July 27, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
More than 500 bloggers from around the world have signed up to participate in a 24-hour Blogathon to raise money for charity starting at 6 a.m. Pacific time on Saturday.
The participants will raise money for a charity of their choice, promising donors they will update their blogs every 30 minutes during the 24-hour period. (Update: The pledges totaled more than $120,000, according to the Blogathon site.)
The annual event was started in 2001 by Cat Connor, a blogger in Portland, Ore. That year, more than 100 bloggers raised more than $20,000 for 77 charities, according to the Blogathon’s Web site. Participation has gone up and down since then. This year, more than $70,000 has been pledged so far, it says.
The rules for bloggers are strict. “Don’t use an update script or other trick so you can go to bed and still blog,” the site warns. “You must be awake and participating in person.”
It offers helpful tips for staying awake: take quick, cold showers; chat with other Blogathan participants; dance or play computer games; or create a “themed blog.”
All money goes directly to the charities through online donations.
Do you plan to participate in the Blogathon? What do you think about this approach to raising money? Share your thoughts by clicking on the comment link below.
