We Are The World

The earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 12, has been a constant topic of conversation among people everywhere. Through all the buzz, you’ve probably noticed ads for the We Are The World Foundation, a non-profit organization raising money for Haitian earthquake relief efforts.

Insert Electric Pulp, a web development firm local to the Midwest. Although a team of only 11, the small company from Sioux Falls has been developing websites for big names across the country, including Stephen Colbert, Ford, and Hewlett-Packard, since 1996. Quality work is a staple for Electric Pulp that can be seen in each site they produce. Academic Earth, a site by the firm, came in at number nine on TIME Magazine’s 50 Best Websites 2009, beating out internet giants such as Google, YouTube, Hulu, and Amazon.

The WATW Foundation’s new website, world25.org, was built by Electric Pulp. It features We Are The World 25 for Haiti, a music video promoting the foundation and its cause.

The original song, a product of Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones, raised over $63 million for African famine relief 25 years ago. Richie and Jones teamed up for the new release, which was recorded February 1. Over 80 popular music industry celebrities were featured in the remake, and the music video premiered February 12 during the NBC coverage of the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Electric Pulp, in creating a home for the We Are The World Foundation, was able to bring its relief efforts to the web. The official We Are The World 25 For Haiti video is prominently featured on the site, embedded via YouTube. Viewers are also prompted to participate in the campaign’s main call to action: to donate $10 by texting “world” to 50555. Other tie ins include a Twitter feed, and links to find the WATW Foundation on social media sites, including Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and Youtube. You can purchase the song on iTunes, buy an official tee, or keep updated on the foundation through its widget or mailing list.

All proceeds of course act as charity in support of Haitian earthquake relief.

So take a minute to check out the site built by Electric Pulp, and participate in the efforts if you can. Because it’s going to a pretty inspiring cause.