New media boosts social good in China

BEIJING -- Technology-based new media networks are aiming to build a more efficient and transparent social good mechanism to attract more participants in China.

"Social media networks have given full play to their unique advantages in online services and products to effectively call upon millions of faithful netizens to join in social good programs, bringing China's public welfare cause to a new stage," said Li Yuxiao, vice chief-editor of Tencent.com, which has about 400 million active users, here on Monday.

Li made the remarks while attending a forum in Beijing held as a sideline event of the Social Good Summit 2012 that takes place in New York on September 22 to 24. Hub events and "meet-ups" were held in Nairobi, Kenya, and in nearly 100 countries on Monday to make the summit a global conversation about social good issues.

The summit, held in conjunction with the UN General Assembly's week-long annual meeting in New York, brought together public and private partners, as well as on-site and online audiences, to tackle the world's biggest challenges, including poverty reduction, disaster relief, endangered species and environmental protection.

Intellectual leaders, social entrepreneurs, innovators and bloggers joined in the summit to exchange opinions and seek innovative solutions to problems.

Web-based social good sprang up in China about eight years ago when founders of some new media companies began to launch programs with huge input, said Li.

Thanks to the rapid development of social media networks and microblogs, people are getting much closer with each other and are more willing to participate in events that allow volunteers and donors to get instant feedback about the effects and the use of money.

"New technology and new media help to cut costs and improve efficiency for running activities for social good," said Jet Li, founder of One Foundation. "But software, or willingness and enthusiasm, is more important than advanced hardware."

He said he believes that people should not just take action when disaster breaks out. Doing good things should be carried out on a regular basis.

Leaders of many popular websites, including renren.com, ayfoundation.org and guokr.com, also delivered speeches about their innovative experiences in carrying out social good work.

"China is the most ideal place for social good programs, in terms of its population, vast geographical size and level of economic development," Xie Weihe, vice president of Tsinghua University, said as he addressed the forum.

Pointing out that social good has great growth potential in China, Xie called on the public to actively participate in related programs to make social good a sustainable cause.