You can read the full article here but my response is detailed below.

“Right, a few thoughts from my hotel room in Riyadh, since I have little else to do tonight:

1) ECOMMERCE
Ecommerce will never work in this region, and people’s fear of credit cards is the least of our worries. The main obstacles to growth are fulfillment and our shopping culture.

FULFILLMENT:
My agency has developed numerous ecommerce portals, but the biggest hurdle to sales has been the shipping infrastructure. Shipping to PO Boxes via normal postage is slow and unreliable, and shipping via traditional couriers (a la Aramex) is too expensive to be viable when ordering a pair of slippers, a t-shirt or a DVD box set.

SHOPPING CULTURE
The UAE has 10x the amount of mall space per resident as the USA - we like to go shopping, and get a Starbucks, and see a movie - we do not need to sacrifice that for the convenience of shopping online.

Ecommerce is alive and well in the ME, but it’s not with purchases in the ME. The only real volume of ecommerce transactions is purchasing intangible items (like plane and concert tickets), and shopping overseas for items that are unavailable here (books, DVD’s) or for cost savings (cameras, etc.) - the increible success of Aramex’s Shop&Ship service is testament to this.

ECOMMERCE IS NOT THE ONLY REASON TO GO ONLINE
I fundamentally disagree with Azhar’s opinion that ecommerce is the sole driver of justifying digital spend.

While we might not be able to directly link every banner ad to the sale of a chocolate bar or SUV, we can certainly do a lot more to measure, track and report these online campaigns than any Pan-Arab TV campaign can (and with far less wastage).

Oh, and while we’re on the subject of Pan-Arab TV, it’s important to note that a key market like Saudi Arabia now has 2 times as many homes with broadband internet access as Pay TV, but I highly doubt that many regional advertisers (especially FMCG) have woken up to this reality.

The onus is on us as an industry to educate and inform regional marketers of what the web can realy deliver. None of us plan to get rich on 3% commisions on a regional digital market of $30 million in media spend, but this number will grow exponentially with time. However, banner ads are not the answer to every problem, and the old business model of being “Mr. 3%” is under threat.

Social media, search-engine marketing and consumer engagement through communities and one-to-one communications are proving to be far more than just the Buzzwords for 2009, and we all need to accept this reality.

Regional advertisers (and their traditional agencies) are now being dragged kicking and screaming into the digital age, and those that are ready to embrace these new channels and recgonize that this is not Rocket Science, but a new and more effective way to engage their consumers will be the beneficiaries of change, and not its victims..”

“Intel didn’t buy into them because of their robust advertising model, they bought into them for their strong relationships,” he said. “It’s similar to Facebook. Facebook hasn’t found a way to monetise its website, but they have all these strong relationships.”

You can read the full article here.

 “I keep saying to people, there’s two reasons to go on the web: it’s where your customers are, and it’s where your competitors aren’t. If you’re part of a retail bank in the UAE, just look at what your competitors are doing – and it’s just awful. There’s a great opportunity to differentiate yourself – everybody has nice advertising, everybody has a nice logo now, but not everybody has a decent website. And why don’t you? It’s not hard to do, it doesn’t cost very much.”

“This is one of the reasons I’m trying to do these internet masterclasses. I’m trying to empower people within the business to understand that it’s not Star Wars. It’s communication and it’s marketing, and it doesn’t have to be scary or difficult to be able to do it.”

You can read the full article on AdNation here.

The deal is though, print is not dead. It is just changing from the model we know of deliveries and newsstands to a whole new format. Enter Amazon Kindle. I recently purchased one to see what the whole fuss was about, and also partly cause I hated to lug all those books my fiance wanted to read! So this one little device was going to save me a lot of sore muscles. Little did I realize how comfortable it was reading on this device. It didn’t feel like a screen like you see on the computers, there is no glare and no strain on the eyes. It felt very eerily comfortable, apart from the the split second flash between page turns, this felt like a book, more so with the lovely leather bound cover for authenticity. My only gripe with the device was a lack of a touch screen for a more realistic experience and a larger screen. Well all that is apparently changing…

This week a rumour making the rounds was that as early as this Wednesday Amazon might introduce a larger format Kindle tailored especially for the newspapers who are shutting down and need a new distribution model. If this is true, I think the days of print on paper will finally be over. A device that has the clarity of paper, and the search-ability of the internet, delivered wireless to your device when you are on the move so you can catch up with the world on your own time and pace.

