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{{Infobox website | logo = Givesmehopelogo.png | name = GivesMeHope | url = {{URL|http://givesmehope.com}} | type = Blog (user-generated) | owners = Emerson Spartz and Gaby Spartz | launch_date = {{start date|2009|05|31}} | current_status = Closed 2016 }}

'''GivesMeHope''' (GMH) was founded in May 2009 in response to the popular site, FMyLife (FML), itself a spin-off of popular French website Viedemerde.fr.<ref>Matt Sullivan. ''Esquire'': [http://www.esquire.com/blogs/endorsement/gives-me-hope-060109#ixzz0iZqVlDQD/ "GivesMeHope.com: When Bankruptcy, Plane Crashes, and Mondays Get You Down"] June 1, 2009.</ref> It was part of the Spartz Media Network.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spartz Media: Our Brands |url=http://www.spartzmedia.com/our-brands |publisher=Spartz Media |accessdate=21 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620192553/http://www.spartzmedia.com/our-brands |archivedate=20 June 2012 }}</ref> On the site, people share with the world their most hopeful, uplifting moments while answering the question, "what gives you hope?"<ref name="GMH About Us">Emerson Spartz, Gaby Spartz. ''GivesMeHope'': [http://www.givesmehope.com/aboutus "About GMH"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816082809/http://www.givesmehope.com/aboutus |date=August 16, 2011 }}</ref> According to Quantcast, GivesMeHope receives over 500,000 hits every day.<ref>''Quantcast'': [http://www.quantcast.com/givesmehope.com "GivesMeHope Quantcast"]</ref> As of August 5, 2009, the website has over 160,000 fans on Facebook.<ref name="GMH Fanpage">Emerson Spartz, Gaby Montero. ''GivesMeHope'': [http://www.facebook.com/givesmehope/ "GivesMeHope Official Fanpage"]</ref> A book containing stories from the site was released in the Fall of 2010<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.givesmehope.com/gmhbook |title=GivesMeHope: The Book - GivesMeHope - FML for Optimists! (Inspiring Twitter-length Stories) |accessdate=2011-02-17 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217193433/http://www.givesmehope.com/gmhbook |archivedate=2011-02-17 }}</ref>

== History == The site was co-founded by Notre Dame graduates Emerson Spartz and Gaby Montero.<ref>Nancy Johnson. ''Notre Dame Business Magazine'': [http://bizmagazine.nd.edu/article/?id=3/ "Emerson 2.0"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720011900/http://bizmagazine.nd.edu/article/?id=3%2F |date=July 20, 2011 }}.</ref> Exhausted by the negativity of the media, they created GivesMeHope.<ref>''WSBT Evening News (CBS 22)'': [http://www.wsbt.com/home/video/48166137.html "Need some good news?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825125616/http://www.wsbt.com/home/video/48166137.html |date=2009-08-25 }} Jul 16, 2009.</ref> The two refer to the site as "Chicken Soup for the Soul – the 21st Century, Twitter-style version."<ref name="GMH About Us" />

GivesMeHope has inspired movements of hope across the country. At Henry M. Gunn high school in Palo Alto, California, four students committed suicide in a period of 8 months. To cope with the grief, students created a blog, modeled after GivesMeHope, to provide a place for members of the community to share their uplifting experiences at the school. The blog was named HMGGMH (Henry M. Gunn Gives Me Hope).<ref>Maria L. La Ganga. ''Los Angeles Times'': [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-oct-30-me-student-suicides30-story.html "Palo Alto campus searches for healing after suicide"] October 30, 2009.</ref>

Another movement of hope inspired by GivesMeHope is Operation Beautiful, a website whose mission is to end "Fat Talk.” <ref>Nordette Adams. ''Blog Her'': [http://www.blogher.com/why-positive-thinking-can-change-world-part-2/ "Gives Me Hope and Operation Beautiful: Can You Change the World With Positive Thinking? Yes."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603012220/http://www.blogher.com/why-positive-thinking-can-change-world-part-2 |date=2010-06-03 }} February 1, 2010.</ref> Participants of Operation Beautiful leave anonymous post-it notes with encouraging messages in public places for other women to find and be inspired by.<ref>''FOX 35 Orlando'': [http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/mornings/070609operation_beautiful "Operation Beautiful"] Jul 6, 2009.</ref>

The site has received attention from the media due to its uplifting nature.<ref>Emerson Spartz, Gaby Spartz. ''GivesMeHope'': [http://www.givesmehope.com/advertising "GMH Press Page"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123002455/http://givesmehope.com/advertising |date=2010-11-23 }}</ref> On August 2, 2010, CNN stated that GivesMeHope was a website that may "help renew your faith in the goodness of the human experience." CNN described the stories as "sentimental and, at times, almost heartbreakingly sweet."<ref>Tas Anjarwalla. ''CNN'': [http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/08/02/8.sites.brighten.day/index.html "8 feel-good websites to brighten your day"] August 2, 2010.</ref>

On December 30, 2009, the two launched a GivesMeHope spin-off site LoveGivesMeHope.com (LGMH). The site aimed at those who "can't get enough of the love stories on GivesMeHope".<ref>Emerson Spartz, Gaby Spartz. ''LoveGivesMeHope'': [http://www.lovegivesmehope.com/aboutus "About LGMH"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717104244/http://lovegivesmehope.com/aboutus |date=2010-07-17 }}</ref> As of August 5, 2010, LoveGivesMeHope has over 160,000 fans on Facebook.<ref>Emerson Spartz, Gaby Spartz. ''LoveGivesMeHope'': [http://www.facebook.com/lovegivesmehope/ "LoveGivesMeHope Official Fanpage"]</ref> The stories are shared widely on platforms such as Facebook. Since February 1, 2010, the site has produced some stories that have been shared over 565,000 times on Facebook.<ref>Nick O' Neil. ''All Facebook'': [http://www.allfacebook.com/lovegivesmehope-goes-massively-viral-thanks-to-facebook-2010-05/ "LoveGivesMeHope Goes Massively Viral Thanks To Facebook"] May 25, 2010.</ref>

== Book == On August 3, 2010, the two creators officially announced that a book was planned for release in Autumn 2010. The book was published by Ulysses Press, and is a combination of old and new illustrated anecdotes from the website.<ref name="GMH Fanpage" />

==See also== * FMyLife * MyLifeIsAverage * Texts From Last Night

== References == <!--- See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes on how to create references using <ref></ref> tags which will then appear here automatically --> {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{Official website|http://www.givesmehope.com}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100810080441/http://www.lovegivesmehope.com/ LoveGivesMeHope] – Spinoff site * [https://www.amazon.com/dp/156975828X GivesMeHope's book on Amazon.com]

Category:Internet properties established in 2009 Category:American social networking websites