Ahmed Nassef

Yahoo! Business & Human Rights Program and Yahoo! Maktoob host “Change Your World! Cairo” Summit on Social/Digital media

editor — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:25:41 -0800

Yahoo!’s Business & Human Rights Program, and Yahoo! Maktoob, and in partnership with Vital Voices, hosted the first “Change Your World!” summit on women and social and digital media in Cairo on January 18.

The summit brought together women in leadership from across the Middle East and North Africa to showcase and share lessons learned on how women are using technology, the Internet and social media platforms to create positive change in the world.

Moderated by award winning journalist and human rights activist Mona Eltahawy, participants focused on how technology and media can amplify women’s voices and support women’s leadership in four specific areas: women’s economic empowerment, political leadership, journalism, and human rights and women’s rights. Attendees were also able to share experiences, collaborate on best practices and spark innovation.

Panelists and participants include:

Maria Al Masani, social media pioneer and founder of Yemen Rights Monitor;

Fida Ouri, deputy director of NISAA FM in the West Bank, one of the first all-women, non-political radio stations in the Arab world;

Shereen Allam, Egyptian entrepreneur, co-owner of Eco-tek and founder, Association for Women's Total Advancement and Development;

Lara Ayoub, Jordanian digital media pioneer and digital media director, Al Ghad and Al-Waseet

Dalia Ziada, Egyptian women’s rights activist and blogger who has been hailed by the international media as one of the most influential women in the world;

Lamees Dhaif, Bahraini journalist and human rights activist.

“Women across the Middle East and North Africa are using the Internet, technology and social media to learn, to lead, to inspire, to connect and to change the world. We are hosting this summit to shine the light on extraordinary women, to facilitate an ongoing exchange of ideas, and to identify areas where companies can use their technology and platforms to amplify women’s voices,” said Ebele Okobi, director of Yahoo!’s Business & Human Rights Program.

Summit sessions included, “Technology and Economic Empowerment,” “After the Revolution: E-lections and E-governance,” “Journalism, Women and the Internet” and “Safety Online for Women and Activists.” There was also a screening of excerpts from ‘Women, War & Peace,’ the documentary series that tells the stories of women in conflict zones around the globe, which included the award-winning documentary ‘Pray the Devil Back to Hell.’ The event concluded with a session entitled “What’s Next? Continuing the Conversation” – a facilitated workshop to elicit ideas for tools, platforms, technology and media to foster and promote entrepreneurship, political leadership, journalism and women’s rights.

Ahmed Nassef, Vice President and Managing Director, Yahoo! Maktoob, Middle East and North Africa, said, “Since Yahoo! acquired Maktoob two years ago, we have grown to become a trusted destination for many who come to us for news and information, and to connect with like-minded people on our forums. We are very proud to be hosting this event as an extension to our online platform, especially as we discuss a topic that is so relevant to our region and these times.”

Vital Voices president and CEO Alyse Nelson said, “At this time of exceptional change in the Middle East and North Africa, we have a unique opportunity to engage in a conversation on the power and possibility of women’s leadership. We are proud to partner with Yahoo! as we convene some of the region’s pioneering voices in social and digital media for this innovative event.”

MENA Cristal Festival announces first jury presidents and speakers

editor — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 03:47:48 -0800

The MENA Cristal Festival will be opening its doors on the 21st February for the 7th edition of this prestigious event and is now calling for entries for the 12 official competitions.

The 7th edition of the MENA Cristal Festival is back with a bang. This year there will be one new official competition: PR. The Festival is also reinforcing the Young Directors Forum for its 5th consecutive year to look for the future regional talented directors.

Putting creativity at the heart of the event, the Festival is now calling for entries for the twelve official competitions for agencies to enter their work and have their chance in winning a coveted Cristal award.

The deadline is 20th January for entries in Film, Outdoor, Print, Radio, Integrated, Corporate & PR and Print Craft.

Entries in Cyber&Mobile, Promo&Direct, Production and Media have already been judged by a MENA represented International Jury during the 11th Edition of the European Cristal festival which has been held in Crans Montana (Switzerland) from the 7th to the 11th of December 2011.

The jury Presidents made of the leading international experts, will be reviewing the Award entries and will choose which ones will honor and represent the best work in the region and anticipate the forthcoming international Awards will feature:

Chris THOMAS, Chairman and CEO of BBDO Asia, Middle East & Africa and Chairman of Proximity Worldwide will preside the Film, Print, Pint Craft, Outdoor, Radio and Integrated Jury. He ran Proximity London, then moved to Asia where he built Proximity from the ground up. For the 5th consecutive year, BBDO was the most awarded network in the Gunn report and at Cannes 2011.

