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Mr.Fiction · 10-02-2002, 12:42 PM

Is it a mere coincidence that this article was published today on Salon.com?

Brother, can you spare a dime for my Gucci bills?

Cyber-begging fuels the new philanthropy, in which brand, beauty and instant karma matter most in raising funds.

Karyn Bosnak is the world's most successful Internet panhandler: At last count, she had paid off nearly $17,000 of her debt, thanks to donations of $1 to $1,000 from the thousands of strangers who have taken pity on her. Her Web site, SaveKaryn.com, has been visited by more than a million people; she's been featured on the "Today" show and in People magazine; she's been offered a book deal and a movie contract. Life is suddenly looking up for a woman who, just months ago, was "depressed and freaked out" by her financial straits.

As her site has rocketed to fame, imitators have sprung up all over the Net, some with even more outrageously selfish requests. If Karyn can get $20,000 to cover her Gucci tab, why can't some other person, say, get people to buy me a BMW, pay for my breast implants or buy me a house? There are even satirical sites like Don't Save Karyn and Save the CEO, who purports to need money to move his company to Mexico.

Most of these sites are pale imitations of Karyn's, and have, not surprisingly, raised little to no cash. Those that tell more sympathetic stories do slightly better. Help Me Leave My Husband, a woman who wants to go to nursing school so she can afford to raise her family after her upcoming divorce, has raised $2,173.51. And HelpJennifer, the site of a 24-year-old Canadian woman with Lyme disease, has managed to raise a little more than $4,000 to cover her $50,000 in hospital bills.

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/200...ryn/index.html

10-02-2002, 12:42 PM
Mr.Fiction Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Free Speech Land Posts: 9,484	Is it a mere coincidence that this article was published today on Salon.com? Brother, can you spare a dime for my Gucci bills? Cyber-begging fuels the new philanthropy, in which brand, beauty and instant karma matter most in raising funds. Karyn Bosnak is the world's most successful Internet panhandler: At last count, she had paid off nearly $17,000 of her debt, thanks to donations of $1 to $1,000 from the thousands of strangers who have taken pity on her. Her Web site, SaveKaryn.com, has been visited by more than a million people; she's been featured on the "Today" show and in People magazine; she's been offered a book deal and a movie contract. Life is suddenly looking up for a woman who, just months ago, was "depressed and freaked out" by her financial straits. As her site has rocketed to fame, imitators have sprung up all over the Net, some with even more outrageously selfish requests. If Karyn can get $20,000 to cover her Gucci tab, why can't some other person, say, get people to buy me a BMW, pay for my breast implants or buy me a house? There are even satirical sites like Don't Save Karyn and Save the CEO, who purports to need money to move his company to Mexico. Most of these sites are pale imitations of Karyn's, and have, not surprisingly, raised little to no cash. Those that tell more sympathetic stories do slightly better. Help Me Leave My Husband, a woman who wants to go to nursing school so she can afford to raise her family after her upcoming divorce, has raised $2,173.51. And HelpJennifer, the site of a 24-year-old Canadian woman with Lyme disease, has managed to raise a little more than $4,000 to cover her $50,000 in hospital bills. http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/200...ryn/index.html