Mind Soup

I can vividly remember the first time I was briefed about the concept of Cloud961  by our managing director. Back then, I had no time to even think about anything outside of the realm of the first Social Media Awards (SMAs) in Beirut, which were coming up. There was just so much to do. I must say I was skeptical about how the concept of the magazine would be received by the online community and digital agencies in Lebanon, knowing how the local vibe is generally tainted with competition and jealousy. At that point, Cornerstone PR, the publisher of the magazine, wanted to sponsor the SMAs, but did not want to be a traditional sponsor with brochures and roll-up banners related to their work. They wanted to give back to the online community and put their voice through a louder speaker, and attract a relatively traditional audience who still believes in print media. Cloud961 was born on April 30, on the night of the SMAs, as a gift to the online community in Lebanon. We start...

Earlier this month, I was invited to speak at the 3rd Arabian Social Media Forum hosted by Promedia in Kuwait about the state of e-commerce in the Middle East. My presentation from that talk was featured in the Business section and Retail section on SlideShare . Check it out below. You can also read more about the state of e-commerce in Lebanon in Cloud961 's 7th Issue ( pdf  | online ).

Facebook vs. LinkedIn advertising: which one is suitable for your business? A version of this article was published in Entrepreneur Middle East and Entrepreneur Qatar magazines on pages 52-53. Without a doubt, online advertising has become a necessity for businesses, brands, and organizations online. It allows your content to be exposed to a wider audience, but it requires a lot of attention and knowledge of the market. Knowing how to use the advertising tools available on platforms is just as important as having the budget to do so- study your target audience, then choose your medium. Before you start an online advertising campaign, you should consider all of the following factors. • Your objectives for the campaign What are you hoping to achieve from the campaign? Is it brand awareness, acquisition, increasing likes, call to action, competition participation, etc…? • Your target audience Who are your customers or users? Who do you think will be interested in particip...