QNA Launches Maydan Qatar - World First Social News Network

Doha, April 30 (QNA) - Qatar News Agency (QNA) on Wednesday launched the world first social news network under the name of (Maydan Qatar), out of its commitment to support the developing a knowledge-based economy in Qatar. HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr. Hamad Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari Launched (Maydan Qatar) in a ceremony which was attended by over 150 dignitaries from media, technology and government sectors. The new project (Maydan Qatar) will use NewsPad technology to build knowledge societies in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030. Maydan Qatar aims at building a knowledge network that provides access to information and news for all involved agencies and individuals and also provides the opportunity for users to edit the content and add their own news and information in various political, economic, sport, scientific, technical or other sectors. In a speech on this occasion, HE Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, said that the State of Qatar is seeking to build a knowledge-based economy which invests primarily in human resources, and where media plays an important role in providing updated accessible news and information, explaining that the launch of Maydan Qatar is a pioneering achievement being the first social news network in the world. He explained that the new project represents an important step on the road towards development, which is pursued by QNA and enabled it to become the most important media platform in the region, in the area of news and information services as well as other activities such as children's media and training programs for youth journalists and media workers. He expressed hope that Maydan Qatar would achieve the desired goals in moving towards keeping abreast of professional and technical developments in the world. Director General of Qatar News Agency Ahmed Saad Al-Buainain, said that "Maydan Qatar" will be available free of charge to all Internet users, adding that the project will provide a range of benefits which support the knowledge economy, as it will enable all those interested to access the main contents in a convenient fashion. This is a unique opportunity to exchange ideas on the national level, he said. He added that information and communication technology have changed the world, where the digital revolution and its mobile tools extensively affected communities and led to doubling the digital content in the fields of information and knowledge. QNA Director General emphasized that the new project aims at accommodating the global changes through spreading the culture news and the preparation of the citizens for the next stage, through the deepening of performance and the provision of safe use of the information. He explained that the new site will not be limited to being a database of news and images, but it will rather be a complex of research and study centers, and a living proof of the events that are held in the state. Maydan Qatar contents can be used safely and smoothly, he added. Maydan Qatar is expected to become the largest content hub to provide information, news and audio-visual materials in the state. Maydan Qatar aims at building a knowledge network that provides access to information and news for all agencies and individuals involved in it with the opportunity for users to edit the content and add their own news and information in various political, economic, sport, scientific, technical or other sectors. Maydan Qatar will use NewsPad technology to build knowledge societies in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030. The application will be available to iOS and Android backed devices as well as other operation systems of smart phones, tablets, and PCs in both Arabic and English. Some of the global news agencies that it cooperates with are Dow Jones Newswires and Geopolitical Information Service. The application will provide on its website www.maydan.qa/ all data, news and various reports in various fields to subscribers for free except for some services. (QNA)