Hey there all,

After a little bit of an issue someone had with ILQ, I just want to make things VERY clear. iLoveQatar.net cannot be bought and ILQ is an independent company that has one goal. To make Qatar a better place. A group of us simply want to bring back the old way of doing business in the country. With honor and trust. It’s all about partnership and helping each other achieve our own goals.

Now ILQ partners up with and takes sponsorship from ANY company in Qatar that wants to help ILQ make Qatar a better place. What are some of the things we do?

Well through our volunteers group (run by an awesome guy named Speed), where we partnered up with and joined hands with Qatar Living, RedBull, Sigma Paints, Barangay BQ, Vodafone, and others, we drove around Qatar on a hot Saturday morning and passed out bottles of cold water and caps to labourers in the streets! It was our way of showing appreciation to the people who break their backs to build Qatar!

With whatever ILQ can afford (yes we don’t have a huge budget despite the brand becoming popular and well known) we sponsor events and groups like Think Pink (breast cancer awareness campaign), Wear Something Yellow (anti-racism campaign), QAWS, Dogs in Doha, QPCA, and Doha Mums to name a few.

Is it all charity? No it’s not. We want Qatar to be a fun place, where all the people in Qatar can enjoy life here in their own way! So we sponsored and supported events like Tiesto, David Guetta, Montel Jordan, The Red Carpet, Glow, The Peppermint Experience, and even a national day event!

When we’re not doing something entertaining. We’re doing something for the community. We arrange social gatherings. Two of the big ones are ‘The Souq Seekers’ and ‘The Pearl Divers. This is to help people make friends get to know each other and for those that are new to the country, have a group of people that can make them feel comfortable.

Sometimes we’ll be approached by small groups of people that need some help so that they can enjoy life a bit more here. A group of  women needed sponsorship so that they could enter into the Expat Women’s Volleyball tournament and needed uniforms, ILQ was there and continuing the trend of supporting sports a group of young guys wanted to enter the Expat Basketball Tournament, ILQ was there to help them out as well!

Now the community is doing stuff for itself too! A great guy who’s alias is HPT on the forums started a FREE Tennis group (check out the forums for more), another forum member named TimeBandit started a Photographic society, another forum member named FlipFloper does designs and artwork for people, and the list goes on and on (I’m sorry that I can’t list all the wonderful people that are helping to make ILQ what it is today actually!!!)

We also pass out goodie bags at social gatherings. We can’t afford a lot but if it’ll make people happy and spread ILQ and its vision, we do our best to have some stuff ready. So what do you get in an ILQ goodie bag that we pass out at events? The bags were paid for by Dr. Hassan’s medical center so one side says ILQ and the other Dr. Hassan’s medical center, you get a bumper sticker that has the Vodafone speechmark and the ILQ logo (VF paid for that), you get some ILQ heat hearts and squishy balls (we paid for that), you get a speaker dock from Barzan Digital, and the list goes on.

So some people might think that Vodafone and ILQ are pretty close. Well it’s simple, they’ve always been there to support and sponsor the stuff we do around Qatar! If Qtel or Virgin for example wanted to help us we’d gladly work with them as well. In fact, we WANT to work with them.

So what’s the relationship with Vodafone? Well, they bought ads on the website. they paid for our booth, they paid for co-branded stickers, they paid for micro-sites whenever we had a fun idea like www.ramadan-mubarak.com and that sort of stuff.
Who are some of the other advertisers and partners? Global DJs, Starlink, Qatar Airways, Olympic Committee, ICTQatar, Lava, Urban Stars, LoveSac, Barzan Digital, King Koil, Arte Legno, and Dr. Hassan’s Medical center to name a few.

Dr. Hassan’s medical center wanted to spread health awareness amongst children so they gave us some coloring books which we distributed to kids (along with ILQ beach balls) when we supported the Pakistan Women’s Eid Bazaar.

We also tried to build a fantastic, friendly, online community that not only helps each other, but supports each other. Are you an expat and need information about the country that you’re planning on moving to or have just moved to? Well ILQ’s got a pretty nice and light guide too!

