Mudawanat: All About Blogging!

ictQATAR is encouraging people in Qatar and the Arab world to take to the blog-waves. ictQATAR is hosting Mudawanat: All About Blogging, on Saturday, December 12, 2009, from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Sharq Village & Spa. The event will feature international and regional blogging experts, as well as interactive workshops.

"Blogging is a tremendous way for people to share their thoughts and engage in society, whether they want to talk about sports, women's rights, business trends or technology," said Howaida Nadim, ictQATAR's Communications Director. "Through Mudawanat we are hoping to energize a new generation of bloggers and show why blogs are an incredibly effective way to communicate - for individuals, businesses, governments and not-for-profit organizations alike."

The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. People can register at www.ictQATAR.qa/mudawanat. ictQATAR encourages existing bloggers and people interested in blogging to attend.

Mudawanat will feature keynote speaker, Jeremiah Owyang, who is one of the fresh, young voices on the social media transformation of business. He is a Partner at Altimeter Group, a social media research and advisory firm. In this role he publishes industry reports and provides social media counsel to clients. He also writes a daily blog called Web Strategy by Jeremiah (http://web-strategist.com/blog) .

Following the keynote address, there will be a panel discussion featuring Ahmad Hamzawi, an Engineering Manager at Google, who is leading a pioneering project on Arabic language Internet products; Raouf Shabayek, a veteran blogger on Arab entrepreneurship; Shabina Khatri, a freelance journalist in Qatar writing both a personal and professional blog; Ammar Mohammed of Al Jazeera Talk; and Mohammed Badawi, a Saudi-based blogger focusing on technology trends.

There will also be two interactive workshops as part of Mudawanat - one for people new to blogging, and a second - for more experienced bloggers looking to take their blogs to the next level. The workshop for new bloggers will address technical aspects of creating a blog, how to write and attract readers. The workshop for experienced bloggers will address new trends in blogging, how to measure your blog's impact and how to integrate new social media tools into your blog.

ictQATAR views blogging as a great way to help increase the amount of Arabic language content online, so Arab voices are heard on a range of issues. There is currently a dearth of Arabic e-content, and while steadily increasing, it is nowhere near the levels of other major languages. At Mudawanat, ictQATAR will also be officially launching its own blog, Digital Qatar, which will focus on the latest trends in information and communication technologies. The first postings can be read at www.digitalqatar.qa.

The Peninsula and Al-Sharq newspapers are media partners of Mudawanat, with ForumOne Communications and Al Jazeera Talk as supporting partners. For more information about the event or to register, visit www.ictQATAR.qa/mudawanat.