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Update: A Twitter account has now been set up specifically for finding Robert Botts: @FindRobertBotts.

Original Article: A man named Robert Botts from Louisville, Kentucky has gone missing, and those who know him have taken to social media to help them find him. He's been missing since Thursday, July 30. His car was found abandoned at an intersection in Louisville.

A photo and physical description have been posted on the social publishing site Scribd.

This is being shared around other social networks like Facebook and Twitter in hopes that someone will be able to help find him.

 

They have posted the story to iReport, the citizen reporter site that CNN uses stories from, although CNN has not picked this one up yet.

We often talk about the marketing and business benefits that users can get out of social media, but stories like this remind us that there are far more valuable uses.

This is not the first time social media has been called upon to find missing persons. For example, earlier this year, a father began using it to try and find his missing daughter after 20 whole years. She had disappeared from Gainesville, Florida in 1989. There were no amber alerts or web sites displaying her picture or anything, but he set up a site at TiffanySessions.com. He counts YouTube among his social media resources.

The viral nature of social media provides hope for friends and family of missing persons, and if it can work for marketing products, there is reason to believe it can provide value for something of real importance. Spreading the word is crucial though. You'll find some sharing options below. Share where you have friends/followers.