Mind Soup

Screenshot of OTV's twitter page I just stumbled upon OTV's account on twitter. Not surprisingly, they fail at the first rule of social media: Social Media is an INTERACTION between a company and its customers (fans, followers, etc..), i.e. there should be TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION between the brand and the fans. If you check OTV's twitter account, they have almost 2000 followers but they are following ZERO people. If you look closely at their tweets, they are basically regurgitating news headlines in their tweets, no interaction, no responding to replies, no nothing. This totally beats the purpose of social media. If you think being on twitter will get you more viewers, then you are wrong. THE WHOLE POINT IS FOR YOU TO DIRECTLY INTERACT WITH YOUR FANS . By not following anyone, it not only shows you as an egocentric company who only cares about blasting your opinions to everyone, but you are also not creating any value for yourself or your customers. If you decide t...

What is Tamanna? Tamanna is an NGO in Lebanon that grants wishes of children with critical illnesses to give them joy, strength and hope. Fulfilling a child's wish provides an escape from a difficult reality, restoring time for laughter. It allows the child to live a magical experience and to share unforgettable moments with his family. Any child between 3 and 18 years with a critical illness may be eligible for a wish. Tamanna currently grants an average of three wishes a week. Some granted wishes A boy's wish to be a fire fighter for the day A gitl's wish to be a princess. A boy's wish to own a play station portable The above photos are just a glimpse of what wishes Tamanna has granted. From having a wedding for a young couple at the Children Cancer Center of Lebanon, to introducing the children to celebrities (such as President Suleiman, PM Hariri, basketball teams) and unforgettable trips to Rome, Istanbul, Paris and Disney land to owning laptops a...

This is a guest post by Di Kar. Di is a Sudanese political science undergrad at the American University of Beirut. Follow her on twitter @ D3akar Politics and what not. The Arab Spring has been the highlight of everything I have read over the past few days from twitter, aside from numerous newspapers and Italian politics. Your probably wondering why I am mentioning Italy, right? Hold that thought. The Arab Spring, that started with a man in Tunis and sparked mass protests in countries from the Maghreb to Yemen, has now shifted the whole scope of the Middle East and North Africa region. It is, to me, a much needed breeze of change for a region that has been stagnant under the fists of despotism and western influences. For the first time, I feel optimistic about the region. Egypt is pulling weight, and heading towards democratizing its system of government - despite all the challenges - nevertheless, the sleeping giant has awoken. Perhaps the Palestinian diaspora might be resolved or ...

James Wolfensohn [Communicated via e-mail to the AUB community] Dear AUB faculty, students, staff, and friends, You will have heard that Sir James Wolfensohn has decided not to attend the Commencement ceremonies on June 25, during which the university had intended to award him an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters and had anticipated hearing him give the keynote speech at graduation. His decision was taken in the aftermath of a petition that was organized by several faculty members at AUB, then circulated to the faculty and student community, as well as to our alumni, who were specifically encouraged not just to sign the petition but to write letters of protest. In the wake of predictable coverage by the media, the press in Lebanon have given wide notoriety to the issue as well, apparently based primarily on the wording of the petition, which is highly selective in the information it provides. The coverage has been mostly, and unfairly, critical of James Wolfensohn...

The Lebanese are perhaps the best people when it come to adopting a new technology or trend. This has been evident lately in the use of social media in business: Although this move is considered to be late in comparison to the West, Lebanon and Jordan are the pioneers of this social revolution in the Middle East, especially in business. However, whenever the Lebanese get their hands on a new toy, they become very "creative" and try to abuse that tool until it cannot breathe anymore. I'm just gonna speak about a few misconceptions and tips about social media and how it applies to the Lebanese businesses. Social media is NOT a fad A lot of Lebanese brands think that social media is a fad, that it is a one-time thing that they have to implement and it will eventually go away. They think it is a one-time campaign, they will pay a couple of hundred or thousand dollars and that's it. Well let me tell you this. Social media is not going away anytime soon. So you guys ...

A Concert featuring Algerino and Faudel in Memory of TALAL KASSEM, 17 year old young man hwas killed while crossing the road going to school by a raging driver… Talal Kassem (Photo from facebook) Proceeds of the concert and other contributions will go to "The ROADS FOR LIFE, Talal Kassem Fund for Post Accident Care" for training of Emergency physicians. Trauma surgeons and Emergency physicians from hospitals ALL ACROSS Lebanon will be offered the Advanced Trauma Life Support course (ATLS). This course will improve the chance of survival for injured victims on the roads in the first 60mn of the accident known as the GOLDEN HOUR. "The ROADS FOR LIFE, Talal Kassem Fund for Post Accident Care" will cover the fees for as many physicians as possible in as many sessions as needed. Upon completion of the course, they will receive Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Certification from “The American College of Surgeons” , committee on Trauma, Chicago, Illinois....