Web Meets World

The folks over at O'Reilly, who brought us the term "Web 2.0" and lots of great software books for geeks, are having a benefit auction in conjunction with their annual Web 2.0 Summit this November in San Francisco. Themed "Web Meets World", they are soliciting donations and donation ideas, along with recommendations for charities that should benefit, all through their Facebook "Web 2.0 Summit" community.

I like the focus this year, which is looking at how web 2.0 can be used for solving pressing world problems. While I like my Apple iPhone, and love how it can emulate a cigarette lighter, its these kind of silly applications can really bring you down when you turn attention back to global warming... is this all people can think of? The Netsquared folks over at TechSoup have done a great job supporting web 2.0 initiatives for social good, I hope that the influential folks at O'Reilly can contribute some more momentum here.

One of my favorite organizations, Witness is reported to be one charity that will benefit from the auction. They provide video cameras to human rights groups, and technical assistance to bring their messages out. I used to work for Witness over 10 years ago when it was three people. It has grown far since then, and is a terrific program and resource for rights groups worldwide.