"A GiverSign is the digital equivalent to the standard poster stamp. A sign which you can include in your e-mails to show your commitment towards your concerns and at the same time do something additional for the organizations you support! It is a completely free service for you as a user wherein the organization you support gives you a GiverSign subscription as thanks for your donation."
WTF?
Signed up for the WWF's wacky "Earth Hour" out of curiosity about their GiverSign "Take Action" option. It's listed at the bottom of the page for good reason. GiverSign makes promotional banners (like the one below) for non-profits, which is fine. However, they also encourage supporters to download and install a completely useless GiverSign application. Decided to blog about its uselessness after it complained that it needs UI scripting access on Mac OS X to run. Seriously?
The company behind GiverSign is Swedish, but it's difficult to give GiverSign the benefit of the doubt when their app feels like adware. The CEO looks like he means well so hopefully he takes this post as constructive criticism: Stick to the web banners until your desktop app actually does something worthwhile. For example, checkout the iPhone app President Obama's campaign created when he was running for office. Regarding the web banners, non-profits need help making more than only one to promote their causes.
Thanks!
Earth Hour 2009 - Sign up for Earth Hour!
