This year the Web 2.0 Summit conference (5-7 Nov) is hosting an auction to benefit a few innovative organizations that are solving big problems.
To show our support for this initiative, ReadWriteWeb is running a competition in this post. We have 2 full conference passes to give away to the New York Web 2.0 Expo 16-19 Sept (value over $1000 each), as well as a free Expo hall pass (value $100).
At the last Web 2.0 Expo conference in San Francisco in April, Tim O'Reilly made a keynote speech that resonated with me and many others. He encouraged the audience to "not follow the headlines" and the hot consumer apps, but go after "big, hard problems". The Summit auction taps into this need.
According to a press release, the Web 2.0 Summit team "will solicit donations, and donation ideas, from individuals and companies within the community and then choose the 10 most promising and unique offerings to auction after the conference dinner." They've already lined up Tour de France legend Lance Armstrong, who will donate an autographed bicycle.
All proceeds from the event will benefit three charities, including WITNESS.org, which "uses video and online technologies to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations." You can suggest other worthwhile charities on this Facebook page. Also head over to the Summit website to find out more.
We think the auction is well worth supporting, as it fits within ReadWriteWeb's ongoing quest to find 'real world' uses for Web technologies. We'd love to see the Web being put to more use outside of the early adopter groups.
To be in to win one of the 3 prizes, we want to know: what would YOU bid on that web celebrities could offer? The 3 best answers, subjectively chosen by the RWW team, will win the prizes. Tip: both humorous and serious suggestions are welcome :-) Put your entry into the comments below. You'll need to enter your email address, so we know how to contact you, but this isn't published. We'll announce the winners by end of this week.
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Comments
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I would bid on Dark Fiber
Posted by: Matthew Phillips | August 4, 2008 7:06 PM
I'll bid on a pair of Angelina Jolie's pair of panties ;)
Posted by: Samiq | August 4, 2008 7:33 PM
I'll bid on a full day stay at BillG house... that'd be awesome!
Posted by: Alberto | August 4, 2008 7:42 PM
I would bid on a conference bringing together industrial designers, "web celebrities", and social business and philanthropism experts like Yunus, Gates, Clinton, and Buffett together to talk about "web solutions to big problems".
Yeah, totally unrealistic. But there isn't much multidisciplinarian brainstorming going on right now.
Posted by: Ben Turner | August 4, 2008 8:17 PM
I'm not a man, but if I were I'd bid top dollar on a personal/private tutorial with the girls of French Maid TV.
Posted by: Jennifer Van Grove | August 4, 2008 8:22 PM
I'd like to have the playlist Wil Wheaton listens to as he blogs. Or, if it must be tangible, his headphones. I might bid on that.
Posted by: saneTV | August 4, 2008 8:37 PM
Bobble head dolls
Posted by: Andrew | August 4, 2008 10:07 PM
A cake, handmade by Joshua Schachter or a spade signed by Jay Adelson.
Posted by: Mike Shaw | August 4, 2008 10:13 PM
I would bid for the first web page Tim Berners Lee created!
Posted by: Nikos Anagnostou | August 4, 2008 10:19 PM
Purses - My fiance says Purses would be perfect. Celbs/socialites go through them quick and they are a great conversation piece to own and girls get to carry them around.
Dates (not like that) - Chance to go to dinner or a game with some larger than life and realize they are like you than you thought.
We are partnered with a lot of organizations that are doing good work. Looking forward to seeing how the auction turns out. Let us know if we can help in anyway.
P.S. My Fiance said I can get the event tickets if you like her purse idea, I think it's great but I am biased ;-)
Posted by: Joe Marchese | August 4, 2008 10:28 PM
I'd bid for very first versions of business plans of MySpace, Facebook, Yahoo, Google, Wordpress, Skype, eBay, ...
Comparing them with where they are now would be a fun and very very interesting reading!
Andraz Tori, Zemanta
Posted by: Andraz Tori | August 5, 2008 2:17 AM
I would bid to be able to post a "sponsored" article on 3 top tech blogs on the same day (RWW, TechCrunch, Alley Insider).
Certain "rules of reasonableness" would apply, but otherwise, it would be a great microphone to raise awareness on an issue or a cause, promote a product or blog, or simply make your opinion widely heard. 15-minutes-of-tech-blog-fame.
Posted by: Scott Brinker | August 5, 2008 3:07 AM
Jason Calcanis' bulldogs..
I'd mount them on my wall.
Posted by: Nick Hall | August 5, 2008 3:48 AM
I'd bid the eye candy and/or programmer back door to the site, just to see things that just few people ( like the developing team of each site ) can see.
Posted by: Marcos Damián Pianelli | August 5, 2008 5:04 AM
I'd bid to be on an episode of Diggnation with Kevin and Alex, shot in my livingroom, on my couch, drinking my beer of choice :-)
I think it'd be totally worth it for the experience, exposure (we'd also be a sponsor at the end) and heck - it'd be fun!
