My Second on the First

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My Second blog post on The First Social Media Awards in Lebanon, that is.
(Very funny, I know)

I am actually loving the SMA because they are introducing me to a lot of what has been happening online, some interesting, some important (like the NGOs featured in two categories this year) and some really, really fun and many I had no idea were out there. Being a full-time mom-of-two, blablablah, blablablah, I do not get the chance to see everything and this is like a nice recap of the year.

Like the category I will speak of now: Most Engaging YouTube Video.

Some of the videos, I was familiar with, like:

BEIRUT DUTY FREE FLASH MOB: This may be the most popular Lebanese Flash Mob on the web. I think virtually everyone has seen it. I think even my 90 year old grand-mother has seen it (note to self: show the video to téta next time I visit, just in case).

MASHKAL AT KHOURY HOME: I just love that the minute I type "mashkal at", YouTube immediately gives me search suggestions like "mashkal at khoury home" and "mashkal at khoury". This just goes to show how popular this video is.

AMAL AL DAHOUK AT TEDxBEIRUT: This one, I had watched live from Dubai, during the online live stream on the TEDx site. I am a little disappointed I can only vote for one nominee in the NGO categories because TEDxBeirut totally deserved a vote as their work was impressive and outstanding.

THE STORY OF SOUAD: This one was brought to my attention following the tragic passing of Ali Abdallah who ironically enough became "visible" nation-wide for all the wrong reasons. As the Find Ali Abdallah campaign states so clearly: everyone should be visible, anywhere, anytime, just for being there. It should not be that hard. After all, everyone is indeed there. 

And as ashamed as I am to admit this painful truth, I had never seen the other videos nominated for Most Engaging YouTube Video... So here they are for your eyes only (if like me, you were hiding under a rock for the past year):

PROPOSAL FLASH MOB: It is an entertaining (but a little too long) video of a real surprise proposal at Beirut Souks and it made me smile, laugh at moments and most definitely sing!

PEPSI LEBANON SURPRISING ELIO: This one brought a whole lot of memories! I had no idea Pepsi still did the whole plastic cap giveaway thing! I can remember a time not so long ago (and by not so long ago I mean at least two decades - yikes!) when my sister, my brother and I would carefully collect these caps in hopes of winning, I cannot remember what but I know it was so very precious, it might have been a unicorn. All we did win every once in a while was a bottle of Pepsi but boy did it feel (taste?) like a freaking unicorn! There is nothing like winning ;)

OVERLY ATTACHED LEBANESE GIRLFRIEND: There should be a warning attached to this one! That poor girl can not sing! But she is so darn cute and funny, I just love her! I swear I was laughing the whole time I was watching! I know I am only using exclamation marks with this one, but it is because her whole performance felt (sounded) like an exclamation mark! So, so, so funny! And they do get an extra point for creativity on writing these lyrics. And she gets another point for singing the whole thing while acting nutty and remembering all her lines, all in one unedited single shot (anyone who works in media production will tell you, this is not easy). Oops, sorry, forgot the exclamation marks this time so here are three to make  up for my Alzheimer's!!!

Now I need to clarify something: as I type these words, I have not yet voted and I think I will use this post to analyze my possibilities and make an informed click.

I think it will be easier to filter the videos by categories. First the PR and TV Commercials "stunts":

Khoury Home, Beirut Duty Free and Pepsi were all interesting productions. But to a (super-modest) media person such as myself, this is exactly what they are: a production. All were good concepts and we know that for certain because none were innovations and all have been tried before, more than once. Unfortunately, they all were too obviously TV-Commercials-looking.

Khoury Home edited cameras from various angles into one film. That could have worked if they had bothered changing the time code every time they switched cameras/angles (or at least make the time code jump with each camera cut). Instead, they edited all the footage from all cameras and then (lazily) applied one single "security camera" effect on the whole thing. They also could have played with the audio a little to make it more realistic (this one was too clean).

