Without a doubt, over the past few years social media has revolutionized the way people communicate with each other around the world and has changed many lives. Its positive impact has been witnessed and experienced by millions of people around the globe. For this reason, Knockbook, Kuwait's leading online advertising firm has sponsored Social Media Day 2012 which happens to fall on June 30th of every year.

Initiated and inspired by the need to celebrate the occasion differently, Knockbook's sister company Socialobby along with Social Media Club-Kuwait Chapter have worked together to bring about an interesting documentary highlighting the impact social media has had on the local community and corporate institutions in Kuwait.

The documentary showcases interviews with industry experts such as university professors, communications specialists, bloggers, market researchers, strategists and business owners speaking about their own experience with social media and giving the viewer insights and facts about the status of social media in Kuwait. 

In a recent report produced by Dubai School of Government analyzing data on Twitter and Facebook users in 22 Arab countries, it has revealed some interesting statistics placing Kuwait in the forefront in many categories. For example, as of September 2011 Kuwait had 117,304 active Twitter users in comparison with 90,462 in the UAE and 19,271 users in Lebanon. Kuwait had also the highest percentage of tweets during the month of September 2011 with 30% compared with 19% for Saudi Arabia, 16% for Egypt, 11% for the UAE, 7% for Bahrain and 17% the remaining countries. 

Commenting on the occasion and regarding the impressive statistics Kuwait has earned, Socialobby CEO Hind Al Nahedh said: "We believed those numbers needed to be translated into this interesting content to stay online and give a chance for everyone in Kuwait to view it. Our aim is to put Kuwait on the social media map and by celebrating the occasion of Social Media Day 2012 for the first time we hope to have achieved our goal and created more awareness about it."

Worthy of mention, Social Media Day was initiated by Mashable.com in 2010 as a way to recognize the digital revolution happening right before our eyes. Socialobby and Knockbook are proud to have partnered with Mashable this year as they have contributed to taking a step forward in the social media in Kuwait.

Sharjah is in the spotlight this week across the Gulf. The emirate hosted its first GCC road show this year in Kuwait (May 27, Sunday) with leading players of the region's tourism and hospitality sector attending it in large numbers at JW Marriot in Kuwait City.

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority is heading a delegation of the emirate's tourism and hospitality industry to the GCC states as part of its efforts to showcase Sharjah's tourism market and attract more tourists from across the region. 

The Sharjah road show being hosted in association with Air Arabia, the region's leading airline owned by Sharjah, included workshops and presentations by the SCTDA officials and representatives of Air Arabia and hospitality sector on Sharjah's various tourist attractions, cultural offerings and leisure options.

The Sharjah Summer Promotions, beginning May 31, with various indoor events and activities, are a major attraction during the summer.

Visual Interactive Media is going ahead with the plan to expand their channel of partners by signing an exclusive distribution agreement with VOLT, Kuwait's leading media solutions and productions supplier for outdoor and indoor panels. 

"Visual Interactive Media have been successfully practicing distribution partnerships in UAE and KSA", - mentioned Mohamad El Omari, Director of Strategy & Business Development of VIM, and further added:"The agreement with VOLT Media will not only help VIM to expand its geographic presence, but will also contribute to further strengthening of its leading position as an interactive media and design specialists in MENA region". 

"Our aim has always been to introduce the latest technologies to the market. We are looking forward to introducing VIM innovative media solutions to the leading enterprises in Kuwait", - commented Mounir Baydoun, Managing Director of VOLT. 

According to Hany Dweik, Managing Partner of VIM "The results of the studies conducted by VIM Research & Development Department have once again proven high demand for innovative and unconventional ways of customer engagement and brand enhancement in Kuwait, as well as in other Middle East countries. This was one of the major facts to influence our decision to expand the partnership circle". 

VOLT Media & Production will be entitled to distribute the complete range of VIM innovative solutions, including the MultiTouch solutions "ViTouch", the "ViHolo" 3D holographic displays, interactive gesture-controlled technologies and others. It's notable that the latest developments by VIM Invent, company's new department, will also be offered by VOLT Media on exclusive basis for Kuwait market. Those include one of the most up-coming consumer interactive technologies - Augmented Reality, as well as the mobile applications. 

