Instant messaging is no longer just a tool for procrastination.
Thanks to Microsoft's new "i'm" initiative, students's chats can help a good cause.
Each time a user begins a chat with the "i'm" program, which uses Windows Live Messenger, Microsoft will donate a percentage of its advertising revenue to a non-profit organization of the user's choice.
There are nine organizations to select from, including the American Red Cross and Saveglobalwarming.org, and Microsoft has pledged a base donation of $100,000 to each organization.
"It's an easy, simple way of donating and making a difference," said College junior Riya Rajan, one of two Penn students who has been promoting the program since March.
Donations will be made through March 2008, several months after the School of Arts and Sciences and Wharton are slated to begin using Microsoft's e-mail service, which includes the Windows Live Messenger client.
"The best thing is, Windows Live Messenger is totally free" to download, College junior and i'm representative Lisa Wei said.
One difficulty in promoting this program has been students' lack of familiarity with Microsoft's instant messaging program.
Even Rajan said she always was AOL Instant Messenger user before making the switch.
"It's been easier to get [International students] to sign up," Rajan said. "It's their AIM."
35 colleges across the nation - including Harvard, Duke and Penn State universities, in addition to Penn - are competing to see which institution can get the most Windows Live Messenger downloads.
Penn is currently in fifth place, with 425 downloads.
Wei first found out about the initiative through RepNation, a company that hires student ambassadors to lead campaigns for national brands.
"Typically, students may not have the budgetary means to support the causes they are affected by," RepNation account supervisor Eric Schoenberg said.
But Microsoft is "empowering Windows Live Messenger users to make a real difference," he said.
College freshmen Maria Pellegrini chose to support the Boys & Girls Club of America because she used to volunteer there.
The program has additional perks beyond its philanthropic value, College freshman Lauren Corlies said.
"It has a lot of different features that AIM doesn't have," she said, citing the nudge feature, which shakes the screen for a few seconds, as an example.
"It's like a live poke on Facebook," she said.
The initiative's Web site is located at www.imforacause.com.
