Search: “about the blog”

I’ve got a few blog related things I want to highlight so I figured I’d combine them all into one post.

First thing I want to talk about is Miskan. Those of you who’ve been following the blog from the very beginning will know that 248AM started because of my Miskan project. That project ended years ago and so I felt it would be a great idea to resurrect it again. This is why starting today Miskan has been relaunched as the Arabic version of 248AM. www.miskan.com

The second thing I want to highlight is 248PM. It’s not new since it’s been up for awhile now but I’ve never really was sure if it should be a separate blog or if it should be part of 248AM. Well I’ve realized it should be separate for two reasons, the first is because it’s harder and more challenging for me to fill up 248AM with posts related to Kuwait. I’m worried if I start posting non-Kuwait stuff here I might get lazy and not bother looking for Kuwait related posts as much. The second is because 248PM is kinda like my personal space where I post whatever I want and not get bashed by you guys if something is lame. It’s a place where I have a lot of fun and I like that. www.248pm.com

The third blog is for events. When I was previously posting events on 248AM it was hard to keep track of what events were coming up. Since there really isn’t that much going on in Kuwait I felt it was important to dedicate a blog just for that. There are a bunch of other great event blogs out there but mine is filled only with ones I find interesting. www.248events.com

You can access all my blogs above from the tabs underneath the blog header. With 248PM and Events you can even see the latest posts in the side bar of 248AM.

Finally I just updated the Kuwait Blogs app again a few days ago. I’m planning to do this more often since a lot of blogs aren’t posting as much or their content has changed and I no longer find them interesting. By updating the App often it stays current so check the App Store for the update or download it by searching for Kuwait Blogs in the store.

Enjoy!

Just found out about this blog from GREY. Kuwait Blogs Suck is a blog that pokes fun out of and criticizes local blogs. So if you’re a blogger and can’t handle being made fun of then don’t click this [Link]

I know it took me long but I finally fixed the annoying bug that would crash the app on some iOS devices. So if the Kuwait Blogs App was crashing with you check the Apple Store ow and you should see a minor update.

The Kuwait Blogs App is an iPhone application that allows you to browse some of my favorites blogs all in one place. It’s free and you can download it from the Apple Store [Here]

When I started blogging back in 2003 I really didn’t want to do it. My friend proposed the idea and I told him I thought blogging was stupid but I’d try it just for fun. Now, a decade later I’ve left my full time job at an ad agency to blog for a living instead.

Some people saw this coming, others are a bit surprised and many don’t really understand how blogging can be a job. Honestly even I’m having difficulties grasping that concept even though it’s a really simple idea.

I used to work from 9 in the morning till 7 in the evening and three times a week I had gym from 8 to 9 so I never had time for anything else. I never had time to go meet with people, pass by art exhibitions or even see my friends. Now that blogging will be my full time job I should have a lot more time to do all the things I wanted to but never had time for.

Things aren’t that simple since without a “real” job I can’t get my residency renewed and banks also don’t seem to like me unless I have a salary coming in every month. But I’m working on it.

Other than that issue I’m looking forward to this since I’ll have so much more free time on my hands to do whatever I want. I might help Nat out with her work, I’m thinking of maybe doing my Masters, taking one hour Muay Thai sessions at Core, signing up again at Sidekick for some Jujitsu and maybe even take Scuba diving lessons or some other activity I previously never had time for. One thing I’ve always wanted to do is ditch work and drive to Entertainment City instead. I can’t ditch work anymore since I no longer have a job but maybe I can wake up in the morning and pretend I’m going to work and then go to Entertainment City? I don’t know I’ll have to see how I can get that idea working right.

But, more importantly, I will now have a lot more time to focus on this blog, I have a couple of projects that have been pending for ages which I want to get a move on, I also have the Kuwait Blogs app I need to fix because right now it keeps crashing and even my 248AM iPhone app needs an update as well. I’ve even handed over my blog’s media to a media company called Dot Backspace so they could take care of the blog’s advertising while I focus all my attention on the content.

I’m excited (and a bit worried) about blogging fulltime but I’m also looking forward to it. I’m currently in Lebanon for the next 10 days on my summer break so I won’t really notice anything different until I get back to Kuwait and realize I don’t have to wake up at 7:30 the next day to go to work. We’ll see how things will pan out.