Filip NILSSON, Executive Creative Director & Chairman of Forsman & Bodenfors Sweden will chair the Cyber Jury. F&B has been ranked as the World´s 3rd best independent agency and in 2011 the Gunn Report named F&B the worlds no 1 digital agency.

Belinda ROWE, Managing Partner worldwide from Zenith Optimedia Group has been appointed as President of the Media Jury. Belinda has been in senior management of creative and media agencies over the last 13 years – she ran Publicis Mojo in Melbourne in 1995 before taking up the position of managing Optimedia in 1997 to create an award winning agency. In early 2010 Belinda joined the ZenithOptimedia Worldwide office to become Managing Partner – Worldwide.

Marco TINELLI, CEO of Fullsix Group will chair the Consumer Marketing Jury (previously featuring on the Promo & Direct Jury). For the last 12 years, Marco Tinelli has participated in the creation and development of innovating marketing strategies for numerous Start Up companies and major media groups on a European level. In addition, he is considered as an authority on next generation marketing in Europe as founder of the Fullsix Group, after having found Grey Interactive and developing the interactive activities of the Publicis group.

This year the Cristal Festival emphasises its position as a supporter of young talent by reinforcing the Young Directors Forum, which is a free contest for young directors who would like to get into advertising. So if you know of any young talent that deserves a break into the competitive world of advertising this could be their big one! The Cristal Festival continues to invest in new talent and the finalists will receive an all expenses paid trip to attend the event.

The Mena Cristal wants to increase the quality of its speakers, be the place for creative directors to unleash their creativity and inspire each other through debates and discussions, with some guest appearances from people outside the creative universe. The first speakers announced are:

Emma WILKIE, General Manager of the Gunn Report

Fernanda ROMANO, Former Global Creative Director Digital & Experiential - Euro RSCG Worldwide

Dan FUNDERBERGH, International Designer

Ahmed NASSEF, Vice President & Managing Director, Yahoo! Middle East

Goetz TRILLHAAS, Head of Agency Business development CEEMEA, Google Worldwide

Yahoo! Maktoob introduces Yahoo! Mail in Arabic

editor — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 01:00:21 -0800

Yahoo! Maktoob, the premier digital media company, debuted Yahoo! Mail in Arabic. The new service offers a fully Arabic interface that is intuitive and packed with the great features of the global Yahoo! Mail. As one of the largest and most trusted email brands in the world, the new Yahoo! Mail brings Arabic conversations to life within an experience that is fast, safe and easy to use.

“The global Yahoo! Mail is a very popular and leading email service in the region, and we’re very excited to be bringing that same fantastic experience in the Arabic language,” said Ahmed Nassef, Vice President and Managing Director, Yahoo! Middle East. “Maktoob was a pioneer in Arabic email, but people today have come to expect a more sophisticated email service and a full communication solution with premium features. This is where our new Yahoo! Mail in Arabic leverages Yahoo!’s global capabilities for a rich and more personal communications experience,” he added.

Yahoo! Mail in Arabic offers a host of features that include:

Lightning Speed: Leveraging Yahoo!’s cloud technology, Yahoo! Mail in Arabic provides fast performance even in regions where only basic Internet speeds are offered.

Spam Buster: Advanced SpamGuard technology and a new anti-phishing platform have reduced spam reports in Yahoo! Mail by 60 percent and help protect people from email hackers and unwanted instant message conversations. Globally, Yahoo! Mail blocks more than 550 billion spam messages per month.

Your Personal Archive: Store and organize all your important email and attachments. There's unlimited space, so keep all your messages, photos and videos as long as you want.

Social Infusion: People can instantly respond to messages from Facebook, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Mail and other webmail providers with a new, easy quick reply bar. Additionally, people can view photo slideshows, inline videos and more from within their inboxes. People can also check out photos and videos that friends and family send via Flickr, Picasa and Youtube through the Inbox.

Conversations Aren’t Just Email: Yahoo! Mail in Arabic prioritizes messages and contacts that matter most. When people want to compose an IM or send an email they will find their most frequent contacts and lists shown to them. People can now also chat with Facebook friends alongside Windows Live and Yahoo! Messenger contacts and view all of their past IM and text conversations within Yahoo! Mail.

