Today, Greedy or Needy is introducing the GoN Hall of Fame! This is a way for us to acknowledge our most dedicated users with a special status, as our thanks for participating and helping to build our community. Every Hall of Fame member will have a special icon follow them around the site, in their profile, when they comment, or when they post a wish!

To get into the GoN Hall of Fame, a member needs to attain a 65% participation ranking on the site (your current participation is always displayed at the top right hand corner of the page). Click on your participation meter to see where your points are coming from, and how you can reach this benchmark.

Tip of the day: Fill-in every field on your profile for 30 participation points!

Thanks to everybody who makes this site what it is, and I hope to see more people filling the ranks of the GoN Hall of Fame very soon :) .

Keep on rockin' in the free world,
ParkerTexasRanger

Hello everyone,

I hope everyone is having a suitably terrific St. Valentine's Day, full of Hallmark cards and chocolate fondu. Today also happens to be the end of another week and the day we announce another two winners on Greedy or Needy!

On the needy side, the venerable Hagrid has won his light box after a second try! Struck by the mid-winter dolldrums and surrounded by grey rain, Hagrid needed a little boost in the form of illuminating goodness. This light box will blast him with a continuous stream of light when he's stuck studying indoors. $359 is now his to enable this wish, along with the $70 in user donations to perhaps splurge for the top of the line model :) . He received over 350 wish points from the largest vote tally in our history. Congrats Hagrid, I know you had many supporters on our site!

For the greedy prize, said.the.man was asking for a laptop in order to take his music performances mobile. Because most of his music is produced on a desktop, getting his equipment to and from gigs was proving to be a logistical nightmare. He's from the UK, and I know he'll be spreading the GoN spirit across the ol' country with his new setup :) . He's earned his $500, and will hopefully keep us updated on his music and progress!

Keep it clean, keep it fun,
Parker

Hi everyone!

Ever wondered how international Greedy or Needy is? Want to figure out which city MrMoney calls home? Interested in which parts of the world support your wish? We've implemented Google Maps throughout the entire site to help you answer those very questions!

On the all wishes page, you can click on icon to access the Lastest Wishes map. From this view, you can see where all the wishes across the world have been submitted in the current round, and even vote for them right on the map! Simply click on a particular wish, view its description, and then vote using the normal 5-star scale at the bottom. There are even tabs to show the comments on that wish, and a disclosure of its wish points! This map presents the easiest way to vote and view wishes in each round.

Also, click that same icon underneath any member's name to see where they are located in the world. On your personal friends page, click the icon at the top to see where all your friends are disbributed globally. And, you guessed it, click that icon on any wish page beside the wish points link to see where a certain wish's points have come from internationally. If there is any reason why you do not want to be represented on these maps, edit your account, and under the options de-select the 'Show me on the global mappings' dialog box.

We hope you think this is a very practical and informative new tool on GoN. If you have any comments or possible enhancements, please let us know about your experiences!

'Use your Illusions' Parts 1 & 2 were mediocre at best,

ParkerTexasRanger

Hi everyone!

Another day, another GoN feature... we've allowed members to rate the quality of comments on wishes through a process we're terming 'Prop It or Drop It'. When you see a comment you support, simply click the plus sign attached to it to 'Prop It'. When you see a comment that you think is malicious or unnecessary, click the minus sign attached to 'Drop It'. This allows other members to pay attention to good comments, and skip over the not-so-good ones. When a comment reaches a certain amount of 'Drops', it will drop out of view (this is set to -4, or net 4 drops). You can set the disappearance point on your own as well.

So, keep the great comments coming, and remember, a comment doesn't have to be 'needy' to get support. Be honest, and people will appreciate it!

Thanks again,
ParkerTexasRanger

The winners for the week ending February 7th are in! Meet our winners:

On the greedy side, Sarah Beck asked for a chance to make her burgeoning art career full-time! In her own words, "Because I need to maintain a job to pay for my art and to pay the rent, I do not have the time to produce any art at all. Now I have an amazing opportunity to launch a new project at a major gallery, yet I have NO TIME at all to make art due to demands from my job, and increasingly cannot balance the two". Her wish was favourited the most, and had an fascinating comment trail :). We may not be able to give her $20K, but her $500 cheque will perhaps buy one of those paper tanks I'm so interested in!