I finally got around to fixing and updating the Kuwait Blogs app and it’s available to download right now in the store. Other than the fix to the thumbnails not loading I’ve also updated the blog list and now includes the following blogs:

2:48AM
2:48PM
360 Dewan
Aboflan
Ansam
Buz Fairy
Confashions
Danderma
Dusty Co.
Frankom
Grapevine
His & Hers
iLSul6ana
Ladies Who Do Lunch in Kuwait
Khaleejesque
Kuwait Music
Pink Girl Q8
Tidbit Du Jour
Trying to be Fahad
zDistrict

But all is not well. When I updated the app on my phone awhile ago it was freezing on launch. It was working perfectly fine when I tested before uploading to the store. It seems it’s working on some phones perfectly fine while others are facing issues similar to mine. Bare with me I’m not an expert in this. For now you can download it the way it is until I see if I can find a fix for it over the weekend. [US App Store Link]

If you could you please tell me in the comments if the app is working or not working with you that would be great. If you can include which iPhone you have and what version it is that would be even better. Maybe I could narrow the problem down that way.

Note: The included blogs might not all be the most popular but they are blogs I think are interesting and I’ve also tried to include a bit of variety in style and content.

Turns out in one of the leaked documents that were released by Wikileaks they talk about bloggers in Kuwait. This is from back in 2005 when we were only a few blogs but even if the information is outdated it still gives an interesting glimpse to how we were viewed. Nibaq from the now defunct KuwaitBlogs.com gets a mention as well.

The freaky thing is the fact that the US Government was spying on the bloggers. According to the leak, someone from the embassy attended a bloggers meet up to get more details on who the bloggers were. Makes you wonder if any other government spied on us as well or if the US government spied on us again after that meeting.

Check out the full document [Here]

via Kuwaitiful

Update: According to Talal (who was mentioned in the wiki), the officer from the US Embassy actually identified himself as being from the Embassy and also told them he was trying to get some information for the Cultural Affairs. So that’s not spying.

I’ve been meaning to update the Kuwait Blogs app for awhile now but due to the fact I do all the work on my iMac I haven’t been able to do so. My iMac had a problem with the screen and I sent it in to get repaired under warranty which took around a month to get done. I just finally picked up my iMac today so will most probably be working on an update for the app this weekend.

I’m aware that the current build of the app is unstable with iOS4.3 and it’s my priority fix. I already know whats wrong I just need to work on it. What I also want to do if I have time is update the blogs in the app. I can’t add any more apps since I’ve hit the limit, but I can swap out blogs that aren’t active anymore or aren’t as active as they used to be. So if you have any recommendation on what blog I should add to the app leave it as a comment below.

If you want to download the current app here is the [Link]

CNN have put together a list of the 10 must-read blogs from the Middle East and my blog made it to the list! This is what they had to say about me:

Want a break from politics? Try 248am for a slice of Kuwaiti life

Mark Makhoul, 32, a creative director at an advertising agency, began his current blog, 248am, in 2005. Mark’s wife Nataly Tawil, a designer, makes occasional contributions to the blog. The pair are both Lebanese and live in Kuwait.

While it may not offer the political insight of some of the other blogs on the list, it does present a slice of life in Kuwait, covering art, technology and more, with lots of reader contributions.

And it’s not entirely without controversy … Makhoul is apparently being sued by a Japanese restaurant chain over a negative review.

Check out the full list and article by clicking [Here]

At the end of December I went ahead and turned 2:48PM into a community blog which is a blog in which anyone can create an account and publish articles. I’ve simplified the process of signing up and posting as much as I can to help make it easy for people who’ve never blogged before. The blog isn’t without some rules though and every post that gets published passes through me first before appearing on the blog. The reason for that has to do more with quality control and not censorship.

So if you’re interested in posting on 2:48PM, just go ahead and sign up. [Link]

Yesterday I went ahead and turned 2:48PM into a community blog which is a blog in which anyone can create an account and publish articles. I’ve simplified the process of signing up and posting as much as I can to help make it easy for people who’ve never blogged before. The blog isn’t without some rules though and every post that gets published passes through me first before appearing on the blog. The reason for that has to do more with quality control and not censorship.