So who else wants to partner with us? Well we’re very excited that MTV and Nickelodeon support our vision. They’ve flown out to Qatar to not only see if they can help Qatar and the region develop but to also support our vision believe it or not! We’re VERY VERY proud of that.

So moral of the story? ILQ is loyal to Qatar and it’s various communities. If you are from a company that cares as much as we do, then please hold our hands. We need all the help we can get. Supporting us can be in the form of helping us with events and charitable causes, it can be in the form of placing an advert on the site (because we use the revenue generated off of ads to keep going), or you could even donate some cobranded goodies

So who’s in? or is ILQ a stupid idea? Am I just fighting a losing battle…..

I thought I’d a start a new thing where I bring all the online bloggers, posters, tweeters, and tubers in Qatar together under one roof. I haven’t figured out a name for this yet so if you’ve got an idea for a catchy name, post in the comments below.

So I’ve been seeing loads of tweets about this guy who has a Cheetah and decided to do a bit of digging around to see what I could find.

@shivasingh first tweeted: Dudes got a cheetah in his car!! #WTF #awesome and shared this picture. http://twitpic.com/2vefh5

I assumed it was probably just some Bedouinne guy who decided that he wanted his own cheetah. Maybe he wanted to take a nude self portrait of himself sitting on a bear skin carpet in front of the fireplace while stroking a cheetah, I really don’t know.

Then @rachelannmorris tweets a couple of photos of her own a week later. http://twitpic.com/2x8sxf and http://twitpic.com/2x8xfh

So is this just some stuffed cheetah and some guy’s ingenious method of getting people’s attention and then offering them massages? If so, that person has taking viral marketing to a whole new level.

Turns out though that there are loads of people with Cheetahs!

One tourist(?) and ‘Elite cyclist’ who races for Team Garmin, named Steven Cozza was visiting Qatar way back in February and blogged:

“Its just been one great adventure already. Just five minutes after leaving the hotel parking lot, I sensed something was looking at me. I turned to my left and there, sticking its head out of an SUV like a dog, was a full-grown cheetah. I was so excited because a cheetah is my favorite animal and here it was, just inches from my face. I was so bummed I didn’t have my camera.” A cheetah Drive by

On youtube, anasthvega, posted a video of one at a petrol station in some guys patrol. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaupWVsLgsk

On the 17th of July, the Peninsula posts this Cool Ride for Big Cat. Cheetah’s aren’t riding in cars anymore, they’re now on freaking jetboats! I don’t know why but I’m now thinking of a Saturday Night Live song called “I’m on a boat”

Now I have a few obvious questions…. 1) Do they bite? 2) Where can I get one?!

Well…. the Gulf Times posts that there are people breeding cheetahs since they’re becoming popular pets! Gulf-Time’s article via ILQ So I guess it means that you CAN go out and buy one… hmm…

In all seriousness though, this can’t be safe or legal right (in Qatar of course, as we’re aware that CITES says they’re endangered)?

I’ll leave you guys with a photo that Jasmir123 posted on Photobucket. Thundercats Go!

A couple of people asked me about this so I thought that it would be useful to share. Living in one of the hottest places in the world, rain is precious. It rains an average of twice a year and when it does the most beautiful desert flowers bloom out of nowhere.

To encourage rain, people pray Rain Prayers, Salat Al Istisqa. So where does it come from? Basically it came during a time when the Muslims were restless and decided to share the fact that they didn’t understand why it didn’t rain for them and that they were suffering through drout with the Prophet. So in simple terms, the Prophet explains that people haven’t been faithful enough to God and that if they want rain, they have to pray. So he does two rakat. (That’s the process of prayer whereby you kneel) and then some clouds formed and it rained.

The more people that pray for rain at the same time, the more likely it will be to rain as I understand.

So there you have it.

Hey there all! I just thought I’d let people know of the many ways people can support ILQ!

1) Clicking on ads! Yep, the easiest way is to just click on banners! ILQ relies on sponsors, so if you click on banners then that helps us not only maintain the site but also generate funds to sponsor more events!

