GCconnex

Screenshot of the GCconnex homepage in English.

GCconnex is the Government of Canada’s professional social networking platform. It is only accessible via the Government of Canada network and contributors must have a government (.gc.ca) email address to be able to register for it.[1] GCconnex enables public servants to connect and collaborate. It is a virtual network where public servants can connect with other public servants with similar interests, or with skills that will help them be more productive in their work.[2]

GCconnex is an open source social networking tool which allows public servants to develop their own profiles, including descriptions of individual business activities, interests and expertise.

GCconnex is managed by the GC2.0 Tools Team, which also manages GCpedia. The team is part of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Launch

GCconnex was established in January, 2009, with the objective of offering a variety of Web2.0 and social media functions to federal employees within the Government of Canada firewall.[3]

Overview of Usage Levels from July 31, 2015

Software

GCconnex is powered by Elgg, an open source social networking engine. As of February 2014, GCconnex was using version 1.8.

Features on GCconnex

GCconnex offers many features that emulate those of external social networking and collaboration sites, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google Docs, Flickr, Reddit, and Messenger.

The Wire

A feature similar to Twitter where users can post text with the 140 character limit. Other users are allowed to 'like' or 'reply' to the comment.

Blogs

Users can write an article that reflects upon their ideas or opinions based on a subject relevant to their work practices.

Bookmarks

A feature used to share links from external or internal websites.

Chat

An instant-message function used to communicate in real time with another user.

Ideas

Users can share ideas within a group, comment on them, and vote on whether they like them or not.

Groups and Subgroups

Allows the users to organize groups relevant to their work practices. It gives several options on the level of security of the group and the content to be displayed.

Files and Folders

Entire documents of all kinds can be uploaded.

Enhanced Profile

In early 2015 the user profile pages were enhanced to allow for greater detail and to improve the ability of public servants to find colleagues with knowledge and experience to share.

GCconnex and Government Transformation

GCconnex was used extensively in the 2013-14 Blueprint 2020 consultations, with over 120 group discussions on a wide range of topics relating to renewing the federal public service in Canada. [4] It continues to be used as the virtual platform to support the renewal work known as Destination 2020.


References

  1. ↑ http://www.clerk.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?pageId=350 "Blueprint 2020-Introduction" by Wayne Wouters
  2. ↑ Wayne Wouters; Louise Levonian (2013-12-13). "Blueprint 2020 Summary Interim Progress Report". Government of Canada. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  3. ↑ Kearney, Thomas (10 September 2013). "The Crowded Boardroom". Optimum Online 43 (4).
  4. ↑ Clerk of the Privy Council Web Page, Accessed August 20, 2015 http://www.clerk.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?pageId=362
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, September 14, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.