December 10, 2013
This is not a peace offering, as I am not at war with
anyone. This is a simple and straight-forward clarification about a few points about
my relationship with the Online Community in Lebanon.
An Open Letter to the Online Community in Lebanon: You Can Keep Your Hate.
This is not a peace offering, as I am not at war with anyone. This is a simple and straight-forward clarification about a few points about my relationship with the Online Communi…
As a member since the very early days of Twitter, I have witnessed all the phases that this community has went through from the cuddly
adorable early days to the bitchy whiny era that we are in now.
In 2010, I was super proud of the hard work of the bloggers
and tweeps that I thought there should be an entity that protects and promotes
this community. The Online Collaborative was born from a group of enthusiasts
who wanted to make it worthwhile for this growing community and till this day,
it has only served the goal of promoting proper online citizenship and creating
an open platform for every member of the Online Community with no exclusions.
Three years into the project, our volunteers have made a
HUGE impact on this society (if you like to admit it or not) in an attempt to
make the experience better and to promote its people to the world. These
volunteers who have invested so much time, effort and sometimes tears to create
a better place for you are being highly underappreciated and abused. It is very
easy to criticize, bash and hate on something when you do not know how much
hard work and good intention it has behind it.
In 2012, my team sat down and wanted to do something big for
this community, something that would show the world what they are missing; and
The Social Media Awards were born. They were born to give attention to every
single person in the community who is doing a good job maintaining a social
presence (from brands to individuals). They were not intended to promote Online
Collaborative as an entity as it would defeat its mission. They were not
intended to promote me as a person or as a project to gain money as I am fully
self-fulfilled (promotion or money wise) from my professional work that is unrelated
to the work done by The Online Collaborative.
It is easy to criticize, hate and bash when you do not know
what goes on to produce something and when you do not know its motives. The
Online Collaborative has seen over 100 active members during the last three
years. These members have ALL worked to give you amazing events for FREE or
low-cost. None of these volunteers were paid a cent. None of these volunteers complained
about not getting paid. The Online Collaborative has not made a single cent in
profit from any of its events despite its ability to do so. It is our way of
showing that we are doing this for the Online Community alone and that we
believe in it.
Because we believe in this community, CPR decided to invest
huge amounts of money to create a publication dedicated to the Online
Community: Cloud961. This magazine which is available for FREE to everyone and
features people from different sides of the Online Community was born to
complement our mission and to make you more visible to the more traditional
audience.
Therefore, my team, partners and I have dedicated huge parts
of our lives to raise this community up from the ground and make something out
of it. Yet, most of what we have gotten in return is undeserved hatred and
unjustified bashing. Before you intentionally or unintentionally comment
negatively about anyone or anything related to this community, or judge anyone
for their mistakes, ask yourself: what have I done that is better for this
community? How have I contributed positively? What impact have I had on people
who I share a timeline with? Do I know how hard they have worked to provide me
something that I can enjoy for free?
Last week, we held a massive FREE-for-all party to celebrate
Online Collaborative’s third anniversary and I was overwhelmed by the love and
appreciation of many people for our work, many of which I have not personally
met up till that point. These people have restored my faith in the concept of a
unified online community and they are the reason I am writing this today.
This year, we have witnessed a dark year full of bullying,
abuse and bashing from tweeps, bloggers and even brands! Personally, I have a
clear conscience that I haven’t intentionally tried to hurt anyone especially
the whole purpose of the organization that I represent is to promote the Online
Community as a whole. That does not mean that I have not tried to defend my
team (who I completely adore), my supporters or even myself. I will go so far
to protect the people who have supported me and nothing will stop me.
Anyway, what I am proposing is turning over a new leaf,
opening a new page:
- If you have a personal problem with me or a difference of opinion might have caused a clash, I am more than ready to discuss it and have an open mind. Just drop me off a short email [moudz@mindsoupblog.com] and everything will be sorted out quickly.
- If you have a made-up reason for disliking me or Online Collaborative, then you have to get over it honey because trust me, the grass is greener on the other side and it is more fun to play on greener grass. Don’t let jealousy eat you up, because there is really no need to be jealous. Online Collaborative is an open platform for the whole community and we are more than happy to have you on board with us. If you look closely, many people who are being aggressive now have been supported and welcomed by Online Collaborative at any point during the three years (from conferences and workshops to tweet-ups and even the SMAs). They just need to put their thinking caps on and remember ;)
- If you are upset because I said that your client’s falafel (or whatever) is too expensive, then you need to get a reality check and then refer to number 1.
- And finally, if you are insisting on being a self-loathing asshole who bashes everyone for entertainment, then guess what, I am not a brand and I don’t have to deal with your shit. So the use of the BLOCK button is perfectly acceptable. You are simply not worth my time.
I can safely say that I, along with my beloved team, have
done my share of work for the Online Community in Lebanon and even going an
extra mile to reconcile the hell that has broken loose due to unjustified
shenanigans by some members who think that bullying is the way to get noticed
and differentiated from the crowd.
This year, The Social Media Awards in Beirut is going to be
bigger and better. There are so many hidden talents and incredible content that
should be promoted and we are here to make them shine. It is your job to help
us make it because is it the ultimate benefit for the community. We welcome
your constructive critiques and suggestions to be able to serve you better this
year.
Dear Online Community in Lebanon,
Keep Calm and CHILL THE FUCK OUT! No one is out to get you.
Smile when you see people on public. Loosen up. Lay off the gossip. Be honest
to one another. Make friends. Have fun. Do not spread any more hate.
Beirut
hate
Open Letter