blog

27 August 2008
A Great Video With Robin Hamman

I know we wrote about Robin Hamman just two days ago but still, I had to share this great
video with you. Here you can see Robin speaking about his work at BBC, online
journalism and the power of online communities. We are so proud to have him as our
speaker! Enjoy it!

  


Mohamed Nanabhay’s Presentation At iSummit

You already know that Mohamed Nanabhay, one of the leading new media minds in the Middle East is going to speak at our new media event.
Here is a great video of Mohamed’s presentation at the iSummit, held earlier this year.
From the video you can clearly see that Mohamed has a lot of new media knowledge to share with you. Enjoy it!

  

25 August 2008
Robin Hamman, Our Innovative Speaker, Talks About
The Changing Face Of Media And His Work At BBC World

I just found a great interview with Robin Hamman (courtesy of www.conversationagent.com) and I had to share it with you. Enjoy it!

I've noticed that many European media groups have been quite on top of their online models, integrating mobile news with their digital homes and linking to bloggers -- in many cases ahead of US media corporations. The BBC News is a well established brand and a well respected news source. One people have relied on for years.

When was the transition to blogs implemented? Was it fairly smooth to
execute?

Robin: In early 2006, following several forays into blogging by the BBC, most notably BBC
Scotland's Island Blogging, Ouch! and Nick Robinson's Newslog, the decision was made
to customise and install an off-the-shelf blogging solution and create the BBC Blogs
Network, which launched in April.

Implementation was done very quickly, even though we made fairly extensive
customisations to the software to enable it to work within our existing infrastructure, but
we have suffered recently from some instability caused by database issues. Over the
next few months we intend to install a new engine to drive our blogs based on
recommendations provided by a recent technical review we commissioned from an
external agency.

How have you made the transition to the publication's online presence as a specific destination for readers, a complement to the rest of the BBC's properties? Are the blogs an extension of the regular news columns?

Robin: We currently have around 50 active blogs. A lot of people outside the UK tend to think only of news when they think of the BBC but we do all sorts of other things. On the publicly funded side,  we have eight network television channels, ten national radio networks, over 50 local and regional radio stations, interactive television services and bbc.co.uk. There's also the BBC World Service, funded by a grant from the UK Government, which provides 33 radio language services and websites in native languages around the World, commercial channel partnerships in the UK and abroad, including BBC Food, UKTV, and BBC America.

The BBC Blogs Network comprises around 50 blogs, tied to our domestic (UK) publicly
funded operations and those of the BBC World Service. As you can imagine, the blogs
reflect the diversity of our offerings and are, in that sense, often an extension of our
existing brands. Each blog is a distinct offering with its own purpose. In November 2006,
in a lengthy post titled “What’s the Point of TV and Radio Blogs?”, I explained that
blogging would:    
• Allow us to join in conversations about the topics we cover and programmes we make
• Bring some of the BBC’s best and most widely recognised talent closer to their audiences
• Make it easier for journalists and programme makers to gain exposure to and learn from
  the knowledge and experiences of our audiences
• Make our editorial decisions and policies, as well as our production values and
  techniques, more transparent and those who make them more accountable

These remain the core reasons why the BBC Blog Network exists and, because our blogs each tend to have a different style, voice and audience, they each tend to focus more or less strongly on each of the goals above.
For example, Radio 2 Presenter Chris Evans' blog is much like a personal diary, bringing audiences closer to the man behind the microphone. As one blogger said of Evans’ blog:

"He actually comes over as being quite like how he is on TV, which is to say that he seems to be a happy-go-lucky, decent bloke. All in all, the kind of chap you wouldn’t mind spending some time in the company of.”

Newsnight, Radio 5 Live’s Pods and Blogs, and the new Radio 4 programme iPM are all
using their blogs in a different way – to engage with and tap into the knowledge and
creativity of their audiences.

The Editors, Sport Editors and the BBC Internet blog, are all about bringing transparency
and accountability to the services provided by different divisions of the BBC. 
                                          
“I'm also a firm believer that the best way to learn about social media and blogging is to participate yourself”

Everyone is after the same attention pool, which keeps shrinking. Online is
fast becoming a very competitive business model -- how do you keep the
value from turning into commodity?

Robin: It's increasingly important that we get our content out to new audiences rather
than remaining insular and stuck in a channel mentality. One of the great things
about blogs is that, where we're able to embrace the blogging techniques of sharing
content, quoting others, and linking out to become part of the wider conversation,
we're able to get our stuff in front of new audiences.

A broadcasting company at heart, we used to think that our content went out and that
was it. Now many of us at the BBC understand that the moment we put content out
there need not be the beginning, nor the end, of the conversation - that a broadcast
has a social life of its own.

Sure, we get value out of becoming more transparent and by bringing audiences closer to BBC reporters and talent, but for me, the idea of using the blogs to engage in wider conversations with our audiences, and potentially new audiences, is the most interesting part of having programme related blogs.

How do you keep things relevant and sustainable at your publication? What is your definition of success?

