Professors partner with marketing firm to increase volunteer awareness

---

Tweet

<!–
(function() {
var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0],
rdb = document.createElement(‘script’);
rdb.type = ‘text/javascript’;
rdb.async = true;
rdb.src = document.location.protocol + ‘//www.readability.com/embed.js’;
s.parentNode.insertBefore(rdb, s);
})();

---

–>

A group of MSU professors has partnered with East Lansing-based marketing company Netvantage to begin Every Child is Yours, a program to increase awareness for volunteer opportunities in Greater Lansing.

Every Child Is Yours is targeted toward presenting volunteer opportunities to the millennial generation, or those between the ages of 18-30. Nine organizations already have agreed to be promoted by the project. Those organizations mainly focus on efforts to better the lives of children who have been affected in some way by trauma or abuse.

MSU professor and project director Richard Cole said getting younger people involved in these organizations can make a huge difference, and that’s why Every Child Is Yours is geared toward the millennials.

“They happen to be a population who is very much inclined to want to make a difference, moreso than any other age group in society,” he said.

Molly Day, director of marketing and development at Ele’s Place, one of the organizations being promoted by Every Child Is Yours, said encouraging younger people to volunteer is beneficial for both the organizations and those getting involved.

“It’s a good way for youth to show that they aren’t only asking for help from adults, they are willing to help each other,” she said.

A professor in the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing, Cole said the project aims to use basic marketing skills to advocate volunteer organizations. The project will try to recruit these volunteers through social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.

“We’re not inventing anything new,” he said. “But we’re using social media … to demonstrate to young people that there is something they can do about (child abuse), and that is (to) volunteer.”

Thomas Hove, an MSU professor who also is associated with Every Child Is Yours, was optimistic about the program’s potential.
“(We’re) using social media to address social problems,” he said.
Hove said the program also will look at the impact social media has on increasing volunteer participation.

“Anybody can click the like button on Facebook,” he said. “But we’re interested in what is necessary for getting people to actually participate in volunteer organizations.”

The group will determine the influence by looking at statistics that show how many page views are generated from links posted on different social network sites. Cole said while the impact of Every Child Is Yours might appear minimal, the program is utilizing techniques that may ultimately increase awareness of these opportunities.

“We’re not trying to change the world,” he said. “We’re simply saying, ‘Let’s use the skills we have to see how best we can support these organizations in the mid-Michigan area.’”

---

Share and Enjoy

Spam King Sanford Wallace Indicted for Facebook Spam

Notorious spam king Sanford Wallace is facing federal fraud charges for allegedly breaking into Facebook accounts and sending 27 million spam messages in 2008 and 2009.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Sanford Wallace

Wallace, 43, allegedly used a phishing attack to steal usernames and passwords from victims and then used the stolen credentials to post spam to victims walls, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Wallace allegedly made money from the scam by driving Web traffic to affiliate marketing companies, who pay their members by the number of clicks they can deliver to websites.

The charges are outlined in an indictment, filed July 6 but made public Thursday after Wallace turned himself in to federal authorities.

Wallace gained fame as one of spam’s most vocal defenders back in the 1990s and he has faced numerous civil actions over his activities, including lawsuits from MySpace and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

However this is the first time he’s facing criminal charges.

Wallace has also been sued by Facebook, which won a US$711 million civil judgment against him. As part of that judgment, he was banned from Facebook, and the criminal indictment accuses Wallace of contempt of court for allegedly logging onto the social network during an April 2009 Virgin Airlines flight from Las Vegas to New York. Wallace also allegedly set up a Facebook profile in January of this year under the user name David Sinful-Saturdays Fredericks.

“We applaud the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI to bring spammers to justice,” Facebook said in an e-mailed statement. “Now Wallace also faces serious jail time for this illegal conduct. We will continue to pursue and support both civil and criminal consequences for spammers or others who attempt to harm Facebook or the people who use our service.”

Wallace could get more than 16 years in prison, if convicted.

He was released Thursday on a $100,000 bond. His next appearance is set for Aug. 22 at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose, California.

Robert McMillan covers computer security and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Robert on Twitter at @bobmcmillan. Robert’s e-mail address is robert_mcmillan@idg.com

Share and Enjoy