14 DAY TRIAL // The i'm initiative is a Microsoft project introduced in March 2007 and designed to raise money for social causes through Windows Live Messenger. As of May 2008, the Redmond company has extended i'm beyond its instant messaging client to Windows Live Hotmail. And in addition, the software giant is now pushing the i'm Talkathon, a month long initiative debuted on June 24, 2008 designed to draw attention to the initiative, gather a larger audience and inherently raise more money for the Red Cross, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the Humane Society of the United States, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, UNICEF, Susan G. Women for the Cure, StopGlobalWarming.org, Sierra Club, ninemillion.org, and the National AIDS fund.
"Welcome to my Talkathon. I'm gonna be here, for a month, IMing and e-mailing, trying to raise serious coin for some causes I really care about. But I won't be the only person changing the world. You can too. Which begs the question: How can you change the world just by sending an IM or e-mail?" asked Parker, the star of the i'm Talkathon.
Microsoft has even produced a blog for the Talkathon, running under the slogan, 30 days of emailing and instant messaging for the common good. The Redmond company shares a part of the advertising revenue from Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail with every message containing "i'm", with a social organization chosen by the user. So far, the company has donated almost 1,6 million since i'm was debuted.
"And the best part? It's not your money. It's Microsoft's money. It's like you're reaching into the Man's pockets and taking cash and handing it to a hungry person, every time you hit 'enter'. The i'm Initiative turns you into Robin Hood with a goofy screen name.If I send a lot of messages, I'll kind of make a difference. But if you join, and everyone you know joins, then suddenly it's going to add up to something big. It'll be like an army reaching into the Man's pockets and handing it to an army of people who need it. Which is kind of exciting," Parker added.
Windows Live Messenger 8.5 can be downloaded from here.