Robin: Measuring success has, so far, been something that has been done by the
editorial teams who author or produce blogs within our network. The first 18 months
have helped us learn more about what we, and our audiences, from different types
of BBC Blog offerings. Now that we have that learning behind us, we may very well
decide in the coming months to begin to apply editorial standards across the board
and close down BBC blogs that don't meet those standards.

As far as making blogs sustainable, I often argue that the more integrated blogs are into
the overall planning, production and output of programmes, the less they drain upon
scarce resources. That's why we're starting to have blogs, some of which are listed in
my response to the second question above, which really are part and parcel of the
production process - helping teams plan and organise, sometimes with some help from
their audiences, in the run-up to transmission and to make additional material, as well
as gather audience feedback, and extending the life of the programme.

Where our blogs aren't integrated closely into our production and output we really miss
a trick.

What is your strategy for inviting blog contributors? What about free lance contributors just online?

Robin: Our bloggers are, for the most part, members of BBC staff. The exceptions to this are where freelancers have been brought in to post and on BBC Scotlands Scot Blogs where we supply a blogging platform to volunteer citizen bloggers in the Scottish Islands. We haven't, and I don't expect us to, gone down the road of providing a blogging platform for members of the public.

We have, however, been quietly wondering if it might be a good idea to try hiring one or
two bloggers to come author blogs for us rather than trying always to turn our
journalists, production staff, on-air talent and editors into bloggers. It's an interesting
idea and I hope we are able to try it somewhere.

How do you create a culture of participation? Do your writers consider themselves members of a community?

Robin: All of our bloggers, as far as I'm aware, read the comments on their posts. However, we don't always do a good job of responding to those comments publicly, even if they do affect the way we do things.

We're also not particularly good at linking out to other bloggers and websites - recent research commissioned by us shows that just one in eight BBC blog posts links out.

These are areas we are going to focus much of our attention on improving over the
coming months because we think it's important that our bloggers, if the BBC and our
audiences are to gain as much as possible out of blogging, to participate in the
conversation.

Where do you draw inspiration? Do you read other online publications? Which ones? How are you influenced by them?

Robin: Personally, I find most of my new web based content via my del.icio.us network
and, what I don't find that way, I hear about using Twitter, Facebook and other services
where I network with others who share my interests. I also subscribe to around 100
RSS feeds. I try to encourage the BBC's bloggers, and just about anyone else I come
across, to learn about and start using del.icio.us and RSS - there are some great
videos for beginners at commoncraft.com.

I'm also a firm believer that the best way to learn about social media and blogging is to
participate yourself. I try out just about every social media service that comes along but
tend to stick with a few firm favourites - those mentioned above as well as Flickr,
Plazes and Dopplr. I also have a few blogs of my own including a private baby blog for
my daughter, a blog about the town I live in which consists almost entirely of mobile
cameraphone posts, and my main blog, cybersoc, which, apparently, is one of the
leading "journo blogs" in the UK.

Do you feel threatened by the idea of user created media? How is what you do different from user created content? Is there still a place for traditional editors in the 21st century?

Robin: Although it's probably true that bloggers, who generally focus upon a niche, and others who create and share content online are gaining audiences, I don't think that this necessarily indicates a decline in audiences for other forms and sources of media. I think that the two - amateur and professional - can quite happily not just co-exist but can learn and benefit from each other.

At the moment, most journalists and editors think almost exclusively about content they create and own. In the future, we're going to need to improve our abilities to find, curate, quote from and editorialise links to the content of others. People will always find having a known and trusted guide more useful than a simple search engine result. At the BBC we’re increasingly trying to think of the whole web as our canvas. I guess that means that, regardless of the topics we cover or geographical areas we report on, the web is also increasingly going to be part of our beat.

24 August 2008
Author of “The Corporate Blogging Book” Live In Dubai

Ok. This is so exciting.

The one and only Debbie Weil, author on “The Corporate Blogging Book” has just agreed
to present at our event! Everyone that is working with new media knows who Debbie Weil
is! She is basically the Queen Of Blogging. She is the Michael Jordan of blogging! And we
are so happy to have her as a keynote presenter at the event.

Debbie Weil is a corporate & CEO blogging and social media
consultant and sought-after speaker based in Washington DC.
Her clients include Global 100 and Fortune 500 companies.
She is the author of the widely praised The Corporate Blogging
Book published in the U.S. by Penguin Portfolio, and also in
Italian, Mandarin Chinese and a UK edition. She writes
BlogWriteForCEOs, a leading blog on social media marketing.
Debbie has parsed the implications of Web 2.0 for thousands of
executives and entrepreneurs at conferences and events in the U.S., the UK, Europe and China.

She has been quoted on the topic of corporate and CEO blogging in The Wall Street
Journal, Fortune, Business Week, The New York Times, CNN.com, The Guardian and
numerous other publications. She has been interviewed on NPR’s MarketPlace.
A graduate of Harvard with a degree in English, she has a unique background as a
journalist with corporate marketing experience. She has an MBA from Georgetown
University and a Masters in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin.
She was previously a marketing manager for Network Solutions, Inc., the original
dot com company. Before that, she was a reporter and editor for several leading
U.S. newspapers, including Roll Call.

