Cloud961- The Psychology Issue by Cloud961 Magazine

THE PSYCHOLOGY ISSUE

Oct - Nov 2014

www.cloud961.com

cloud961mag

Location services are changing your behavior

@cloud961mag

Cloud961mag

How social media changed the way of having relationships and sustaining them

THE INTERNET: A MERE DISTRACTION OR SIMPLY A MIND SHAPER?

MENTAL DISORDERS OF THE CYBER AGE

The psychology of selfies

How Social Media is making us anti-social and narcisstic

An interview with Psychologist Lea Hannouch

2 CLOUD961

TEAM

EDITORIAL

MANAGEMENT

EDITOR IN CHIEF Mohammad Hijazi mhijazi@cloud961.com

PUBLISHER Cornerstone Public Relations SAL

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Selim Njeim selim@cloud961.com

info@cpr-lb.com

CHAIRMAN Bassam Karam bassam@cloud961.com

NEWS EDITOR Joelle Hajji joelle@cloud961.com

STAFF WRITERS Darine Sabbagh darine@cloud961.com

Lynn Bizri lynn@cloud961.com

Paul Gadallah

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Karim Naoum karim@cornerstoneholding.com

MANAGING DIRECTOR Hagop Manisajian hagop@cloud961.com

paul@cloud961.com

MARKETING & PR Michelle Nabhane

CONTRIBUTORS Aline Chirinian Armen Bakkalian Ayman Jalloul Dalia Ramadan Dr. Cloud Elsa Abi Khalil Hind Kammourieh Joseph Maalouf Fred Bteich Lara Al Sous Layal Jebran Leen Tabbara Manal Mohsen Maurice Rustom Mhamad Dankar Mohamad Faez Tarabichi Nadim Frenn Nour Rifai Nuhad Hamdan Raja Riachi Rabih El Khodr Sarah Sabbagh Tarek Bekdache Trending Bytes Wael Kouz Yara Abboud Yara Nahle

michelle@cloud961.com

SALES EXECUTIVES Hala Jack hala@cloud961.com

Sara Charbel sara@cloud961.com

HOW TO CONTACT US

Cornerstone Holding Building 2nd Floor, Main Street, Beit Mery T +961 4 401 870 F +961 4 531 499 M +961 71 008 645 www.cloud961.com cloud961mag MANAGEMENT info@cloud961.com EDITORIAL editor@cloud961.com ADVERTISING & PR sales@cloud961.com SUBSCRIPTIONS subscribe@cloud961.com

OUTREACH MANAGER Victoria Ghanem outreach@cloud961.com

COMMUNITY EVENTS MANAGER CPR Group

YOU CAN FIND US FOR FREE EXCLUSIVELY AT

events@cpr-lb.com

BRANDING & LAYOUT Behold The Agency info@beholdin.com

Rami El Khoury rami@beholdin.com

Reine Naoum reine@beholdin.com

FINANCIAL & LEGAL ADMINISTRATION Cornerstone Holding SAL CONSULTING PARTNER Online Collaborative ngo@onlinecollaborative.org

PRINTING Byblos Printing

All rights reserved ÂŠ 2014. Opinions expressed are solely those of the writers or contributors and do not express the view of the magazine as an entity. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Images used are credited when necessary. Some photos used are licensed under a Creative Commons Commercial License and are attributed. 3 CLOUD961

FROM THE EDITOR

Has Technology Altered Human Psychology and Behavior? MOHAMMAD HIJAZI Editor in Chief @mhijazi mhijazi@cloud961.com

t has become undoubtful that technology is changing our lives drastically, mostly to the better. This change, however, did not only affect us physically, but also psychologically and behaviorally. Social media in particular has changed the way we view and manage communication and interpersonal relationships.

The virtual is slowly but surely becoming the reality. Social media has certainly given us better and more efficient communication tools, but has also altered our personalities. In our cover feature for this issue, psychologist Lea Hannouch discusses how the Internet makes users more confident and efficient with their virtual lives, but also more aggressive and impulsive. The quick pace of tech has also caused a psychological shock that has led to several disorders such as the Phantom Ringing Syndrome, Nomophobia, Cybersickness, The Google Effect, Cyberchondria, Sleep Texting, among others. Additionally, our health has taken a hit due to the increased stress and fear levels, addiction to screens, attention deficit, and even depression. And as if that was not enough, our concept of relationships has been altered, too. Becoming “friends” with hundreds or thousands of people is now as simple as hitting a button. Just managing these relationships can be a nightmare. Relationships have become globalized, and catching up with what

4 CLOUD961

your friends and acquaintances are up to can take up all your time. Even romance and sex are now regarded differently. Through “sexting” and video-chatting, long-distance relationships are easier than ever. More and more, social media has also changed the way we go out, with the constant urge to check-into places in location-based apps to show our friends where we are or brag about where we hang out. The need to Instagram our meals to express how “cool” and healthy we are while having a “Quinoa tabbouleh” seems to have become a vital activity. Times have certainly changed. This issue is dedicated to the impact of this change on our mental and psychological wellbeing, in an attempt to spread awareness about the sometimes unnoticeable transformations that we are undergoing as individuals and as a society due to the rapid technological advancements.

5 CLOUD961

CONTENTS

#OP-EDS

Conflict on Social Media: Comparing SM coverage of the latest and prior Gaza conflicts P.12

How Social Media Changed the Way of Having Relationships and Sustaining Them P.41 The Psychology of Selfies P.43

How Authentic Are You Online? P.13

Feeling Stressed? Here’s why P.44

#ON THE CLOUD

What’s The Psychological Price Entrepreneurs Pay? P.45

Embarrassing Their Kids: Parents Taking Over Social Media P.16 Accounts to Follow on Snapchat P.18 Hashtagging 101: A User’s Guide: Read it, Understand it, Memorize it P.20 Tweetgiarism: Ruining Your Online Identity is Actually Very Easy P.22 How To Deal with the Issue of Sexting P.23

Sleep Texting: A Disorder for the 21st Century P.46 Kindly Let Us All Know: Online Over-Sharing P.47 The Nuisance Of Social Media: How SM is Making us Anti-Social and Narcissistic P.48 The Internet: A Mere Distraction or Simply a Mind Shaper? P.50 Power Structures on Social Media P.51

The Facebook Experiment: Measuring Online Contagion and its Ethics P.24

#DESIGN

#BLOGOSPHERE

#FASHION

Blogs as the New Customer Service P.29 The Power Of “NO” on Social Media P.30 Rabih El Khodr’s Tips for a Memorable Vlog on Youtube P.32

#FEATURE

The Psychology of Social Media: An Interview with Psychologist Lea Hannouch P.36 Mental Disorders of the Cyber Age: Technology Just Might be Driving us Crazy P.38 Five Ways in which Technology has Messed up our Brains P.39 Location Services are Changing Your Behavior P.40 6 CLOUD961

Color and Mobile Design P.52

Le Journal De Leen P. 54

#FOOD

Is Social Media Threatening the Food Industry? P.56 Has Social Media Changed the Way We Eat? P.57

#cover DESCRIPTION The psychology of the social media

7 CLOUD961

CONTENTS

LAUNCHING THE USD 20,000 ZOOMAAL MUST SEE FILM CHALLENGE

#MOVIES Is Film-Based Cinema Dying? P.58 Movie Review: These Final Hours P.60 Launching The $20,000 Zoomaal Must See Film Challenge P.61

Game Review: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons P. 79

#SMART SOFTWARE Minilyrics: Synchronized Lyrics To The Sound of Music P.80 Windows’ Next Big Step P.80

#POLITICS Is Israel Losing the Cyber War? P.62 Slactivism: How Effective is Online Activism? P.63 CIA Joins Twitter P.64 The Islamic State’s Presence on Social Media P.64

#WISDOM Social Media and Language: How The Internet Instigated the Next Big Shift in The Way We Speak P.65 In The Flash of a Screen P.66

Subscription Models: Software Suites Turning to More Affordable P.81

#AGENCIES Agency Of The Month: UF CONCEPTS: Spearheading The

Prankvertising Trend, One Video at a Time P.82

IPSOS Mena: On The Way to Revolutionize Online Market Research P. 84

#DIGITAL Inside a Facebook Page Admin’s Mind P.86

The Seven Deadly Digital Sins P.67

Buying Followers: Easy Way to the Top or Ultimate Attention-Seeking Despair? P.87

#APPS How Gamification Affects Behavior P.68

#MARKETING @Nouchaline: From Fashion Blogger to Community Manager P.88

5 Apps to Edit Your Instagram Photos With P.69

Unveiling the Secret of Paid vs. Organic Promotions P.90

Tinder for Professional Networking P.70

Brands go to the Movies: How Effective Product Placement Works P. 91

FAKE CHECK-INS: Where are you Right now (Really)? P.71

#GADGETS Gadget Reviews for the Social Media Geeks P.72 Amazon Fire Phone: Amazon’s Induction Into The Smartphone World P.74 Apple Launches The Iphone 6, 6 Plus And Apple Watch P.75 Samsung Introduces Galaxy Alpha, the Evolution of Galaxy Design P.76 Project Ara: The Next Step in Smartphone Hardware Evolution P. 77

#SOCIAL GAMES Game Review: Cubama P.78

Introduction of Social Media into the Gaming Industry P.78 8 CLOUD961

#MONEY

Is There an Alternative to Bitcoin? P.92

#STARTING UP

ITFITTERS: Online Shopping in Lebanon Made Easier P.94

#EDUCATION Learning how to Code Online: The Benefits of Mastering Coding as a Professional Adult P.96

#CHANGING LIVES

Communication For Development: C4D Proves Indispensable For Non-Governmental Organizations. P.98

9 CLOUD961

FROM OUR READERS

FROM OUR READERS We appreciate your feedback regarding our magazine, so feel free to share your thoughts with us on our social media platforms on Facebook.com/ cloud961mag, Twitter.com/cloud961mag, Instagram.com/cloud961mag or by email on editor@cloud961.com.

10 CLOUD961

OP-EDS

CONFLICT ON SOCIAL MEDIA Comparing SM coverage of the latest and prior Gaza conflicts. By Hind Kammourieh

@HNDK_

There are two main differences between the coverage of

some posts people are putting up in order to keep some things

Gaza conflicts this time and the one before.

under the tabe.

Firstly, the number of international reporters on the ground

Celebrities such as Rihanna, who tweeted “#FreePalestine”,

in Gaza was significantly greater for the latest conflict, as

had her tweet deleted by her manager. Famous model Chris

there is now relatively more freedom to show what’s hap-

Millington posted a picture on Instagram with “#GazaUn-

pening there. I get criticized so much because I’m constantly

derAttack” which was deleted by Instagram about 3 minutes

tweeting about Gaza. Most of the time people tell me that

after it was posted.

these tweets won’t change anything. In the past, the general global opinion about this conflict was Nevertheless, I believe that Social media plays a very impor-

that Israel was defending itself from Islamist terrorists who

tant part in spreading and informing global opinion about

wanted to wipe it out. This time, however, that pretext seems

such major conflicts. Unfortunately, the Israel-Palestine

to be more disputed. It is not defending oneself when you

conflict is one of the most criticized topics there is, so in

react by killing thousands of civilians, children, women, and

order to keep what’s happening more “hidden”, we find social

disabled people.

media networks reducing their coverage of it and deleting 12 CLOUD961

OP-EDS This brings me to my second thought: CNN, NYT, WSJ, among others, are just trying so hard to create this imaginary news-coverage balance that, supposedly, was equally divided between Israel and Palestine. By balance I mean providing correct and accurate representation of how “bad” each side was. Previously, and lately on few networks, news reporters were taking up almost as much time reporting on dead Israelis than on dead Palestinians, even though the number of dead Palestinians outnumbered the number of their Israelis counterpartys in God knows how much. So, fortunately this time, and thanks to social media, we are seeing a huge number of people going on YouTube and writing blog posts about how they are against what is going on in Palestine. People from the US, the UK, France, Germany and Canada dissented the massacre against Palestinians and drew attention to the many violations of international laws by Israel. Those practices led to protests in countries all around the world. So please don’t tell me that posting about it won’t make a difference; people reporting through social media are generally journalists who are showing the world how monstrous, inhuman, and racist Israel is.

Dear Cloudy

IS MEAN ON SOCIAL MEDIA THE NEW COOL?

How authentic are you online? And are you really mean, or is it just a dirty tactic to get more followers? Have you ever noticed those accounts where people just post the meanest things ever? I’ve always wondered if those people are naturally mean and heartless, especially when they post things such as, “I want to stab my boss in the face” or “Today just felt like running over that kid who was on the bicycle just because he wouldn’t move out of my way!” Is this normal human behavior, or is it just a front? Well, after a lucky strike when checking a couple of these wannabe hardcore hotshots, I clearly saw that their front was blown to pieces by the Gaza events! Suddenly, these supposed “heartless” and “ruthless” people started hashtaging Gaza and praying for its people’s salvation. Those same users considers the acts carried out against the people in Gaza an “inhumane act” or “genocide” and even went as far as calling for serious actions against the mass murder of innocents. This kind of attitude points to a couple of things. Either they are unstable when it comes to displaying emotions and opinions, or they just put on a front due to the fact that funny-mean posts are increasingly gaining popularity online. I’m thinking it’s mostly the latter. Word of advice: hurting someone is never that funny, especially when it hits too close to home. That being said, steer clear from it, be yourself online and you’ll always get the right kind of followers.

CONSTANT SARCASM DOESN’T MAKE YOU MORE INTELLIGENT

IT JUST MAKES YOU MORE MEAN 13 CLOUD961

NEWSFEED By Joelle Hajji

Local

International @joellehajji

1-Samsung Electronics Enhances Kids Store on its Mobile Devices Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced its updated Kids Store feature which is available in Kids Mode on Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Tab S. The Kids Store not only enables users to shop for free or paid apps of select content for children while recommending meaningful content, but also helps parents to protect their children from unwanted content by setting up safeguards for certain content. The Kids Store now offers 900 specially selected applications for children. It provides popular applications which are enjoyed by children around the world such as LEGO, Pocoyo and Tipitap, and the English education content for children such as Agnitus, Little Bridge World for learning English and Creative Corner for some extra creativity. The Kids Store is available in 150 countries around the world.

14 CLOUD961

2-Zain Group Selects ResponseTek to Power Customer Experience Program Across 8 Countries Zain Group, a pioneer of mobile telecommunications across the Middle East and Africa, has selected ResponseTek Listening Platform™ to power its multi-channel, multi-country customer experience program throughout its eight countries of operations. Zain is the first operator in the region to implement such a dynamic customer experience listening tool. ResponseTek is the global leader in customer experience management (CEM) software with clients in over 40 countries serviced by offices in North America, Europe, India, and Australia. The ResponseTek Listening Platform™ collects and analyzes feedback and sentiment in real-time from customers interacting with a company’s website, call centers, retail or branch locations and mobile/ social platforms. Based on customer feedback analysis, Zain will be able to provide concrete actions to both front-line staff and executives to improve the brand experience that leads to increased revenue and reduced customer churn. 3-Facebook Lets Advertisers See Which Ad on Which Device Leads You to Buy Facebook will let advertisers see which advertisement on which device led you to buy with this new “cross-device reporting” that has been released lately. The tracking is made possible via a small snippet of code called a “conversion pixel.” Advertisers who want to see what ads consumers were exposed to can put the conversion pixel into a site or app. Using the tool, marketers will be able to see how many people converted. Facebook also has an option to target an audience that’s similar to the consumers who converted.

4-How to See Messages in the Facebook App Without Downloading Messenger? Facebook Messenger haters: there’s now a way to keep your messages in the main app without downloading Messenger. Facebook began moving messages out of the main app a few weeks ago, but as it turns out, there’s a simple way that allows you to keep chatting without the extra app. To use this trick, go ahead and select “Install Messenger,” which then directs you to the App Store or Google Play. Begin downloading the app, but stop the download before it finishes installing. Now, when you go back to the main Facebook app, messages are once again displayed in the messages tab.

NEWSFEED 5-Facebook is Ending the Like Gate When you like a Facebook page, Facebook wants to make sure you really like that page. The company announced recently that it will end the process known as the like gate, where users would have to like a page to enter a contest or receive more points in a game.

Google+ dropped all of its restrictions surrounding profile names. When launched in 2011, Google+ restricted users from adopting fake names. Now, all of those rules and restrictions have been tossed out the window, and Google is opening the platform to any and all usernames. Google still encourages users to keep their true identity, though nothing can stop anyone from creating a different name. The new feature doesn’t mean users will be able to get everything. However, once a username is altered, Google+ can lock users from changing again for up to three months, depending on how new they are to the platform, and how frequently they switch identities. Also, changing your username changes the way it appears on other Google products, including Gmail and YouTube.

6-Yahoo to Adopt E-mail Encryption Yahoo announced that it will apply end-to-end encryption to its e-mail services before the end of 2015. The move is likely in response to the revelations about government surveillance that have prompted many tech firms to assess their stance on privacy and encryption. The change will likely be welcomed by Yahoo’s 273 million e-mail account holders who had previously been left behind as other e-mail providers adopted encryption. 7-Get Introduced to Nanu Nanu is a new ad-supported app for Android that allows its users to call each other for free even if they use low-bandwidth 2G networks, while it also allows some calls to landlines and mobile numbers for no cost. The app is available in the Google Play store and aims to avoid problems that users of other free call apps like Skype and Viber might encounter. 8-Vine’s iOS Notifications Just Got a Little More LikeTwitter’s Vine, the video-sharing app, released an update, rolling out customizable notifications, improved sharing and a revamped home screen. The new menu allows users to fine-tune the kinds of push notifications they receive, as well as the notifications they see within Vine’s activity menu. Much like Twitter’s notifications, Vine users can elect to see all, none, or only tailored notifications for likes, comments, revines, mentions and follows. 9-Twitter’s Latest Experiment Puts Favorites in the Timeline Twitter is known for experimenting with different features in its mobile apps and on its website. Its latest experiment treats favorites more like retweets on the main timeline. A number of users are seeing tweets that users they follow favorite, or even popular tweets from accounts others follow, posted directly to their main Twitter timeline. 10-Secret Will now Show you Posts from Facebook Friends, Anonymously Secret is a new addition to Facebook that will now show you posts from friends. The addition of Facebook login will allow users to see more secrets from their friends while remaining completely anonymous, the company said. Previously, the app relied only on people stored in your device’s contacts list to find friends. On top of this, Secret is adding two new features: A digest it is calling “Secret Collections” and the ability to log in using Facebook, which it says has been its most-requested feature. There are two key things to note about the Facebook login. The first is that it will expand your Secret network beyond the contacts that you have in your mobile phone contact book. The second is that even when you log in with Facebook, your content will not be shared there, it will remain completely anonymous.

12-Facebook Adds ‘Save for Later” Feature Facebook announced that it is testing a Buy button to help businesses drive sales through the News Feed and on their Facebook Pages. “With this feature, people on desktop or mobile can click the ‘Buy’ call-to-action button on ads and Page posts to purchase a product directly from a business, without leaving Facebook,” the company said in a statement on its website.

13-Samsung to add Ultraviolet Sensor to Galaxy Note 4 It has already been confirmed by Samsung that the Galaxy Note 4 will have an ultraviolet (UV) sensor, but there wasn’t much information available. This sensor will be used to measure UV radiation from the sun, letting you know how dangerous UV radiation is at that point. It’ll use five UV index levels, from low to extreme. As many of you know, UV radiation is pretty dangerous. If you’re out in extreme levels of UV, your skin can start burning within minutes. The device will warn you when you’ll need extra protection from the sun and when to worry less.

14 15

14-Facebook Steps up News Game With ‘Save for Later’ Feature Facebook added a new feature that lets users save things they’re interested in but may not have time to check out for a later date. The new feature, simply called “Save,” lets you flag things like links, places, or music and then come back to them when you have more time. Saved items are personal, meaning they won’t appear to your friends unless you choose to share them. 15-Twitter Launches Data Visualization Tool for Commonly Tweeted Topics in the UK Twitter has launched a tool for brands and advertisers in the UK that makes use of its ‘Everyday Moments’ data to show exactly how often, where and when people interact when talking about certain topics. For example, you might want to check out the UK’s ongoing war between tea and coffee drinkers or you might want to see how many people around the nation are grumbling about traffic delays. To start with, there are more than 80 preset topics to choose from and using it is really very simple: just select your topics from the left-hand bar and then move the slider at the bottom of the screen to see the volume and geographical location of those tweets at different times in the week.

11-Fake Profile Names are now Allowed on Google+ 15 CLOUD961

ON THE CLOUD

EMBARRASSING THEIR KIDS Parents take over social media.

Parents find a hobby in embarrassing their kids, whether deliberately or not. Now, with social media, they found a new platform to perform their hobbies. By Wael Kouz

16 CLOUD961

@WaelKouz

ON THE CLOUD Every person, regardless of age, has suffered from the usual dosage of parental embarrassment. Parents are usually extremely creative when administering those doses. When the younger started making profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and such social media, they believed that this was a safe haven far away from their parents, but little did they know that their parents are about to pick up the trend, too.

Anyone with a parent on Facebook would understand the feeling of being stalked over anything you post or share, having all your posts and friends’ posts liked continuously, and having “cute” posts or personal family matters left on your wall for everyone to see. According to recent studies, a third of young

people have been humiliated by their parents on social media. Parents have the urge to be involved in their kids’ lives, whether in real life or on social media, and embarrassing their young is just a natural by-product. Among the things that parents do on social media that would embarrass their kids: 1. Posting too much; 2. “Liking” every post; 3. Using outdated slang; 4. Tagging embarrassing pictures; 5. Sending friend requests to their offspring’s Facebook friends; 6. Using their wall as a public form of communication to talk about private matters; 7. Being too personal, all the time,

everywhere; 8. Fighting their kids’ battles; 9. Correcting poor grammar or spelling mistakes; 10. Posting on behalf of their kids. Another study also states that usually fathers are more embarrassing than mothers (which I would totally agree with) and this is because dads would usually take more pictures and videos, and like to post more. Being embarrassed by a parent is just natural and is part of every person’s life. The only way to reduce the side effects is by talking to them and educating them about what they should or should not do over social media—even though they would not listen. (List from Uknowkids.com [edited])

17 CLOUD961

ON THE CLOUD

ACCOUNTS TO FOLLOW ON SNAPCHAT By Mohamad Faez Tarabichi @Mfaezt and Aline Chirinian @Nouchaline

For those of you who still don’t know what Snapchat is: well, it is a photo-sharing application where users can send pictures and videos with texts and drawings that will last up to 10 seconds before they disappear off the face of the planet (supposedly—unless you take a screenshot) to a list of recipients. This picture or video are called a “snap” and they are the way users “chat” with each other—thus “Snapchat”. This app has moved from being the app of choice for naughty picture sending (aka sexting) to being the app of choice for some fun between friends who are bored from the usual Facebook, Twitter, Instagram apps. With the number of users increasing everyday (especially younger users), some brands have joined the app as well to talk and share with fans. Some brands are really doing it right on Snapchat, so we thought it would be fun to share these cool accounts with you to enhance your snapexperience Mashable: The coolest and most interesting Snapchat account to ever exist is by social media news site “Mashable.” The drawings are top-notch and the ideas are out-of-the-box, with even some fun behind-the-scenes snaps from exclusive events. Mashable’s account will surely boost your mood and put a smile on your face every single day. Hats off to the lady handling this account because she does an awesome job! NBA: For all of you basketball aficionados— this account brings you behind-the-scenes snaps of your favorite basketball stars in the middle of their training or while they’re having some fun! Even if you’re not too much into sports this is a great account that will keep you entertained. JeromeJarr: Follow the one-and-only celebrity French Vine star Jerome Jarr as he creates hilarious snapchat stories of his New York City adventures. His snaps also feature other famous vine/social media stars. American Eagle Outfitters “OfficialAEO”: This clothing brand is on Snapchat, and it’s big, showing us sneak peeks at their newest collections. TacoBell: With a slogan that reads “Think Outside the Bun”, Taco Bell definitely did think outside the box when they decided to join Snapchat a year ago. Granted that this restaurant chain does not operate in Lebanon, it is a prime example of how brands can adopt new social media platforms to engage with their audiences. Once you have followed these accounts, make sure to follow us as well! We’re Mfaezt and Shoelady123 (Don’t judge Aline!) for some fun snaps—we promise to snap you back!

