Many community-based web portals and yahoo groups founded and moderated by expatriates of various nationalities living in Saudi Arabia serve as one-stop information and service centers to visitors and members.
Muhammad Alwi, a Sri Lankan who frequently visits hyperlink www.123srilanka.com, said the web portal keeps him well-informed about the goings-on in his country.
:The site was put up by a Sri Lankan who lived in Riyadh before moving to Canada. He still uploads relevant information to the site for the benefit of his fellow citizens in the Kingdom," he said.
Willy dela Cruz, a Filipino software engineer who recently arrived in the Kingdom, said the yahoo groups founded and moderated by Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia post articles that have enriched his knowledge of Saudi culture and lifestyle.
One of these, "OFW-Saudi Yahoo Group," serves as a platform for discussion on social, cultural and health topics, as well as on the Philippine's current political situation, he said.
Amjad Hussain, an Indian software engineer, said the web-based Yahoo groups that he visits keep him in touch with Indian nationals living in different parts of the Kingdome.
The portals also keep him informed on the latest developments in India via links that open to the websites of newspapers published in his home country.
Zia-ur Rehman, a Riyadh-based Indian who put up and now moderates the hyperlink www.YaHind.com, said his eight-year-old site serves Indians expatriates in Saudi Arabia by providing them with a platform for the exchange of information.
A non-profit project, Rehman's portal even gets hits from people living in other Gulf countries and Canada. He says that the site gets up to 40,000 hits on weekends from all over the world wherever Indian communities are.
Many of the portal's members volunteer information that Rehman chooses from and uploads to the site on a daily basis. He doesn't mind that he has to do this after office work.
"I spend between four to six hours daily to upload information including breaking news. The site has gained the confidence of Indians everywhere and that is something I want to maintain," he said.
The hyperlink www.ContactPakistan.com (CP) that was established in 1998 and moderated by Tahir Bhutt has become a virtual community welfare organization for Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia.
CP was the first Pakistan community web-portal to offer information on a host of subjects including Information Technology, engineering, health and medical science, finance and business management, and banking.
The most popular feature of CP is the "virtual hospital" that allows online users to post their medical problems. A medial team that includes some of the best doctors from various parts of the world respond with professional advice.
CP today has other virtual services such as the virtual career counseling (for Pakistani students studying in international schools), the virtual legal chamber (for legal advice), and the virtual job centre (for Pakistani job seekers).
The site claims to have around 750,000 members from Saudi Arabia and 67 other countries. The CP Forum has about 515 registered users.
The expatriates working in Saudi Armco maintain contact with co-workers and retired Armco employees via "Aramcoexpats.com," a Yahoo Directory.
"Welcome to the eighth year of "expatsinsuadiarabia," proudly claims a Yahoo group that is moderated by an American based in Saudi Arabia.
The site moderator said it is "for those of you thinking of, or are already living and working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to exchange information and share experiences of life in KSA."
Irrelevant messages, political and religious mails, and provocative materials that are attempted to be posted on the site are automatically deleted.
Members of "expatsinsuadiarabia," particularly those already in the Kingdom, share their experiences about anything from obtaining a family visa or about the cost of various services.
An example of a message by one member is about the telephone services in Saudi Arabia.
"I am using www.justvoip.com the lowest rate available for the VOIP phone, if anybody knows better than this service please let me know," the message read.
Another member, a female who has lived in Saudi Arabia, talks about her experiences and observations while she was here: "I lived in Saudi for a while (almost six years) between 93 and 99… I do speak Arabic since I was born in Lebanon but I grew up in Mississauga (ONT) and New York… Here is the deal…As I have recommended on previous occasions to all my friends, you want to live in Saudi for three reasons:
Very Safe compared to other places around (back in my days, it was very safe, but as of today, not very sure about it)…
An interesting experience to say the least…if you love it…stick around…..
The money…make the most out of it…save the most out of it….I did not buy clothing on Saudi or anything of value…saved every penny and now I have a thriving consulting business in Dubai…"
The web portals or e-community online groups also provide information on such topics as accommodation, jobs, health and medical treatment costs, labor laws, moving around the Kingdom in accordance with local customs, and the problems facing the expatriate communities such as labor disputes.
Some Yahoo groups organize social and cultural gatherings, hold opinion polls on various subjects such as women driving in Saudi Arabia and extend help to citizens in need.
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