If Twitter can be used to track packages, publish school menus and crowdfund startups, why not help tackle the US healthcare crisis too? Cell phones are already changing the way healthcare is delivered in the developing world, after all, and now Twitter promises to transform the delivery of healthcare information for stateside consumers.

ASKch is a new service from Nashville-based healthcare information provider Change:Healthcare that allows users to send quick healthcare questions via Twitter and have them answered within 60 seconds. Consumers can simply tweet a question such as, “what is diabetes” to @askch, which is now in beta; in return, they get a short description of the disease and a link to more information. Those seeking prescription pricing information in a particular ZIP code area, on the other hand, can tweet “cost of celebrex near 37209,” prompting the service to tweet back, “average price of $163 in 37209″ in return. Questions must be formatted according to predefined types, which currently include: what is (health issue); what is (drug name); cost of (drug name) near (zipcode); generic for (drug name); and generic discounts for (drug name) near (zipcode). Over time, however, Change:Healthcare plans to expand those possibilities.

The new application is just the first phase of what will ultimately be a much larger service from Change:Healthcare that aims to help consumers "be more informed and potentially save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars," the company says. Where else could Twitter be used to answer consumers' standard questions quickly and in real time...? (Related: In-home STD tests with results by text message.)

Website: ask.changehealthcare.com
Contact: company.changehealthcare.com/contact

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

It's not uncommon to find museums dedicated to showcasing local history; what's less common is to find a city museum constructed almost entirely of locally found abandoned objects. Sure enough, though, that's just the premise behind St. Louis's City Museum, a hyperlocal attraction that offers up a heaping helping of (still) made here appeal.

Housed in a 600,000-square-foot building that used to be St. Louis's International Shoe Company, City Museum is an eclectic mixture of children's playground, funhouse, surrealistic pavilion and architectural marvel made out of unique, found objects. The museum actually opened its doors back in 1997 and is the brainchild of internationally acclaimed artist Bob Cassilly, a classically trained sculptor and serial entrepreneur whose crew of 20 artisans have constructed the museum from the very stuff of the city. Old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, miles of tile and even two abandoned airplanes are now part of the City Museum, which continues its ongoing salvage efforts within the bounds of the city. A collection of vintage shoelace machines from the St. Louis-based Alox Manufacturing Company are still put to work at the museum, while an Enchanted Caves exhibit makes the most of the spiral conveyor tunnel system used by the building's former tenant.

Yes, we realize this doesn't entirely fit our regular focus on "new" and "business", but its an inspiring example of a rigorous approach to being a locally-driven organization. In this era of Starbucks, H&M and countless other homogenizing forces, consumers value more than ever the details that make different parts of the world unique. Focus on the local, and you may just set yourself apart! ;-) (Related: Used cooking oil for ultra-local candlemaking in Tokyo — Mass-made to order, here.)

Website: www.citymuseum.org
Contact: info@citymuseum.org

Spotted by: Rick Noyes

Ireland has been particularly hard-hit by the current economic recession, spurring initiatives like the recent iQ Prize, whereby Dublin internet consultancy iQ Content awarded EUR 10,000 to a promising young Irish startup as a way to help kick-start the country's recovery. Proving once again that there are few things as contagious as a good idea, Outvesting has now launched a similar effort, only this time it's a grassroots one that's using a crowdfunding approach via Twitter.

Outvesting aims to give EUR 5,000 with no strings attached to an Irish startup. To make that possible, it's using Twitter to invite interested participants to contribute EUR 50 each towards the effort. Once EUR 5,000 has been raised—last week it was already up to EUR 4,500—Outvesting will announce how startups can apply. Those who donate to the fund, meanwhile, will get more than just good karma in return—they'll also get the chance to vote on which startup wins the money.

There's no arguing with corporate donations like iQ Content's, but those tend to be limited in number; crowdfunding approaches, on the other hand, are virtually limitless in what they can achieve. Combine the power of the crowds with the reach of Twitter, and there's no telling how far an effort can go. One to replicate in a recession-weary community near you...? (Related: Free Chinese lessons for the Irish — Crowdsourcing economic solutions for Ireland.)

