The fundamental shift we are experiencing in how the Web is consumed (streams vs. pages) is also impacting our ability to engage with those we thought were beyond our reach. Consider this anecdote: When I was a teenager there was no chance I would have been able to communicate with a Jordanian monarch, and the closest I got to my favorite rock band—Guns n’ Roses—was getting crushed in the first row of their concerts in Budapest and Vienna.
Seventeen years later I am able not only to reach out to Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan, I am also one of the 46 users followed by Duff McKagen (@duff64), Gn’R’s former bass player. What made these things possible was Twitter (of course). The piping for 140-character thought bursts is what today connects an everyday, common Israeli, with the Queen of Jordan and a rock star.
In a recent post we wrote about Her Majesty joining twitter (follow her handle @QueenRania). We followed up with an interview request to find out how she is using Twitter both personally and to help change the world, and she graciously accepted. “Of course, I tweet,” she says. But unlike most of us, she tweets about taking her family to meet the Pope and working to give every child an education.
If you are unfamiliar with Queen Rania’s work, here’s what she’s been up to lately: Among her many activities in Jordan, Queen Rania focuses on promoting excellence and innovation in education. As UNICEF’s Eminent Advocate for Children, she is a staunch defender of children’s welfare. Queen Rania has also been vocal about the importance of cross cultural dialogue in fostering greater understanding, tolerance and acceptance across the world. Her YouTube initiative exemplifies this.
Below is the email interview I conducted with her:
TechCrunch: Could you tell us how you came to know of Twitter? Is it really you tweeting? And why do you prefer using Twibble and TweetDeck over other applications?
Her Majesty Queen Rania: I guess I first heard about it following the US election campaigns; there was quite a buzz around the creative use of social media in mobilizing people behind a common cause.
Since then, I’ve seen Twitter evolve into a dynamic and diverse medium for action as well as communication. Whether it’s raising money for malaria nets or promoting your company brand, Twitter answers much more than just “what are you doing?” It’s expanded to “what is the world doing, and what can the world do?”
Of course, I tweet. Tweeting is a very personal form of expression. Who else could talk about my son refusing to wear a suit to meet the Pope, my husband flying a helicopter, or take a twitpic from our home?
Tweetdeck was recommended by a friend, and that’s what I’m used to. And the same with Twibble; it works for when I’m on the go.
TC: My wife is still (grudgingly) coming to terms with my tweeting about our family… I’m curious as to how your husband, King Abdullah II, accepts Twitter now being fused with the everyday life of your family? Is your daughter, Princess Salma, aware of it?
Her Majesty Queen Rania: Well, my husband is supportive of my work, like advocating for dialogue between cultures on YouTube. Last summer he was really proud of the millions of views my YouTube channel was receiving. He’s a bit of a techie himself with his gadgets and gizmos, so he’s very intrigued about all my twittering. Like me, he knows we’re just like any other family and so opening a window into our world shows people that, regardless of titles, we’re human, too. Ever since YouTube, my children aren’t surprised by me joining Twitter and Facebook. Really, as part of the digital generation, they’re probably wondering what took me so long!
TC: Do you view Twitter solely as yet another social medium to use for spreading your message, or will it replace an existing tool? Who do you have in mind when you’re tweeting? Jordanians, or an international audience?
Her Majesty Queen Rania: Twitter’s a great way to tell people across the world what I care about and, hopefully, motivate them to join me in furthering my causes. It’s also a fantastic medium to hear the ideas and opinions of people I might not otherwise get to meet.
I want to tell people more about Jordan, about my life and work, but also to campaign for quality, global education. Not many people know that there are 75 million children out of school in the world…and two thirds are girls. And there’s just no excuse for that. We know what to do, we know how to make it happen, but we lack momentum from the masses to push politicians into action. It’s only when we have a critical mass of supporters behind this issue that we will put every child behind a school desk.
Twitter’s one way we can do that. It’s about using social media for social change: creating a community of advocates who can use their voices on behalf of the voiceless, or leverage their talents, skills, knowledge, and resources to put more children into classrooms, or pressure their elected representatives to get global education top of the agenda.
