Do you Twitter? I have an account... I just don't really get it. It takes too much brain power to work it out. Or maybe I'm just over thinking it.
I’ll also be giving away a round-trip ticket anywhere in the world and a fully-loaded MacBook Pro. But first things first…
This is “Tweet to Beat”, a follow-up experiment to LitLiberation, which was a campaign by bloggers and their readers, and CEOs and their employees, to spread the power of literacy worldwide. It was a new fundraising model based on competition and social media scalability, and it funded not only US public school projects (20,000+ students) but also libraries and schools in developing countries. I’m in Vietnam with readers right now to visit two of the schools.
With zero financing or hard costs, this model ended up raising more than $250,000 in less than a month, 3x more than Stephen Colbert during that same period.
I think that was just the tip of the iceberg, and Twitter is the perfect laboratory for a new-and-improved approach (at least with a few variables).
It’s public and therefore accountable, it’s trackable, it allows exclusive communication with followers when needed (”protect my updates” under settings), and it’s current media popularity makes it the ideal PR vehicle for this campaign. Last but not least, though this experiment has no victims, produces no spam, nor violates the TwitterTerms of Service, this alternative use will get some purists hot and bothered.
Here’s how the Tweet to Beat campaign works:
1) For every new Twitter follower in the next two weeks, I will donate $1 toDonorsChoose.org, and an anonymous supporter will match $2, for a total of $3 to U.S. public school classrooms per follower. For now, the matching limit is tentatively capped at 50,000 new followers, though I’m open to increasing it later. 50,000 new followers would mean $150,000 to U.S. public school education, and I hope to double or triple this total with a few twists.
The goal is directly helping 25,000 U.S. public school students in low-income and high-need areas in two weeks. This timeline is half the time dedicated toLitLiberation. My current follower count is, at the time of this writing, 22,782, so we’ll round down and begin the count at 22,500.
2) There is a simultaneous competition for those who would like to spread the word. Just do the best you can (Facebook, blog, e-mail friends, FriendFeed, add to your e-mail signature, tell local media, etc.) and detail what you did in the comments here. Tell your friends who are teachers and encourage them to do the same. Bonus points go to people who act sooner vs. later. Deadline for comments is March 23rd at 5pm PT.
If you’re able, I suggest you use a service like http://bit.ly to get a unique URL for this post so you can track clicks on your individual link as you promote it. Click-throughs are more important than “exposure”. Here are a few links you can use:
www.twitter.com/tferriss
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/03/09/tweet-to-beat/
http://bit.ly/tldW (shortened URL for this post)
Not sure of what to say? Here’s the simple version for Facebook status and other channels:
“The Tweet to Beat - Paying $3 per Twitter follower: http://bit.ly/tldW”
Just get them to this post using curiosity and let the post do the convincing. For more promotional tactics that work, see the comments from this past competition.
The prizes:
Grand Prize: Round-trip ticket anywhere in the world Continental Airlines or one of their OnePass partners fly. This is pretty much everywhere on earth. Redeem the ticket anytime within 10 years, so no rush. If you prefer the 2nd-place prize, opt for it and the 2nd-place winner will get the round-trip ticket.
2nd-Place Prize: Brand-new condition 15″ MacBook Pro and laptop backpack with the following specs, donated by direct marketing expert Joe Polish (his Richard Branson interview here):
15″ MB PRO 2.6GHZ 2GB / 200 / SD APPLE $2,794.00
UPG 4GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SODIMM W / INSTL
ADD 2GB(1X2GB) PC2-5300 DDR2-667 SODIMM
APPLECARE PROTECTION PLAN-MACBOOK PRO $349.00
PACE 15.4″ (BLUE) LAPTOP BACKPACK EVERKI $29.99"
So what do you think?
Are you wondering why I'm typing in pink? It's not to annoy Picky! Although that does make it a bit more fun! I'm typing in pink in support of the teachers. Way too many pink slips are being handed out today at our schools... it's heart breaking.
"Fairfield: Hit with 300 pink slips, teachers in Fairfield-Suisun Unified teachers will picket for several blocks on Texas Street in Fairfield where it crosses Interstate 80 in two areas. Visuals include protest signs, and hundreds of teachers are expected. Contact: Melanie Driver, president of Fairfield-Suisun Unified Teachers Association, at 707-290-0153."
I'll get way too emotional if I start typing about my children's teachers... Teachers in general. We need to support them. Wear pink....E-mail anyone and everyone telling them what you think... tell your child's teacher how much they mean to you... email the Governor the school board. Do something. Our schools need your help. No art? No PE? Larger class sizes for all ready over flowing classes?
Our kids deserve more then this.
