The 3rd annual Social Good Summit began at the end of September 2012, and a surprise address came from the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Clinton stated that leaders arrived in New York at this event to try to find solutions for some of the toughest poverty and public health challenges that the world faces. She said that the ongoing revolution in social media helps everyone to participate in a global conversation that focuses on how to best work as one to advance solutions to global poverty and public health crises.
Clinton also said that current generations of connected activists need to get involved both in person and electronically to build a better future for the world. She said: “We need your help. Use this unprecedented chance to become involved. Share ideas. Mobilize your friends, and take action both online and offline.’
After this opening speech, the Social Good Summit got busy with using social media and technology for the global good. This meeting united people both online and in person in about 300 cities, including in Nairobi, Bejing and New York. As Clinton said in her address, the focus was to unlock the great potential of computers, technology and social media to make the world much better.
Media reports noted that the Twitter hashtag for the event, #SGSGlobal, was used more than 60,000 times. The livestream of the event was translated into seven languages, so that the entire event was available at no cost on the Internet.
The social good summit is held every year to open up dialogue on key global issues to anyone who lives anywhere. Some of the focuses of past events have included on how to use mobile phones for global development, how to encourage women to lead the digital world, and how to organize new constituencies on important global issues.