Who am I tweeting? Anyone who wants to learn more and help make a difference.
TC: You have a very progressive approach, even by Western standards, to transparent communication. How do you view restrictions imposed on the Internet in Middle Eastern countries?
Her Majesty Queen Rania: Just to clarify, not all Middle Eastern countries have restrictions on the internet. Some do, but I’m not in a position to comment on policies in other countries. I can tell you that in Jordan we don’t impose restrictions on the Internet.
TC: Do you foresee the use of the Internet in education to become as pivotal as it is in Western countries?
Her Majesty Queen Rania: Absolutely. Jordan is committed to ensuring that every child in our schools has access to, training, and proficiency in ICT. I believe that if we want our children to understand the world beyond their classroom, we must bring the world into their classroom. And teachers are also part of this equation. We’re using the internet in schools to upgrade their skills, mobilize resources, and encourage joint learning through online communities.
With a youthful population, we know the importance of a strong and innovative education sector, one that prepares our young people for the 21st century’s global marketplace and equips them with a 21st century skills’ set. By inspiring, engaging, and igniting their imaginations, we’re encouraging our children to be life-long learners.
TC: Do you see technology as key to the advancement of women’s rights? Is there a conscious effort on your part to become a role model in this sense?
Her Majesty Queen Rania: Social media are a catalyst for the advancement of everyone’s rights. It’s where we’re reminded that we’re all human and all equal. It’s where people can find and fight for a cause, global or local, popular or specialized, even when there are hundreds of miles between them.
It’s not about me being a role model, but about empowering people and making them believe that they can be role models and leaders for change.
TC: Have any of your tweets gotten a particularly large or surprising response?
Her Majesty Queen Rania: Well, I’ve only been tweeting for a week or so, but the Pope’s visit got quite a large response. I noticed people were quite interested in this one: @QueenRania: Hoping he cn get both sides 2 recognize their common humanity, then we cn start building frm there.
TC: Did your son end-up watching “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” or was he spared the agony of the “chickflick”? (your husband’s words, not mine 
)
Her Majesty Queen Rania: No, his father got to him before I did! 
TC: Has anyone from the Twitter team contacted you after joining? Do you know of any other royals that use Twitter (perhaps privately)? Does anyone else in your family use Twitter besides you? Will we ever see the King tweet?
Her Majesty Queen Rania: I follow Biz Stone, but he has yet to DM me! As for other royals, I don’t know of any, not even His Majesty… If His Majesty ever decides to tweet, I’ll let you know on Twitter!
TC: What is your position on Holocaust denial groups on social networks specifically, and what should be done about hate speech in general?
Her Majesty Queen Rania: I think that, as is the case offline, we should not be tolerant of hate speech, racist comments, or groups that promote hatred or intolerance in any shape or form.
It’ll be interesting to see if she’ll utilize twitter to connect with the people of her country.
Queen Rania of Jordan is by far the sexiest and smartest queen in the world.
Not only is she beautiful, articulate, and socially aware … but she is also one of the most adept users of technology in the world. Believe it or not, she used to work for Apple computer and is a now the only royalty videoblogger in the world.
* Queen Rania is a passionate advocate for women and children in the region and in the world as a whole.
* She set up the Madrasati initiative aimed at renovating Jordan’s most dilapidated public schools.
* She was named the third most beautiful woman in the world in the 2005 by Harpers & Queen magazine.
* In addition, she was the youngest queen in the world when she ascended to the throne.
To be a princess is probably every little girl’s childish fantasy. But Queen Rania of Jordan shows that with intelligence and poise, a young girl can aspire to be much more than just the wife of someone important.
http://smartbab...n-rania-of.html
well said. I have followed her work for many years, and though I don’t always agree with her positions, I certainly respect her personally – and really enjoy reading her tweets.
On twitter, one thing I constantly preach to those who don’t understand is, the barrier to ‘celebrity’/famous is broken down – completely removed. No longer is it necessary (though I never thought it were) to turn to the gossip rags and TV shows to find out what’s going on in the lives of those people.