2) Spreading the word. Let people know about the fantastic community that iLoveQatar.net is.
People can make friends here, find answers on the forums, check out the classifieds, find out the latest events in Qatar, read up on Qatar related news, join one of the largest friend networks there is (Qfriends) and read up on a great guide!

3) Adding ILQ buttons in your signature! Create a button and add it onto your signature or blog! We’ve also made some buttons for you to use here http://www.iloveqatar.net/linkus.php

4) Share your articles and opinions. Why not write and share articles on ILQ’s forums. We’ll be launching a dedicated section out of the forums but until then, you can write reviews or even share some funny stories!

5) Link exchange. If you’ve got a site, ILQ would love to know about it. We don’t mind people linking to their sites on the forums (as long as they either link back or participate on ILQ).

6) Volunteering! We participate and sponsor loads of events in Qatar. It could be something charitable (like a red crescent event or doing something nice for the labourers) OR something more entertaining (like helping out at the David Guetta or Akon events). Yep not only are you helping out the community but you’re also

7) Updating the guide! If you spot something that isn’t right or something that should be added. Let us know! Drop us a line at contact@iloveqatar.net and we’ll get the guide updated.

Install the alexa toolbar from (http://www.alexa.com) and then set ILQ as your homepage. [www.iloveqatar.net]

Do you prefer setting google as your homepage? Here’s an ILQ version! http://www.iloveqatar.net/search

Want to set google as your homepage AND help the environment? Then set http://www.iloveqatar.net/search/black.html as your homepage.

Read this article http://blog.iloveqatar.net/2009/11/energy-efficient-google/ for how you’re helping the environment!

I’m sure you guys can come up with other ways of helping out! Whether it be partnering, sticking stickers around, or just helping out on the forums or our facebook group (which as of today has over 8,400 members!)

Oh! Don’t forget to ‘Like’ ILQ’s Fan page http://www.facebook.com/iloveqtr and Join the ILQ Facebook group! http://www.facebook.com/khalifas?v=wall&story_fbid=158935400797225&po=1#!/group.php?gid=36900681716

Although I’m ill with a cold. I figured I’d be a bit more productive than just laying around watching tv. Tomorrow is the ILQ team meet-up so I figured I’d at least have a nice web update to share.

You can now view the spotlighted events on the front page. Besides the list of events, we’ll be highlighting major events or events that are special to ILQ.

We’ve also gone ahead and added a newsletter sign up box to the left of the site! (I’ll be adding one to the right on blog).

Want to sign up? Just click on this link and it’ll take you to the sign up page.  It’s called The Buzz http://eepurl.com/-WUE

Don’t worry, you won’t get spammed and we will never share your email address with anyone. You’ll get a monthly digest from ILQ that lists events that are coming up, note worthy blog and forum posts and maybe a few vouchers or offers here and there!

Sorry for the ‘radio-silence’ all. Besides working hard on trying to get the new version of ILQ up and running after losing 3 months of work due to my hard disk failing after the electricity getting cut WHILE it was backing up and thus corrupting the OLD backup (yup!) I’ve also been working on a number of ventures. This includes a project which I call ‘Digital Reversal’.

Before I explain what that is, (don’t you just hate it when Entertainment Tonight does that?), if you’ve got a blog, drop me a comment below so I can share it with everyone in ILQ’s next newsletter. You’ll find some blogs in the footer of this blog or you might also be interested in these past blog posts:

The problem with blogs

Qatar blogs

Qatar’s top blogs

This leads onto the Digital Reversal project. Now blogging was born out of two cosmic collisions; The fact that getting it was easier to post on the digital medium known as the blog and people’s preference to read nonprofessional journalism because… well…. the blogger usually doesn’t have anything to gain and it’s most likely going to be honest and free.

Now what I’d like to do is encourage these bloggers and columnists to write for a magazine which is going to become the most widely circulated magazine in Qatar; hence the digital reversal.

If you’re opinionated, it’s a great way of getting your views, ideas, and opinions out there. If you’re passionate, it’s a great way of sharing what give’s you goosebumps or motivates you to live life. You might even have the goal of inspiring people through a number of topics. You decide.