To be honest, Pepsi in my opinion, tried too hard. They got this message on Facebook which was not that special by itself and they tried to spin it into one huge social action. Which it was not. I just did not buy the whole thing and again, it is only my humble opinion, but I think they could have used the budget to do an actual social good deed. (Do not get me wrong, I am happy for this kid but I am talking about the video and Pepsi's intention as a separate concept, completely unrelated to Elio himself who deserves all the best of course).     

Beirut Duty Free Flash Mob has got to be my favorite among the three because it is simply beautiful. It works perfectly with the brand and even uplifts it. I think even real unsuspecting travelers engaged in the dance (if they all are in on this, then they get extra points for really playing it well).

Now I am not saying Social Media is no arena for brands to advertise themselves, far from it. It may actually be the most important platform for corporations to get visibility and gain credibility nowadays. However, and I admit that is completely arbitrary and subjective, I would like to use my vote to place the spotlight on nominees that do not have big budgets or the means to be in the media all the time. So that is why I will stay away from the videos I feel are more like TV Commercials.

Which brings me to the second category: individual initiatives such as the Proposal and Overly Attached Girlfriend.

These are the reason why YouTube was invented. They may very well be the "You" in "YouTube". They made a video and they posted it online in hopes of going viral.

The Proposal could fall in the previous category because it was produced by a production house (unrelated to Beirut Souks as they thank the venue in the end credits) with the intention of promoting themselves obviously, but because they position themselves as "enthusiastic university graduates, (who) aim to assist NGOs with the delivery of their message in a new and creative way, by the mean of audio-visual tools." (Source: Facebook) I choose to not place them in the same basket as powerful, budget-ful (whatever, it is 2:50 am and I invent words now) companies. They are film people and it appears the crew behind Overly Attached Girlfriend is too. Clearly, they enjoy writing, performing and producing their own productions. In that concept, that means "Film People" to (humble) me who are what makes YouTube what it is.

These two videos were fun enough to be shortlisted in this category and they do fall in the whole "Social Media" spirit but while they are entertaining and catchy, I personally feel they lack that extra something that makes the viewer want to get involved.

And although "engaging" does not necessarily mean for the viewers to actually "engage" into some sort of action, I feel that with the last two videos present in this category, that special quality cannot be overlooked. Both Amal Al Dahouk and Souad's story ask us to get involved and do something.

Really, at this point, it has become very personal and subject to my own personal discretion.

Well, let us be fair, all of the above was too, but I reserve this right, this being my blog and all ;) Just kidding, I honestly tried to think out-loud with you and be as objective as possible in my assessment.

The cause Find Ali Abdallah are championing is truly important and I did support their campaign on Facebook (which felt right) but I am not completely and undoubtedly certain this is the correct approach to tackle such a massive and sensitive subject. The intentions were truly commendable and the efforts as well, but I think they were brought from immediate raw emotions of pain following Ali's terrible tragedy and understandably. But I personally feel we are walking on dangerous grounds here as this involves people (and sometimes organized people) who we do not necessarily understand or know how to deal with. Pinpointing on the internet the location of children or even adults in need can engender grave consequences including and not limited to sexual assault or organ theft. While the aim is to save lives, if done without a proper safety system, it could actually have the opposite effect. Not to mention some of these people, while most definitely in need, are voluntarily or involuntarily attached to "bosses" who place them on certain streets as means for profits. This by itself is dangerous to some unknown extents. In any case, this is not the place nor the time to assess Find Ali Abdallah and again, I just would like to reiterate, I do believe their intentions are beautiful and I agree with them on the urgency and importance of this issue and I do not like to bash without proposing solutions and admire those who "do" rather than just preach (as I am doing right now) but I myself am not qualified to know how to go about this. So I am simply expressing fears which are probably part of the reason why I cannot vote for this video at this point in time (unless I am more informed and can understand how Find Ali Abdallah operates, so feel free to fill me in on this if you have any information please).

