Facebook increased its support for Middle East marketers yesterday by holding its first Studio Edge event in the region.

The gathering, in Dubai, UAE, brings together clients and marketers with the aim of improving their knowledge of Facebook’s advertising tools and showcasing examples of best practice. In addition to the one day session, Facebook also made available a suite of online educational tools under the Facebook Studio Edge brand.

“Facebook Studio Edge was designed to assist agencies in keeping up to speed on product updates and best marketing practices on our social network’s platform,” explained Jonathan Labin, Head of Marketing Solutions at Facebook-MEA. “To create a better understanding of this remarkable interactive tool, we have invited key marketers and agencies to our Studio Edge event today in Dubai-UAE, where key Facebook speakers showcased its key features and discussed most effective means of supporting marketers in showcasing their work in the Facebook Studio Edge directory, thus sharing their contributions in the Facebook Studio Gallery with their peers in the industry.”

Available to all agencies and Preferred Marketing Developers (PMD), Facebook Studio Edge covers topics centering on new developments on Facebook pages, changes and opportunities in advertising on the social network’s platform, in addition to general updates in social technology. Each interactive topic, which ranges from 10-15 minutes, can successfully bring participating agencies up to speed on latest news and developments related to Facebook’s tools and products.

“The Middle East is an important and rapidly developing region for Facebook and our relationship with the various agencies and PMDs is built on offering the best tools and platform to reach, promote and engage their clients’ target audiences in the best possible manner,” said Labin. “I am confident the active enrollment of regional agencies in Facebook Studio Edge will contribute positively to their long term marketing strategies.”

Marketers and agencies registered to the Facebook Studio Edge will also be able to tap into a vast array of resources, among them Measurement & Research; Product Guides; Case Studies; Resources & Tools, in addition to Social Business Blueprints.

In order to encourage agencies to highlight their award winning work on Studio Edge, the Facebook Studio Awards was developed to honor agencies for their best submissions. Agencies with awards and those completing a higher number of the Facebook Studio Edge courses will gain better positioning in the search ranks of the directory.

“We will continue to introduce unique and leading edge marketing tools to better serve the advertising industry, and I believe Facebook Studio Edge will add great value to agencies and marketing practitioners alike in the region,” Labin concluded.

In line with the directives and under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University (HBMeU), to drive the adoption of online learning among the youth, HBMeU has announced on Sunday, January 20, 2013, the official launch of its Social Online Learning (SOL) initiative through the social networking site Facebook.

The move is part of the University’s strategy to expand its core academic offerings to include competitively-priced social online learning services that feature training courses in math, science, information technology, English language, business skills and leadership for learners of all ages.

The initiative was launched during the HBMeU Board of Governors meeting at the Dubai Police Officers Club, in the presence of senior government officials and high-profile academic and business personalities.

The Social Online Learning initiative (SOL) embodies the crucial role of HBMeU in shaping the future of education and learning through creativity and innovation, while significantly contributing to the sustainable social and human development in the region and around the world.

Implemented through a strategic partnership with Global Learning S.A.R.L, a specialist in modern learning methods and techniques, the initiative follows an integrated concept that promotes world-class contemporary learning for UAE-based learners of different nationalities and age groups by offering a convenient learning environment characterized by diversity and quality. It provides learners with an innovative social online learning experience through interactive communication with the best faculty who are keen to provide all needed support and academic guidance. As part of efforts to adapt best international learning practices to local needs, HBMeU further revealed that the online content will also be made available in Arabic language, to reach as many learners as possible in the Arab world and therefore help create positive changes in different local communities.

In line with HBMeU’s commitment to ensure the success of the initiative and reach a broader segment of learners of all ages and social status in the best and fastest way possible, a number of strategic agreements have been signed during a recent conference with prominent local and regional institutions.

Aiming to leverage the existing human resources and customer base of the partner institutions to provide the best e-learning service to the community, the agreements were signed with Zein Group, Emirates NBD, Sharjah Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and ARAMEX among others.

The e-learning service initially targets more than 2 million casual learners, while HBMeU aims to eventually expand the scope of the service by signing more strategic agreements with major enterprises, including mobile service operators and banking institutions in the Middle East, Africa and South and West Asia.

