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Lovin Dubai expands social media reach

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Augustus, a newly launched media agency and the holding company of online guide, Lovin Dubai, has merged all its social media channels with 7DAYS UAE. Following the closure of the weekly newspaper in December 2016, Augustus has purchased the social media handles for 7DAYS UAE, which has accumulated a massive social media following across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook over the years.

“Social media plays a crucial role in how media is consumed today,” says Richard Fitzgerald, Editor, Lovin Dubai. “We are delighted to take on the profiles of 7DAYS UAE both regarding assuming a broad audience that now has a gap in their daily newsfeed and accepting the responsibilities that go along with it. It is an honour and a privilege to be able to continue the legacy of 7DAYS in a small way.”

Mark Rix, CEO, 7DAYS UAE adds, “Over the last few years, we have built a large and highly engaged audience across our social media platforms due to the high quality and unique nature of our content. We believe that Lovin Dubai will continue to inform and entertain our readers in the same spirit.”

Twitter and Sky News Arabia sign understanding

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Twitter and Sky News Arabia have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch an interactive panel discussion on the social media platform – Twitter’s first partnership with an Arab media organisation. A panel discussion program featuring some of the top influencers on Twitter from different fields and industries will hold monthly discussions, each dedicated to certain regionally or globally trending issues, with each discussion running between 60 and 90 minutes. Participants will Tweet their input in forms of text or video, while a Sky News Arabia representative will moderate the whole discussion in accordance with a set of rules. Followers will then be invited to Tweet their opinions and questions using the program hashtag announced ahead of each session.

“In partnership with Twitter, I am happy to announce the launch of the Niqash Tag program in a bid to cope with the rapid advancements of our audience’s interactive communication patterns, while using innovative methods of content development,” says Nart Bouran, Head, Sky News Arabia. “Sky News Arabia is a media organisation that has always adopted a multi-channel content delivery workflow, whereby we broadcast live stories across all platforms simultaneously, and interact with the audience all along.”

Kinda Ibrahim, Director of Media Partnerships, Middle East and North Africa, Twitter, adds “Our partnership with Sky News Arabia represents a pioneering initiative to engage our users on important topics currently being discussed across the region. Twitter’s increasing popularity has given users a powerful medium through which they can express themselves. Our aim with the Niqash Tag program is to promote dialogue between users and raise awareness of the Twitter tool as a communication platform between individuals, companies and a variety of other users.”

Dubai Lynx to partner with Twitter

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The Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity has formed a joint partnership with Twitter, which will see the launch of the first Twitter Live Young Lynx Competition. Building on the young talent opportunities available at Dubai Lynx, the competition celebrates the best real-time campaign by a brand or its agency, leveraging the speed of social and digital. The Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity takes place between March 6 and March 8, 2016, culminating in an awards ceremony where the winners of Twitter Live will be honoured, on March 9, 2016.

“Social networks are an integral part of our industry today and Twitter is truly a global platform,” says Emma Farmer, Festival Director, Dubai Lynx. “The Twitter Live Young Lynx Competition is an exciting competition which harnesses the instantaneousness and worldwide appeal of Twitter. This generation have grown up with a fresh perspective of how to communicate in an innovative and creative manner and reflect the ever-changing digital landscape. As an International Festival of Creativity, this is what drives Dubai Lynx to continue to invest in diverse young talent.”

Frederique Covington, International Marketing Director, Twitter, adds “From its beginning, Twitter is the first service that people open to see what’s happening in the world right now, direct from the source and live, as it unfolds. As such, the potential for the creative industry to leverage the power of live is limitless. We are excited to partner with the Dubai Lynx Festival to recognise and grow the amazing creativity in the region.”

Sharjah forms Strategic Partnerships

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The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has forged a number of partnerships in order to draw attention to the cultural enrichment of Sharjah. Through these partnerships, SCCI will collaborate with Twitter, Forbes Middle East, Brag Events and Careem in order to raise awareness of the Emirate as a destination for entrepreneurs as well as established businesses.

“Sharjah’s strength has always come from the people who share a love for the city, so it’s only natural that we continue to encourage business opportunities and economic growth as we strive to build the next entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Emirate,” says Sara Al Madani, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Board Member and Member of the ShjSeen Board of Trustees. “This is the first time a Government organisation in Sharjah has partnered with a company like Twitter. Having the best online engagement ranks high on our strategy and our partnerships with Twitter, Careem, Brag and Forbes will give us the means to share with the world what Sharjah fans already know.”

