We first launched our Blood Centers of the Pacific Facebook page in October 2008.  I’ll admit that I am continually impressed and humbled by all of the people who like our page (or I guess what we used to call “fans”). Not only do they save lives as blood donors, but they do so much more in our online community by supporting one another and helping us make BCP better. Here are the top five things I love about our Facebook page:

1. It’s a place to share stories about those whose lives were helped or even saved by blood donations.  Be it our Monday posts thanks to UCSF Hospital about the patients currently using blood donated by our donors, or the stories that all of you share about your own life or your fathers, sisters, coworkers, and friends who have been saved thanks to blood donation. It is a testament to the true power of blood donation as a way to touch people’s lives.

2. It’s a forum to ask and answer questions. We hear from people wondering how often they can donate blood, how they can boost their iron, why we are in need of O negative donors, and what about those tattoos? We love to answer your questions and we love it when other people chime in with their own advice.

3. It’s a page that encourages you to talk to one another. One of my favorite interactions on our Facebook page was about a year ago when a person who had never donated commented that she was working up the courage. I loved seeing our other donors reactions, their encouragement and even offers to go along to the blood center with her! That fan of our page donated blood for the first time soon after, and I like to think those encouraging words helped make it a little less frightening.

4. It’s a place to find out how BCP fits into your community—be it as a partner with your local hospital or favorite business like Sports Basement, a post about blood drives with fun restaurants like Balboa Cafe or Pasta Pomodoro, or a note about what other Northern California organizations and causes are up to, like the California Transplant Donor Network or The Power of Two documentary.

5. It’s a place to be a hero. My favorite posts are from donors who tell us when they have given blood, why they enjoy giving blood, that they have made an appointment to give, or how good they feel to be saving lives. We always say that our mission is to connect blood donors who give the generous, lifesaving gift of donating blood with the recipients who need this gift. We hope that our page is just one more step in that process.

What are your favorite things about connecting with us on Facebook? What would you like to see us do more of?

Thank you for finding our page and even more, thank you for being a hero by donating blood!