Celebrating One Year of ICT Stories!


The ICT Connector's First Anniversary

The ICT ConnectorictQATAR's e-Newsletter is entering its second year
In late 2008, when ictQATAR launched its e-newsletter - ICT Connector - around 1500 readers received the first issue in their inbox. As of this December, over 5000 readers are receiving the e-newsletter each month. It's been an exciting year with stories covering different aspects of ICT issues. In this issue of ICT Connector we look back at the most popular stories based on stories you, the readers, read the most.

These stories are the most clicked and commented upon by the ictQATAR website visitors and ictQATAR's friends on its various social media accounts. The stories in the top 10 list represent a diversity of issues from e-marketing to web accessibility. Take a look back and enjoy these articles for a second time - or for the first time if you missed them in the original issue.

10. "Exit Permit in Two Minutes Thanks to Hukoomi" - December 2008

Appearing in the third issue, this story covered how Qatar's e-Government portal, Hukoomi, has made life easier for the local residents, with government services becoming accessible to all with a single click. The exit permit service - on Hukoomi - was the major highlight of the article. From a lengthy, time consuming process to a simple process that takes only two minutes, organizations are taking advantage of the new convenience. 

9. Telecoms Service Providers and Consumers: Rights & Obligations - December 2008

In this insightful interview Meegan Webb, ictQATAR's Legal and Regulatory Manager, highlighted the rights and obligations of both consumers and service providers. Not only did Webb emphasized how service providers should ensure fair trade in dealing with customers, but also discussed the role of consumers to stay informed and make sound decision based on sufficient information. The interview gained momentum on Qatar Living, Qatar's leading online community portal, with more than 26 readers commenting on the points raised.

8. m-Learning..Anytime, Anywhere

Based on an interactive presentation at ictQATAR's second ICT in Education Conference 2009, Dr. Mohamed Ali, Director and Professor at Center for Distance Education, Athabasca University, Canada, showcased the mobile learning technology. From ink and paper to computers and now mobile phones, learning keeps evolving, and is becoming more exciting and engaging for students.


7. Web Accessibility: Internet in a New "Light" - December 2008

Following a field visit to Al Noor Institution, this story demonstrates how web accessibility can bring hope to the visually impaired. It's a story of strong will and challenges all the way - the dedication of a team of professionals working at the Institute to help the visually impaired lead an independent life using technology.
 
6. Continued Learning for Government Employees - February 2009

This article covered the e-Learning portal collaborative project by ictQATAR's and IAD. The e-Learning portal is a website that gives government employees access to 4,000 online courses that address both professional and personal development. The article caught the readers' interest, and featured interviews with employees who actually used the portal.

5. Realizing the Power of e-Marketing - February 2009

Following ictQATAR's second Business Connect seminar, held on January 17, 2009 and titled: ""Realizing the Power of e-Markting"", this story covered what SMEs could do to leverage their customer relationship management. Borrowing from Rami Adwan, the Deputy CEO of Jordan's largest real estate development company, Tameer Jordan, during his keynote speech at the event, the article featured practical to-do items for small businesses, including internal and external e-marketing plans, how to establish strong web presence and how to ensure secure transactions online.

4. Interview with Pioneering Advocate for the Blind - Harold Snider - August 2009

Just before his passing, ictQATAR had an exclusive interview with Dr. Harold Snider, President of ACCESS for the Handicapped and a pioneering advocate for the rights of the blind. Deep and insightful, the interview revealed a real breakthrough in the field of print accessibility - as Snider showcased the KNFB technology that would no longer impede the visually impaired from reading printed material (KNFB stands for Raymond Kurzweil and the National Federation of the Blind. Raymond (Ray) Kurzweil is a scientist who invented the Optical Character recognition, and the National Federation of the Blind is the largest organization for visually impaired people in the United States). The video was successful on ictQATAR's YouTube channel, but the article created more buzz on Twitter - as ictQATAR's followers re-tweeted the news to their other followers.

3. ICT Competitive Advantages for Businesses - January 2009

In another e-marketing piece, this interview with ictQATAR's Market Development Executive Director, Charles Watt, provided more details on factors crucial to the development of the Qatari market and how fostering competition in the market would impact all players.

2. Online Media 'Clicking' with Audiences - February 2009

In an exclusive interview with ictQATAR, Jawad Abassi, the founder of the Arab Advisors Group, discussed the impact of technology on market research especially with the increase in online communication. Abassi also gave his views on online versus print media and how both versions can create competitive advantages that sustain their readership.

1.Qatar Business Directory - January 2009

Readers of the ICT Connector were introduced to Qatar's Online Business Directory, Fahras Qatar, in the January issue - where the goals of the project were announced. Reflecting on what has been announced in Business Connect 2009, the directory was deemed as ""an electronic mall where you can see the websites of all companies, so the idea is that customers and businesses can take a virtual tour through the portal and navigate 'shops' on the web"". This article has been the most popular in terms of consistent readership since it has appeared in January 2009 until now.

-- By: Mina Nagy






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