In less than 36 hours, tens of thousands will gather at 185 Twestivals around the world–held in celebration of an unprecedented global campaign for Charity:Water.
At this very second, microblogs stream floodtides of persuasion across the twittersphere encouraging all to keep registering, donating, and sharing the hope for raising a million dollars for clean water.
While it’s unfathomable to comprehend the cause for 1/6th of the world’s population–or one billion people–lacking access to clean water, we can comprehend determination for resolution as seen in the welling up of an unyielding human spirit that pours forth microdonations for Charity:Water.
As of this post, I’ve watched with utter awe as tweet after tweet, message after message in different languages streamed across my tweet deck.
What started out as my simple desire to write a few posts about who’d be hosting what and where for Twestival has become a round the clock fascination of research as I witness first hand the rapid flow of people tweeting messages of hope and support for #twestival around the world.
A social media precedent? Absolutely.
The birth of a movement to change the world? Quite possibly.
I’m astonished by how quickly the vision of the Twestival spread. And now witnessing the surge of interest in Twestival, it’s without question the desire to help humanity abounds and to do so using social media seems assured.
As I’ve read volunteers’ and participants’ 140 character messages over Twitter, I feel like I’m peering into offices, h0mes, studios in London, Dubai, Montreal, Sao Paolo, Cape Town, Tokyo and Boston within a span of 10 minutes.
In one moment I read a tweet about a delivery of donations to San Francisco Twestival’s host, the next minute I read a tweet about the winning t-shirt design in Sao Paolo, followed by Hong Kong’s Twestival announcing Text 100 HK joined it’s twitter group, and then the Green Prophet tweets about Jerusalem Twestival’s plans, and then Capetown promotes Verity and Sylvestre Kabassidi as musical guests for its Twestival.
I’ve witnessed host cities design and market their own unique Twestival campaign strategies, some promoting doorprize raffles, others engaging a video contest, still others rallying participants to simply gather for a good cause.
I’ve seen musicians donate a song at twestival.fm to raise monies for Charity:Water and still others who can’t attend a twestival promoting their own fundraising drive– like hitchiking across country–to raise money for Charity:Water.
Surely, reading the tweet stream is nothing less than peering into windows around the world. But I can’t emphasize enough how fascinating the impact.
Here’s a glimpse of my Tuesday:
At dawn, east coast time, @amanda tweets:
Sneak Peak at what we’re launching today linking readers to the Twestival Donation Water Cloud –a new way for would be donors to contribute at tipjoy.com with this incentive:
“Donate to Charity:Water, and get your name in Pixels; the most generous donors will appear on the Official Tshirt” and further directions: “Tweet the amount you want to donate starting from $20…The more you donate, the bigger your name will appear.”
About 1/2 hour later, @amanda tweets a link to this press release predicting donations may well match $1million for Charity:Water. (8 hours later in spite of a few press releases claiming $1million was raised, @amanda confirms this goal has not yet been met).
And within five minutes, CNet releases their version of the story calling Twestival the next LiveAid.
Folks retweeted Live Earth’s video all morning and afternoon while hundred of volunteers submit their video projects promoting Twestival.
And while scanning new video entries, I spot one from singer/songwriter Imogen Heap who offered a contest to create music for lyrics she’s donating to Charity:Water:
Gazing back at tweets, I read:
- Bejing Twestival posts directions to its location at Urban Backyard.
- Doha’s Twestival launches its Twitter Group.
- Las Vegas Twestival’s reminds to buy tickets to twestival and not to miss their party at the Beatles Revolution Lounge inside Mirage Resort.
- Philadelphia reports their Twestival will welcome Miss Philadelphia.
- The cartoon image of Cat Bulsara tweets information about Twestival Santiago.
- Montreal Twestival thanks sponsors for providing free round trip plane ticket for their raffle.
- Scott Harrison, Charity Water founder, tweets a thank you to $1,000 donation from a generous donor.
- Musicians pour in their downloadable tunes for twestival.fm (thanks @renate for that link).
- I then stare for ten minutes at this visual graph of all artists and musicians who’ve donated a work to Twestival for the public to download, another clever way to raise money for Charity:Water.
- I receive a tweet from Swedish singer/songwriter Sophia Talvik agreeing to an interview. I pause to email her questions.
- Countless tweets pour through in languages I can not decipher posting links to press releases in I don’t understand.
- A radio host in Dubai tweets a link to his show about Twestival.
- Another tweet announces Twestival will occur in 2nd life.
- Tokyo’s Twestival is pitched by a former resident, now in Greenland.
- Melbourne Twestival promotes a second fundraising drive welcoming additional donations to fund fire relief efforts. They too created a Facebook group.
Between streaming tweets I walk my dog, remember to take a break and get a bite to eat.
But I’m in awe for hours all day from my live/work studio in Boston witnessing the global outpouring of interest in this campaign for clean water.
And I’m that much more convinced of the power of social media to unite human hearts worldwide.
So as you go about your Wednesday, just 24 hours before Twestivals launch, consider the impact of your own donation. Visit Twestivals homepage, make a donation. or if you’re on twitter.com, consider following @twestival and scan the stream of tweets tagged #twestival and gauge for yourself the impact of this global outpouring of support for people in need of clean water.
Surely this compassion will settle at nothing less than quenching all human hearts. What do you think? How bout it?
(Thanks to @amanda, @jazcummins and all the thousands of volunteers devoted to hosting these events. Here’s to Twestival 2009!)
Thanks so much for mentioning the Cape Town Twestival. I feel very priviledged to be contributing as a singer & speaker! Such a powerful cause and very inspiring to see how much good we can achieve when we all step up and commit to connecting and making a difference!
Thanks so much for mentioning the Cape Town Twestival. I feel very priviledged to be contributing as a singer & speaker! Such a powerful cause and very inspiring to see how much good we can achieve when we all step up and commit to connecting and making a difference!