“CONGRATULATIONS! You have an offer for a job in Saudi Arabia but are confused whether to accept it or not. Your mind is full of doubts about the location, culture, weather, work atmosphere, local population, and so on. You are in a Catch-22 situation: Should I go in for the plunge or not? You are looking for someone who can guide you, atleast through the basics. Not to worry, you have come to the right place!” reads the first blog entry posted on www.workinginsaudiarabia.blogspot.com, an informative blog run by an expatriate who has been working in the Kingdom for around a decade, which has had over 20,000 visitors since May, 2007. The blog seeks to provide an insight into various work and labor related issues in the Kingdom, and information on all that is relevant for expatriates living here. Entries on the blog combine various aspects of expat life, like how to organize a permanent family visa, renewal of Saudi vehicle registration, formalities in case of death for expatriates, tips for dealing with cops, driving and road accidents in Saudi Arabia. The blogger writes under the pseudonym ‘expatguru' and explained why he uses a pseudonym to blog in an e-mail interview. “I use a pen name not because I fear someone or I write something controversial. I just like the name, that's all. If I reveal my real name and identity, of what use will it be to anyone?” he asks. So what makes him write? “Just like any other expatriate, when I first came to the Kingdom I too had many pre-conceived notions. I literally had to run from pillar to post trying to get information on virtually everything. The basic problem, I later realized, is lack of information from the expatriate's point of view. That was when I decided that based on my experiences, I should start writing a blog,” says the blogger. “The blog started off as a hobby and I don't get paid for what I write here, unless people who see this blog click on a few advertisements on the blog page. I never ever ask anyone to do this too, because I enjoy what I write, irrespective of the monetary compensation,” he says. He said most of the queries he receives are regarding family visit visa procedures. “I was moved by some of the e-mails I received, saying how much people have benefited and how many families have been helped by the information on the blog. I then resolved that I will continue blogging for the sake of my unknown expatriate brothers and sisters,” he said. The Internet poses practically little or no check over copying contents from a website. “I get extremely irritated when people just copy the contents, paste them in an email and circulate to their friends, without even mentioning which blog it was taken from. The least I expect is the courtesy of mentioning the website's name,” the blogger says. “I write, type and publish this blog myself, I don't hire or collaborate with anyone else. I also verify the information thoroughly before publishing it on the blog,” he says. “Sometimes it irks me when people ask me for “proof” of whatever is mentioned in my blog. I usually tell such people that they are most welcome to seek other sources... I'm quite sure that they wouldn't find them though, which is why this blog was started in the first place!” In a blog entry, he writes that everyone coming to the Kingdom has pre-conceived notions about it and once here, they make a long list of things that they feel need to be changed in the system. “I would say that before pointing at the defects of a system, the change should first start from the individuals themselves,” he says. __
