BACKGROUND
In sum, in the spring of 2007, Vint Cerf (the person most often called ‘the father of the Internet’) made the right introductions at Google for them to create a prototype for BluMail, a free email, learning, action and networking portal for youth and others coming online in developing countries.
Last year, we finalized the email sign-up functionality, developed the website wire frame, and worked with designers to create most of the functionality currently at the website.
In January, we were awarded a grant from Cisco Foundation that will allow us to create additional functionalities, globally market BluMail, and grow to an alliance of over 100 NGOs and UN organizations.
ADVISORY BOARD
With thanks to the following individuals and organizations that have agreed to serve on the Advisory Board to provide advice, guidance, and support as we take BluMail from its founding years to a reputable global entity.
Cisco Foundation — Charu Adesnik, Program Manager
Convio — Vinay Bhagat, Chief Strategy Officer
DayLife — Upendra Shardanand, CEO, and John Henry Zipps, Managing Editor
Equal Access — Ronni Goldfard, President
Fab Foundation —- Stuart Gannes, Executive Director
Hanmark LLC, Hanna Kebbede, Founder
Harvard Law School Reginal F. Lewis Fellow — Eleanor Brown
IMG — Gilonne d'Origny, Manager
Interaction — Lindsay Coates, Vice President
In January, we were awarded a grant from Cisco Foundation that will allow us to create additional functionalities, globally market BluMail, and grow to an alliance of over 100 NGOs and UN organizations.
ADVISORY BOARD
With thanks to the following individuals and organizations that have agreed to serve on the Advisory Board to provide advice, guidance, and support as we take BluMail from its founding years to a reputable global entity.
Cisco Foundation — Charu Adesnik, Program Manager
Convio — Vinay Bhagat, Chief Strategy Officer
DayLife — Upendra Shardanand, CEO, and John Henry Zipps, Managing Editor
Equal Access — Ronni Goldfard, President
Fab Foundation —- Stuart Gannes, Executive Director
Hanmark LLC, Hanna Kebbede, Founder
Harvard Law School Reginal F. Lewis Fellow — Eleanor Brown
IMG — Gilonne d'Origny, Manager
Interaction — Lindsay Coates, Vice President
International Commission on Workforce Development, Brad Kane, CEO
Nanoscience Exchange — Jim Hurd
One Global Economy — Moustafa Mourad, President
Teachers Without Borders — Fred Mednick, President
Telesonique — Adel Labib, CEO
The Remembering Site — Sarah McCue, CEO
Transclick —- Robet Levin, CEO
United Nations Development Fund for Women — Antonie DeJong and Eduardo Gomez
United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (invited) — Sarbuland Khan, Executive Coordinator
web2africa — Cina Lawson, Founder
Women's World Banking — Michaela Walsh, Founder
World Computer Exchange — Timothy Anderson, President
World Federation of United Nations Associations — Pera Wells, Secretary-General
World Pulse — Jensine Larsen, Founder
World Technology Network — Jim Clark, Chairman
Youth Noise — Ginger Thomson, former CEO
We seek to grow the Advisory Board and welcome suggestions of organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
WEBSITE
Please see what's new at http://www.BluMail.org including:
Nanoscience Exchange — Jim Hurd
One Global Economy — Moustafa Mourad, President
Teachers Without Borders — Fred Mednick, President
Telesonique — Adel Labib, CEO
The Remembering Site — Sarah McCue, CEO
Transclick —- Robet Levin, CEO
United Nations Development Fund for Women — Antonie DeJong and Eduardo Gomez
United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (invited) — Sarbuland Khan, Executive Coordinator
web2africa — Cina Lawson, Founder
Women's World Banking — Michaela Walsh, Founder
World Computer Exchange — Timothy Anderson, President
World Federation of United Nations Associations — Pera Wells, Secretary-General
World Pulse — Jensine Larsen, Founder
World Technology Network — Jim Clark, Chairman
Youth Noise — Ginger Thomson, former CEO
We seek to grow the Advisory Board and welcome suggestions of organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
WEBSITE
Please see what's new at http://www.BluMail.org including:
Learning Center – Check out our new content in the areas of conflict resolution, entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, youth leadership, healthy lifestyles, environment, religious understanding, world knowledge, and human rights.
Email Account Registration -- Our sincere thanks to website design firm Spinbox Creative for creating what is a simple, and quick email account registration process, and thanks to Google's technical people for answering our multitude of questions to ensure our globally available email system is safe, secure, and easy to use. BluMail offers great email functionality including instant chat, video conferencing, and generous storage per account.
We encourage you to register for a BluMail account by going to http://www.blumail.org/registration/account/signup.php.
Multiple Languages – And our gratitude to Spinbox for creating the beta version of our site - that can be instantly translated into 10 languages with more on the way! Currently the website can be instantly translated into ten languages by clicking the Translate This Website button (German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portugese, Japanese, Korean, simplified Chinese, Arabic and Hindi). We plan to add several more languages each quarter.
