When evaluating a biofuel source, one must consider that agriculturally derived fuels are in competition with the World’s appetite. That is, a civilization sustained by agriculture risks collapse if our farm lands are converted to “fields of fuel”. A recent example of this problem transpired when a combination of severe weather and crop rotation brought about a shortage in the supply of hops. A decision to plant ethanol producing corn instead of hops contributed to the current shortage, and in turn increased beer price. Careful planning must be undertaken in order to prevent such constrain of our food supply. Developing diverse alternative energies will reduce risk, offer an efficient platform of energy supply, and prevent significant impact on other aspects of our society.

Emeryville, CA (PRWEB) March 11, 2008 — Votigo, Inc., the leading online social media technology and service provider for user-generated contests & promotions, today announced that the Votigo platform has been selected to power the Fuel The Change Video Contest (www.fuelthechange.com) to educate consumers on alternative American energy sources.

The white-label contest, sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) and developed by marketing agency Digital Dialogue, enables consumers to use social media to create videos that highlight the advantages of ethanol through a :30 second commercial format. Votigo’s social networking tools then enable consumers to share their commercials with friends, virally spreading EPIC’s message that ethanol is a viable energy alternative.

“The Fuel the Change campaign has very specific goals in terms of ethanol education, and Votigo has made it easy to get the message out to consumers by developing an entertaining contest environment centered on EPIC’s core values,” said Michael Bragg, President of Digital Dialogue. “The white-label contest solution was quick and easy to deploy, and it fits seamlessly with EPIC’s brand.”

Votigo’s social media platform is designed to enable businesses and organizations to communicate with consumers through highly engaging, innovative, and customized contests, promotions, and branded social networks. The white-label offering enables Votigo customers to integrate contests within their existing websites or create contest-specific microsites. This white-label solution also provides customers with a separate database for collecting user registration data, domain masking, a comprehensive list of features including a pre-screen entry moderation tool to ensure brand safety and quality, fraud-free voting, commenting, viral sharing tools, and maximum customization to maintain the desired look and feel of the brand.

“We are extremely excited that EPIC and Digital Dialogue selected Votigo to power this contest in order to highlight the benefits of ethanol,” said Mike La Rotonda, co-founder and chief executive officer of Votigo. “Votigo’s white-label solution enables our collective team to provide valuable information to consumers while assisting them in the development of high quality, entertaining videos. We are offering consumers an opportunity to put their creative energy to good use and spread a positive message about ethanol. ”

“We could not ask for a more responsive and professional provider of these services to help us launch this campaign. Votigo has been a tremendous partner for us and EPIC every step of the way,” said Michael Bragg, President of Digital Dialogue.

A grand prize of $10,000 will be awarded to the winning video producer, as well as the chance for the commercial to appear on ABC during the 2008 Indianapolis 500. Additional People’s Choice and Sponsor’s Choice awards will be granted as well. Original video entries will be accepted at www.fuelthechange.com through April 21, 2008. Winners will be selected on May 7, 2008.

About Votigo, Inc.

Votigo, Inc. is the leading social media technology and service provider enabling businesses to better engage and communicate with their customers through the use of user-generated content, branded social networks, contests and promotions. Votigo helps Fortune 500 companies, advertising agencies, PR firms, publishers, media companies and brands, including ConocoPhillips, Gardenburger, Pandora, and The Motley Fool, navigate the social web to exceed their marketing goals through its suite of standard and custom social media advertising and promotions solutions. For more information, please visit www.votigo.com.

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