Which brings me to Amal Al Dahouk. A video I admit enjoyed and appreciated from the first viewing, back when it was streamed live at TEDxBeirut. I honestly believe it carries all the qualities to be a nominee and even a winner in this category. Firstly, it introduces a young talent who is eager to make a change and impact her environment positively. We always need young people like that. She is an independent, apolitical person (or at least, as far as this video shows) which is also so important to me. She is smart, funny and she proposes a plan for us all to take action. If that is not engaging, I do not know what is. And considering this talk is relevant to our behavior with regards to Media in general and Social Media in particular, I find it highly appropriate right now!

Well, I guess I know who is getting my vote then.
Thank you for the help ;)

Now it is your turn: who will you support?

Bookmarks

• The Social Media Awards official website
• Like The Social Media Awards on Facebook
• Follow The Social Media Awards on Twitter
• Join The Social Media Awards on LinkedIn

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Beirut's very first Social Media Awards

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The beautiful nerds of Lebanon have done it again! After the greatest GeekFest Beirut's ever witnessed (Ok, fine, it was the only one I attended, but still it was pretty awesome) some of the most creative and witty young talents of our webnation have gathered to bring us yet another outstanding event: The Social Media Awards.

We, the online community, proposed nominees in specific categories which were then shortlisted and you can now review them all on the SMA website to vote for your favorites. Now beware, you can only vote once in each category so choose wisely.

Here are some rules that you should take into consideration: 

1. Voting will start on April 1, 2013 and end on April 25, 2013.

2. Your votes will represent 50% of the final results, while the judges re-voting will represent the other 50%.

3. You can log-in only through Facebook and Twitter to submit votes.

4. You can only vote once for each category.

5. You cannot change your votes once you submit them so be careful when you are voting.

6. To navigate to other categories, use the progress bar (white dots) at the bottom of the page.

7. If you vote for all 32 categories, you will have a chance to win 2 tickets to the final award ceremony at Phoenicia Hotel on April 29. Once you vote for all categories, you will be prompted to enter your email address for the draw.

8. You can only vote from a personal account. Votes from accounts that do not represent a person (on Facebook or Twitter) will not be counted.

9. Votes from duplicate accounts (Facebook and Twitter of the same person) will not be counted.

10. Votes from fake accounts and accounts newer than March 30, 2013 will not be counted.

11. The Social Media Awards is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and accounts and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sect, location, age, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, disability, employment, or any other form of segregation.

12. The Social Media Awards reserves the right to disqualify nominees or users in the case of cheating, dishonest behavior, copyright infringement, trademark violations, promotion of illegal activities, abusive behavior, or promoting explicit content (such as pornography, drugs, or violence).

13. If any of the finalists is found to be cheating or spamming, that finalist will be disqualified from the competition without warning and all detect cheating voters will not be counted.

Source: The Social Media Awards

So who are your judges?

Nemr Abou Nassar (Stand up comedian)

Fida Chaaban Chaaban (Editor in chief of RAGMAG magazine)

Omar Christidis Christidis (Founder and CEO of ArabNet)

Tom Fletcher ( Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Lebanese Republic)

Mohammad Hijazi (Online Collaborative)

Ziad Kamel (Founder/CEO of The Alleyway Group)

Leila Khauli Hanna (Professor at the American University of Beirut)

Octavia Nasr (Journalist)

Shada Omar (Journalist)

Darine Sabbagh (Online Collaborative)

Nicholas Sehnaoui (Minister of Telecommunications in Lebanon)

Maya Zankoul (Author and visual artist)

Source: The Social Media Awards

Many of the nominees in my humble opinion, deserve the recognition and I am proud to see Lebanon giving Social Media the attention it deserves. So much work is being done by our online Lebanese community and most of the times, without any media coverage or visibility.

That is why this first edition of The Social Media Awards is so important. It is the beginning of, I hope, a long lasting tradition that will not only allow important members of the online community and their work to gain recognition with the wider public but it will also encourage current and new Social Media actors to come to light and know their efforts are actually appreciated.

This year, it appears some people were bashing (as haters always do) and to be honest, I too was hoping to see other candidates make the list of nominees and as much as I do not have to be in agreement with all the choices that were shortlisted (in my humble opinion, again) one thing is for certain, this is a first step. An excellent one even. And I am confident each SMA edition will be a learning experience to the online community as much as to the organizers, and will raise the bar for the Awards to come. So let us start, shall we? And by doing so, let us get involved and make sure upcoming events will continue to develop and grow.

