Now, G20 turns to social media

Canada uses content solution company OpenText to do a ‘Facebook’ on negotiators

In the serious world of global recession, bail-outs and deficits, networking through the cyber world is probably as important as sitting around a table to hammer out solutions. So, when Canada got to host the G20 summit, it decided to rope in its content solution company, OpenText, to do a ‘Facebook’ on the negotiators.

Pre-summit negotiations, which lead to framing of “building blocks” for the leaders from the 20 member countries, are being currently carried out through this social media platform. Called the OpenText Social Media, the platform enables businesses, in this case governments, to apply the value of social media in a secure manner while addressing core challenges.

According to Anthony Gallo, vice-president (social media), the platform allows creation of a communication through the social media instead of taking a document and attaching in an email. Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) manages the platform with infrastructure support from Open Text. But the platform is expected to be continued even after the two-day leader’s summit at Toronto later this month.

“The intention is this platform will be the ‘2.0 collaboration platform’ for all future G20 meets, should the host countries choose to use it,” a company spokesperson said. At present, members are admitted by DFAIT and it is a “closed” community where members need to be authenticated.

A group for G20
The social community has provided the G20 with a collaborative workplace for delegates and attendees. It presents profiles and blogs to stimulate dialogue, country-specific communities for information sharing and tagged search for information across communities, content and regions, It also allows for exchange of documents, putting across questions and highlighting of issues.

According to the company, the mobile access to the G20 community gives members a secure and persistent connection where they can focus on building “a future of sustainable and balanced economic growth”.

All matters on the G20 agenda are currently being discussed on this platform. “These mostly focus on fiscal management,” the OpenText spokesperson added. Though she did not divulge the exact membership of the G20 social media account, citing “security reasons”, all representatives of all the member countries are engaged in discussions over it.

The G20 summit on June 26 and 27 is expected to focus on the European crisis and a global stimulus exit strategy aimed at fiscal consolidation.