This morning, Mark Zuckerberg announced a new update for Facebook that lets users publicly declare their organ donor status. About six hours later, California’s official organ donor registry announced that online sign-ups had increased by nearly 800 percent. Donate Life California CEO Charlene Zittel told the San Jose Mercury News that while the registry gets around 75 sign-ups on a average day, it saw nearly 700 by the time it decided to share the news early this afternoon.
California organ donor registry links 800 percent spike in registrations to new Facebook feature
California’s official organ donor registry has announced that online sign-ups had increased by nearly 800 percent, following a new Facebook feature that lets users declare their organ donor status
California’s official organ donor registry has announced that online sign-ups had increased by nearly 800 percent, following a new Facebook feature that lets users declare their organ donor status
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
Though the CEO profusely thanked Mark Zuckerberg for implementing the new feature and thereby reaching out to a new generation of potential organ donors, we have to wonder if Facebook itself is actually to thank, or if it’s merely the storm of publicity following any new Facebook feature that has momentarily reminded hundreds of individuals to donate. Here’s hoping it’s Facebook: it’d sure be nice to know that sick and injured individuals in dire need of transplants would find a steadier stream of donors from here on out.
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