29Oct08237 Bloggers Worldwide Collaborate to Benefit Charity
A year and a half ago, an online conversation between two marketing professionals in the U.S. and Australia evolved into a collaborative writing effort by more than 100 bloggers from nine countries that created a book called The Age of Conversation. The project raised nearly $15,000 for Variety, the international children’s charity.
Following the success of the first book, which was published in the summer of 2007, Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton, organizers of the first project, are about to publish Age of Conversation 2, which compiles written thoughts on the role of conversation in marketing today from 237 marketing professionals who blog in the U.S. and 15 other countries.
McLellan, who heads McLellan Marketing Group, a Des Moines, Iowa advertising agency, has been writing a blog for more than two years. His blog, DrewsMarketingMinute.com, is among the 25 most-read marketing blogs. Heaton, who works for global software giant, SAP, writes ServantofChaos.com blog from Sydney, Australia, which is also a top 25 marketing blog.
The project has an unusual story behind it, involving online connections between people around the world who had never met each other face to face.
After McLellan had written about Wharton University’s effort to create a collaborative book, Heaton suggested online that they get a few fellow bloggers to try it.
“Three e-mails later, we had named the book and the charity. It just fell into place," McLellan said. “The Age of Conversation was the perfect topic. The marketing industry is abuzz about how citizen marketers are changing the landscape, and these books capture that new phenomenon from a uniquely global vantage point.”
Through their blogs, McLellan and Heaton invited other marketing professionals to commit to writing essays about conversation. They set what they thought would be an impossible goal – 100 bloggers. Within seven days they had commitments from 103.
No sooner had the first book been published when the two began planning for Age of Conversation 2. The new book will be available on October 29, 2008 in three formats – an e-book, softcover and hardcover. All proceeds will again be donated to Variety, the international children’s charity.
Pricing for The Age of Conversation 2 is:
- e-book: US$12.50 ($10.00 going to charity)
- paperback book: US$19.95 ($8.02 to charity)
- hardback book: US$29.95 ($4.60 to charity)
Purchases can be made online from October 28, 2007 at www.lulu.com/ageofconversation.
A social media release is available at: http://pitch.pe/961
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October 29th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
237 Bloggers Worldwide Collaborate to Benefit Charity
A year and a half ago I would not have imagined being in this place. Sure, I believed in the potential of social media, but how could it scale? How could we turn an idea into a movement? What were
October 30th, 2008 at 1:41 am
This is awesome – I can’t believe I am just hearing about this now. Very excited to read the book, ordering a copy now!
October 30th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Ordering now!
P.S Need to change your date in second last paragraph from 2007 to 2008!
October 30th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Age of Conversation 2 … is GO!
Dear readers… it’s been a long time since I posted and I’m really sorry about it. Well, this is just because I was too busy… errrrrr… waiting for the launch of the :age of conversation 2 – why don’t they…
October 30th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
“The Age of Conversation 2″ is available now!
The Age of Conversation 2, a new collaborative book in which I’ve written a chapter, is being released today. The book features essays on how social media (like blogging) is changing the conversations we have with each other—in business, our work and p…
October 30th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
The age of conversation is here: are you ready?
In what began as a mild dare, Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan challenged bloggers around the world to contribute one page — 400 words — on the topic of conversation. The resulting book, The Age of Conversation 2, brings together over 1…
October 30th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Age of Conversation 2 Officially Launches – Get this Book!
If you’ve been following this blog, you’ve heard me talk about The Age of Conversation project. Well, the time has finally come – Age of Conversation 2 officially launches tomorrow, October 29th.I, along with an amazing 236 other marketing thought…
October 30th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
237 Writers, One Book, Hundreds of Ideas
I know what it’s like to herd writers to meet deadlines. But I’ve never had to mange 237 of them for a book project.That’s what Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton did to create The Age of Conversation 2. It features…
October 31st, 2008 at 2:25 am
Age of Conversation 2 Released Today
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Thanks for visiting!Today marks the official release of the collaborative social media book, The Age of Conversation 2: Why Dont They Get It?
The book includes chapters f…
October 31st, 2008 at 5:05 am
I’m very much looking forward to reading this. Congratulations on the release!
November 1st, 2008 at 2:29 am
Age of Conversation 2: Let the Conversation Continue
Collaborative ventures have always appealed to me. So many of my projects are collaborative at their core because they involved transition and change. In those instances, people have to communicate well in order for the venture to be a success….
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:05 am
Excellent work, can’t wait to read it.
)
Just tried to buy the hardcover, but Lulu charges 120$ for shipping one book to Norway.
Not a brilliant deal on my part, so I’d have to stick to the e-book version unfortunately.
Thought you’d like to know.
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:36 am
1 Book, 237 Bloggers and 20K for Charity – Age of Conversation 2 Launches!
A remarkable project launched on Wednesday – the Age of Conversation (AOC) 2 book written by an international cast of 237 bloggers. Subtitled “Why Don’t They Get It”, AOC 2 brings together a passionate group of marketing bloggers who have…
November 5th, 2008 at 1:49 am
How 237 Of Us Are Helping Save Children
Yesterday, we announed the 2nd Edition of The Age of Conversationa business book showcasing how authentic conversation can be a strategic component of your marketing efforts. Subtitled, Why Dont They Get It, the book delves…
November 5th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Fabulous job, all…As a co-contributor of AOC 1 & AOC2, I’ve gotta say, this one is even more robust and insightful.
If any of the fellow co-authors check in, could you please shift my link to:
http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog
It’s not pulling inbound links to the right source/our main blog; my bad, I didn’t know Technorati had TWO versions of our nonprofit somehow. Sorry for the hassle. Excellent job everyone…can’t wait to read each and every one…it’ll take awhile!
p.s. the paperbacks I ordered have already shipped so kudos to Lulu for service WITHIN the U.S.!
November 5th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Fabulous job, all…As a co-contributor of AOC 1 & AOC2, I’ve gotta say, this one is even more robust and insightful.
If any of the fellow co-authors check in, could you please shift my link to:
http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog
It’s not pulling inbound links to the right source/our main blog; my bad, I didn’t know Technorati had TWO versions of our nonprofit somehow. Sorry for the hassle. Excellent job everyone…can’t wait to read each and every one…it’ll take awhile!
p.s. the paperbacks I ordered have already shipped so kudos to Lulu for service WITHIN the U.S.!
Thanks, Amy Jussel
November 13th, 2008 at 3:43 am
237 authors. A few chapter excerpts. One book. The Age of Conversation II now available for sale!
Last week brought a whirlwind of emotions on me, so I’m a bit behind the times on this announcement (sorry fellow authors!!!): The Age Of Conversation II—Why Don’t They Get It launched last week and is now for sale via…
November 13th, 2008 at 7:39 am
This is a wonderful project. Congrats to all involved.
August 21st, 2009 at 1:41 am
Interesting article, good point
ToddDiroberto
http://www.newsguide.us/art-entertainment/movies/Todd-DiRoberto-of-American-Satellite-Hosts-Independence-Day-Charity-Event-for-Operation-Bigs/