A Jordanian web portal is planning to tap into the social networking phenomenon by giving its users the tools to create their own version of Facebook. The move by d1g.com is designed to boost the amount of Arabic content online. It is estimated that only 1 per cent of all online content is in Arabic, despite there being about 300 million native speakers around the world. The company has one of the most visited websites in the Arab world and joins a long list of businesses that are investigating ways to improve the reach and quality of Arabic content online.
The users of d1g.com will be provided with forums, polls, video support, photo galleries and other interactive elements that will be embedded within the website, said Alaa Fada, the company's president. The service is being trialled among select users with a launch planned for early next month. "From my own personal experience, 90 per cent of the Arabic content is in forums and they are using an old technology," Mr Fada said.
"What we're bringing to the Arab world is a platform to pick and choose what they want to do." One of the user groups testing the service is made up of Algerian football fans who have created a network that features videos of the team's recent FIFA World Cup games. "They just loved it," Mr Fada said. "For them [before], they were not able to have their own video service because it costs a lot to set up."
The company's social networking strategy is not entirely new. The model borrows from Ning, a US-based venture that was co-founded by Marc Andreessen, the creator of Netscape, that offers an online platform for people to create their own social networks. Mr Fada hopes his version will be attractive to advertisers who are looking for specific ways to target Arabic users accessing services such as Facebook and YouTube.
Founded by the Jordanian entrepreneur Majied Qasem, d1g.com has attracted a number of prominent backers and has emerged as one of the region's leading online portals. dgeorge-cosh@thenational.ae
