SwissCommunity.org

SwissCommunity.org is the social networking platform for the Swis diaspora, which is run by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA). The platform offers expat Swiss citizens (the “Fifth Switzerland”) the opportunity to contact each other, to communicate, and to maintain a close connection to Switzerland. Unlike similar social networks, SwissCommunity.org offers reliable information on events and developments in Switzerland, as well as classic community features. This online platform also supports the more than 716,000 Swiss citizens living abroad in exercising their civic rights. As a sort of virtual 27th canton, SwissCommunity.org offers the Swiss diaspora a platform for expression and, in this way, allows its views be heard within Switzerland.
Organization
SwissCommunity.org was founded on the occasion of the 88th Congress of the Swiss Abroad on 21 August 2010 in St. Gallen by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), which in turn was created out of the New Helvetic Society in 1916. The OSA is now the representative and recognized advocate of the “Fifth Switzerland” and provides a variety of services for the 716,000 Swiss citizens abroad. In particular, this includes advice and information to do with legal and practical issues related to emigration, living abroad, and returning to Switzerland. The OSA also provides services for children and young people as well as education advice for young Swiss citizens living abroad, and it coordinates Swiss schools abroad. SwissCommunity.org particularly supports the OSA in the important task of providing information for Swiss citizens living abroad, allowing them to network and strengthen their bond to their home country and canton respectively.
About SwissCommunity
Target group
SwissCommunity.org is explicitly aimed at Swiss citizens living abroad and at anyone interested in Switzerland’s international position. The platform addresses the basic needs of Swiss citizens living abroad, such as the need to contact others and exchange information, ideas, and “insider tips,” as well as the desire to share experiences or meet up with compatriots abroad. SwissCommunity.org offers the Swiss abroad a simple and easy way to network with one another. Two years after its establishment, more than 15,000 members from 186 countries have registered with SwissCommunity.org. Members include several federal MPs and journalists.

SwissCommunity.org is provided in German, French, and English.
Content
The platform consists of a public and a private area. The public area contains detailed information tailored to the needs of Swiss citizens living abroad. Reports from the Swissinfo news and information platform are published directly on SwissCommunity.org. Swiss citizens living abroad can find all relevant information on the Swiss cantons and on over 330 Swiss clubs on SwissCommunity.org so that they can maintain a connection to their home country and canton from their adopted country. All embassy addresses can also be reached with just a few clicks in the public area.
In the protected area, users can sign up and create a personal profile with photos and information. Using different search criteria, Swiss people can easily find other compatriots in their local area and can contact them. The protected area offers registered users a pinboard and an events calendar. SwissCommunity.org also has a marketplace on which users can place classified advertisements. For questions related to emigration, living abroad and returning to Switzerland, Swiss citizens living abroad can count on the practical advice and information of their compatriots in the discussion forums, or contact the OSA’s legal services department.
Media
SwissCommunity.org publishes an online lifestyle magazine four to six times per year, which is posted on the home page each time. The lifestyle magazine provides various profiles and interviews; it prints contributions from cantons, partners, and sponsors; and includes the latest information from Switzerland and about the Swiss abroad. It is available in German, French, and English and covers 12-16 pages. Members are also offered the opportunity to sign up for the newsletter from the canton of their choice, which also appears four to six times a year.
Political engagement
The OSA and SwissCommunity.org are committed to allowing Swiss citizens living abroad to participate easily in political life in Switzerland. With this goal in mind, the petition for electronic “e-voting” was launched in 2012. The signatories called on the Federal Council to introduce the additional option of electronic voting (e-voting, e-election) for all voters at home and abroad as soon as possible. With this, the instruments of direct democracy would be adjusted for the increased mobility of the Swiss population.
SwissCommunity.org provides Swiss expatriates with support in reaching their decisions in referenda and elections by informing them of political events. Of the 556,756 Swiss citizens abroad with the right to vote, 149,000 (31.25%) have already registered to vote. This figure, along with the numerous political discussions carried out on SwissCommunity.org, is evidence of Swiss diaspora’s great political interest. SwissCommunity.org members also have the opportunity to contact registered federal parliamentarians directly.
Partnerships
The OSA has the status of a non-profit organization and is largely funded by itself. An important element of its success is thus the partnerships - mostly strategic and institutional - that the OSA and SwissCommunity.org maintain with several companies, including Switzerland Tourism and Swissinfo. Among the partners are the cantons of Lucerne, Aargau, Zug, and Ticino. A future partnership with all 26 cantons is sought. SwissCommunity.org also works in close cooperation with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Awards
SwissCommunity.org was honored as one of the outstanding Swiss Internet projects of 2011 and awarded a silver medal in the category “usability” at the Best of Swiss Web Awards on 31 March 2011 at the Kongresshaus in Zurich. The award is specifically for the Internet platform’s content clarity and ease of use.

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