EnglishBlog Action Day is about changing the conversation for one day to an issue of global importance. It is bloggers, podcasters and videocasters around the world collectively posting on the same issue at the same time, to trigger a global discussion and to bring to bear the diverse opinions and ideas of thousands of different people.
On Blog Action Day bloggers, podcasters, videocasters and their audiences will discuss poverty and will be educated and empowered to take their own small positive actions. This day is about discussion, idea generation, and education.
From August 15th to October 15th bloggers are asked to register to participate so we can track how many are involved, as well as their approximate audience size. On October 15th the bloggers post on the issue and/or donate their day’s ad revenue to a charity involved in that area. We ask bloggers to try to keep their posting related to their regular blog topic so that posts are individual, suited to the audience and look at the issue in many different lights.
The principal outcome of the day is the discussion that takes place and the ideas that are planted in the minds of audiences. We also encourage bloggers to actively DO things and blog about their activities.
Beginning in 2008 we will be compiling a selection of the best posts from the day into a short report for distribution to NGOs and the public, to showcase some of the innovative ideas and actions people can take.
Poverty is not only a pressing issue, it is a complex one. It is also easy to think that there isn’t much an individual can do. Fortunately this isn’t the case at all. With activities ranging from advocacy and professional contribution to charity and financing, there is in fact many ways that we can act.
The Blog Action Day team have compiled a dossier on potential topics, actions individuals can take and information on the global issues relating to poverty that is available in our Resources section.
The best thing a blog can do is to keep their post on topic. Audiences visit our blogs because they
enjoy the style, personality and topic of the site. So it makes sense that the best way to get through
to these audiences is to use the style, personality and topic to talk about Poverty. For example:
- A Design Blog might analyze a set of charity posters and how they convey their message
- A Tech Blog might look at pro-poor technologies and projects like 1 Laptop Per Child
- A Political Blog might examine the relevant agendas of leading candidates
- A Sports Blog might look at recent charity activities of a major sports franchise
- A Business Blog might discuss how businesses can utilize ethical practices to boost their bottom line
- A Celebrity Blog might write up a who’s who of celebrity causes and how their participation impacts those causes
- A Movie Blog might create a list of the best documentaries relating to issues on poverty
- A Personal Blog might document a personal activity of the blogger that is helping the disadvantaged
Bloggers are completely free to choose their own post topics and Blog Action Day in no way enforces what a blogger should or should not say.
Although Blog Action Day is predominantly a grass-roots event, support from large scale organizations
makes a big difference to the event. Some ways that organizations helped in 2007 are:
- The United Nations Environmental Programme issued press releases in conjunction and on behalf of the event
- The EU Minister for the Environment Stavros Dimas held a Live Internet Chat with Bloggers
- Companies like Google and Wells Fargo asked their company blogs to participate
- Online Media Sites like Reddit supported the event by changing their logo
- Blogging Businesses like BlogTV South America and PixNET Taiwan rallied their customers to participate