18 CLOUD961

ON THE CLOUD

19 CLOUD961

ON THE CLOUD

#You #are #ridiculous #with #your #annoying #and #unnecessary #use #of #hashtags

Hashtagging 101 A user’s guide: read it, understand it, and memorize it before you hashtag it. By Lynn El Bizri

@lnlne

First things first: for those who are not entirely sure what a hashtag is (even though you’ve seen them a thousand times), it is a word or group of words (without spaces) preceded by the ‘#’ sign. Adding this sign changes a word or phrase into a shorthand that others can use to find more information about the word or phrase. They’re used on social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook Instagram and others) to categorize and file conversation topics for easy searches and are often used in marketing campaigns, or in themed events. Using a hashtag in marketing campaigns is an important tool for track20 CLOUD961

ing news and commentary related to a brand as well as in gaining brand awareness. Sometimes hashtags are also used in brand giveaways to track entries. As for events, hashtags are often used so that others can see what kind of experience everyone at that event is having. You can search for images, tweets, or status updates by searching the event hashtag, which is usually announced at the event. Now that you know what hashtags are and what they are used for, here are some pointers on how not to use hashtags: Do not overuse hashtags or it’s very likely you may end up annoying your audience and look like you’re trying too hard;

Do not use punctuation marks other than the pound sign (#); Do not hashtag #each #word #you #say #like #this; Do not use hashtags if you have a private account because only your followers will be able to see them; Do not use hashtags that are too specific that others won’t be able to use them, yet at the same time, don’t use hashtags that don’t describe the topic/photo you are posting; Unless you absolutely have to, don’t use hashtags on your Facebook statuses/photos; Do not create a hashtag for your business platform before searching for the hashtag first; Do not just create a post of hashtags.

ON THE CLOUD

TWEETGIARISM Ruining your online identity is actually very easy. By Mhamad Dankar

@MhdDankar

works its way through the system. It’s vital that the person whose content is being lifted is the same person who follows this process. Don’t report a plagiarist if they’re not copying your own tweets. Alternatively, ask the person who is having their tweets stolen to follow this process.

There has always been a natural tendency for people to copy sentences, quotes, among others, and adopt them as their own words. Some have even been jailed for such actions as it is considered a crime against brain property. What about social media, Twitter in particular? Tweets are unprotected, at least for the most part, and usually easy to search for. You just need to write few words from the tweet and you’ll be redirected to all tweets database related to your subject. So basically, why do people steal tweets?

Various reasons push people for plagiarism, where the first one is to try to attract attention by appropriating to themselves the words of an influential person. Others might simply lack creativity. What annoys people the most is that the majority of stolen tweets get more exposure on the account of the plagiarist, become Favstar tweets and get retweeted on social media, thus gaining social reach. Twitter of course has a penalty for plagiarism whereby they will actually suspend a plagiarist’s account if the right process is followed. The procedure comprises the person being copied taking a couple of steps and being persistent with Twitter while the request

22 CLOUD961

who ruined his reputation through ‘’tweetgiarism.’’ Following several cases of copying tweets from different parties and slightly twisting them then publishing them under his name, people started a hashtag campaign to reveal the ‘’crimes’’ he was doing. Hours later, tweeps began using his name as an example of how people steal ideas and jokes spread widely on Twitter. I have decided to hide his name out of respect, and there are many other similar cases that I’m sure tweeps already know about.

People usually screenshot the stolen tweet, tag the plagiarist and a debate starts on Twitter with friends defending and bashing the thief. On twitter, it is very hard to build a personal loyalty and be credible as being a source of genuine tweets, ideas and photos. It is also very easy to kill that reputation by stealing a tweet or tweeting something far from the truth. In sum, is it worth the risk? I believe not, because consistency is key on Twitter and building up exposure is a process that needs integrity, so plagiarists will end up achieving nothing.

The below tweets show one perfect example of a famous Lebanese tweep

ON THE CLOUD

HOW TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE OF SEXTING

An updated parents guide for the modern digital world. By Yara Abboud

@slidingskater nude photos: make sure they understand that.

In today’s world of widespread social media connectivity, it’s hard for parents to track their teen’s online interactions. While no parent likes to admit it, kids are sexting more often, and now at a younger age. Most kids do not see it as a problem since they lack maturity concerning its dangers. For that, it’s crucial to address the topic with your tweens and teens. Think about the best way to start the conversation depending on the age of your child as well as on your parenting style.

Second, explain the risks of sexting. Ask your children to consider what could happen if a nude picture goes viral. You can use real-life examples from the news—like that of Hope Witsell, the girl who committed suicide due to the harsh bullying she received after sending a topless photo to a boy—. Make sure they know that any picture can go viral even if they thought it was deleted. Apps like Snapchat make sexting “easier” and could give your child a false impression of security since images disappear or can be deleted. Though photos disappear, Snapchat states “it cannot guarantee that deletion occurs within a particular timeframe.”

First, remember to outline your expectations when you give your child their first mobile phone. Ask your child what they think is acceptable to send to people. Ask them if they would send such a photo to a relative or a teacher. Explain the importance of saying no. Your child has every right to say no to someone who’s asking for

Third, don’t hesitate to check your child’s phone from time to time. Good parenting is still good parenting that requires being proactive, even in the digital age. Moreover, if you discover that your child has sexted, deal with the issue calmly; don’t shout. Don’t ask why they did it, at least not right away. This might increase their embarrassment and

discourage them from opening up to you and being honest. Ask your child what they think should happen and reassure them that the issue will be addressed. What’s interesting is that countries like the UK have websites —such as Childline— that give advice to teens on different issues. For the sexting issue, Childline advises the kid to send the harasser a friendly Zipit photo. Zipit is an app that helps people control their chats. Another advice given is to report to the Child exploitation and Online Protection Center of the UK (CEOP). Although we do not have a CEOP in Lebanon, the best thing you could do as a parent is to stop delaying the talk. Strive to build a strong relationship with your kids based on open communication and trust. It’s not just about talking; it’s about instilling healthy morals and values in your child. When a child has an ethical moral framework they can distinguish right from wrong. This will help them deal with whatever inappropriate conversation they might find themselves in the middle of.

23 CLOUD961

ON THE CLOUD

Earlier this summer, Facebook revealed that it had manipulated the news feeds of over half a million randomly selected users in January 2012 by changing the number of positive and negative posts those saw without their knowledge. The experiment was part of a psychological study by Facebook’s Data Science team for an academic paper to see what effect the changes had on the tone of posts of those experimented on and to examine how emotions spread through social media. Researchers found that moods were contagious and that people who saw more positive posts responded by writing more positive posts, and similarly those who saw more negative content tended to be more negative in their own posts. The results thus showed that emotions expressed by others on Facebook influenced our own emotions. However, although academic protocol and ethics generally call for getting people’s consent before psychological research is conducted on them, Facebook did not ask for permission from those experimented on and argued that users consent to this kind of manipulation when agreeing to their terms of service. Therefore, the experiment was not illegal, yet it still caused uproar among Facebook users and critics who believed the company had crossed an ethical boundary.

THE FACEBOOK EXPERIMENT Measuring online contagion and its ethics. By Lynn El Bizri

24 CLOUD961

@lnlne

Shortly after the news went viral, lead researcher of the study, Adam D. Kramer posted a public apology on his Facebook page. He wrote that changing the emotional makeup of the newsfeeds had minimal impact and claimed that the research was done because they care about the emotional impact of Facebook and the people that use the product. Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg also apologized, stating the experiment was poorly communicated and that they never meant to upset anyone. Since the study on emotions, Facebook said it has implemented stricter guidelines on Data Science team research and added on research conducted by the Data Science team and conditions.

ON THE CLOUD

25 CLOUD961

Blogosphere Blogs Newsfeed Selections By Joelle Hajji

@joellehajji

A Different Perspective of Beirut: Safineh by Gabriel Ferneiné http://ritakml.info/2014/04/10/different-perspective-beirut-safineh-gabriel-ferneine/

Here is a different perspective of Beirut as seen by Gabriel Ferneiné. Footage was collected from the city’s rooftops that have a lookout on to the port. The accompanying music is by Trash Inc. “Sometimes I forget that Beirut is a Port and it kills me to keep forgetting,” he says. It is a nice video which you should check out and you can find it on Rita Kamel’s blog.

30 Thoughts Every Arab Couple Has Before Getting Married http://ivysays.com/2014/08/06/30-thoughts-

Lebanese Pianist at Prague Airport Plays Beethoven’s Für Elise in 12 Different Styles

every-arab-couple-has-before-getting-married/

http://blogbaladi.com/lebanese-pianist-atprague-airport-plays-beethovens-fur-elise-in12-different-styles/

It seems like almost everyone has seen this video ever since it went viral in the beginning of August. The video is about Maan Hamadeh, a Lebanese who was waiting for his flight at the Prague Airport, so he found a public piano and decided to play 12 different styles of “Für Elise”, and the Titanic theme song. The performance was brilliant and it went viral instantly with almost 6 million views in it first week online. In case you haven’t seen this video, you should check it out on Blogbaladi. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

26 CLOUD961

Lebanese Amale Andraos Appointed Dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture http://glamroz.com/lebanese-amale-andraosnamed-dean-of-columbia-gsapp/

With all the bad stuff happening around us, it’s still good to hear about Lebanese achievements. Meet Lebanese architect Amale Andraos who has been appointed as the new Dean of the Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation and Planning at Columbia University (GSAPP) in New York City as of September 1, replacing Mark Wigley who announced his retirement last year. Amale is the first woman to become a dean at the school. Check out her full biography on Glamroz. All Lebanese should be sure proud of her.

1.We need to look like royalty 2. Do we really have to invite the company driver to our wedding party, too? 3. Our wedding is going to be one of the most different and coolest weddings EVER! 4. Wait, does a single rose really cost $9? 5. Dried flowers are the new trend; everyone’s doing it 6. How the hell did we go from 200 guests to 450? 7. Would he get pissed if we didn’t invite him? And the list goes on and on. Check out all 30 thoughts compiled by Ivy on her blog. Those are very close to reality, for almost every married-to-be couple struggles with them before their Big Day.

Blogosphere Blogs Newsfeed

Beautiful Graffiti Vanishes in Hamra http://beirutntsc.blogspot.com/2014/08/ beautiful-graffiti-vanishes-in-hamra.html

A piece of graffiti in Beirut (Warning from the Ministry of Health: thinking could lead to dangerous and deadly diseases) has now been painted over as “Parking.” The other graffiti which was

the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. Progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death with. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is consequently lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in advanced stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. The ice bucket challenge went viral recently with celebrities sharing their versions of the video challenge for ALS. The Lebanese wanted to also contribute to the challenge. Check out the ice bucket challenge video that a group of Lebanese took part in to raise awareness to ALS. It can be found on Blogbaladi. A Lebanese Guide to Complaining Effectively done by Yazan Halwani, and is now gone, too. Fayrouz, our national diva which was a part the original artwork is now back, though, albeit on a white background. Graffiti has been illegal since forever, but we have a lot of graffiti drawings covering walls in all of Lebanon that are beautiful. In my opinion, graffiti is one of the best arts in the world and these artists should not be stopped or fought against. So, I’m happy with this blog post showing the truth.

Take The Ice Bucket Challenge to Help Raise Awareness about ALS http://blogbaladi.com/take-the-ice-bucketchallenge-to-help-raise-awareness-on-als/

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and

http://inkontheside.com/2014/08/11/lebanese-guide-to-complaining/

Sareen’s caricatures have become so famous as they sum up what we are living.

Here is a hilarious and shockingly true caricature showing how the Lebanese complain about almost everything. Even though some complaints are vacuous and trivial, they are unfortunately the reality we have to live with every day. 27 CLOUD961

Blogosphere

BLOGS AS THE NEW CUSTOMER SERVICE Can blogs replace those pesky customer service numbers?

By Paul Gadalla

@paulinbeirut

Customer service is still hit-ormiss in Lebanon. There are companies like Roadsters who legitimately care about your concerns and problems, while others, and let’s face it, are only there to make the company look legitimate and don’t genuinely care. Not to mention that sometimes customer service in Lebanon may leave you even more upset and confused about whatever problem you’re facing. Can setting up a corporate blog be a better way to help your company and act as an online customer service? Already companies around the world like Amazon, BMW, and Starbucks are running

their own blogs. Why? Blogs can help a company solve their customers’ problems without using its time and resources on prolonged phone conversations. Company blogs are a great way to keep customers updated with the latest promotions and details. Also they’re a great forum for customers to comment or question things, helping a company better interact with their audience. Companies like Bank of Beirut are already hopping on the corporate blog bandwagon. Bank of Beirut’s blog explains basic banking and financial planning in easy, simpleto-read blog posts. Not only is this smart, but cost effective. This also allows bank employees more free time to deal with more

serious questions other than “what’s your latest holiday savings plan?” Companies should note that keeping a company blog is no walk in the park. If you want it to act as your customer service the blog needs to be constantly updated with entertaining content that helps solve customer problems. Also, be prepared to answer questions in the comments section. Will blogs totally replace customer service? Not completely as there are people who will have emergencies and need to talk to someone directly. But they can ultimately help your interactions with your customers, deploy new products, and grow your customer base.

29 CLOUD961

Blogosphere

THE POWER OF “NO” ON

SOCIAL MEDIA The opinionated Assaad Thebian. By Lara Al Sous

@ElleSous

As an online business owner or blogger, you have to adapt your work to a lot of boundaries put up by social media. What is more, in order to keep drawing your followers to your social media platforms, you need to nurture your relationship with them. In fact, the direction this digital media strategist, copywriter and blogger Assaad Thebian has taken involves saying “no” on social media to various social and political norms, hence breaking stereotypes and demagogic thinking. Nevertheless, he maintains his personality and character, he reads and analyzes before his next opinion storms the web. The outcome usually isn’t so simple, though. Thebian’s opinions are liked by some and opposed by others. He acknowledges that diversity is bliss when handled skillfully. Since Thebian stands up to the patriarchal society, its foundation and politics, and criticizes corruption and lack of law enforcement, this results in many doors slamming in his face. Still, Thebian voices out the thoughts and inclinations many people think of but do not dare make public in writing. “There are people who became my life friends because of the similar opinions we shared; we found each other not because we went to the same school, had the same circle of friends or hung out some place—we feel the same empathy towards a lot of causes even if we do not communicate on a daily basis,” Thebian explains. When Thebian makes a tough statement, he approaches criticism carefully and replies or debates in the best way possible. He doesn’t like to stay in his wheelhouse, but rather prefers to take on challenges that will place him outside his comfort zone. However, when something is not within his area of knowledge, he does not pretend that he has the expertise for it. He advises aspiring artists on social media to focus on two things: target audience and content. “You have to determine who you are talking to and what you would like them to do…talk to your audience in a language they understand and with reason.” He trusts followers will become your “mini-advertisers” because they trust you.

30 CLOUD961

MEGAplay Coming Soon... Toolbox & MEGAplay Competition 961 The big bang of gaming startups in the MENA. Join our Facebook page to stay up to date fb.com/MEGAplay.co

Blogosphere

RABIH EL KHODR’S TIPS FOR A MEMORABLE VLOG ON YOUTUBE

I’ve recently relocated to the UAE. And what’s the coolest thing about the move so far? Three words: Faster. Internet. Connection. This easily makes YouTube the number one website that you browse - and you get to see a lot of content: from mini-series curated by famous brands, all the way to epic battles between cats and balloons.

32 CLOUD961

Blogosphere

Vlogging (or video blogging) is a popular means of expression, particularly in the US. Japanese-American comedian Ryan Higa has close to… wait for it… 13 million subscribers to his YouTube channel! He now makes a living out of his Internet Celebrity status. So video blogging can be serious business if you wish to embark on this journey. When you think about it, video blogging is an act of public speaking in front of a camera. Here are things to think about before starting your vlog: 1- Have something interesting to talk about: People won’t tune in to your vlog if you don’t have something worthwhile to share. Whether you have a talent to put on display or insightful commentary to broadcast to the world, make sure that you speak with your unique voice and put on display a lot of passion.

2- Practice your content: Good content is not enough on its own, though. You might have the brightest of ideas, but fumble your way through presenting them and you would’ve lost your chance at connecting with an audience. So write a script for your video and rehearse it well before starting to record. 3- Maintain eye contact: If the eyes are the mirror of the soul, then eye contact is the lifeline of any public speaking performance. This counts triple in vlogging. Imagine watching a video of a person looking aimlessly around them... Not engaging, right? So keep your eyes on the camera lens. 4- Make it sexy: Nothing rated R to declare here. It’s just that appealing videos require a lot of effort in terms of: choosing a filming spot that makes you feel comfortable; having good lighting and audio that enhances quality; and doing some editing work before publishing an end product. So don’t hesitate to go

the extra mile to satisfy your audience’s high-quality standards. 5- Keep it short: Coming back to the issue of Internet speed: you’d be making your viewers a favor by publishing short videos that load quickly. Besides, who would want to sit through a 30-minute talk on how you condition your hair? Less is more in public speaking, and this holds ground when it comes to your vlog posts. Looking forward to seeing your first vlog post soon! Rabih El Khodr is an independent communication trainer and consultant with close to a decade of professional experience spanning across the Levant, the GCC, and North America. He is the founder of public speaking consultancy Standup Communication, with a presence in Lebanon and the UAE. He is the official training partner of the ArabNet conferences in Riyadh and Beirut, training entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas and businesses as part of regional competitions.

33 CLOUD961

Campaigns

‘Kif Bitwafir May’ Campaign The National Water Conservation Campaign is an initiative by the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and Water in cooperation with the European Union. Because the vanishing water wealth can only be saved when generations join hands, the campaign empowers the youth to defy the status-quo through a bold wakeup call addressed to the older generation. You can check all the details about the campaign at the following links: www.kifbetwaffirmay.com Twitter.com/KifBetwaffirMay Instagram.com/kifbetwaffirmay

Zaatar W Zeit Competition A small-scale and interactive competition was launched on Zaatar w Zeit’s Facebook page where you had to name the countries where you can find Zaatar W Zeit locations and go into a draw to win 1 of 3 invitations to Zaatar w Zeit.

Tweet Your Complaints to the Lebanese ISF #‫مش_عالرسمي‬ The Lebanese Internal Security Forces tried to shrink the gap between the official apparatus and the Lebanese people by asking them to tweet their complaints and questions. The complaints didn’t have to be formal ones and you can write in whichever way you like. With this campaign, people started sending complaints and it was a nice campaign to interact with people through social media and to hear what they had to say.

‫الحملة الوطنية لدعم المؤسسة العسكرية‬

(‘The National Campaign in Support of the Lebanese Army) This campaign started after the clashes which occurred in Arsal, and all that had to be done was for people to donate whatever they can, from food to drinks and all the utensils that can benefit the army. The main base for collecting donations was at Sassine Square in Ashrafieh, and people were really helpful and started going to Sassine with all the things that can be helpful for the army. 34 CLOUD961

Campaigns Pril’s Power Challenge There were 6 challenges and one dinner with Pril’s new game. All you had to do was reach the highest score in order to win a catered dinner for 20 from Fleur De Lys! The game could be played on Desktop, Android phones and iOS phones.

#TOUCHGIVESBACK’s INVALUABLE GIFT TO TWO #CCCL CHILDREN Touch Lebanon launched a campaign, #touchgivesback, during the holy month of Ramadan to sponsor the urgent treatment of two children with cancer at the Children Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL). Remarkable was the participation of the online community in this campaign. About 16,000 tweets contributed to raising awareness of the noble cause and supporting Touch’s initiative.

35 CLOUD961

COVER FEATURE

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SOCIAL MEDIA An interview with psychologist Lea Hannouch. By Layal Jebran

36 CLOUD961

@iPr1ncess

COVER FEATURE

Lea Hannouch graduated from USEK with a degree in clinical psychology and psychotherapy and was kind enough to answer Cloud 961 Magazine’s questions about psychology and behavior on social media, as well as the interactions of people behind LED screens.

What is the relation between one’s environment and the way they act on social media; and how does their background impact their presence and behaviour online? In the virtual world, we are differently animated: more confident, more efficient, and sometimes more aggressive, impulsive and childlike. A new “ego” or “self” is present in every e-mail sent, every emoticon used, every “friend added” and every “buy” button pressed. The psychiatrist Elias Aboujaoude (2011) calls it the “E-personality” in his book Virtually You, The Dangerous Powers of the e-Personality. We can then talk about two manuals of personality: one for the Internet, the other for offline interactions. The advantages of this e-personality can’t be underestimated: one could surpass shyness, let go and connect in more relations, impossible to them offline. We could feel invincible and immune, as if “nothing can touch me now”. Why disconnect, then?

Do social media enhance or delay cognition in real-life situations? The Internet makes it difficult for the higher cognitive functions to stop usual problematic behaviors before they appear. Working step by step, the brain analyses, weighs pros and cons and intervenes in the decision making process. Online, the Internet acts like an obstacle to “what we really want.” Automatically, thinking about it or talking ourselves out of it is real hard. It is difficult to resist and we act

more impulsively and impatiently in the immediate search of primal needs. This “freedom” given with social media could be preferred to the restrictions that accompany real-life situations. Our “e-personality” could be “translated in the real world.”

How much do social media help people in adjusting to the rapid pace of technological progression? Social media allows the person to be part of technology. This makes all Internet-related ways of interaction more understandable and more tangible. With social media and the ability of individuals to be part of the creative process (like in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…), we are taken by the same fast wave of technological progression.

other types of addiction problems are involved. The appearance of immature behavior has increased as well; this is related to the use of emoticons and impulsivity. Individuals are now allowing themselves to act in ways different than what they would have done in real life. This way of expressing real instincts and passions might be the creation of a “new you” (E. Aboujaoude, 2011) that is more real than the real, and just maybe, because of the lack of barriers, the most authentic.