You can find everything you need to know about Debbie by visiting her official website www.debbieweil.com.

All of those that will attend THE NEW MEDIA EVENT will have the unique opportunity not
just to meet Debbie Weil but also receive a free copy of her bestseller
“The Corporate Blogging Book”.

So what are you waiting for? REGISTER NOW!

As you know, our programme is now finalised. Mark Walls, our graphic designer has just started designing our brochure so very soon you will receive the programme by mail.

Until then enjoy a great interview with Debbie!

20 August 2008
Final Speakers Confirmed

I am extremely happy to announce that just today we finalized the programme for
THE NEW MEDIA EVENT…And it is going to be a WOW programme! We have the best
speakers out there. And I can guarantee you that this is going to be an event that
everyone is going to talk about.

So, who are the new speakers?

Mohamed Nanabhay
Head Of New Media,
Al Jazeera

Mohamed Nanabhay is the Head of New Media at the AlJazeera
Network based in Doha, Qatar. He joined Al Jazeera in 2004
and is currently managing a team that is focused on engaging
audiences through online communities and emerging
technologies. Prior to joining Al Jazeera, he worked at KPMG
where he provided security, privacy and continuity consulting
to South Africa's leading businesses. In 2005 Mohamed was
awarded the Thomas Fitzgerald Award by Information
Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) for outstanding
achievement in the field of information assurance.

He also has a great blog that you can read by visiting www.mohamedn.com.

Catherine Captain
VP Markerting,
MSNBC

Catherine Captain joined MSNBC.com in 2005 as Vice President
of Marketing. In addition to serving on MSNBC.com’s five-person
executive team, Captain leads all marketing efforts including
brand marketing, consumer research, product strategy,
business development, event marketing, graphic design and
public relations.

Prior to joining MSNBC.com, Captain spent nearly a decade in marketing roles at USA
TODAY. Originally from North Carolina, she received her master’s degree in Integrated
Marketing Communications from Northwestern University and her undergraduate
degree in English and Journalism from the University of Iowa.

At the age of 20 and after experimenting with several models on the Internet and witnessing the rise and fall of several Internet giants, Omar and his friends launched Jeeran in 2000. Five years and a VC round later, Jeeran is the largest User Generated Content portal in the Middle East with several offices in the region.  It is also the online community of choice among top regional online advertisers in the region. Omar and the rest of the team are currently busy supporting the growth of Jeeran by filling in many shoes; typical of many entrepreneurs working on their startup.

Dan Healy is the CEO of the newly formed research company
Real Opinions. He has over 10 years international and online
market research experience, having worked on over 100
different research projects over this time with various
governments and global brands such as Visa International,
British Airways and Hewlett Packard.
His online credentials date back to 1998 when he joined London based research
company NOP (now part of GfK) where he worked in their New Media team as a
senior researcher during the heady days of the 'dot-com boom'. Of note, he worked
with the launch of British Airways low cost airline 'Go' and the Waitrose partnered
revolutionary online grocery store Ocado.

Bobby Kakkar
Head Of Marketing, Digital Media,
HSBC

Bobby Kakar is Head of Marketing for Direct Channels at HSBC
Bank Middle East Ltd.  He has over 15 years of sales and
marketing experience and is currently responsible for the
Bank’s online savings propositions’ and the customer adoption
of electronic channels.  In his ten years in the Gulf, Bobby has
developed and launched numerous financial products the latest
being the Region’s first true online savings proposition – eSaver
from HSBC, which recently won the Banker Middle East
Magazine award for the Best Savings Account in the region. 

Prior to HSBC, he has worked with ABN AMRO Bank and First Gulf Bank in the Middle
East, and HDFC Bank and Titan Industries Ltd in India. Bobby holds an MBA in
Marketing and is a graduate member of the Institute of Cost and Works
Accounts, India.

Rajiv Ahuja
Head, Corporate Communications,
Khimji Ramdas

Rajiv is heading the Corporate Communications function in Khimji Ramdas, one of the largest conglomerates in the Sultanate representing more than 100 international brands of repute. He supports the marketing operations of four large different groups in Khimji Ramdas covering Lifestyle, Consumer Products, Infrastructure, Projects & Logistics. He has also been responsible for architecting the Internet strategy for the company. The Khimji Ramdas website was recently recognized as one of the best corporate websites by the Pan Arab Web Awards in the Middle East.

Arun Rajagopal
Web Content Strategists,
Khimji Ramdas

Arun Rajagopal is an advertising and digital copywriter at
Wunderman in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. He is a co-author of
the social media marketing book "The Age of Conversation". He
also publishes the blog "Arun Rajagopal: Clicks n' Bytes from
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman" (www.arunrajagopal.com), one of
the leading marketing blogs in the Middle East. His interests
include social media, conversational marketing and travel.

 Aren’t they great? Each of them has a great background and there is so much to learn
from their experience!

We have one more guru to confirm but it is taking longer than what we expected. So be patient and pray that she will accept our invitation to speak at the event.

See you soon.

19 August 2008
Ford’s New Media Guru To Speak At THE NEW MEDIA EVENT

When it comes to new media, I can say that Ford Company is the leading company in
implementing new media and understanding the power of new media. But how can they
not be when they have one of the brightest new media experts working for them. You
are probably wondering what I am talking about???

I am talking about Scott Monty, one of the leading new media experts in the USA,

Scott is a marketing and communications professional focused
on the digital industry – specifically on social media. His career
spans a number of industries such as healthcare, pharma,
biotech, travel, automotive, tech, and communications, and
includes a wide range of clients, from start-ups to Fortune 500
companies. Some of Scott’s clients include American Airlines,
Audi, Starwood Hotels, IBM Healthcare & Life Sciences, Boston
Scientific, The Coca-Cola Company, Millipore, Motorola and
Kraft Foods, as well as numerous small-cap and start-up ventures.

Scott is currently the head of social media for Ford Motor Company, where he holds the
title Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager. While his role is based in
the Corporate Communications area, he is a strategic advisor on all social media
activities across the company. From blogger relations to marketing support to
customer service to internal communications and more, social media touches many
facets of Ford business, and Scott is there to ensure it is consistent across all of them.

You can find out more about Scott by visiting his blog on www.scottmonty.com

18 August 2008
H20 Media To Run A Workshop At IIR’s THE NEW MEDIA EVENT

When it comes to new media in the Middle East no one does it better than H20 Media.
I am very happy to announce that the CEO of H20 Media is going to conduct a workshop
at our event on 18 December 2008.
The title of their workshop is: Enterprise Social Media : Using Social Media To Drive
Business Results and will cover the following:
  • What is enterprise social media
  • Understanding affinity groups
  • The applications  – An Overview 
     1. How can social media help you achieve your business goals   
     2. Social media and affinity marketing 
     3. Social media for the publishing market
     4. Social media for Corporate Social Responsibility
     5. Social media for business interest groups 
     6. Using social media to support the events businesses
     7. Collaboration the next stage of social media development
     8. Barriers and opportunities in the GCC market
  • Case studies
     1. The American Business Council Dubai – Using social media for business groups
     2. CMPi Events – Using social media for events marketing
     3. G2 Publishing – Case Studies

17 August 2008
We Love Marta Kagan!

If you are working with new media there is no way you have not heard of Marta Kagan.
I loved her blog and I love her opinions on new media. She is amasing. But more amasing
is the fact that she will be one of the keynote presenters at our event on
15 December 2008.

What Marta Has To Say About Herself:

I’m a Boston-based marketing/communications professional (and confessed start-up junkie) with a knack for using the Web and non-traditional marketing methods to build new brands—and breathe life into old ones. I’m particularly deadly with a shoestring budget. I scoff at fierce deadlines and competing priorities. Lots of things make me laugh; very few make me sweat.
My background is as colorful as a Benetton ad—yet I’ve managed to cultivate a healthy dose of expertise in a few core disciplines, namely:
• Marketing & PR strategy
• Direct marketing (online and offline)
• Social media marketing
• Word-of-mouth marketing
• Online marketing & advertising
But given a choice, I’d spend all day dreaming up creative ways to use new media and the Web to build brand loyalty and inspire RAVING fans!
I’m comfortable operating at both strategic and tactical levels. I have experience working both client-side and agency-side. I prefer work/products/companies that are “purple cows”—in other words, remarkable. I’m particularly drawn to those that embody the notion of “doing well by doing good.” And I really, really dig working with smart, passionate—and respectful—people.
I’m slightly obsessed with social media, the whole “2.0″ phenomenon (web 2.0, advertising 2.0, business 2.0, branding 2.0… etc), and the way that Millenials are changing the world.
I have (IMHO) exceptionally good communication skills (written and oral) and a natural gift for building relationships and creating butt-kicking teams. Oh, yes—and I’m extremely humble.
On a more personal note… I’m the proud mom of two remarkable boys—who keep me honest and sane (when they’re not making me insane, that is). I’m literally married to God’s Gift to Women—well… at least to this woman. And if I had any free time, I would probably spend it hiking, biking, snowshoeing, taking photographs, enjoying a glass of vintage Chateauneuf-du-Pape in a really, really big glass, or playing on a beach somewhere with friends and family

You simply have to check Marta’s blog by visiting www.bonafidemarketinggenius.com.

17 August 2008
A Great Interview With Shekhar Kapur, Our Keynote Speaker!

Probably by now you know that Shekhar Kapur, the acclaimed Director of Elizabeth and Elizabeth: Golden Age will be the keynote speaker at THE NEW MEDIA EVENT.

Here is a very interesting interview with Shekhar Kapur available on his website www.shekharkapur.com. Enjoy it and don’t forget to comment!

13 August 2008
Angel Gambino Just Confirmed Her Participation At
THE NEW MEDIA EVENT

When I started researching the new media event I made up a list of TOP 5 speakers that
I simply must have at my event.  Until today, I had only three of them confirmed. But today, I
finally heard from Angel Gambino, who is probably one of the best new media experts in
Europe and probably the world. She has worked for Bebo, MTV and BBC - basically all the
pioneers in the new media revolution.

More about Angel:

Angel is an entrepreneur and former Global VP, Music &
Content at Bebo where she was responsible for Bebo's global
music strategy, product and partnerships. Gambino joined from
her previous position as VP, Commercial, Strategy & Digital
Media for Viacom UK, Ireland & Nordic where she was
responsible for MTVN’s business strategy & development
across the 11- channel portfolio of MTV, VH1, VH2, TMF,
Nickelodeon and Paramount Comedy brands, with particular
focus on growing MTVN's P&L through digital media. Prior to
MTVN, Angel was at the BBC where she held the position of Controller, Business Development & Emerging Platforms. She was responsible for extending the BBC’s four television and nine radio channels to mobile, broadband and on-demand. Before the BBC, Angel was Director of Broadband at gameplay, having previously consulted to a number of Fortune 500 companies in the area of online transactions. In Angel’s earlier career she served as Director of Legal and Business Affairs for NGOs.

You can find out more about Angel by visiting her blog on
http://angelgambino.blogspot.com.

We are still discussing Angel’s topic of presentation but as soon as we have it you will be
the first one to find out.

Until then I leave you with a segment of Angel’s presentation at TWEEN 07.

  Part 1

  

   Part 2

   

Enjoy it!

13 August 2008
New Video For The New Media Event

13 August 2008
Using Web Video To Promote Your Business

As you already know, David Skul, CEO of Relativity in USA will be speaking at our event.
We have already posted one of David’s videos on the growing importance of new
media in today’s rapidly evolving economy. . I just saw another amasing video on
Using Web Videos To Promote Your Business and I wanted to share it with you.
Enjoy it.


   

11 August 2008
The New Media Event Video


    

7 August 2008
Adobe’s Technical Evangelist To Speak At
THE NEW MEDIA EVENT In December

When I started working on this event I promised you that we are trying to get the best speakers in the world to speak at our event. Your wish is our command, right?

Today, I am extremely happy to announce that Duane Nickull, Senior Technological Evangelist at ADOBE will be presenting at THE NEW MEDIA EVENT on 15 December 2008.

As Senior Technical Evangelist for Adobe Systems,
Duane Nickull is responsible for Adobe’s
messaging around enterprise solutions in the SOA
and Web Services spaces plus other forward
looking aspects such as the Web 2.0. Previously
Mr. Nickull co-founded Yellow Dragon Software
Corporation, a privately held developer of XML
messaging and metadata management software, acquired by Adobe in 2003. He
previously served as CTO and President of XML Global Technologies, a publicly traded
company acquired by Xenos Group in early 2003.  Mr. Nickull has written or participated
in most of the larger SOA standards work in the past decade. He currently chairs the
OASIS Service Oriented Architecture Reference Model Technical Committee
(SOA-RM TC) which  has just delivered a Reference Model for Service Oriented
Architecture as a full OASIS standard. He served as a Vice Chair of the United Nations
Centre for Facilitation of Commerce and Trade (UN/CEFACT) between 2003 and 2006. 
Within the United Nations, he oversaw the UN’s Electronic Business strategy and Service
Oriented Architecture and modeling efforts. He has served as the project team lead of the
United Nations (UN/CEFACT) Electronic Business Architecture Group (SOA) and a
specially appointed liaison between the W3C, UN and OASIS standards consortiums.
Additionally, Duane has served as the chair and lead system architect for the United
Nation’s Electronic Business Working Group, a direct sub-group of CEFACT TMG and on
the CEFACT TMG Steering Committee. He also has served as the Co-chair of the ebXML
Technical Architecture group as well as co-editor of that specification starting in 1999,
largely recognized as the first post-internet and post XML SOA. He has participated in
writing many of the recent large Service Oriented Architectures that permeate the IT
landscape today such as the W3C Web Services Architecture and also co wrote the
Mackenzie-Nickull Meta-model for Architectural Patterns. Mr. Nickull has written and
contributed many technical articles and books on these subjects Mr. Nickull has been
called Mr. SOA by his peers during introductions to speak on the subject due to his
overwhelming experience writing and contributing to the major Service Oriented
Architectures (SOA’s). Between 1995 and 2006, he spoke at over 500 venues in
various countries around the world Duane has recently renewed his work in the
theoretical field of computational intelligence and has recently spoken several times
to various audiences via the Ontolog Forum on eventcausality aware inference engines
coupled to a query-able ontology. Such mechanisms may one day bestow true cognitive
and reasoning capabilities upon applications. In the field of semantic reconciliation,
Duane was a co-inventor of the first Context-sensitive XML Search Engine
(www.goxml.com) and the first web based XML E-Commerce ASP. He is named on
pending patents pertaining to XML indexing and retrieval covering 51 unique points.
He also served as Technical Director for XSLT.com during the 1990’s until as recently
as 2002. He lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife and three children, plays in a rock
band, actively snowboards, races Porsche 911’s and mountain bikes. Duane first came
to Vancouver playing in an original band in 1985 and made his living as a professional
musician for several years.

