This blog post will provide a recap of the run up to our Habitat for Humanity Global Village Challenge and our time building in Buenos Aires. It will be a useful reference point for the 70 blog posts that have preceded this one.

This Blog and the inkstersgive.com website were officially launched on 23 September 2009 with thanks to corporate sponsor, Innovation Digital.

There is a link from the InkstersGive site to our JustGiving  page, and it was not long before the donations started rolling in. This included our first US donation from Richard Prickman of Bitcher & Prickman. However, he was not allowed to outdo his Partner, Beatrice Bitcher. There followed more donations from my Twitter followers including generous corporate sponsors: The Trial Warrior, Silverman Sherliker and Valentilaw. The generosity of Twitter followers was overwhelming as seen in Fundraising and the Power of Twitter and #FollowFriday for Just Giving.

We had asked for help to cover our hard hats with logos and were having good success. In addition to those corporate sponsors already mentioned we had Inksters, Page\Park, Harley Haddow and Theatreplan on board. They were to be joined by Barr Brady, Oce and Jeffrey Aitken.

We were getting plenty of attention in the legal and architectural press, all helping to raise awareness and encourage donations.

In amongst all this we started Spanish classes with a teacher from Argentina at Centro Español Loco. We were to go on to take 5 Spanish lessons in total. Our teacher ended up joining our La Bordona Tango class at Sloans.

I read a Chinese Poem from 700BC. Our T-Shirts were printed and offered for sale. We were all set to head to Argentina.

Nicola and I arrived in Argentina a couple of days ahead of the rest of our Group. This gave us a chance to acclimatise and recover from the jet lag before beginning building work. It also meant we experienced floods in Buenos Aires on our first day there.

When the rest of the Group (13 of us in total) arrived from the UK it was straight into Orientation and learning about the 22 de Enero neighbourhood that we would be working in.

Then building works commenced. By the end of day 4 which consisted of painting, digging holes and moving concrete fence posts I was very tired but equally elated. Our active filled days passed by quickly with a brick wall, yellow paint and a concrete column, not to mention a higher wall, more yellow paint and a bedroom extension.

We were also able to celebrate the work we had done with the community when we attended the inauguration of the room we painted yellow.

On a day where work was rained off we had the opportunity to visit the Recovering Urban Homes Project and learn of the other work Habitat for Humanity was doing within Buenos Aires. On the way Jas met Maradona in La Boca.

On day 8 and on day 9 we were given time off for rest and relaxation. This allowed us to see Buenos Aires and take in some Tango.

Then back to work and Nicola and I worked together one morning on Tito’s wall. Nicola spent most of her time in La Matanza building Tito’s wall and became a very accomplished bricklayer as a result. I moved around more to work on different projects such as building Miguel’s walls, moving earth at Alejandro’s property, moving rubble at Antoñin’s house, and building Germán’s tower. This gave me a good perspective on the different living conditions and family units that exist in 22 de Enero. It had been particularly gratifying to help the poorest of these families who were just starting out to build homes to replace the shacks they were living in.

Our time at La Matanza came to a close and we had to say farewell to 22 de Enero community. The families were truly grateful for the time we had spent with them and the work we had been able to do for them. Beba wrote a thank you note and Alejandro wrote that “if all the world helped like you, all the world would be better”. With tears in our eyes the bus took us out over the dirt track from 22 de Enero and back to Buenos Aires.

Then it was time to say farewell to Hábitat para la Humanidad Argentina and have a “make your world a home” photograph taken.

Back in the UK I blogged that it was “over but not out”. Indeed with Tessa Shepperson making Habitat for Humanity her Charity of the month at Landlord-Law Blog and Armitage Associates becoming our Christmas Corporate Sponsor the fundraising continues. As 2009 comes to a close I will be considering how best we can retain links with our new friends in 22 de Enero and help them in 2010. In the meantime please help them this Christmas by giving at www.justgiving.com/argentina2009.

Our latest corporate sponsor is Silverman Sherliker LLP, a full-service London law firm, recently described on Twitter as the “coolest lawyers in London”.

I first encountered our sponsor's founding partner, Chris Sherliker (@London_Law_Firm) on Twitter. Chris is a well known twitterer: Founder of #UKFF and #VTPP and about to tilt the Earth for an Early Equinox to accommodate a Twitter Winter Solstice Party (#TEEP). He is also renowned for his shadowgraph and fly fishing skills. Our Twitter paths have often crossed. Chris was the first English solicitor to be Twitterviewed by Lance Godard (@lancegodard) at #22twts (@22twts) with my Twitterview (the first Scottish one) taking place after his one. We are both (separately) reviewing Social Media for Lawyers: Twitter Edition by Adrian Dayton (@adriandayton). Pamela Glasner (@PamelaGlasner) has tweeted on #FollowFriday: "the two best UK law firms in existence: @BrianInkster and @London_Law_Firm". Our wives are currently reading Pamela's book Finding Emmaus. So I was delighted when Chris and his firm decided to join our corporate sponsors and support our Global Village Challenge in Argentina 2009. I was also delighted to meet Chris in person in London last Friday. As I said on Twitter that day: "#UKFF @London_Law_Firm who is as charming in person as he is on Twitter (we met for the first time today)".

Follow Chris Sherliker (@London_Law_Firm) on Twitter.

There are a lot of sceptics out there who think that Twitter has little value or point in life. Most of those, as far as I can see, have not used it or given it a run for its money (although it is free to use by the way).