How have social media changed the way we perceive journalism and its truth? Social media have changed the dynamics in the individual-media relation. The first factor that intervenes is the fast-response of social media vs. the much thought-of and belated article in a printed journal. The second factor is variety: social media offer different points of view and usually leave a place for their critics. This allows the readers to believe in their role to choose among the different “truths” given. Taking a decision in this situation could enhance the feeling of self-efficiency. What social media-induced psychological diseases can you talk to us about, and how severe can those be? Many psychiatric diseases emerged and developed with the advent of the Internet era. Studies have shown that the increase of attention deficit disorder (ADD) is highly related to excessive Internet use. Also, addiction to the Internet has been added to the “addiction” spectrum. This is also related to the ability to create an online personality. This addiction can be treated through psychotherapy, using techniques similar to those used when

37 CLOUD961

FEATURE

MENTAL DISORDERS OF THE CYBER AGE Technology just might be driving us crazy. By Yara Nahle @yarabee2

“Selfie is a mental disorder,” announced the American Psychiatric Association (APA) a while ago. It was later discovered that this classification published by an article was just a hoax. We made fun of the so-called “Selfitis” disorder—which does not really exist—but has it ever occurred to us that social media and the cyber world could really be causing us psychological illnesses? Studies, in fact, show that technology has brought about some new mental disorders and exacerbated already existing ones. Here are some of them: Phantom Ringing Syndrome: The false impression (sometimes conviction even) that one’s cell phone is ringing,

38 CLOUD961

also called “Ringxiety.” The term was first coined by cartoonist Scott Adams in his 1996 comic strip “Dilbert.” There’s also the “Pocket Vibration Syndrome” which works the same way but with vibration sensations. Nomophobia:—or no-mobile phobia is the fear resulting from not having access to one’s mobile phone. The term was introduced by YouGov, a UK-based research organization in 2010. Cybersickness: This is motion-sickness or nausea caused by virtual reality (VR) systems, such as head-mounted display and cyber gloves. VR users usually feel as part of the virtual environment and, although stationary, feel sick or dizzy

only for watching moving scenes. The term was coined in 1990. The Google Effect: This term first appeared in 2012 and describes the tendency to forget information because we know it would be accessible anytime due to the Internet, particularly Google. Why memorize it when it’s only a few clicks away? Cyberchondria: When we get a feel of physical discomfort, we usually surf the Internet in search of an illness diagnosis. We often get the most worrying explanation of our minor symptoms, so we develop feelings of anxiety over our bodies caused by Internet archives and search engines.

FEATURE

FIVE WAYS IN WHICH TECHNOLOGY HAS MESSED UP OUR BRAINS By Yara Nahle

@yarabee2

The tech world doesn’t only affect our behavior; it also influences our brain, and not in the most positive way there is, as in these five cases: 1-Stress: We barely give ourselves a break to allow our bodies, and most importantly our minds, to rest. As soon as we finish a task, we get caught up in checking our phones and computers. This fast pace increases the level of stress in our daily lives. Moreover, a research by the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that excessive use of technological devices increases sleep troubles. A lack of sleep can alone cause stress. 2-Fear: Our fears in a world ruled by technology are innumerable. An article by the UK tabloid newspaper Mirror listed more than 30 modern phobias that are courtesy of the 21st century, among which four phobias are the direct result of technology. Those are Editiovulta Phobia which is the fear of Facebook or of having your life displaced on strangers’ screens. Cyberphobia, or the fear of computers. Ipovlopsychophobia, which relates to the fear of having your photograph taken. And Editophobia, the fear of being deleted or edited. 3-Addiction: The addiction phenomenon has emerged ever since we were introduced to the world of technology and the Internet. We are addicted to watching TV, video gaming, chatting, stalking people on Instagram and Facebook. And more recently, we have become addicted to taking part in social media trends like selfies and challenges, to constantly fight to be the center of attention. 4-Attention Deficit: Tech ADD is the Attention Deficit Disorder caused by technology. We usually consider the simultaneous use of multiple technologies as multitasking, but that actually makes it difficult for us to focus. 5-Depression: All the above points might lead to depression, especially that things would seem like they’re getting out of control. A lack of communication with nature and the outside world has been proved to cause depression as well.

39 CLOUD961

COVER FEATURE

LOCATION SERVICES ARE CHANGING YOUR BEHAVIOR How apps you use daily are tapping into your everyday life. By Joseph Maalouf

@zoozel

Nowadays almost every app on your phone requests access to your physical location, and for a good reason. Location services have become a vital resource to how you experience your favorite apps. And as one saying goes: Watch your actions, for they become habits. With apps having access to geographical location and proximity, it’s become easier to meet people online. Dating apps such as Tinder or Instamessage have accelerated the process of online dating, allowing nearby people to quickly meet rather than having to go through the elaborate process of setting up a date. 40 CLOUD961

Another subtle change is that ad-supported apps get their revenue from location-based ads. They need to know where you are to successfully target you. This area will be further explored in the future as advertisers will soon start targeting people in specific neighborhoods for maximum impact. Performing a Google search is now tailored specifically to your location—and of course your search history—, making sure you get the results you are looking for now faster than ever. Location-based triggers and reminders are integrated in a lot of apps now. When you’re in a certain area, Foursquare will automatically recommend places nearby via

push notifications. Similarly, you can ask your phone’s respective personal assistant to remind you to do the laundry when you get home, and it will work just perfectly. Apps such as Messenger and Swarm don’t require you to “check-in” at a certain location to let your friends know you’re nearby; the app will broadcast a general area or your proximity. It’s a feature that, once turned on, you can easily forget about, and the fact that it requires little-to-no action from your part makes it more integrated in your online activity. Location services are here to stay and evolve. Yet, you need to remain aware of their “background presence”.

FEATURE

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGED THE WAY OF HAVING RELATIONSHIPS AND SUSTAINING THEM By Elsa Abi Khalil

@ak_elsa

The 90’s generation might not have quite realized the globalization of relationships. This might be partly due to the fact that it has grown up with the emerging trends of social media networks. The pervasiveness of social media in present-day relationships might be felt by young people when a parent mentions the old day, when couples didn’t even use to text before meeting up or have conversations in their relationships decades ago. We, however, have become capable of “meeting” and knowing a person’s entire life story overnight through a virtual conversation. Consequently, a few steps in a relationship have been burnt. Social media allowed intimacy as well as affinity to build up between two people faster. Conversations have become easier for the shy and perhaps a powerful social tool for the cunning game player. Instant messaging services like MSN a few years back, and now Skype and Whatsapp, can ensure longevity for a long-distance relationship. MSN was the very first popular instant messaging tool which everyone used to make new friends or stay in touch with people who lived abroad. Skype gave people the ability to see one another through the webcam, which is a far better replacement for pictures. With MSN falling out of fashion, Whatsapp, a phone instant messaging application, became very popular. Since then, sharing your personal phone number finally had an acceptable excuse. Without these online social networks, it might have been impossible to stay in touch with your partner and even stalk them to make sure they are being loyal. Yes, in fact, social media has made us paranoid in our relationships. Personal pictures on Instagram and Facebook have created room for jealousy to kick in, bringing about relationship issues and countless misunderstandings. It is not just about pictures, though. The “last seen” feature on Whatsapp can help you keep track of your crush’s sleeping (and chatting) patterns, but it can also make your attempts to ignore someone embarrassingly obvious. To avoid all of that, I advise you to switch to “Nobody” under the Last Seen tab within Whatsapp’s privacy settings.

41 CLOUD961

FEATURE

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SELFIES

Are selfies a growing problem for our self-esteem?

By Dalia Ramadan, PR Manager, AUB’s Online Collaborative @dalia813 Open your phone’s camera and hold it at a high angle. Your eyes look bigger and your cheekbones more defined that way. Turn to your best side, and click. With 160 billion photos, and counting, hashtagged #selfie’s on Instagram, one wonders whether selfies are a good or poor reflection of our self-esteem. Self(ie)-Esteem Self-image is important; not in a narcissistic way, but rather in a self-respect sense. Our image is how we define and present ourselves to the world. The famous psychological concept of the “looking-glass self” suggests that the perceptions of those we interact with is one of the ways we develop our ‘self’. We rely on others’ judgments and appraisals as part of our identity development. With social media platforms, the perceptions of others is no longer limited to a

group of close friends. It is spread across hundreds of people you’ve stumbled upon at some point in your lifetime. As a result, we’ve strengthened the impact others have on our image and hence, self-esteem. Why Selfies? So what’s behind the popularity of selfies? Empowerment. The beauty of a selfie is that we can control our own image online. The difference between our image in real life versus its online version is the ability to control the way we look, and therefore our identity. In a selfie session, you can take as many shots you like to get the perfect image. On Instagram, you pick a filter that will make your photo more appealing. Even when someone posts a photo of you to Facebook, you can untag yourself. In each those ways, you are able to keep

your social presence consistent with the self-image you want others to see. Self-esteem problems occur when you are eagerly waiting for feedback from others. If you spend the hour after posting a selfie furiously hitting “Refresh” to see your aggregate likes or waiting for a specific person to comment, it could be a sign that your self-esteem is overly dependent on the feedback of others. An occasional selfie is part of being on social media, but more than a few may mean an underlying esteem issue. Everything you share on social media reveals something about you, and the ability to control that content and monitor it is in your hands. So if you happen to have some hobbies (travelling, reading, or dancing perhaps), go ahead and post about that! Believe me, it is far more interesting! 43 CLOUD961

FEATURE

Feeling Stressed? Here’s why Social media stress is slowly becoming a serious issue.

By Dalia Ramadan, PR Manager, AUB’s Online Collaborative @dalia813 If you wake up to your Facebook, scroll through Twitter at breakfast, and browse Instagram as you get ready to head out, then you must be aware of the social networking obsession taking over people across the World Wide Web. This obsession, however, is becoming dangerously serious. Researchers are exploring Social Media Anxiety Disorder (SMAD) as a new medical condition. This syndrome is brought on by compulsive participation in social media and can potentially lead to depression, low self-esteem, high blood pressure, and loss in focus on life offline. According to research on SMAD, more than half of SM users believe their excessive involvement on social media has an overall negative impact on their lives and themselves, triggering feelings of self-consciousness, judgment, and inferiority. Whether it is to the extremity of SMAD or not, social media brings about some level of stress to its users. Here are some of the most significant reasons why: Bragging and Bad Depression Users often feel pressured to highlight the positive aspects of their lives and selves for everyone else to see online. Honestly, how often do you see someone check-in at the khamsmieh store or Instagram pictures of their Barbar sandwiches? The glorified achievements of your 44 CLOUD961

social media peers can easily riddle you with lower self-esteem. Jobs and Jitteriness It’s nerve-wracking enough having to prepare for a job interview: finding that professional-yet-chic outfit, updating your LinkedIn profile, and thinking out possible interview questions. Nowadays, one has to be cautious about their Facebook Page as well. According to a study by Career Builder, 37% of managers check job applicants’ social pages before offering them a position, and one out of three employers are ticked off by what they see. Relationships and Rapid Sweats While social media is a great way for us to feel more connected to our loved ones, it could also generate jealousy in relationships. From suspicious photos, friend requests from an ex, flirty messages, or other information on your partner’s wall, jealousy can potentially put a relationship’s stability at risk. A study conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers shows that 80% of divorce attorneys state an increase in divorce cases using social networking as evidence, and that one in five divorces are caused by Facebook! Anxiously Keeping Up and Anxiety Social media is one of the most preva-

lent ways people learn about new music, movies, fashion, and books. According to a survey by the Huffington Post, 28% of people say their friends online influence the music they listen to, 36% the shows they watch, and another 36% the products they buy. Stress hits users when they can’t afford the same brands as their friends or are too busy to follow the music or fashion trends. Bashing and Blood Pressure Thanks to the publicity and velocity of social media, it is now easier than ever before for users to call out and bash online personas, be it a company, celebrity, active figure, or friend. Online fights cause negative social activity and place pressure on responses and humility. While Facebook and Instagram are widely talked-about sources of online stress, it does not mean other media are carefree. A survey done by the Today Show on 7,000 mothers found that just under half admit to suffering from “Pinterest Stress”, an anxiety correlated with trying to project a perfect and balanced life. The message here is clear. Whether you are simply scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed or nervously selecting your next Instagram photo, it doesn’t hurt to redirect your energy away from the social web because life still exists offline, too.

FEATURE

WHAT’S THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PRICE ENTREPRENEURS PAY? The entrepreneurs’ frame of mind. By Lara Al Sous

@Ellesous

Passion is what has led Nader Bitar, founder and director of ThinkUP, an organization aiming at morally developing people of all ages, to support their social and emotional development which will lead to success in their school, family and community. This passion Nader has found inside him and channeled towards founding ThinkUP sprung from Lebanon’s instability and the sense of emptiness the youth feel. But amid all this passion, Nader has been suffering from stress, financial difficulties and many cancelations of events. “Whenever I’m in a downfall I pause for a moment and tell myself that you started your company, legally registered it at 19 with a unique concept people look up to,” Bitar says. We glorify successful entrepreneurs, but many of those struggle with unseen demons. Before the success of ThinkUP, Nader faced social attacks where his friends and family were second priority throughout his social and financial pressure. “We are human beings, we are always at risk of falling into the dark side and there is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s during these times that you realize you’ll do what it takes to stand up again,” explains Nader. Hiba Nassar has been battling against the stereotypical work environment which forces people to succumb to the four walls-nine hours a day-five days a week regime. Yet, despite the work routine, the country’s suffocating stagnation and the agitated political situation, Hiba Nassar has signed her resignation and gambled out to find herself in the souvenir gifts brand she hand draws known as “Bibies of the World.” “Despair is just as brief as a ball hitting the ground before it goes back up,” Nassar says. She has faith in her potential product which in return makes her solid. I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work

Even though entrepreneurs take on many roles and face conflicting obstacles—loss of money, abandoned social life and hobbies, increase in costs—it does not mean that their product has lost its power. Lately, Nassar has noticed many entrepreneurs talk about their anxiety because they tend to identify with one another. “You can accept the blow as a normal phase in this venture you have committed to,” clarifies Nassar. Through it all, one is still learning and has to wisely stay conscious to avoid any drawbacks in the long run. Even though starting a business will always remain as dizzying as a hasty rollercoaster, there are few reminders Bitar and Nassar never forget to help keep themselves fixated upon their main goal. “Be persistent, give time to family and friends, don’t show off, make sure you keep close relationships with your reachable influencers and have them support you,” advises Bitar. He also guides entrepreneurs to micromanage their work and study their expenses. While Nassar recommends that entrepreneurs believe in their skills and stay fully dedicated to their work. She says, “Thinking big and long-term will keep their idea alive and forever growing.”

45 CLOUD961

FEATURE

SLEEP TEXTING A disorder for the 21st century. By Layal Jebran

@iPr1ncess

Yes, you heard it right! Sleep texting. A new phenomenon and a serious sleep disorder of our time. A recent study shows that our daytime habit of firing off 100 or more messages per day is extending to our nocturnal activities as well. People who are highly active on social media platforms and are always in close contact with their phones, have a high chance of actually texting while sleeping, and then waking up with no recollection of the event. Now this phenomenon is nothing to laugh about; it is actually a health risk, especially among teenagers who seem to have the highest rate of sleep texting. A normal teenager needs 9 hours of sleep per night. Sleep texting actually dis46 CLOUD961

rupts sleep patterns and causes many health problems that have to do with lack of sleep. Avoiding this is easy, though: all you have to do is sleep as far away from your phone as possible, or any messaging device for that matter. That way not only would you get a sleep texting-free night, but also you would get a much-needed full nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sleep without the interruptions of actually waking up and calling someone up for an awkward nightly conversation. The farther the phone from you, the better youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll sleep, so sweet dreams.

FEATURE

KINDLY LET US ALL KNOW Online over-sharing. By Lynn El Bizri

@lnlne

Nowadays people are prone to over-sharing, revealing way too much about themselves to their friends and even perfect strangers. Part of that is due to the culture we live in, where it has become normal and even expected to share mundane details of our lives on social media. With the increase in popularity of social media, over-sharing has become much more common. What is over-sharing exactly? Basically, it means to divulge more of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inner feelings, opinions and experiences than they would usually in person, or even over the phone. Text messaging, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms are all vehicles for this over-sharing which has blurred the boundary between public and private life. With each and every over-share, the traditional line that separates what is private from what is public disintegrates further. However, our urge to disclose so much information is also linked to our subconscious attempts at controlling anxiety through self-regulation. A study conducted by Harvard University suggested that people find as much pleasure in talking about themselves as they do while eating, making money, and having sex. Research showed that the brain considers self-disclosure a rewarding experience which may explain why people tend to enjoy over-sharing information about themselves. People over-share information with others for a number of reasons, at various times of the day, and with different intents. Some reasons include bringing valuable and entertaining content to one another, defining themselves to others, growing and nourishing relationships, self-fulfillment, and getting the word out about certain causes. While these are all good reasons, the problem with over-sharing is that it is becoming more and more linked to narcissism, individualism, and approval-seeking, which are unhealthy modes of coping and social interaction. So, next time you think of sharing something just make sure to ask yourself, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why am I sharing this and what am I looking for here?â&#x20AC;? 47 CLOUD961

FEATURE

THE NUISANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA How social media is making us anti-social and narcissistic. By Lynn El Bizri

@lnlne

Social media and networking have seen the largest increase in online activity in the past ten years, revolutionizing the way we interact with the Internet as well as with others. Not only has social media made it faster, easier and more convenient to maintain connections with a much larger network of people worldwide, but it has also shifted the ways in which we communicate on a daily basis.

to ignore the human element of how relationships are actually built and sustained. Without face-to-face interaction, there is no non-verbal information that would usually give us an impression of the intentions, emotions and values of the person we are speaking with. In turn, due to the lack of oneon-one interaction and the over-usage of social media, we are becoming more anti-social rather than social.

Although it may be an incredible tool, social media is an inadequate replacement for personal interaction. We are increasingly becoming isolated from each other due to a false sense of “connection”. Communicating via technology and social media has the potential

Additionally, social media is encouraging people to become self-obsessed beings who constantly require attention. Living in a world of constant self-surveillance, people have developed this idea that absolutely nothing they do counts unless they are documenting it.

48 CLOUD961

With an increase in individual freedom, social media has also increased peoples’ vanity and self-absorption, leading to the development of narcissistic tendencies. Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms all bring millions of people together, creating great opportunities to bond with old friends and connect with new ones. However, like everything, it is better used in moderation. While social media should be used as an additional tool of communication, in the end it is all about balance and avoiding the complete reliance on social networks as one’s only and primary source of communication.

FEATURE

THE INTERNET A MERE DISTRACTION OR SIMPLY A MIND SHAPER? How does ‘going online’ impact our concentration levels and attention spans? Experts weigh in. By Yara Abboud

@slidingskater

Let’s stop for a moment and take a break. Let’s get away from our e-mails, newsfeeds, and tweets. After all, it’s a whole lot of information from here and there. It’s no wonder we’re overwhelmed, distracted and not focused anywhere. So, what is the Internet doing to our minds? Opinions are many, and they differ: Nicholas Carr, author of “The Shallows: How the Internet Is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember”, believes that we’re living in a perpetual state of distraction where too much media exposure hinders our ability to focus. He argues that focused, calm thinking is at the heart of the learning process. It enables us to transfer data from our short-term memory to our long-term memory in a process called memory consolidation. The Internet, as he says, interrupts memory consolidation, hence our ability to build or assimilate knowledge. We also stop being able to form connections between 50 CLOUD961

previous and new knowledge. In a way, it hinders our ability to synthesize and create. Our attention span becomes shorter, our reading more superficial. We are also less likely to recall information and more likely to become physically addicted to it. Moreover, the constant switching between a distracted state and a focused one ends up tiring the insular cortex, the part of the brain responsible for switching between the two modes. As a result we feel weary and dizzy. All this is true, but to simply infer that the Internet makes us dumb is an oversimplification. Neuroscientists have shown that the brain has the ability to alter itself. Contrary to what Nicholas Carr writes, not all Web effects are harmful. At least we’ve become better at finding the information we need, we’ve become highly skilled at remembering where to find things, and we’re getting better at sorting out relevant

information from irrelevant one. The era has also witnessed the “Flynn Effect” (attributed to psychologist James Flynn,) which is a bewildering increase in IQ. According to him, it’s not that we’re moreintelligent; it’s just that our generation thinks differently. In agreement with Carr, yes, the Internet does make it harder for us to concentrate. Yes, we might be becoming more machine-like. However, it does not make us shallower, or dumber for that matter. Furthermore, we can address our concentration or creativity problem by taming our multitasking habits and partitioning our day into single tasks of 30 to 50 minutes each. Taking breaks, naps, listening to music or simply zoning out for 10 minutes can reenergize us. Hence, we would have benefited the most from our Internet-rich environment while evading its negative consequences.

FEATURE

STOP

FOLLOWING

Stop following me! ME!

POWER STRUCTURES ON SOCIAL MEDIA Why is everyone a follower and not a leader on social media? By Mohammad Tarabichi

@MFaezT

Additionally, social media is encouraging people to become self-obsessed beings who constantly require attention. Living in a world of constant self-surveillance, people have developed this idea that living and absolutely nothing they do counts unless they are

documenting it. With an increase in individual freedom, social media has also increased peoples’ vanity and self-absorption leading to the development of narcissistic tendencies. Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms all bring millions of people together, creating great opportunities to bond with old friends and connect with news ones. However, like everything, it is better used in moderation. While social media should be used as an additional tool of communication, in the end it is all about balance and avoiding the complete reliance on social networks as one’s only and primary source of communication.

51 CLOUD961

CULTURE Design

COLOR AND MOBILE DESIGN By Ayman Jalloul

@amnjay

Mobile design without a doubt has been on the rise for the past few years as everything now seems to be designed into an app. One of the biggest trends of this platform has been the utilization of color, not just for an adequate user experience and a strong UI interface, but also for a distinguishable app identity and bold aesthetics. This trend comes after apps rarely utilized color as much, specifically after the flat design trend. Using color in mobile design is not much different from its use in a website or a computer application, but it is more important on the small screen. A person who is using a mobile device is most likely to be on-the-go and their attention span is thus shorter due to the various distractions their surroundings have and of course competing apps and this is where bold color usage can help get users’ attention back to that specific app. While some apps go all bold with color throughout the different parts of the app (such as Evernote), others flash them as the launching screen when the app is loading. Regardless, the importance of color is in the impressions or ideas they evoke. For example, the color red is always tied to feelings such as love or a sign of warning, while the color blue is more of a soothing and relaxing color that evokes feelings of trust. Additionally, the lack of flashy colors—such as white, gray and black—also evokes emotions of solitude and elegance. These impressions/feelings are important for realizing the app’s identity, which in turn conditions us to distinguish them from other apps. The importance of color goes thus beyond aesthetics to become an essential part of the app identity. For example, everyone easily associates purple with Viber, and as soon as we see a purple notification, we are more or less sure it is from Viber, an obvious example of how color and app identity are clearly tied.

52 CLOUD961

CULTURE Fashion

Le Journal De Leen

A zoom-in on Leen Tabbara et son journal. By Lara Al Sous

@ElleSous

Here’s a simple observation: when Brains meets Beauty, magic happens. With a bachelor’s degree in business administration under her belt, Lynn Tabbara is only 21. However, behind crunching numbers and analyzing data, there is a deep-rooted passion for beauty and fashion, and this is where Le Journal De Leen springs from. Here is our interview with Leen Tabbara:

Who’s the face behind Le Journal De Leen? I graduated not a long time ago from the American University of Beirut (AUB). As crazy as this may sound, I majored in accounting and I’m pursuing that career path. Le Journal de Leen represents my other not-so-seri-

54 CLOUD961

ous, crunching-numbers face; a platform where I can share my content.

Tell us the story behind the two-feather logo? As the name “Le Journal de Leen” states, my blog is a journal. I wanted something representing that concept. In fact, the logo has changed many times: from a vintage pen, to only the name in calligraphy, to other designs, and finally to the feathers which represent my blog in essence, but also add a little bit of color to it—Don’t you think? What has driven you to start your own blog? It started off as something very personal. My best friend Nour Rifai drove me to start my own blog. We used to

sit together surfing through French blogs and their bloggers’ experiences, and I wanted to do the same.

