Givoogle.com

The current Givoogle logo

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this idea before but this seems to be a much simpler implementation of it. Givoogle has a custom Google search bar with a banner ad underneath. All the funds made by the page views of that ad go to fighting cancer (apart from the small amount required to keep the site up and running).

So rather than having Google as your home page, why not have Givoogle instead? You’ll be earning money for charity and won’t have to put up with Sesame Street characters on your google logo any more (Yes, those Sesame Street anniversary logos have really irritated me the past few days)!

Note: This is actually by the same people who run GivesMeHope.com (SOTD from Nov 6th). I’m not affliated with them or anything, they’ve just managed to make two sites which I’ve thought have been worth sharing on here!

Helium's nice and simple logo

Helium.com
Thought I’d share another site I found quite interesting which it seems isn’t too well known just yet! It’s a website which focuses on the sharing of knowledge, the encouragement for everyone to share what they know with the world and learn what others know. It reminds me of WikiHow and Google’s Knol. It has the openness of both WikiHow and Knol – anyone can contribute and the focus is on sharing knowledge. Unlike WikiHow where there is one article on each topic, there can be several articles on the same thing in Helium – it is actually encouraged. Different points of view can be expressed in their own article, new pieces of knowledge about a topic can be written without the original articles being affected in any way. It becomes more like one giant publication, with hundreds of authors and subjects.

I personally love the site. I love the idea of being able to read the viewpoints of different people around the world whilst being encouraged to write my own. Whilst I haven’t written any articles yet (haven’t found the time or the topic) it’s definitely something I’d like to give a try. The site has a huge focus on rewarding quality authors and seems to have a lot of potential. I’d love to see people I know posting up brilliant articles on there one day

Every now and then I’m planning on posting up a useful or interesting website and declaring it my “Site of the Day”. It probably won’t be every day but hopefully at least once a week or so!

GivesMeHope.com
Everybody seems to know about the famous FML.com website (and TextsFromLastNight too). While they have their hilarious moments, most of it is all pessimism, complaining and people laughing at the misfortunes of others. So it was really nice to come across GivesMeHope.com which encourages people to post up stories of good things that have happened in their life. It has to be one of the most inspirational sites I’ve seen on the web and definitely gives me hope that the world isn’t all bad.

Some examples of recent posts:

• Today I got on the subway after a full day of shopping. I’m six months pregnant, it was rush hour and every seat was taken so I stood against a pole. I felt a tug on my sweater, and a little boy, no older than four, offered me and my baby his seat. He was the only person to offer and he GMH [link]
• Yesterday, it was late and I was heading to my car in the parking lot after work and three young guys come up to me and start talking. I was scared, until one draped his arm around me and silently showed me a text on his phone, telling me there was a dodgy guy following me and that they would make sure I got to my car safely. Their kindness GMH. [link]
• My friend was always depressed. One day, she attempted suicide and a guy she never really talked to at school visited her at the hospital. He said, “Don’t you dare do that again! You are the MOST beautiful girl that I have seen. EVER.” That was 6 years ago. They’re getting married this weekend. GMH [link]
• When i was in elementary school i was a very shy child and didnt have any friends. So when it came to lunchtime i would sit all by myself at the far end of the table. The principal of my school realized this and sat and ate lunch with me everyday for months until i finally found some friends. I will never forget him, he GMH. [link]
• Today, I was walking to my car after work. I saw a large rougher looking man walking out to a dumpster and covering something up. As I got closer, he leaned down and a kitten appeared from underneath.. he was sneaking food out to a baby kitten. GMH. [link]