19 February 2009 | Author: Katie Todd

Twestival raises $250,000 for charity

Social networking site Twitter recently held its first round of 'Twestivals', charitable events aimed at raising money for charity: water.

202 cities across the globe hosted events dedicated to fundraising for charity: water - an initiative committed to bringing clean drinking water to developing countries - on February 12.

From the totals collected by 122 cities, it has now been revealed that a sum of $250,000 has been raised. Despite being fairly far from the project's initial goal of $1m, the amount is certainly not to be sniffed at - particularly when, according to the Twestival website, $250,000 will provide clean drinking water for 17,000 people for no less than 20 years.

Twestival started last year when a group of London Twitterers staged an offline meetup. The event morphed into a fundraising drive organised in under a fortnight, the proceeds of which went to a local charity that helps the homeless.

From these humble beginnings sprung many offshoots before the idea was born to stage a mass event worldwide on the same day in hundreds of cities across the globe - Twestival. The events included meeting favourite 'tweeters' in person, enjoying a few drinks, entertainment and partaking in various fundraising measures.

Twestivals took place across the globe - from Hong Kong to Delhi and from Edmonton in Canada to our very own Edinburgh, at which bigmouthmedia was a proud sponsor and partner.

But while the event may be over, the opportunity to raise more money isn't. Twestival.com urges people to continue buying t-shirts, bid on Twestival eBay auctions and simply to donate cash to charity: water.

What's special about Twestival is that the event is entirely not for profit and organised completely by volunteers. Although Twitter may have received occasional press coverage - such as during the recent debale over a US politician's dubious deeds and praises of its popularity - one thing's for certain: Twitter has proven how powerful a medium the social network can be in encouraging hugely charitable acts that can pull the globe together in a fight for a better future.

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