Shorten a URL and 3BL Media will
donate a penny. That's the campaign behind the company's launch of a tool to shorten URLs unveiled earlier this week.
For each URL shortened using 3bl.me now through Jan. 31, 3BL Media will
donate one penny to VolunteerMatch, SweatFree Communities, and World Wildlife Fund UK. Each month, the beneficiaries change.
In the future, crowdsourcing
will identify needy charities and causes. People can nominate organizations by visiting @theCSRfeed on Twitter, or emailing twitizen@3blmedia.com.
"We created 3BL.me not only to promote the
notion of triple bottom line, but also as part of our own philanthropic effort," says Greg Schneider, co-founder of 3BL Media, Brattleboro, Vt. "I have no idea if it will generate a million clicks or
a thousand clicks, but I can tell you within the 24 hours since the tool was launched it has been very active."
Schneider declined to divulge the cap on contributions, using the "we're a
small, privately held business" line as the way to back out of the questions. He did say that rather than hundreds of dollars, he expects to donate thousands of dollars.
Still, 3bl.me will go
up against rivials from Google, goo.gl; Facebook's fb.me; and bit.ly.
3BL Media, which launched in March, focuses on distributing news and information for organizations pursuing more than just profit to help society and the environment. Efforts to launch the URL
shortening tool are intended to raise awareness for the importance of the Triple Bottom Line approach to business. Schneider says the company doesn't just promote corporate responsibility -- employees
live it.
Schneider says 3BL Media will create reports tied to the tool that shortens URLs. The reports will include tracking features, such as the number of clicks, where visitors originated
and more.