d1g, home of the first online Arab social community, awards avid users

The site is among the first in the region that awards online participants with various prizes, such as iPods, digital cameras and XBoxs, to encourage users to create online Arab content. The unique competition was based on a point system connected to the user's online activity and participation during the months of November 2006 to January 2007.

d1g is based on the concept of a 'Dewan,' a community gathering to converse. Therefore, the online portal aims to become a hub for Arab culture as it empowers users to share their experiences and comments on various subjects, images, short films or forum topics. The objective of d1g's competition was to encourage users to contribute and share their creativity and innovation online, as d1g calls to the Arab online community to 'Participate with the World.'

Attracting more than 300,000 online visitors and displaying over 5 million pages in its first 10 weeks of its operation, d1g is by far the fastest growing Arabic online community on the World Wide Web. The portal demonstrated the demand for Arabic portals, as it has created an intimate and loyal user base. The site has become an online hang out spot for young adults to voice themselves, open dialogue and visually share their experiences and perspectives.

Majied Qasem, CEO of d1g emphasized the relevance of d1g for the online Arab community by stating, 'd1g is creating a face for the Arab online community, making it the preferred online destination for 'Interneters.' d1g is a mirror reflection of the Arab electronic social network, as it provides Arab users various services to participate with the online community of the world.' Referring to the competition, Mr. Qasem stated, 'The competition is unique in attracting participates, adding content value and creating a fun and competitive online environment. Furthermore, unlike other Arabic sites, d1g's foundation is based on a bilingual system, (Arabic and English), rather than solely on English, which is later translated into Arabic. This allows a wider range of opportunities for Arab users. In doing so, the site is easy to use and encourages participants to share their creativity and innovation online.'