I may not become best friends with Queen Rania for instance, and we may never have a conversation (sadly, she doesn’t follow me), but I know what’s happening with her and the family . I can pray for them when they hurt, congratulate them when they do well, agree and disagree – and all on a more personal level. Who knows? She may one day read what I say to her, or about her. And again who knows? One day we may become great friends based on shared ideas and goals. That’s twitter.
instead of opposing monarchy, TC prefixes “her majesty” to their name everywhere. there is a limit to holding bucket under.
“Using Twitter to change the world” is a nice tweak…for a reason. But in reality it is just for fun…like having a wet dream when you were a teenager.
@Windowslogy: The twitter like other social media network tools can be used for fun or for some serious activities. It depends how you use it, but you can’t neglect the fact that it is the most flexible publishing tool. I beleive that in the near future the published information will be detected in far more flexible way (possible social and other media mutual connection) .
It is just a dream what you’re saying. Twitter will be never and ever a major publishing platform. It seems it has the biggest potential with it’s real-time search mechanism. It will fail in terms of changing the world by enable information to be shared by people. It will only be used for fun.
Yes, Peter. I am a Jordanian, and I can assure you that she’s communicationg with the people of her country. Nothing would prevent her from doing so.
iam a jordanian woman and would like to tell you peter that her majesty has been , and is and will always be in touch with her people .
once you get a decent amount of followers you can’t keep tabs on everything people are saying. I imagine your email would be over run with DM’s… at what point does twitter become too big…
The Queen is very gracious and congrads to you for getting the interview.
bass player… as opposed to “base” player. The queen is sexy.
Nice job getting the interview guys. This woman is a queen and princess rolled into one. My family know her from her time in Kuwait.
You must be the luckiest man in the world then. Did you get a Happy New Year card from her?
Queen Rania (and Jordan to a large degree) represents everything that is right in the Middle East. Both represent a light at the end of the tunnel that is currently blocked by religious fanatics and people who refuse to move forward.
It is too bad that today’s media outlets only concentrate on what is bad rather than what is good. I, as an American Israeli, for one, hope that Twitter will give her and others working towards peace the platform that they need since the mainstream media will never do.
I remember my 11th grade journalism teacher teaching us that, as he said it, “no news sells like bad news”. Too bad that it is actually true.
Wow, nicely done Roi – Her comment about not tolerating Holocaust denial groups is a strong symbol, an important lesson coming from one of the only Arab countries where Jews can simply cross the border.
Wondering if the Jordian Telco’ /Department of Defence actaully allow uncensored internet communication’s..
This whole Her Majesty thing is so two centuries ago.
It is not so much about her person but about the nation that she represents. I do not think that anyone would think of interviewing Obama and addressing him as “Barack” or “Dude”. Rather, he would be addressed as “Mister President”. At any rate, she sounds like an unpretentious, very down to earth person.
Apart from the nice argument about respect for the country and the people he queen represents, by Jean-Michel, I think there are also other reasons for which Patrick is wrong for saying “This whole Her Majesty thing is so two centuries ago.”
One reason is about this notion of “modernity” thrown at us as if we are talking about some fashion item gone out of season !
Not everything that is “new” or “modern” is worth following … or embracing , take for example hip hop music , fuzzy hair looks, and low waste jeans .. I am sure not all people are impressed by such things !
Then come to see how some people so these things
Why should manners of speech , or other values, be of much difference ?
Times change and life is dynamic .. but some things SHOULD hold value across time and for better life.
sharing the wealth is the best way any multi-millionaire can change the world.
ShareLocator.com – dont be greedy
stopsharingyourbrainfartslocator.com — your best contribution to society would be to go into a cave and wall yourself in — preferably without internet access.
This locator bullshit bores me to death. Quit spamming and leave us alone
KingLocator,
If u were a millionaire,what would you do then?
Money z a tool,its like Petrol 4 the car,but the car wont move or follow the right track without a “good mind”!
Petrol is non-renewable,while Minds r renewable
..but sometimes pple 4get their existance!
a wise man once told me that money is only as “good as what you do with it. ”
there are alot of things i would like to do. first and foremost i would rush emergency relief to the people that need it. food and shelter to homeless and hungry in the US and third world nations. i would then demand that corporations contribute to our remedy fund. and if they dont our network of tens of millions around the world would boycott any of their products or people that do business with them. leverage is everything.
