Movers and shakers heading to this year's World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos will soon be able to swap tips for saving the world on their own exclusive internet platform.

The "WELCOM" site is startlingly similar to Facebook and MySpace except access will be restricted to conference attendees or "decision-makers" in WEF-speak.

The platform allows VIP users to create a profile for themselves with a photograph, a list of competences, and "career highlights".

Instead of collecting tens of thousands of "friends" or telling strangers what music you're listening to, WELCOM users can tell each other through their profiles "what's on my mind".

Think of it: Bono can tell Angela Merkel 24-7 just what he thinks of her and her hollow debt-relief promises. She can reply with a biting remark about seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses.

WEF founder and president Klaus Schwab told Spiegel online yesterday that he hopes the platform will soon have about 10,000 members, "decision-makers" who will turn to WELCOM even in times of "crisis" - and he isn't talking about the latest Britney Spears meltdown.

The new system is the latest incarnation of the WELCOM (short for World Electronic Community) system introduced a decade ago to allow private communication between business leaders and politicians.

It was given up three years later because of the technical complexity, but now even the simplest laptop has the technology needed to allow users participate in an online video conference.

Schwab's list of technical partners is impressive: Microsoft, BT, Adobe, chipmaker AMD and Reuters.

The new platform will be presented at this year's conference in Davos, which gets under way tomorrow with more than 2,000 participants, including 24 heads of state.

A few predictions for Angela Merkel's profile: favourite music: Wagner; past-times: making potato soup and long walks.