A few weeks after we launched the My-Friend-In-Need web site, one of my journalist friends put out a very nice press release for us. At the moment, it’s still available online, and you can download a PDF version of it. I’m expecting that it will disappear at some point, though, so I’m going to reprint it here.
Inspired by the economic downturn, a new web site seeks to connect “Friends in Need” with concerned people who can help, but with a new twist: Respect all around.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan 03, 2009 — What does a very successful technology consultant do when her business tanks in the current economy? Well, this one created My-Friend-In-Need.com, a web site designed to link folks with financial needs with generous people who would like to help.
So, what makes My-Friend-In-Need different from the abundance of other cyber-begging web sites already out there? “Ugh – I don’t even like to call it ‘cyber-begging,’ says Christine, the creator and administrator of the site, who will only be identified by her first name to defer to her strong desire to remain as anonymous as possible. “And the things that make it the most different,” she continues, “are the level of respect everyone is given and the professionalism of the site itself.”
She has a valid point. A Google search on the terms “cyber-begging” or “donate money online” turn up web sites that look like they came from (and perhaps should return to) the dark ages of the Internet. Pages crammed with text in all colors, sizes, and fonts, that scroll down forever and proclaim, “Get out of debt!” “No Payback!” and (dubiously), “As Seen on Oprah Winfrey!”
My-Friend-In-Need takes a much more compassionate, soft-hearted approach. First of all, both seekers and benefactors are referred to as “friends.” The site’s tagline states “…because a friend in need is a friend indeed,” and goes on to further explain that a friend that stands by you in times of trouble is a true friend. People in need of help are encouraged to provide as many details as they are comfortable sharing (all the while being reminded not to share any identifying information). And it’s suggested that potential donors may feel they are less strangers and more friends with their beneficiaries once they look through the stories and find one that touches their hearts.
And, as would be expected from someone with a web design background, My-Friend-In-Need.com has a clean, professional look that’s attractive and easy to use. “I was really going for a departure from the cluttered, disorganized, and almost ‘sleazy’ sites that I found out there,” states Christine. “Even though I realize it takes a step of faith to expose your financial problems, not to mention donate money, to strangers on the Internet, I’m hoping that having a site that’s more polished and up-to-date will help to reassure people that they aren’t getting ripped off.”
Finally, a fact that the site doesn’t blatantly publicize but hides near the end of the “About Us” page: even though there is a fee for listing your request on the site, My-Friend-In-Need.com is not trying to make a profit for itself. Once the monthly costs of site hosting are covered, surplus listing fees are anonymously donated back to its “friends in need.” And doesn’t that make My-Friend-In-Need a friend, indeed?
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About My-Friend-In-Need.com: A new approach to asking for or donating money online — My-Friend-In-Need.com is professional, compassionate, and trustworthy. The site seeks to match up people experiencing financial misfortune with those who have the means and a heart to help.
April 19th, 2010 at 6:28 am
Greetings,
my family in poverty line ,pls guide me, and help us pls
Thanking you
yours
v.David sundar
April 19th, 2010 at 6:29 am
pls help us pls
April 26th, 2010 at 7:21 pm
i am 21 years old the most poor and sad person in the world,i am not going to say that i am really poor and hungry ,starving etc.. but i really have the most sad life more than those ppl’s that sturve life ..i cant talk about my problems but i just need enoph money to leave my home so i am asking the ppl who have enoph money not asking you to give me money while you dont have enoph for yourself thank you bye
June 28th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Hi my name is Tyler Banks I am from *********, **. I have been a survivor of ovarian cancer for five years.I was 13 years old when found out I had cancer,it all started when i used to vomit every thing my mama cook and my side would hurt me really bad and so she took me to the doctor a week later cause i was complaining really bad and when i went and got an x-ray they said it was a tumor and told me to rush to the hospital.The next morning i had surgery and they said that the tumor was on my right ovary and it was a side of a bowling ball and little one’s size of golf balls,and the name of it was called “tera toma” they took my whole right ovary out . So a couple of months later i went for a check up and they discovered another tumor and i had to have surgery again that morning and i discovered this little thing under my boob and it was a port they told me I would have to have chemotherapy . When i got the treaments they were terrible I thought that i wasn’t going to make how the medicine had me feeling and my body. So i treated for a year and from then on i just had check ups until later when i started having pains on my left side and i went to the doctor again they said that there was something growing on my left ovary and i didn’t won’t to go through the same thing again so i ask the doc would it be okay if i jus kept getting regular check up he said i could but it would be life threatning so i decided that day and i wanted to get my ovary out but it’s a catch cause now i know I want be able to have kids so I ask my doc. about fertility and he said i could do it so i scheduled and appointment and the office visit is 369.oo and i know when they preserve my eggs it’s going to cost more and I wonder if I could have your help so i can be able to have kids in the future. Thank you
July 6th, 2010 at 1:20 am
I am 57 and so tired can hardly move sometimes. life is often hard. I worked hard, raised my kids right and after a life of hard work, have lost almost everything. I dream of making or getting money and purchasing a bed and breakfst on oahu and living happily ever after, thank you
July 8th, 2010 at 2:10 am
my name is femi olukunmi, an electronics, inverter and solar power technician. lose job. with four children,the chilred are hungry, no school fees to pay, no house rent to pay,need help urgently. God will bless u as u come to my aid. thanks
July 13th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
Hi Sir My Name is Johnson Raja We are So Moor Poor Family Kindly Donation Same Money we will thanks Full to In Our Whole Life My Fathers Name is Shepard Anwer John in New Apostolic Church Please Sir Help us Imidiatly Thanks.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:06 am
Pls help, i need financial assistance urgently before my issues goes out of hand. God bless as u consider my plea.