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Facebook most popular network in KuwaitFeb 04, 2011 (Kuwait Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Two weeks ago, a colleague sent me an email stating that he had added my profile on LinkedIn. A day later, I learnt of an author who put up a post on his Facebook profile declaring that he is available on Twitter for his fans who want to connect with him and exchange opinions. Another friend passed a sarcastic comment on one of the Arab leaders' speeches, "I bet he will say towards the end of the speech: 'You can find me on Twitter, or add me on LinkedIn.' It appears as if this is the current trend in social networking these days, after Facebook became a household name. It capitalized on the 'fun element' for those that are bored and wish to reconnect with their old school and college friends. The other two social networking sites are not the same. They are more advanced and is mostly used for serious purposes. After doing some research and asking around about these forms of networking, I accepted my colleague's invitation to use LinkedIn. Only those in senior positions and whose jobs involve the use of networking mostly use it. I happened to find out that some companies use people's Twitter and LinkedIn Profiles as references while recruiting and interviewing them online using links such as YouTube. Companies located in the Arab world have not caught up with this rather novel practice. If we take Kuwait for instance, Marwan, a Human Resources officer employed with one of the large-scale multinational construction companies based in Kuwait that runs several projects in Iraq, explained that these forms of social networking are not popular. We are a construction company, our main labor force comprises blue-collar workers. We need not to examine their biography through advanced links because the kind of job they are required to perform does not require professional resumes," he added. On the other hand, Samer, who works as a HR officer in one of the largest FMCG companies said that such forms of social networks are not used in Kuwait during recruitment procedures. He admits the importance of such sites while taking online interviews. This is the case if the company is a multinational one. " Human interaction is very important while recruitment and an online resume is much better than a written one. The interaction defines the candidate's abilities. In Kuwait, just like in many other Arab countries, purely fun-based networking websites such Facebook are widely popular. It will take a while before the change is whole heartedly embraced. To see more of the Kuwait Times or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.kuwaittimes.net/. Copyright (c) 2011, Kuwait Times Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |