Critical Mass vp of experiential design David Armano is a certified social-network celebrity, with a well-read blog and popular Twitter feed. This week, he decided to put his network to use for good—and might have just developed one of the most powerful social-media case studies to boot. Last night, Armano posted an appeal on his blog, and to his 8,200 Twitter followers, to help a family friend in desperate circumstances. He set a goal of raising $5,000 in small donations to help the woman and her family get back on their feet. By this morning, donations had topped $11,000. Social-media mavens are talking new world order, and Armano thinks the response is a powerful testament to what networks can accomplish. "I'm hopeful we can move the discussion from who has influence to what we do with what influence we have," he tweets.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey