Tahrir Diaries

1. This. Is. Egypt.
2. National Police Day: Just another demonstration?
3. What happened on Friday 28th?
4. Bansyon el Horreya
5. The Bansyon’s regulars
6. Compilation of media appearances
7. Constant phone calls
8. The three highly emotional points of the Tahrir era

Words will never boast the capacity to describe the emotions of a revolution. A revolution that toppled a brutal, corrupt regime after three decades of struggle. Each and every one of us has lived and contributed to overhaul the government in his or her own way, and we have the web to thank for allowing us to share this ever-growing content freely.

After participating religiously throughout the entire period leading to Mubarak’s resignation, I wanted to put together a series of blog posts to illustrate as much as possible my experience with the revolution. Instead of going in chronological order, I thought it would be more interesting, and indeed easier for me, to break it down to different topics/aspects of the two-week period I spent camping out in Tahrir sq. Whether it’s the daily routine, the people I interacted with, or how I got electricity installed at ‘Bansyon el Horreya’, there are many angles to the story, and I’ll try to stitch them together.

Bansyon el Horreya - my home for two weeks

So here’s to the revolution that’s the first of its kind, and hasta la victoria, siempre!

After numerous occasions of declining pitches for projects in the name of morality (the last of which has caused more of a backlash than normal), I was inspired by my friend Rowan el Shimi to put together this blog post through which I can comprehensively explain why I refuse to work with the majority of potential clients; what the reasoning behind it is, and why I end up favoring work with certain clients over others.

Please note that this is a blog post where I express my opinion. I don’t ask you to agree, and I don’t claim to carry the truth that has been extracted from reliable sources. In fact, I don’t care what you think about what I have to say.

Introduction

As a professional (regardless of the field), I have a bit of influence, and every decision I make counts. I’m responsible for my actions, and should stick  to the set of principles that I believe in, and follow them to lead by example. Between capitalist greed, extreme poverty, corruption favoring corporations handling millions with billions of people worldwide struggling to survive, and the lack of resources to sustain our lifestyle, we find ourselves at a horrendous state.

As Annie Leonard illustrates in her outstanding short documentary The Story of Stuff, the materials economy is set up so that we are constantly exploiting our limited resources in an ever-accelerating rate. Resources that will inevitably run out:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Relevant points from the documentary:

• Natural resources are limited, and will run out very soon
• Rich countries are using disproportionally more resources than poorer counterparts
• Externalizing costs means that the products we buy have been paid for by natural resources and labor
• Our consumption levels are absurd, and they desperately needs to be reduced
• Marketing contributes to perceived obsolescence by indoctrinating the public into believing that we are not good enough, and that we need to shop to improve

Therefore, I try to avoid contributing to any entity that is responsible for products that push us deeper into the materials’ crisis. Even though I’m part of the hypocrisy myself for consuming and destroying resources from all parts of the globe (thanks to my laptop, cell phone, meat, clothes, etc.), I choose not to promote it for others to follow.

For example, I am capable of carrying out social media campaigns as well as design platforms to persuade the young audience that it is ‘cool’ to purchase a certain brand of candy. In fact, I can work hard to make that brand outdo its competition, and boast an image that many of the target audience would strive to associate themselves with. But I would never want to do that. Any product that is not essential and is harmful to our well-being is a no-no in my book, and I would never agree to work with its manufacturers, producers, distributors or sellers.

Needless to say, it is almost impossible to even consider a multinational company looking to extract resources from Egypt and send it back to Geneva and New York.

An ever bigger issue for me is exploitation of labor. The fact that there are people who work tirelessly in terrible conditions and barely make enough money to survive just so that a chosen few can continue with their lifestyles, is depressing.

Exploitation

Exploitation is broadly defined as utilizing something to benefit from it, and/or the selfish utilization of a resource as a means to an end. Many consider the term only suitable for large corporations such as Apple, where factory workers have to go through such unbearable conditions, that many commit suicide, and nothing’s improving. However, sweatshops are examples of extreme exploitation, because resources (both natural and labor) are constantly exploited, everywhere.

