A new social media website based in Dubai is offering a holistic approach to social networking, allowing profiles for both social and business contacts – as well as an e-commerce portal and a facility to support selected charities.
GoMad, which stands for Go Make A Difference, launched one month ago with ambitious aspirations to fuse elements of existing platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
“GoMad was born out of recognizing the value of these two elements,” explains GoMad Founder and CEO, Shabbir Adamji. “As our company name suggests, we aimed to create a platform that makes a difference. Providing social media fans with a time-saving solution where their network works for them is just one of the ways we are changing things.”
Adamji told AMEinfo that the Dubai-headquartered project has been in the works for several months, born out of parent company GoMad Ideas, an information consultancy. Perceiving a gap in the market for an all-encompassing social networking resource, 20 staff are currently working to build buzz and momentum with all of the site’s features.
Perhaps the standout feature, compared to more established social brands, is GoMad’s philanthropy section. Users are given the opportunity to donate ‘GoMad credits’, earned via the site, to endorse partnered humanitarian groups, such as the UN World Food Program and more locally the UAE Red Crescent Authority.
“We believe in the power of communities coming together, and the Internet has now opened up limitless possibilities to connect and share ideas and resources,” explains Adamji.
Importantly, professional and social contacts are kept in distinct groups, but the site offers both sets of contacts the opportunity to buy and sell via MyStore, as well as share ‘intellectual resources’ within the Idea Platform.
The USP of the fledgling site is that it is so multifaceted, though it is being pitched as a primarily social tool, incorporating all the expected features of other social media applications. Instant messaging, status updates or alerts, and the ability to share, comment and follow online content are all available.
“At this stage over 5,000 people have shown interest in registering on GoMadInc.com,” says Adamji, who is expectant of many more. His ambitions are quite clear, given his goal of raising $7bn for charity within a few years.
