IslamCrunch: How did you get started in the industry?

Muhammad Saleem: I actually forget how I first learned about Digg, but that’s from where it all started. By becoming a top-ranked user (I was ranked number 9 at the time) I was able to get hired by Netscape to socially bookmark content for their newly revamped social news portal. About the same time I was hired by Netscape, I started writing my first blog, which I called The Mu Life. And it has been up hill from there.

IslamCrunch: What is your role as Pronet Advertising Editor?

Muhammad Saleem: I really don’t do much on the editorial side since we don’t have many writers right now. Neil and Cameron manage their content themselves, and MG Siegler writes such good content that I rarely have to recommend any changes to him. Theoretically, however, the role is simple – to ensure that things at Pronet keep running smoothly, and the role will evolve as we hire more writers. Most of my work on the site is just writing right now.

IslamCrunch: What has been the biggest highlight in your career?

Muhammad Saleem: I don’t think I can answer this one. I am only 22 years old, and my career is just beginning. Ask me again in another decade and if all goes well, hopefully I will have an answer for you.

IslamCrunch: Are you active within the Muslim community? If so, please explain which activities and in which area (local, national, global).

Muhammad Saleem: I participated peripherally in my university’s MSA (Muslim Students’ Association) but apart from that I’m not very active.

IslamCrunch: As a professional, have you received any criticism or praise for your religious beliefs?

Muhammad Saleem: This is an interesting question, and one that I have written about before. As you can see, I was called a terrorist simply because of my name. But at the same time, you have to see how the community came to my defense.

IslamCrunch: As a media professional and an American Muslim, what are your thoughts about how Muslims express themselves in reaction to being labeled as “terrorists”?

Muhammad Saleem: Actually, just to clarify, I am not an American Muslim. I am Pakistani. From what I have seen, especially among my friends, they attribute it to the ignorance of whomever calls them a terrorist and brush it off. As they say, if you see a dog on the street barking at you, you don’t bark back, you keep quiet and keep walking.

IslamCrunch: Are there any Muslim scholars, entertainers, media professionals, humanitarians, activists whom you admire for their work?

Muhammad Saleem: It’s unfortunate how little Muslims have achieved since the 17th century, especially considering the fact that the basis for many scientific achievements today are based on what was discovered in the golden age of Islam in Arabia.

IslamCrunch: Muslims are a growing demographic in the West. What role do you think we can play that will benefit society? Media, politics, humanitarian, innovation?

Muhammad Saleem: Quite frankly before we think of playing a beneficial role in the Western society, we have to mend our own homes. With so much wrong with our own respective countries, that is where we should start. But one of the first things we can do in Western society is to integrate ourselves. While I’m not in favor of diluting ones identity, I also don’t like thinking in terms of labels and differentiating between people on the basis of Muslim and Non-Muslims. Just like when people ask me if I am Shia or Sunni, I just answer that I am Muslim, the rest doesn’t matter to me.

IslamCrunch: Please tell us more about your role as a ‘Professional Social Bookmarker’ at Netscape.

Muhammad Saleem: As a ‘professional social bookmarker’ my roles are many and variegated. At Netscape, I find and submit interesting content for other people to see, vote and comment on content that other people submit, and more generally, make sure that the community enjoys the Netscape experience. But you can make the role as extensive as you want it to be. Sometimes I suggest content to the anchors to pin to a channel or the site’s homepage, other times I just go around the site catching spammers or people trying to artificially inflate their numbers.

IslamCrunch: You have listed a variety of social networking sites on your own website. Do you have a favorite? Why?

Muhammad Saleem: Actually I have two favorites. Facebook and LinkedIn. I use the former to interact with my college and high school friends, and the latter to interact with people who I have professional relationships with.

IslamCrunch: There are several social networking sites gunning for the top spot. Do you see Facebook, Virb, imeem, or any others overtaking MySpace?

Muhammad Saleem: At one point it seemed that Orkut was going to take over MySpace, but that clearly didn’t pan out.

The one that could come closest is Facebook, but I don’t think even Facebook will ever overtake MySpace and it’s largely because of the exclusivity and restricted audience out if which the site was initially conceived (even though it is open to everyone now).

IslamCrunch: Do you Twitter? Is it a fad or is Twitter here to stay?

Muhammad Saleem: I don’t Twitter because I am a blogger at heart. I don’t like the idea of being restricted to a few characters or words and personally I think there isn’t much use to much was what people are Tweeting out there. But seeing Twitter over the past few months, I think it’s not a fad but it’s traffic has either peaked or will peak soon.

IslamCrunch: Recently, Digg experienced a revolt by their dedicated users. Do you see this as a positive effect or a negative effect of social networking?

Muhammad Saleem: There is no question about it, this is a very positive development. Not the revolt itself, but the fact that users have so much control over the site and its content. Just goes on to show how truly democratic socially driven media can be.

IslamCrunch: What is Web 3.0?

Muhammad Saleem: If there is one thing I know, it’s to keep as far away from answering this question as possible. If you look around, you will see that to this day, even the most learned pundits are unable to define even Web 2.0

IslamCrunch: Do you have any advice for nascent journalists and bloggers?

Muhammad Saleem: Definitely. Blog your heart out, and don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t make it. If you’re truly passionate and think that you have unique insight, no space is too saturated for you.

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