"Striving for excellence and innovation in everything, Visual Interactive Media have very precise criteria for our partners", - comments Mazen Zein, VIM Director of Communication, "VOLT Media perfectly matches all of them, especially when it comes to the uncompromising back-up to its clients in terms of installations, deployment and after-sales support", - he highlighted.

Knockbook, the Kuwait-based online advertising firm, is proud to announce its participation in the Arabian Social Media Conference and Exhibition in Kuwait as the online and digital sponsor.

Taking place for the first time in Kuwait over the 9th and 10th of May at the Radisson Blue hotel, under the patronage of H.E Mr. Salim Alozainah, Minister of Communication, the conference/exhibition is held with the aim to shed light on the importance of social media and the means of implementing it and maximizing its use within communication strategies and business performances. 

Knockbooks participation stems from its aim to share its expertise and knowledge of the online digital industry, and the latest practices and developments being adopted by agencies and companies today. Knockbook is also taking the opportunity to introduce two of its latest additions and achievements; Socialobby, a specialized social media marketing services sister company and www.mkan.com, the social website, which have both been recently launched in Kuwait. 

Socialobby CEO and PR practitioner, Hind Al-Nahedh, speaks at the conference and emphasizes on the increasing and growing demand of digital media, the latest technology trends in Kuwait and their importance on different levels. Several workshops, the support of various speakers from around the world and major companies from the Gulf, contributed in raising awareness on the importance and value of utilizing online and social media as a main business element. 

Al-Nahedh also promotes the vision of incorporating social lobbying and its benefits within an entity, while focusing on the importance of adopting these trends and the importance of keeping up with the ever changing market trends, demands and needs. Staying one step behind in the digital media world is like ten years in the conventional media world; therefore, keeping up with the latest developments and tools can only lead to the success any entity aspire to achieve. 

"We do hope our presence in the market will facilitate the process of applying these imperative online practices and will support your business objectives whether through daily operations or an annual strategy," Al Nehedh added.

It is worth mentioning that Socialobby's social media marketing services include: social media integration (various channels: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and others), online content strategy, reputation management and online PR, costume solutions, social media marketing campaigns, social media monitoring and reports, online surveys and social media events. 

With the addition of Socialobby to its portfolio, Knockbook has set itself apart from other players in the industry. The company has brought all essential elements under one roof; online PR agency, social media agency and a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) allowing itself to create engaging campaigns that combine all aspects needed for a modern day online strategy.

KIPCO - the Kuwait Projects Company - has announced that it will be a Gold Sponsor of the 'Second Arab Media Forum for Youth'. The event, organized by the Arab Media Forum, is being held under the auspices of H.H. the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah on April 28-29.

KIPCO is also sponsoring the 'Ninth Annual Arab Media Forum', which will be held under the auspices of H.H. the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah between April 29 and May 1. The event will discuss 'The Arab Spring of Media'.

 Ms Al Awadhi said, "The media plays an important role during times of change, and it is important to discuss the affect that the Arab Spring has had on this sector. KIPCO operates in many of the countries that have felt the impact of change, and we are delighted to be supporting the 'Ninth Annual Arab Media Forum' which will be focusing on the challenges that journalists and media institutions are facing in the aftermath of the enormous changes in our region."

 Ms Al Awadhi explained that as a Gold Sponsor of the event, KIPCO will be present throughout the four-day forum. Representatives of KIPCO Group companies - including Burgan Bank, Gulfnet and Marina FM - will be taking part in the job fair and exhibition held on the sidelines of the event. The participating companies will outline the range of career opportunities awaiting graduating students in Kuwait's private sector and showcase the broad scope of the activities of the KIPCO Group.

ProMedia International prepares the launch of the Arabian Social Media Conference & Exhibition, the first international event to be held in Kuwait at the Radisson Blu Hotel on May 9 & 10, 2012 under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Communication Mr. Salim Alozainah.