New Functionalities -- New sections have been or will be developed over the next several weeks to allow for:
• Get Involved – ways to become active in your community and world
• Volunteer – ways to volunteer your time and talent
• Donate – organizations that are in need of your financial commitment
• Find A Job – currently a list of job sites but we plan to create a global jobs portal
• Be / Find a Mentor – in development
• Read / Share a Story – share an interesting part of your life
• Sell Your Product - currently a list of sites to sell and buy products
• Write About Your Life - write a mini-biography about your life
Planned for 2010 -- We plan to create an Online Enterprise Academy, a one-stop source for entrepreneurs in developing countries. We plan to also create country-specific content portals. We plan to create a daily text and email messaging platform to send daily educational messages to individuals in target countries.
MARKETING
Currently Hotmail and Yahoo have an estimated 500 million email account registrations each, totaling 1 billion email accounts after ten years in operation. Our goal is to have 2.5 million registered email accounts by the end of 2009, and 25 million accounts by 2020. To build global awareness, we will:
1. Reach to the most popular local media in 100 developing countries
etc.!
THE BLUMAIL ALLIANCE
We are in the process of building an alliance of 100 non-profit organizations, technology firms, and foundations from developed and developing countries to grow BluMail into an email and content portal similar to Yahoo, Hotmail and other commercial email and content portals.
The complete list of organizations that have been invited to join as founding alliance member organizations is available at http://www.blumail.org/partners.html.
Email Account Registration -- Our sincere thanks to website design firm Spinbox Creative for creating what is a simple, and quick email account registration process, and thanks to Google's technical people for answering our multitude of questions to ensure our globally available email system is safe, secure, and easy to use. BluMail offers great email functionality including instant chat, video conferencing, and generous storage per account.
We encourage you to register for a BluMail account by going to http://www.blumail.org/registration/account/signup.php.
Multiple Languages – And our gratitude to Spinbox for creating the beta version of our site - that can be instantly translated into 10 languages with more on the way! Currently the website can be instantly translated into ten languages by clicking the Translate This Website button (German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portugese, Japanese, Korean, simplified Chinese, Arabic and Hindi). We plan to add several more languages each quarter.
New Functionalities -- New sections have been or will be developed over the next several weeks to allow for:
• Get Involved – ways to become active in your community and world
• Volunteer – ways to volunteer your time and talent
• Donate – organizations that are in need of your financial commitment
• Find A Job – currently a list of job sites but we plan to create a global jobs portal
• Be / Find a Mentor – in development
• Read / Share a Story – share an interesting part of your life
• Sell Your Product - currently a list of sites to sell and buy products
• Write About Your Life - write a mini-biography about your life
Planned for 2010 -- We plan to create an Online Enterprise Academy, a one-stop source for entrepreneurs in developing countries. We plan to also create country-specific content portals. We plan to create a daily text and email messaging platform to send daily educational messages to individuals in target countries.
MARKETING
Currently Hotmail and Yahoo have an estimated 500 million email account registrations each, totaling 1 billion email accounts after ten years in operation. Our goal is to have 2.5 million registered email accounts by the end of 2009, and 25 million accounts by 2020. To build global awareness, we will:
1. Reach to the most popular local media in 100 developing countries
2. Reach to the largest local ISPs in 100 developing countries to encourage new Internet accounts to register for BluMail email account
3. Have our 100 alliance members encourage their members to register for a BluMail account
4. Place the BluMail logo on website of 100 alliance members
5. Send monthly press releases globally
7. Create a Did You Know? global viral clip campaign – planned for fall 2009
8. Create BluMail pages / presence on 150 social networking, book marking and directory platforms
9. Create AdWord campaign and related Search Engine Optimization
10. Create events that build awareness in developing countries -- a “Meeting of the UN Ambassadors” is being planned for June
etc.!
THE BLUMAIL ALLIANCE
We are in the process of building an alliance of 100 non-profit organizations, technology firms, and foundations from developed and developing countries to grow BluMail into an email and content portal similar to Yahoo, Hotmail and other commercial email and content portals.
The complete list of organizations that have been invited to join as founding alliance member organizations is available at http://www.blumail.org/partners.html.
We welcome your organization to join as an alliance member.
SPONSORSHIP
We seek to be financially self-sustaining by 2011 through advertising sponsorships by only the most relevant and globally, socially conscious and reputable firms and organizations.
We seek to be financially self-sustaining by 2011 through advertising sponsorships by only the most relevant and globally, socially conscious and reputable firms and organizations.
Annual sponsor advertisement rates are $40,000 for firms and $20,000 for organizations. Please contact us for a website advertising section, a sponsorship prospect list, media kit, and insertion order.
JOIN OUR TEAM
BluMail is managed by a small team with expertise in global marketing, alliance building, website technologies, research, editing and content writers. We welcome you to submit your resume with passionate ideas on how you can contribute to the growth of BluMail.
BluMail is managed by a small team with expertise in global marketing, alliance building, website technologies, research, editing and content writers. We welcome you to submit your resume with passionate ideas on how you can contribute to the growth of BluMail.
IN CONCLUSION
We welcome the involvement of organizations and individuals who seek to participate in the growth and development of BluMail throughout the developing world. Please contact us at info@blumail.org
All the best and regards,
Sarah McCue, PhD
Board Chair, BluMail
We welcome the involvement of organizations and individuals who seek to participate in the growth and development of BluMail throughout the developing world. Please contact us at info@blumail.org
All the best and regards,
Sarah McCue, PhD
Board Chair, BluMail