isRealli - The New Blog of the State of Israel » Israel 2.0

Leonardo DiCaprio Invests in Hot Israeli Startup

jeremy — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:38:59 +0000

Celebrities are pioneers of social media, always latching onto the hottest trends, but more importantly, defining what’s popular by bringing their millions of fans to the platform of their choice. When one thinks of Ashton Kutcher, it’s hard not to think about what he’s done for Twitter.

Hollywood celebs are seeing their role morph from embracers of social media to transformers, with big wigs like the aforementioned Kutcher investing serious dough into tech startups. The latest celebrity to stick their feet in the water is none other than Leonardo DiCaprio, who is a part of a big $4 million investment in Mobli.

Far from being an obscure startup, Mobli has gotten tons of good press, with popular blog TechCrunch calling it the “break-out photo sharing app of the year.” In addition to personal use by Leo of course, several other celebrities are into Mobli, including paris Hilton and David Arquette.

What makes Mobli special is that the second you take a picture or video, there’s no loading screen to upload it to a server or YouTube, within seconds, it’s already out there to be viewed by anyone around the world. “Mobli allows people from all over the world to share moments,” says Leonardo DiCaprio, who will take on an advisory position at Mobli.

Upon taking a picture, your location is automatically put in, and unlike twitter, where there are a ton of hashtags (#) and making groups can be a bit messy, the system works with a series of filters. Say you’re at a concert at Madison Square Garden, the system is smart enough to connect you instantly with everyone who is taking pictures or videos at the Jay-Z concert at MSG. It’s seamless, sleek, intuitive, and its big catch is celebrity involvement (see pic below).

Thanks to Mashable for this story.

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Vote Kim Edry for Miss Universe 2011!

jeremy — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:43:21 +0000

We are less than one month away from Miss Universe 2011, the annual competition pitting each country’s finest ambassadors against one another. This year, the pageant is being held in Sao Paulo, Brazil and will be airing September 12th at 9 pm on NBC. Israel’s very own Kim Edry needs all of our support to get to the semi-finals! In a new, 21st century twist, candidates only make it to the final rounds via your vote. You can vote online here, but let’s take a minute to get to know her!

Kim was crowned Israel's Maiden of Beauty 2011 last March

When she’s not rocking fabulous designer outfits, Kim was probably your average teenager from Sderot, in southern Israel. She even spent some time serving in the IDF (see a picture of her in uniform here) The 19 year old is on the tall side at 5’9″ (1.75 meters), and believe it or not, her flight to Brazil ahead of the pageant was the first time she’s ever flown by herself.

Of course, the Israeli model has a lot of competition, with over 80 countries represented. When asked if she had been scouting out her competitors, she said “Yes. I looked at some pictures of the contestants and I thought to myself which ones I could see myself connecting with. One which made a big impression on me was Miss United States.”

So what makes her really stand out compared to the other gorgeous women competing for the crown? “There’s nothing like the Israeli beauty and the Israeli character” said Kim. “Besides, we deserve some Nachas (Joy). It’s been a while since last time an Israeli won, we deserve some positive press.” Fun fact, the last (and only) Israeli to be crowned Miss Universe was Rina Messinger back in 1976.

So, whether you’re a fan of the Miss Universe competition or not, show your support for Israel and let’s make sure she makes it to the finals! With over 80 countries broadcasting the event, we can show the world the face of the Israeli people! Vote here for Kim Edry!

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Nokia Launches “Angry Birds Championship”

jeremy — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:41:12 +0000

Think you’re good at angry birds? Do you consider a level “not finished” if you complete it with only one or two stars? Then you may have what it takes to compete for a national title of “Angry Birds Champion.” An epic 6 round tournament has just started in malls all over Israel, including Haifa and Rishon Leizon. The big winner will be crowned following the finals on August 3rd and flown to Barcelona (presumably via slingshot) for an all inclusive vacation! Runner up prizes include a Nokia N8 and Nokia C7.

To say Angry Birds is a huge phenomenon is an understatement. Having been downloaded across various platforms over 300 million times, its generated a mammoth empire for something which started as a 99 cent budget game.

If you’re in Israel, head on over to angrybirds.nokia.co.il to sign up, and track the leaderboards. If you’re not in Israel, don’t worry, here’s a very special video to tide you over:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwv6bxS-oNs

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Poll: Israel Tops World in Time Spent on Social Networking

jeremy — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:33:41 +0000

Last year, we wrote about Israel’s facebook obsession. A recent study by ComScore, which attempts to measure the digital world, found that Israelis spend the most time on social networking sites than any other people in the world. This past April, the average Israeli spent about 11 hours on social platforms. For those that live on Facebook and Twitter, 11 hours might not sound like a lot for the entire month but remember, the statistics include users who spend zero hours online. Second to Israel? Argentina, with an average of 8.8 hours.

