Networking Oman.

Most of us have a Facebook account whether we are active on it or not. For some it has helped track down old friends and stay in touch with friends and family who are scattered around the world. For others itAAEs the daily - or hourly - fix they canAAEt live without. The question is, is there room for any more online socialising in our lives? Some developers in Oman seem to think so and have set up sites to back their beliefs.

The developers

For Thomas Maarseveen and Ceren Koca (pronounced Jeren Koja), omanlog.com started out as a hobby. At 18 years and 17 years of age respectively, they are the two youngest developers we spoke to (Ceren is still in school). Thomas whoAAEs from Holland said, AoIn Holland we have hyves.nl and Russia has its own version of Facebook. Both are more popular in their countries than Facebook.Ao Ceren added, AoTo create a group in Facebook you need to invite them to be your friends first. You canAAEt meet new people that way. With omanlog you donAAEt have to know people to make friends.Ao The way it works is all new members are displayed on the homepage and can be contacted on the site - whether they choose to accept each other as friends is then up to them. On Facebook you have to know someone by name (or user name) to find them.

Tariq Hilal al Barwani who is behind omanwall.com agrees about the need for a local network. AoOmanwall is customised to the people of the country. ItAAEs unique and its localised and we will keep adding features based on what our members want.Ao Tariq says that Omanwall users might maintain an account with Facebook at first but he expects that this will change, AoWe offer everything that Facebook offers plus more. Anyone who signs up with us gets the full benefits of knowledgeoman.com as well. This includes seminars, events and programmes where members can meet face to face. Besides, technical

assistance and advice is available with one phone call. Try getting that from Facebook.Ao

Clearly, understanding what members want is critical. Christy of oneoman.com said, AoOur site is like a cross between aol.com and Facebook.Ao A general portal with news, games, videos and music as well as social networking, the

portal uses its social networking area to get the pulse of what its members are interested in and then customises its main page accordingly. AoWe will be concentrating on the news segment as we move forward,

however our social network is important to us,Ao he added.

The fastest changing media in the world, the Internet by its very nature is about immediacy and relevance. About a month ago at around 12.25am, the earth moved, literally, for a few seconds. Within half an hour, I went online and googled earthquake. In a couple of minutes, I knew that there had been a quake of 7.2 on the Richter scale in Pakistan. ThatAAEs immediacy. And as far as relevance goes, the Internet feeds you exactly what you want when you want it. Which brings us to the oldest of the sites we looked at.

Set up by Satyabrata Acharya last October, weeebelong.com was conceived as a YouTube-style service where people in Oman could upload video clips, songs or photographs to celebrate National Day. Satya said the site had 350,000 hits in its first three months. But a recent visit showed that the last video to be uploaded went up on the night of that earthquake. Satya said, AoDeveloping a platform is easy. The challenge is in keeping the momentum going. Basically, people bring in the content and content brings in the people.Ao This isnAAEt happening but Satya said that he hasnAAEt given up. New applications and features are on the way.

Active networkers

An active blogger, Bader al Hinai said, AoIAAEm a big fan of social networking. Not just for socialising with friends and family, but also to know whatAAEs happening in the world. ItAAEs one of the fastest ways to get information.Ao With reference to Facebook, he said, AoThey are always introducing new things. Why would I go to any other site? Besides, I donAAEt have the time to sign up to three or four.Ao

Another old hand on the networking front is Osamah al Abdullatif. Anyone who has visited omanforum.com will know him as Muscati. Osamah said, AoIAAEm not sure that these sites offer anything new. If they are just a copy of Facebook or Twitter, it doesnAAEt make sense. Personally, I donAAEt feel that there is a need unless they have something unique to offer.Ao

But people who have visited the local sites have found merit in them. Peixin Mo and Saki Charles Bakhit are both students who have Facebook accounts but feel that omanlog.com is far more convenient for staying in touch with friends in Oman. DanZak, a musician from Oman, said local sites are more in touch with what local people want and need.

For savvy businesses, social

networks offer a great opportunity that makes economic and strategic sense. Susan Proctor, manager of the fashion store Totem at Jawaharat AAAEShatti, said, AoWeAAEre very active on Facebook. WeAAEve been on it for a year and a half and update our page at least three to four times a day. The Facebook revolution couldnAAEt have come at a better time for us.Ao Visitors to their Facebook page can see what the latest arrivals are, request items and reserve merchandise to be

collected later. Susan hasnAAEt been to any of the local sites but says she certainly intends to.

With so many local social networking sites to choose from, one thing is certain - when the dust settles, not all of them will have survived. Some might consolidate with others to offer users a better and more meaningful experience and the survivor will be the one who keeps it most current or has that big idea that makes it relevant and worth being a part of.

Apex Press and Publishing

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