Now donate blood to the needy with Facebook

Facebook has been trying to be more than just a casual social media platform from the past few years. The ‘Safety Check’ feature has been proven to be helpful for those concerned with the well-being of their friend(s) in the event of a disaster. Inspired by that, Facebook will now help blood donors connect with those in need of blood during tough times.

The social media giant will roll out a message inviting blood donors to register themselves on Facebook with their health details. Indian users will see a message on their News Feed, asking them to register as blood donors, if they want to. Once they fill in their details, Facebook keeps the data private unless they want to share it on their timeline. In a few months time, organisations like blood banks or hospitals can also create such posts, requesting Facebook users to register as blood donors.

When an organisation or an individual needs blood, registered donors in the vicinity of the needy will notified on Facebook immediately, post which they need to contact the one who requested. Note that the needy won’t be able to see any information about the donor unless the donor gives out all the details.

The objective of this feature is to increase the awareness about blood donation amongst people of all ages. As of now, only Android users with the Facebook app and mobile web users will be able to use the new feature, as these are most widely used mobile platforms in India.

(source)