(Crossposted from the The Official YouTube Blog)

Did you know there are now 6.6 million people receiving treatment for HIV, compared to just 100,000 in 2002? Still, more than a thousand babies are born every day with HIV and there are 34 million people living with the disease.

This World AIDS Day, you can join the discussion about how to help bring about the beginning of the end of AIDS. We’re partnering with ONE and (RED) to bring you a panel of experts who will talk about the progress we’ve made, where we're falling short, and what it's going to take to end this disease for good. They’ll also answer some questions from the YouTube audience. Starting today, you can submit your questions to the panel, which includes Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton; Bono, co-founder of ONE and (RED); Alicia Keys, co-founder of Keep a Child Alive; and other leaders in the fight against AIDS, including representatives from the Tema Clinic in Ghana, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the Saddleback Church.

On December 1, World AIDS Day, these leaders will answer some of the top-voted questions live on YouTube at a special event hosted by ONE, (RED) and an impressive list of partners and influencers.

According to ONE, if we recommit to the fight against AIDS, by 2015 we could end mother-to-child transmission of HIV, provide treatment to the 15 million people who need it, and drastically reduce new infections. With the support of donors, African governments, organizations, and the private sector the beginning of the end of HIV/AIDS is within our reach.

Submit your question today and become part of the beginning of the end of AIDS. The deadline to submit is November 28.

Ramya Raghavan, News and Politics Manager, recently watched, “Unhate Campaign”.

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In July, we introduced you to the Ashoka Changemakers Citizen Media competition - an effort to source innovations that will boost media access and participation globally.

In an unprecedented response, Ashoka received hundreds of nominations from 75 countries, all seeking the the opportunity to be the next Ashoka Changemaker. Winners receive cash prizes, mentorship and will be considered for a full Ashoka Fellowship - joining a community of the most innovative and transformative leaders of our generation.

Finalists have been chosen, and now you have the chance to vote.

The polls are open now. Voting ends on November 23, 2011. May the most innovative entrepreneur win.

Posted by Meryl Stone, Program Manager, Google.org

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You may remember that we launched Google Dengue Trends earlier this year. Like Google Flu Trends, Google Dengue Trends uses aggregated search data to measure disease in countries around the world. Today we’re adding 5 new countries to Google Dengue Trends: Argentina, Mexico, Philippines, Thailand, and Venezuela. This brings our grand total to 10 countries where we provide dengue estimates in near-real time based on search activity.

In addition to country level estimates, for both Argentina and Mexico we’re able to offer some state level estimates, as well. And all data is freely available for download from the website. The models we’ve built for these countries are “experimental,” which means they have not been officially validated against health ministry dengue data for these countries. When and where possible, we will officially validate models in comparison against confirmed publicly available dengue data.



It can take weeks and months to collect dengue data through traditional surveillance mechanisms, and it’s our hope that the timely information (updated daily!) from Google Dengue Trends will be useful to public health authorities and individuals around the world as an earlier indicator of disease activity and a complement to existing surveillance systems. The sooner you know that there are dengue-spreading mosquitoes in action near you, the sooner you can take steps to prevent infection.

Posted by Vikram Sahai, Engineer, Google.org

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(Cross posted from the Nonprofits blog)

We’re committed to building online tools that help your nonprofit grow and thrive. One of our goals is to make it easier for you to connect with the millions of people who come to Google each day looking for organizations and causes to connect with. An important part of that connection is the lasting relationship you develop with your various constituents.

We want to make sharing online more like it is in the real world. That’s why the Google+ team introduced Google+ Pages - a new way to have customized conversations and interactions with your constituents - volunteers, donors, fans & more. Google+ is a great place for you to connect with consumers who are passionate about your cause.

With the launch of Google+ Pages, any cause, nonprofit or organization can now have a presence on Google+. We’ve compiled a few Google+ tips to help your create your Google+ profile, start posting, grow your circles, start a hangout, monitor the conversation and tell the world that your nonprofit is on Google+. A few organizations, Pencils of Promise, Save the Children and Museo del Prado, have started their own Google+ Pages. We hope their early work gives you some ideas & inspiration for your nonprofit’s Google+ page.

The Google for Nonprofits team is on Google+ too! Check out our Google for Nonprofits Google+ page and add us to your circles. We'll post community questions, host hangouts so you can meet the team & hear from experts, share tips & engage users in an ongoing conversation about nonprofits and technology.

There are also many resources to help you stay up-to-date on the latest news from Google+. We’ll post new information about Google+ for nonprofits on the Google for Nonprofits blog. Check back this week for more information about how nonprofit organizations can utilize Google+. You can also follow the Official Google blog to keep up with the latest Google+ product news and updates. If you need additional help with your Google+ page, check out the Google+ Help Center or post a question in the Google+ Page Discuss.

We look forward to connecting with you on Google+.

Posted by Leslie Hernandez Dinneen, Google.org Team

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