More than 30 international speakers are taking part in a major seminar in Bahrain, which will highlight plans and strategies for the use of social media for ministries, government organisations and the private sector.

Bahrain’s first Social Media Masters Forum, a five-day event, opened at the Moevenpick Hotel yesterday (September 12).

Social media is being encouraged as a positive tool for developmental purposes, said Information Affairs Authority president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa at the opening of the forum.

"Bahrain has hundreds of thousands of Twitter users and there are several thousands of others on Facebook, two of the most well-known social media platforms," said Shaikh Fawaz.

"The numbers are growing all the time and that shows people in Bahrain are taking to social media in a big way."

Shaikh Fawaz said it was not only people, but also institutions that were on social networks.

"Several of Bahrain's government departments as well as other organisations and private companies are using these to their advantage," he said.

e-Government Authority chief executive officer Mohammed Al Qaed said the importance of social media in people's lives could not be stressed enough.

"Our daily lives rest on one of the most important tools of communication and interaction around the world, both among individuals and institutions in the private and public sectors," he said, pledging to support the government's social media initiatives.

The event is being organised by the Social Media Club and sponsored by Zain and will include special sessions to train participants in the use of social media networks.

"The Social Media Club, which brings together experienced social media marketing professionals, has been keen on holding this major event in Bahrain for training organisations and specialists on the importance of social media, uses of social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google and other websites, planning media campaigns through social media networks in addition to the exchange of expertise and best practices," said club president Ali Sabkar. – TradeArabia News Service