Speed Blogging and Speed Granting

First a meta note. Sorry traffic is slow the last day or two. As I mentioned, I've got book deadlines and Yearly Kos this week, so posting will be slow or come in sharp staccato blasts like this and the previous post. Normal blogging will resume on Sunday.

Also, apologies for the comment spam lately. Those crafty spammers have outwitted our filter and I'm trying to keep them off the site as best I can. If you see a comment called "people," stay away. (Unless you are into online gambling and natural male enhancement, in which case, dive in).

Now, onto the real stuff.

Check out this cool little new FaceBook App: Razoo Speed Granting.

From what I can tell, it's sort of Digg.com meets the Causes App. Razoo sets up mini "granting periods." The first (and current) granting period is open, later grants will have themes. Anyone can submit a proposal. Once a certain number of folks vote for, or "validate," a proposal, it becomes visible on the site for public voting. At the end of the granting period, votes are tallied and the winner is awarded the prize.

I can't quite figure out Razoo's angle. They say they are doing this to promote social entrepreneurship, but are they funded by a philanthropic angel? A Foundation? Will they try to make money off this some way, or is it truly altruistic? What counts as a "legitimate" project? Lot's of questions, but potentially a cool little App to help folks bootstrap something small or contribute more money to a cause than you and your social network (coordinating voting) might be able to give out of pocket.

Worth checking out. I just voted for the Youth Policy Action Network.

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Razoo's Speed Granting on Facebook

Hey Mike,

Thanks for commenting on Razoo's new Facebook app! We're really excited about SpeedGranting -- we began it in the offline world, and it was such a hit, that we took it online. Our first competition was this week, and lots of great causes have been promoted because of it. The grant winner will be determined tonight at midnight, when voting closes. So tomorrow, it all begins again, with our next grant competition.

You had lots of good questions about Razoo. We're a social networking platform uniting people to make a positive difference in the world. Pretty plain and simple. We think there's merit in the idea, and hope others do too. We're moving into public beta tonight, so you can check us out at: http://beta.razoo.com. Feel free to email me with your questions or comments.

Cheers!
Rebecca

Razoo. Come Together. Change Your World.

Razoo Speed Granting - Good Doesn’t Go on Vacation

Razoo is a niche social network, still in beta, aiming to be the platform for social good. It joins a growing number of other socially conscious network-based sites, including Care2. For a round-up and some commentary on those, check out a post by Ogilvy blogger Qui Diaz

Back in June, I attended Razoo’s public unveiling party at the very hip Play Lounge in Washington D.C. That’s the first time I heard the phrase “speed granting” and saw it in action. The idea behind speed granting is simple yet effective: present your proposal for a specific cause (e.g., breast cancer research) and convince others to vote for it. The winner receives a grant (i.e., dollar bills) to support their cause, organization, idea, etc.

Razoo’s running a new grant right now called “Good Doesn’t Go on Vacation” and the leading vote getter takes home $1000. Besides the fact that I love the truth behind this grant’s name, one of the coolest parts about Razoo’s Speed Granting (besides getting money for a cause you support) is that it exists in the world of Facebook Apps.

You only need to add the Razoo Speed Granting application and then vote. That’s it. That’s an easy way to make a difference!

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Caballos