H.E. Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai Police Chief and Chairman of HBMeU’s Board of Governors, underlined the importance of the Social Online Learning initiative (SOL) to serve as the first e-learning platform based on Facebook in the Middle East. He pointed out that the initiative provides e-learning services through the learner’s personal account on Facebook, and is conducted in accordance with the highest standards of excellence and quality.

Learners who complete the program will receive certificates, while enjoying a wide range of incentives such as affordable costs, easy payment plans, as well as academic support provided by a specialized contact centre.

Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan said, “The new initiative is inspired by the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, aiming to achieve a real change in education, which is a crucial component in the UAE Vision 2021. The new initiative’s role is not limited to education only; it combines educational and social goals, which are primarily based on promoting social responsibility, encouraging the young generation to responsibly use various practical resources on the internet, and reinforcing the culture of e-learning among the youth. This is all in line with the directions of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President HBMeU, to reach out to all young people in the UAE, the Arab world, Africa and Asia.”

“Under the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, we constantly strive to inculcate the culture of learning among the young generation, encouraging them to take advantage of the full benefits of advanced online learning services by participating in leading initiatives such as the Social Online Learning initiative (SOL) and the University’s platform at Kidzania. We look forward to continuing the hard work as we move on to the succeeding phases of the initiative and draw nearer to our ultimate goal of reaching out to the largest number of learners possible,” concluded Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan.

HBMeU will be offering learners an extensive range of lessons including more than 1,200 online lessons in math, sciences, and IT for grades 4-12, based on the best international curricula. The new social online learning service also includes more than 75 online sessions in business skills for adult learners under 10 categories of soft skills, including Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Communication, Talent Development, Marketing and Operation Management, HR Management and Islamic Banking, among others. There are also more than 600 online lessons in English language for all age groups from 3-4 years to adults, based on Cambridge curricula and exams.

Fujifilm to Donate Money on Behalf of Fans

UAE, 25th July 2012: FUJIFILM has launched a first of its kind Ramadan Application, the ‘Click to Care app’ keeping in mind the spirit of giving during this Holy Month. This new app will allow social media users to digitally donate by the simple act of clicking the ‘donate’ button via the Fujifilm Middle East Facebook and Twitter pages. Fujifilm will monitor the total number of digital donations made and will take the responsibility of giving the equivalent amount to organize a grand Iftar for the construction workers at Al Quoz Labour Camp.

“This innovative Ramadan application allows Fujifilm fans to become involved in a charitable cause during this auspicious month from the comfort of their homes,” said Keitaro So, General Manager, Fujifilm Electronics Imaging Division, MENA. “We are sure that Fujifilm fans are socially conscious and that they will take the time to digitally donate with a click and make a difference.”

Fujifilm will be donating money on behalf of the Fujifilm fans who will contribute by supporting the cause through social media. This activity is an interactive way of reaching out to people in the UAE and working towards a noble cause. Play your part and log on to digitally donate at the below links:

www.facebook.com/fujifilmme
www.twitter.com/fujifilmme #ClickToCare

Katara, the Cultural Village was recently awarded the Best Facebook Interactive Application Award at the Facebook Application Awards ceremony initiated by The Pan Arab Awards Academy, based in Lebanon. The award ceremony took place on Tuesday 19th June in Amman, Jordan.

Katara’s Facebook page has been deemed one of the most active Qatari governmental institutions pages on the internet, effectively communicating in both English and Arabic. The page was set up with the aim of connecting and engaging fans in an ongoing conversation whilst building awareness of Katara’s activities. Since its launch, the Facebook page has successfully attracted more than 36,000 fans and approximately 25,000 checked in through Katara’s Facebook Places.

Faisal Al Haithami, the Social Media Specialist at Katara commented “We at Katara are extremely happy to win this award, and I’d like to thank our loyal fans on Facebook and Twitter for their continuous support. We wouldn’t be able to achieve this success without our fans.”

The Facebook Application Awards aims to promote the innovative spirit of Facebook developers, encouraging them to meet professional and international standards. The awards serve as an inspiration archive, rewarding creators for their skills and to encourage continuous improvements. The awards include 30 different categories, and the jury is composed of more than 10 judges specialized in this area.

