Time for Byte Night

On 8 October, hundreds of IT pros from dozens of high-tech firms will sleep rough to raise money for the Action for Children charity, which helps homeless youth. This year's Byte Night event will take place in five locations (London, Thames Valley, Cambridge, Manchester and Edinburgh).

In addition to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, Byte Night's marketing includes local and national PR about celebs who support the event; news coverage of special events leading up to the sleepout (such as Byte Poker); and blog/word of mouth promotion from participating people and companies (such as the Wildfire Tech PR Blog).

Last year's Byte Night raised more than 550,000 pounds, with 700 people sleeping rough. The economic slowdown isn't over but the IT community is continuing its enthusiastic support of Action for Children. I believe Byte Night will surpass its 2009 record. Good luck, sleepers!