ShareLocator.com – theres enough to go around
tsk tsk @Biz. I believe you are missing something rather big there…nevermind the celebritards.
Just yesterday I was thinking how the 6 degrees of separation concept isn’t relevant anymore now that I’m following Tina Fey.
It’s good to know that the Queen herself is tweetering, and it was very kind of her to answer your questions.
Wondering which royal is next?
Sarit, hate to tell you, but Tina Fey doesn’t know you, ok? You aren’t her friend, ok? Fake friends don’t apply to the 6 degrees thing, ok? Such is the word of Sanjay.
b2c at its finest : )
Sorry, I’m bullish on twitter, but I have to disagree. What made these connections possible is not twitter, but rather blogging. In my opinion, if you didn’t write for a blog with such substantial reach, those people would not have responded to you (maybe you could argue that Twitter helped you cut out the PR middle-person). This is PR for them, and content for you. It’s not a new model. You could have used email, or a phone to facilitate these connections too. I’m sure there are writers for “rolling stone” who 10 years ago had duff in their Rolodex.
Right on, Jack. What made these contacts possible is the fact the Roi is a media personality via the blog, whether he cares to admit it or not. It’s like saying roads make it possible for anyone to visit Obama in the White House. Forget Twitter envy the Twitter worship here is getting ridiculous.
I need to get some fresh air. Thank god Twitter has provided the world with oxygen…
Guys, I humbly disagree. I think you may be over estimating the “media personality” parameter. These connections would not have been made without Twitter. It made the Queen and Duff *accessible* to me in an immediate sense. And it makes them accessible to *anyone* in the same manner–media personality, or not.
What do you have to *immediately* talk to a Queen halfway around the world about? Seriously…are you in such a rush and are so important you can’t send an email or make a phone call and wait for her to respond? Besides, what on earth is there to talk about between you two (or any other “celebrity”)?
Twitter fanatics are strange.
@Roi, EXACTLY! These people think they have friends, but they are imaginary, ok? Hah! Just because Twitter lets you “follow” somebody does not mean its an actual connection, ok? Might as well be a blog. Such is the word of Sanjay.
As I noted, it doesn’t make them any more accessible than a road leading to the White House makes Obama accessible to me. Or a letter. Or an SMS. Or an email. The question isn’t whether you can lob a message at someone, it’s whether they’ll bother responding. And Twitter has nothing whatsoever to do with that.
Re: “at what point is twitter to big”. I couldn’t agree more. I am not a Twitter hater by any means, I respect the ingenuity of it, but I have a hard time believing that Twitter is here for the long run (see retention rates).
Twitter has a niche, and it’s for the the charity/political-types (i.e. Obama/Queen), news to some extent, and throw celebrities in there I guess. Yes, the tech world is overcome with Twitter, but to an everyday person, Twitter will run it’s course. SPAM is downright ridiculous as the masses are pushing their blog/business or other personal agendas onto us. This shows the good and the bad of Twitter Search, with no doubt someone searching our just tweeted keyword to then ‘follow’. DM is next to impossible to get a response for most I imagine.
I just have a hard time believing that if you begin to follow more than handful of people, sprinkled in with a few of your favorite businesses, and your favorite news sources, the clutter won’t be overwhelming and turn people off. Yes, 3rd party applications can help, but what about the ‘everyday’ user that can’t download 3rd party software at work/mobile to take advantage.
What happens when paid services/ads/tweets begin? What happens when the Twitter allure and the “FOLLOW US ON TWITTER” screams in our faces stop? I see Twitter taking a much quicker roller coaster ride i.e. MySpace where when the dust settles, Twitter will go back to being a true conversation piece for small, personal groups(similar to how MySpace has gone back to the core of being a true Music source). Just my 2 cents!
I was lucky enough to meet Queen Rania when I was working in Kuwait, she was incredibly gracious and has a genuine warmth – I didn’t know she was on twitter but now I do I’ll follow her, this is an excellent way to break down prejudices
Well done for a wonderful interview
Interesting:-)
thy dave enjoys the way thou includes “her majesty” in thy interview.
