Here at Web 2.0 Expo we really value those who do what matters, especially if they are doing so without chasing the almighty dollar. Like Tim O’Reilly said a few years ago in a commencement address for the UC Berkeley School of Information and reiterated on his blog a few weeks ago,

…financial success is not the only goal or the only measure of success. It’s easy to get caught up in the heady buzz of making money. You should regard money as fuel for what you really want to do, not as a goal in and of itself. Money is like gas in the car — you need to pay attention or you’ll end up on the side of the road — but a well-lived life is not a tour of gas stations!

Whatever you do, think about what you really value.

Personally, I couldn’t agree more. Which is why as part of the Web 2.0 Expo event team I’m happy to announce the establishment of our San Francisco 2009 Non-Profit Pavilion. If you’re a non-profit organization that is using Web 2.0 technologies to support your cause, mission, or community goals, we invite you to apply for a spot in our Pavilion.

If you’re chosen as a participant you’ll get a booth in the Pavilion (located on the expo floor) with power/internet drops, on-site branding and inclusion in the events guide, completely free of charge.

Think of it as our way of saying thanks for being awesome!

Simply post a comment that answers:

How are you using Web 2.0 technologies to improve the lives of others?

At Web 2.0 Expo New York we were proud to showcase great organizations like ChangingthePresent, Amoration, Creative Commons, Donorschoose, Knowmore, Social Actions, USIBA and the University of Denver CIS Program.

Organizations must be a registered 501c3 to participate. Space is limited, so we’ll only be able to take a select few. The deadline to apply is February 20. An internal Web 2.0 Expo committee will select the booth recipients and announcements will be made the week of February 23.

Thanks for doing what you do, keep it up.

Last weekend I attended a gathering of creative folks from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. I was seeking out new inspirations, to trigger new thoughts and ideas as we wrap up 2008 and move into a fresh new year.

I was introduced to a book written by David Elliot Cohen, New York Times bestselling author/editor of large-format illustrated books. His most recent project is What Matters a photo-journalism book centered on the essential issues of today’s world. There are 18 chapters, each depicting a world problem – global warming, genocide, over-consumption, disease, famine, water-shortages…

The pictures in What Matters are personal and specific, but still convey universal concepts… Some stories … will make you cry; others will make you angry; and that is the intent. What Matters is meant to inspire action.

In the first chapter Meltdown essay-writer and activist Bill McKibben shares this story:

In early 2007, six college kids and I decided to see if we could launch a large-scale protest movement in the Unites States. We set up a Web site, stepitup07.org, and started sending out e-mails asking people if they would organize protests twelve weeks hence. We had no budget and no organization, but we soon found a deep stratum of people across America haunted by global warming and eager to do something about it.

People were asked to send photos of their rallies and efforts, and the number of responses were extremely high. All regular people trying to make a difference about an issue they cared about.

For a while now Tim O’Reilly has been advocating that Web 2.0 is not just about another social network. We need to question how the tools and technologies of Web 2.0 can help make this world a better place. So for our November Web 2.0 Summit thought-leadership conference Tim, along with co-chair John Battelle, focused on the theme Web Meets World, and selected speakers who could portray examples of real-world, social change leadership such as the honorable Al Gore and Lance Armstrong.

“A puppy has to have a purpose. Web 2.0 has to have a purpose. WE have to have a purpose.”

Summit’s Launch Pad startup program selected six presentations from companies that provide services in the fields of alternative energies, social entreprenuerialism, and renewable technologies. We also made selections based on a secondary focus on technologies where the Web literally meets the world: mobility, mapping and geolocation.

During Web 2.0 Expo Europe’s Startup Ignite show one of the highlight presenters was Amazee, a platform for sharing goals for collaboration among like-minded individuals.

Whether you’d like to assemble a multinational football team or set up a massive number of broadband connections in remote towns in Africa…

All this to say that we can all be catalysts for social change, for global development. With small and big efforts we can make a meaningful impact on the world around us. The secret is participation.

So what matters to you? And how can you use the power of Web 2.0 to do something about it?

As we take time to celebrate with loved ones far and near, I leave you with this video from a member of our non-profit pavilion – ChangingthePresent.org

Happy Holidays! Let’s make 2009 a year of change!

Tim O’Reilly wrote on his blog, as it relates to the theme for Web 2.0 Summit 2008 -

In an era of looming scarcities, economic disruption, and the possibility of catastrophic ecological change, it’s time for us all to wake up, to take our new “superpowers” seriously, and to use them to solve problems that really matter.

Inspired by this theme, Web 2.0 Expo New York is happy to announce the participants of our Non-Profit Pavilion. We selected 8 non-profit organizations who use Web 2.0 tools and technologies to achieve their mission. They will have booths on the Expo floor, and the pavilion is called out on the map in our Program Guides.

Stop by their booths, visit their website – lend your support!

ChangingThePresent lets you make the world a better place, one gift at a time. Choose from among 1,500 opportunities, such as preserving an acre of the rainforest, funding an hour of cancer research, or providing books for children. It’s easy to give these gifts to friends and also use them for your own charitable giving.

Amoration is an interactive 3D media organization producing groundbreaking works in health, education, human rights and sustainable cleantech innovations. From virtual world design and development to videos, events and festival art installations, Amoration can guide you through the nuances of compassionate social media for live campaign success.

Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001, that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works, whether owned or in the public domain. Through its free copyright licenses, Creative Commons offers authors, artists, scientists, and educators the choice of a flexible range of protections and freedoms that build upon the “all rights reserved” concept of traditional copyright to enable a voluntary “some rights reserved” approach. Creative Commons was built with and is sustained by the generous support of organizations including the Center for the Public Domain, Omidyar Network, The Rockefeller Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, as well as members of the public.

DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit organization that provides an easy way for everyday people to make a difference in public schools. Teachers across the U.S. share their ideas for classroom projects on our website. Then, citizen philanthropists like you choose projects to fund, and then hear back from the classrooms.

Knowmore.org describes itself as a “Corporation-Watch Search Engine,” designed to aid activists and responsible consumers in shopping with a conscience.

Social Actions connects people with opportunities to take action in an effort to increase the scope and impact of the citizen sector. We have built a search interface and open API that syndicates actions from 20+ social action platforms, including Kiva, DonorsChoose, Idealist and Change.org.

The US India Business Alliance (USIBA) is a dynamic 501(c)(6) not-for-profit organization, organized with the mission of improving trade and investment between the United States and India. With offices in Washington, DC and New Delhi, we function as a bilateral trade organization. USIBA has been at the forefront of issues that impact US and Indian companies in growing trade between the two countries.

The Computer Information Systems program at the University of Denver University College can have an immediate impact on your career and your life. Gain the vision to see whats coming in your field, the focus to ensure technology meets your business needs, and the insight to maximize technology investment value.