Kinda Ibrahim, Director of Media Partnerships, Twitter, adds “We are excited to work with the Chamber of Commerce to leverage Twitter’s real time, conversational and public network. This partnership will help the Chamber of Commerce connect with people in the UAE and across the world, as well as highlight Sharjah as a centre of excellence for business in the UAE.”

Updates to Twitter Publisher Network

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Twitter has made some major changes to the Twitter Publisher Network – now called Twitter Audience Platform – a feature aimed at helping advertisers connect with audiences beyond Twitter in thousands of mobile apps.

As well as its name change, the Twitter Audience Platform is now being expanded beyond mobile app installs and re-engagements by offering advertisers the ability to drive two additional objectives: Tweet engagements and video views. Both will now be available in beta to all managed clients globally. New creative formats, such as customisable call to action buttons, are also being launched to aid advertisers in engaging with their in-app audience.

Twitter removes 140–character limit from DM’s

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Twitter has removed the limitation of 140 characters from it’s Direct Messaging (DM) service. While Twitter is largely a public experience, Direct Messages allow for private conversations and this is the latest in a number of changes to the service over the last few months such as updating messaging rules and adding a Direct Message button to profile pages on Android and iPhone.

The update to the Direct Messaging service will have no effect on the public side of Twitter, which will continue to limit tweets to 140 characters. The new version of Direct Messaging will be rolled out across Android and iOS apps today, as well as on twitter.com, TweetDeck and Twitter for Mac, and this will continue worldwide over the coming weeks.

Twitter CEO to step down

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Twitter’s Chief Executive Officer Dick Costolo is set to step down from his position on July 1, 2015, having been in the role since October, 2010. The former entrepreneur will remain on Twitter’s board of directors and the company has iterated that Costolo’s departure is his own decision to move on from his role, and that this move will have no financial impact for stakeholders. Former colleagues have praised Dick across Twitter, using the hashtag #ThankYouDickC.

While Twitter’s board hunt for a new permanent CEO, Jack Dorsay – a co-founder of the social networking site, as well as the first person to send a tweet when it launched in 2006 – will act as Interim Executive Officer.

Twitter to open offices in Dubai

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Twitter will open its offices in Dubai in the next few months. Shailesh Rao, Twitter’s Vice-President for Asia Pacific, Latin America and Emerging Markets announced the news during a session discussing the future of Twitter at the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit. As the platform’s first office in the MENA region, it will aim to better serve local users, partners and advertisers. MENA is one of Twitters fastest growing markets worldwide, and this announcement serves as a part of the company’s increased investment and commitment to the region.

“MENA is a key strategic market for us and our new Dubai office will serve as the focal point to help our development across the region,” says Shailesh. “Dubai is a regional hub for many brands and advertising agencies and we are excited to build a team on the ground here who can work with partners directly, helping them get the most out of Twitter.”

Twitter tracks users’ apps for ad targeting

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Twitter has begun collecting information about apps installed on individual users’ devices as a way to improve its advertising and content targeting. By default, the social network’s tracking is switched on to collect data on the mobile apps that its users have downloaded, but users can opt out of having the information collected at any time.

In a statement issued on Twitter’s help centre, Twitter will be using the information collected to build a more tailored experience on Twitter, including:

  • Improved ‘who to follow’ suggestions that share similar interests.
  • Adding Tweets, accounts, or other content to your timeline that Twitter thinks you will find interesting.
  • Showing you more relevant promoted content.

Twitter is currently only collecting the list of applications that an individual has installed, and will not be collecting any data within the applications.

Twitter launches Small Business Planner app

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Twitter has announced the launch of its Small Business Planner mobile app to help small and medium-sized businesses with their Twitter marketing activities. Coinciding the release with the run up to the holiday season, the free app will offer tactical guidance for businesses in North America, the UK and Ireland, and is available across iOS and Android devices.

In a blog post, the Small Business Content Team for Twitter highlighted the offerings of the app, which include:

  • A daily calendar themed around four main topics – Tweet suggestions, Twitter Ads strategies, information on Twitter tools and exclusive events
  • The ability to add relevant topics to your own agenda which syncs with your personal device calendar, allowing you to keep track of Twitter alongside all other marketing activities
  • Access to additional resources such as research, success stories, blog articles and ebooks directly within the app