November 2008

Have you seen the latest contest at kirtsy? It’s probably the most Thanksgiving appropriate contest ever. Kirtsy has teamed up with One Laptop Per Child to give away Four XO Laptops! That’s right. You could win one of four laptops. Honest and true.

How? Easy: Spread the word about One Laptop Per Child by sharing their link (http://laptop.org). Email it. Tweet it. Blog it. Put it on Facebook. Call a friend. Do whatever it is you do.

Then tell kirtsy what you did by leaving a comment on the kirtsy blog or on the kirtsy entry, like: “I twittered about OLPC.” And you’re officially entered to win.

Winning a laptop is a fantastic thing. But OLPC’s programs are even more fantastic — their whole mission and purpose is to get a laptop into the hands of every child in emerging countries across the globe. Every. Single. Child. OLPC understands how a computer can give advantages and offer opportunities in a life-changing way.

See, the little laptops they make are amazing. Super sturdy. Designed for children’s hands. Easy to care for and maintain. Self-networking. And they send them for free to children around the globe. These laptops can’t even be bought for personal use — they are strictly for giving away.

With one exception. Over the holidays, OLPC is holding a Give One, Get One (G1G1) promotion. You buy a laptop for yourself or for someone you love, and OLPC will donate another laptop to a child in need. In fact, this G1G1 campaign is the only way to actually buy one of their laptops. Period.

I’m a big fan. If you were reading Design Mom a year ago, you may remember my post on OLPC. We participated in the program last December — and our kids love our XO. Your kids would love one as well! Bonus: I’ll bet it’s the best price you’ll find on a laptop anywhere.

If you are able to get involved with the Give One Get One program this year, you won’t regret it. If donating a laptop isn’t an option, then I hope you’ll get involved by trying to win one from kirtsy!

Share the OLPC link. Tell kirtsy about it. Then you’re entered to win. Done and done.

At the beginning of this post, I mentioned this contest is particularly Thanksgiving appropriate. This is what I mean: I am thankful every single day for the opportunities and friendships that have come into my life through a computer and the internet. And I’m thankful for companies like One Laptop Per Child that understand the power that computer ownership can bring to a child’s life.

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Oh my goodness! I’m so excited. Remember when I told you about Hands On Kirtsy? It’s a new program kirtsy is launching — featuring gatherings across the country where women can learn how to use web 2.0 services like twitter, delicious, flickr, kirtsy, facebook, stumble upon, rss feed readers, tumblr. . .

The first Hands On Kirtsy was held a few weeks ago in conjunction with the Startup Princess Retreat. And the 2nd Hands On Kirtsy is happening on Monday. This coming Monday, December 1st. And it’s coming to New York!

If you’re in New York and you’re wanting an introduction to social media, we hope you’ll attend. Maybe you’ve read some blogs. Signed up for Facebook. But you’re not sure what all the fuss about Twitter is. Or how one would use Stumble Upon.

Then Hands On Kirsty is for you.

Hands On Kirtsy sessions are like the funnest class you ever took. No stress. No judgment. Just a bunch of girls learning what’s up on the internet these days. Real hands on learning. Trying things out. Learning new skills. At the end of the session, you’ll feel so in the know! You’ll be able to use verbs like tweet, kirtsy, stumble and flickr without being tempted to giggle.

Extra fun: all the kirtsy girls will be in town! Laura is coming from Texas. Laurie is coming from North Carolina. And Gwen is coming from Colorado. And we can’t wait to hang out with everybody. Best part: it’s free dollars and thirty free cents. For reals. The details:

Hands On Kirtsy
Monday, December 1, 2008
6:00 to 8:00 PM
Hudson Hotel, in the Studio
356 West 58th Street, New York

Too advanced for Hands on Kirsty? Already a social media pro? We get that. But we want to see you anyway. So immediately after the Hands on Kirtsy, we’ve got a fabulous meetup happening. In the same building, at the Hudson Bar.

Kirtsy Meetup
Monday, December 1, 2009
Hudson Bar
8:00 till you go home
356 West 58th Street, New York

For sure, if you’re in the area, you need to come by and say Hello! Oh. And send me an email or leave a comment if you can make it to either event — I’d love to know who’s planning to come.

UPDATE: You can register for your FREE tickets to either event here: http://handsonkirtsy.eventbrite.com/

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