Ms Armstrong

I have been absolutely engrossed in the most absurd fundraiser I’ve ever witnessed.  Absurd, but genious.  And only made possible through the beauty of social media.

Yesterday at some point, I was on twitter and I glanced at the trending topics – a short list of the most popular discussions on twitter at that moment.  Listed there was #mariomarathon.  It caught my attention enough that I had to find out more.  Turns out what was happening was a live event streaming via ustream.  I tuned in to watch a group of people huddled in a living room somewhere in the USA – playing mario video games.  How this ordinary event turned into something so unique is what really what grabbed me.  They were doing so many things right.

Firstly, they were raising money for a great cause – Child’s Play.  Added bonus is that this charity has an international presence, making this a relevant fundraiser for a very large audience.

They made donations easy.  Through a simple and easy to use widget called ChipIn, people could donate using PayPal or any major credit card.  The widget displayed a running total and the percentage of their target currently raised.

The video setup was sweet.  Through the use of multiple cameras views all neatly displayed on one stream, we could see a view of the living room and those in it as well as a constant view of the game.  An added view coming in once in a while was used as a “dog cam”, “baby cam”, to showcase a guest musical artist or to show close ups of prizes to be drawn.  The stream also featured a counter showing how long they’d been playing, a donations total and contact information.

They also had a great website that was being updated live – www.mariomarathon.com.  Visitors could contribute fan art, keep track of game progress, see a list of people who had donated as well as view the video and twitter streams or donate money.  Everything was right there in one spot.

But the best part was just how interactive, immersive and natural the whole thing felt.  Through a constant twitter stream and an irc chat, there was always a dialogue happening between the internet at large and the people in the room.  The banter was amusing but never contrived or over the top.  The whole thing was broken up at various donation milestones with the “Mario Dance” performed by the gamers… and a rick roll or two thrown in for good measure.  People gave the people and animals in the nicknames.  You saw the glamorous (cheers and victories) and the not so glamourous (babies crying and things spilling).  You felt like these people were friends and you were right there with them.  They made you believe in their cause and root for their success.

They have now raised over $27 000 and counting.  Great job to all involved and kudos for all the planning and thought that went into pulling off a great event.  Looking forward to next year’s event!