All the networks, homemade videos, and blogs on the Web have made it a center for socializing, not social change. But a slew of start-ups are using the tech tools and social dynamics that have become the norm online to tackle real-world problems. Whether it's through a social network that helps a Nicaraguan woman get a loan to expand her business selling dyed rope, or a website that uses video, podcasts, and other tools to turn a social activist into an Internet celebrity with an army of active followers, a growing number of people looking to make changes in the real world are going online.
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