Facebook, Flickr, and Blogs (oh my!)

Yes, the possibilities that come with technology seem endless...and a little overwhelming. To shed a little light on the subject, my office (Fundacion Saldarriaga Concha) marked their 35 years with a special forum: Social Investment: New Strategies for New Challenges. The forum featured Don Tapscott, the world-renowned author of Wikinomics. His presentation focused on how mass collaboration can stimulate positive change. The four principles of Wikinomics:

• Openness
• Peering
• Sharing
• Acting Globally

The event brought together more than 350 representatives from the private, nonprofit, and governmental sectors of Colombia to discuss ways to utilize social networks and technology to strengthen the social sector in Colombia. It was an opportunity to not only hear the principles of Wikinomics but also to translate these principles locally.

The concept of networks is growing in Colombia. Already, Colombia is one of the largest Facebook markets in the world. In addition, many groups are promoting like-minded, internet-driven networks to cover such topics as youth engagement (www.recojo.net) and child protection (www.redpai.org). Collaboration is the key to success and this forum fueled this fire. Now, the challenge is to take this energy and information and transform it into action.