Israel is actually ranked second in the world in terms of “Facebook penetration” – 90 percent of Israelis have an active Facebook profile. And the grand winner, at an even more astonishing 93 percent? The Philippines. Israel’s neighbor and friend, Turkey, rounds out the top 3 with an attachment rate of 89.6 percent. These stats are significantly higher than the U.S., where the number hovers around 60 percent.

What do you think? Epic waste of time or are Israelis just finding a new way to transform chatterboxes to web 2.0?

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Israel’s Facebook Obsession

jeremy — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:11:08 +0000

According to Trevor Johnson, Facebook’s head of strategy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Israelis spend more time on Facebook than any other people in the world. Even if this is adjusted for population, for a country smaller than most U.S. states, amassing more than a billion minutes a month is quite impressive. In fact, Israelis spend more time on Facebook than Google and YouTube… combined!

While many would argue that there is no correlation between the amount of Facebook friends one has and how popular they are in real life, with a user average of over 140 friends, Israelis are well above the global average.

Israel’s love for Facebook has even caught the attention of military brass. With so many soldiers “plugged in” virtually 24/7, Israeli soldiers have been cautioned against publishing sensitive information on social networking sites.

It’s hard to imagine that a website started in a Harvard dorm room would, in just a few years, impact military policy halfway across the world.

As a final note from everyone at isRealli, bonus points if you accessed this article through Facebook.

We thank Haaretz for this story.

Photo provided by Flickr by smileham. Used under Creative Commons License.

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At 86, President Peres Goes 2.0

michal — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:24:50 +0000

Photo:Flickr

“Welcome to my YouTube channel. I am so glad to speak to you and no less, to listen to you. I would like to share with you my dreams, my thoughts, and I would like also to hear your dreams and your thoughts”.

No, this isn’t a quote by Beyonce or Eminem but rather the launching of a completely different channel- The Shimon Peres Show.

After staying on top of almost every global trend, the President of Israel now has his own YouTube channel. At a special event held in Jerusalem, President Peres hit the publish button and uploaded his first ever clip: “The freedom of speech belonged for many years in history to the strong, to the mighty, to the privileged. They have had the microphones and we have had to listen to them. Today we really enjoy free speech. We can talk to each other, no matter where are you, no matter who are you, no matter who I am, as a person to a person, directly. With a great interest and full hope, join in me, in dreams, in hope, in conversation. I think it will enrich you, I am sure it will enrich me.” said President Peres.

Joining Peres at this event was Chad Hurley, YouTube’s founder who hopes this channel and others will serve to promote peace and understanding:” I could have never imagined when we started this site five years ago that we would be considered a vehicle for peace. Today, we are breaking down boundaries so that people get to see the other side. People see that everyone around the world really shares the same dreams and have the same fears.”

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldeconomicforum/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib41HeqW4tE

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Israel upgrades army to Web 2.0

jeremy — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:05:56 +0000

As part of a new effort to showcase Israel’s armed forces on an international level, the IDF is developing a unit designed exclusively for social networking. Experts on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are arming themselves to the tweet to create an open and unfiltered look at some of the cool things happening every day in the Israeli army.

For more info, check out the full story in USA Today

Photo by provided by tsevis on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.

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#140Conf: Next Stop Tel Aviv

michal — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:29:24 +0000

Following the success of the 140 Characters Conference (#140conf) in New York, social media guru Jeff Pulver has announced today that the next event will take place in Tel Aviv from October 7-8, 2009. The global conference also has scheduled stops in Los Angeles and London in the next year.

The #140conf, which focuses on Twitter and its effects on business and media, will gather social media experts and industry thought leaders for two intensive days to take a hard look at the evolving real-time Internet and its impact on areas such as: Celebrity, The Media, and Politics, to name a few.

Pulver is currently searching for a fresh “Cast of Characters” to be a part of the Tel Aviv event. He is specifically looking for people whose approach to business has been touched by the real-time Internet and Twitter.

If you or someone you know is interested in joining the #140conf: Tel Aviv, please contact Jeff Pulver at jeff@pulver.com. The deadline for the “Call for Characters” is August 30, 2009.

We look forward to seeing you in Tel Aviv! In the meantime, get the latest updates about the #140conf on Twitter (@140conf).

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The Connection Between Branding, Public Diplomacy, and Tourism

michal — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:59:55 +0000

Jewish Week reporter Sharon Udasin sat down for an interview with Israel’s Consul for Media and Public Affairs in New York, David Saranga, as he winds down his four-year term. Consul Saranga discussed his thoughts behind shaping Israel’s image, and the connections between branding, public diplomacy, and tourism.

To read the full interview, click here.

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Holy Tweet! The Kotel Opens a Twitter Account

michal — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:08:41 +0000

The Western Wall in Jerusalem has officially opened a Twitter account. Now you can tweet your prayers through cyberspace. They will be printed on notes and placed in the wall.

Finally, a direct conduit to the divine! @TheKotel can now join the ranks of God — on Twitter, that is.

Photo by elliottfreeman on Flickr used under Creative Commons License.

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