Tailor Your Inbox: People can choose from over 50 vibrant themes and stationery options to express their personalities and customize how they view messages and contacts.

Mail Search Redefined: A mail search experience leverages Yahoo!’s wealth of search science and technology to help people get answers faster by finding the right emails. When searching through Yahoo! Mail in Arabic, a right-hand refinement column appears, letting users easily navigate, sort and narrow the search results by sender, attachment file, date, or folder location.

Lack of awareness in digital marketing a major barrier to Middle East businesses

editor — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 22:33:38 -0700

Digital marketing is capturing the imagination of Middle Eastern businesses, revolutionising client engagement and unlocking increasingly innovative ways to boost the bottom line. But according to research published this week by Dubai based research company Real Opinions, 37% of businesses say their organisation's use of digital marketing is poor and a further 30% claim that effective and accurate assessment of return on investment is inadequate.

In a separate study by digital marketing experts Econsultancy, entitled 'The State of Digital in MENA', while investment is increasing, a lack of knowledge is becoming a major barrier to online marketing. According to the report, 58% of businesses in the region are increasing their digital budgets this year, and 53% doing the same for mobile marketing.

Social media is also thriving, with 56% of Middle Eastern companies currently using social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter to attract business - but nearly 39% of the marketing professionals surveyed said that a lack of understanding was holding back digital marketing that was effective and influential.

A sentiment that is backed by some of the region's - and the world's - most influential digital marketeers: "As the Internet continues to evolve as a creative platform for marketers, it is developing into a digital canvas which offers marketers a medium that in many ways rivals the impact of broadcast and print advertising. But in order to unlock the full potential of this online channel, we need to create more awareness about the possibilities that the digital world offers," said Ahmed Nassef, Vice President and Managing Director, Yahoo! Middle East.

GITEX Digital Marketing delves into this exciting new development, providing attendees of GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK with a unique opportunity to assess, evaluate and realise the full potential of what is rapidly becoming an essential business tool.

"GITEX Digital Marketing is a great platform to provide such essential insights to marketers and business leaders," added Nassef.

Key areas of focus include the increasing importance and adoption of Search Engine Optimisation, web analytics, bulk email providers, as well as internet payment gateways and online shopping.

With sponsors including Yahoo Maktoob (Pearl Sponsor), Ikoo (Emerald Sponsor), ICANN (Opal Sponsor) and Khellan and TkXel among the exhibitors, Gitex Digital Marketing will be strongly attended by experts hailing from digital creative agencies, email software companies and mobile advertising, among others.

Trixee Loh, SVP, Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK, said: "GITEX Digital Marketing will be an important segment at the event and will offer an excellent opportunity to assess the benefits of what is potentially one of the most lucrative advertising arenas in a relatively untapped Middle East market.

"The future for digital media and marketing in this region is extremely bright and there is a very real need for some practical advice and insights on how to optimise these opportunities. Gitex Digital Marketing will provide that."

Baher Esmat, ICANN Manager of Regional Relations, Middle East, added: "GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK's new Digital Marketing feature is a great opportunity for brand owners and business leaders to learn more about the new generic top-line domains (gTLDs) Program. ICANN's session on new gTLDs will be an opportunity to share information, and to inform GITEX participants on the application process and the way forward."

Following three decades of continued modernisation, GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK will this year further expand, providing new features which reflect growing regional and global trends, offering new highlights to exhibitors and attendees alike.

GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK 2011, taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre from 9 - 13 October, is introducing brand new elements to reinforce its position as the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region's to further cement its position as the leading 'finger on the pulse' technology event. Other new features for 2011 include GITEX Digital Marketing, and Cybersecurity@GITEX, two of the most relevant ICT sectors to the business community today.

As one of the three largest ICT exhibitions in the world, the show connects more than 136,000 industry professionals from five continents with over 3,500 suppliers, and is one of the most influential and high-profile events in the global ICT sector today.

Fifth Annual GMR Marketing to Women Conference 2011 reveals women's top internet site genres

editor — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:06:45 -0700

Women in the Middle East control about 22% of wealth; this is just one of the key findings revealed at this year's 5th Annual GMR Marketing to Women Conference which took place at The Address Hotel, Downtown Dubai recently.

Gulf Marketing Review (GMR), the leading resource for marketing in the region and a Mediaquest Corp. publication, lined up a host of the region's leading marketers for the one day conference, attended by 250 marketing and corporate communications professionals.

