Rather than blow $100 on fine dining this weekend, you might aspire instead to visit MicroPlace.com, the new micro-financing site that launched today to lend your pocket cash to the working poor. MicroPlace is attempting to raise $1 billion in tiny business loans for millions of farmers, weavers, craftsmen and other business people around the world struggling to make ends meet. You can get in the game with $100, make subsequent loans for $50, and hope for a 1% to 4% return. MicroPlace will match your loan to a qualified applicant in need, and the transaction is secured via PayPal (and all backed by the giant eBay).
It continues the fascinating trend of human social behavior fragmenting into one-to-many connections. Google lets individuals advertise nationally. Blogger lets individuals broadcast news internationally. Facebook lets individuals build their own global community. Now, individuals can give loans to Nicaragua and Ghana.
There's no guarantee you'll get anything back from MicroPlace, even your principal, since your return depends on someone in the world deciding to pay you back. But you'll feel good about it.
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