Think of all the carbon that would be saved. You would not need to print the millions of copies of your paper. The carbon offset from not having trucks criss-crossing the country delivering the paper. The paper boy who never gets it delivered on time or the neighbors dog devouring your copy! For the papers they get a efficient distribution model that gets dispatched on time, and when they have a breaking news story they don’t have to worry about it getting old before the next day by dispatching another set as it happens.

And in time the technology will only get better with support for colour ink and even the ability to roll the device up like a paper. Its already happening, just a matter of time when it gets affordable.

So print is not really dying, its just getting started!

In simple words, Yamli enables users to type Arabic without an Arabic keyboard from within their web browser. In a more sophisticated explanation, Yamli enable users to use a real-time transliteration engine which converts words typed with Latin characters to their closest Arabic equivalent; this allows them to keep using their Latin keyboard.  Therefore, Yamli is smart, simple, and easy; the question here is: WILL WE EMBRACE THIS TECHNOLOGY?

If you are an Arab and an early adopter to technology, you will not have any more problems reaching Arabic content even if you don’t have a keyboard, cannot type Arabic fast, or lack the confident finding what you want. Today, if you are still not confident with search results; Yamli has another complimentary service; DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS IT?

Yamli Arabic Search - a search engine focused on providing more relevant search results for an Arabic query by expanding it to its most frequently used Latin representations; searching WWW and Wikipedia is powered by Google Search, Images powered by Live Search, Videos powered by your big fan YouTube. What’s good about Yamli is that you find it accessible on popular reliable platforms you are used to and also in the middle of the crowding social networking sites in order to bring it in easier and very helpful way.  I have tried these gadgets for Yamli:

iGoogle: it integrates the functionality to convert words from Latin characters to Arabic to launch Arabic searches on Google or to write words and paragraphs that can then be copied and used elsewhere. Now, if you wish to add the Yamli gadget to your iGoogle homepage, you can use the following link: Add Yamli iGoogle Gadget.

Yamli for Facebook:  Maybe it’s not complete Arabization as you may think from their slogan “Arabize Your Facebok”; but it easily allows you to update your status in Arabic and send private messages in Arabic as well.  To authorize this application, you can visit Yamli Facebook page

Yamli can be available for your website or blog; it allows you to add this privilege to your website search field and comments so you can get a more visitors search and engagement. If you have a website built with us, you can check your respective account manager on how to take it further. If you are a blogger, it’s a matter of copy and paste in the source code. And if you are a web developer, here is the juicy news: Yamli API. This feature  gives you the chance to develop many plug-ins for WordPress, Blogger, Joomla,  Firefox, etc… This would be a great idea to develop something different and value-worthy for Arabic Web.  Even if I just stumbled upon AR Twitter [an application just newly realized to allow twittering in Arabic], isn’t that fun and promising to have a better Arabic Web.

Well, in my review I was very positive about Yamli services in an encouragement for an Arab internet startup because I believe its advantages exceed the disqualifications of such tool to survive. And you know what? Things are getting spicier with the competition offering nearly same Arabic transliteration but at various levels: check Google Ta3reeb, eiktub.com, and onkosh.com. I encourage you to Yamlify yourself for a noble purpose - shoring up Arabic content on the web by using technologies that enhance and preserve your language, culture, tradition, and opinion.

Yalla, start now and visit www.yamli.com

The name Mixtura is a combination of “Mix” and the Portuguese word “Mistura,” which also means mixed. Paz & Smokingroove are making headway in the industry for their themed releases which include infused styles like 40’s Swing and Latino/Brazilian sounds.

Having already released two Eps which are Ethnic/Brazilian oriented, these two music makers are teaming up with other artists including Flip’s own Mazen Abou Hatab (aka Meezus).

The future is looking bright for these guys as they aim to create music, sell online and get into new and interesting markets like video games and television scores.

“Our music is not for the masses. Although we are very open to all types of music, we are aware that Dubai is about pop culture. But there happens to be a lot of people here who dont agree with this. We want to fill that gap in ways that compliment our own tastes and experiences.” says Paz.

“There are places opening up in Dubai that are thinking beyond just fancy display and expensive budgets. This kind of thing is dying with the credit crunch. Places are focusing on good music and format. we can no longer treat music as pure vanity and wastah. Our music reflects this attitude.”

Mixtura’s Smokingroove, supported by Paz, is a resident at Hive, a stylish new lounge in Downtown Burj Dubai’s Souk Al Bahar.

“You’ll find us playing our own wares and similar styles at places which appreciate that music is about mood and format. Places like Hive and Alphaclub aren’t just another spot to listen to top 10 hits which are found on your car’s radio.”