As Karl Marx has pointed out, exploitation is the difference between the profit generated to the owner of the business, and the compensation to the worker for his or her effort, in the form of wage. In fact, in his book, Capital, Marx came up with the precise formula to measure the percentage and the quantity of the exploitation, summarized in the following:

“The rate of surplus-value is therefore an exact expression for the degree of exploitation of labour-power by capital, or of the labourer by the capitalist”

Which brings me to a pivotal point in my book: If you are making profit, you are exploiting. There is no such thing as generating profits without the exploitation of natural and, especially, labor resources. If you’re a business, your aim is to make money, and this means making the most out of your employees, and paying them the least. You could be paying them higher salaries than your competitors, but it would still be exploiting, otherwise you wouldn’t make profit to sustain yourself and would go out of business.

Providing jobs; improving lives.

The basic worker

In Egypt, an ‘office boy’ (a male dedicated to doing some cleaning, providing drinks, and running basic errands) typically makes between 500 and 700 LE a month, and is usually the first to arrive, and the last to leave. He refers to everyone as Sir (and wouldn’t dare receive equal treatment), and has to put up with potentially being told off (and sometimes yelled it) without answering back (or else he could be thrown out). The average employer would feel a form of self-fulfillment for providing a job to someone who’s under-qualified. In fact, by paying him slightly more and being friendly, he or she could be considered a philanthropist!

The following are misconceptions that come as a bi-product:

1. The office boy is being offered a job, which is something he should appreciate
   Not if his salary is not enough to feed himself, let alone his family
2. At least he’s being offered a job, as opposed to nothing at all
   That may be true, but that doesn’t mean his weakened position is not taken advantage of. Otherwise he’d be deemed unaffordable
3. If he’s not happy, he could leave
   Far from true, especially given how 40% of Egyptians are on or below the poverty line, and many are unemployed and desperate
4. He is receiving more than what many would pay him
   The might be true, but his value is determined  in a market that is entirely based on exploiting resources and making money. His value is not based on his output. When you are about to offer him a salary, why not think how he contributes to the income, and compensate him accordingly? Why do you use his market options (or lack of) as an indication, as opposed to his output?

If you are to expand this example to a larger scale, it soon becomes clear the amount of exploitation involved in large corporations that recruit thousands. For that reason, I refuse to work with clients that boast a roster of thousands of employees making minimal wages, while the owners are packing millions.

Making money

Generally speaking, I’m not at all fond of corporations that work on investments and business consultancies. The idea that a company’s sole purpose is to strategically aid other companies in making money, and benefit itself in the process, is despicable. As if exploitation isn’t enough as it is, consultancies attempt to reduce costs and boost income to make even more cash, and shove the exploitation to extreme levels.

Here’s a short clip from an interview with Noam Chomsky where he talks about self-destructive capitalism, and slave labor.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sadly, we are indoctrinated to believe the following:

1. There is a bottomless pool of money out there to make
   Obviously not. It’s surprising how many can be so naive so as to believe that there’s unlimited resources to fight for. The current approach to resource usage is anything but sustainable
2. We can all be wealthy
   Impossible. With today’s capitalist society, money is made via exploitation. You need someone with the capital, and workers to be exploited
3. Anyone can be rich
   Not everyone. And in a country like Egypt, hardly anyone can grow beyond his or her predetermined socioeconomic background. Even if a person from a lower income background was given equal opportunity, he or she would only be able to become wealthy at the expense of the limited resources, i.e. at the expense of counterparts striving for the same
4. It is normal for there to be rich and poor
   Now it is, but it doesn’t have to be. While a small elite of Egyptians own cars (regardless of the make), have had the opportunity to travel abroad, eat meat everyday, and have enough clothes to dispose of, the huge majority struggle to survive till the end of the month. That is not fair, and it should not remain that way

The capitalism pyramid: the capitalist tradition

Therefore, there’s no such thing as a ‘pure’ business that benefits the world more than it harms the people and resources. That is the way it will remain until the revolution takes place and everyone gets direct access to resources that are subsequently allocated fairly. However, until we reach that stage, we are still part of the system and need to make money.