So if you’re interested in writing a column, getting your name out there, getting some experience, making a name for yourself, or simply honing your hobby, then drop me a line at contact  (@) iloveqatar.net

I’m arranging a meeting on Thursday at 7:30pm (I’ll email you more details). So far there are 7 passionate people coming along.

Happy Blogging!

Read the rest of this entry »

Hey there everyone!!

I’ve got super fantastic amazing news!

www.ramadan-mubarak.com has launched!

It’s a very exciting website for Qatar because it’s probably the first website of its kind. In fact, we’re almost certain that it is!
The beauty of Ramadan-mubarak.com is that it’s so simple. Not only is it easy to navigate but there are some great features!

Dynamic Background

>The website’s background changes depending on the time of day.
- In the morning the sky is dim and a yellow sun rises
- During the day the sun shines a bright white, birds fly around and the wind gently sways the hanging lanterns
- For sunset and because it’s so rare for us to enjoy a beautiful one in real life, our site’s sunset lasts for 15 minutes before night, so you’ve got to go on our website at exactly the right time to see our orange sky.
- When it’s time to break your fast, the moon pops out, the lanterns light up and the stars twinkle.
Why is this special? Because it’s a fun way of letting people know when its time to break their fast! Don’t have a calendar? Have a calendar but don’t know what time it is? Just visit the site and if you see the moon, you can break your fast. It’s also a great tool for kids!

> Phases of the moon.
Every day, the moon on our site changes slightly depending on the phase of the moon. Muslims use this to determine the end of Ramadan! What day do you think will have that perfect crecent?

We’re social!
> Sharing is caring:
You’ll notice Twitter, Facebook, and the FB like button on the site. So sharing the site is extremely simple! Go ahead! Click on our LIKE button.

> Tents and Events:
During Ramadan many people meet up at night at various tents and events to be together and socialize. If you’re looking for a calendar of events, then our site will be there with you. Our calendar will constantly be updated as we get wind of more events!

Send an eCard!
We’ve created some very nice and colorful Ramadan cards for you to send out to family and friends. All you need to do is select the image you want, type in the message you want, move the message so that it’s in just the right spot and click send!
Love the card? You can save it in MMS format so that you can transfer it to your mobile and send it to anyone through your mobile!
Don’t see an image you like? You can upload your OWN image and send it out as an ecard!
We love choices!

Ramadan 101
We know that some people might not know what Ramadan is all about, so we’ve gone ahead and included an “About Ramadan” tab on the site. If you want to brush up on your understand of Ramadan, then visit this section for : when it is, what its about, dates and times, tips about eating, drinking and smoking, dress code and special considerations.

> Convenient Prayer and Iftar times!
We’ve gone ahead and tried to make your life as easy as possible when it comes to knowing when to pray and when to break your fast.
- We’ve got a calendar on our site to view
- Every page has the sunrise and sunset times
- You can download the calendar to your phone or desktop
- You can register to receive FREE sms notifications
- You can pick up a pocket calendar in store
AND you can visit our mobile portal at [mobile.vodafone.com.qa]

What are you waiting for? Spread the word!

I’m sorry for the long delay in writing a new blog post. I’ll be posting an update letting you now what I have been up to and what ILQ has been doing as well

Someone asked me why I was doing everything that I do with ILQ. Reasons?

• I want Qatar to be the country that I ‘WANT’ to have my children grow up in.
• I want to bridge the gap between locals and expats
• People used to say “Qataris are the most hospitable people in the world”. I want us to reclaim that title.
• I want to be vocal about the issues that people are either too lazy to talk about or worried that they don’t have the right to talk about.
• I want to give back to the expat communities that leave everything back home to come to my country. (We’re not debating the reason why different  people are here)
• The Emir has done so much for us Qataris. Shouldn’t Qataris take some of the load off of his shoulders? When we pick up our passports, we’re reminded with a leaflet that each citizen represents his country.
• I want Qatar to improve. (Better service, hard work, quality of life, or even better, for things to actually make SENSE)
• I want to bust some myths and disprove stereotypes
• I want to encourage a different style of thinking
• I DON’T want my children to grow up thinking that I never did anything worth while in life.

Alright bed-time. The more I write, the more sappier I get