Kevin Bacon uses 'Six Degrees' to help the world
Actor Kevin Bacon has finally embraced the fact that he's connected to most of the rest of the world by just six degrees, and he's parlaying the concept to help humanity.
SixDegrees.org, a play on the popular, tongue-in-cheek "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game based on the performer's career, hopes to be more than just a social-networking site, but rather a site that motivates the public to be more charitable.
On his new site, Bacon says he hopes "'Six Degrees' will soon be something more than a game or a gimmick. It will also be a force for good." The "Six Degrees" game is based on the idea that the world is surprisingly small and that any actor can be connected to Bacon through film roles, in just six steps.
AOL, Entertainment Weekly, Network for Good, and Auction Cause all have partnered to make the site possible. Some of Bacon's star connections are also displayed, along with their causes, including Jessica Simpson for Operation Smile, Ashley Judd for Population Services International, and Jennifer Love Hewitt for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
On Bacon's site, users can donate to celebrity charities with one click (which leads to the cause site's donation page), or create a profile "badge." Each badge displays a photo, a short description of the charity of choice, and a "donate now" button. The badge also has a Web site code that allows it to be displayed into other HTML-friendly blogs or social-networking sites. Site visitors can also track how much they make for their cause in real time, according to SixDegrees.org.
So far, SixDegrees has raised $51,230, as tracked by the site's donation meter.
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