On the needy side, gooddaddy came out on top with a wish to cover his family's costs after his bank made a mistake and left him in a huge hole. In his words: "I am not one to go begging, but I found this site just a moment ago and don't know what else to do. I know there are a lot of worthy causes here, but we are in a real crunch and I don't know what to do". His story resonated with many members, and generated a lot of sympathy. With a daughter that cute, we can't really blame them! Hopefully this $500 will help him get out of his hole...

Thanks also to all our community members --> YOU have granted these wishes... you should be proud of yourselves for doing good in the world and helping these people out :)!

Cheers,
ParkerTexasRanger

So we've added a ton of features lately on GoN, and we're adding more and more everyday! There are a couple in particular that we wanted to draw your attention to.

1) You can now create your own polls that immediately go live on GoN! Up to this point, you've all been seeing polls penned by GoN staff, but we want to give as much power to our members as possible. Pick your own question, fill in the answers, upload pictures for each option, and then set the naughtiness of each option. If your poll is extra greedy or needy, you can restrict access to that poll to only greedy or needy members. If you want to change it, you have privileges as the author to edit at any time afterwards!

2) Take our new Greedy or Needy Survey! We'll tell you if you're a rich philanthropist or a recovering alcoholic based on the answers you provide. Once completed, other members can view what ranking you received, and get a better idea of what kind of person you are! We've also created a 'Are YOU a real Snowboarder Survey' for our new Snowboarding campaign; however, anyone can take it! I myself ranked as a Gnar-Shredding God. Can you match me ??

We'll update you on new features as much as possible in this blog, so stay tuned!

Keep fit, and have fun!
ParkerTexasRanger

Congrats to the winners for the week ending January 31st! We're very excited to grant a total of $1000 to our two greedy and needy recipients.

On the Needy side, A Husband in Need! asked for help in launching his wife's singing career. When Katrina struck in 2005, they lost all they had worked for, including the master copies of her previous recordings. They had asked for a keyboard, a wireless microphone, headset microphone, portable recording studio, midi cable, blank cd, cd jewel cases, cd duplicator (ebay.com) and gloss paper (officedepot.com) to print flyers. Hopefully they let us know how far their $500 winnings went for them! Congratulations!

On the Greedy side, Save Karen's Life! made her plea to replace her bike with a car! Navigating the streets of LA became slightly treacherous on her two wheeler, and she wanted to join the motorized set to avoid another accident. She contacted a ton of her friends, got on some blogs, and drove traffic to her wish. I've talked with her personally; she's a fantastic person and we're ecstatic to fund her wish for $500! Stay tuned, I have a feeling Karen's story is far from over?

Thanks to everyone who entered last week's pot, and get your wishes in for next week's! Remember, all you have to do is ask...

Thanks,
ParkerTexasRanger

Starting Wednesday January 31st, Greedy or Needy has changed the way you vote on wishes! Previously, your votes were cast as a wish view, so that anytime you clicked on a wish, it increased that wish's chances of success. We'd received some feedback from the community, and have decided to make the voting process much more interactive.

We've created a new voting system based on 'Wish Points'. You cast your votes through the 5-star rating menu seen on each wish. When you support a wish by giving a high star rating, you grant it Wish Points. If you do not support a wish, rating it poorly will take some of its Wish Points away. To grant your opinion worth even more weight, we multiply your star rating by your participation rank. Therefore, a community member with a full Participation meter has 100% more voting power of a member with no site participation (a member with 50% Participation has 50% more power than a member with 0%, etc). Whichever wish has the most Wish Points at the end of the voting period wins.

We wanted to put the power squarely back in the hands of our members and reflect the opinions they have more accurately. We appreciate any feedback. Email me directly at parker@greedyorneedy.com with your opinion!

Thanks,
ParkerTexasRanger

To enhance the prize offerings of Greedy or Needy, we've decided to offer specific Themed Challenges. These will offer specific prizes, and ask you to make a wish about why you deserve that prize. First up, is our Snowboard Challenge. We've partnered up with some of the most influential businesses in the Canadian Rockies to offer the snowboard experience of a lifetime.

Airfare for you and a friend to Banff, 3 nights accommodation at the Chateau Lake Louise, and lift passes to the Lake Louise Mountain Resort are just the start. You'll get the chance to ride with a pro snowboarder for a day, and have the entire experience filmed and produced by a professional snowboard production studio! It'll be an experience you'll never forget. No matter your skill level, I guarantee you'll have an awesome time...