Conclusion

I choose to work with companies that carry out minimal exploitation. Whenever I’m in for a pitch for any web design and/or social media project, I ask myself the following questions:

1. Does the client make profit?
   If yes, then what resources are they exploiting, and to what extent? If not, then where do they get the money from (sometimes worse than profit-driven companies)?
2. How many employees are there? How many partners are there?
   A school of 4 partners collaborating and doing everything between them is almost a dream come true. A company with hundreds on the pay roll is not (regardless of the nature of their business)
3. What benefits does the client bring?
   Providing jobs is certainly not one of them. But perhaps they educate, or promote culture, or aid the art movement, or help empower people by connecting them across space and time to bypass mainstream media – there are numerous possibilities
4. Is the exploitation little enough to be mostly made-up for by the benefits?
   Some industries will never make it altogether; such as equity, investment, insurance, business consultancies, stock brokers, etc. Others are in pole position to overcome the hurdle, such as renewable energy, academic and cultural institutions, open-source projects, etc.
5. Would Ali Azmy approve?
   Could save you from all the above!

If the client fails to qualify, then I turn down the project take it on myself to specify why. While I have been advised to avoid such confrontation and just excuse myself without hopping on the soap box, I insist on being blunt. Firstly, I do not enjoy lying and I’m not very good at it. More importantly, I have thought long and hard to build my principles, and I feel it is my responsibility to to stick to them and promote them. I would like to think that by doing so, I’m making this world a better place. Otherwise, I’m just dust in the wind, another brick on the wall, and yet another exploiting consumerist that talks a lot, and doesn’t do squat.

The world won’t change for the better if we turn a blind eye on pressing issues like social injustice and poverty. Change takes place when we actually do something about it. That’s how revolutions happen, and I plan to be a part of it.

The other day my friend Hatem Seoudi called me up to ask ‘what makes a good website? How can I tell if I’m looking at a kick-ass website, or a not-so-hot one?’

Good question. Needless to say, the answer is highly subjective, and depends on numerous aspects. But like everything else, there are a set of rules and guidelines that make sure you’re on the right track. After that, whether or not a website is ‘good’ enough is up in air. The following are the indicators to judge the overall quality of any website.

1. Addresses target audience
   If you’re not the target audience, then your judgment is to a large extent irrelevant. At the end of the day, a website offers information of value to a certain group of people. The broader the target, the more difficult the task at hand. For example, a website like deviantart.com is targeting a certain niche. It’s a community of digital artists from various backgrounds, but with a common ground. On the other hand, Google, or any search engine for that matter, is for anyone accessing the web. Therefore, the later is more likely to be extremely simple, and avoid making any associations or unorthodox approaches to ensure it appeals to the masses. The question of audience is carried on and applies throughout all of the coming points.
2. Ease of use, informative
   A website could boast unique, valuable information. But if the content is difficult to reach, or if it’s not clear where you should go or what it is you need to do, then it’s absolutely useless. That’s where usability comes in. Before working on the design concept, the creators of any website need to go through the process of dividing up the content into the different sections, and coming up with a suitable layout. A website like HSBC Egypt requires a dual degree in ancient Japanese and advanced algebra. Standard Chartered‘s, although far from perfect, is light years ahead.
3. Aesthetically pleasing
   This is obviously the aspect most prone to subjectivity. However, very few have invested endless hours and creativity and ended up with an ugly digital representation. If the website’s targeting  a young, tech-savvy crowd, then the more interactive and loud (in terms of colors), the better. The Web Designer Wall is one of many that hit the spot for the ones who seek. The NPR‘s website, although ‘minimal’ in comparison, is phenomenal in terms of design and layout. For an example of what a website should not look like, look no further than Masrawy (or any of LINKdotNET‘s websites).
4. Performance
   If the best website in the world takes more than 30 seconds for all of it to show up, then it useless. Quality websites require top-notch planning and coding, which means that there is less code to render, and therefore everything’s lighter and faster. Fubon‘s Flash website is impressive, but it takes less time to find a parking spot in Cairo. You’ll notice that community-driven social networks like Flickr offer pleasant performance, despite boasting large multimedia files. There are many ways in which you can reduce file sizes and load time, without sacrificing design or functionality.
5. Frequently updating
   ‘No news is good news’ is old news. With the web, information becomes outdated in a matter of minutes, and people’s patience have all but gone extinct. In fact, the only reason visitors will return to a website (hence making it a ‘good’ one), is if there is valuable content offered. This requires fresh material being posted as frequently as possible, even if it’s not a news-based site. This ties in strongly with social media, and having something like a blog be a vital part of your website.
6. Easy to share
   A good website makes it easy on the visitors to share its content and help it go viral. This includes sticking to SEO standards (available with any popular Content Management System), providing clean, direct links for all of its content, and making it a click away from posting to Facebook or tweeting it to your followers. A good website will require minimal effort from you to invite others to share your experience. Until recently, there wasn’t an easy way to share articles from BBC News on social networks (and now it still doesn’t shorten the URL when posting to twitter). Their Spanish counterpart, El Pais, are one of many daily news sources that have mastered the art of facilitating content sharing.