You can find out more about Duane by checking out his blog on http://technoracle.blogspot.com.

More speakers to be confirmed soon!  Stay tuned.

5 August 2008
Muxlim’s Founder To Present At THE NEW MEDIA EVENT

When I started talking with people about our new media event everyone kept telling me: If you are doing this you have to get the founder of Muxlim to speak at your event.

For those of you that have been living under a rock for the past few years Muxlim is a
social networking service for Muslims. It is the Muslim equivalent of Yahoo, Facebook and
Youtube and has been recognised as one of Europe's best tech start-ups by a leading
American technology magazine. Muxlim.com was launched in 2006 by two Finland based
entrepreneurs, with the objective of creating a Muslim social media website that would not
expose users to vulgarity, offensive content, and adult material.

The exciting news is that
we have one of the founders, Mr Mohamed El
Fatatry speaking at  our cutting edge event. This
is going to be major,  trust me.


I found a great interview  with Mohamed Al Fatatry, courtesy of Dinar Standard  (www.dinarstandard.com). Enjoy reading it!

DS: What is the purpose of Muxlim.com?
ME: Digital Halal Network was a group of sites that I had developed on my own as a
hobby in 2005. I always liked to use the Internet but usually felt uncomfortable using
some services especially user-generated ones like MySpace, Flickr, TorrentSpy, etc...
because of the poor moral standard on such sites. So I thought of starting similar
services based on Muslim values.

So with Muxlim we hope to provide a complete online experience for Muslims primarily
based on user-generated content. That includes social networking, email, search,
games, videos, news, prayer times, entertainment, qibla direction, maps, calendar, and
then further enhance their experience by providing mobile access.

Also, Muxlim not only plans to have services for Muslims, but due to the rising concern
and need for a morally rich Internet, we plan to launch a few services for non Muslims
as well but are still based on Islamic values. Moral guidelines are not new for Internet
websites. Meg Whitman CEO of eBay is a religious Christian so she doesn't allow
adult products to be sold on the site. Google as well doesn't allow hard liquor and
weapon ads on their AdSense program. Similarly, we are a technology company with
similar moral guidelines but they are derived from a different source, Islam.

DS: What is the strategy behind consolidation of all sites under Muxlim.com?
ME: The first service I started was IslamicTorrents.net in August 2005, which in a few
months grew very rapidly generating some income that enabled me to open the next
site MuslimSpace.com. And from there it was a domino effect. Each site funded the
next and so on... till the sites grew big enough to be struck by infrastructure, scalability,
and cross-network single login problems. Hence the need to create a global system
that can solve this problem.

DS: How do you define your market?
ME: Muxlim is not a religious portal, but a technology portal with Muslim values. We
believe that the ultimate majority of Muslims around the world share the same core
values and morals that are applied on our network. We are trying to offer services
that appeal to all cultures, ages and countries.

However, no doubt the youth are more interesting from a business perspective
because they "hang out" on the Internet, have a lot of disposable income and create
the content in user-driven services. Older generations usually use the Internet to
fulfill some tasks or find information. Both have different approaches that need to be
kept in mind.

In terms of geography, Muslims are widely spread across the whole world. However,
we will first target English-speaking Muslims (for ex: in Europe and North America)
and then continue on to the Middle East with Arabic language services. We also have
other plans for more languages in the future.

You can read the whole interview by visiting http://dinarstandard.com/innovation/Muxlim022807.htm

Ok, so that’s it for today. I leave you with a great add for Muxlim.com and I will write soon
to inform you of our two new speakers.

4 August 2008
Three New Speakers At THE NEW MEDIA EVENT

Wow. Today, we are on fire!

Production of the event is doing great and just today we have confirmed five exceptional speakers whose new media expertise is shaping today’s new media world and some of them are event listed as having the top marketing blogs on the net.

So, who are our 3 new speakers?

Jonathan Woodier, Director Corporate Communications EMEA Global
Consumer Group, Citi Group

Jonathan Woodier joined Citi EMEA in May 2005, as Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs. In December 2006, Jonathan was also appointed as the region's Director of Country Corporate Affairs overseeing the communications function in Citi’s 53 EMEA countries and, in December 2007, added the role of Director Corporate Communications EMEA Global Consumer Group. Before moving to Europe, Jonathan headed Citi’s Consumer Bank Corporate Affairs operation in Asia Pacific for two and a half years, prior to which he was Director of Regional Media Relations with Singapore’s DBS Bank.

3 August 2008
Top Hollywood Director – Keynote Presenter
At THE NEW MEDIA EVENT

In my first blog post I wrote that we might have a Hollywood personality speaking at our event.

Today, 3 August 2008, it is my pleasure and honor to announce that one of the most
powerful Hollywood directors has agreed to present his views on new media at
THE NEW MEDIA EVENT in December.

But before I tell you who that person is, let me give you three hints!

1. He worked with Heath Ledger and Kate Hudson on the epic movie Four Feathers!
2. He directed one of the most memorable British movies of the 90’s
3. He transformed Cate Blanchett into Elizabeth

Ok, by now you should know the answer!

