Mark Zuckerberg has revealed that his girlfriend and Steve Jobs were the inspiration behind a new, “life-saving” Facebook feature that allows users to share that they’re an organ donor with their friends via their Timeline. The social networks hopes that the new feature will help spread awareness for organ donation, and encourage as many people as possible to donate.
Users can specify when they became an organ donar and even tell the story behind their decision to donate. Facebook explains how the new feature works:
With the addition of “organ donor” to the Life Events section of timeline, you can state your intention to become an organ donor, and share your story about when, where or why you decided to become a donor. If you are not officially registered as an organ donor, sign up with the appropriate registry.
The feature is only available in certain countries right now, but Facebook is planning a wider rollout with partnerships with donation charities and organizations all over the world.
During a recent interview with ABC News, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the inspiration behind this new feature came from his girlfriend, Priscilla Chan, and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who underwent a liver transplant back in 2009 before losing a long battle with pancreatic cancer last October.
That definitely, I think, was something that we all had in mind as we were building this out… His story is just one of many, of people who both were able to have an organ transplant that made his life longer and he was extremely thankful for that.
Zuckerberg revealed that he believes it is “amazing” that Facebook users are using the social network’s tools to solve “really complex social problems,” such as the recent tornados in Missouri, and the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last year. This got Facebook thinking about how the network could be used to solve other issues, like organ donation.
You can share your organ donar status on Facebook by clicking the ‘Life Event’ button at the top of your Timeline, then selecting ‘Health & Wellbeing’.
[via The Next Web]