Pan Arab Web Awards Academy is a non-profit organization that aims to promote the innovative spirit of web designers, to promote intellectual and production opportunities, as well as to develop an interactive proactive and reactive community.

Facebook announced today the opening of its first Middle East and North Africa sales office. Based in Dubai, Facebook’s MENA team will work with brands across the region to help them harness the power of the world’s largest social network.

At a media launch event, Joanna Shields, Facebook’s Vice President and Managing Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, welcomed the announcement: “The opening of Facebook’s Dubai office - our first in the Middle East - marks an important milestone for us and our local partners.

“In an open and connected world, more and more companies are realizing that Facebook is the place where they can build strong connections with their customers. We are here to share our experience and learn from the many talented, creative people in this part of the globe.”

Facebook’s office is situated in Dubai Internet City, the Middle East’s largest technology business park.

Operations will be led by Jonathan Labin, Head of Global Marketing Solutions, Middle East and North Africa at Facebook. Mr Labin said: “I am thrilled to be leading the team in Dubai. We already have strong partners in the region that are using Facebook in innovative ways to achieve real results. I look forward to working with many more businesses to help them extend their reach and realize the power of social.”

Reducing the spread of malicious links while educating users to make better, more informed decisions

Dubai, UAE – April 26, 2012 – IT security and data protection company  Sophos today announced a partnership with Facebook to help protect users from links that lead to malware or malicious sites.

Facebook will use the website reputation service provided by SophosLabs, Sophos’s global network of research centers, along with their own security measures, to help assess whether a largely distributed link is malicious.

When Facebook users click a link, Facbeook consults its database of malicious URLs to check the status of the link. Starting today, SophosLabs will be feeding malicious URL intelligence into this database. Facebook will inform Facebook users if the link they clicked on is malicious, and users will be sent to a page that offers the choice to continue at their own risk, return to the previous screen, or obtain more information on why the link was flagged as suspicious. Mac users will also be given the option to download the free Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition from the Sophos Facebook Page as part of the Facebook AV Marketplace.

“We are pleased to begin partnering with Sophos to better protect our users both on and off of Facebook,” said Joe Sullivan, chief of security, Facebook. “We believe incorporating Sophos’s industry-leading computer security intelligence, and expertise, will help us provide even more security to those using Facebook.”

SophosLabs is a global network of highly skilled and thoroughly trained analysts renowned for protecting businesses from known and emerging threats, rapidly and immediately. SophosLabs’s expertise covers every area of network security—viruses, spyware, adware, intrusion, spam and malicious web pages. Innovative technologies such as Behavioral Genotype Protection and rapid signature updates are combined to stop new and unknown malware.

“For many hundreds of millions of people, Facebook has become the default forum for sharing and consuming opinions, news and personal content. Because content is typically posted by a trusted source – a friend – many users incorrectly assume links are safe. Scammers often take advantage of the trust relationship to fool users into clicking malicious links,” said Mark Harris, vice president, SophosLabs. “Our partnership with Facebook will educate users to make more informed decisions regarding what they click on and will help reduce the spread of malicious links.”

For more information on this Facebook service, please visit www.facebook.com/security. For more information about SophosLabs visit:http://www.sophos.com/en-us/about-us/company-profile/expertise.aspx .

In an effort to become more accessible to its customers, Oman Air has launched its Facebook page in Arabic, French, Italian and German. With its diversified set of destinations, including Europe, Oman Air now flies to over 41 different destinations and has been steadily increasing its operations, especially in Europe. It currently flies to London, Milan, Paris, Frankfurt and Munich and is soon to launch Zurich in December.

“Our presence in social media is very important to us,” says Mr. Philippe Georgiou, Chief Officer Corporate Affairs,  Oman Air. “It is a platform for customers and well-wishers who can use it to talk to us directly, give us their feedback and engage with us in ways that are comfortable for them. For us, it is an opportunity to share a whole range of our activities, not just in terms of our flights, destinations and offers, but also in terms of our other activities, such as our promotions and sponsorships. These include strategic alliances with successful sport teams on the field of sailing and motor racing, our various participations in events. Additionally, we want to share our pride at winning international accolades and awards.