The event revealed fresh insights, new attitudes and behaviour as part of a deeper drill into what women really need from brands. The conference opened with an exclusive unveiling of a Connectonomics study from Yahoo! Maktoob.

Yahoo!'s Connectonomics conducted research aiming to explore the needs of women, how different online channels deliver on those needs, and how marketers can communicate to women more effectively based on what we know about how each channel meets their specific needs. To date there have only been three studies conducted worldwide; in the US, Canada and now the Middle East of which the findings were revealed during the conference.

The research - which studied Arab women in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt - was presented by Ahmed Nassef, vice president & managing director, Yahoo! Middle East.

"Our main focus for this research was three fold; firstly we identified the internet needs of women; then the online channels that best meet those needs; and finally the channels through which women are most receptive to marketing and advertising messaging. These findings are a huge coup for businesses as this segment of the market has remained a mystery for too long. The more specific our knowledge is about our audience the better able we as an industry are able to communicate with them," he said.

Turning more generally to lifestyle, research company AMRB in a joint initiative with JWT discussed the New Age Muslim women who is eager to embrace change and socio-economic advancement but, crucially, does not perceive this as violation of her strong faith and sees no contradiction between modernity and the practice of Islam.

When it comes to finance women in the Middle East control approximately 22% of wealth while in the UAE specifically, they control around 58% of weekly/monthly spending. This topic was addressed by Vikram Krishna, Head of Group Marketing and Branding, Emirates NBD who warned that the needs of women across the region are not yet being met. Their confidence in the system and overall knowledge of how best to make use of their money is an issue which banks must address if they are to retain female consumer confidence. The Middle Eastern woman wants confidentiality and security for herself and her children with concise information that is easy and quick to apply he added.

Commenting on the 5th Annual GMR Marketing to Women conference, Co-CEO of Mediaquest Corp, Alexandre Hawari, said, "As promised, this year's conference delivered unique insights through in-depth research on what women really want in the region. The increasing importance of the subject matter is clearly visible through the caliber of our sponsors who included Yahoo Maktoob, Rotana Media Services, Al Aan TV, Patchi, Kaya Skin Clinic, Haya MBC, dotmena and Fox. The line-up of speakers this year, as always, delivered intelligent and knowledgeable solutions, while offering creative ideas to help companies engage with their female consumers."

The presentations and discussions given throughout the conference highlighted emerging global trends by providing the latest tools and techniques to help marketers connect more deeply with one of the region's most influential consumer bases; women. With exclusive research, packed with insights, thought-leadership and case studies, the conference is a positive step geared towards helping regional and global brands communicate more effectively and to create deeper, longer lasting relationships with the region's female consumers.

Yahoo plans to launch mobile website for Arab world

editor — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 22:31:45 -0700

Yahoo plans to introduce a mobile website tailored for the Middle East this June, to exploit the region’s booming smartphone market, according to The National. Internet users in the Arab world who currently browse Yahoo are redirected to US or UK mobile sites. However, with the new localised front page, Middle East content – such as text or video based news, entertainment and sport - will be presented in Arabic as well as English and supported locally.

Global smartphone shipments are expected to grow 25% per annum to reach 926 million in 2015, according to International Data Corporation. An estimated 1.7 million smartphones were shipped to the United Arab Emirates alone in 2010, a jump of 46% on the previous year’s figure.

Ahmed Nassef, Yahoo! vice president and managing director of Yahoo Middle East, told The National that over four million users in the Middle East and North Africa currently access Yahoo! via mobile devices, and it is expected that vists would rise substantially with the launch of its Arabic site and the growing use of smartphones in the region.

Read more.

Yahoo! Maktoob broadens its MENA network; extends presence to Morocco

editor — Thu, 12 May 2011 02:56:15 -0700

Yahoo! Maktoob announced today that it has now extended its sales support operations to Morocco as it grows its offices across MENA. The new operations in Casablanca are set to service the advertising industry in the North Africa region and provide on-ground support to clients as they increasingly turn to online advertising.

Ahmed Nassef, Vice President and Managing Director, Yahoo! Middle East said, “Today, we have expanded our regional footprint with offices in Dubai, Amman, Cairo, and while we continue to grow, it is important that we extend our presence to the Maghreb. The Moroccan market is very strategic for us, and we see traffic coming from there with users looking for content that is relevant to them.”

