Social media has enabled millions of people to remain connected, updated and entertained while observing movement restrictions during the pandemic. In particular, Facebook community groups have proved invaluable in delivering information and a sense of inclusion.
For administrators and moderators gatekeeping page memberships, discussion threads and ensuring content adheres to moral, legal and cultural rules, the workload has soared alongside numbers of posts.
Many have become more dependent on my platforms in recent weeks as an emotional anchor
Personal trauma drove Freya Jaffar, who lives in the capital, in Mushrif, to create Abu Dhabi Q&A in 2013. Similar to other "admins", she has seen the online group become a pillar of support as the global health crisis has escalated.
Jaffar, who has a fashion design and technology background, created the page after suffering postnatal depression. “It was the lowest point of my life,” says the Briton who, finding “no one to turn to”, sought to pivot the experience to help those similarly affected.
Now among the six groups she manages, Abu Dhabi Q&A has become a valued resource to 56,753 members, most of them living in the capital.
“There needed to be a free, non-judgmental community support channel for residents,” says the mother-of-four, who has seen people’s emotions heighten around Covid-19 amid hugely increased screen time.
“Many have become more dependent on my platforms in recent weeks as an emotional anchor. I am offering more emotional support to members with ‘buddy meets’ over Zoom now.
“Unfortunately there has also been a rise of ‘chancers’ taking advantage of people’s goodwill. So that is something we are having to monitor now, too,” she says.
'For every terrible experience there are three good ones'
Jaffar and five assisting moderators have connected members to outside groups offering support and help to those in need, although she says more moderation has been required as some people losing their “emotional footing due to the uncertainty” have become aggressive.
“I tried to manage it for a while but then opted to switch to ‘post approval’ for all members while Covid-19 restrictions are in place.
“This allows me to see every post. They only go on if I approve them. I ensure there is no panic … [or] rumours being spread.”
Jaffar admits overseeing a platform hosting various cultural perspectives, socio-economic groups, ages, genders and religions can be challenging and occasionally brings unwarranted accusations of personal censorship.
Other infringements include derogatory comments, illegal businesses and offensive language.
“It’s the dark side of social media we accept when we take on these roles. I am learning to put my emotions aside for the bigger picture. For every terrible experience there are three good ones.”
Keren Bobker, who launched British Expats Dubai in 2017, also says time and patience are commodities demanded of administrators.
Among the most popular nationality-focused pages, Bobker's online community – nudging 9,000 members – has become more valuable in recent weeks.
“I dare not calculate the hours it takes each day, but it is significant, especially of late, when I have spent a huge amount of time clarifying the latest rules and updates for people,” says Bobker, who runs the group with her husband, plus good friends.
“Whenever there is a change or an announcement, we get the facts to members as soon as we can, even if announcements are late on a Thursday evening or over the weekend.”
Although Covid-19 has been dominating everyone’s thoughts, Bobker, an independent financial advisor and also a columnist for The National, cites humour and entertainment as key group ingredients.
Since mid-March, she has sought to distract or cheer up people with something fun at least once daily, posting puzzles, quizzes and questions. “In a time of uncertainty, people appreciate a group with facts, info and a place where we share a sense of humour and cultural references,” says Bobker.
The range of queries relating to Covid-19 has been huge, from those stuck abroad to people losing jobs and income, to those wanting to leave the UAE to go home
“We have helped numerous people get fair treatment from employers by giving them the facts. Many have found jobs via our jobs page, we have helped re-home cats and dogs, and put others in touch with people who can help in specific situations, personal or medical.”
Bobker also says while most are appreciative, some members are occasionally removed for rudeness, aggressiveness or simply joining to promote themselves excessively.
“A small percentage get nasty,” she says. “[But] I have also received numerous messages telling me the group has been a great support. It can be very rewarding.”
'Every member who posts a question will get the answer they need'
The widespread economic impact of the pandemic has similarly boosted traffic to the Shop Well For Less page. Launched in January 2018 by Debbie Steedman and Colin Mackenzie to share discounts and help people reduce expenditure, it has 21,500 members across the UAE.
Steedman, a mum based in Al Barsha, says: “Overnight we had to go from a group promoting shopping around for the best deals to one discouraging people to shop.
