Blogging is a phenomenon that has given people around the world a space to speak their mind freely, on a variety of issues. The newest site on the local blogging scene is one that is purely a social utility for Egypt’s young high society.
Hate it or love it, sheer curiosity drives a lot of people to check out “Scene and Heard, especially given the possibility of your name being mentioned. All the social news that could interest the crème de la crème youth is posted and regularly updated on the site in perfect English. What party is ‘in’ this weekend? Who is the best dressed girl on the scene? What new shop is opening in Cairo?
The people that have created the blog have chosen to remain anonymous, and the mystery makes it all the more interesting. Below is an email interview answered by the ghost writers, putting to rest some queries people may have.
How did you come up with the idea?
The idea originated actually as a business venture, we were looking at seeing what the trend is nowadays, and the internet was the obvious answer. Combine that with people s interest to know about what is happening around them, and we thankfully got the winning recipe. We d have to admit that our influences come from the western world who have perfected this for awhile, but you never know we may be the next millionaire bloggers.
How did you expect people to receive it?
Honestly, we had no idea how people would react! We knew some people would love it while others would loathe it since they were being talked about. We generally get amazing feedback, but we launched the site with some news that others felt came off as cruel, so with every good word we get, we get a bad one as well. We re ok with the haters though, it just happens to be something that comes with our society; people are always looking for the worst in others.
What is your ethical code?
Our ethical and moral code comes with how we were raised; our motto is do onto others what you want done onto you…all the people we talk about put themselves, one way or another, in the limelight, be it by launching their own businesses or dancing on tables. When you do these things, you are asking for the attention, so why not discuss it?
How many people check your blog every day?
We get over a couple thousand hits a day; this is apart from the hundreds of unique viewers we get daily as well. So if any advertisers are interested we re game, we got your target market right here.
What is your mission statement?
We aim to become Cairo s newest PR utility. We are not gossipers; we don t create news, but just like to discuss what s hot and what s not. We are outspoken and like to speak our minds and that is what ‘Scene and Heard’ is all about. Contrary to popular belief, we re not out to get you, we just tell it like it is. If there is something to celebrate about, you will be congratulated. If there is scandal, it will be noted. Be sure to pass the news on to us, if you know anything juicy.
How long do you think you can keep your identity a secret?
It’s funny you ask, we re hoping for as long as possible. But one of our best friends found out today and they were in shock, but good shock so we re relieved. Our secret dies with them though. It is our anonymity that makes people want to read and see what we have to say, it’s our license to say what we want, and having people talk to us freely without pretending or having ulterior motives.
Is this blog simply a gossip utility or do you plan to use it for other purposes?
It really isn t just gossip. If you pay attention we talk about corporate news as well as social dilemmas that plague our city. Unfortunately, when we do bring up these things people think we re being sarcastic, when actually we are trying to make a statement. We ll stay away from politics though; it’s an area we don t want to dabble in especially since everything is monitored. Ultimately, we d like to be a one-stop destination for all our society’s news, and a place in which promoters/advertisers will be able to reach their niche market.
Would you consider yourselves part of the so called high society you speak about?
Yes, we actually are. We re only talking about what we all talk about, be it over lunch or at a party. We think actually this is what is intriguing our target audience so much, that we are one of them but they can’t pinpoint who it is.
How do you get the material you run? Word of mouth? Rumors?
We accumulate it from a lot of different sources, as more people begin to trust us we re getting information via email and messages, as well as the word of mouth and rumors. But when there are facts we are not to sure of we let our readers know, so not to hurt our credibility, we re not a rumor mill, we just like to get the facts across to our audience.
Do you feel like you are being biased towards certain people in society?
Nothing is void of biases, but we try as much as possible to put any personal feelings aside. Any information we post, we try and make sure we get all sides of the story, and at the end of the day we aren t priding ourselves on being a news agency…it is an opinionated site, that s probably why people like reading it.
How many of you are behind this blog?
Ahh, the question we get from everyone. We won t say since it adds to the mystery. We can say that we are maybe a group of guys, girls, women and men, we re everywhere and we re watching. Everyone wants to be scene and heard. It’s part of our human nature, so why not feed fuel to the fire?
Check it out: http://scene-heard.blogspot.com/
