BlogCatalog.com, the premier social network for bloggers, has launched BloggersUnite.org, a new social network that allows members to submit nonprofit events from around the world and work together to promote awareness campaigns, raise funds, and take action.

BloggersUnite.org was developed out of an initiative as the first blogger-driven social awareness campaign on the Internet in 2007. The initial campaign raised funds to buy classroom supplies for students though Omidyar Network-supported DonorsChoose.org. More than 1,000 students benefited.

Since, BlogCatalog.com has supported seven social awareness campaigns, with the largest, Bloggers Unite for Human Rights, held in cooperation with Amnesty International USA. As a result of the campaign, CNN tracked more than 1.2 million posts related to human rights, many of them calling for people to sign petitions, take action, and join Amnesty International or other human rights groups.

“The new network changed the dynamic of Bloggers Unite,” said Antony Berkman, president of BlogCatalog.com. ”While we’ll still coordinate three major underserved social awareness campaigns every year, BloggersUnite members can now submit and support their causes as well.”

Berkman says he hopes that the network will put a face on the bloggers and social media participants who want to do good in the world. Currently, there are 24 international events listed in the new network. These events will be joined by ten local events chosen by BlogCatalog members to encourage nonprofit organizations to become involved.

“We hope people think globally online and act locally offline,” said Berkman. “So members are invited to list both local and global events from all around the world. This will also help bring attention to many events that are global, but take place on different days on the local level.”

Submitted by BlogCatalog and Twitter members, the first ten local events include fundraising opportunities in cities from Vancouver, Canada, to Edinburgh, Scotland. The causes are equally diverse, ranging from Parkinson’s disease to therapy animal programs.

BlogCatalog.com is the premier social network for bloggers, with more than 170,000 active members. It was also the first blogger social network to develop a social awareness campaign; an RSS-enabled dashboard feature that delivers cross-network aggregation; and a mobile platform that allows bloggers to keep up with online social activities across 20 other networks using their phones.

For my perspective on Bloggers Unite, visit Copywrite, Ink.'s blog.