Online Community Follows 'Cyber (Buying) Monday' With 'Giving Tuesday'
By Melony Roy
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- After "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" (for shopping) comes "Giving Tuesday," a day designated for charities and nonprofits to collaborate online and remind everyone of the need for donations to good causes, especially during the holidays.
Today's 12-hour event was like a telethon in your web browser.
Google Plus was hosting its first ever Hangout-a-thon. The event featured various guests talking about causes ranging from clean water access, education, and bullying.
Adam Braun (lefthand inset photo) is founder of one of the charities on the list -- "Pencils of Promise" -- which builds schools in developing countries and trains young leaders to take action.
"Giving Tuesday is a reaction to what started out as Black Friday and then became Cyber Monday," he said today. "I think it's a pretty powerful statement about our society that people said, 'Buying stuff for myself isn't just enough anymore. I want to be mobilized to help the causes and the people and the issues I care about the most.' "
The daylong event includes a yoga class, a cook-along, and a chance to view some of the socially conscious products being offered for the holidays. You can donate through the Hangout, or find a way to lend your time.
