2 days ago, one of the great names in  the world was lost.. Steve Jobs, Co-Founder, Ex-CEO & Chairman of Apple the global famous company that became an (iLife Style) for many of us.. innovators of:  iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad & more..

It really happened so fast, we heard the news of him leaving his position as the CEO of Apple (Just like he knew it is the time to leave the world..) & then we heard the news of his Arabic Origins & Syrian Biological father which i was happy to hear.. and then we heard the sad news of his death..

I was impressed by what he achieved and by many of his quotes, but what impressed me more is the impact he left, the profile pictures all over facebook were mainly his picture or a twibbon of his name, also on twitter, on the blos, the news, the web & the TV, everywhere & everyone were talking about him, which made me remember my saying back in the year 2006: “How great it is to die but to remain alive, real life is not how long we live as body, but how long our memory will remain living.” 

Finally I leave you with another great guy comment on Steve’s death.. Bill Gates / Founder of Microsoft said: 

I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.

“Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives.

The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.

For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.”

By: Malik Shishtawi / Digital Marketing & Social Media Consultant.

“Why do we need that budget, we always hear that social media is FREE!!?”

This is a question that I hear every time we used to provide a proposal for Social Media Management services, & I want to explain here the difference between Social Media Services by professionals & Social Media Platforms..

YES its free when we talk about platforms so we you need to create a page on facebook, or a channel on youtube or an account on twitter you don’t need to pay them money for that, & that’s what they mean when they say free! you don’t need to pay thousands of dollars to book that location on that platform, while if you book a location in an exhibition or a mall you will pay even more! (and you will not get that same traffic )..

Anyway, so we understand now that platforms are FREE but what about the services!!? sure not & here is why:

1- When you deal with service provider, you will use their consultants to set your social media strategy which costs consulting man hour!

2- When you deal with service provider, you will get an account manager who is responsible for meetings & aligning with you to keep you up to date & a dedicated one will cost salary!

3- When you deal with a service provider, you will get a social media officer who is in charge to post the content, interact with people to engage them & respond to their comments, that one also is salary based!

4- When you deal with a service provider, you will need someone to design & develop your pages & activities, which means a designer & a developer which again will cost

in addition to the cost of advertising your activities through some social banner, so whats the idea of having a great contest on facebook that is very attractive & with great prize without promoting that contest through social banners which is paid again!

And all of the above explains why it is not worth it to hire someone in-house to do it, because you will be paying salaries that is much more than your monthly fees with an SM agency, in addition to the time you’ll be needing to teach them!

But again, whatever you’re paying for the agency as a monthly fees to adapt & manage your social media strategy & presence, it is much less than the cost of  traditional marketing channels, so if you compare it together, Social media will be almost 10% of the other traditional media budget, which is ALMOST FREE

In the occasion of  the great month of Ramadan, I would like to send my greetings to all MUSLIM friends around the world, and encourage them to invest their time in this month the right way! it is not just a matter of fasting.. as we say everything has a reason..

When you fast from sunrise til sunset you feel the hunger and it is a great chance that you remember that some people are always hungry the way you are now.. not because they are fasting.. but because the are not financially able of managing the minimum food needed for them, while we during Ramadan spread the different types of food on a long table were lot of that food that remains goes to trash…

When you are fasting from sexual needs you really show respect to God and holy month and that you are willing to hold your desire and focus more on your soul needs instead of your body needs, unfortunately.. some people remember to read Holy Quran only in Ramadan..

Finally remember my friends, praying is the base of our religion, so I wonder how some people are willing to fast, while they are not praying, I see it just like eating sweets without sugar!! how can you feel the taste of the holy month without adding the flavors, read some Quran, pray & ask Allah for forgiveness & acceptance, & that inshalla we all meet in Heaven..

Tomorrow is one BIG day that will change my life for ever.. instead of being one man responsible only for myself.. a wonderful girl will share my life, heart & soul.. forever..

I never expected this day will come since I used to live my life happily the way i want without any kind of official responsibilities or commitments.. I hope this day will pass successfully without any problems or surprises!

Wish me luck my lovely friends!

The 2nd Arab Social Media Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; discussed the importance of social media vehicles and their direct effect on various aspects of life nowadays discussing their impact on communications & marketing, business development for SMEs, and NGOs in addition to individual applications by community members.

The forum was inaugurated by Founder and General Manager Mr. Malik Shishtawi under the patronage of H.E. Mr. Abdulaziz Khoja, Minister of Culture & Information in Saudi Arabia, who gave a keynote speech on the social media revolution.

A number of key international figures and specialists in social media participated in the event such as Patrick Atallah from France, Silvia Cambie from the UK, and more.

More than 300 social media-oriented enthusiasts attended the forum.Facebook, Twitter, and My Space were the main highlights of discussions that covered appropriate approaches to dealing with social media in addition to building a successful social media strategy for public relations.

The 2nd Arab Social Media Forum was held at Alfaisaliyyah Hotel & sponsored by great names such as: Google, Ford, Lincoln, Saudi Post, STC Envision, SocialMyMedia, Meyssan, Eye of Riyadh, SocialEyez, Konouz Rima, ME News Wire & Saudi TV.

The forum will be inaugurated on the 8^th of May by the minister of culture and information Dr. Abdulaziz Koja. The Arab social Media forum will discuss the latest topics regarding social media  and its huge return on investments. The Arab social media forum is considered one of the largest forums where the expected number of attendees will exceed 500 participants. The forum will be taking place for one whole day, it will include main speeches by social media specialists, workshops, and discussion panels.

Prominent figures from the social media industry such as Ammar Bakkar from MBC Group, Patrick Attallah from france ,and Silvia Gambie will deliver and discuss key topics regarding social media. the forum will be concluded with two workshops to explain and discuss how to create effective social media campaigns .

Social media is a hot topic now days and it is a very cost effective marketing tool that many companies within different fields incorporate in their strategic marketing plans .The forum will discuss important aspects of utilizing social media vehicles and their direct effect on communication and marketing strategies. Appropriate approaches to use Facebook, twitter, and Youtube will be discussed as well. In addition to building successful social media strategies for public relations.

Social media is a powerful strategy and it is vital to learn how to make use of social media opportunities and how to utilize its channels. so Join us In The Arab social Media Forum where we will provide you with a comprehensive overview regarding all social media relevant topics.

I had a wonderful trip to Turkey where I had the chance to visit two lovely cities: Istanbul & Sakareya (Thanks to Oznur my lovely Turkish friend), Lovely country, lovely sights, wonderful history, impressive industrial revolution & most important: WONDERFUL FOOD

I highly recommend it to anyone who didn’t pay a visit yet

This is one day i cant forget, Woke up to find my mother sitting next to me, to tell me the news that my dear Grandma was no more. We will all miss you!

I still remember the way you smile and talk, and how you always told me about my 1st two years, I was raised between your hands because my dad was in the army & mother was busy helping my father’s family.

Her last days were very tough, 3 types of cancer and pain that I think no one could stand and at the same time no one could help, so I hope now she can find the rest & peace..