So if you’re interested in posting on 2:48PM, just go ahead and sign up. [Link]

Not sure how many people know this but you can customize the main icons on the bottom of the Kuwait Blogs app. In the latest version I have my blog, Fahad’s blog, Buz Fairy and Me Blogging but you can set up any of your favorite blogs instead. All you need to do is click on “More” and then click on “Edit” on the top right. Now you can just drag and drop your favorite blogs down to the bottom bar.

There is a minor bug currently where you can’t read the names of the 4 most bottom blogs in the edit page. I couldn’t figure out how to fix that honestly. From now on for every update I will have 3 random blogs other than mine set up by default at the bottom. They will most probably be blogs which I think are good but aren’t getting the attention they should be getting.

If you haven’t downloaded the Kuwait Blogs app already click [Here]

I’ve updated the Kuwait Blogs app now to version 2.0. Basically I’ve fixed a ton of bugs and also updated the bloggers list by removing inactive blogs and adding new ones. The total amount of blogs in the App has increased and is now 21. Here is the list of blogs:

2:48AM
2:48PM
360 Dewan
4th Ring Road
Ansam
Banana Q8
Black Market
Buz Fairy
Buzberry
Confashions
Fereej
Frankom
High Street Q8
His & Hers
iLSul6ana
Me Blogging
P0ach
Tidbit Du Jour
Trying to be Fahad
Up Till One
zDistrict

Another major update is the graphics. All the icons were redone in high resolution so they will look much better on the iPhone 4’s. Previously they were looking a bit blurry but now they’re back to looking extremely sharp. You can download the update from the App Store or if you haven’t downloaded and installed the App before then you can find it in the store by searching for Kuwait Blogs or by clicking [Here]

I get a lot of emails from people who want to setup their own blog under their own domain name and want to know where they can get a domain name from and hosting as well. Although I am sure I’ve posted this information before I figured I would do a quick refresh post about this.

Domain Names
I’ve tried a few domain name providers including DIrectNic and GoDaddy but my favorite is NameCheap. Their prices are decent and their admin interface is great and easy to use. Unlike GoDaddy (which I couldn’t stand) they don’t try and sell you services you don’t need every time you want to do something. www.namecheap.com

Web Hosting
My blog is currently hosted on Rackspace which you really don’t need if you’re just starting out. I originally started using Dreamhost and still use them to host some of my other sites. The biggest advantage to Dreamhost is the fact you can install WordPress (the software that runs this blog) with just a click of a button. Makes it perfect for a beginner to start blogging and they also have a free trial so you could try them out first before you sign up. I also think they give you a domain name for free when you first start or at least they used to when I joined up. www.dreamhost.com

I’ve got the following 5 Dreamhost codes that give $15 off a 1 year sign up and $100 off a 2 year sign up. These codes only work once and I only have 5 so if you try one code and it says it’s used try the second one. If all 5 don’t work it means they’ve been used up already sorry…

794847165544
910624757385
912484430318
915566572416
235249317682

Use the 12-digit code in the “promo code” field.

Please note the options above are not your only options. There are tons of domain name providers and even more hosting providers but the ones above are the ones I use and trust. If you have any questions just post it in the comments below and I will try to answer it.

Update: You can also use the code FIVEZEROOFF when checking out for a $50 discount.

I posted a couple of days back about how AlQabas newspaper stole an image from a Bahraini blogger and published it in the newspaper. Well just an update, Aysha the blogger will be contacting a lawyer who will be sending a letter to AlQabas. Depending on the response they get they will then decide what action to take. Personally I am curious to see what the outcome of this will be.

On another note, I emailed the editor of Arab Time asking him if he was aware of various cases in which they copy pasted posts from local bloggers into their newspaper without giving any credit. I haven’t gotten a reply yet.

A Bahraini blogger called Aysha was surprised to find out that not only did Al-Qabas newspaper steal one of her pictures and publish it in the newspaper but that the picture they stole was a picture of herself. She was completely shocked and surprised to find her picture plastered in Al-Qabas and now wonders if there is anything she can do. She has a full write up on her blog which you can check by clicking this [Link]

Sadly I doubt there is anything she can do about this and we all know this isn’t the first time that Al-Qabas uses pictures without permission.