…bows and walks away backwards…
Very good article. I’m going to follow Queen Rania.
brown nosing and bromides at its best. She’s just a queen fer christ’s sake.
What, a Twitter article not by MG? The disease is spreading.
Congrats to Roi & TC on getting this interview, great piece!
I totally agree with Jim Z’s remark, her majesty Queen Rania does represent a lot of what is right, in the middle east and regarding Monarchs and world leaders in general – “regardless of titles, we’re human, too.”
As a fan of flash mobbing and the web i’m happy to see her majesty touching on making change and equality – “momentum from the masses to push politicians into action.” i hope Twitter is only the beginning. Same as with MySpace and other SN’s, the more international SN’s get, their power of change will grow, a US dominated user base isn’t enough, it is the non democrat countries that mostly need this “Aid”.
It’s interesting and encouraging to see her majesty’s clear approach to middle eastern restrictions on the internet, as Egypt is currently going the other way.
This post is a great example of why continuous coverage of Twitter is still very relevant.
I’m sorry, but from the way you make it sound, you’re one of only 46 people who get to chat it up with a famous band’s musicians. As for the Queen, I wonder how many people she truly talks to, outside of a select few. I’m almost positive if I signed up for a Twitter account and sent her a message, she wouldn’t respond to me, nor would she ever come close to “following” me.
Twitter is a glorified RSS feeder/reader that allows for a single blast to get out to everyone at once. It doesn’t increase the quality of conversations between any two persons, nor does it allow for communication no previous method allowed (*ahem* email, anyone?). It is purely a 1-way method of communication that is duping the idiot masses who use it into thinking there is some unseen potential here if you attract enough followers. There isn’t. It’s rubbish.
Twitter is a fad and only the top users will get any benefit from it. For the millions of us who won’t get a chance to chat with famous folks beyond sending a single 140-character message (if that), I’m pretty sure we’ll all gravitate back towards the “old”, Twitterless web. (You know, the one TechCrunch hates…)
I think that her thinking would definitely be affected by any insightful replies you could make to her tweets, like any of us would. So, looking at the grander scheme of things, insightful replies would not be made in vain. She would probably reply if she wanted to know more. I have seen her reply to people whom she does not seem to know, but she cannot possibly reply to every single follower, otherwise she would be doing it 24×7. So, all in all, she is no different from anyone else in those regards. Like everyone else, she is trying to figure out that new *style* of communication. Is it indeed rubbish as you say? Maybe, maybe not. I do not think that anyone can truly tell yet. It seem to be that the world should continue developing as many new styles of communication as possible, but also easier and better ways of filtering the noise, and then see what sticks.
If she can’t possibly respond to even her “followers” if they ask her a direct question, what’s the point of being a follower on twitter vs. just waiting for her to update a blog? I mean, if Twitter isn’t going to make communication that couldn’t exist before possible, what’s the point?
That’s Twitter’s ultimate flaw — it tricks new, naive users into thinking when they follow someone they have a chance to talk w/ them one on one when at best a handful will be talked back to (if that). I understand the Queen may like talking to certain people on Twitter, but gimme a break – she’s not going to respond to each and every person who writes her.
And if she really has no desire (or the ability) to respond personally to each and every tweet directed at her, than she (and other Twitter users in her situation — which is most “successful” twitterers) should just make it perfectly clear that Twitter is being used as a one-way RSS feed, nothing more.
I’m glad you asked about Holocaust denial. She almost answered.
Pretty audacious of Roi, actually.
No suprise there though; he’s Israeli.
Good interview. Except for the last question, which comes out of left field. This hammering on Holocaust Denial is really, really making me want to remove Techcrunch from my RSS feed. I am generally sickened by anyone with an obvious agenda.
LOVED this article
Can we swap the royal family in Britain for the Hashemites? Shukran al’fi shukr!
Great article – Queen Rania is an impressive advocate of how social media can empower people to help to change the world. More like this, please!
