I check my facebook account daily for the past 2 years (or less, I really can't remember!). Almost all my friends are on my list, so we use its messaging facility instead of email to communicate. I see that facebook is now the superset of email, msn, nonoh, and all other social networking methods. It was a logical step from client based to web based applications.
I am a member of several groups, but I will talk about the 'Dubai and Sharjah Ladies Community (DSLC)' group. This group was started by an active lady called yasmine for the sake of gathering ladies in Dubai and Sharjah together. The group increased in number, and has over 400 members now.
Most of the ladies in this group are young Egyptian mothers who don't work but are ambitious and active, and want to make something useful with their free time. We have a very busy weekly schedule, full of both formal and informal activities. On Mondays we meet for a book club, where we discuss current world news as well as books proposed by some ladies. On Wednesdays we meet for an educational session on self improvement. Thursdays we meet of breakfast and casual chat. We also hold events where we get key speakers to give lectures on different areas of interest, such as first aid and stress management. Also, we have organized visits to orphanages (in order to be more positive towards our community). Every other Saturday we have an arts and crafts day for young children, with a different theme everytime. There are many other activities, so if anyone is interested, let me know and I'll tell you all about it!
The discussion board also serves as a very good source of information. I have posted a topic a few days ago asking for recommendations of schools for my son next year. Another has posted asking whether any lady has exam study material for the ministry of health license exam for dentistry.
Just sitting infront of my laptop with facebook on I can get to know lots of ladies with similar interests and lifestyle as mine, and I can get to know about different venues, activities, and other stuff going on in Dubai or Sharjah. Its amazing how this group had an effect on the ladies here. And all this is attributed to the virtual social networking that facebook provides.
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Very interesting Deena. Did this groups start online and then moved to face-to-face meetings? Or was it the other way round?
ReplyDeleteYes, it did start on facebook and that is what is so great about it. And it all started out by an idea one person had. One active person with an Internet connection was able to create a community full of creative and beneficial activities. We even have our own logo now:)
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