Ladies and gentleman, blog readers and new media professionals circle 14 December
2008 in your diaries because SHEKHAR KAPUR is coming to Dubai to present at
THE NEW MEDIA EVENT. 

One of the few Bollywood directors to make a career in the U.S.,
Shekhar Kapur has proved his filmmaking worth in both
countries. The nephew of actors Vijay Anand and Dev Anand,
Kapur was discouraged to get into show business by his father.
Leaving his homeland to study business in Great Britain, Kapur
soon grew bored with his accounting job and moved back to
India to become an unsuccessful actor in Bollywood. He
finally found a place for himself as a director with his film
debut, the coming-of-age story Masoom (1983). He was met
with both international attention and controversy after the release of Bandit Queen (1994), his biographical portrait of  lower-caste Indian outlaw Phoolan Devi. Although the Indian censors and Devi herself protested to the film's graphic content, it proved to be a commercial success.  Kapur began working in Hollywood to make the historical biography Elizabeth, with Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I, in 1998. Nominated for the Best Picture Academy award, it also gained him more attention among Indian censors. After residing back in India for a few years, he returned to the U.S. to make the 2002 film adaptation of The Four Feathers. Kapur shepherded the comedy The Guru to the screen in the capacity of executive producer. After a five year layoff from working, he returned with The Golden Age, a sequel to Elizabeth that reunited him with stars Cate Blanchet and Geoffrey Rush.

If you want to find out more about Shekhar Kapur and his views on new media make sure you check out his official website www.shekharkapur.com.

We will keep you updated with more news regarding Mr Kapur’s presentation at our event. Until then enjoy the trailer of my favorite Shekhar Kapur’s movie.

    ELIZABETH: The Golden Age

   

31 July 2008
David Skul, CEO Of Relativity In USA To Present
At THE NEW MEDIA EVENT

Reputation management in a new media world is becoming more important than ever. Yes,
new media can help you build and expand your brand but the truth is that it can also
destroy your reputation and event start crisis. And you probably know that crisis on the web
spread faster than anywhere else. So you should be defiantly prepared. But how do you do
it? How do you monitor your reputation online?

Do not worry. We have one of the best speakers in reputation management in a new
media world speaking at our cutting edge event. His name is David Skul and when it
comes to new media, he practically invented it.

David C Skul, is an internet entrepreneur with over 19 years of experience in network
technology, business technology, web technology, web based business applications
and business technology solution development. He successfully owns and operates,
Relativity, a business technology consulting firm in Pueblo Colorado. Skul has been
accredited with several IT certifications and degrees and frequently assists local
non-profit agencies as a trainer and colleges as an adjunct professor.

David remains passionate about internet technologies and the many potential
opportunities it has to offer organizations. David truly believes in sharing his knowledge
and wealth with others. He is a trusted and dependable confidant that serves on
several community boards as an advisor and is a major contributor to his community.

In the following weeks we will be posting several of David’s vides on important tools for
all new media users. So stay tuned and don’t forget that you can meet David at
THE NEW MEDIA EVENT in December.

   Making Web Video Work for Your Business

   

30 July 2008
UK's King Of Blogs Leads Expert Speaker Panel
At THE NEW MEDIA EVENT

I just finished my phone conversation with a person known as the King Of Blogs in the UK.
His name is Robin Hamman and he is widely regarded as one of the leading figures
working at the intersection of social media and broadcasting.  Most important of all, Robin
has just confirmed his participation at our event and will present on the topic of How do you
implement social media into your existing processes!

Robin has been participant in online communities since 1985. He began studying them formally ten years later and, in 1998, began building and managing online discussions and communities professionally. He’s given presentations about online communities, user generated content and blogging at dozens of conferences and universities in the UK, Europe and USA.

Robin is currently Head of the BBC’s Blogs Network and is the BBC’s de-facto social media guru. In addition to managing both editorial and technical aspects of the diverse network of blogs, Robin has reached many hundreds, including numerous directors and many household names from television and radio, with talks and workshops about using social media to engage with audiences.

Prior to his role as the BBC's Blogger in Chief, Robin contributed to a wide range of user generated content and community propositions at the BBC and elsewhere. Highlights are included in his career listing below.

Robin is a founding member and former committee member of e-mint, the International Association of Online Community Managers.

Robin's personal blog is a must read for many of the leading figures in journalism and broadcasting. In 2007, the Press Gazette named Robin as "one of the UK's most influential journalism bloggers" and broadcaster Chris Evans introduced Robin to his Radio 2 audience as "the King of Blogs".

You can find out more about Robin and his work by visiting his blog http://www.cybersoc.com/.

Probably this will be our last post for this week. As you know tomorrow is holiday but make sure you visit our blog next week when we will have more info and news on what is going to be the hottest event this year – THE NEW MEDIA EVENT!

28 July 2008
MBC's Head Of New Media First Regional Speaker
At THE NEW MEDIA EVENT

Today I continued the invitation process and I had a chance to speak with some very forward looking PR professionals in the region. Everyone is very excited about our event and it is such a pleasure to hear that so many people appreciate what we are trying to achieve with this event.
But how can we educate the region if we do not have the most experienced new media professionals in the region as speakers? And just today, we confirmed as a speaker probably one of the brightest new media experts in the Middle East – Dr Ammar Bakkar, Head Of New Media at MBC Group in Dubai, UAE.

