Ralph Aoun, our national Web 2.0 Jedi

After a sojourn in Silicon Valley, Ralph Aoun came back to Lebanon with one idea in mind, to establish a humanistic enterprise incorporating Teamwork values within his area of expertise: social media.

At only 24, the young reckless entrepreneur cofounded COM FU, a digital agency that builds websites for companies, applications for organizations and social media campaigns for ministers. Ralph Aoun is also the ravaging writer behind the "Blog of the boss," which offers a satirical reading of the Lebanese news. He came back for us on its success story.

 

Can you tell us about one project that has impacted you on a personal level ?

Each project is an adventure of its own and a great learning experience, however some activations do stand out especially when they hold an impact on people’s lives.

Recently, COM FU has gotten the chance to be part of a very interesting residential project in Nigeria entitled THE ONE as part of the big Eko Atlantic real estate project. Our clients entrusted us to create a Christmas CSR activation which culminated into the distribution of laptops to underpriviliged African children and thus giving them access to knowledge and technology.

The image of these kids smiling and opening their eyes wide with curiosity as they turn on their new laptops was just overwhelming and truly gratifying.

 

You are also in charge of the social media strategy of the former communications minister Nicolas Sehnaoui, how can you describe this mission?

When I first met Minister Sehnaoui I was hesitant whether I should jump into the world of political communication or not. I was excited about discovering this tough yet delicate field especially after reading so much about it and how it is done in advanced countries, however I was also concerned that political communication theories would not be embraced by archaïque Lebanese politicians.

Ever since that day, Minister Sehnaoui cleared away those fears due to his unique approach to politics, his belief in the youth, and his conviction that it is our duty to be the people’s public servants ; servants that deliver actions and not speeches.

The projects we have worked on communicating are mostly youth and technology related, the most recent one being the Raspberry Pi Coder-Maker program which involves distributing tiny computers in Lebanese public schools accross the country and with special attention to girls only schools giving young Lebanese women the opportunity to develop their naturally high innovation skills.

Now I am blessed to say that our relationship has evolved from me being his ministerial advisor to him being my mentor and friend.

 

You are also the famous blogger behind Blog of the Boss, what is the image of the Lebanese society you are trying to portray through your blog?

First let me say that I had never imagined that one day I would be writing and owning an online publication. However, I truly felt that our traditional approach of simply spreading news articles_table to get a message across was simply no longer working.

People in Lebanon are numb and disinterested, and one can’t blame them as corruption has become an uncontrollable plague which suffocated their hopes, dreams and aspirations. For that purpose, I decided that a satirical approach to our daily problems would not only entertain the readers but most importantly win their attention to convey a message we are all avoiding to confront.

 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years ?

Considering I would be half way through my life (if I am lucky enough to reach my 90’s), I’d be happy if in 10 years I would have completed half of my bucket list items. Out of that list, giving a TED Talk, visiting Tibet, seing the northern lights and attending the Thai lanterns festival are some missions which first jump to mind.