He added, “The advertising industry in Morocco is also increasingly looking at digital, and as the industry leaders in display advertising in MENA, we want to be able to provide brands here with the ability to connect with consumers through more relevant, measurable and personal online engagement. The Yahoo! Maktoob homepage today attracts millions of users across the region, and we are very excited to have our sales team on the ground in Morocco ready to service the local advertising industry.”

The Yahoo! Maktoob homepage, launched in November 2010, brings together the best of the Web with the best of Yahoo! Maktoob in a single destination in Arabic and English, providing users with engaging local and global content for news, sports, entertainment, and much more.

The homepage also incorporates the latest innovations in content personalization, making each experience relevant to users while allowing them the opportunity to adjust their homepage to suit individual preferences.

In addition to bringing Yahoo!'s world-class line-up of communications and media properties to the Arab world, Yahoo! Maktoob continues to innovate with products catering to audiences in the region such as OMG! celebrity news site, which brings all the latest details of the Middle East’s entertainment news in Arabic. The Helwa women’s portal has grown to be one of the region’s most popular destinations for news, health and family tips, as well as fashion reviews. Rich media content is also provided through the Video-on-Demand service, bringing content from major Arabic satellite channels.

For Advertisers, Yahoo! has built its strategy around three main concepts, offering advertisers a unique combination of science, art and scale to reach consumers.

“Through the Yahoo! Maktoob homepage, we are able to offer new opportunities for brands by creating true digital experiences that connect users to what matters most to them, utilizing innovative tools that have never been available to them before,” added Nassef.

In recent months, Yahoo! Maktoob has introduced a series of innovative advertising products that bring the best in digital technology, creativity, and measurement to advertisers in the Middle East and North Africa.

Some of the new technologies that Yahoo! Maktoob has ushered to the region include capabilities that can get the right ads in front of the right customers at just the right time. It also rolled-out a series of developments in its advertising and market research services, from ROI tracking to syndicated country surveys and reports, which emphasize the importance and benefits of campaign measurement that online advertising can provide.

Multimedia formats available on Yahoo! Maktoob properties have also been enhanced to deliver rich consumer experiences on the digital canvas. The company is already a regional leader in the field of display advertising, with detailed screening, video and banner placements now available that emphasize audience interaction through more diverse placement options.

“Today’s advertisers have budgets that are under much closer scrutiny; they need to ensure their campaigns are hitting exactly the right audiences every time, especially as online consumers are ever-more discerning about the relevance of the advertising content presented to them,” concluded Nassef.

Yahoo! Maktoob pioneers new technologies in digital advertising for the Middle East

editor — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:09:07 -0800

Joined by some of the region’s leading players in the advertising and media industry, Yahoo! Maktoob presented a series of its latest innovative advertising products that bring the best in digital technology, creativity, and measurement to advertisers in the Middle East. The products introduced are based on several key advancements in measurement and creative tools—offering brands the ability to connect with consumers through more relevant, measurable and personal online engagement.

“Yahoo! has built its strategy around three main concepts, offering advertisers a unique combination of science, art and scale to reach consumers. Through the Yahoo! Maktoob homepage, which today attracts millions of users from across the Middle East and North Africa, we are able to offer new opportunities for brands by creating true digital experiences that connect users to what matters most to them, utilizing innovative tools that have never been available to them before,” said Ahmed Nassef, Vice President & Managing Director of Yahoo! Middle East.

Ushering in a new technology to the region, Yahoo! Maktoob demonstrated capabilities that can get the right ads in front of the right customers at just the right time. It also unveiled a series of developments in its advertising and market research services, from ROI tracking to syndicated country surveys and reports, demonstrating the importance and benefits of campaign measurement which online advertising can provide.

Multimedia formats available on Yahoo! Maktoob properties have also been enhanced to deliver rich consumer experiences on the digital canvas. The company is already a regional leader in the field of display advertising, with detailed screening, video and banner placements now available that emphasize audience interaction through more diverse placement options.

“Today’s advertisers have budgets that are under much closer scrutiny; they need to ensure their campaigns are hitting exactly the right audiences every time, especially as online consumers are ever-more discerning about the relevance of the advertising content presented to them,” added Nassef.

Econsultancy announces its inaugural Digital Cream Dubai Event

editor — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 10:51:33 -0800

Econsultancy, the global leading source of independent advice and insight on best practice digital marketing and e-commerce, has announced its inaugural Digital Cream Dubai event, in partnership with GEM, on 12th April 2011. The event will bring together 120 senior digital marketing and e-commerce experts to discuss best practice online marketing and e-commerce, and will feature two keynotes and 14 independently moderated roundtables on various digital marketing disciplines including online advertising, sponsored by Yahoo! Maktoob, social media, email, web analytics and search marketing.