Ammar is the Head of New Media at MBC Group, one of the largest media organisations in the Middle East. As the Head of New Media, he is the Editor-in-Chief of Al Arabiya, a news portal associated with Al Arabiya News Channel. He also manages several other projects for MBC Group, including websites such as anews.net & mbc.net, the interactivity for all MBC channels and Al Arabiya, Al Arabiya mobile news services and MBC Mobile Project.
 
Ammar has been in the new media industry since the year 2000, when he established BAB, one of the earliest Arab news portals. Later, he established several portals until he joined MBC Group in 2003. Since 1996, Ammar is also a columnist on the issues of e-journalism and cyber communication, and he introduced a weekly radio show on Radio MBC that deals with these issues.
 
Ammar holds a doctoral degree from the University of Oklahoma (USA), where he studied political campaigning on the web and creativity enhancement in media organisations. He has more than 15 years of experience working for the traditional media as a journalist, a correspondent, and a Chief Editor with several Saudi and international publications.
 
Until recently, Ammar managed the "September 11th media and research program" in Riyadh. Under this program, he wrote a book titled "September 11th: An Arab View", and produced a documentary that won "the best professional film" award by the Arab Documentary Festival in Beirut. Since 2003, Ammar has a weekly column in Aleqtisadiah Newspaper that deals with issues related to the Arab world reform from different aspects.
 
Moreover, Ammar has been a PR and media consultant to several government, private, and non-profit organisations in Saudi Arabia. Ammar has also been a speaker at several academic & international media conferences. Within the last year, Ammar has given presentations on New Media at the Middle East Conference (Denmark, 2005), Media Education and Training in the Arab World (Riyadh, 2005), Eurasian Media Forum (Kazakhstan, 2006), in addition to a presentation on mobile content at the Middle East Media and Telecoms convergence Conference (Jordan, 2006), and another one about new media to Arab Broadcast Forum (Abu Dhabi, 2006). Ammar is a member of the Academic Committee of the Saudi Association for Media & Communication. During the years 2004 and 2005, he was also an adjunct mass communication professor at the American University of Sharjah.

Keep checking our blog to find out more about Ammar’s presentation at the event.

27 July 2008
Former Media Lead For IBM To Speak
At THE NEW MEDIA EVENT

Today is my lucky day I guess.

It is my pleasure to inform you that Phillipe Borremans, Former New Media Lead Europe for IBM Europe and probably one of the brightest new media minds in Europe, will present at THE NEW MEDIA EVENT on 14 December 2008.

Philippe started his business communications career at Porter Novelli International, a global public relations firm in 1995. During his 4 year stay as a PR Consultant he worked for organisations like Federal Express, Iomega, Monsanto and the Association of Plastic Manufacturers in Europe.
In 1997 he started to specialize in crisis communications and in - what was then called - “online PR”. His crisis communications experience covers union strikes, an airplane crash, a flame site and product recalls. From then on applying the web and related technologies as communications and collaboration tools has been one of his favorite activities.
In October 1999 – just in time for Y2K - he joined IBM Belgium in the function of Public Relations Manager for the IBM Global Services business unit. Later he was asked to hold the responsibility for all external communications of all IBM business units in Belgium & Luxembourg.
From 2005 onwards Philippe held a European coordination role for IBM ’s online communications activities and the use of social media in the context of public relations. He managed a virtual team of 7 colleagues across Europe.

From June till December 2007, Philippe was responsible for business development in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg for innovation covering, among other things; narrowcasting, virtual worlds, serious gaming and web2/3.0. 
Philippe is a founding member of the International Association of Online Communicators (IAOC) & a full member of the European Association of Communications Directors (the EACD).
You can find out more about Philippe’s amasing work by visiting his very popular blog http://www.blacklineblog.com

The past week has been extremely interesting.

I just started doing my research for THE NEW MEDIA EVENT and it is amasing how many new media strategies are being implemented in the Middle East. Only few months ago, corporates were telling me that the region is definitely not ready for new media but now that I am doing a more in depth research I do understand that the region is not just more than ready but at the same time is setting some very important new media trends. Of course we will be covering all of these trends at our event and the more you tell us of your expectations the better the event will be.
While on the subject of the event I also must note that I started the invitation phase of my production process and I have invited probably some of the brightest minds in the new media industry. But, the most exciting of all, is that there is a 95% chance that we will be getting one of the hottest Hollywood directors right now to speak at the event. We are in heavy negotiations with him and hopefully in less than 10 days we will be able to officially announce that he will be delivering the keynote speech at THE NEW MEDIA EVENT on 14 December 2008.
In terms of corporations, I spoke with almost all of all the market leading corporations and I am happy to announce that I have invited most of them to present their case studies at the event. So, as soon as I receive official confirmations from them, you will be the first one to know.
Until then keep checking our blog and start posting comments. We want to hear from you!