Website: www.outvesting.org
Contact: twitter.com/outvesting — johnkeyes@gmail.com

Spotted by: AJ O'Flaherty

Despite the best efforts of companies like Disney and Sage Hospitality to reward those who donate their time to charity, the fact remains that volunteerism in the US has declined by 27 percent since 2001, according to app developer Catalista. Hoping to combat that trend, the San Francisco company has created mobile apps for Android and iPhone that make it easy for potential volunteers to find opportunities across the country.

Users begin by downloading the free Catalista application onto their mobile phone--versions are available for both the Android-based T-Mobile G1 and myTouch and Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch. The application uses All for Good's open API to connect users with more than 200,000 real-time, local opportunities across the US, offering them numerous chances to give back that day, weekend or month in an effort taking place nearby. Catalista also lets users invite their friends on Facebook to join them in a volunteer effort; in addition, it provides a way for users to track their cumulative impact and rate their volunteering experience once they've done a good deed.

Even beyond the mobile access to volunteer opportunity listings, what seems especially compelling about Catalista is the possibility that it could facilitate spontaneous, ad-hoc volunteering, whereby people with a few hours of unscheduled time on their hands can find and participate in local opportunities that they might not have been able to plan for otherwise. One to partner with or emulate for would-be volunteers in the rest of the world...?

Website: www.catalista.net
Contact: catalina@catalista.net

Spotted by: Brian Somers

According to research carried out by SHE — Sustainable Health Enterprises, around 50 days of school or work are missed by girls and women who don't have access to sanitary pads, or can't afford them. Mud, bark and rags are often used instead of mass-produced pads; alternatives that are mostly ineffective, unhygienic and possibly dangerous, especially when combined with lack of clean water.

SHE is a social enterprise set up to tackle these problems. Its first franchise was launched in Rwanda earlier this year, and is operated by women who manufacture and distribute low-cost sanitary pads. The pads are made of locally-sourced raw materials such as banana fiber, which stimulates the local economy and keeps costs down. To help future ventures get off the ground, microfinance loans will be offered to women starting up new branches. Training in business skills, health and hygiene will also be available.

Convinced that donations aren't a long-term solution, SHE is applying market-based strategies to social and health problems. Using franchising makes sense: the model can be replicated wherever there's a need, meaning it can spread quickly and help more people faster, while allowing franchisees to become financially self-sufficient. (Related: P&G helps schoolgirls in Kenya.)

Website: www.sheinnovates.com
Contact: www.sheinnovates.com/contact.html

Spotted by: Petz Scholtus

While consumer pressure is managing to push some businesses towards social responsibility, competition will favour those companies that can leverage good deeds to increase their bottom line. That means reliable, unbiased good news has to reach consumers, and eventually influence their purchase decisions. Denver-based Tuggl aims to facilitate just that, by bringing consumers and nonprofits together to rate and review businesses so that companies who display a commitment to both the community and their customers get the recognition they deserve.

Tuggl lets customers rate companies according to service, price and quality, while nonprofits can score their for-profit supporters on donations, pro bono behaviour and volunteering. Tuggl then calculates an overall score for the business, which affects its placement in the rankings when people use the site to search for a local service. Recognizing consumers' need for personally relevant reviews, users can sign on to the site through Facebook and see how their friends rate local businesses. Tuggl is leading by example: when users join the site, they select their chosen social cause. Then, according to how active the user is on the site (reviewing, inviting friends etc.), Tuggl will reward the user with a badge of honour and donate money to their chosen cause—up to USD 500 per person.

The site further aids nonprofits by enabling them to track how much their positive reviews benefit their benefactors, making it easier for charities to present their side of the bargain to other potential corporate donors. It's this kind of concrete return-on-investment data that Tuggl hopes will prove to companies that "doing good can be good for business". Currently, the site is focusing on the Denver/Boulder area—where 130 local charities have already recognized over 1,300 local businesses—although listing is open to businesses and nonprofits in other places. (Related: Crowd clout meets eco persuasion — The Goodness 500.)