What’s a blogger’s worst fear and how did you manage to get over yours? When I first started blogging, in 2011, I didn’t know any bloggers in Lebanon nor who I wanted to be as a blogger, for that matter. I believe a blogger’s worst fear is the lack of interaction coming from the readers. Someone could actually have interesting content to share, but if they don’t have anyone reading it or commenting on what they have to say, they might just keep their posts to themselves, as a diary. This is when I realized I needed to reach out to bloggers and interact

with them, just as I wanted potential readers to interact with me.

Your blog covers various interesting topics; with a fulltime job, how do you manage to dedicate time for it? When you like what you’re doing, you can find time for it! Planning is key. I shoot outfits I want to showcase during the weekend, and prepare them to be posted later on. However, managing my social media pages is important and must be consistent. It is a “you-don’t-want-the-people- to-forget-aboutyou-but-you-also-don’t-want-to-flood-them-with-posts” kind of a situation. Have you ever experienced a time when you just couldn’t blog anymore? How did you get over it? I did, actually. It was when I couldn’t find a community of fashion bloggers I could relate and reach out to. I didn’t have this urge to go back to my blog and post anything. I got over it when I found a whole new community through social media, Twitter to be more specific. I met new people and I found out that I was wrong; that “interaction” is what fashion bloggers in Lebanon and the region are looking for. What do you advise wannabe bloggers out there? The best advice is to know who they are and what they want to be as bloggers, and that they don’t just post anything they find on the Internet. Also, to whoever is hesitant about the matter, I’d say give blogging a try. They would never know the people’s reaction unless they share their content. The blogging scene in Lebanon has been growing exponentially, with people becoming increasingly aware of the impact blogs can have; how do you respond to opinions saying that there are already a lot of blogs? Is there really “online space” for everyone? When is it too much? “Online space” is infinite in my opinion. There might be a lot of blogs in Lebanon. However, no one can ever stop anyone from blogging. If a person is happy sharing their thoughts with no exposure, neither comments nor attention from readers, then let them be! Personally, I’ll never feel it’s “too much”, because ultimately, only the “best” bloggers out there—the ones with content worth sharing or controversial enough—will be talked about. For example, you’ll never see on your Facebook or Twitter timeline a blog post that is brought to light if the blogger is not consistent in creating content that attracts readers. So, I don’t think we can talk about boundaries in blogging as much as we can discuss their content. If their content is insightful, then bring in some more into the circle! It started off as something very personal. Check out Lynn’s blog at www.lejournaldeleen.com

55 CLOUD961

CULTURE Food

Consumer Behavior in Restaurants

Is social media threatening the food industry? By Joseph Maalouf

@zoozel

The rise of the social media in the past years has impacted people’s behaviors and blurred the lines of proper etiquette when it comes to cell phone usage in social gatherings. A New York restaurant owner shared with the world the results of a study he commissioned a firm to undertake to determine why the restaurant’s service “just seems super slow.” The study compared customers’ experiences based on security footage from 2004 up to 2014. The results revealed that the average mealtime in 2004 was 65 minutes, whereas 10 years later dining time became 1 hour, 55 minutes. The blame? Customers were spending too

56 CLOUD961

much time using their phones, trying to connect to Wifi, Instagramming photos of their meals and then sending the food back to the kitchen after complaining that it had presumably gotten cold while they were taking pictures of it. Many questioned the authenticity of the study, yet there is a sense of truth in it as everybody is attached to their phone nowadays. Studies at the University of Essex and Virginia Tech have shown that the mere presence of a mobile phone during a conversation or a meal causes some negativity for the second party. This leads to negative effects on closeness, connection, and conversation quality as per lead researcher Andrew Przybylski.

Some people are worried that social media is ruining the restaurant experience, whereby people are now spending more time on their phones rather than eating and drinking. In an effort to combat this phenomenon, some restaurants have been offering discounts to customers who surrender their mobile phones during their eating time. Locally, one example is Hamra’s Bedivere Eatery & Tavern that encourages people to socialize by offering them a 10% discount upon their phone’s surrender. Perhaps FOMO (Fear of missing out) is to blame, or maybe people should just exercise some more willpower.

CULTURE Food

HAS SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGED THE WAY WE EAT? A closer look at social media’s impact on users’ eating habits. By Leen Tabbara

@LeJournaldeLeen

There is no doubt that social media has changed almost every aspect of our lives. However, can we really say that social media has changed the way we eat? This article discusses the changes noticed about the behavior of foodies and non-foodies online. With social media platforms expanding, people create accounts that can be related to a specific topic. Some have chosen food to be their area of interest. Food accounts are noticed on various platforms, whether it’s Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or blogs, with each platform serving a different purpose. Some chose to share their recipes online—through Facebook in open groups— or creating their own blogs to share more personal experiences with the readers. Others chose the visuals to be the star of their content. This category of people chose platforms like Instagram or Pinterest to post the “yummiest”, most drool-worthy food pictures ever. With this trend increasing over the Internet, netizens started adopting expressions such as “food porn” to caption the mouthwatering picture they just posted. Brands, especially restaurants, took this opportunity to further engage their customers, mostly through competitions. You post a picture of the meal you just ordered and then the “best” picture in terms of visuals and interactions (likes, comments, shares) wins a prize. The question here is, though: Are people actually eating all the food they are posting about? From what we can see from people’s posts, it seems like they might be consuming a lot of “mouthwatering” foods that might be dangerous to anyone’s health. On the other hand, other trends have been spreading on social media: more health-conscious ones. Health eating activists, fitness trainers, celebrities, and even some of us have posted their “Healthy Eating” habits: a bowl of fruits, a snack bar, healthy proteins, etc. The same question here is also raised: are people actually cooking these foods as they claim, and eating them? Or are they just posting them to show others their eating habits? If the answer is yes to either of the two questions, this phenomenon must be impacting the communities positively. In fact, in a BuzzFeed article, a girl writes about how she beat anorexia and “fixed her relationship with food.” Seeing all these pictures and captions on social media such as “I just started my diet” or “I am eating my pre-workout snack” has boosted the idea of selflove instead of self-hate. A study by The Hartman Group, experts in market research and consumer behavior, has observed that consumers are depending heavily on the Internet to decide what to eat. While older generations rely on traditional foods and whatever it is that their families cook, consumers are now being more and more open to suggestions, recipes and food ideas from the Internet. While social media is creating a big impact on our lives, it has proven again to be an important catalyst in promoting healthy eating habits. Some are picking up the trend to an extent that they are being encouraged to change their habits and start new ones. Motivations from your online community—or pressure (if we might call it that)—is also a good factor in sustaining the new habit you are trying to adopt. Indeed, when you post pictures of your healthy meal followed by something not so healthy the next day, you might expect few comments asking you if you failed in sticking to the habit you were trying to build. This will hopefully put you right back on track, or get you started if you haven’t already! To put it in a nutshell, shedding the light on this topic is interesting in my opinion because it opens up so many related subjects. For instance, food activists and consumers are gaining even more power over food brands which are in return required and even pressured by regulators to be very honest and transparent with their customers. So, to what extent are food brands striking the balance between performance and conformance? In other words, are they only interested in how much they sell, or are they also paying attention to how much they are “positively selling”? 57 CLOUD961

CULTURE Tv & Movies

IS FILM-BASED CINEMA DYING? Film and digital cameras: how do they compare? By Dahlia Hage

@dahliahage

“It’s exciting because it’s a reinvention of a new medium.”—Martin Scorsese “I’m not gonna trade my set of oil paints for a set of crayons”—Wally Pfister As director and cinematographer, respectively, Martin Scorsese and Wally Pfister make points about an ongoing debate among filmmakers: using film (reel) or digital cameras. Film cameras have been the common choice for many years. Its classic characteristics involve filming a scene with the necessary crew members, replacing battery and storage, and not having immediate access to footage taken. The classic characteristics oppose the more progressive way of filming using digital cameras which allow for long usage without having to stop to recharge or reload the camera. It also allows for immediate viewing of footage. There are pros and cons to each method. The controversy has divided A-list Hollywood directors of photography (DOPs) and directors into either sticking with film cameras or venturing out to digital cameras. A documentary called Side by Side by Keanu Reeves highlights many key creative and technical advantages and disadvantages of the two mediums through interviewing Hollywood professionals in the field. The most common points professionals in the field made were regarding the element of immediacy.

58 CLOUD961

The biggest appeal of digital video is its immediacy, according to cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, who worked on the movie “Slumdog Millionaire”. The immediacy of film revolves around several things. With digital recording you are able to see what you are shooting on set as you are recording, unlike film cameras where it is necessary to wait before seeing footage. One-day cameras, or ‘dailies’, are cameras allowing to view filmed material a day later. One director who supports the use of digital cameras explains that “[he doesn’t] like the betrayal of dailies,… getting swept up with the performance then seeing it go out of focus on a 25 foot screen and knowing there is no way to retrieve that.” Some professionals think that with digital cameras, it is possible to see exactly what things are going to look like, giving the artists more insight as to what the outcome will be. Cinematographer Geoff Boyle mentions that this, in turn, gives the artists more room to be creative and adjust to the situation, since they now know what they are dealing with. “That is what the digital cameras are all about,” he adds. Admiration for the immediacy of digital film also encompasses its ease of operation which aids greatly in not breaking momentum when filming a scene. In contrast, some professionals do not support the seemingly attractive characteristic of immediacy in digital cameras. Martin Scorsese agrees that

immediately seeing how the footage turned out could be useful, but that its negative consequences outweigh its benefits. He thinks that in order to concentrate on the performances and movement, the footage should be seen at a different time than on set. Another opposing view on the immediacy of digital cameras is purely creative and linked to the DOP. By having the shots immediately visible, everyone would be instantly entitled to critiquing and questioning the DOP, which, according to some, should have space to apply his own artist touch, uninterrupted while on the job. Ongoing criticism can disrupt the creative process and make lead the DOP to lose focus. Aside from immediacy is the fact that digital technology complements the use of special effects. The majority of the special effects community became comfortable with digital very quickly, according to James Cameron. Director Robert Rodriguez supports use of digital film through explaining that “[…] technology pushes art and art pushes technology.” He argues that many of his projects, such as “Sin City”, could not have been so vividly portrayed without the help of special effects in coordination with digital technology. Although there are opposing views on shifting from film cameras to digital cameras, interviews with the most prominent filmmakers made it clear that it all comes down to personal taste and artistic preference.

CULTURE Tv & Movies

59 CLOUD961

CULTURE Movies

MOVIE REVIEW

THESE FINAL HOURS By Wael Kouz

@WaelKouz

This Aussie apocalypse movie shows how people would react when they are faced with the news that the world is ending. The movie revolves around James (Nathan Phillips) and his journey of redemption caused by Rose (Angourie Rice). The movie received an average score of 7.2 on both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB, taking generally good reviews. As everyone is facing their certain death, law and order has been abandoned. Every man for himself. Even though exaggerated, people who weren’t trying to kill each other were attempting to kill themselves. The end is being portrayed as a piece of hell, total chaos. James is the typical party animal who lives 60 CLOUD961

in the moment. He is faced with many final choices that would determine the undecided path to his definite ending, his death.

The people are asked not to worry and and informed that the meteor will be dealt with, even though everyone knows that the impact equals death. As the time passes, and many The movie is a balanced blend of danger, “solutions” are imposed, humanity’s extincaction, despair, and death. For me, it’s a 3.5 tion was inevitable. You get to experience the out of 5. I took off that 0.5 just because of the 5 months on a generated Mac desktop, where exaggerated one-sided animal-like nature de- you interact with friends and different social piction of humanity when faced with death. media and websites such as YouTube, and a fake Twitter. Teaser Website: This online activation is a one-of-a-kind Your story starts after you enter your name. experience. It takes you on a journey to disYou are bombarded with many questions cover yourself when faced with certain death from friends, via e-mail or chat, and it is your threats. The plot starts with a press conferdecision whether you want to do good or bad. ence exploiting the fact that a meteor is head- It really makes you sit and wonder: “What ing to earth and that it will crash in 5 months. would I do as the world is ending?”

CULTURE Politics

LAUNCHING THE $20,000 ZOOMAAL

MUST SEE FILM CHALLENGE

By Yara Nahle

@yarabee2

After the huge success with the “Women Pioneers Challenge” and successfully raising $188,000 for 13 projects, Zoomaal, the leading crowdfunding platform in the MENA region, is launching its third challenge entitled the “Must See Film Challenge.” The “Must See Film Challenge” will foster the vibrant independent filmmakers’ community in the Arab region and give an opportunity for every aspiring filmmaker to get noticed by the crowd. The world as its audience! The “Must See Film Challenge” will feature the works of more than 45 aspiring Arab filmmakers with projects that tackle different aspects of Arab societies or personal life experiences through different genres such as comedy, action and drama.

Zoomaal in partnership with Hivos will award $20,000 in matched funding for qualified projects for each $1 contributed to projects. Zoomaal will put another $1 to double the impact. Filmmakers have one main goal which revolves around collecting funds for their films in order to turn their ideas into reality. It’s the power of crowds to make this happen and help creative Arab filmmakers succeed. To view projects and contribute to the one you like, please visit http:// zom.al/projects-filmchallenge

61 CLOUD961

CULTURE Politics

IS ISRAEL LOSING THE CYBER WAR? By Mohammad Tarabichi

@MFaezT

The last couple of months have been terrible in the matter of news, especially the events going on in Gaza. We all know this isn’t the first time the Palestinian strip gets bombarded. This time, however, the situation had a different and unexpected turn of events: it went viral on social media, and the war of the hashtag ensued. It’s both very disturbing and sad to see the picture of a dead, innocent child in front of his tearful mother, and that is exactly what drove people to share the visuals of a protracted war that had been getting mediocre attention before social media was popular. The whole world got into this hashtag vicious circle, feeling helpless towards the people of Gaza. Due to these pictures, videos and information being shared continuously, hundreds of manifestations worldwide emerged as a direct reaction. On the other hand, Israel had keen supporters on social media, too, trying to prove their side of the story. The human brain is inclined to believe what it sees, and it’s seeing dead Palestinian children. Playing on the sentiments is one of the best marketing tools.

62 CLOUD961

The two main hashtags were #GazaUnderAttack and #IsraelUnderFire. The first one has been used more than 4 million times, at the time of this writing. Other hashtags were used as well, such as #Palestine and #Gaza. The blatant loser of this media war is with no doubts Israel, and to top it all, they created a campaign to boost the morale of their soldiers called “Gaza strip for IDF” (Israel Defense Forces) which consists of sharing naked pictures on social media and showing love to IDF in order for them to “know what is waiting for them back home.” During all the years before social media was invented, Israel was considered as the master of marketing, crowd manipulation and media propaganda, but it looks like nowadays sharing real, genuine footage is hurting this poor country who clearly got dethroned by humanity. The world is more aware now, hopefully more mature, but the corrupt leaders are always giving a blind eye to the misery and destruction happening in order to fulfill their needs and profit. Will social media help us win this war?

CULTURE Politics

SLACTIVISM How effective is online activism? By Lynn El Bizri

@lnlne

The word slactivism comes from two words: activism and slacker and is used to ridicule those who join online campaigns and movements without actually doing anything constructive for the causes they claim to support. Slactivists are people who will jump on any campaign that comes along as those require virtually no effort or personal risk, but will rarely take the next step of actually contributing money to a charitable cause or social justice organization. They do not attend protests or demonstrations and will not put themselves in danger of arrest or physical harm. Finally, slactivists feel they have done all they need to do by spreading the word online and in turn recruiting more slactivists. Some examples of slactivism

include signing online petitions, adding ribbons to avatars, joining cause-related social networking groups or creating viral videos that relate to specific causes. One common complaint is that slactivism— or online activism—dilutes the mission of these causes and that the online participation takes away from or replaces physical demonstrations and efforts. Critics argue that online movements should be a supplement to the action rather than the sole focus, and that people shouldn’t just jump on a cause’s online bandwagon simply to “be a part of it”. Some say that slactivism still helps the cause of real activism and that those who care enough about a particular cause will still make the effort to

participate in demonstrations or contribute financially to the movements in which they believe. Others believe that slactivist campaigns still help in increasing public awareness of important issues and are better than doing nothing at all. While it may be clear that slactivism campaigns have become the norm and do raise social awareness of issues and important causes, we can still do our part as individuals to make physical and beneficial contributions to causes that matter. So next time you go to share that viral Facebook post, consider what you could be doing to make a difference. Don’t just rely on sending out a tweet or writing a post to show your support. 63 CLOUD961

CULTURE Politics

CIA JOINS TWITTER

An ill-conceived attempt to give a feared and hated association a positive public image. By Raja Riachi

@RajaRiachi

Companies, corporations, and even governments use Twitter accounts to improve their image in the public eye. Sweden has been handing off their official Twitter account to a new Swede every week. If handled gracefully, this can pay dividends, both in giving the organization or institution in question more visibility and improving its likability. The American intelligence Agency (CIA) entered social media with a whimper, greeting the Internet with a poorly conceived joke as their first tweet: “We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet.” This is in reference to the Glomar response, a response first used by the CIA to avoid answering a Freedom of Information Act request by journalist Harriet Ann Phillippi concerning The Glomar Explorer, a salvage vessel built by the CIA to recover a Soviet Submarine in 1975. This answer allowed the CIA to elude the Freedom of Information Act which forces governmental entities to disclose information upon request, thus setting a precedent that is still abused today. This first tweet which came from the CIA’s official account (which now mostly posts old memorabilia used by spies in decades past), makes light of the many abuses and transgressions the intelligence agency has been able to get away with, such as the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse in Iraq to name one. The CIA has been an organization with too much power and unacceptable abuse of the basic human rights of many people with no accountability whatsoever.

64 CLOUD961

THE ISLAMIC STATE’S Presence on social media

How the newest threat to global stability is tweeting to advance their cause. By Raja Riachi

@RajaRiachi

Wars are not won on the battlefield; they are won in the minds of people. There has never been such easy access to those tender, impressionable minds as there is today with social media. The Islamic State has been using social media to both rally troops to their cause and intimidate their opponents by broadcasting their acts of violence. They have used social media to give detailed accounts of their successes in Syria and Iraq, encouraging people to join their cause as well as producing high-quality, well-edited videos as a show of force. Perhaps most horrifically, they have posted videos of beheadings and executions online. Twitter, usually a proponent of free speech to the most extreme degrees (leading to it being a popular platform for jihadists), has been clamping down on the Islamic State’s Twitter accounts. This has raised questions on whether the U.S. government has pressured Twitter to silence the Islamic State’s Twitter account. The Islamic State responded by declaring war on the social media service and threatening to execute employees who aid in bringing down their sites. So how did the Islamic State become a social media force so strong to elicit a reaction from the U.S State Department in the form of a parody targeting the Islamic State’s main selling points in its recruiting attempt? Most potent are its aforementioned high-quality videos which include slick graphics and are mostly in English or include English subtitles. These videos usually circle on Islamic State members from western countries, targeting other citizens of the western world who may be sympathetic to their cause. These videos don’t only aim to recruit, but also intimidate the Islamic State’s enemies and have a war that is being fought far from their nations really hit home. The heart of their now-dormant Twitter offensive lay with the Android application “The Dawn of Glad Tidings”. The app is packaged in a way to keep up with the latest ISIS news, yet has a more substantial function. This app essentially gave the Islamic State non-exclusive control over the users’ Twitter accounts essentially allowing it to tweet updates, news, and other tidbits of propaganda through the Twitter account of any user who signs up for that app. This method has allowed the Islamic State to increase the reach of its propaganda machine exponentially, catching foreign governments napping and leaving rivaling extremist groups in the dust.

CULTURE Wisdom

SOCIAL MEDIA AND LANGUAGE How the Internet instigated the next big shift in the way we speak.

By Raja Riachi

@RajaRiachi

Speech on the Internet is a strange hybridization of practicality and attitude, and it has been transposed onto the way we speak in our everyday offline lives. From incoherent sounds that a toddler would make becoming verbs, to brief thoughts shared on a massive scale equated with the sound a bird would make, turns of phrases have made their way into our vernacular. Speaking of sharing: that has been redefined as well. With the advent of the Internet, why place tags on physical objects to differentiate or distinguish them when one can tag an endless number of virtual images, articles, games, and other tidbits of data? This change has not been aggressive, but rather a collection of new terms that have snaked their way into our everyday discussions reflecting the fundamental changes in the ways we interact with people and objects. The Internet is basically a limitless virtual land being appropriated by countless people every day in the aim of self-expression. That is inevitably reflected in the way language is used on the Internet.

faces buried in one screen or another when they do. People are very likely to find themselves talking to the back of a laptop or a smartphone as they are to another person. A more substantial impact social media had on speech has more to do with depth than word choice. Anything uttered on social media is immediately up for scrutiny and criticism. With the unforgiving Twitter users disseminating and viciously attacking any slightly offensive idea while disregarding the thought behind it, the concise nature of social media has been attributed to things being taken out of context.

This world, however, is not separate from the real world and the way the two intertwine leads to those changes carrying over to the physical world. These changes are not limited to phrases or words that have become commonplace in our language. An obsession with acronyms has developed where telling someone to take their time has become an ironically quick affair.

The resulting caution being exercised has ushered in the age of political correctness. This has led to a very vocal minority of people suddenly able to voice their criticism and displeasure at often mildly offensive words when taken out of context, with often media outlets propelling these incidents into a full blown outrage. This has led to an ironic muted suppression of speech by the very mechanism that should provide free speech for all. An example of this phenomenon is a recent incident where an African American NFL player, Cam Newton, affectionately called a former college teammate Ndamukong Suh who also happens to be African American Donkey Kong, referring to his skills on the field. A public outcry emerged accusing him of racism. The sheer ludicrousness of this situation is self-evident, but remains problematic.

Communication has become more rapid and less personal. As people invest more of their time in the virtual world, they spend less time participating in face-to-face conversations, with their

This is unfortunately the most extensive way social media has changed the way we speak with subversive effects to share our thoughts and communicate.

65 CLOUD961

CULTURE Wisdom

Notifications

IN THE FLASH OF A SCREEN By Ayman Jalloul

@amnjay

With notifications flashing on our screen every few minutes, it’s admittedly hard to stay focused on certain tasks, for the simple reason that this bombardment with information gets us to phase out of our direct surroundings and shift our attention to an e-mail or a tweet, or check who just liked our photo on Instagram. In a flash of a screen (just enough for one second to go by) we sometimes interrupt a conversation with someone or disregard participating in a group conversation because our attention span is simply held to ransom by a notification. Think of the many times that you interrupted or were interrupted in the middle of a conversation with “one sec, I’m really sorry. I have to get this.” However, the issue of giving attention to a text message rather than something else is not about prioritization. Our attention spans and what determines them have also become influenced by the way we perceive information in general—short, compact and fast. We’ve become so used to skimming through various feeds and timelines and we are now conditioned to perceive news stories 66 CLOUD961

that are compiled into a few characters and a single photo. We also tend to get increasingly impatient as larger pieces of information come our way, articles that are perhaps “slower” than the usual posts we have become used to. The debate about the ramifications of this information overflow/ compaction is a large one, with neuroscientists debating how the age of the Internet has changed the way our brain is wired, a difference that is comparable to the wiring of an illiterate person’s brain versus that of a literate person. One of the most popular of such theories was published in an article titled: “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr in The Atlantic Magazine back in 2008, which proposes a detailed explanation of this change. If you are interested, you can easily find the [rather lengthy] article through a quick Internet search or fetch a summary if you can’t muster up the patience!

CULTURE Wisdom

THE SEVEN DEADLY DIGITAL SINS

By Wael Kouz

@WaelKouz

If you believe that sitting before your computer screen keeps you away from sin, then think again! The National Film Board of Canada and The Guardian worked together to create an engaging, interactive website. You can dive into a collection of videos and articles from The Guardian and user-generated statistics. Through this website you can discover the way the longstanding seven deadly sins apply to our modern life and how moral and ethical issues affect the present technological age. In this newly established regular column, you will be discovering how each of the longstanding seven deadly sins apply to our everyday life and how moral and ethical issues affect our modern, technological age, one sin at a time.

Envy Faking it on Facebook: Erica, a journalist, wrote one of the articles. She stated how she was using her “awesome” job in Thailand to put up a happy front on Facebook when she was actually miserable and not happy about what she was doing. “[…] I did it out of pride. I didn’t want to look bad in front of my friends. I’d left a very competitive course and I didn’t want to advertise the fact that I was still a loser,” explains Erica. With her article, Erica is trying to clarify how her actions were a result of her envy and how creating that happy front might lead her friends to be envious of her success.

Selfie Reflection: Mary Walsh “People have better teeth, better children, better lives, better houses, better vacations, better everything,” says Mary Walsh, a Canadian actress, who pleads that she suffers from Facebook envy. She also sheds light on how Facebook encourages negative actions, stating that “[…] for thousands of years, people have said greed is not good, narcissism is not good, and yet Facebook encourages us to lose ourselves in the hay stack of our own eyes.” She also questions the perfect front people present to the world, and how people only share their happy side with disregard to their misery. Statistics:

These statistics are user-generated and change with every interaction:

Property Snooping: Property snooping is the action of looking into what properties, be it a piece of land or an apartment, others are offering online. Sophie, property snooper and journalist, talks about how addicted she is to property snooping. She tends to surf property websites and download different apps, and she even made a Twitter account, just for the sake of fantasizing about her dream house and sharing her addiction with those who are like her. Her envy is basically like every person’s envy when watching MTV’s “Cribs”. 67 CLOUD961

GEEKY Apps

HOW GAMIFICATION AFFECTS BEHAVIOR An overview of popular apps.

By Joseph Maalouf

@zoozel

Gamification is the process of taking successful elements from games and thoughtfully applying those on other situations, such as an app. Techniques developed from games can include leaderboards, badges, and point systems. This process is referred to as “human-focused design”, whereby it takes advantage of people’s feelings and insecurities and emphasizes on pleasing their needs and capturing their engagement. For the most part, games usually have one purpose: pleasing the player. Additionally, games are well known for their engaging and addicting qualities, which is why gamification seeks to learn from them. Nike’s popular fitness app, Nike+, is a prime example of gamification done right. It allows users to track their movements and collect points, called “NikeFuel”, in the process. Leaderboards are set in place, giving people the opportunity to compete with their friends. All of Nike’s efforts are investments in its brand equity for the goal of constantly elevating consumers’ perception of the brand. 68 CLOUD961

Dropbox also makes use of gamification by encouraging users to complete certain tasks such as inviting friends and rewarding them with extra storage when they do. LinkedIn, on the other hand, has a “Profile Strength” meter that fills up as more personal data is filled. Foursquare is one of the biggest and most successful examples of gamification, but only until it decided to move away from that in the past year in an effort to move away from the perception that the app is only about points and badges. With the app’s redesign, it was obvious that gamification is in Foursquare’s DNA as it re-introduced a new element: Experts. According to the company, you can now earn “expertise badges” by leaving great tips and the more people like your reviews, the faster you’ll earn them. It seems that Foursquare is steering gamification methods to drive content creation rather than making gamification the core experience of the service.

GEEKY Apps

5 Apps to edit your Instagram photos with By Aline Chirinian

@nouchaline

Instagram is the photo sharing application that many of us spend countless hours on scrolling through pretty pictures of friends and strangers. Ever wonder how some accounts have pictures that have effects and filters that go beyond the app’s built-in features? The secret is out and can be found in the following applications. Check out the list to see how you can spice up your Insta account and share even more visually pleasing images!

2- iDarkroom You’ve probably scrolled through Instagram and wondered how some people share photos with specific light effects on the image. Well, my lovely readers, those people are most probably using iDarkroom which allows you to add those light leaks, grundge effects, and even frames. This app is definitely a must-try if you want to give your photos a little bit of oompf. 3- Phonto Phonto is the coolest way to add text to your Instagram images. It allows users to select from a variety of image filters (which aren’t too bad) and then go on to add text and edit the font (along with a background).

3 4 3

4 5

1- VSCO Cam One of the most popular photography apps available on the appstore is VSCO Cam. This sleekly designed app allows users to pick from a selection of filters (or “presets” as VSCO likes to call them) which includes a decent number of free ones. Users may then share their photos on the app itself or a couple of other apps (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and more) and follow other users as well. This is THE app to use if you want to give your Instagram images that hint of hipster chic.

4- Square FX Even though most smartphones these days allow you to take a picture in a square format, we sometimes forget to change the settings or just have old pictures that don’t fit Instagram’s square. This is where SquareFX comes in: it resizes your picture and adds a border so that your pictures become square shaped. Simple, but very useful and effective! 5- Studio Design What separates this photo editing app from others is the integration of layers. With most other apps, you are only allowed to pick one filter or effect, but with Studio you can keep layering them on top of each other to create customized outcomes.

69 CLOUD961

GEEKY Apps

TINDER FOR PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING Your business match is now a swipe away. By Joseph Maalouf

@zoozel

A new trend in mobile user experience is making use of the swiping mechanism made popular by daring app, Tinder. Using visual cards that disappear off the screen, the user is given a sense of progression along with a sense of accomplishment, getting things done. This naturally got many people thinking: why can’t such a mechanism be used for business? In the past few months, heaps of apps have come out that allow people to log into their LinkedIn accounts and see other professionals nearby. The user is presented with the option to swipe “yes” or “no” to meet their possible business candidate, and if both parties are interested, they can set a meeting. The goals for meeting these people could vary from hiring, fundraising, or just classic networking. The problem with these apps is that there are too many already, 70 CLOUD961

and user bases are dispersed between them with no clear winner in sight. Why use a networking app that no one else you know is using yet? Also, the popularity of Tinder relies on the simplicity of deciding whether you find a person attractive or not. When it comes to a business contact, one has to look into their experience, their references, their qualifications, and the list goes on. So perhaps simply emulating Tinder’s mechanism is the reason why these apps aren’t catching on. All of these apps are powered by users’ LinkedIn contacts. Perhaps the traditional networking website is secretly planning its own spin on Tinder to expand its functionality.

GEEKY Apps

FAKE

CHECK-INS Where are you right now (really)? By Mhamad DANKAR

@MhdDankar

Sharing photos, videos, and statuses has for quite some time been the latest stunt. And it is not really fun or even accurate if your location is not added to it. Sharing your location with details about the activity you’re doing is the latest posting trend. Foursquare is the most famous check-in app across online platforms. It enables users to check-in at bars, restaurants and touristic sites, or wherever one may be, generally to see if they have friends nearby or simply to let others know where they are. It is also used to give your feedback about the place you are checked-in at. It has a fun side which is earning “points” and “badges” every time you share a new or recurrent location, where metrics define how often you socialize or visit that specific place. Metrics will try to make you feel good about being so sociable and will add some recognition to your presence. But as much as it is used for fun and searching purposes, checking-in also has its downside as it has been abused by some. It can be used to collect double points and earn more badges to obtain the “Mayorship” of a venue. Besides, some users create a fake location just to mislead others for the purpose of avoiding a certain meeting or simply teasing others. Faking a nearby location is very easy: you just have to search for it and apply it. Well, that’s not the case for far cities and countries, where you can create any area name you want, but simply get busted by anyone pressing on your location map to show the real area. Tricks are available, especially for Android users. Multiple apps are available on the Play Store to “professionally” fake your location. One of them is Fake GPS Location, where the app sets up fake GPS location so every other app (Facebook or Foursquare) in your phone links you to the location you chose. Locations on iOS cannot be faked unless your iPhone is jailbroken.

71 CLOUD961

GEEKY Apps

Gadget Reviews for the Social Media Geeks

Minimize distraction with glance-free playlist control. By Darine Sabbagh

@sdarine

We won’t go into lengthy techy reviews here; we will just let you know about cool gadgets you will enjoy and which your friends will envy you for having! Sony QX-10 SmartPhone Lens Style Camera This is one awesome gadget for every single community manager out there who has to create content on the fly, cover live events, take photos in low lighting or take photos of micro items. The lens is not just a lens you strap on your phone; it is actually a full standalone camera with a 16 MP professional lens with an optical zoom. You just connect it to your phone via Wi-Fi (no need for Internet) and use your phone’s viewfinder to take photos. Meanwhile, the lens itself can be strapped to your phone or even be at the other end of the room—if you are getting spying ideas then you are on the right track. Its wide-angle and great capture in low light also make it amazing for selfies. The only downside I have found is, because it is an actual prolike camera, it does have a small lag time between the moment the photo is taken and its delivery to your phone as the camera processes the image and sends. However, it is well worth the wait. I have tried it at live concerts and was able to take better photos than a pro camera with a regular lens of the performer due to the advanced 6x optical zoom on the head and easy maneuverability of the camera. One more benefit is that you can store on the camera images up to 16 MB in size, while the lowsize file that you use to post on Instagram or Facebook appears magically in your phone’s library, so this is where it beats Go Pro! So even if you get it to tease your pals with breathtaking vacation photos it will be your BFF. So believe me when I say

the USD 250 you are going to pay for it is definitely worth it! Unfortunately, I had to order mine via Amazon since they are not available in Lebanon. Keep in mind also that the QX has two big brothers which offer even higher optics, at a higher price-point, of course. The Pringo Photo Printer You must have seen Pringo’s catchy social media channels and their stands everywhere from Virgin Megastore to Khoury Home and other major retailers. We got to play around with it for a week and test how it works. First thing you got to do after you unpack the printer is charge it for a few hours. After that, it is good for taking to the beach or any roundtrip for instant printing. The box comes with 10 film papers and afterwards you would have to buy refill packs. We have found that the fully charged printer prints around 10-12 photos in one run and a few more if you take breaks between photos, but that should be enough for printing out some cool selfies at a party or a cool outing with friends or for your ongoing photowall project, as the quality of these small photocards is quite good. The printer spits out a great-looking miniature within less than a minute which makes it well worth it as an awesome keepsake souvenir for your desk, a travel collage or fridge magnet. Now why would you buy this gadget at USD 185? We think it is a very cool gift for the friend who already has everything. It allows for fun playtime and socializing with friends at a party. Don’t think of it as a full-size printer, but more like a fun replacement of the Polaroid we miss!

72 CLOUD961

GEEKY Apps

73 CLOUD961

GEEKY Gadgets

AMAZON FIRE PHONE

Amazon’s induction into the smartphone world. By Maurice Rustom

@MauriceRustom

After launching Kindle, the e-book reader in 2007; Kindle Fire, the tablet computer in 2011; and Amazon Fire TV in 2014, Amazon now released its first Fire Phone last July, announcing its entry into the smartphone world. Looking attractive with its nice, slick dark design and wide screen, the phone has a button on its left side that is used to activate the Firefly function. This new technology allows users to quickly identify printed web and e-mail addresses, QR, barcodes and phone numbers via its camera. Talking about the latter, the Fire Phone has a built-in custom-tuned 13 MP camera system with a fast and wide lens aperture that allows shooting beautiful pictures. It is equipped with an optical image stabilizer and it comes with unlimited cloud storage for all photos taken. Moving on to other functionalities, the Amazon Fire phone can compete with 74 CLOUD961

the best smartphones on the market with its dynamic perspective that allows some classical maneuvers like tilt and peek and some newer ones like swivel and the newly Samsung-introduced auto-scroll. As for services, this phone has a Mayday live 24/7 video support with Amazon experts, which can come in handy with a new unprecedented device like this. Concerning the hardware, we can briefly say that with a 2.2 GHz quad-core processor, a minimum of 32 GB memory and a 2 GB RAM the Fire phone is expected to operate at a good speed. Knowing that usually all that matters in smartphones nowadays are the applications, it’s reassuring to know that the Amazon Fire Phone’s Android operating system will come with a suite of basic built-in tools and apps in addition to an advanced Amazon Appstore that covers a wide range of popular apps from social

media and communications (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Whatsapp and Skype), to TV channel network apps like HBO GO and Netflix, ending with some of the games closest to your heart like Candy Crush and Minecraft. All in all, Amazon did a nice job with their first smartphone, but they do have to work harder if they want to survive in the overwhelming technological speed of this industrial sector. The Amazon Fire Phone’s price (ca. USD 650) and its mediocre battery life constitute a major market obstacle right now, though. As for its availability in our region, it turns out to be highly unlikely, knowing that most of the services provided by the phone are exclusive to the United States. Lastly, sticking to your iPhones and Samsung smartphones would be way better for now.

GEEKY Gadgets

APPLE LAUNCHES THE IPHONE 6, 6 PLUS AND APPLE WATCH The most anticipated phone on the market, finally launched. By Layal Jebran

@iPr1ncess

Apple took a big leap this September by launching its new iPhones. Whether they are what we’re expecting or not, whether they will change the planet’s gravitational pull or not, we still have to look at the prospects of all three new Apple family members. The iPhones’ main features are: 4.7-inch screen and a 5.5-inch screen for the iPhone 6 Plus, enhanced camera, faster chip of A8, improved battery life, and the all-new 128 GB option.

Pinch to zoom doesn’t work.” Apple Pay is the newly introduced mobile payment platform connecting iPhone or Apple Watch to credit cards. The feature works by swiping contactless payment terminals. The app promises potential, opens different doors of business and is one of Apple’s most important announcements.

Whether we liked the new gadgets Apple introduced or not, those new additions are like unknown caves we still want to wander into no matter what. Like previous iPhones and iPads Apple introduced, almost all of them were met with an ominous feel by some until they hit the market and people started buying them. And as history has shown they’ve been the biggest sales hits the phone industry has ever known. So, let’s wait and see what the number 6 will bring us.

The iPhones by massive reviews hit a slam dunk, even though I came across the one or two jealous Android users. All expectations for the newly designed large screen iPhone are expected to break sales records, since there’s been high demand for that screen size from Apple fanboys. Moving on, the Apple Watch: this little fashion statement will sadly not be available until 2015 in the US and on international markets. Some of its main features are health, which is Apple’s main focus in iOS 8 with the reams of health, fitness and workout apps, in addition to the ability to pay for things using Apple Pay, and many personalization options. Being a new concept and adding a new class to the Apple family, the watch is a big risk Apple is taking. Yet, their approach towards the OS of the Watch is intriguing. It is not just a watch used as an extension to your iPhone; it’s rather a standalone device that monitors, updates, and replaces some major functions of every-day tasks separately managed by different items, into one. Some early samples are the Starwood Hotel creating an app that allows guests in and out of their rooms, BMW creating an app reminding people where they parked on a map. Also, let us not forget the watch’s compatibility with Apple Pay, where you can pay for things with a single swipe. The OS of the watch is not just a shrunken iPhone interface; it’s a whole new concept, as Tim Cook said in the keynote: “It would be terrible. 75 CLOUD961

GEEKY Gadgets

SAMSUNG INTRODUCES GALAXY ALPHA, THE EVOLUTION OF GALAXY DESIGN Samsung redefines its smartphone design with a new look featuring sophisticated techniques and compact construction Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. unveiled its new design approach with the Galaxy Alpha. The latest addition to Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone line, the Galaxy Alpha features a sophisticated design in a carefully constructed compact body with a metal frame and a solid finish, while still maintaining the flagship Galaxy experience. Elegant and practical, the Galaxy Alpha is the optimal convergence of style and cutting-edge technology. “The Galaxy Alpha was built and designed based on the specific desires of the consumer market,” said JK Shin, CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Communication at Samsung Electronics. “With an entirely new appearance, the Galaxy Alpha focuses on both beauty and functionality combining a stunning metal frame and slim, light weight design with the same 76 CLOUD961

powerful hardware and features users expect from a flagship Galaxy mobile device.” Concentrating on elegant aesthetics and compact construction, Samsung has taken a fresh approach to design with the Galaxy Alpha. Created to help consumers express their unique style without sacrificing functionality, the refined Galaxy Alpha features a sophisticated design with a metal frame, elegantly curved corners and a tactile soft back cover. In addition, it is visually balanced, with the perfect contrast of both a calming, soft matte finish and an eye-catching reflection from the metal frame. At less than 7 mm thick, the Galaxy Alpha is also one of the slimmest Galaxy devices ever, and its uniquely compact construction and light weight provides consumers with maximum in-

hand grip and control. Despite its slim and light design, the Galaxy Alpha provides users with the same powerful hardware and features users expect from a flagship Galaxy mobile device. The device is equipped with a brilliant 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED display as well as an advanced camera and real time HDR for an unrivaled viewing and photo experience. The Galaxy Alpha also includes innovative and popular features such as Ultra-Power Saving Mode, S Health, Finger Print Scanner, Private Mode and connectivity with the latest Samsung Gear Fit, Gear Live and Gear 2 wearables. Full details and product images are available at www.samsungmobilepress.com

GEEKY Gadgets

PROJECT ARA

The next step in smartphone hardware evolution.

By Raja Riachi

@RajaRiachi

When Google paid USD 12.5 billion for Motorola Mobility and sold them to Lenovo three years later for USD 2.9 billion, it knew what it was doing, contrary to appearances that point to complete insanity.

Project Ara is a fully modular phone with easily swappable parts or “modules.” A frame is provided with a collection of parts that can be as cheap as U SD 50 with the aim to make smart phones available to “6 billion people.”

Google retained most of Motorola’s patent portfolio, which included Project Ara, what Google sees as the future of the smartphone market. There are currently hundreds of Android smartphones on the market offered by well-known manufacturers and hitting every price point imaginable. This is what distinguishes Android from other platforms. By making it an opensource operating system allowing any manufacturer to make Android phones thus giving the end user the most diverse array of choices. Project Ara aims to take this to the next level.

What Project Ara can achieve is to place every aspect of a phone under the end user’s control. Say a consumer wants a phone with high levels of internal storage while not really caring about screen resolution or camera quality. That becomes possible with the easily switchable modules project Ara offers. Because phone specifications go up across the board as the price point goes up, current phones that perform well in one area while ignoring others aren’t widely available.

smartphone lifetime cycles longer, where a malfunctioning part can easily be switched out for a fraction of a cost of replacing the whole smartphone with an unprecedented ease. These hotswappable electromagnetic modules also allow users to achieve a high level of specialization that would never have made it to a complete smartphone product without proven demand. Some proof of concepts have included laser pointers, pico-projectors, and medical scanners. This will also contribute to changing public perception on smartphones where they have been seen as completely distinct from Personal Computers as opposed to ultraportable PCs. This level of customization will make them the most personal electronic device allowing users an almost complete level of control over the makeup of the device they are using.

These switchable modules also make

77 CLOUD961

GEEKY Social Games

INTRODUCTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA INTO THE GAMING INDUSTRY SM changes approach to gaming, adds more interaction among users. By Maurice Rustom

@MauriceRustom

After tackling the computer and smartphone hardware, social media is now on its quest in the gaming industry. The latest gaming consoles have shown a much more developed concern for establishing connection between players via online gaming and, as matter of fact, most of the released games nowadays stopped having the splitscreen multiplayer mode and have introduced the online mode. The manufacturers wanted to use this change of gameplay to modify the gaming life and to get the costumers more involved in it. The PlayStation Network (PSN) was one of the first social media platforms dedicated exclusively to gamers. PSN gives each player a profile where they can show the games they are playing or have played, in addition to showcasing their trophies, which are collected upon completing main or optional game achievements. The PSN platform capabilities don’t stop here, thanks to the innovative add-ons the PS4 has brought forward. Network users can now share a video of a section of their gameplay via a built-in recording program in the gaming console that gets activated by the new Share button on the controller. So if you’re stuck on a level you can go look through some users’ gameplay to figure out how they’ve done it, and they might also show you some tricks and secret places in the game map, not forgetting to explore some super new kick-ass combo moves and a unique style of play to each user. To add more to the interaction between users, PS4 also allows them to live-stream their gameplay on the network, passively or interactively. Meaning that, if you’re stuck in a game and need some direct help, you can live-stream what you see on your screen to a friend on the network who can help you out via commentating on the actions in a chat box on the game screen. What is more, one can give another user access to a certain level of the game so that the person can help the player move beyond the point of deadlock, all the way from their house, using their own controller! Like every new platform, PSN has encountered some bugs and a lot of piracy, but Sony is constantly doing its best to improve and totally secure the network, promising us future breakthroughs and innovations in the social gaming field.

78 CLOUD961

GAME REVIEW: Game Cooks roll out new reflex game By Layal Jebran

@iPr1ncess

These guys did it again. Lebanese-based Game Cooks launched their new game, Cubama. The app is a Tetris style game that starts off at two cubes in the beginning and gradually starts to increase in cubes one by one and into different shapes. The tutorial as you first enter the game is pretty clear on what to do, and how to play, so are the controls, which are just tapping the screen. A wall comes rushing at you from far off. Within it is the shape you currently have. You have to rotate that shape and align it to the shape in the wall as well. The game progresses into hard mode really quickly and with every stage you pass an extra cube is added to your initial two cubes. You have only two strikes; the second time you strike out the game is over and you have to restart, back to the initial two cubes. The game is smart, so I give it high points for this. The graphics are still a work in progress. They need more, especially the flash screen, which is basically the judge-a-book-by-its-cover for me in any app. The trophies are not very clear. Connecting to Facebook is still done within the app rather than being an integrated iOS Facebook app. The main screen icons need their orientation graphics to be clearer; I kept pressing the ring buttons for whatever it was I wanted. Cubama is a great start for its 1.1 version update, but will definitely get places if the developers continue on the right path. Verdict: 6 out of 10 for graphics but gets a whooping 9/10 for the concept in general. Download it on the Apple app store for FREE! It is also compatible with both iPhones and iPads.

GEEKY Social Games

GAME REVIEW: BROTHERS: A TALE OF TWO SONS

A heart-wrenching game that hits close to home.

By Raja Riachi

@RajaRiachi

“Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons” is a game directed by Swedish-Lebanese filmmaker Josef Fares, developed by 505 Games and published by Starbreeze Studios. This short game, available on Xbox Live Arcade, Play Station Network, and Windows PCs hardly feels like a standard game obviously taking heavy influences from the film genre led by a man with a diverse background and a far from conventional repertoire. Fares, responsible for films like “Jalla! Jalla!” and “ZoZo”, incorporates themes like sacrifice, family bonds, and loss into his game: themes that will feel familiar to other people with Lebanese roots, especially those with memories of the civil war. According to Polygon Magazine’s long interview with Fares, that was no accident. While not spoiling much of the game, the latter is about the tumultuous past of a young boy growing up amid a war, having to deal with the loss of family. The game is set in a fantastical land,

one that draws on Northern European imagery and mythology. The premise is a father of two boys who have already lost their mother, with the village doctor instructing the boys to go to something that resembles the tree of life in order to get what appears to be a healing elixir to save him. The twist, which is what really sets this game apart, is twofold. First, the game mechanics. The player controls two characters, both brothers at once, each with an analogue stick and a trigger. This is a strictly single-player game which, while involving two characters, ostensibly includes one player. What this sets up is a dynamic between your right and left hand where they need to work together as they journey across this land to overcome obstacles and challenges which range from flying with a Da Vinci-like flying machine to fending off a pack of wolves at the dead of the night with nothing but a torch. This cooperation estab-

lished between your right and left hand, between big and small brother, translates into the story building and the player’s attachment to the characters, a mechanic that powerfully transmits a message in the final act of the story. The second twist is one that also helps to elevate the story and place the themes incorporated at the forefront. Words, or “real” words to the unfamiliar ear, are never uttered in this game, where the players call to themselves in what seems to be a made-up, rudimentary language at first. As the game progresses, however, as a Lebanese player, one begins to notice familiar sounds where one brother calls out to another to join him “ta3a”, among others. What this ambiguity of language does for the player transcends the themes and emotions conveyed in this story above any language or culture, deeming them common across humanity, in any nation or fictional land.

79 CLOUD961

GEEKY Smart software

MINILYRICS SYNCHRONIZED LYRICS, TO THE SOUND OF MUSIC. By Fred Bteich

@fredbteich62

How annoying it must be to look for the lyrics to a song each time you feel like listening to it? How about trying to memorize the words or even check them while you’re offline? This wouldn’t be possible without this absolutely must-have plug-in for those who love singing along, called “MiniLyrics.” In a nutshell, this software can integrate into any of your music players, displays on-screen synchronized lyrics for any track you play, and saves them to your computer, allowing you to consult them even when no Internet connection is available. Its database is made up of millions of *.Lrc files which any user can create and upload. Others would only have to play the music and the software will automatically search and download the most appropriate and highest-rated lyrics for it.

It is hence constantly updated with the latest tracks, and you will rarely be disappointed by not finding what you’re looking for. What is even more brilliant is that you can keep the program running at the top of your screen, politely tucked in a corner, continue your work and just forget about it while it “sings” the songs for you. Developed by Crintsoft.com, MiniLyrics is a paid app, but inexpensive, so you shouldn’t hesitate for one second to activate it and use all of its features. A 1-year license for 1 computer would barely cost you USD 5.00, while a lifetime license is at a very reasonable USD 19.99. The cracked version is also always available around— Just saying.

WINDOWS’ NEXT BIG STEP

How unifying Windows Mobile and Desktop OS’s could solve Microsoft’s lagging applications problems. By Raja Riachi

@RajaRiachi

Windows 8 and windows Phone 8 were a disaster. Despite a fresh new interface from the latecomers, Microsoft’s take on a mobile OS was flawed in execution. People didn’t understand the difference between Windows RT and Windows 8 (you’ll be forgiven for looking it up while reading this article). The touch-friendly interface that could not be avoided at launch alienated the desktop users which far outweighed those with touch machines, and the Windows Phone OS arrived to a market already saturated with Android and iOS machines. Windows 8’s biggest flaw, however, has been its lacking app market where developers have been reluctant to make apps for an unproven and poorly adopted system. Previous attempts to remedy this situation included a USD 100 payout 80 CLOUD961

per app to developers who published on the Microsoft Appstore, an idea which backfired and led to many barebones apps which use logos of well-known freeware. Microsoft hopes to effectively tackle this problem with its next iteration of Windows codenamed threshold rumored to be rolled out early next year. The aim is to turn the Windows OS into one operating system across all platforms. This would allow developers to make an app once for all three platforms which currently run on the Windows kernel (Windows, Windows Phone, and Xbox), and allow for a more seamless experience between Mobile and Desktop than what Apple offer with Mac and iOS or Google with ChromeOS and Android.

GEEKY Smart software

SUBSCRIPTION MODELS

How software suites are making the change to subscription-based business models for more affordable packages. By Raja Riachi

@RajaRiachi

Software has always been expensive (if bought and not pirated, that is), with popular offerings such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suites costing in the hundreds and thousands, respectively. For people who like to stay on the bleeding edge of technology, upgrading every couple of years to the next version never seemed efficient. Moving to a subscription service lowers the barrier entry for these integral programs and provides some key perks as well. The full version of Microsoft Office can be had for as little as USD 80 a year from electronics stores in Lebanon or USD 10 a year with access to up to 5 computers and 5 mobile devices for up to 5 Microsoft accounts. This comes with 1 terabyte of Microsoft One drive storage per user along with 60 Skype minutes of calling per month. Add to that the benefit of having updates come in almost instantaneously without having to pay a fortune to upgrade. Adobe have

completely removed the option of buying a perpetual license of their Creative Suites by replacing the price tag that ranged from USD 1300 to USD 1900 for CS6 with Creative Cloud, costing a 50-USD fee a month for a yearly commitment and USD 70 a month for a month-by-month subscription, along with many benefits that come with buying a product that receives regular updates. Game developers have also received a break. Three major game enginesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Unreal Engine, Crytek, and Unity which is very popular with indie developerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;have all begun offering subscription models with stores to buy resources instead of paying large prices wholesale for a complete product with many resources that will remain unused. This system is being adopted widely and is expected to mitigate some of the loss suffered by piracy, while increasing the reach of these software packages to people on lower budgets.

81 CLOUD961

BUSINESS Jobs

Agency of the month

UF CONCEPTS SPEARHEADING THE “PRANKVERTISING” TREND, ONE VIDEO AT A TIME

Wajid El Hitti: “The next logical step in the digital evolution process is videolution”. By Darine Sabbagh

@sdarine

From China, to Beirut, to a spontaneous video shoot and many other adventures, the story of this agency—combined with the humorous work they do—sound more like an appealing, witty sitcom scenario featuring good old fellas. That is why I couldn’t resist sitting down with the mastermind behind it all for a chat.

Tell us a little about how Uf started It all started over a Skype conversation between Lebanon and China, where I was residing. I was talking to my lifetime friend Samah El Hakim, creative studio owner, and we were discussing how to turn our passion for pranks, craziness and fun into a marketable concept. I moved my operations to Lebanon and we started Uf Concepts in June 2013 with two other friends, Samar Maalouf, journalist and digital expert, and Nicola El Hakim, professional percussionist and drummer. We formed a community of experts combining entertainment, online media, design and innovation. The company’s name comes from the Arabic word ‘Uf’ which translates to ‘Wow’ in English. ‘Concepts’ refers to the various services we provide.

Why did you decide to focus on “prankvertising” and viral videos? Prankvertising and viral video creation/ production constitute an untapped field of advertising in Lebanon and the Middle East. Recent research shows a giant mismatch between where people spend their time and where advertising money is spent. People spend more time engaging with digital media than TV nowadays. Slowly, the money is following the eyeballs. Moreover, online viral videos cost less to produce and distribute across the digital spectrum, reach more people on-the-go (using mobile phones and tablets) and are not limited to the 30-second standard TV advertisements. Usually the process of shooting any video advertisement requires the efforts of a creative agency and a production house, costing tens of thousands of dollars. We do both: create the idea and shoot it and our know-how gives the client with any budget an effective final product. Digital marketing 82 CLOUD961

is the new temple and online video production its cornerstone. What drive us mainly are both the fun and the human aspect of the job: we deal with people and we just love that.

Tell us a bit about the campaigns you have worked on and the viral impact they had We already had several successful campaigns including the first prank ever done by a banking institution in Lebanon: a Bank Audi Spring Account holder won a car and we pranked him before giving him his prize. We also produced a flash-mob video for Sakker El Dekkene, the Lebanese anti-corruption association. It showed several ‘merchants’ selling official documents as a marketing stunt at the Mar Mikhael roundabout in Beirut. Our more recent campaign was for Roadster Diner: We created and produced six videos promoting their new competition for a chance to win a trip to the USA. Overall, our videos have reached tens of thousands of people through views, shares social media platforms, blog entries, articles and news reports, and above all, growing brand recognition and awareness for the respective clients.

How hard is it to convince clients in Lebanon to go for your services? The general marketing/advertising mindset in Lebanon was till recently of a conventional nature, focusing on traditional media (radio, TV, magazines, newspapers.). This is transitioning fast, however. Big brands and local businesses have recognized the importance of digital media, especially that adopting this direction is cost effective and of higher impact. They are all setting up and embellishing their online presence across the board (Facebook pages, Instagram and Twitter accounts...). The next logical step in this digital evolution process is “videolution.” A couple of years ago, when social media began taking its first baby steps in Lebanon, all advertisers were convinced of its futility and incapacity to reach the ultimate target of generating sales. Later on, though, as the trend was being set by pioneers and proving quite effective with the mass audience, they were all running head over heels to catch the digital train. We have here a live model repeating itself with online videos. Sooner or later, everybody should and will venture out there.

What is the full range of services you offer? Our main service is the creation and production of viral online campaign/videos, but Uf Concepts has several departments: ‘Uf Shows’ comprises musical entertainment for weddings and events such as live parades, customized percussion and stomp shows, etc...‘Uf Media’, our social media department, handles digital strategies and community management for brands and celebrities, PR campaigns and digital publishing. ‘Uf Design’ is a full creative studio focusing on visual identity, branding, web and print design as well as graphic design consultancy. Finally, ‘Uf Innovation’ comprises the design and production of premium promotional items & supplies and is located in China. These various services create one leveraging

BUSINESS Jobs umbrella for Uf Concepts as part of our strategy of being a one-stop shop for communications and engagement.

What is the edge that you offer to clients? The sole idea of creating and producing viral online videos is the edge itself. Lebanese advertisers now have access to a fun team, full of innovative ideas, ready to rumble! Silence, Rolling, Action!

Tell us a bit about your team—you seem to have a very involved, hands-on presence in all projects Uf Concepts’ motto is ‘We Fun Seriously!’ and when the job is fun, every member of the team wants to get involved and have their share. Our team members are not employees in the full sense of the term, but rather a group of friends doing fun activities together. Each and every one of them can say, “Hey, I made this video!” Each member is an expert in their own field and together we form the strong chain of online video production, from concept creation to final product delivery.

What are your plans for growth? Reviewing our progress and performance so far, we are still in the early stages of reaching out to all advertisers in Lebanon and aiding them in focusing their advertising budget on digital media in general and viral video production in particular. We believe that Lebanon has and will always be a trendsetter for the Middle East region in matters of marketing and advertising, therefore our main strategic objective is securing a foothold in our homeland then launching operations in the GCC area, especially Qatar & UAE in the coming two years.

What is Uf’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program? When we say CSR, people think directly of big corporations, banks, international brands, and the like. But who said that a startup can’t have its own CSR program? We still believe that Lebanon holds a huge potential for fun and kindness. For that, we created ‘Uf Chou Laziz’, a YouTube channel where we publish our video creations of pranks, flash-mobs and random acts of kindness. All the people involved in the production and post-production as cast or crew members are all volunteers. The videos created a lot of online buzz in Lebanon and the Arab world such as our “Men in Heels” video done for the International Women’s Day that was covered by numerous news websites, several prime time news reports, blog entries and Radio & TV interviews. Other videos included a tribute to food delivery guys in Lebanon and free fuel vouchers to drivers at a local gas station. To date, our channel has gathered more than 113,000 views in total for 9 videos produced so far and we have already become YouTube partners.

affect the quality of our production as we shoot in Full HD. Since all our videos are uploaded onto YouTube, users can choose the quality settings in matter of pixel resolution that best suits their connection speed. The main goal of our videos is to show the content itself, the idea behind each campaign and how it has been implemented. Our videos are not artistic or aesthetic such as shooting natural scenes, architecture or portraits. Therefore, even if a user chooses the lowest quality of playback, he or she will still be able to grasp the full concept. The connection, no matter how slow it sadly is, won’t refrain us from bringing innovative videos to the general public.

Is Lebanon too small a market to offer particularly viral content? It’s all about proportionality. Our country is relatively small and its online social media community is rather tiny compared to the US or European communities. Therefore, views or shares on any particular video follow suit. A video viewed in Lebanon several thousand times is deemed viral noting that we have a lot of Lebanese expatriates scattered all over the globe that push the views and the reach of any llocally-made the video.

I am sure a lot of people ask you this: what does it take to make your video go viral? There is no perfect recipe for viral videos; there are only perfect ingredients: Be upbeat, be short and sweet, be timely, be involved and be inspiring. For Kevin Allocca, YouTube’s Trends Manager, the most important reason why videos go viral in unexpectedness. Our videos are fun and positive, focusing on basic human emotions and behaviors such as happiness and kindness, love and friendship. They can have a crazy twist, too, to spice it up. We also rely on community participation such as local and regional news websites, bloggers or mass audience, as well as Facebook pages to reach the big public.

What are the coolest things you are working on right now? We can’t really tell you the exact video ideas or what is being cooked for our clients but we are working on several productions for both Independence Day and Christmas. As for ‘Uf Chou Laziz’, some uffing stuff are coming your way. Check out more of Uf Concept’s work on social media: www.facebook.com/ufconcepts www.youtube.com/ufchoulaziz

What other viral videos not produced by you did you like? We encourage every online video production and we enjoy watching all the videos to keep track of what is going on and we are pretty confident that the market will be filled soon with all sorts of viral video campaigns. This year, we liked Volvo’s ‘Only the Lonely’ animation videos, the initial ‘Sakker El Dekkene’ Association promotion video, and all of the ‘Pharrell William’s Happy’ Lebanese versions.

Internet connection in Lebanon against the videos you produce—how do you overcome the challenge? Lebanese Internet connection is surely a challenge, but it doesn’t

83 CLOUD961

BUSINESS Jobs

IPSOS MENA ON THE WAY TO REVOLUTIONIZE ONLINE MARKET RESEARCH An interview with Mr. Joseph Habre, Ipsos MENA Observer COO. By Selim Njeim, Associate Editor

@seleemnjeim

The use of online panels has been a trend in survey research globally for quite some time now and has achieved mainstream acceptance as a common, fast, reliable and a cost effective data collection method worldwide. Ipsos MENA has started its successful journey in the online world by launching its first online panel in the region back in 2011 and has been, since then, providing its regional and

84 CLOUD961

international clients access to hundreds of thousands of panelists in 5 countries in the MENA region (KSA, UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, and Qatar). Cloud 961 Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Selim Njeim has interviewed Mr. Joseph Habre, Ipsos MENA Observer COO, to learn more about this offering and how it will revolutionize the market research industry in the MENA region.

BUSINESS Jobs

Please tell us more about the services offered by Ipsos MENA in terms of online market research Being the region’s leading online data collection organization, combining technical expertise with the most advanced methods in online surveys, we offer a wide range of services to any organization who wishes to benefit from them. Our Operations team is made up of 20 dedicated professionals who are available to escort clients from the moment they contact us, through the quotation, sample management, programming and data delivery phases. As another option, we do also manage client-supplied samples and run employee and client satisfaction surveys In addition. In addition, we conduct regular Online Omnibus surveys, allowing organizations to ask 5-20 questions if that’s all they need. This survey is conducted once every month, draws on a nationally representative sample of the population in each country and is very suitable for lowbudget research projects.

In what ways does this initiative help the region in terms of market research? Ipsos Interactive Services (IIS MENA) offers the biggest panels in the region. With a strong presence in the GCC countries, the Levant and North Africa, IIS has given its clientele a chance to easily target the audience they like to hear from in 5 different countries in this part of the world. In terms of coverage, Ipsos MENA proudly leads the online market in the region, with over 250 thousand respondents in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Egypt, and has very recently added Lebanon and Qatar to its map, in response to the increasing demand for online research. By introducing online services on a big scale in MENA, Ipsos is now offering all types of data collection modes: face-to-face, telephone and online.

How is conducting online market research important, and how does it help burgeoning and well-established businesses? The benefits of online research can be summarized as follows: Accessibility: Easy access to motivated and engaged respondents in the market; Rapid turnaround: Receiving final results for hundreds of interviews in mere days; Cost-effectiveness: Cost per response quoted in advance for effective budgeting; Global: Multi-country projects can now be conducted in the click of a button; geographic location of panelists does not impact the efficiency or the quality of the data; Real time monitoring: Results are monitored

while the survey is online and can be delivered in real time; Multimedia-enriched experience: By including pictures, audio and video, surveys can become rich and an engaging experience; Eliminated time constraints: At a time that suits them most, panelists can fully focus on the survey content and engage in providing their honest feedback;

expensive in MENA. This is where the online came in to offer access to people at an affordable cost and more quickly and with higher quality since the respondent answers at their own convenience.

What are your future expansion plans?

On top of KSA, UAE and Egypt, we have launched this year the Online Panels in Lebanon and Qatar. We have plans to introduce the Online feature in all MENA countries and we How did you go about selecting the will hopefully offer services in 2 new countries panelists who are to help researchers? 200,000 is a huge number—Did you have in 2015, which we will be announcing in due to do individual screening? What are the time.

criteria you abided by?

We follow international rules and Ipsos Global Standards for the screening. We have in place the latest technology to control and maintain the accuracy of the information related to the panelists (demographics and psychographics). Our panels are not just lists of databases of individuals, but actively managed research access panels. Our panelists are referred to us through various online suppliers. We only use high-quality recruitment sources to entice people who are eager to take surveys. When evaluating the priority sources, the recruitment process takes panel parameters, census representatively and high demand targets into consideration. Thanks to our specialized and devoted panel management teams, we guarantee a large base of authentic, fresh, engaged and distinct respondents who are willing and ready to participate in quantitative market research surveys. Upon registration, our panelists usually share an extensive amount of information about themselves and their household, which provides easier targeting of respondents across numerous segmentation variables. This info includes basic demographic info like age, gender, nationality, as well as ownership of cars, financial products, mobiles and many more.

Check out the Panel website at www.rewardingpanel.com, Ipsos’ Facebook and Twitter accounts at facebook.com/rewardingpanel and twitter.com/ rewardingpanel.

How does Ipsos MENA operate in light of the geopolitical changes and instability in the region? We live in a very dynamic region and Ipsos maintained its leading position in MENA by adapting quickly to the changes and by offering the latest technology in the market research world. During the past few years a lot of changes happened in our region and are still happening. We monitored how market research is being affected by these changes and how we should react to offer our clients new solutions to their needs. Access to respondents is becoming difficult and

85 CLOUD961

BUSINESS Digital

INSIDE A FACEBOOK PAGE ADMIN’S MINd By Fred Bteich

@fredbteich62

Ever wondered what it feels like to be answering hundreds of inbox messages per day or scheduling a variety of posts to keep a Facebook page alive with activity? Ever tried to figure out—to no avail—the identity of the person responding to you? Ever wanted to applaud an admin for a particular Facebook post, or on the contrary, highlight a certain mistake or kick them in the face for not answering you? What if you were addressing a doctor? A very charming guy? Your ex? Or simply somebody you meet on a daily basis? Scary, isn’t it? What if they unveil the private content of your inbox message to the public? Well, I can assure you that those fears are not on the mind of a Facebook page admin in the first place. So let’s put the drama aside and focus on the most useful things that occupy the head of the person behind the digital curtains.

1- Above all, getting to know the audience’s preferences: This is most certainly the admin’s biggest obsession. Trying to understand what posts the fans are enjoying most and which others are not producing much interaction, helping this way filter the ones being shared.

86 CLOUD961

2- Respecting the fans: No matter how they are being addressed, one must remember that any conversation should not turn into a personal one in this context. The reply should be written in a respectful way, on behalf of the NGO/company being represented, smartly conveying the message without trespassing ethical or professional limits.

3- Answering demands: One of the most annoying things a Facebook page admin has to do is try to answer every single message and comment that pops up on the page. This surely can get out of whenever the number of fans is huge or whenever the posts prove capable of generating much interaction.

4- Last but not least, keeping the humorous spirit: Whether you’re tired after a long day’s work or you’ve barely slept, that doesn’t matter! Your posts should always be crafted in a positive way. The use of emoticons definitely helps .

BUSINESS Digital

BUYING FOLLOWERS An easy way to the top or ultimate attention-seeking despair? By Maurice Rustom

@MauriceRustom

Attracting one’s attention is becoming more and more difficult with the ever-growing market, to the point where businesses are trying everything they can to take a stand and create a respectable, strong image in the scene. Being professional on a social media platform like Twitter and having a reliable costumer care service and loyalty programs is the way to go, but it is also the most demanding way to actually appeal to people and build a strong reputation. That’s why some companies tend to find a quick way to the “top” by buying followers on various websites. Having a lot of followers on Twitter can potentially give you more credibility and help you project a stronger image. For example, let’s take the simplest case: if you just got followed by a company you’ve never heard of and saw that it has followers in thousands your natural reaction would be actually considering following it back. This allows the company

to increase traffic to their website and build a good social media presence with a greater influence. I can go on and on about this, but I need to actually stop and zoom out a bit to see the picture from a wider perspective. Who is actually following the company’s account and news? Who are those followers? Are they even active, or do they even exist? Aren’t they just a bunch of fake 100-tweetper-account users created by a company so it can sell them? Also, selling followers: how desperate of an idea is that? And to actually consider buying some is just another level of ultimate attention-seeking despair. The matter is simple: if your company is not doing a good job now and is not working harder to reach some higher standards, then why bother with a fake image that will never exist offline? The digitally engaged community isn’t gullible and detecting fake followers

and accounts has become a piece of cake for many. The “fake-followers strategy” shows how much of low self-esteem the company has, to the point where it starts lying to itself by tweeting to a public that won’t even read the tweets—because you know, they don’t exist in the first place. Summing it up: if a company doesn’t seek to fulfill the common rules and to remain true to itself, its image and its customers, then it should just stay out of it instead of trying to outsmart the online community. Every follower bought is definitively a fake one, so spending the company’s resources on something that doesn’t really change anything demonstrates a lack of business keenness. Ultimately, the easy way out of this confusing hassle is just to get out.

87 CLOUD961

BUSINESS Marketing

5 Minutes with the Community Manager @NOUCHALINE: FROM FASHION BLOGGER TO COMMUNITY MANAGER By Darine Sabbagh

88 CLOUD961

@sdarine

BUSINESS Marketing Community Managers are the super heroes in the shade who shadow brand pages and Twitter accounts, embodying those brands and speaking to us in their voices. They are the ones who create amazing content that makes us like, share, and ultimately welcome the brand into our daily offline lives. If you have been curious to know who those superheroes are, you are in luck! Every month, we will be interviewing a Community Manager, to not only showcase their talents and wits, but also acquaint you with the real people behind the brands. Most of us know Aline as the blogger behind the down-to-earth every-day girl, fashion blogger, and the creator of crazy, trendy nail design tutorials. But what you don’t know is that since her graduation Aline has formally joined the ranks of community managers at Joe Fish and is the voice behind several brands you might be following. I was curious to see how that has been going for her. I’m sure some of you are, too. Check out our interview with Aline Chirinian and tweet to us your thoughts:

The work environment is pretty chill. I like the range of clients we have so I don’t get bored from writing about a certain topic in the same tone of voice. But my favorite part is hands down my coworkers; they’re the best. Before I started I was worried that I wouldn’t get along with them, but it turns out we’ve all got things in common. The best part of the day is the «family- style” lunch, which happens earlier and earlier everyday because we’re always hungry!

What are the things you have learned from CM that you have applied onto promoting your blog? I got exposed to Facebook ads and how that worked, although I haven’t really used it on the blog properly yet. Also, making a calendar—especially when there’s a lot to be posted—and organizing the days to make

How did your personal presence get affected since? I didn’t want work to affect it, and I had told my boss about my blog before he hired me just to make sure that there was no conflict of interest with any clients. Blogging is a fun hobby that takes up a lot of time, especially with fashion/beauty blogs for which you have to take proper, non-smartphone pictures. The first couple of months on the job the number of posts were pretty low, but then I got used to it and learned how to time manage better to fit everything in.