The event Manager of the Organizing Committee, Noor Al-Mousa stressed the importance of this topic at this time, especially in this ever growing digital world which is impacting media and advertising, direct services to institutions, companies and individuals. Among the panel of speakers, includes Mr. Zaid Rahhal who is the Head of Regional Sales at Yahoo!. Mr. Patrick Atallah, CEO of 90:10 Group, a famous social networking consultancy with offices throughout Europe and Middle East. Also, Mr. Ramzi Halabi & Zafer Younis from The Online Project will deliver important presentations on the future of social networks and the reasons that make social media different in the Middle East than the rest of the world. Ms. Rasha Mourtada who is a researcher at the Dubai School of Government will talk about the effect of information technology, telecommunications, government and societal transformation in the Arab World. 

The participating companies are:

•Yahoo! Maktoob is Main Sponsor

•Central Agency for Information Technology is Official Sponsor

•Facelift is Gold Sponsor

•Bayt.com is the Strategic Career Partner 

•Knockbook is Digital Sponsor

•Yabila is Mobile & Registration Sponsor

•Kuwait Finance House is USB Sponsor

•Australian College of Kuwait is Supporting this event.

•From the Exhibitors: The Social Media Club, Ministry of Communication, Kuwait Information Technical Society.

Ms. Noor Al Mousa is calling for those who would be interested in this event. Delegates and participants will learn about the latest social networking technology through a two day conference. All new updates can be found on the event website www.arabiansocialmedia.com

Knockbook was the first to sell online media in Kuwaitand they have launched Socialobby, a company specialized in social media marketing services and has been created to deliver effective social media campaigns for clients to strategically enhance and develop their businesses and effectively reach their online customers. 

Socialobby was launched and introduced during the Proud to Be Kuwaiti 2012(P2BK) event that took place last week, as part of Knockbook's participation at the grand annual initiative. 

Socialobby's social media marketing services include: social media integration (various channels: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and others), online content strategy, reputation management and online PR, costume solutions, social media marketing campaigns, social media monitoring and reports, online surveys and social media events. 

With the addition of Socialobby to its portfolio, Knockbook has set itself apart from everybody in the industry. The company has brought all essential elements under one roof; online PR agency, social media agency and a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) allowing itself to create engaging campaigns that combine all aspects needed for a modern day online strategy. 

Knockbook was officially launched in 2008, Knockbook was the first to sell online media in Kuwait and since then the firm has developed and advanced its services to ensure client satisfaction is met and set goals and objectives are fulfilled. The firm has served more than 500 local and international clients and has achieved more than 300 successful online campaigns. Worth to mention, Knockbook has become a Google AdWords Certified Partner in 2010.

KuwaitNET, a complete Internet solutions provider, announces the launch of VPNPlatform.org in an effort to give back to the open source community which has been a large driver of their business over the years.

VPNPlatform.org is an open source virtual private network (VPN) platform designed to provide users with an easy way to install and manage users in a Web based portal utilizing the famous vpn open source projects. KuwaitNET is a strong supporter of open source solutions to help businesses cost-effectively and efficiently achieve their IT goals.

With international security concerns at an all-time high, VPNPlatform.org is a valuable and secure communications platform to ensure that your business's critical information is only available to the users you choose. In addition, this open source VPN platform provides a simple web management interface.

The source code is available at Github Social Coding. In addition, Kuwaow forking and encourages users to contribute to help grow and optimize the application as a valuable tool. The programming languages and tools usedto build VPNplatform.org are: shell scripting, Bash, Perl, Makeself, Webmin/Usermin GUI (Graphical User Interface), Apache Web Server, 7-Zip Archiver, and APG (Automated Password Generator).

Business Monitor International (BMI) has estimated the Kuwaiti mobile market to grow 192.7% by 2016, Saudi Gazette has reported. The Gulf country's mobile market recorded net additions of about 327,000 subscribers during the first months of 2011, compared with 306,000 during the same period a year earlier. 

BMI maintained its growth expectations for the fixed-line and Internet sectors as there was no new data from the ministry of communications. However, the market research company warned that a combination of continued disconnection of fixed lines because of unpaid bills and increasing fixed-to-mobile substitution poses downside risks to its fixed-line forecast.