HEART SURGEON IN WEBLOGGING MARATHON, RAISES FUNDS FOR CHILD'S OPERATION

Indian heart surgeon Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian is joining a worldwide 24-hour marathon of weblogging on July 26th to raise money to sponsor a child's heart operation. Blogging is a shorthand term for "weblogging," which is the act of keeping a regularly updated Internet journal. Blogathon 2003 is a revolutionary internet charity drive that will harness the force uniting hundreds of bloggers together to raise money for dozens of different charities. Web users from around the world will engage in a 24-hour marathon of blogging. Pledges are gathered from friends, family, fellow webloggers, and occasionally total strangers, all of whom sponsor a blogger just as they might sponsor someone in a walk-a-thon.

Indian heart surgeon Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian is joining a worldwide 24-hour marathon of weblogging on July 26th to raise money to sponsor a child's heart operation.

Blogging is a shorthand term for "weblogging," which is the act of keeping a regularly updated Internet journal. Some 'bloggers' post a diary-like record of their lives, write lengthy essays, make political commentary, or even post digital pictures that document their daily travels.

Recently web logs have changed from an underground trend to an Internet phenomenon -- not only are they virtually omnipresent on personal home pages, they are even maintained by rock stars, major authors, television stars and heart surgeons alike (Moby, Neil Gaiman, Wil Wheaton, and Dr.Mani all have their own blogs).

Blogathon 2003 is a revolutionary internet charity drive that will harness the force uniting hundreds of bloggers together to raise money for dozens of different charities. Web users from around the world will engage in a 24-hour marathon of blogging. Pledges are gathered from friends, family, fellow webloggers, and occasionally total strangers, all of whom sponsor a blogger just as they might sponsor someone in a walk-a-thon.

In the words of founder Cat Connor, "I've always felt the best thing about the web was its ability to affect the real world. The web can be a major force for good. Creating an international community over the course of 24 hours -- one with a single purpose -- is something that can only happen on the web. It makes the web magical. I'd love to see it become absolutely huge."

For some, staying awake is enough of a challenge, but others take the opportunity to entertain their audiences with special projects. Dr.Mani's blog called "REMARKABLY PURPLE SPOTS" will carry the theme "A Story of Memetic Evolution - eMarketing Trends to Profit by in the Future".

Dr.Mani is blogging on the behalf of poor Indian kids with heart birth defects. And the money raised will be used to support a child's heart operation in a partner hospital - the Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bangalore.

"Heart surgery in India costs as little as $3000 - but many families can't even afford this" says Dr.Mani. His blogging marathon will help raise awareness about the devastating problem of heart birth defects that claim thousands of young lives every year. Other charities being sponsored by Blogathon 2003 include Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, and the Associate for International Cancer Research.

Blogathon is a celebration of the capabilities of the World Wide Web; for a single day it unites a decentralized mass of participants, sponsors, viewers, and charities to work towards a common goal of affecting change in the world.

It is definitely something to tell your friends about.

For more details and to contribute to Dr.Mani's Heart Kids Blogathon, visit his website at http://www.EzineMarketingCenter.com/blogathon/

To visit the Blogathon 2003 website, go to
http://www.Blogathon.org

Contact: Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian
Tel: +91 44 2616 3455
Email: drmani@ezinemarketingcenter.com