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Jumpstart’s 2008 “Read for the Record” Is a Roaring Success

Last Thursday, over 425,000 people joined Jumpstart's "Read for the Record," shattering a world record and bringing early education to a national stage. As mentioned, this year’s “Read for the Record” campaign book was a custom edition of the beloved children’s classic, Corduroy by Don Freeman, published by Penguin Young Readers Group. The day kicked-off this morning with an early reading event in Rockefeller Plaza on NBC’s “Today Show” with First Lady Laura Bush joined by Pearson Foundation President Mark Nieker as well as appearances by such celebrities as LL Cool J (pictured here with a group of children on People.com), Jesse McCartney, Mary Louise Parker, Greg Kinnear and Maria from Sesame Street. Pearson and Jumpstart representatives were also briefly interviewed on the program.

Thousands of events were held across the nation, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. And, employees from Penguin Group (USA) in both New York and New Jersey volunteered their time at various events across the tri-state area.

In addition, Hannah Montana, Jesse McCarthy and various other celebrities signed limited editions of Corduroy for an online auction.

For more details, go to Jumpstart’s Read for the Record website and the Pearson Foundation site.

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In the not so distant past, it was enough to have a website that functioned only as an online brochure. You'd get credit just for having an online presence with static information.

But today, with the advent of Web 2.0, everyone is interacting and connecting online. The website is now the official home for all of your online activity. All roads (links) from your other new media tools lead back to your website where you inform, elucidate, and educate your audience on what you offer.

The website has morphed into an active, collaborative medium where you not only speak directly to your audience but you can also interact with them as well as promote and sell your products, books, or services.

Websites now offer Web 2.0 features such as:

Forums and message boards that maintain the flow of conversation and feedback.
Audio and video testimonials that significantly boost the trust and credibility factors.
Interactivity in the form of delivering your message with video and audio that appeal to your audience's various learning styles. Offering them interactive quizzes, polls and assessments.
Transparency in the varied ways that your audience can reach you.
Language that speaks to the core of your audience's challenges rather than using "me-centered" language.