But unlike the song, this land is not my land.
I've just watched an unashamedly sentimental episode of Boston Legal, clearly designed to be screened around the time of the American presidential elections. Whilst the debates were interesting (I always enjoy scriptwriters getting carte blanche to get real opinions off their chests) it did lapse in to a flag-fest, with twangy country music (this land is yoooor laaand...etc) and a couple of 'God Bless America' moments.
Here in the UAE, meanwhile, National Day is nearly upon us. Websites inviting one and all to record our tributes to Baba Zayed accompany flags on every corner. Somehow, nationalism in the UAE feels more heartfelt, more honest, and more sincere, than the Hollywood (or Boston) treatment of American pride.
I hope this country can preserve that honesty and innocence in its pride, and avoids the schmalz that can so easily accompany nationalistic fervour.
Sunday 22 November 2009
Wednesday 18 November 2009
Watch your mouth...
I love this story. Partly because it indadvertently paints a wonderful picture of the chaos that reigns in the Dubai Courts, and partly because it is actually quite interesting from a privacy/rights point of view.
To briefly summarize the case - a business partner in a restaurant has been hauled in front of a judge for posting pictures of an ex-employee on Facebook, with slanderous comments about the amount of money he allegedly stole. The defendant has pleaded guilty ("because he agonized me") although apparently (according to FakePlasticSouks) this case may be running in parallel with one in another area of Dubai Courts. FPS makes the point that it is interesting partly because it was brought in front of a judge in the first place, marking a level of success for Dubai's fledgling eCrime division, or whatever it is called.
To me, it's another case examining how we set our own boundaries for behaviour online. When I arrived in the UAE, the Middle East was years behind the rest of the world in terms of technology trends and adoption. Today, that is far from the case. Even when we're talking about slandering people online, unfortunately.
The accepted rule of thumb is to behave online as you would in public. But for a new agency convert such as myself, what does that really mean? Clearly, the behaviour displayed in the case above was fit for the primary school playground and absolutely slanderous. However, is office chat really something you'd indulge in if your client was sitting at your desk? Probably not.
I have set myself new rules of thumb. Emails should reflect the language you would use in a business meeting, and any postings on social media should stay within the limits you would set yourself at your clients' evening events.
Oh.. and final rule of thumb... set my privacy settings on Facebook sky high, so that I can relax there, and be the person I am on Sunday mornings... :-)
To briefly summarize the case - a business partner in a restaurant has been hauled in front of a judge for posting pictures of an ex-employee on Facebook, with slanderous comments about the amount of money he allegedly stole. The defendant has pleaded guilty ("because he agonized me") although apparently (according to FakePlasticSouks) this case may be running in parallel with one in another area of Dubai Courts. FPS makes the point that it is interesting partly because it was brought in front of a judge in the first place, marking a level of success for Dubai's fledgling eCrime division, or whatever it is called.
To me, it's another case examining how we set our own boundaries for behaviour online. When I arrived in the UAE, the Middle East was years behind the rest of the world in terms of technology trends and adoption. Today, that is far from the case. Even when we're talking about slandering people online, unfortunately.
The accepted rule of thumb is to behave online as you would in public. But for a new agency convert such as myself, what does that really mean? Clearly, the behaviour displayed in the case above was fit for the primary school playground and absolutely slanderous. However, is office chat really something you'd indulge in if your client was sitting at your desk? Probably not.
I have set myself new rules of thumb. Emails should reflect the language you would use in a business meeting, and any postings on social media should stay within the limits you would set yourself at your clients' evening events.
Oh.. and final rule of thumb... set my privacy settings on Facebook sky high, so that I can relax there, and be the person I am on Sunday mornings... :-)
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