I am still in the process of casting my votes. It turns out it requires more attention that I expected and since with (clicking)power comes great responsibility, I would like to make sure my voice truly represents me.

So far, I have focused on the categories close to my heart: NGOs.

Two of my favorites are actually competing and not only do I admire the work that these organizations have been doing, I have nothing but absolute respect for the ladies behind them. I am in awe of what they have already achieved and I can only see greater accomplishments in their future.

Source

The first one is One Wig Stand. They need no introduction if you follow this blog: Bras For A Cause Middle East and Make The Cut: Hair Donation Campaign are two of the many initiatives this NGO has successfully managed to run both locally and on the regional scene offering women battling cancer with support, hope and most importantly empowering them to go beyond taboos and to shine as human beings, fighters and women. Inner beauty and inner strength will grow even stronger when you allow them to glow on the outside as well, and this is what these initiatives are about. Be as fabulous as your spirit, ladies!

My second vote went to The Nawaya Network, a well-deserving organization that has been tirelessly touring the globe to gain means (financial or otherwise) in order to empower our underprivileged youth by granting them access to resources they could not have dreamed of acquiring on their own thus helping them turn their talents and hopes into realities and consequently become assets to our nation. This is the kind of education we need for our children: non-politicized, unbiased, secular support for a united young Lebanon built by intelligent, successful young talents.

Source

It is just my own personal view but I believe many other organizations I love could have been shortlisted too and benefited from the media exposure, such as SANAD, Cupcake Box, Lebanese Laïque Pride, Ibtissama, Skoun, Nasawiya, and the brilliant Take Back Parliament campaign.

But I guess at the end of the day, it is not realistic nor reasonable to shortlist everyone at this stage of the competition, and ultimately, only one will win anyway although I honestly believe all the current nominees deserving of an award. Yet this is not L'École Des Fans, and as much as I would love to hear 'tout le monde a gagné' (everyone is a winner) we all know this is not possible.

Hey, a modest mention on this even modester blog cannot hurt, right?
So there, it is done ;)

Now it is your turn to give your favorite nominees a voice or rather a click... So who will you support?


Bookmarks

• The Social Media Awards official website
• Like The Social Media Awards on Facebook
• Follow The Social Media Awards on Twitter
• Join The Social Media Awards on LinkedIn

 

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Geeks take over the it-est street in Beirut!

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Yes, I know, I'm a little late to follow up on my first GeekFest post as I had initially intended and promised. But in my defense, my life has been hijacked by the cutest yet loudest and a little-lot demanding terrorists. They may be tiny, squeezably adorable and a blessing; and as much as I adore them, I need to say it loudly: I am allowed a quarter of a personal life now. The rest is theirs. And gladly so. It is my choice and I love it and I am thankful for it. But that also means I am left with only that quarter of a life to pile up whatever it is I need to for myself like, I don't know, eat, sleep and sometimes (thank God) shower. But I digress. If you're interested in more mommy-madness, this is the place to go. Because until further notice, this space here is going Geeky, and Geeky only, all the way! 


Ok, let's Nerd it up, people!


It is no surprise Rue Gouraud in Gemmayze is where Online Collaborative decided to celebrate this year's theme for their annual GeekFest in Beirut: Music and Fashion. According to Wikipedia, Rue Gouraud is the street to hit if you are a fashionista or an art and music lover. And our cool nerdy crowd felt right at home, hanging at The Alleyway to celebrate Geek, Fashion and Music.

Image by GeekFest Beirut

The program looked quite interesting:

• Maya Metni | Le Geek, C’est Chic! How to dress like a Geek? A practical guide @mayametni

Maya Metni kicked off the night with a fun and informative presentation on how geeks turned from geeky-losers to popular idols. And because Maya is an image consultant, she also revealed a few interesting fashion tips on how to master the ultimate Geek-Chic look. 