What clients do you prefer working with most, and do you have a “dream client” in mind? I have an eclectic range of pages I manage but I don’t particularly have a favorite client. The ones I like are the ones who sort of understand social media and don’t have weird, impossible demands. My dream client would probably be a makeup/beauty brand. I would have SO much fun with that account!

What do you like about working at Joe Fish?

The sweats of crisis management: have you experienced them? Tell us about it At university we talked about all these crazy things that happened on this and that page and we looked at how brands dealt with them. It sort of made it sound like it happens every second. But thankfully the pages I manage don’t attract crisis very often. There will be customer complaints here and there, but nothing dramatic that can’t be handled with a diplomatic response. The one crises that I remember was related to a girl who had ordered a customized item from a client whose page I handle and wasn’t given exactly what she wanted (even though she was told that it wouldn’t be 100% like the image). The next day her friends decided to leave negative comments on the page. It was a horrible 2 hours of phone calls and comments, but in the end we resolved it and all was good!

What curious observations have you made about community management?

How was the shift from fashion blogging to becoming a community manager? Blogging was and still is just a hobby; it didn’t particularly influence my decision to become a CM. I graduated with a marketing degree and a media communication diploma, so I wanted to do something that sort of related to both. Community management just sounded like a good choice. It’s not something I see myself doing for a long period of time, but it’s a great first step to get experience and learn, especially if you want to work in advertising.

tion will be perfect. Others will be confusing and unclear. Your job is to be patient and try to decipher what they want.

sure each post is seen properly.

What helps you remain being creative on clients’ accounts? I wish there was a formula of some sort, but I honestly don’t actively do anything to “get creative”. I like writing, so it’s not too much trouble for me to be creative with the written content. Keeping your eyes open and constant research always helps, though. You never know what creative thought will pop into your head.

Which accounts (not managed by you) do you like engaging with online? I like the small accounts where you know they are clearly managed by the business owner. Two of my favorite accounts are actually not Lebanese: one of them is Roots Coffee House in Dallas, Texas and the other is Carousel Restaurant in Hollywood, California. They’re my absolute favorites: adorable, humble and really communicate the brand identity to the audience. As far as Lebanese pages go, I like the Mukhi Sisters, Choucic, Frosty Palace and Retail Group.

We run competitions on a couple of the pages we manage that have NOTHING to do with each other, but somehow the same people answer the questions on the different pages. It’s like they have a competition alert and have an urge to enter every single one they come across. I actually was talking to a CM friend of mine about this and she had the same thing happen to her. We even started comparing names and they were pretty much the same people. This isn’t a problem, really, but it’s pretty funny when it happens.

What are the best and worst parts of the job? Best part is that it’s fun and doesn’t really feel like work. Worst part: you can’t forget your pages on weekends. Even when all you want to do is not look at your phone or laptop screen.

Most dreaded phrase for a community manager is.... When you send posts for approval and you get these 4 words as a response «I didn’t like it» with no explanation… Drives me nuts. Follow @nouchaline on Twitter and Instagram for more social media chats.

What is the biggest tip you can give about working with clients? 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi....Patience. Some of them are awesome and the communica89 CLOUD961

BUSINESS Marketing

UNVEILING THE SECRET OF PAID VS ORGANIC PROMOTIONS By Lara Al Sous

@ElleSous

Startups, bloggers and online businesses are constantly looking for ways to lure followers into liking their pages and interacting with them on the Internet. But what online strategy is doing to help them gain the exposure they so much desire in a cost-effective manner? According to Nadim Saffieddine, founder and head writer of Nad’s Reviews, he has turned to paid likes to target people who are fans of TV, films and restaurants. Eventually, he has come to the realization that it might not have been the best decision. Saffieddine believes that it’s all about the engagement rather than the number of likes, since “paid likes” do not make for users who engage and immerse themselves in a meaningful debate on his blog or social platforms. Saffieddine has reverted back to growing organically and has tried to strike balance by engaging people through the questions and visuals he posts. However, Elsa Abi Khalil, lifestyle and fashion blogger at Pretty Capricieuse, has no doubt that bloggers and online businesses rely heavily on posts going viral, and it all comes down to their budget and personal preferences. On some occasions, Elsa shuffles her posts online by organically reaching out to her followers, or paying Facebook to boost her posts that grant her the ability to reach a target age, locations or groups. It is basically gambling on the nature of a specific post and its potential to be interesting. On the other hand, AbdelKader Heraki, co-founder of Crossfit B-Town has hit both Beirut and social media with crossfit madness. Crossfit B-Town opted to have their social media platforms handled by the management team. He regards that as a resourceful strategy when you’re a startup and trying to cut costs. For him, paid likes are strategic investments that pave way for posts to reach a wider scale of people. Heraki advises social media startups to find a balanced technique between paid and organic advertisement. By all counts and measures, Heraki is all about social engagement. “Getting someone to like a page is a step forward. Getting someone to engage and participate is the goal,” he comments. He believes that organic growth is a prime indicator since the more “organic likes” Crossfit B-Town receives, the more bullish they feel about their social media presence. The price startups, bloggers and online businesses pay to promote themselves on social media is a bargain in the digital marketplace. The puzzle pieces fall into place when you decide what to promote, how to promote it, and to whom.

90 CLOUD961

BUSINESS Marketing

BRANDS GO TO THE MOVIES How does effective product placement really work. By Dahlia Hage

@dahliahage

On the streets, online, on the radio, on the airplane, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Twitter, on Pinterest, on cups, on jackets, and on cars—this is just a glimpse of where the average person should expect to see advertisements. However, product placement in moving pictures, specifically in cinema, is a little bit sneaky. By showing products in “real-life” situations where the product isn’t necessarily the biggest star in the scene, the audience becomes naturally less defensive about being lured into using a particular product. In a more classic way of advertising, the audience is usually fully aware of the company’s intentions. By using effective product placement in movies rather than other more common types of advertising, the companyis able to fit the product into a scene more seamlessly without initiating into a scene without initiating an obvious air of advertising. Placing certain brands into scenes rather than incorporating products into a generic advertising context adds to the realness of the scene and gives it more character. This would allow the audience to regard the product differently and associate it with a certain trait or lifestyle. An example of brand success as a result of efficient product placement is

incorporating “Red Stripe”, a Jamaican- brewed beer, into the movie The “The Firm” starring Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman. In the first month of the movie’s release, “Red Stripe” saw a 50 percent increase in sales, according to Business Week Online. Product placement can come off natural, particularly when a product is adopted in a scene out of necessity on the part of the actor/character. The placement can also be arranged with the brand in a way for the film to give exposure for the product in exchange for a quantity supply of that same product. Lastly, a film can feature a product simply for monetary gain. A film would be all the more eager to host brands that fit the film’s characters and cater to the preferences of its target audiences. For intances, the latest blockbuster “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” made an immense effort to show Chinese products for their China-targeted market. When a film coordinates product placement with a brand that matches their image and target audience, everyone wins by catching their target audience off guard, but very discreetly.

91 CLOUD961

BUSINESS Money

IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE TO BITCOIN? By Paul Gadalla @paulinbeirut

So far in terms of digital currencies, we’ve only heard of Bitcoin as it continues to dominate the market share of digital currencies and has already made an international buzz. But just like how the iPhone was the initial touch screen phone that dominated the market until it was faced with competition, Bitcoin is waiting to be challenged. So who could be the competitors?

Litecoin: Currently the leader in the pack with a market worth of USD 407.3 million. Its value has gone on the same rollercoaster ride as Bitcoin with large fluctuations. It continues to gain value and its transactions are confirmed in 2.5 minutes instead of Bitcoin’s usual 10 minutes.

Peercoin: After Litecoin comes Peercoin, the third most used digital currency with a value

92 CLOUD961

of USD 63.3 million. It uses a proof of stake instead of proof of work mechanism. It produces more coins automatically based on the number a person already has in possession.

Namecoin: Namecoin’s market value comes in next with a market value half that of Peercoin, at USD 29.9 million. Interestingly enough, it operates on a merged mining basis with Bitcoin, meaning that users can check both block chains. Feathercoin: A relative newcomer to the digital currency arena. It started in April of this year. Although it is quite small in comparison to Bitcoin (valued at USD 7 million) it has used this to its advantage. Feathercoin publishes a weekly newsletter to inform all its users about the latest developments and has started an eBay-like website where users can

directly trade coins with each other. This adds a more user-friendly experience, giving it an advantage compared to the other competition. There are talks now of adding metadata to each coin to help store files and transactions.

Dogecoin: Last but not least is Dogecoin, which comes in last. They can be traded for Bitcion and there is a limit of of 100 billion coins to be mined. So far it seems that Bitcoin has the lion’s share of the market but Bitcoin should be careful as new crypto-currencies are race to compete with it and add new features that could render it less competitive. It is definitely worth it to keep a close eye on these new crypto-currencies.

93 CLOUD961

BUSINESS Starting Up

ITFITTERS

Online Shopping in Lebanon Made Easier By Elsa Abi Khalil

@ak_elsa

ITFITTERS is the new online Lebanon-based shopping destination. The website sells clothes that the team meticulously handpicks from several fashionable corners of the world while they travel. This initiative sounds awesome and had been long-awaited in a country were shipping clothes is not a very efficient, and at times really costly ordeal. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meet Serge Menassa, founder and CEO of ITFITTERS.

94 CLOUD961

BUSINESS Starting Up What is ITFITTERS, and how is it different from other online shopping destinations?

ITFITTERS is an online clothing boutique operating exclusively in Lebanon. It is the first online shop fully focused on fashion clothing and in touch with the fashion world to provide such a wide range of items. While there might be other online shops already on the market, they are all specialized and dedicated to a single line of products (e.g. designer’s online boutique, or tops and leggings only or focused on luxury products, and so on...). The ITFITTERS team travels to world-renowned fashion hubs to select product types and import certain designs to Lebanon. We try to diversify our destinations in order to keep our range of products as varied as possible. For now, our products come from Italy, France, Turkey, Spain, and of course Lebanon. We want to keep “diversity” as one of our priorities. How did this idea start, and how long did it take you to develop it and launch the website?

I had seen the great success of many digital multi-brand shops in Europe and the US (Asos, Zalando, Forever21online, etc). When I moved to Lebanon, I realized that there was no online-shopping website fully dedicated to “wide clothing”. I couldn’t find a single website where it would all be there: tops, skirts, shoes, dresses, trousers, accessories, and so on. As for the sites that would have one or two of the above, there wouldn’t be a men’s section. So there I had it. I wanted to create a platform where men and women could find almost any clothing or fashion item they wanted, sitting behind a computer or walking with their smartphones and have it delivered to their home or office. At the early stages we focused on the women’s section and we are now expanding on to the men’s section. After deciding to create ITFITTERS, I wanted to start operating as soon as possible. We worked on a very tight schedule and managed to create the website, travel to many destinations, select and import lines of clothing, plan photo-shoots, edit, and post the first line of our products in only four months. What is the vision of ITFITTERS, and what are your upcoming plans?

ITFITTERS’s ambition is to become the leading online platform for online shopping in Lebanon and maybe beyond. Next on our list is the Middle East and the neighboring markets. We hope to better implement the idea of online shopping within the Lebanese market and push the Lebanese fashion business another step closer to the digital world. We think ITFITERS will be of great help to costumers who do not have time to shop. Those include busy professionals, for example. It would enable those people to shop faster

by connecting to ITFITERS and choosing their outfits. Why did you choose to showcase your clothes through amateur and not professional models?

We at ITFITTERS want to promote a different image of the clothing industry. More and more people are now familiar with the photo-shoot process and Photoshop culture that often gives very synthetic results and idolizes some models in quite an unrealistic way. Also, sensible viewers criticize more and more the cliché of the 40-kg model on an exotic beach. People want to see what would the product look like if they wear it. We decided to promote a line of clothing that looks good on “actual people”. We want our “models” and our clients to be very much alike, which is why we did not want to showcase our clothes through professional models. In addition, by collaborating with young men and women, we keep our brand closer to our customers and build a wider yet more accessible network. The Lebanese shoppers are still not quite comfortable with buying clothes online—how are you dealing with that?

We are well aware that Lebanese people are not yet comfortable with the online payment system, and choosing clothes without trying them on first. To deal with potential trust issues for online payment on the Lebanese market, we decided to adapt the Lebanese model of online shopping: in order to get their chosen product, the shopper does not have to pay anything online. The shopper can freely choose the product and we will send it before any payment is even made. Once the shopper receives the package, the payment is done in cash. This way no credit card or online transaction is needed.

was very much dragged down by accumulation. We took the decision to better adapt what we offer to our demand in order to reinforce our supply. As a young business, we had to take a decision and we decided to limit sizes in order to better fit our customer demand and to increase our range of choice. We constantly ask for feedback from our customers and often try our best to adapt to their recommendations. As we gain market power, we hope to be able to offer all sizes in the future.We do not have what is called in fashion an “Abercrombie vision”, for that matter. Do you plan to sell your clothes in pop-up stores during exhibitions or will you resort to e-Commerce only?

We are considering potentially expanding to pop-up stores in the future but for now, our one and only focus is the digital world and how to enhance the online shopping experience. Sell me ITFITTERS in just one line!

It’s fast, effective, and first-of-its-kind. It only takes a few clicks! To start shopping online, go onto: http://www.itfitters.com/ https://www.facebook.com/itfitters http://instagram.com/itfitters.

If you plan to get your shopping buzz on, you may check the ITFITTERS online platform at http://www.itfitters.com/

As for the problem of being unsure about a size or the product itself, we have a return policy: if the product doesn’t fit you, we take it back! No questions asked! It is the right of the shopper to be unsure about an item. And it is our job to deal with that the best way we can. To go even further in that direction, we created a LiveChat feature on our website. This feature is very popular and helps enhance the costumer’s experience. People feel that ITFITTER isn’t just a website, but that there are actual people behind it who can give answers to any of their queries almost at any time. Why do you only sell clothes in small sizes?

When we first started, we offered a larger range of sizes for quite some time. We then noticed that the smaller sizes were much more popular and we were left with the larger sizes. This unsold stock was really difficult to sell and the business model 95 CLOUD961

EDUCATION

LEARNING HOW TO CODE ONLINE The benefits of mastering coding as a professional adult. Teaching children and young professionals how to code is great, but why should children be the only ones learning how to do it? Adults can also benefit from learning it, since IT skills help in job switching/career refinement, and filling the skills gap many employers complain about. Moreover, programming is slowly but surely becoming as important as cultural literacy. That, however, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean all people should learn it. What you learn today might not be applicable tomorrow. Nonetheless, once you grasp the computational logic mentality, you can be sure youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on the right track. By Yara Abboud

96 CLOUD961

@slidingskater

EDUCATION

Here are a few resources that could help you get started: Treehouse: This is an online interactive platform that offers trainings on HTML. CSS, iPhone apps, and much more. You can learn at your own pace, earn achievements and show off skills. Available on the web and iPad, it aims at teaching you in-house technology skills that would raise your chances at landing a job or creating your own business. To lure you in, it offers you a free 14-day trial. Later you can choose between a basic monthly subscription for USD 25 or a pro subscription for USD 45. Mostly catering to absolute beginners, its strength lies in presenting the material in short, easy videos or stages. This helps in finding the topic you want, when you need to know about it. You can also review all of the basics in case you want to reinforce your knowledge. Its broad library of resources helps in teaching you everything concerning building a website. However, its quizzes are basic and its pace might slightly slow for the more advanced users.

cation programming interfaces (APIs). APIs specify how software components should interact. Lessons include how to use Youtube APIs and Twitter APIS. Q&A forums are also available to ask people for advice when stuck. All this sounds awesome. Remember, though: everything comes at a price. You will never learn how to build a complete website by simply relying on Codecademy. When comparing all three, Codecademy might seem like a good start, yet it doesn’t teach you much in terms of career advancement. Code school, on the other hand, offers the best high-quality specialized fun courses, but lags in matters of providing unique packaged training. Thus, Treehouse tops the list with its mission of providing technology training to anyone who can’t afford it, and its commitment to helping students find jobs.

Code School: This is a platform that differentiates itself from others through its teaching method: learning by doing. You can try a free course or get started on a path of your choice. Once all courses in a path are completed the “Path Master” badge is earned. Unlike Treehouse, which suits the absolute beginner, Code School is tailored for advanced beginners. Its strength lies in its themed high-quality courses, screen casts, professional experienced presenters, and good pacing. Monthly subscriptions are also USD 25. The main weakness, however, lies in the limited number of courses as compared to other platforms. Furthermore, Code School’s courses are hard to refer back to especially if you want to go over specific syntax in lessons. You can redo the courses, but drilling down to certain sections will prove tough. Codecademy: This must be the only online platform where everything is free. Lessons consist of interactive coding exercises that let you apply coding within your web browser. Its biggest advantage lies in that it teaches appli97 CLOUD961

CHANGING LIVES

COMMUNICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT

C4D prove indispensable for non-governmental organizations. By Selim Njeim, Associate Editor

@seleemnjeim

Communication for development (sometimes referred to as C4D among communication officers and humanitarians) has been proving vital in times of emergency and universal problems. A big number of Non-governmental organizations have shown interest in—and the need for—a qualified communications team. The latter is often expected to contrive systematic, pragmatic, and measurable key media strategies to advance the organization’s cause and raise awareness of its work. Creating effective, results-yielding impact and tending to concerns such as ending poverty, abolishing archaic educational systems, and eradicating political strife have been moving up the priorities needle board lately. Social media monitoring and analysis can help an NGO keep track of certain relevant hashtags, articles, news or pictures. The collected materials often act as what I will call “digital capital.” Digital capital can be of great value to any organization looking to advocate for the advancement of a certain cause and raise awareness of specific issues. The more the merrier as the saying goes, and the more information, facts, percentages, and testimonials made available to both the organization and the audience, the more likely impact is to be achieved. Charts, infographics and heart-rending pictures at time have become rather commonplace on social media. Communication 98 CLOUD961

for development has allowed organizations to affect change and mobilize an online community that has—arguably— grown desensitized. I am, though, of the opinion that there is still room for change and that the right story, accompanied by the right visual, and published at the right time are still capable of garnering attention and encouraging activists to put their money where their mouths are. Training on the use of social media and workshops to that same end have become regular events in the NGO world. Actually, they are activities every efficient communications team is expected to carry out. Special, accessible online metrics tools have been made available, allowing NGOs to not only count how many Facebook users have liked their pages, but also turn the traffic their online presence attracts into what is known as “actionable analytics.” Actionable analytics assist you in determining how effective your page is in terms of reaching your followers. Amidst this analytical process your followers are not treated as faceless numbers, but rather as individual entities capable of taking action and contributing to a cause. Specific data (usually what the communications officer is looking to monitor) may be input and tracked over a few hours, weeks, or even months. A lot of online easy-to-use tools provide detailed analytical reports in Excel format. EdgeRank Checker and Rowfeeder are examples of those online tools.

Facebook analytics make it possible for a page admin to keep the tabs on daily active users, monthly active users, daily new likes, and so on. With YouTube analytics not only the number of views and their countries of origin can be viewed, but also the engagement with a specific video, even providing a graph showing how far into the video does engagement start to decline. This is usually when users either stop watching the video or pause it to do something else and never return to it. The knowledge of where exactly into the video users lost interest helps in reshaping digital approaches which, when tweaked, might potentially be successful in optimizing campaigns. Working for an NGO doesn’t mean one cannot be competitive, for a good cause. Tools like SEMRush and Twtrland might be of assistance if you wish to keep an eye on competitors in terms of social media engagement, exposure, and propagation of messages. Such tools have faced criticism in terms of their effectiveness, but at least they are able to give a general overview of the digital maneuvering of the NGO you work with, and ones similar to it. Gladly, multinational NGOs and their local offices have been privy to the importance of social media in changing lives.

99 CLOUD961

Past EVENTS

AL WADI AL AKHDAR ORGANIZES “TASTING SEASON” TWEETUP

By Selim Njeim, Associate Editor

@seleemnjeim

I have personally grown up watching Al Wadi Al Akhdar’s TV commercials, signing along to the music and craving different types of canned and frozen vegetables. Since then, Al Wadi has grown as a company, on more than once front, though. They now offer a larger selection of healthier, more sophisticated products. Al Wadi organized a tweetup on August 21 at Crepaway’s rooftop space in Sodeco where influential individuals active on social media were invited to taste the latest additions to Al Wadi’s products, the new range of eight sqeezable sauces: Mustard Relish, Ginger Teriyaki, Barbecue, Roasted Chipotle, Cocktail, Garlic, Lemon Tartar, and Buffalo Mayo. Crepaway generously catered the event, providing a broad choice of foods to align with different tastes. The sauces and Crepaway treats formed a good mélange of enjoyable early-night snacks. In addition to the tasting of the menu, network100 CLOUD961

ing, social mingling, and Twitter activity, the event featured a blindfold tasting game: 4 attendees were blindfolded and given a spoonful of different sauces; they then had to guess what the sauce is. A tag-and-tease activity was also scheduled. The invitees were encouraged to upload a picture of what they are having and tag a friend in attempt to tease them and make their mouths water. Attendees were also invited to match their personas with the sauce that aligns with their characters best. People would pick out a sauce and tweet something like, “If I were a sauce, I would have been the Lemon Tartar.” Commenting on the event, Cynthia Bou Jaoude, social media specialist at Al Wadi Al Akhdar said, “The event was a success, where 40 bloggers and online influencers attended the event and got the chance to try 8 different squeezable

sauces with Crepaway’s special menu for the occasion. Tweeps and bloggers shared their experiences, pictures and not feedback online via twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We got hundreds of tweets, instagram posts, Facebook posts, mentions and pictures.” Al Wadi Al Akhdar has been on-the-ball with social media since 2012. Their online presence was first activated through their Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages, as well as via the subsequent launch of their official website and blog. At first their Facebook page managed to garner almost 60,000 likes. Al Wadi Al Akhdar has become one of the leading Lebanese lights in brand awareness and engagement through social media. Their Facebook activities have included multiple draws, namely «Kitchen Follies», «Veggie Trivia», «Guess the Dish» cooking competitions, “In Every Home” application, and much more.

