I Won! And so did children across the world...

So, it looks like I was one of the winners for the contest Shel Israel was holding last week.

It started out as a Facebook flyer test and it turned into over $1500 being raised for Room to Read. This money may not seem like a large sum here in the States, but in Sri Lanka it could build more than half a library, or put a number of Nepalese children through school for a year.

I'm honored to have been part of this process and in return I not only got 2 hours of consulting time from Shel (who I'm a huge fan of), but I also got to do something good for an amazing organization.

This "contest", if it could even be called that, inspired me so much that I'm actively speaking with my partners on how we can use our web sites, blogs and newsletters to help this organization and others like it. So I want to put it out there to other bloggers reading this (especially my NYC blogging brethren) - this amazing medium we have and the ability to self-publish must not be used solely for selfish reasons.

We should be focusing on "self-less" publishing as well.

So if you have it in you to write posts about your company's current marketing strategy, or a new product you're launching, then take some extra time to write a post about a charity that you'd like to get involved in. And it doesn't have to be a global charity like Room to Read, there are plenty right here in New York that deserve our attention too.

Look at what Fred Wilson has been doing with Donor's Choose.

Or check out New York Magazines list of local organizations that could use our help.

If Shel was able to raise $1500 in one week by himself, what could everybody in the nextNY community raise together over the course of a month or two? $15,000? $150,000?

I don't know the answer - but I do know that with the collective creativity, brain power and reach of this community, something very special could happen here.

I'm definitely going to be doing plenty on my end to contribute to some of these causes. But if anyone is inclined to get the ball rolling on something like this on a larger scale, I'd be happy to help in any way I can. Would love to hear your thoughts - I can be reached at: wayne at tickerhound dot com.