I first heard about Queen Rania´s activities through – yes, TV! But now I follow her activities on social media. And I just love the concept
Queen Rania is a one of the main facade of Jordanian supervises. But the problem we have is not in the media. The problem lies in the application on the ground
Go ahead with your thoughts, and we are all with you
Did you see when Stephen Colbert was knighted by Queen Rania? That was nice.
He was actually knighted by Queen Noor, but that is a detail, and I agree with you; that was kinda cool, especially when she started bargaining knighthood against endorsement from the Colbert Nation.
Excellent article and interview. It is a step up in development of using the social media, especially for important topics, regarding actual problems in the world.
Communication, better understanding of the cultures and focus on real problems through exchange of ideas among users, especially ordinary people and leading structure.
This model actually goes to higher and serious level thanks to Her Majesty.
What is somehow revolutionary and very positive is openness for dialogue between Royalty and ordinary people, and what is most important Her Majesty really care.
“Royalty & ordinary people”??? She’s no better than anyone else. “Royalty” in this day and age is just a title, nothing more. I wouldn’t feel honored talking to her. Let me talk to Nobel-prize winning scientist, famous astronaut or world superpower leader and then yeah, that would be awesome.
While we’re on the subject of the dumb reasoning of much of the world’s population, I highly doubt TC would even be interested in her “tweets” if she was ugly.
You are only repeating what Queen Rania said herself, about titles being irrelevant when it comes to one’s own humanity. In fact, I think that she was being too humble because she is, alongside her husband, a head of state with more power than you seem to believe, especially as pertains to the peace process in the Middle East, one of the most important challenges of our time, so she is more than just a title, and seem to assume that fact very well. You speak of Nobel Prize winners and famous astronauts so you should at least respect the fact that she is using her power to enable more of those in the future, through education for all. Maybe there should be a Nobel Prize for that too.
Holocaust on facebook = NO
Despotic Middle Eastern Regieme on Tech Crunch = YES
Oh Michael.
well, nice that you two got in touch, but this would be far more interesting if you were able to profile a few folks in unique government positions using twitter or other social media to humanize their roles (@superbad, not sure that i see it as a lot of despots, but whatever, didn’t this same woman go to dana hall in wellesley, ma???)
If you would shorten “Her Majesty Queen Rania” to “HMQR” , you’ll be saving hundreds of dollars in bandwitth cost and my eyes.
Queen Rania is simply amazing. In my show, I featured the two Twitterers that I thought warranted a feature @QueenRania and @BCuban http://budurl.com/oneShot I won’t be featuring Kitty Cats anytime soon. I have also suggested that @LeslieSanchez interview the Queen.
Twitter will swoop in and save the world. Twitter will find osama bin ladin. Twitter will go to the moon. Twitter will save all the 3rd world countries from starvation. All on its own. Twitter sucks. Its a pointless useless service.
Wow, I am impressed with her
Time to use the power of twitter to help advance peace in the middle east.
Unfortunately, the word “peace” did not appear in the conversation. If one of Israel’s top bloggers and one of the most progressive leaders in the region don’t discuss peace – who will? The 80 year olds?
Hi Roi,
Do i have your permission to translate it into Hebrew that i can put it on my Blog and of course give you the credit at the End, this story the IL tweeple will love to here
@iPolitics
“Who else could talk about my son refusing to wear a suit to meet the Pope, my husband flying a helicopter, or take a twitpic from our home?”
Sure, it will change the world.
Great interview! I have tremendous respect for Queen Rania and it is nice to see her find creative ways to use technology to further her important mission.
I am tweeting for peace too
The least I can say is “Good Job!”
I’m following the Queen now too.
Excellent Interview. Our Queen is truly leveraging the power of e-socializing such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
She is definately smart enough to know how to use the media.
While you abreviate your name as TC, why do you not abbreviate hers? seems to me you liked copy-pasting that mouthful
Take it easy guys, twitter is not bringing peace to middle east any time soon.
So, is twitter text-only television?
Loved the article
Loved the article
I don’t think it’s an accident that this has far more comments than an average post. It’s because at its core Twitter is about the triumph of humanity not the triumph of technology; something that people use to become smarter and to make the world a better place.
She is so pretty