Posted by: Jason Leong | August 5, 2008 5:07 AM
Steve Jobs black turtleneck
Posted by: Danny | August 5, 2008 5:16 AM
We would bid on one short interview with any one of the following legendary innovators.
The topic would be 'what motivated them to achieve greatness' and 'how do you recognize someone like yourself with great potential' 'How did you deal with early failures'
Bill Gates
Tim Berners Lee
Steve Jobs
John Warnock
Sam Walton
Micheal Dell
Posted by: C F | August 5, 2008 6:09 AM
I'd bid one of the chairs that the YouTube founders were sitting in when Google offered to buy them!
Posted by: Derek | August 5, 2008 7:42 AM
I'd bid to send three web celebrities on a week long trip to visit AIDS orphanges in Malawi, Africa, with the condition that they would write web articles about these two things upon their return.
A. Their experiences with the children and orphange operators while there.
B. Their ideas on how "Web 2.0" can make a huge impact on really, really big problems like this.
Posted by: Janni Black | August 5, 2008 7:51 AM
I'd bid to have the web celebrities in a joint venture project to build a /killer app/ according to all their experience and knowledge presented and launched on the expo next year.
Posted by: Stefan Deak | August 5, 2008 8:16 AM
I like Jennifer's response
Posted by: john doe | August 5, 2008 8:29 AM
I would bid for a dinner with Google CEOs Sergei + Larry, while flying over the pacific with their business jet.
Posted by: Ntino Krampis | August 5, 2008 8:59 AM
I'd bid on Pete Cashless's glasses...You can only see amazement in the most inane things...
Your life would filled with wonder and it would make the world a better place....ie dogster.
Posted by: Johnathon Royman | August 5, 2008 11:57 AM
I would like to bid on a signed and framed original hand drawn mockup that 37signals would have made for any one of their products.
Posted by: dgavey.myopenid.com
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August 5, 2008 12:13 PM
any letter that they received from people refusing to fund them because they thought that their service/idea/application wouldnt make it
Posted by: nicolask7 | August 5, 2008 12:45 PM
I would bid for lunches/interviews with Olympics athletes competing in the upcoming Olympics. I would give them an overview of some of the web 2.0 technologies and ask for their thoughts regarding their motivations and how it can be used to create applications that engage/provide/entice the end users to work together toward solving more difficult problems.
Posted by: plin | August 5, 2008 12:59 PM
Doesn't this greatly depend on the weblebrity involved? For instance, I'd bid on a dog walk with Ted Rheingold or fashion tips from Patricia Handschiegel, but not vice-versa (no offense, Ted).
Can we have some scope? I've been writing proposals all day, so if I'm taking this too seriously, just give me a slap ;-)
Posted by: Eric Schlissel | August 5, 2008 2:58 PM
Merlin Mann's sweat-drenched moleskine
Posted by: Nathan | August 5, 2008 3:24 PM
A lunch with Tim Berners-Lee and Nova Spivak to discuss the future of the Semantic Web.
Posted by: Scott | August 5, 2008 3:42 PM
or a shovel sign by Kevin Rose
Posted by: Mike Shaw | August 5, 2008 10:10 PM
Model train tracks signed w/ whiteout or another similar, permanent white marker. (b/c they are typically black/brown) Signed by David Heinemeier Hansson. Possibly with a small ruby like gem. (Reference to Ruby on Rails for those of you I have left puzzled)
Posted by: Travis Glines | August 5, 2008 11:32 PM
Exactly this book including one of Robert Scoble's chest hairs sticking on it ;)
Posted by: Dania | August 6, 2008 2:00 AM
Hi, I would like to bid for a replica of the world wide web as it was 15 and 10 years ago, back in 1993 and 1998. To see and experience how it was then, the see and feel, speed, content, functionalities...
It would be nice to realize how much things have changed since. And if such a replica could really be made, which I doubt, it would surely be worth a whole lotta money. It would at least keep it's value as a historical artifact and as a bizar old something. Probably it would be a very good investment, like some piece of art or a tool from an ancient civilization.
Maybe someone should try to simulate the old web on a website. Or maybe someone has already done that. Anyway, I would surely visit that site.
Posted by: Tijl Vandersteene (Belgium, pardon my english) | August 6, 2008 3:58 PM
I would bid on being able to play in a Digg vs. Rev3 dodgeball game: fun, good exercise, and a great way to meet people (don't forget the pre-game trash talking).
Posted by: Sarah Worsham | August 6, 2008 8:07 PM
I would bid on having a chance to introduce my business idea to Guy Kawasaki and ends up the presentation by saying "and this is how I am going to change the world..."
Posted by: Francois Bondiguel | August 7, 2008 1:29 AM
I'd like to bid on a small perfume bottle of Zed Shaw's angry-juice, so I can spray it on myself each morning before I start working.
Posted by: James Wigglesworth | August 7, 2008 2:31 AM