“We launched our official facebook page over two years ago and it has been steadily growing ever since. With the launch of facebook in four new languages (Arabic, French, German and Italian), we are now expanding our wings to reach out to our customers in the language of their choice,” adds Mr. Mohammed Al Shikely, General Manager Marketing, Oman Air.  “We will also be doing an online contest in November, and we welcome our customers around the globe to log in to our facebook pages and win exciting prizes, which can be won by fans of all language pages including English, as we value their loyalty towards us. We encourage you to join in to enjoy many online benefits and enhanced customer service with Oman Air in the future”

Oman Air has recently been in the news for winning 21 international awards that it has received over the past two years. From being voted the Best Business Class Seat and earning the Best Middle East Staff Service Excellence award by Skytrax, to the best airline flying out of France and the best luxury airline in the Middle East, Oman Air is on a sustained journey to improve all aspects of its operations and continues to exceed its customers’ expectations.

Web page developed by in-house team supports university’s promise of ‘global knowledge with local vision’

September 18, 2011

ALHOSN University, a leading Abu Dhabi-based university dedicated to high-quality value-based education, has launched a new Facebook page to capitalize on the reach and advanced  features of the world’s most popular social networking site.

Developed by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, Facebook is the most visited website on the internet. It has evolved into a central communication tool where people upload content and have access to up-to-date information for business, networking, leisure and socialization. Facebook is believed to be patronized by more than 16 million internet users in the Middle East.

The ALHOSN Facebook page will feature photos, videos and status updates on the university’s latest activities and news. It has been designed to appeal to a broad audience that includes ALHOSN community members, parents, partners, and friends.  

“Although Facebook is commonly regarded as a socialization tool for individuals, it is also carving a niche as a soundboard for various types of organizations. In the Middle East, Facebook has become a venue for youths to hone their technology skills, reach out to friends throughout the region and air their concerns and sentiments. Our new Facebook page supports all these while advancing our goal of inculcating in our students a sense of global knowledge with local vision. We invite everyone to explore its content and learn more about the ALHOSN brand of education and youth development,” said Prof. Abdul Rahim Sabouni, Vice Chancellor and CEO, ALHOSN University.

The ALHOSN University Facebook page was developed by an in-house team led by Mr. Mohamed Farouk, the university’s Deputy IT Director. The project is ALHOSN’s latest initiative to raise its IT-related capabilities. Last year, the university launched an updated version of its web portal to deliver more functionality and services to students, parents, and teachers

Oprah Winfrey

Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey will be doing her first-ever live chat with social media website Facebook on Thursday .

Facebook users can tune into the hour-long live video chat on the site and can leave questions for Winfrey on the page wall created for the event.

The 57 year-old Winfrey has embraced social media. She has almost 6.3 million fans on Facebook and more than 7.2 million followers on Twitter.

Winfrey hosted the final season of The Oprah Winfrey Show in May. She continues to host a prime-time show on the Oprah Winfrey Network television channel, which launched at the beginning of this year.

-upload your fun photos and get  a chance to win Transcend Digital Photo Frame to showcase your fond memories-

Transcend Summer Fun(July15-August15,2011)

New Delhi: 21 July 2011- In order to make this summer, cooler, exciting and fun filled, Transcend invites all its Indian Fans to join the Transcend “Summer Fun” Campaign on facebook and win attractive gifts. Valid till 15th August 2011, this campaign will offer Transcend face book fans to join in large numbers and post their captured memorable moments to win fabulous Transcend Gifts. What’s more! The Indian fans of Transcend will have a wonderful opportunity to take away marvelous Transcend 8 inch PF830 Digital Photo Frame by just joining the Transcend fan club at: http://facebook.com/TranscendIN.

Participating in the “Summer Fun” campaign is quite simple. One just needs to
join the Transcend fan club at: http://facebook.com/TranscendIN,then visit the “Summer Fun!” event page (http://on.fb.me/iXIjiB) ,Click “Like” to post campaign news on your wall and then submit your name and email address to be eligible for Transcend  freebies. One can also invite friends and post at least 10 “Like” screenshots on Transcend’s wall to win a Transcend 4GB MP870 MP4 Player.

The names of the lucky winners, selected at random by Transcend will be announced on 22nd August 2011 on Transcend India Face book. The winner has to furnish relevant information within 10 days to claim their prizes.