Every night, Roy Choi drives his kitchen van around the bustling streets of Los Angeles, stopping frequently to sell gourmet Korean-style meat tacos to a hungry crowd. Instead of relying on print or even word of mouth marketing, Mr Choi publicises his up-to-the-minute whereabouts using Twitter, the micro-blogging phenomenon that permits users to send messages of up to 140 characters to more than 14,000 people.
The result has been remarkable. Instead of struggling to make ends meet in a crowded market, Mr Choi now is greeted by queues wherever he stops. "As a chef, I always think it's the food. But I think without Twitter it wouldn't be anything because I could have made these tacos, but I would have had no one to sell them to," he told the US National Public Radio.
The irony is that while Mr Choi has found a way to cash in on Twitter, the service itself has yet to really reap the financial benefits of its own popularity. It seems to be everywhere. Last year's "next big thing" was Facebook. But almost overnight, Twitter has usurped its place to become today's web darling. Celebrities, news organisations, sport superstars and politicians have all flocked to the service in an effort to break down layers of communication to reach people directly.
Some have opined that Twitter's popularity can loosely be linked to Descartes' "I think, therefore I am" philosophy, where humans can take comfort in knowing that someone halfway around the world knows what inane event they have decided to shout into the cybercloud. Indeed, the system's addictiveness can further be ascribed to its sense of urgency which leads to greater information dissemination, instantly formed conversations and hectic news gathering.
Over the past year, Twitter has seen its usage explode around the world, growing at a staggering 1,382 per cent in the US and 1,810 per cent in the Middle East as of February, according to data from Nielsen Online and Comscore. Admittedly, this was from a low base. Nevertheless, more than 7 million active users around the world now post their "tweets" for all to see.
But even if you have the hottest property on the web, the people behind Twitter still haven't made a profit since the service launched in 2007. Many have speculated that Twitter would create premium features for users, special advertising messages or company-specific accounts to raise revenue. Its founders, Evan Williams and Biz Stone, have promised they will announce something later this year.
One option it has pursued is a service called "Exectweets", created in partnership with the software giant Microsoft as a resource to follow top business executives on Twitter. The service, with advertising backing from Federated Media, holds some promise but it will certainly fall far short of covering any capital or operational costs to run the service.
But working with Microsoft could become the first step into a lasting relationship for Twitter. Microsoft employees apparently like Twitter enough that they do not hesitate to incorporate it into their presentations or upcoming software releases. Microsoft already has demonstrated it is serious about getting into online social networking by spending US$240 million (Dh881.5m) last year to take a 1.6 per cent stake in Facebook. The software giant has $8.8 billion in cash, so further investments in the space would not be out of the question.
Google is considered another possible investor in Twitter. Henry Blodget, a former stock analyst, wrote on his Silicon Alley Insider website that the search engine giant should buy Twitter for $1bn without hesitation. The reason? With so many messages being sent every second, it is relatively easy for Twitter to find out what topics are being mentioned in real-time.
Embedding this feature into Google's search engine would allow it to connect those topics with its online advertising division to create highly relevant and effective ads. Besides, it probably would be the first company that would have two new-language verbs - "google" and "tweet" - as part of its business.
Whichever direction Twitter chooses, users in the Middle East would be wise to strike while the iron is hot. It would be useful to quickly determine how to use the service to reach out to customers, to form collaborative efforts with Twitter and its users and so on. While Arabic-language Twitter-like programmes, such as Watwet and ArTwitter, are available, they fail to carry Twitter's brand and cachet.
According to Comscore, there are about 376,000 Twitter users in the Middle East. It is possible that millions more might join, given how the popularity of mobile-text messaging in the region could easily be shifted towards the service, in line with the rise in sales of robust, multimedia-rich smartphones. Telecommunications companies such as Etisalat and du might want to investigate how the popularity of a mobile phone-based Twitter service could add to their already growing revenue streams. If there is any money that could be siphoned off a potential online juggernaut, Middle-Eastern entrepreneurs should be already thinking of ways to connect the Arab world to the Twitter brand.
Twitter's time in the sun is now and its popularity will not last forever. Eventually it will find a way to make money, either through its internet business development plans or from a corporate takeover. In the meantime, businesses might want to consider how to get on-board the 140-character message machine, or get left behind.
dgeorgecosh@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Ford Mustang GT
Price, base / as tested: Dh204,750 / Dh241,500
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque: 569Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.3L / 100km
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Benevento v Atalanta (2pm), Genoa v Bologna (5pm), AC Milan v Torino (7.45pm)
Sunday Roma v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Udinese v Napoli, Hellas Verona v Crotone, Parma v Lazio (2pm), Fiorentina v Cagliari (9pm), Juventus v Sassuolo (11.45pm)
Monday Spezia v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
Company%20Profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'Nope'
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Book%20Details
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The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