Past EVENTS

TIME CAPSULE X TEDxLAU travels with their audience through time. By Yara Nahle

@yarabee2

In a country plagued with inflation, youth unemployment, and unrest, it has become easy to fall victim to a pessimistic, fatalistic attitude. To get out of this rut, we have to keep reminding ourselves that improvement is on its way! However, how can we do that if we’re still looking at life with the same perspectives, i.e. the same lense? This year, TEDxBeirut’s theme “Changing lenses” slipped in just in time, to remind us that change is possible after all. It’s high time we let go of our hopeless attitudes and looked at life differently. By inviting speakers who had already set change in motion, the talks uplifted our spirits and inspired us to look at reality with new eyes. First off, investigative journalist Habib Battah inspired us to move forward by setting the example himself. By revealing how he had saved a ruins site from being swept under a 150 billion-dollar project, he compelled us to post pictures and ask questions online. Through our powerful digital tools we, too, can cause a media frenzy which would lead officials to take action. Next on was seventeen-year-old developer Jihad Kawas who managed to wake us up by encouraging us to pursue our dreams. Having founded three companies, and currently running Saily, a social marketplace app, Jihad highlighted the flops of our educational system, a system which only serves itself and fails to develop our children’s potential and talents. Interestingly enough, the topic of educational reform was brought up by a couple of other speakers like Wissam Yafi, Lebanese-American technologist and educator, as well as Majdi Saad, editor in chief of Science and World magazine. Yafi encouraged everyone to adopt new ways of “self-education” and to incorporate the “Smart” element into the learning process, through technology. As for Majdi Saad, he stressed the importance of launching an initiative whereby the students establish connections, meaning integrate their scientific knowledge with real life. He is in the process of launching hidden symphony curricula, whereby students start asking questions to integrate their scientific knowledge into real life. Unlike Majdi and Yafi, Sarah Hermez didn’t content herself in telling us to bridge the gap; instead, she provided a real-life example of how she bridged the gap between education and real life. Through funding from her parents, and a little help from her teacher in New York, Sarah founded Creative Spaces Beirut (CSB), a free fashion design school for

individuals who lack the resources to pursue their degree. In her school she integrates different fashion design subjects and doesn’t compartmentalize knowledge into boxes. Thus, her teaching experience is wholesome, creative and fresh. To spice it up some more, Roy Armale, Director of Geometry Global, urged us to make our life a bit more difficult—not too difficult, though, but challenging enough for us to take action. Dima Boulad fit that example as she recalls how she launched her Beirut Green project, a project that encourages the development of green spaces in Lebanon. Similarly, Imad Gemayel, an architect, introduced his concept of “converted architecture”, a concept which makes use of space creatively, more efficiently, preserves nature and makes it possible to pursue different activities simultaneously. The talks continued with Lubna Izzidin, Ashekman, Kimberly Samaha and Nabil Hassan. Lubna walked us through her mother’s illness and how she had come up with the idea of founding SANAD, the Lebanon-based home hospice Organization of Lebanon. The Ashekman twins stressed the importance of our Arabic heritage and recounted the struggle they encountered in turning their hobby into a profession. They gave us a glimpse of their graffiti, their street wear, and music. The only confusing talk seemed to be Kimberly Samaha’s. At first we thought she was going to talk about sex and desire’s role in technology; in the end, her talk turned out to be about teaching people how to communicate. Last but not least, Nabil Hassan, with his natural, positive, hopeful attitude, managed to truly convince us how important our electoral votes were. He talked about his work in LADE (the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections) and how he started supervising elections in 2005. People have started acknowledging LADE’s initiatives, so change is on its way despite the impeded progress. n the whole, the event was really interesting and fun. Performers O Karim Khneisser, LABAN, and FZ helped break the event’s pace to instigate some freshness in-between. The atmosphere was good; even the breaks were not boring. Social space activities, like those held by Kids-genius, Lebtivity, Cirquenciel, and BlueGold helped keep the atmosphere alive. Wheelchair racing was also on schedule. In the end, people left with a full stomach, a good feeling, and a big goodie bag to relay the story.

101 CLOUD961

Past EVENTS

TEDXBEIRUT CHANGES LENSES, SHARPENS PERSPECTIVES By Yara Abboud

@slidingskater

In a country plagued with inflation, youth unemployment, and unrest, it’s become easy to fall victim to a pessimistic, fatalistic attitude. To get out of this rut, we have to keep reminding ourselves that improvement is on its way to Beirut, hopefully. However, how can we do that, if we’re still looking at life with the same perspectives, i.e. using the same lenses? This year, TEDxBeirut’s theme, “Changing Lenses”, slipped in just in time to remind us that change is possible after all. It’s high time we let go of our hopeless attitudes and look at life differently. By inviting speakers who had already set change in motion, the talks uplifted our spirits and inspired us to look at reality with new, fresh eyes. First off, investigative journalist Habib Battah inspired us to move forward by setting the example himself. By revealing how he had saved a ruins site from being crushed under a USD 150 billion project, he compelled us to post pictures and ask questions online. Through our powerful digital tools, we, too, can cause a media frenzy which would potentially lead officials to take action. Next on was seventeen-year-old developer Jihad Kawas who managed to wake us up, so to say, by encouraging us to pursue our dreams. Having founded three companies so far, and currently running Saily, a social marketplace app, Jihad highlighted the flops of our educational system, a system which only serves itself and fails to develop our children’s potential and talents. Interestingly enough, the topic of educational reform was brought up by a couple of other speakers like Wissam Yafi, Lebanese-American Technologist and educator, as well as Majdi Saad, editor-in-chief of Science and World Magazine. Yafi encouraged everyone to adopt new ways of “self-education” (learn what you think is important and learn it by yourself if there’s no one to teach you), and to incorporate the “smart” component into the learning process, through technology. As for Majdi Saad, he stressed the importance of launching an initiative whereby the students would establish connections, meaning integrate their scientific knowledge with real life. He is in the process of launching hidden symphony curricula, whereby students start asking questions to integrate their scientific knowledge with day-to-day tasks. Unlike Majdi and Yafi, Sarah Hermez didn’t content herself in telling us to bridge the gap. Instead, she provided a real-life example of how she brought education and real life closer to each other. Through funding from her parents, and a little help from her teacher in New York, Sarah founded Creative Spaces Beirut (CSB), a free fashion design school for individuals who lack the resources to pursue a paid degree. In her school

102 CLOUD961

she integrates different fashion design subjects, and doesn’t compartmentalize knowledge into separate boxes. Thus, her teaching experience is wholesome, creative, and fresh. To spice it up some more, Roy Armale, director of Geometry Global, urged us to make our life a bit more difficult—not too difficult, though— but challenging enough for us to take action. Dima Boulad illustrated that example as she recalls how she launched her Beirut Green project, a project that encourages the development of green spaces in Lebanon. Similarly, Imad Gemayel, an architect, introduced his concept of “converted architecture”—a concept which makes use space creatively, more efficiently, preserves nature, and makes it possible to carry out different activities simultaneously. The talks continued with Lubna Izzidin, Ashekman, Kimberly Samaha and Nabil Hassan. Lubna walked us through her mother’s illness, and how she had come up with the idea of founding SANAD, the Lebanon-based home hospice organization. The Ashekman twins stressed the importance of our Arabic language heritage and recounted the struggles they’ve encountered in turning their hobbies (Arabic calligraphy, graffiti, and rap music) into a profession. They gave us a glimpse of their graffiti, their street wear line, and music. The only confusing talk seemed to be Kimberly Samaha’s. At first, we thought she was going to talk about sex and desire’s role in against the backdrop of technology. In the end, her talk turned out to be about teaching people how to communicate face-to-face rather than teaching them ethics. Last but not least, Nabil Hassan, with his natural, positive, hopeful attitude, managed to truly convince us how important our electoral votes were. He talked about his work with the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE), and how he has been monitoring elections since 2005. People have started acknowledging LADE’s initiatives, so change is on its way despite the slow progress. On the whole, the event was really interesting and fun. Performers Karim Khneisser, LABAN, and FZ helped break the event’s pace and any potential boredom and instigate some freshness in-between talks. The atmosphere was good; even the breaks were not boring. Social space activities like those held by Kids Genius, Lebtivity, Cirquenciel, and BlueGold helped keep the atmosphere alive. Wheelchair racing was also on schedule. In the end, People left with a full stomach, a good feeling, and a big goodie bag to relay the story.

LAUNCHING SOON

Past EVENTS

A TRIP AROUND LEBANON THROUGH THE LENS OF LG G3 LG Electronics organizes a Bloggers Trip

LG Electronics organized an exploration trip for 10 social media influencers around Lebanon which included Lebanese bloggers covering the technology, food and lifestyle sectors. The trip was held on September 27 and 28 and included different stops around Lebanon full of fun and adventure. The aim of the trip was to introduce the bloggers to the newly released Smartphone, the LG G3. The hashtag used for the trip was #MeetLGG3, which bloggers used across social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) to blog their experience throughout the 48-hour trip. The bloggers were introduced to a number of unique features that the G3 Smartphone offers, from the 5.5-inch Quad HD screen to the 13MP camera equipped with the advanced OIS+ Laser Auto Focus feature which allowed them to take stunning pictures of Lebanon’s most astonishing sceneries and touristic spots. Commenting on the trip, the Managing Director of LG Electronics Levant, Mr. Tae Hun Ryu said, “We, at LG Electronics, believe in the power of social media as a tool to spread the word of mouth and increase aware-

104 CLOUD961

ness; we found in Lebanon the perfect canvas and a unique platform to shed light on the unique features that the G3 has to offer.” He added, “The reception of the phone in the Lebanese market has been excellent so far due to the fact that the Lebanese customers have an appreciation for high-end products like the G3. We organized this trip for 10 of the most influential bloggers in Lebanon to launch the LG G3 and create social media content that educates the Lebanese customers about the various features of the LG G3, like the Knock CodeTM, the long lasting 3000 mAh removable battery and the Selfie Camera, to name but a few.” The trip route started with a visit to Harissa by the teleferique where the bloggers had the chance to take striking panoramic pictures from the Lady of Lebanon monument using the LG G3, moving to an adventurous excursion on the quads in Faraya, among other activities such as karting, bonfire dinner, a tour in the Jeita Grotto, a visit to the Lebanese Army Shooting Club and finally some pampering time at one of the most premier spas in Broumana, Lebanon.

Past EVENTS

MIX N MENTOR AT BEIRUT DIGITAL DISTRICT

By Elsa Abi Khalil

@ak_elsa

The young entrepreneurs community of Lebanon has gathered up for Mix n Mentor 2014, a comprehensive advising session hosted by Wamda on September 27. Mix n Mentor is a one-day event starting from 9 a.m. until around 6 p.m. where entrepreneurs meet together to discuss the issues they are facing with their pre-launching, post-launching, or established and running startups. In order to be better advised, Wamda has brought together the finest selection of mentors who are actually experts in their respective fields, with names such as Dr. Philip Boigner, VP of Investments at Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Fund Manager at Comgest and Regional Angel Investor, and Elie Habib, founder of Anghami.

The sessions, of 1 hour each, were roundtables. Each roundtable had its own topic concerning the major challenges and difficulties entrepreneurs inevitably face while running the operations of their startup. Funding, team building, customer acquisition, and building partnerships were among the topics discussed. After each session, the entrepreneurs moved to another roundtable. Each time, the entrepreneurs introduced themselves and their startup, provided a brief summary of their journey and highlighted issues relevant to the topic bound to that particular table. They asked for advice and the mentors gave honest and proper directions, sometimes pointing out plausible partnership solutions.

At the end of the day, all the entrepreneurs came together to speak about their personal experiences, their fears, and their failures. But by the end of the day, what I had retained, what I had retained of this useful counseling event is that first and foremost, you need to be passionate about what you’re doing because there are going to be hard times and your enthusiasm will make tough moments more manageable. Second, the culture of the company is very important and it is sustained by hiring the right people. Open mindedness is crucial to be able to adapt to the customers’ demands and strive in a business world where the customer is king—you’re never going to be more important than your customers!

105 CLOUD961

Past EVENTS

THE GODFATHER NIGHT AT CAVALLI Caffè

Thursday September 18 was not a regular night at Cavalli Caffè in downtown Beirut. Thanks to Mohammad Hijazi, Social Media Awards creator, the online active community came together for a spectacular Godfather-themed dinner. While the outdoors section remained available for the restaurant’s loyal regulars, the interior was reserved out for the entire event. The

106 CLOUD961

tables were beautifully decorated according to the theme: cigars, red roses, and plastic shooting guns, in line with Mario Puzo‘s famous trilogy. Beirut’s most dynamic bloggers enjoyed taking pictures in black & white outfits while wearing their Borsalino hats. Additionally, this reunion was meant to intro-

duce the launch of Cavalli Caffè’s new menu and the selection of succulent foods. The guests enjoyed a selection of fine cuisine, from the unique Cavalli Salad, zebra ravioli, eggplant parmigiana, to the famous gnocchi with gorgonzola and truffle oil. Not ready to leave after the sumptuous seated dinner, the guests ended their night dancing to the sound of Tarentella Siciliana music.

Past EVENTS

SNEAKERS WOULD PARTY TAKES OVER MAR MKHAYEL

As part of its global campaign entitled “Sneakers Would”, Converse set out to inspire spontaneous fun, taking the everyday and turning it into the unforgettable. The ‘Sneakers Would’ The campaign unfolded across Beirut, engaging hip and trendy youth with the brand of sneakers. At Radio Beirut in Mar Mkhayel, a cool lineup of talents partied the night away with the hyped out crowds.

instrumentation; MC Allan Chaaraoui, who got the crowd hyped up and DJ Cesar K, who spun the coolest beats into the early hours of the night. The crowds that turned up were spontaneously invited, having received branded bracelets, to take part in the event. Once inside, guests took to the ‘Sneakers Would’ wall, inscribing courageous statements and spontaneous thoughts.

Taking to the stage, the lineup included FareeQ El Atrash, an Arabic hip hop band from Beirut, with true-school style, topical flows and live

This event was part of the unveiling of the Converse All Star collection featuring new silhouettes and elevated detailing. Featuring a

sleek, monochromatic look, the new Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Rubber protects from rainy day weather and music festival mud pits, perfect for the fall season. New detailing on the Chuck Taylor All Star also includes the Back Zip and Tri Zip, which incorporate zipper detailing to create a stylish look perfect for the fall season. Distressed washes and contemporary graphic prints also get highlighted this season to create a modern collection fashioned through a vintage inspired lens.

107 CLOUD961

FUN

#SMLaughs

SUMMER = SOCIAL MEDIA SUICIDE By Darine Sabbagh

@sdarine

Social media and tech gizmos have seeped into every aspect of our lives. In this column, Darine Sabbagh curates the curious and funny anecdotes on how these new media have transformed our day-to-day interactions. Share your own stories with her on Twitter on @sdarine #SMLaughs or e-mail sdarine@cloud961.com. Summer is not only the season of vacation; it is also a time when community managers get depressed because no matter what they try to do, engagement and reach keep dropping regardless of their efforts toward trying to boost content. Thankfully, autumn is right around the corner and the numbers are climbing back again. But here is some teenage wisdom I picked up from my sister, which every community manager should know to cheer up a bit and clear up confusing mysteries. My sister, 17, has around only 500 followers on her protected Instagram and she posts around a photo a day. Usually it is a well-edited selfie she took with her Canon D 60. I asked her why she wasn’t posting anything for the past few weeks of summer. “Normally we post between 8-9 because that is the time all our friends are on Instagram so I will definitely get 200 likes in one hour. But now in the summer everyone is online at different times, so I don’t want to post and [oh shame] get only 100 likes in the whole day! Not worth it!” Besides that, here is some additional knowledge I was able to pull out of her: After exams teenagers feel burnt out and just want to relax and disconnect; They are seeing more of their close friends than ever before; when alone they prefer just to browse the timelines without doing anything or being noticed; Their parents drag them to the beach or “beit el jabal” where there is no Wi-Fi and they prefer to use their 3G for private gossip; They are traveling and doing other reckless stuff; they do not have time to be online and they don’t want you to see what they are doing and who they are with. So, if you are working in digital media join me in welcoming back autumn, a time when we’re sure our competitions will have good results and our posts’ likes will become more leveled off!

108 CLOUD961

DR. CLOUD

You should thank the clouds that I'm on vacation this

month, but I've still got my eyes [and Google Alerts] on all of you!

Vacation Mode

DR.

109 CLOUD961

HOROSCOPES FIRE

WATER

Aries (March 21 – April 19) You’ve been dreaming about that vacation for a while now, so it’s time to make it happen. Choose your destination and start planning the trip as soon as possible. Apps like Tripomatic will help you by allowing you to enter a destination, the period of your stay and will then plot out all the attractions and things you can do on a map. Pretty nifty, eh? Taurus (April 20 – May 20) It’s time to take a break from the online world and return to reality for a while. Not only is your addiction putting you at risk of alienating your friends and loved ones, but it may cause you problems at work too. If you can’t control yourself, you can find several add-ons for you Internet browser that will allow you to control the amount of time you spend on social media websites and even temporarily block them. Gemini (May 21 – June 21) GEMINI (MAY 21 – JUNE 21) It’s going to be a very busy week ahead and you might have some trouble keeping track of all the tasks and events at hand. Now would the perfect time to invest in a handy to-do app (like Any.do), otherwise you may just end up forgetting about that important meeting or worse, the big Tweetup coming up that EVERYONE is going to. Cancer (June 22-July 22) In situations involving work or money, be diplomatic when asking questions. This is a good time for you to connect with people to move forward in business, but subtly find out relevant information. LinkedIn is an ideal place to start especially since you should tread lightly when delving in other’s business.

EARTH

AIR

and ideas with others, however your priority is to fulfill your goals and commitments.

Libra (September 23- October 22) Your concentration isn’t the best these days, and you find yourself working on one specific task for a few minutes, and then switching to another. In order to avoid wasting your time and energy, do yourself a favor and get organized! Evernote is just one example of an organizational app that can help you become more productive and keep track of those tasks! Scorpio (October 23 – November 21) Worries over the situation of a lover or close friend who seems to be posting depressing thoughts could plague you this month, yet you may hesitate to contact this person and ask what’s wrong because you don’t want to intrude. Nonetheless, you should. All is not as bad as it seems, and your concern will be appreciated. Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21) If you need to to shift gears, then you need to stop working. Close facebook, trash the to-do list and drop all work-related business. Don’t just put them down, put them away for quite some time. You need some hardcore RandR, but with the roll you’ve been on recently, you might also need help loosening up — a back rub, perhaps, or just a nice, long chat with a pal. Capricorn (December 22 – January 19) Misinformation might spread through your extended family or neighborhood and cause unnecessary upsets among those involved. Don’t accept at face value any gossip or rumor you hear today until you check it out yourself, Capricorn. It could turn out to be a tempest in a teapot.

Leo (July 23 – August 22) Try not to be too controlling today. Let go of some of your responsibilities and give yourself some breathing room. Let someone else from your circle’s Whatsapp group decide where you’re all going for dinner. Let another team member take control of the social media accounts for the day. Let your sibling take charge of teaching Mom how to use Facebook, Pinterest and everything in between. You’ll be surprised at how relieved you’ll feel!

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18) Something has been bothering you and it won’t go away until you tackle the problem directly. Unfortunately, you may not realize the source of your emotional discomfort now, making it difficult to resolve the situation. Don’t blame anyone else for your extreme reactions. Instead, take full responsibility for your feelings and communicate with as much compassion as possible.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You will meet a new person online and shall find their powerful and magnetic charisma quite captivating. Be careful however that he/she doesn’t distract you from what you need to get done and prioritize your responsibilities ahead of making connections with this person. You may be ready for this new friendship and to share your time

Pisces (February 19 – March 20) Someone close to you may not be totally honest. This person could be avoiding telling the truth or hiding something from you in order to protect you. Trust your instincts, Pisces. If someone tells you something important that doesn’t ring true, check it out before accepting one person’s word.

110 CLOUD961

New Foursquare is Ready 1. The to Hit the Stores A couple of months ago, Foursquare split into two apps. Swarm is the social app, where you can locate your friends in nearby places and interact; and the original app remained the same. Just yesterday, the company released the revamped version of Foursquare.

.com Online journal bringing you the latest digital, web, user insights & social media news!

With a new logo and new features, it is dedicated to discovering and remembering places you like or might enjoy. This should bring users to discover the full potential of each app alone.

Kardashian Will Make an 2. Kim Estimated 85 Million Dollars This Year

3. Uber Launches in Beirut

4. Get Heat Vision on Your iPhone!

Kim Kardashian’s legendary derriere is resting on a potential huge pile of money. After rising to fame for her “amazing achievements”, such as being the star of a reality show, she now has one more thing to add to her portfolio: a video game about becoming an internet celebrity. We find it a little redundant – and borderline egotistic – but she finds it lucrative.

In the land of taxis and “service” cabs, the game changer has just entered the stage.

When you bought your iPhone, you probably wished you could get all James Bond tech with it, no?

The game is estimated to generate 200 million dollars this year with only 10 million allocated for expenses. Kim gets a 45% cut of the profit, which amounts to 85,500,000$. Talking about a celebrity that has got no talent but too much publicity!

Meet Uber, a great app to make transportation easy and relaxing. Just open it, tap to indicate your location on a map and a taxi will come pick you up. The bill is automatically paid by credit card through Uber at the end of the ride. The fares are calculated on a time and distance basis which is a great alternative to the random pricing currently applied in local companies. It also eliminates the need to give indications, a problematic task when you live in Lebanon…

Well now you can, thanks to a nifty little device that attaches to your iPhone to enable heat vision. It’s called FLIR (forward-looking infrared device) and it’s basically military-grade gear, sized down to fit your phone. Thermal imaging works by gathering infrared light coming off objects (invisible to the human eye). But you don’t care how it works, you just want to play with it don’t you…

Launches Bolt, 5. Instagram Upsets Other Bolt App

Google Analyzes Trends 6. How to Make Perfect Tweets

Ephemeral messaging is the new trend and Instagram is not immune to it.

You know how you’ve been trying to make your tweets go viral for ages but it never worked?

Case and point: They have just released Bolt, their version of Snapchat (although it’s closer to Mirage). The problem here is that Bolt is an exciting app that aims at competing with your voice carrier’s call and SMS plan. Even though the services provided differ, the original nameholder is not happy about the prospect of having competition on its name especially one that is owned by Instagram and subsequently Facebook.

Well Google is way ahead of you on this one! The company’s data scientists have been analyzing the trends and how people respond to them, then using this data to craft tweets that go viral, especially when it comes to the World Cup. What’s interesting in NPR’s study is that Google chooses to steer away from negativity and keeping tweets positive, even when Brazil lost or when Neymar got injured.

Inside China’s Internet 8. Step Addiction Camps

9. GoPro Channel, Now on Xbox

10. Welcome to Twitter School!

Being one of the most well-versed countries in technology, it makes sense for China to be the first one to recognize internet addiction as a mental disorder.

What’s better than watching sports on TV? We’d say watching sports through the eyes of the athlete.

Twitter is a wonderful platform full of useful content and news and pictures and…. Hashtags.

It was also the first to open internet addiction camps, facilities made especially to cure teenagers and show them what life looks offline. They have go through continuous psychological examination and military-like training; and yes, it does look like Full Metal Jacket!

www.trendingbytes.com

That’s exactly what GoPro is aiming for with their new endeavor. They’ve opened an Xbox channel that lets you stream activities live. You can now watch skydiving, snowboarding, motorbiking and more, just as if you were there. The channel also lets you share your favorite videos with friends, download the GoPro app or purchase products and accessories.

facebook.com/trendingbytes

Can Now Use Facebook to 7. You Alter Your Mood Facebook’s mood alteration experiment is the biggest internet fiasco we’ve seen in a while. And yet it raised an interesting point: how does our news feed affect our state of mind? Since only 700,000 people were affected by the experiment, artist Lauren McCarthy created a plugin called Facebook Mood Manipulator. You get to choose between positive, aggressive, emotional and open and the software will tweak your news feed for you. What would be your pick?

Millions of them, everywhere, it’s overwhelming! And the worst part is, if you’re not fluent in Twitter lingo, good luck trying to understand half of them. Lucky for you, our friends over at the San Francisco headquarters are willing to teach you. Relax you don’t have to go to class but soon, the hashtags that are most widely used on the platform will be explained. All you’ll have to do is roll your mouse over it and the explanation will appear. Welcome to twitter lingo simplified!

twitter.com/TrendingBytes

111 CLOUD961