Photo Credit: R. Abouzeid

• Toni Yammine | Crowdsourcing Music Videos – Meen the Band | Toni is a Lebanese musician/director @toniyammine

Now that presentation, I was actually looking forward to because I had followed that crowdsourcing video project by Meen and I found it really interesting at the time. Toni Yammine revealed how fans of the band grabbed the opportunity to get involved in Meen's creative work by showcasing their personal talents and producing low/no-budget videos for their favorite songs. That was actually a brilliant idea because who would be better than hardcore fans to come up with authentic music videos produced with heart and passion? Everything was structured within a competition frame which gave an additional incentive and entertaining side to the whole project. That is also probably why so many others, fans of the band or not, took the time to watch those video entries. Crowdsourcing is gaining popularity in the Arab world and it's always intriguing to see how professionals will use this technique and how their audiences will respond. This one I believe, was quite successful in achieving the goals at stake (despite the expected negative critiques of some). 

Photo Credit: R. Abouzeid

• Hind Hobeika | Smart/tech clothing and where that’s all heading? | Hind is an engineer, swimmer and a self-tracking geek @hindhobeika

When they first introduced Hind, I could not help but be intrigued by her presence and the product she came to present. A swimmer and numbers addict, she developed her very own swimming self-tracking device which is pretty awesome to say the least and super impressive! Especially for someone her age. Then again, when it comes to geeks, you can always expect the most creative ones to impress you at an early age. 

Photo Credit: R. Abouzeid

Five Rules to Become a Major Self Tracking Geek! from HindHobeika

• Beshr Kayyali | Making Arabic Indie Music Popular Sawt.io @beshr  @sawt_music

I already knew about Sawt.com and I was actually excited to see their new interface. This is such a smart site and Beshr gave an interesting insight on the positive outcomes and potential it brings to the music industry in the Arab world. When the mainstream artists look like they are all coming out from the same "kheshik beshik" factory and as it clearly appears the only way to make it is to become a clone of those existing performers, it is always a breath of fresh air to get to know people who are actually working on bringing a different breed of talent into the light.

Photo Credit: R. Abouzeid

• Bassam Jalgha | Live Demo How to Build an Audio Synthesizer in 10 minutes Using Open Source Information @BassamJalgha 

Now this guy brought it! His presentation was by far the geekiest and although I did not understand one word of his Do It Yourself demo (yes, I know, I have a long way to go) the result of what he literally built in front of our eyes was outstanding! He actually made sounds, turned them into some sort of musical composition, using no instrument but his nerdy equipment and hands! Geek power at its best!

Photo Credit: R. Abouzeid

• Elie Habib | Tools that allow developers to build Social features on top of Music | Elie is the co-founder of Anghami @anghami @elie_h

Another interesting Geek-up for the music industry: Elie presented Anghami and how it proposes to revolutionize the way we listen to music by making it possible to have access to top sounds, legally, on the move. Basically, with Anghami, it will be possible to listen to the latest music, with excellent sound quality, on our mobile phones, wherever we go. The real added value is that it does not require an internet connection to work. 

Photo Credit: R. Abouzeid

• Loryne Atoui | Fashion for a cause @LoryneAtoui @BrasforaCauseME 

This is probably the reason why I made the effort to find a way to leave the kids at home and make it to GeekFest! I knew Loryne but I did not really know Loryne. We had met online and although we regularly communicate since Bras For A Cause Middle East, we have never had the chance to actually meet in person. Finally, I can proudly say: we now know each other! I will not go into the details of Loryne's presentation as she covered Bras For A Cause Middle East which you can read all about in my coverage of the event. I was also very happy to find a stand where I could buy another special edition t-shirt by the super talented Rana Al-Basri Mouawad.

