This week, after nearly 3 years in the Middle East, I will be packing my bags to return home to London.
It’s been a great experience. Alongside living and working in a very different cultural environment, I’ve had the opportunity to develop an expertise in regional developments in the social and digital space, whilst also pursuing some of my other research interests.
Here’s a few things I’ve been up to during that time:
* Produced 30 market round-ups (English/Arabic), 125+ articles, 4 book chapters and 3 industry reports.
* Enjoyed 300,000+ views – in the Top 1% of global content – on LinkedIn’s SlideShare platform.
* Worked with a wide range of partners and media outlets including: Oxford Internet Institute (Oxford University) and Cornell University, Georgetown University, Northwestern University, Qatar University, Internet Society and Carnegie Mellon University, Ipsos MENA, Nielsen, Toluna, Edelman PR, Abramis Academic Publishing, BBC College of Journalism, Huffington Post, journalism.co.uk, Media Development Investment Fund, NESTA, Online Journalism Blog, Street Fight, Routledge, JustHere, Qatar Today, Your Middle East and ZDNet.
* Made some great new friends, traveled to Azerbaijan, Japan, Maldives, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, UAE and the USA, ate a lot of cakes, and rescued three abandoned cats!
Phew!
However, it’s true that all good things come to an end, and I decided a couple of months ago that it was time for a change of scene.
Here’s a few new things I already have lined up:
- A report on Second Screen usage following my presentation at IBC Amsterdam
- A new project on Local Communities and Local News in the Digital Age
- Authoring a book chapter on the Digital Middle East for Georgetown University.
- Guest Editing an issue of CyberOrient, a peer reviewed journal of the virtual Middle East published by the American Anthropological Association & the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague.
- Contributing writer for the nuviun digital health website
That should keep me reasonably busy, but there’s still plenty of time for me to take on other opportunities.
In particular, I’m keen to build on my experience in media and communications policy, journalism innovation, the impact of the Internet on Society, social media and the evolving consumption – and business – of digital content.
So, if you’re interested in working with me in 2015, or know someone else who might be, then drop me a line (damian.radcliffe at gmail.com) and let me know.
Damian Radcliffe 