Daavpani

Google to Shut Google Buzz

2011-10-18T15:27:00.000+05:30

Google announced to shut down the highly-controversial social networking product Google Buzz, along with several other services in the coming weeks, Xinhua reported.

Google on its official blog, Google announced the death penalty to its code search engine, Buzz, Jaiku which let users send updates to friends, the Google personalised homepage feature iGoogle, and the University Research Program for Google Search.

The shut-downs came as part of Google's housecleaning effort announced in early September, in which the company said it will shut down a number of products and merging others into existing products as features.

"Changing the world takes focus on the future, and honesty about the past. We learned a lot from products like Buzz, and are putting that learning to work every day in our vision for products like Google+. Our users expect great things from us; today's announcements let us focus even more on giving them something truly awesome," said Google in the blog post.

Google Buzz, a social networking and messaging tool integrated into Gmail service, has been widely criticised for privacy concerns and held back the search giant from expanding its businesses to the social networking space.

After Buzz, Google launched Google+ in June, which has been receiving a good response and passed the 40 million user mark, the company's chief executive officer Larry Page said.

Source: Times Of India

Facebook helping Indian Film Makers

2011-10-18T15:21:00.000+05:30

In the era of credit crunch, social networking sites like Facebook and other online communities are fast emerging as tools for independent filmmakers to crowdsource their film projects.

Sanjay Suri-Onir's recently released film 'I Am' is India's largest crowd funded movie with more than 400 producers from over 45 countries. Happy with the success of the 'I Am' experiment, Suri is now crowdsourcing his next film 'Chauranga' again through Facebook. He has already put up some 60 posters of the film and is looking forward to pull in some talent also.

Paris based Indian filmmaker Prashant Nair, who debuts with his film 'Delhi In A Day', also sought help from the French government and online communities to pull in resources for his small budget movie, starring veterans like Lillete Dubey, Victor Banerjee and Kulbhushan Kharbanda.

Prashant is looking forward to perfect this method in his next film 'Amrika', which is again based in Delhi and takes a look at the Indian perception of the country.

An open forum, moderated by Reliance Entertainment CEO Sanjeev Lamba and including panelists like actor-producer Sanjay Suri, director Ketan Mehta, Russian director Vicktor Geinsberg and Nair, discussed various methods of co-production and crowd funding on thee sidelines of Mumbai Film Festival.

Talking about his experience, Suri said that an independent filmmaker looking for crowd funding should be prepared, transparent and should have a distribution plan in place. He also said that since the method involves many like minded people, the filmmaker should be prepared that the whole financing will take time.

Talking about the unique methods of film financing, director Ketan Mehta said filmmaker Himanshu Roy was one of the earliest directors to use unorthodox methods to raise finance for his films and then there was Prabhat studio, which was a producers body made of directors. He also talked about Shyam Benegal's film 'Manthan', which was produced by dairy farmers in Gujarat.

Russian filmmaker Vicktor Geinsberg, who made a film on one of the most loved novels of Russia in the post-Soviet era 'Generation P', said he initially approached the Russian producers to finance the film but was turned down because the film uses a lot of foul language, a taboo in Russian cinema. He then realized that since the film was about an advertising guy, he could raise money from the products featured in the film.

He is now planning a sequel to the movie 'V Empire', which is again based on the novel by Pelevin.

Original Post at Times Of India.

Here's to CRAZY ONES. Think Different

2011-10-06T09:34:00.000+05:30

Here is to Steve Jobs who is been great inspiration for innovation.

Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,
disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal.
They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
We make tools for these kinds of people.
While some see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Its all about content baby.... Interesting

2011-09-26T15:13:00.000+05:30

All the website entrepreneurs out there, read this very intersting artcile that I found on plugged.in. In the fast pace world everyone wants to move ahead and were content is most important criteria esp. for some web domains. Just don't copy the most important part of your business referring to this case model - which is very common around India and I bet across the globe.
Zomato has published strong proof against Burrp accusing them of copying restaurant listing data from their site. From what it looks like, there is no excuse that Burrp team can really present for this. And as usual saying, “User submitted data” is as lame as it can get.
In nutshell, Zomato publishes their own number for some restaurants that they have up tie-up with. Burrp, as accussed by Zomato, while copying data, also copied this phone number and hence was easily caught.

