OneBigU.com - Save Darfur and Get Some Answers

Wanna help save Darfur? Here’s an easy and painless way: check out OneBigU.com, a site that’ll help you find the answers you’re looking for. OneBigU (the U is short for university) is like it sounds—a sort of worldwide university to help students find the answers to their questions. If you were ever stuck on a homework problem and couldn’t find the answer anywhere, OneBigU can help. Sign up and ask, or answer. Users can vote for which answer they think is best or most accurate. It’s a veritable sounding board for students.And it’s helping to save Darfur too. OneBigU has partnered up with the Darfur non-profit, Help Darfur Now. Each answer contributed to the site and voted Best Answer earns you small amount of money. You can choose to donate towards helping Darfur or withdraw the money. The amount of money you earn depends on ad money generated from the site.

“The idea came when I was stuck on an assignment for school. Sure, I could call up a friend or pester them with messages, but why do that?

I was pretty sure I wasn't the only student in the world to be stuck on this particular problem. Maybe someone from another school or another country asked the same question 2 years ago!

If only there was a place where you could find old and new questions asked by students around the world along with the answers... a place where you could get help for any problems you have by asking other talented people around the world...”

OneBigU is a good concept with a good cause. Students, teachers, and your average Joe can contribute and make money or donate it Darfur Help Now, a worthy cause indeed. It promotes learning and awareness, which is never a bad thing.

Can OneBigU get enough users to make a difference? How will they attract advertises? The layout isn’t as slick as some of the other social-networking type sites—will this hurt OneBigU’s prospects?