14 DAY TRIAL // A non-profit organization entitled '24 Hours For Darfur' is now using the popular video sharing service YouTube to bring the genocide in Sudan into the spotlights. A few months ago, the downloadable mapping tool Google Earth was also used with this goal as some experts developed a special layer which provided high-resolution photos with the Sudan crisis. In a blog post published today, the YouTube team praises these attempts, adding that numerous other organizations fight for the same cause.
"Today, a non-profit called "24 Hours for Darfur" is using the power of video to call attention to the genocide in Sudan. They've mobilized hundreds of citizens to submit video messages via YouTube and their website, which they'll be screening today outside of the United Nations in New York City," the YouTube team wrote on the official blog of the video sharing platform. "Their timing couldn't be better -- today is the Global Day for Darfur. Thirty different events are taking place in 28 countries, all demanding a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Sudan."
As I said, Google Earth was also used with the same purpose when it provided one click access to detailed photos showing Sudan. The Mountain View company Google seems to be opened to this kind of social causes and let's admit it, YouTube is probably one of the best ways to promote a story on the Internet because it has a huge audience.
In the past, YouTube was used with other numerous goals, others than posting videos and sharing them with the rest of the community. For example, YouTube is currently the main web-based platform promoting the 2008 US Presidential race as all the candidates were invited to talk with the YouTubers. Also, the Google video sharing service is the first Internet page that hosted political debates, created in a partnership with the classic televisions.