In Malaysia, you can be the change you want to see around you these days. Thanks to the emergence of Ideation-to-Action websites, namely UnReason and MyIdeas. The former is driven by private sector; the latter is a government initiative.

UnReason is “a funding platform for applications that solve problems in Malaysia, using the idea of crowdsourcing” and started by the good people of Elevyn, Malaysia Entrepreneurs, Senedi and Ureka Labs. Launched some 3 months ago, the platform has three identified projects being worked on. A total of 36 people have backed the project ideas and a sum of US$624 being pledged (so far) for projects implementation. UnReason on Facebook has over 800 members, to date.

MyIdeas is an initiative by the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Innovation and Technology (MOSTI). MyIdeas was launched on 8th July 2009, designed to “encourage the public to generate ideas and participate in the problem-solving processes and to be used as a channel for the Government to get closer to the citizens.”

Comparatively, getting ideas from a pool of people is easier compared to making the ideas actionable. That’s why both UnReason and MyIdeas have put in place mechanisms to translate good ideas into plans of action.

So, rather than just rant about it, why not try out these platforms to be and lead the change you want to see?

Where Malaysians Can Come Together to Tackle Social Issues originally appeared on GreyReview on August 4, 2009.

Foldees, the on-going greeting cards contest website, just released its latest feature, @ddress Directory. With @ddress, it is now possible to send Foldees greeting card without knowing the recipient’s mailing address. Also, anyone can receive printed cards from online friends or admirers, without revealing personal information like mailing address.

Foldees @ddress: Email Goes Postal

Card sender enters the intended recipient’s email address during card customization process. If the email is not listed in the @ddress Directory, Foldees will request the recipient to enter mailing address at Foldees website. Once the email is in the @ddress Directory, anyone can send her a Foldees card (of course, as long as he knows her email address).

Email addresses in the Directory are searchable but users can set the display name and choose whether to reveal city /state details or not. Full mailing addresses are always hidden.

In addition to email, Foldees should extend @ddress to social networking services. It is probably easier to ask someone for her email address or social network IDs compared to postal addresses. @ddress may be an interesting service to send printed greeting cards to friends on Facebook, Twitter, Senatus, LinkedIn, et al.

Send Printed Greeting Card Without Postal Details with Foldees @ddress originally appeared on GreyReview on May 18, 2009.