Advancing widespread charitable giving into the digital age, the new website Beneflix has launched. Integrating the opportunity for novice filmmakers to gain valuable exposure and for charities to reach a previously untapped resource, Beneflix offers these two seemingly unrelated groups an unprecedented marketplace for networking and fundraising.

Given the national obsession with online video and the struggle lesser-known charities are facing during the global economic downturn, Beneflix fills the need for a communal online destination offering both entertainment and an opportunity to give back. Beneflix is the brainchild of web designer James Malley, with backing from a group of industry professionals.

All user transactions on Beneflix take place using what the site team has dubbed “cNotes.” Film makers upload a scene to kick off a movie fundraising drive and users then vote on what should happen in the next scene, by attaching cNotes ($0.25 each) to their preferred idea. These are donated to the charity indicated by the maker of the film, and the users effectively influence the outcome of the films with their charitable donations.

Originally posted on March 3, 2009 @ 2:41 pm

Cengage Learning announced the launch of Global Economic Crisis, an online portal which offers instructors the latest information and analysis on current global economic issues to incorporate into their lessons. GEC turns current events into teachable material to better engage students through a global issues database, timeline of events, differing perspectives and late-breaking information that can be easily incorporated into daily curriculum.

Updated four times daily, the site offers multi-media assets including videos, podcasts, e-books and articles from leading journals, magazines and newspapers from around the world.

GEC Resource Center also contains a community blog for ongoing discussion and debate on the economy and its impact on how instructors teach and how students learn. Over time, the portal aims to become a community for instructors and will provide a unique way for these academics to share best practices.

Originally posted on March 5, 2009 @ 10:50 am

Resumark.com is paying job seekers $1 every time their resume is downloaded by an employer. It also utilizes the latest Web 2.0 trends and social networking to spread the word. When job seekers invite friends, they make $0.50 each time one of their friend’s resumes is downloaded.

Job seekers spend countless hours writing their resumes, updating them, and making them special. After all, the stakes are high. Yet, what most job seekers don’t realize is that they are giving away the pages that took them a lifetime to perfect.

On top of this, in addition to giving back to job seekers, Resumark.com pledges to make donations to charities and schools.

Originally posted on March 6, 2009 @ 11:05 am

LimeWire has forged deals with new partners to sell their combined digital music catalogues, adding thousands of titles to the LimeWire Store. The new partners include TuneCore, Kufala Recordings, Delicious Vinyl, CBS Records, Kemado Records, and Fader Label.

These deals provide access to titles from artists such as Crowded House, Soul Coughing [Kufala Recordings]; Brand New Heavies, Tone Loc, Young MC, The Pharcyde [Delicious Vinyl]; PJ Olsen, Will Daily [CBS Records]; The Sword, Dungen, Langhorne Slim [Kemado Records]; Saul Williams, Matt & Kim [Fader Label], as well as many other notable names.

Originally posted on February 27, 2009 @ 12:17 pm