New social-media site promotes kindness

AUSTIN, Tex. - Have you ever wanted to publicly thank someone for a kind action, small or large, and not known how to do it? You could always “tweet” it or post it on Facebook.

Now a new social-media website based in Austin is designed to get the job done.

Recognizegood.org allows anyone to publicly thank someone for a good deed. The Austin website’s creators hope RecognizeGood.org is a public forum promoting acts of kindness and charitable giving.

"Recognizegood.org gives Central Texas an opportunity to enhance our regional self-image as a kind, charitable and appreciative community that embraces new technologies for the betterment of the entire community in bold, creative ways," said Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell.

Anyone can post a “thank you” on the website’s bulletin board to honor a friend, co-worker, or even a complete stranger when he or she does something the user thinks makes Austin a better place. Users may also submit a photo or video.

When a “thank you” is posted, business sponsors make a contribution to the Samaritan Center, a nonprofit providing counseling and pastoral care for Central Texas families.

Users can upgrade to the Recognize Great level and make a contribution to the Samaritan Center that will be shared with another local nonprofit. Business sponsors match the donation and the honoree chooses a partnering nonprofit to benefit.

Other nonprofits benefiting from the website include Communities in Schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, Austin School of Film, Caritas, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Austin Area, Partners in Education and Austin Children’s Shelter.

The Samaritan Center created a contest to encourage usage of recognizegood.com. Through September 30, 2009, anyone may enter the iWitness Goodness contest by recognizing a kind act on the website. The grand prize contains a new iMac computer, iPhone 3GS, and iTunes gift cards.