Israel Matzav

Abayas to be mandatory in all female Twitter avatars

I cannot yet confirm the rumors that abayas are going to become mandatory for all female photos on Twitter now that Saudi prince Al-Walid bin Talal is investing $300 million in the social media.

The investment by Prince Walid and the Kingdom Holding Company represents roughly 3 percent of Twitter. Prince Walid, who owns 95 percent of Kingdom Holding, said in a statement that the purchase was part of a strategy “to invest in promising, high-growth businesses with a global impact.”

With Twitter, Prince Walid — who also own stakes in American blue chip companies including Citigroup, General Motors and Apple — gains a foothold in the fast-growing social networking space.

Twitter, the microblogging service, has more than 100 million active users and is part of an elite group of Internet companies that have rapidly attracted users and carry multibillion dollar valuations.

Twitter has been increasingly popular in the Arab world, where it was credited with playing a role in the recent social uprisings across North Africa and the Persian Gulf. Arabic-language messaging is the fastest-growing segment on Twitter, according to the data intelligence company Semiocast. The volume of Arabic messages increased 2,146 percent in the 12 months ended Oct. 31.

I wonder what will happen if the 'Arab spring' reaches Saudi Arabia via Twitter.

In any event, I also have to wonder why Twitter's valuation is so high. I'm still trying to figure out how they make money.

But follow me anyway.

Labels: Saudi Royal Family, Twitter

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:12 PM