Monday, February 21, 2011

Three things about Mohamad Najem


I am looking forward to meet & work with all of you. I am sure you will like Beirut if you didn't come before. Here's three things about me:

1. I first start thinking about the power of social media tools after the 2006 war in Lebanon
2. I have an MBA degree from Beirut, but I have more experience in using/training the web 2.0 tools with NGOs, civil society, advocacy and lobbying.
3. I love to travel, especially with my lovely partner/wife Jessica

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Three Things About: Jessica Dheere



We're looking forward to meeting everyone in Beirut at the end of the month and are super-busy getting prepared. By way of a pre-introduction, here are three things about me:
  1. I'm a writer and a journalist and worked in print for almost 10 years before moving exclusively to the web. So, much of this training informs the way I view media and its promise and pitfalls.
  2. My teachers are my heroes. I aspire to help others learn the way they helped me.
  3. I'm married to Mohamad, the other co-founder of SMEXbeirut and my perfect complement! We met in Lebanon in 2006, live in Beirut, and maintain an office here, where we bring our puppy Chica to work almost every day. Maybe you'll meet here while you're here.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Three Things About: Mary Joyce

I look forward to meeting you all in Lebanon in a couple of month. Until then, here's 3 things about me:
My first love is activism: I didn't start out interested in technology and I'm actually anti-gadget (my laptop is basically a black plastic box). But I care about the power of ordinary people and I see digital technology as a useful tool in that struggle.
I move around a lot: In the past 5 years I've lived in Morocco, Chile, and India. Now I live in New Orleans, which I really like, but if I go more than a few weeks without traveling I get antsy.
I like looking at the big picture: I like to train strategy, create frameworks, and manage projects. If I'm thinking about details it's to see how they fit into larger systems.

Three Things About: Beth Kanter

I am very excited to begin the e-mediat project and learn about ngos, social media, and training in your countries.   Here's three things about me:
  • I learned about technology from colleagues:   I was not trained to do computers, Internet, or even social media.    I taught myself everything.  I was able to do this because I have a lot of friends who know more than me and I asked them many questions.
  • I make mistakes:   Not everything goes right for me the first time I use social media tools or train.    I do not look at it as a failure because I always learn something.
  • Social media is fun:   I love blogging, creating videos, and social networks because they are a lot of fun.  But I also know when to stop and take a break if I feel overwhelmed.