Photo Credit: R. Abouzeid

The presentations were followed by the now famous Fashion Show which featured:

• REAL PEOPLE and GEEKS AS MODELS 
• Fashion for fundraising – Bras for a Cause by One Wig Stand 
• Up and Coming Lebanese and Middle Eastern Geeky/Urban fashion Designers stages by Fishy Nation
• An Online Collaborative line designed by our own Joseph Maalouf
• Geeky Tshirts by Maya Zankoul
• Looks from top Lebanese Fashion Bloggers 
• Geeky Tshirts by NOBRAND
• DJing the show is DJ Beats

Source

I am sure the third part of the evening dedicated to Music was equally fun but unfortunately, I could not stay long enough to enjoy it as I had to return to my tyrant baby-bosses ;) So I will keep this focused on what I personally saw and I hope I could convey a little of the impressive discoveries I made that night.

Looking forward to the sixth edition of GeekFest! ;)

Bookmarks:

• GeekFest Beirut 5.0 Post 1
• GeekFest Beirut 5.0 Post 2

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Hot Beirut; in so many ways

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This, here, is the first of a series of posts on GeekFest Beirut 5.0: I had a good time, there are many things I would love to share with you guys, but I do not want this one blog post to turn into a phonebook-size novel. So I will introduce my two-cents on the event in several reviews hoping it will make it easier on your eye. I know you appreciate the thought (which was actually a request/order from my sister. ahem).

Yesterday I attended my very first GeekFest.

The hot temperature and extreme humidity did not deter me. I bravely dumped my kids on my mom (Parenting 101) and ran as fast as I could (Mommy Survival Manual Lesson 149) towards Gemmayze, before grand-ma started pulling her hair and pulling me back home in the process.

I am not what you would call a geek although I do spend a lot of time using technology (does that count? I mean babies are born with that skill now, so that cannot be the only criteria) but I have a few friends in the Geek community and I was looking forward to seeing them in the flesh. Facebook and Twitter are fun enough but it is always reassuring to know your tweeps are not some computer-generated modern Imaginary Friends.

So we all gathered in The Alleyway in Gemmayze, on the über-popular Gouraud Street (I still cannot believe it has a page on Wikipedia) with our unintentionally sophisticated frizzed up hair flowing in Beirut's tragic wet breeze. The summer has started and over here, it equals excessively high temperatures and toxic humidity. Granted, we all looked like we had just been groomed by Cyndi Lauper's stylist but it was a happy crowd nonetheless that mingled and snapped photos and twitted and facebooked and... Danced. Apparently, geeks dance too.

Do not get me wrong, I love my geeks. I grew up with one and I am married to one. Not the same one (for those of you out there, keen on getting into specifics). But honestly, I was surprised by the look of this event and the attitude of everyone there: geeks are actually pretty cool! They are not your usual nerdy stereotyped losers Hollywood loves to mock so much.

Geek is truly the new cool (thank you Steve Jobs, I guess).

As GeekFest would say: "Le Geek C'est Chic"

And because I do not just babble, I present you the indisputable evidence that geeks do rock indeed, on video!

And this is when I realized one of my favorite online people is also the bravest geek ever. Lynn, you rocked that red carpet!

It was also a pleasure finally meeting face to face one of the most active young women on the blogosphere and the founder of One Wig Stand, the stunning Loryne who gave a presentation on Bras For A Cause and brought t-shirts and bras with her so we could grab one of the last limited edition pieces that are now off the market.

But I will leave my "talk on the talks" for another post.

Right now I will just leave you free to loop that video over and over again, because geeks are as addictive as the internet and it is so much fun to watch them nerd that red carpet! Yes, I did just use the word "nerd" as a verb and synonym of "rock". After what I experienced last night, I believe it is well-deserved.

Oh, and no internet all over Lebanon on GeekFest day. A coincidence? I think not.

To the conspirators who tried to ruin GeekFest by annihilating the internet yesterday, just know that you may "break" the connection but you cannot break a geek's spirit! Your evil plan will not ever discourage them. If anything, you only gave them more reason to come up with new ways to drive you crazy! And to those of you out there who think I am just another conspiracy theory freak, I have one word for you: "hack". If you remember, many Lebanese government sites were recently hacked by Anonymous Lebanon... Aha! Busted! ;)

Bookmarks:

• GeekFest Beirut 5.0 Post 1
• GeekFest Beirut 5.0 Post 2

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