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Caring.com and Alzheimers Association Use Social Media to Help Spread...

This spring, Caring.com (http://www.caring.com) and the Alzheimer'ss Association (http:///www.alz.org) teamed up in the fight against Alzheimer'ss, by harnessing the power of the Internet to create an innovative social media campaign to spread awareness of this growing epidemic. The Purple Ribbon campaign was a great success, with families, caregivers and friends of loved ones afflicted with Alzheimer'ss displaying the free Purple Ribbon (http://www.caring.com/ribbons/new) on more than 1,000 blogs and websites in less than seven weeks.

The Internet has changed how we get information, even for important topics like caregiving and eldercare. Blogs have replaced weekly email updates, online communities have replaced park bench conversations, and widgets have replaced bumper stickers as a way to show support for an issue or cause.

Social media has become an element in how consumers live their lives, with the most novice Internet user embracing social media applications and tools to personalize their blogs or websites, said Andy Cohen, Caring.com CEO. We'sre thrilled the campaign with the Alzheimer'ss Association was successful in helping the organization generate support and spread awareness for the disease.

According to the Alzheimer'ss Association 2008 Alzheimer'ss Disease Facts and Figures, nearly 10 million American baby boomers will develop Alzheimer'ss (http://www.caring.com/alzheimers-and-other-dementias) in their lifetime. This progressive and fatal brain disease is now the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.

The Internet presents a tremendous opportunity for organizations to generate awareness, said Angela Geiger, Alzheimer'ss Association Vice President. We'sre thrilled to see initiatives like this one broaden the Association'ss reach to our communities of need.

The Caring.com Purple Ribbon campaign made it easy to support the fight against Alzheimer'ss, taking it from the highway to the information superhighway. For every website or blog that displayed the ribbon, Caring.com contributed $10 per unique website or blog (up to $10,000 or 1000 unique websites or blogs), to the Alzheimer'ss Association for research and education programs.

Given the popularity of blogs, we estimate each ribbon is viewed by an average of nearly 100 users. This means the campaign reached in excess of 100,000 users, illustrating the true power of using social media to reach and educate thousands, said A.J. Kohn, Caring.com Vice President, Online Marketing.

Even though the campaign met its financial goal, the Caring.com Alzheimer'ss Purple Ribbon is free, easy and available to anyone who wants to help raise awareness for Alzheimer'ss disease. With just a few clicks users can create a free web ribbon (http://www.caring.com/ribbons/new). You can personalize the ribbon with a loved one'ss name and it comes in different shades and sizes to help match your website or blog.

If you'sre an adult child or caregiver caring for a parent or loved one with Alzheimer'ss, visit the Alzheimer'ss and Other Dementias (http://www.caring.com/alzheimers-and-other-dementias) section of Caring.com for helpful information and resources.

About Caring.com

Caring.com is a community and content website that provides people who are caring for aging parents with timesaving information to help them make better decisions. Founded in 2007 by a team of people who have taken care of their own aging parents, Caring.com is a free resource to users and is supported by advertisers. Caring.com is backed by leading venture investors DCM and Split Rock Partners. Caring.com is headquartered in San Mateo, California, and can be reached at http://www.caring.com.

About the Alzheimer'ss Association

The Alzheimer'ss Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer'ss disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer'ss. For more information, visit www.alz.org.

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