live Earth Run in London, while a chance to get a personal phone call from teen sensation from Justin Bieber was the highest item at $1,009.

Twestival FM was also set up for independent artist. Heading to the Twestival FM site, you can scour the globe for artist and download as many songs as you wish for a donation size of your choice.

Take a look at some of the pictures that have been posted via Twitter of Twestival Events around the globe.

Twestival Event in Dubai via @29TaMaRaKiNg29

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