October 7, 2009 on 2:41 pm | In Avatars | 12 Comments
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Yahoo! has a lot going on across the network to support the effort.
For starters, you can change your Avatar to display a pink ribbon, the symbol of support for finding a cure for breast cancer. Just head over to the “Show your Support” section on the Avatars site and click on the third page of items.
We also started a campaign to get people to update their Yahoo! profile status message to show their support. When we launched it on October 1, we pledged to donate $50,000 to The National Breast Cancer Foundation once 50,000 Yahoo! users made their update. Good news! We reached that goal and as of this writing, we’re nearing the 80,000 mark.
Even though we’ve reached our goal, we hope you’ll still update your Profile status to support those affected by breast cancer.
Or click here to change your Yahoo! Messenger status to read “I support Breast Cancer Awareness Month”. Note that the link to change your status will only work if you have Yahoo! Messenger running. You could also change your Yahoo! Messenger skin to “twinkle pink”, just to show your desktop that you support the cause.
Need some retail therapy? Head over to Yahoo! Shopping and check out some items whose proceeds benefit breast cancer research.
While Yahoo! has always powered up the network to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this year is a little more significant as our own CEO, Carol Bartz, is a survivor.
Thanks for your support,
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
July 2, 2009 on 10:24 am | In 9.0 version, Avatars, Fun Stuff | 26 Comments
This Saturday, July 4th is Independence Day here in the U.S. While you’ll probably be out enjoying hot dogs on the grill, summer sunshine and fireworks, here’s a few ways you can get in the spirit with Yahoo! Messenger.
Stars & Stripes for your Avatar
Visit the Fourth of July section on Yahoo! Avatars and dress your Avatar in some patriotic gear. Choose from flag-themed clothing and backgrounds filled with fireworks.
Skin it red or blue
Change your Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 skin to ruby red, icy blue or sky blue. Click the gold dot near the very top of the 9.0 Messenger window.
Wave your flag
Don’t forget about the hidden emoticon for the US flag. Hover your mouse on the emoticon to see the text shortcut ==> 
Red, white & blue display images
Click on one of the images below to change your display image in Yahoo! Messenger 9.0. If you’re on a different version of Messenger, right click and save the image to your desktop. Then manually add it to your Yahoo! Messenger.
Happy Fourth of July to everyone!
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
June 11, 2009 on 6:19 am | In Avatars | 12 Comments
This week, Comedy Central’s Colbert Report is broadcasting from Baghdad’s Camp Victory in support of U.S. troops serving in Iraq. The top-rated comedy show has teamed up with DonorsChoose.org for their “Support Our Troops” campaign, designed to raise money for public schools and support the children who make great sacrifices of their own while their parents serve our country.
The fundraising drives features a friendly competition among the Armed Forces –- Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy and Coast Guard — to see which branch’s supporters can have the biggest impact on classrooms. As of June 9th, they have raised more than $130,000, and the Army is barely hanging on to the lead (check out the leaderboard as the tension builds in real-time).
To help raise awareness for this effort, Yahoo! Avatars teamed up with Colbert to make some custom Stephen Colbert Avatars and accessories. So go put on your Colbert Avatar gear to show your support for the “Support Our Troops” campaign. You can also donate to the campaign to help fund the classroom projects.
Oh and don’t be fooled by Colbert’s full head of hair in his Avatar pics. In a recent show of solidarity, Stephen Colbert, on President Obama’s order, had his head shaved by show guest General Ray Odierno. Watch the video to see the clippers in action (go to the 4:00 mark for the good stuff):
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
June 1, 2009 on 10:00 am | In Avatars | 4 Comments
Do you sit around and dream up ideas that will green up our planet? Ok, I don’t either but you probably have some ideas worth sharing and if you’re a do-it-yourself kind of person, listen up!
In Yahoo!’s new Make It Green initiative, we want to turn great ideas that improve lives and help our planet into actual products. We’re looking for the best green do-it-yourself ideas — and we need you to help us.
Submit your idea, and if it’s chosen, you could see your product on store shelves, get $2,500 and a share of the sales, and possibly appear on the Everyday Edisons TV show. Note that there is a $10 entry fee.
Need some inspiration? Dress up your Avatar in new Make It Green gear or use the Avatar Makeover plug-in to dress up your Messenger friends. Maybe together you can dream up your green idea over IM and have it turned into an actual product.
And if you’re stumped for ideas, that’s ok. We need people to vote on ideas too! Take a few moments to browse the submissions in the Make It Green Idea Gallery. Be sure to give a thumbs up to the ones you think are the best.
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
April 21, 2009 on 3:16 pm | In Avatars, Events | 16 Comments
Every year, Yahoo! gets into the spirit of Earth Day and educates our users about what they can personally do to make a difference for the environment. This year, our focus is on how to be green at home and still save money. There’s a common misperception that helping the environment can weigh on your wallet, but that doesn’t have to be the case.
The Yahoo! Green Earth Day site has tons of advice, tips and tricks for saving the earth and your pennies. Browse the virtual house on the homepage to find affordable ways to go green in every room of your abode or check out their helpful buying guides on cleaning products, water filters, and energy efficient products. Plus find out which household appliances have earned the nickname “energy vampire“.
While you’re thinking green, why not get your Avatar in the mood too? Head over to the Yahoo! Avatars website to get decked out in fun Earth Day apparel. Then help spread the word about Earth Day (April 22) to all your friends on Messenger!
Sarah Bacon
Product Manager
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