Beirut's very first Social Media Awards

English

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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Organize Your Closet Early This Year

English

It has been a very difficult couple of days and I am certain nobody can take their minds off of Ashrafieh, Beirut and Lebanon. Being in Dubai, miles from it all, everything feels even more tragic. While thoughts and prayers go to the victims we lost, the ones fighting for their lives and their loved ones, one can only hope their Lebanese countrymen and women will be kind enough to provide any support and donation (including blood) they possibly can; wise enough not to fall in the trap of violence, civil war and more destruction; and brave enough to stand for what is right and fight that damn corrupt system and the politicians who represent it in order to finally reach a united secular nation that promises to protect all citizens equally.

Before that tragedy, I was working on a blog post. It is also about an important cause so I felt it was alright to bring it up now, in spite of all that has happened and the focus on Ashrafieh.

To learn more about Organize Your Closet Early This Year, I had a little chat with Yara El Moussaoui, Fundraising Officer at Skoun, Lebanese Addictions Center.

Tell us about Skoun. 

Skoun, Lebanese Addictions Center is a non-profit, non-governmental Lebanese organization created in 2001 and legally registered in 2003. Skoun helps people with addiction problems claim their lives. We provide a nonjudgmental, caring environment of client-centered treatment and counseling. We also deliver tools and information to reduce the harm caused by drug use and we advocate for drug policy change and increased public awareness regarding addiction. Skoun also educates young people and the community to prevent drug misuse and promote well being by delivering the facts about the dangers of drugs and developing educational programs which equip adolescents with the skills needed to lead healthy and productive lives. In 2010, Skoun began providing its services to its patients, free of charge considering the high demand for treatment in the underprivileged communities of Lebanon. In May of 2012, Skoun opened its second clinic in Chiah, facing your Chiah factory to help and support hard to reach populations, providing treatment and prevention services in the area and its surroundings.

Photo courtesy of Skoun and Yara El Moussaoui

What is Organize Your Closet Early This Year? 

Since Skoun is a non-governmental, non-profit organization, its income consists mainly of grants from local and international agencies, governmental funding from Lebanese Ministries, personal donors and fundraising events. As part of our continuous efforts to generate income for our NGO while helping the community, Skoun is starting a fundraising and socially engaging initiative, which is an annual Yard Sale. We are planning to have our first Yard Sale in 3/4 November 2012 in the Chiah/Ain Remaneh area where we have recently opened our second clinic. The yard sale will consist of donated items (second hand and new) by Skoun supporters that will be sold at very low prices in the purpose of generating income for Skoun and benefiting the community of this underprivileged area by providing them with high quality items at very affordable prices.  Items donated will vary between books, toys, household items, furniture, women/men/kids clothes, accessories, DVDs, CDs, artisanat, etc...

Photo courtesy of Skoun and Yara El Moussaoui

Is it a first-time event? 

This is the first year for this event and we hope it will be a success because all revenues go to the funding of our second clinic at Chiah and we aim at selling very good quality items at very symbolic prices. 

How can people help or volunteer? 

People can simply help by donating items and attending the bazar to buy. 

Any other useful information and contact info you would like to share? 

They can contact us at 01.202714 or 70.990405 for more information and ask for Yara El Moussaoui. 

So what are you waiting for? You know you are always postponing the dreadful moment when you will have no choice but to clean up that closet. This time, do not wait until the rack falls on your head while you are busy looking for that fabulous shirt you can no longer find somewhere in that unknown pile of laundry. And while you are at it, seize the momentum and take a look at your entire house. You will feel so much better afterwards. As for the Yard Sale, you know how we all love to shop, right? Right. Support a great cause and an outstanding organization and Organize Your Closet Early This Year.

A little touch of kindness in the midst of cruelty and violence is always heartwarming to all, especially to those who are willing to give.



Your Bookmarks

• Visit Skoun's Official Website
• Follow Skoun on Facebook and Twitter
• Share Organize Your Closet Early This Year on Facebook

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