In publishing there is nothing more exciting than launching a new magazine or a new website.  Each takes a life of its own long before it sees the light of day.  And the birthing process is always different.  Some are rebirths—a major redesign or restage of an established title that needs a whole new look.  In my career I have been involved with the birth (or rebirth) of People, Esquire, New York Woman, Special Reports, Mirabella, Worth, Disney’s Big Time, babycenter.com, Sport, Digital Living, homeportfolio.com, Wine Country Informant, California Magazine, and just last year, Benefit Magazine.

Just Cause has had a long gestation period.  Finally, web technology has evolved to deliver on our vision:  a place where people come together from all corners of the world to work together for the common good.  If you’re reading this you’ve already checked out our home page and the description of how you can become involved—start your own cause, join others, post events, blog about a topic, and so on.

With the Internet becoming a key component of our daily social experience, our vision for JustCauseIt.com is to enable millions of people to come together and make a difference. At this early stage we are like Wikipedia was when it debuted with a couple of hundred entries.  Of course, now they have over 7.5 million user-generated articles.  Remember when Facebook was just a bunch of college kids?  Now, because word spread and people invited their friends, it’s a vibrant community of 30+ million users.  My Space, You Tube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Wikipedia.  That's Web 2.0.    

Just Cause is Web 3.0.  If Web 2.0 is defined as user-generated content, then JustCauseIt.com represents the next evolution:  communities that come together to CREATE POSITIVE CHANGE.  So be part of Web 3.0!

When I started Benefit Magazine, which is the first lifestyle magazine devoted to philanthropy—in this case in the San Francisco Bay Area—I became immersed in what truly is the American lifestyle, giving and volunteering.  We’ve all witnessed that federal, state and local budgets for education, health services, the arts and the sciences have dwindled.  It is concerned individuals and corporations who have recognized needs and contributed mightily to meet them.  At Just Cause we recognize and celebrate these good people:  80% of Americans give to one or more charities, 57% volunteer their time in support of their favorite causes.  There are over 4,000 nonprofits in the Bay Area alone.

I will blog about the nonprofits that I’ve gotten to know, respect and admire like the Bay Area chapters of The Red Cross, United Way, Juvenile Diabetes Association, Human Rights Watch, 826 Valencia  - the creative writing skills program for kids, donorschoose.org - the site that provides students in need with resources that our public schools often lack, VolunteerMatch.org - the site that helps everyone find a great place to volunteer, American Prostate Cancer Initiative, Global Green, the San Francisco based Level Playing Field Institute, The Goldman Environmental Prize, MoAD – the museum of the African Diaspora, the Imagine Bus Project – a neighborhood arts project, Raphael House, California Trout, Hidden Villa, Stern Grove, the SF Zoo, the Full Circle Fund - the innovative giving circle that brings together Bay Area philanthropists, SV2 - the Silicon Valley social venture fund, and many more of my favorites and the people who drive and fundraise for these organizations.  And I’ll also blog about the many companies whose social conscience have made them a big factor in the community and who are “doing well by doing good.”