Delegates will then discuss online channel investment, technologies, agency selection and local challenges that they all face in delivering best practice digital marketing and advertising.

Yahoo! Maktoob, is the Platinum sponsor of the event. Ahmed Nassef, Vice President and Managing Director of Yahoo! Middle East, said, "We're very happy to support Digital Cream Dubai, and contribute to the development of the digital community in the region by facilitating platforms for sharing of expertise and best practice. As the region's leading online destination, Yahoo! Maktoob is focused on offering audiences the best content online, as well as enabling advertisers to get the right message to the right consumers in quality context."

Attendees already confirmed include the heads of digital at ITP Publishing, twofour54, Dubai Financial Market, Dubai World Trade Center, Jumeirah Group, Moevenpick Hotels & Resorts and Nokia.

Digital Cream Dubai will also be host to the launch of the results to the State of Digital Marketing survey, carried out in association with ArabianBusiness.com and aimed at marketers in the Middle East and North Africa. The research will uncover how companies in the Middle East are currently using digital marketing and allocating budgets, exploring the use of marketing channels such as email, search marketing and online advertising.

Econsultancy has strong international credentials in the delivery of online marketing training and already runs Digital Cream in London, New York, Chicago and Singapore. As a publisher of best practice reports and how-to guides, Econsultancy's unique position at the centre of a community of 97,000 members worldwide ensures that it's training, events and reports offers the very latest, practitioner-led insight.

New Yahoo! Maktoob homepage empowers users to make the web their own

editor — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 12:41:33 -0800

Yahoo! Middle East has launched a new homepage that brings together the best of the Web with the best of Yahoo! Maktoob in a single destination across all devices in Arabic and English. With the new homepage, Yahoo! Maktoob’s 32 million users can easily add applications – from Yahoo! or virtually any other site on the Web – and access them from any device so that their favorite content, services and experiences are always at their fingertips.

Rich Riley, SVP and Managing Director of Yahoo! EMEA, commented on the launch: “Internet usage in the Middle East has grown more than 1000 percent since the year 2000 and shows little sign of slowing. With the launch of our new Arabic and English homepage we aim to provide the millions of internet users in the Arab world with personally relevant content, making Yahoo! Maktoob the centre of their online lines by connecting them to the people and things that matter to them.”

Since Yahoo!’s acquisition of Maktoob in November 2009, the company has maintained its commitment to strengthening and supporting locally relevant content on the internet, combined with the best tools and services from Yahoo! properties. Yahoo! Maktoob offers all Yahoo!’s popular applications plus a choice of applications connecting users to virtually any site on the Web, from Facebook to Helwa. It also provides users with engaging local and global content for news, sports, entertainment plus much more, which can be tailor-made to each individual’s taste.

By enabling this high level of personalization, Yahoo! Maktoob allows people to get more done, faster and all in one single place – offering them a centre to their life online. It also offers people the opportunity to connect with friends, followers and colleagues simply by clicking the relevant icon for their preferred social networking platforms and sharing. Personalising the homepage is easy: users simply need to sign up and personalise the page with the intuitive edit tool.

Ahmed Nassef, Vice President and Managing Director of Yahoo! Middle East said: “The new homepage is an opportunity for online users to have all their content personalized, tailor-made and adjusted to suit each individual’s preferences. For example, if someone is an avid football fan and regularly reads about football within the Yahoo! Maktoob News and Sports section, the homepage will recognize these habits and will display the latest football relevant news the next time this person visits. If, for example, the online user then changes their browsing habits to only read information about basketball, the home page will recognize this and will start presenting basketball-relevant information.”

Yahoo! Maktoob’s homepage gives online users one place to access the people and things that matter to them most…in both Arabic and English. For Arab countries excluding the UAE, users who access the yahoo.com website for the first time will be redirected to maktoob.yahoo.com in Arabic, and for those that visit Yahoo.com from the UAE, will be redirected to en-maktoob.yahoo.com in English from mid December. Once users visit the website for a second time, the homepage will automatically take them to their preferred page, either yahoo.com or Maktoob.yahoo.com. Users will also be given the option of switching between sites with the Maktoob link at the top left or right of the page, depending on which language the site is in.

Make Yahoo! Maktoob your home; visit http://maktoob.yahoo.com for Arabic speakers and http://en-maktoob.yahoo.com for English speakers.