Regardless of the purpose or audience of the website, if it addresses those points, then it’s definitely on the positive side of the spectrum. How valuable and/or successful it is, though, is for us, the people, to decide. No ‘industry standard’ can tell us how we should react, and that’s part of the charm of our beautiful web.

This is the famous video by Michael Wesch from Kansas State University. I’m sure the majority of you have already seen it, but just in case you haven’t, this is something you do not want to miss:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopyXT_g

The beauty of the world wide web lies in the infrastructure, or rather, the method of communication, that allows each and every individual to freely communicate in whichever way he or she wants. This video illustrates how the development of the Web has been achieved through giving regular users more tools and channels to express themselves, and share what they have to offer. The most successful websites and online applications are the ones that are driven by the users, not by the owners.

Welcome everyone to my new personal website. It’s my online representation, so I’ve worked long and hard to make it as accurate as possible. The beauty of the Internet is in the unlimited space provided for every individual to do whatever he or she wants, so I’m taking advantage of my right as a member of the world wide web and am using my space to communicate my ideas, thoughts, and above all, designs.

As a freelance web designer, it’s vital to stay connected to the latest developments from all corners of the Internet, and that is precisely what I plan to be doing via this website.

The Blog section of the website will act as my testing lab where I explore all of the different areas in the world of technology and design. I’ve been learning so much from the open-source community over the years, and I feel that by opening my channel of communication in the subject, I would be able to share some of my knowledge, and to accelerate my learning process. Expect fresh content frequently, and feel free to comment with feedback and opinions.

The About Me section is dedicated to those of you interested to find out who I am, both on a professional as well as a personal level. You’ll find access to my updated CV, as will as an expanded list of tools and skills that I use in my work.

Web design is what I do, and if you’re interested in hiring me for a project or website, check out the Services page where you can see a full list of the services I offer, the general procedure for a given project, as well as the Get a quote form, which asks you the quick questions whose answers would be enough for me to make you a full proposal.

Most importantly, if you would like to see my theory put to practice, you can visit the Portfolio page where you will find a selection of previous works. For each website, you’ll see a brief description as well as the skills and tools used in building it. You can see the live version of each website, or view the screen captures.

Finally, I’ve dedicated the Media section to all of the work I’ve done in the multimedia realm. Whether during my college years, when I put together some video-editing projects, or professionally as a TV host, you’ll find brief information and samples of work on that page.

With the new website comes my new journey in the world of design and technology. The Internet has just gotten even bigger, and we have all joined the community of the free world.