Starting October 1 -- National Blood Donor Day -- Facebook users in India will be able to start signing up to be blood donors. India, like many countries, has a shortage of safe blood, Facebook says and people often turn to social media like networks to meet the demand of people who need it.
To help encourage participation, Facebook will show a message in News Feed or people can edit their Profiles to sign up. All information will remain private and set to “only me” by default, but people can choose to share their donor status on their timelines. This will first be available on Android and mobile web, as these are the most widely-used platforms in India.
In the next few weeks, the social network giant will also make it easier for people and organisations, such as blood banks and hospitals, to connect with blood donors on Facebook.
When individuals or organizations are in need of blood, they will be able to create a special type of post with all the information donors need to easily offer help.
When a request is created, Facebook will automatically notify blood donors who may be nearby to help spread the word. Donors can then review the request and, if they wish to respond, contact the requestor directly through WhatsApp, Messenger or a phone call. The person who needs blood won’t be able to see any information about the donor, unless the donor explicitly provides it when he/she reaches out to the person in need of blood.
With this new feature, Facebook aims to bring people together in ways that weren’t possible before. By raising awareness and growing the number of blood donors in India, Facebook wants make it easier for people and organisations to give and receive blood.