Niche thinking is the way to survive in the present economy and identifying where specific markets exist will ensure longevity. Flip Media is proud to know that it’s philosophy of digital efficiency is not just a job for our Flipper Paul “Paz” Zwarts , but has transcended into a way of life.

Visit www.mixturarecords.com to listen and purchase digitally released music.

Finding out where to get the right instruments,  how to maintain them, or where to  buy used gear and equipment can be a challenge. Often the only option is using the regular classified ads which are not specialized and put anything music related under miscellaneous. Plus classifieds don’t always help with everything. What if you would like to form a band, or are available to perform live somewhere, want to shop your music around to a label or simply record music in a studio?

Of course the answer would be to meet other musicians who can guide you. But breaking into those circles isn’t always easy.  Musicians have their favorite gathering places. They are everywhere, but they don’t exactly wear t-shirts that say “I am a musician.”  (If you’re lucky like myself, you might have colleagues who are big into music).

I first had the idea  to help making musicians’ lives easier  in 2006 by launching a community site providing all the tools necessary to bring people together. However  between my day job and given the limited  financials to hire professionals,  it got pushed to the backburner.

That all changed recently when my friend PAZ, who launched Mixtura Records, offered free hosting and support to make this vision become a reality. With this,  I had no more excuses!

It might not be the best looking site around (especially with pioneering community site breakthroughs in our lives like facebook and linkedin ). However it is packed with useful features. I built it in 2 weeks using Joomla!  (which is an experience that requires a separate blog post all together!)

DubaiMusicians.com offers you:

1. A public listing of your profile as a musician. Plus you have the ability to showcase your original music on the site. Cool tools to support the community are available such as ajax one to one chat with other registered users, status feeds, and internal messaging system.

2. The ability to create groups based on  common interests such as being fans of a specific music genre. Each group gets its own bulletin and messaging system so they can share conversation immediately.

3. A specialized directory listing music instrument stores, record   labels, recording studios, audio equipment and music academies. The directory is powered with advanced search which allows you to filter by area or brand or category. The directory also allows registered users to rate and review stores and share their experiences so you stay informed.

4. An events calendar which lists all major musical events happening in Dubai and other emirates.

5. A classified section which helps you for members to solicit new band members or form them, sell or buy gear, offer teaching services or announce events. Open for public to view, browse, and search

I tried to think of everything to help musicians overcome all the challenges. I am always open for suggestions and enhancements, and especially bug reports since the site is still in beta stage. I have an  FAQ section as well which will hopefully answer any questions you might have.

If you are a musician or just a fan of music, please register and become a part of the community. Most importantly, please spread the word. The more people we have, the better it will work!

http://www.dubaimusicians.com/

Cheers.

Yousef kicked off the session with a short introduction to Flip and set the tone for the morning in energetic style. We then enjoyed a presentation by our Korean visitors, on the potential of the convergence of technologies, drawing on the example of Gifticon in Korea.  While the idea of coupons which can be sent and accessed via a Web browser or Web services on a mobile is a really attractive one and a very interesting business idea to learn about, we also heard from Yousef about the current limitations which would make such a business difficult to launch in the UAE at present.

Shakir from NeoDigital then gave a presentation of the Online media landscape in the Middle East, and the work of NeoDigital in particular. The difference between the Korean and the local online markets raised a lot of interesting questions!

Our own Sunny from the Emirates team presented, in Korean, on his experiences of working abroad and how to get involved in international work experiences, which really spoke to the visiting audience and certainly gave rise to many queries and many laughs…

Humza rounded off proceedings with his guide to starting your career and the top 10 questions to ask yourself when considering job opportunities, as well as his experience as a designer at Flip. A little trip down memory lane for him and an enlightening discussion for many.

Given the success of SNU’s visit to Flip, here’s hoping it was only the first of many such exchanges with potential future Flippers!

In the case of our clients Ecobility, this was really easy. They are helping turn the UAE green through the introduction of energy-efficient lightbulbs. The facts speak for themselves:

• Energy Efficient Bulbs consume less than a quarter of the power (22% to be exact) compared to regular incandescent bulbs to give out the same amount of light
• They also last 10 times longer and give off 70% less heat on average
• Each Energy Efficient Bulb prevents 280kg of carbon emissions over its lifetime

We’ve installed over 100 bulbs in our office, and we hope that we can set a good example for other companies in the UAE who would like to do their part. Click here to learn more about how to Make The Switch.

Now, the question is, how long before Nilesh can transfer his design skills to the little one?