David Grinder’s blog post “10 ways social media improved lives in 2008.” is an awesome collection of ways social media can be used for good. The following is his list of 10 ways social media has made an impact in 2008:
1. Gamers and developers raise $1 million for children’s hospitals.
2. Social networking helps find potential kidney donors for a blogger’s daughter.
3. Kiva users lend $36 million to low-income entrepreneurs in 42 countries.
4. Vancouver Twitter users meet up to help the homeless stay warm.
5. Last-minute Tweetup gets 100 people to donate blood.
6. Tweetsgiving racks up $11,000+ in 48 hours to expand a school in Tanzania.
7. SocialVibe raises $250K by making corporate sponsorship cool.
8. Six Degrees and Everyday Hero help people generate millions for their favorite nonprofits.
9. Facebook Causes goes mainstream, revolutionizing how nonprofits build support.
10. Disney donates a children’s book for every comment on a blog.
The most amazing thing to me about using social media for change is how quickly people in need and those who can help can connect through various social platforms like Facebook and Twitter. It’s also interesting to see how corporations like Coca-Cola are using a social media widgets like the SocialVibe badge to improve their goodwill and sell more Cherry Coke by co-marketing their brand with a cause on social sites.
Social media is an ideal platform for creating change and doing good. By marrying social connections with a media platforms that express dire needs and trigger emotional responses, social media is poised to do even more good in 2009! How are you using social media for good this year?