serpent_sky: James!: Waaaah, publicity for charities annoys me! waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

You think any of these people became lifelong donors? That this charity is now close to their hearts? Or next year, they'll wonder why they dumped water over their head, say "lol, bro" and do whatever is the cool thing at that time? That's just the way our culture works, and ALS will be facing the same budget issues next year that they were prior to this fad, which is all it is.

Diogenes: James!: Waaaah, publicity for charities annoys me! waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

If you were responding to me I was just being snarky.  I think it's a fine idea.  Clearly it's effective.

serpent_sky: James!: Actually, if they're smart they'd invest some of this GIGANTIC WINDFALL in long term projects that will benefit them over the long haul. Last I checked they'd raised over $80 million which is almost 4 years of their normal fundraising. 4 freaking years. If they can turn 10% of that into repeat donors next year, that's still an additional 8 million which is still substantial.

I certainly hope they are smart enough to do just that - invest this money as opposed to acting as if this is the new norm. I'm sure they have people who are well aware of the realities of it and just how much publicity it has received.

Which is sort of where the "eh videos are annoying" people are coming from - it's being treated like every other trend/fad and people are ready for the next thing. That's the problem with a charitable cause getting sort of lumped in with every other random Internet thing that people have done over the recent months/years. I don't know... it's good that charities are getting money, but the videos never did it for me, personally, any more than any others. That said, a friend "challenged" me to write a 3-paragraph piece on the Machiavellian nature of Facebook in relation to the ice bucket challenge when he did his video (someone who knows me... he knew I'd do that and never do the other because it's not my nature).  I think he was pretty dead on in that assessment, though.

serpent_sky: James!: I have watched zero ice bucket videos. But I believe in a magic called "Just don't click it".

I haven't watched them, either. Not my thing.  But that doesn't mean I haven't seen it being covered on the news, or 10,000 people on my FB feed either commenting on people's, or posting their own. Even if I don't click it, I'm aware of it.  Not particularly aware of the charity or what ALS even is, but aware that people are doing the videos.  I manage to miss a LOT of pop culture intentionally and even I am feeling like this has more than reached oversaturation - imagine people who were actively watching and making the videos.  There are what? 3 Fark threads about it on the main page right now? People tire quickly of things like this, no matter how novel they were even a couple of weeks ago. That's all.

taurusowner: Decillion: Spreading awareness is just as valuable as the money.

No. It farking isn't. That might be one of the stupidest things I have ever read. Care to tell us all how many people get cured of a disease only by others being aware that the disease exists? No treatments, no serums, no drugs, no hospitals, brain scans, blood work, etc. Those all cost money. Those things also save lives. And since according to you, "awareness" is just as valuable as the money, awareness on it's own must have done just as much right?

Dragonflew: James!:Actually, if they're smart they'd invest some of this GIGANTIC WINDFALL in long term projects that will benefit them over the long haul. Last I checked they'd raised over $80 million which is almost 4 years of their normal fundraising. 4 freaking years. If they can turn 10% of that into repeat donors next year, that's still an additional 8 million which is still substantial.

Even more impressive when you realise your math is off and it is more like 40 freaking years.

Dragonflew: Dragonflew: James!:Actually, if they're smart they'd invest some of this GIGANTIC WINDFALL in long term projects that will benefit them over the long haul. Last I checked they'd raised over $80 million which is almost 4 years of their normal fundraising. 4 freaking years. If they can turn 10% of that into repeat donors next year, that's still an additional 8 million which is still substantial.

Even more impressive when you realise your math is off and it is more like 40 freaking years.

Ah, I see you were comparing what they have raised this month to what they normally raise in a much longer span as opposed to the same span in the previous year, sorry about that.