LONDON, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- A new social networking site for Arab women, iMatter, was launched last night in Dubai on the MBC1 and MBC4 TV channels. A 60" TV commercial introduced Arab women to iMatter and the headline sponsor of the site, Pantene Shine, and invited them to join an online community designed around their needs. The design and management of the site overcomes a lot of the difficulties sites like Facebook, Bebo and MySpace often pose for Arab women.

http://imatter.mbc.net/

The site was designed and built for MBC (Middle East Broadcasting Company) by UK agency Leftfield Digital.

Social networking sites are a global phenomenon but there was nothing tailored to Arab women. The design of the site and management of the iMatter community is tailored for the specific cultural needs of Arab women.

iMatter is expected to overcome the concerns of Du and Etisalat - the two main telecommunications companies in the United Arab Emirates - regarding social networking sites.

According to Emirates Business 24/7, DU informed its customers of plans to filter the internet on Sunday 13 April, 2008 via SMS text message: "We wish to inform you that from April 14, 2008, we will be blocking sites with content that do not conform to the moral, social and cultural values of the UAE."

Leftfield Digital are working on a number of projects in Dubai as the region continues to invest heavily into its digital infrastructure.

http://www.leftfield-digital.com

http://www.mbc.net

(Copies of the TV commercial are available on request.)