Makesolutions.net

There are tons of Facebook apps, many that seem to be, well, silly and useless.

A new app that will help a nonprofit coordinate blood donation is really worthwhile and could make a significant direct impact on people's lives.

The app from New York nonprofit Takes All Types sends Facebook alerts to people who opt in and will send reminders for regular donation, according to The New York Times.

"We were reacting to our sense that most of what was on Facebook was too academic or frivolous," Ben Bergman, who created the program, told the newspaper.

However, one Facebook member who posted a comment on the Takes All Types Facebook page brought up some good privacy questions:

"Does TAT act as a confidential medium? Is contact information ever provided to third parties (blood banks, Dept. of Health, hospitals, etc.)? Suppose diseased blood enters (the) supply, and authorities know it is type AB+. Will TAT turn the data of all its AB+ users in a given area over to the CDC or legal authorities if required by court order? Or is there a purposeful level of anonymity built into the system to shield TAT from such responsibilities?"

I look forward to seeing more Facebook apps like this that enable people to do more on Facebook than just share photos and poke each other.