“There was a lot of discussion in the early days of the crisis about which supermarkets to use and how to make money go further, but also trying to make sure people did not bulk buy in order to keep stocks high," she adds. "Previously we encouraged bulk-buying as the best way to save money.”
Steedman believes members have found support from each other.
“Every member who posts a question will get the answer they need, whether relating to Covid or where to find bread flour. We also regularly post updates from the government.”
With almost 18,000 members, Real Mums of Dubai was already a busy social platform for mothers and mums-to-be, but activity “exploded to a new level” with the pandemic.
“We reached 250,000 posts one week,” says former teacher Megan Al Mazrooqi, who started the group in 2016.
“We saw the panic and needed to find a way to keep the group running for normal motherhood queries, as well as to help calm fears. There have been tough days as everyone reacts differently to change and fear.”
Al Marzooqi, a mother-of-four in Sharjah, and her two moderators, introduced a dedicated “corona post” where mums add articles, links and updated information.
“The range of queries relating to Covid-19 has been huge, from those stuck abroad to people losing jobs and income, to those wanting to leave the UAE to go home,” says Al Mazrooqi, from Northern Ireland.
The page has implemented a dedicated home-schooling post for mums to ask questions about what their children are struggling with, and another filled with activity ideas, links and pictures to engage them. “We are in unprecedented times and we are trying to adapt the platform to help in ways to make mums’ lives easier,” says Al Mazrooqi.
“It is not easy, but we are lucky the group truly is a village where we are all supporting, uplifting and helping each other. A lot of mums, myself included, would be very lost without it right now.”
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHigh%20fever%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIntense%20pain%20behind%20your%20eyes%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESevere%20headache%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENausea%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVomiting%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESwollen%20glands%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERash%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIf%20symptoms%20occur%2C%20they%20usually%20last%20for%20two-seven%20days%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Belong%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Askew%20and%20Matthew%20Gaziano%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%243.5%20million%20from%20crowd%20funding%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
The%20stats%20and%20facts
%3Cp%3E1.9%20million%20women%20are%20at%20risk%20of%20developing%20cervical%20cancer%20in%20the%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E80%25%20of%20people%2C%20females%20and%20males%2C%20will%20get%20human%20papillomavirus%20(HPV)%20once%20in%20their%20lifetime%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EOut%20of%20more%20than%20100%20types%20of%20HPV%2C%2014%20strains%20are%20cancer-causing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E99.9%25%20of%20cervical%20cancers%20are%20caused%20by%20the%20virus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EA%20five-year%20survival%20rate%20of%20close%20to%2096%25%20can%20be%20achieved%20with%20regular%20screenings%20for%20cervical%20cancer%20detection%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EWomen%20aged%2025%20to%2029%20should%20get%20a%20Pap%20smear%20every%20three%20years%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EWomen%20aged%2030%20to%2065%20should%20do%20a%20Pap%20smear%20and%20HPV%20test%20every%20five%20years%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EChildren%20aged%2013%20and%20above%20should%20get%20the%20HPV%20vaccine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Kibsons%20Cares
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERecycling%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fstrong%3EAny%20time%20you%20receive%20a%20Kibsons%20order%2C%20you%20can%20return%20your%20cardboard%20box%20to%20the%20drivers.%20They%E2%80%99ll%20be%20happy%20to%20take%20it%20off%20your%20hands%20and%20ensure%20it%20gets%20reused%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EKind%20to%20health%20and%20planet%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESolar%20%E2%80%93%2025-50%25%20of%20electricity%20saved%3Cbr%3EWater%20%E2%80%93%2075%25%20of%20water%20reused%3Cbr%3EBiofuel%20%E2%80%93%20Kibsons%20fleet%20to%20get%2020%25%20more%20mileage%20per%20litre%20with%20biofuel%20additives%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESustainable%20grocery%20shopping%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENo%20antibiotics%3Cbr%3ENo%20added%20hormones%3Cbr%3ENo%20GMO%3Cbr%3ENo%20preservatives%3Cbr%3EMSG%20free%3Cbr%3E100%25%20natural%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