Thanks,
ParkerTexasRanger

Greedy or Needy has gone Web 2.0! The layout and navigation of our site have been totally changed effective January 19th, 2007. You'll notice the website changing as you interact with it. Just like that firebrand St. Nick, we know if you're greedy or needy... and the site experience you have changes to reflect that! We've added a ton of features, and are adding more everyday to enhance your interactions with the site. If you have specific feedback on the site, I'd love to hear it personally at parker@greedyorneedy.com!

Thanks,
ParkerTexasRanger

Click To Play

After six long weeks of fierce competition Greedy or Needy’s community has chosen the winning wishes in our $20,000 giveaway! Over the full span of the contest wishes rose and fell in the rankings, as wishers contacted their friends and family and worked hard to publicize their wish and earn more votes.

When the dust settled and the votes were counted, two wishes emerged triumphant:

Needy: Jeffrey Way’s wish for $10,000 to fund his participation in the construction of an orphanage and chicken farm in Mozambique.

Greedy: David Dineen-Porter’s wish for $10,000 to purchase a professional-quality camcorder and editing suite so that he can defeat Stephen Spielberg in film-to-film combat.

Want to see how the winners reacted when we handed over their giant novelty cheques? We'll have video soon, stay tuned!

"Pursuing comedy was a huge gamble. The $10,000 is amazing, but the validation of the Greedy or Needy community choosing to award it to me is something you can't put a price on."
- David Dineen-Porter

We at Greedy or Needy want to thank everyone who entered a wish, and everyone who voted on them. Our community chose 2 winners, and has changed their lives. Stay tuned for some follow-up videos, as we stay in touch with the winners and keep you up to date!

Click To Play

Greedy or Needy is looking forward to announcing the winners of our $20,000 giveaway, and unveiling our new design and functionality.

Today's the day! Voting is finished and we are tallying the results. Winners will be announced on January 18.

In the meantime, why not enter a wish for our current pot of $1,000, which will be awarded in less than 2 weeks. You will be excited to notice that Greedy or Needy no longer requires a $5 wish submission fee, now you wish for free!

GoodSearch.com is a new search engine, powered by Yahoo Search, that makes a donation to charity for every search that you do.

It doesn't get much easier than that! Now you can help change people's lives at Greedy or Needy and by using GoodSearch. Do you know about any other sites that should be listed here? Let me know by posting a comment.

Well actually, we're less than 2 weeks away from announcing the winners of our $20,000 pot. Two lucky people will each be $10,000 richer, and able to fulfill their wishes!

If you're not in the lead right now, don't despair. Two weeks(ish) is a long time and if you promote your wish you may still come out on top. So start emailing all your friends, send them a link to your wish and encourage them to register and vote for you.

If you don't have a video yet, make sure you get one added. We've noticed that wishes with videos are getting more views and tend to be getting more votes than those without videos. If you need help making a video, contact us and let us know. We have a tip sheet that will walk you through it, even if you don't have a camera!

Greedy or Needy is delighted to announce that we have received our first direct donation to a wish! b5media's CEO, Jeremy Wright, has donated towards the fulfillment of a wish to build an orphanage in Mozambique.

When we launched Greedy or Needy we knew we were changing the way people share their desires and help one another online, putting the power to grant wishes back in the hands of the community. Now you, the community, are truly starting to grasp just how powerful you can be. It's amazing to witness. Not only can you vote to support the wishes that catch your imagination — whether they amuse, inspire sympathy or just surprise — but you can take direct action to ensure the wish comes true by clicking the “Donate to wish” link found on any wish page.

The man who made the wish was surprised and touched to receive the support.

I have to say that I am impressed with your fund. I would never have thought of something like this, it really is awesome. I like the idea of posting wishes and by doing so donating to the fund and that people can vote on them, not just a committee. Thanks for doing all of this.

I'm interested in world issues, especially those to do with the injustices to children. It is my life goal to be involved full time with helping children. I love kids and want to devote my life to them.

My wife, Carole, and I have two wonderful daughters of our own, Lia is almost 6 and Naomi is almost 2. They are so special to me they make me want to go out to work with kids that are less fortunate than they are.

As to my likes, I love to watch movies, read books, the last book I read was Shake Hands With the Devil. I like to spend time with my kids, volunteer in my church and hang out with my mentor friends.