Over the past week or so I have seen much written on the Power of Twitter. Thanks to a tweet from @jackofkent I saw a blog post from Wendy M. Grossman (@wendyg), ‘It was the best of mobs, it was the worst of mobs’, that covers it well. She refers to the British side of Twitter flexing its 140-character muscles over (1) the British Chiropractic Association's ongoing legal action against science writer Simon Singh; (2) Jan Moir, who wrote in the Daily Mail about the death of Stephen Gately; and (3) the Carter-Ruck/Trafigura court injunction that briefly prevented the Guardian from reporting on a Parliamentary question for the first time in British history.

Somehow I managed to miss the first of these three events but I certainly witnessed the other two and actively took part in Tweets on the last of them.

Jon Bloor (@beej777) also did a very good post on what he calls this recent ‘Twactivism’. Jon states that the picture he has seen “is of a swathe of people who care deeply and passionately about political, civil and human issues and are prepared to jump in and defend them”.

In amongst all this I noticed a Re-tweet from Su Butcher (@SuButcher) of a Tweet from Nich Starling (@Norfolkblogger). It read “Am out with friends who think twitter is shit. I have a challenge to see how many people respond to this tweet in 10 minutes. Come on”. He received 88 replies in those 10 minutes and over 100 replies in total, including one from me that stated:-

“I have raised £985 via Twitter for Habitat for Humanity: http://ow.ly/v088. Tell your friends that.”

Today that figure stands at £1,085. This is the Power of Twitter that I have witnessed first-hand of late in my own little corner of the Twitterverse.

This fundraising started with a tweet between me and @Clarinette02 about a possible takeover of American ‘law firm’ Bitcher & Prickman. We were joined in our takeover attempt by @Sobk13 and @wikizine. The three ladies being my ‘Angels’!

Negotiations were fraught and rather protracted but always amusing. Due diligence had revealed that the only assets involved were paper and ink. We were willing to pay $20 but @RichardPrickman wanted more and @BeatriceBitcher was sitting quietly in the wings. @CharlesFincher and @LawComix were ever present.

Other Twitterers dropped in and out of the ongoing saga. @thetrialwarrior was there with his words of wisdom and sabre at the ready. @valentilaw and @debdobson encouraged settlement. @Charonqc was ‘mediating’ and drinking Rioja. @amds007 provided secret intelligence from the USA. @London_Law_Firm came in from the left side to assist the Angels in my absence. @LadyJE and @IkenCEO kept a close eye on @RichardPrickman and indeed @LadyJE continues to diligently guard #BandP. @Lilwizz brought bandages and stretchers. @JaneMcPheeS was working and missed it all but caught up on events via #BandP.

After much tweetiations a showdown was arranged to settle matters once and for all. I then offered to call the takeover off for a £30 donation by @RichardPrickman to Habitat for Humanity. He agreed and part of the deal seemed to involve @Charonqc having a tango with @BeatriceBitcher which duly took place.

As a result of this the tweeps involved in the ‘takeover’ became very aware of my fundraising efforts for Habitat for Humanity, which had just been officially launched. Donations started to roll in via our Just Giving Argentina 09 web page. @BeatriceBitcher even donated more than @RichardPrickman as she is never outdone by her partner.

Tweeps who have generously donated are mentioned on my continuously updated post: #FollowFriday for Just Giving.

Special mentions must go to @thetrialwarrior, @London_Law_Firm and @valentilaw who have become Corporate Sponsors.

I have been genuinely overwhelmed by the generosity shown and the willingness to donate by tweeps to our Global Village Challenge. The Power of Twitter is clear to see in this. I was able to bring what Nicola and I are doing for Habitat for Humanity to peoples’ attention much quicker and arguably more effectively than I could ever have done through conventional means. Furthermore, I was able to target a whole section of donors that I would not have been able to easily target at all had it not been for Twitter. Donations have come from the USA and Canada and not just the UK. Twitter certainly has global reach. Its power should not be underestimated.

So thanks to Twitter we have raised £1,085 that we may not have raised otherwise. I am certain that by the time we finish our Global Village Challenge other tweeps will have added to that figure. If you have not donated yet and would like to do so then you can donate now at www.justgiving.com/argentina2009.

UPDATE: As at 30th October 2009 we have raised £1,380 from Twitter followers.

See also a very good article in the Guardian (31st October 2009) on the 'Power of Tweets'.

Today is Friday. Every Friday on Twitter people who tweet (tweeps) give recommendations to other tweeps on who they should consider following. This is a very useful way of finding like minded people that you are likely to be interested in following.

For this blog post I would like to highlight (#FollowFriday) the tweeps who have kindly sponsored us and made donations to Habitat for Humanity. Since 23 September £1,410 [N.B. £985 when this post was first written] has been raised purely from twitter followers most of whom would not necessarily have known about our fundraising efforts had it not been for Twitter. I intend to do a more indepth blog post about this later. But for now #FollowFriday:-

@inksters - Corporate Sponsor (my law firm)

@pagepark - Corporate Sponsor (Nicola is one of their Associate Directors)

@InnovDigital - Corporate Sponsor (Designed and donated the inkstersgive.com website and this blog)

@designed

@Sobk13

@RichardPrickman

@BeatriceBitcher

@valentilaw - Corporate Sponsor

@JaneMcPheeS

@thetrialwarrior - Corporate Sponsor

@IkenCEO

@London_Law_Firm - Corporate Sponsor

@advoc_8

@thehumanmanual

@amds007

@lawglasgow

@northrockgaller

@Mortonian1

@El_jambere

@oce - Corporate Sponsor (Printing)

I will update this post every Friday to include tweeps who have donated to Habitat for Humanity over the past week.

If each of my (@BrianInkster) current Twitter followers donated just £7 we would raise our target in twitter donations alone!

So dig deep and donate now at www.JustGiving.com/argentina2009