Website: www.tuggl.com
Contact: info@tuggl.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Starting today, Canadian credit union Servus is handing out CDN 200,000 in ten-dollar bills, giving 20,000 people the opportunity to create a Feel Good Ripple by giving that money to someone else. Servus is asking customers "How will you use ten dollars to make someone's day?" Suggestions include 'buy flowers for the grocery store cashier', 'buy the coffee for the person behind you in line at the drive-thru' and 'give $10 to a homeless shelter to pay for lunch or dinner supplies'. By pledging CDN 200,00 to the effort, the company hopes to start a ' kindness movement' that will positively affect at least 20,000 people.

Servus is distributing the bills through its branches throughout Alberta, and asking participants to write up stories of their kindness—monetary or otherwise—on feelgoodripple.ca. By sharing their experience online or at a branch, participants have a chance to win one of ten CDN 500 donations to a charity of their choice. While the contest will end on December 1st, Servus hopes the Feel Good Ripple will continue long afterwards.

This type of sponsored charity—actively seeking customers' collaboration—is meant to underline the cooperative mindset of credit unions (as opposed to, say, banks). It's a prime example of a company applying the principles of Generation G, as our sister-site trendwatching.com calls the societal and business shift to a more generous mindset. (Related: Grocer lets customers direct its community giving — Customers deliver donated TOMS shoes.)

Website: www.feelgoodripple.ca — www.servuscu.ca
Contact: www.servuscu.ca/site+tools/contact+us

Random acts of kindness are almost always met with a warm reception, whether they're motivated by a game, a hotel's philosophy or the premise behind a clothing brand. Now aiming to make such acts more frequent, New York-based KIND Snacks has launched an effort to use cards to remind people to be kind.

KIND is an award-winning brand of Australian-made all-natural fruit and nut bars from PeaceWorks, a “not-only-for-profit” healthy foods company that hand-produces its bars. Kicked off by the KIND team, the KINDED movement aims to encourage people to surprise others with unexpected kind acts. Those interested can start by getting a card via instructions on the KINDED website. Next, they perform some kind act for someone else, whether it's helping them carry heavy bags, sharing an umbrella or paying for their coffee. When they do, they simply pass on their card to the recipient of their generosity; that person, in turn, can pass it along by doing something kind for someone else. Perhaps most interesting of all, however—particularly in light of what our sister site would call the OFF=ON trend—is that each card that gets passed along has a unique code that can be mapped online, enabling participants to track how far their chain of kindness travels and view kind acts happening around the world.

The KINDED website explains: "KINDED cards are meant to help overcome the social awkwardness of doing unexpected kind acts by serving a 'license' to do the act, and explaining why you are doing it. So, when that person at Starbucks hands you a KINDED card along with [a] coffee, you'll feel comfortable accepting since they're just passing on a kind act that was done for them." More than 700 "KINDINGS" have been performed so far; as extra motivation, the card code with the longest chain of such kind acts by Jan. 29 will win those involved a chance to get a real wish fulfilled.

So many brands over the years have been associated with self-indulgence, with ego gratification and—yes—with downright greed. In this era of widespread consumer disgust with the corporate world, there's never been a better time to focus on the kind!

Website: www.kinded.com
Contact: www.kinded.com/contact

Spotted by: Petz Scholtus

With USD 714 billion outstanding student-loan debt hanging over graduates in the US, it's no surprise that more and more people are turning to free educational content on the web. Earlier this year we reported on Academic Earth, a US enterprise that makes lectures from Ivy League colleges free and accessible to all web users. Now, featuring over 1,500 videos the website is broadening its scope by offering courses for high school high-flyers.

The new lecture series is aimed at students taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams, which give them a chance to study college level material and potentially earn credit towards their future degree. This year there are 10 video courses on offer, each featuring up to 50 lectures from MIT, Yale, Berkeley and Stanford. Subjects covered include computer science, calculus and psychology, and along with the videos there is also the option to download the lectures as podcasts. According to Academic Earth's 23-year-old founder, Richard Ludlow, more AP courses can be expected in future years; in the meantime the site will be concentrating on providing supplementary materials such as lecture notes, transcripts and related books.

Academic Earth is one of a flock of 'edupunk' enterprises on the web, ranging from peer-to-peer universities to fully-fledged state-funded institutions that award accredited degrees. Open content is going to play an increasing role in higher education, and with it comes a host of opportunities for social entrepreneurs.

Website: www.academicearth.org/subjects/advanced-placement
Contact: hello@academicearth.org