Internet Communities Help Real Communities

I stumbled on a post by David Griner today: 10 ways social media improved lives in 2008. It's good enough to share. For people who ask What good do you see coming out of Facebook/Twitter/etc.?, here are some concrete examples that shed a bit of optimism. Read David's original post for the full story behind each bullet point.

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