"I'm" Still Making a Difference

Have you heard of i'm? The i'm initiative lets Windows Live Messenger users give money to selected charitable organizations just by using IM. The money comes from Microsoft's advertising revenues and goes to support organizations like the Red Cross, Unicef, Boys and Girls Club, Sierra Club, the Humane Society, and more. The program, now a year old, has now donated $1.3 million to the ten participating organizations so far, according to the Windows Live Messenger blog.

If you want to participate, it's easy - just open up Windows Live Messenger and go into the Options from the Tools menu (it's on the last button on the right). Look for your name in the box where it says "Display Name" under the personal section. After your name, just type in the code (see below) for the organization you want to support.

Here are the codes:

• American Red Cross code = *red+u
  Boys & Girls Clubs of America code = *bgca
• The Humane Society of the United States code = *hsus
• National AIDS Fund code = *naf
• National MS Society code = *mssoc
• ninemillion.org code = *9mil
• Sierra Club code = *sierra
• StopGlobalWarming.org code = *help
• Susan G. Komen for the Cure code = *komen
• UNICEF code = *unicef