Thanks for your time,
Jeffrey Way

We are committed to continuously improving the Greedy or Needy experience for both the wishers and for the users who come here as citizen philanthropists. As we move forward into the new year we will be adding features to help connect the community more deeply. As always, you are invited to contact us with any suggestions or requests. After all, Greedy or Needy is both for and about you.

It seems the chance at our $20,000 pot has inspired the community to turn it up and produce some truly outstanding videos in support of their wishes. If you haven't had a chance to see some of the entries, here are a few noteworthy wishes for you to enjoy.

If you haven't entered your own wish, don't despair, there's still time! As you can see, making a video makes all the difference and really helps your wish stand out. If you need help making a video to support your wish, just contact us and we can give you a hand.

From Idealogue

From Day

From Lola

From Slorrin

Digg this story

Red Herring, a prominent business and technology publication, has recognized the unique role of Greedy or Needy as a community-driven, disruptive charity.

Part charity, part lottery, part pleading venue, it's here that you?ll find a video featuring a woman explaining to the world why she simply must have new breasts for Christmas. Or someone asking for $75.00 to buy a Degrassi Junior High DVD box set ? for nostalgia's sake. Or an infertile couple that would love $1,200 towards the adoption of a new daughter.

And it's a place where, in contrast to the dry art of grant writing ? creativity often wins.

?You have to know how to market yourself,? said Jasmine Antonick. ?You can come to us and ask us for anything, and if you know how to market yourself well enough it just might come true.?

Jasmine's suggestion is good advice for people making a wish. Remember, it isn't just about how interesting the actual wish is, a huge factor in whether or not the community will choose you is how you present the wish. Take the time to explain why you deserve it, make a video to catch people's attention, make your wish fun so that people will share it with their friends.

If you want to make a wish but you're not sure exactly how to make it creative and catchy, get in touch with us - we want to help!

As if $20,000 available to be won wasn't exciting enough, there are some changes underway here at Greedy or Needy (GoN) designed to improve the experience for you. While you're at work making videos to support your wishes, or voting for the wishes you support, we're busy brainstorming ways to tweak the design and make GoN more fun and rewarding.

This site is all about you - what you want and which wishes you think deserve to come true - and we would love to hear any suggestions you may have. Let us know if you've made a wish, or if not why not. Drop us a line about some of your other favourite websites, and what you like about them.

But don't get so caught up offering feedback that you forget to make a wish for the $20,000 pot!

Well, you asked for it, you got it!.

We've had many requests to postpone the pot so people can get their wishes in tip-top form. I guess I understand it is pretty difficult to make a video while your in-laws are staying with you, you have a million Holiday parties to attend and all those Christmas cookies to eat.

Party to your hearts content, cause now you have time to do that, then get your wish ready!

Good luck and may the best wish get the most votes!
Mabel

Well, much has been made of this story in the news this week. 85% of all fund raising for Mother Against Drunk Driving goes to the professional fund raisers.

I know there will be an internal audit on MADD. I don't want to say anything about this situation as we don't know much about it over here in the adult community in Pasadena. I do know that fund raising is a pretty competitive field these days. When I heard this story, all I could think of was: “Is it better to raise $200 and have 85% of it go directly to charity or raise $20,000 and have 15% of it go directly to charity?” Just a thought. Whatever the answer is, they should always be upfront about how the money is divided.

Have a great weekend wishers,
Mabel

Big news here in the adult community in Pasadena. We are having a $20,000 Christmas Wish pot. Get your wish in today.

There will be two categories, the Needy list and the Greedy list. If you want to use your Christmas Spirit to wish on wonderful things for the less fortunate, you belong on the needy list. If you want to finally realize that dream of taking your entire Frat House to Mexico for Spring Break so you can hit on hot girls, you belong on the greedy list. The wish with the most votes on each list will receive $10,000! A great way to make your Christmas a little more enjoyable, don't you think?

The wishes have already started to come in and let me tell you, they are pretty spectacular! With $10,000 on the line, people are really spending time on making a video, asking for really creative things and making sure everything is perfect before their wish goes up for voting. I'm really excited to see what interesting wish you will put in.

Signing off from the adult community in Pasadena for the evening. The cats and I have been working non-stop to make this exciting event happen.
Mabel