We have been experimenting with a few business models and have for a few restaurants put our own phone numbers on which we take table reservations on behalf of the restaurant. These instances are very few in number (~1% of our database). So these numbers are our numbers, the restaurant staff doesn’t know about this and these numbers have no business showing up on some other website (even our API does not serve these numbers). Also, we have our own proprietary GPS systems which help us collect very very accurate (within 2 meters) GPS coordinates for restaurants listed on Zomato. So when these coordinates, until the 5th decimal point show up on some other website, we have a problem.
Now, we found a few such instances on Burrp.com; these instances are incomplete listings (they didn’t take our data which they thought would be proprietary), but these listings have our phone numbers and our GPS coordinates in them. Here is a screenshot:

Note: I have saved snapshots of these Burrp pages on Freezepage at these URLs:
Zinos on Burrp on Freezepage
Mangal’s Profile on Burrp on Freezepage
Btw, we found these listings by doing a simple “site:burrp.com 49422222” search on Google. 49422222 is a Zomato owned phone number in Delhi.
We have found multiple other such instances on Burrp.
Now, we have pointed out such issues to Burrp twice earlier and the response we got was:
“This was a user upload, we have nothing to do with this, we will take down the listing. Thanks for keeping an eye on us. And please don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. We maintain 150,000 listings, so we don’t bother about copying your data at all. We don’t do such things.”
Now, this is not a user upload. The ‘user’ who added this listing is a Mangal84, who has added 11052 listings to Burrp (yet) with 0 reviews (!). Clearly a Burrp employee, since May 5, 2009. More about it here: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mangal-shewale/23/519/867 or http://www.freezepage.com/1316835281MDMFHBHHQU
With user uploads, I can understand, shit happens. But even then, you just cannot pass off shit in the name of user uploads. It’s a well known fact that Burrp verifies and moderates every listing upload that is submitted on the website. How could such a thing get through the moderation and verification system? So, if it is indeed some users uploading Zomato data to Burrp’s servers, we strongly recommend that Burrp should either strengthen its moderation systems or shut down the sections of its business which they clearly cannot manage.
What I have not been able to understand is the map coordinates available for a few restaurants on their system. I don’t really think that a user would go to the extent of going through our source code, extracting the map coordinates and submitting them to Burrp. As far as I know Burrp doesn’t even have a facility to submit raw map coordinates. And I think there is only a one in a million chance that the user accidentally dropped a pin on a google map which is exactly the same as the super accurate coordinates collected with our GPS systems. I would like to give Burrp the benefit of doubt, but it is highly unlikely that a user is doing this. As shown above, its quite likely that a Burrp employee is behind all this scraping from Zomato.

This is not the first time that Network18 has been accused of data stealing, earlier JustDial had sued Askme for data theft and the latter was asked to shutdown as well. It seems Network18′s web presence is nothing but a content farm. Their in.com property is also known to be reproducing SEO rich content from all over web on connect.in.com. They are so sure they are violating copyrights that they have published a notice for Copyright Infringement Issues on all pages.
While there are strong and might we say ‘insensible’ laws being made around web publishing that even go on to restrict fundamental rights of speech, there is no action on mass infringement like these. You need to individually go fight cases. I wonder why Google’s Panda update hasn’t taken up on this. Though one remarkable thing here is that in.com was doing all this through help of Bing until now but now Bing’s logo has been removed.
On web where having data is major part of your product it seems people have taken it for granted. Earlier even Cleartrip has been accused of data theft by Travelocity. The case led to momentary arrest of Cleartrip’s CEO.

Daily Expense Manager - Android App

2011-09-12T18:03:00.000+05:30

My Mom wants me to write accounts every day and its very tedious job. I either forget to enter the things or have trouble to get any stats over my expense.
Anyway I been using this Android App called Daily Expense Manager and its great. It does almost all the things that I need. I can take backup on SD card or email it to myself, make entries any time as its installed on my phone, have stats of my mode of payment (credit card, cash, debit card, cheque), total expense - monthwise, date wise etc.

Overall a great app for anyone who wants to write accounts. Simple and effective.

More details can be found at : https://market.android.com/details?id=com.techahead.ExpenseManager&feature=search_result

Great App on Android for Daily Expense Management and logging.

Pad Thai Noodles

2011-09-12T16:51:00.000+05:30

Ingredients (note the ingredients are approx. and as per my taste, please alter as per requirement):

2 Cup Pad Thai rice noodles (linguini-width)
2 Onions
3 Garlic
2 sticks Cilantro
1/2 lime
2 Pinch of Salt and Chlli
Small portion of Cauliflower, Carrots and French Beans
1 Spoon Soya sauce
1 Spoon Chilli sauce
2 Spoon peanut butter - creamy or chunky.
1.5 Spoon Coconut Milk
1 Spoon Olive Oil

Preparation:
1. Take half a pan of water and boil the noodles in the pan for 10-15 min. or till it gets soft. Add a pinch of salt so it doesn't stick and tastes better.
2. Drain all the water and set the noddles aside.
3. Take the Pan and put 1 spoon olive oil in it.
4. Throw 2 chopped onions and 3 Minced garlic
5. Once golden brown, put the stove on low heat and put some peanut butter sauce (crunchy or creamy as per your taste. I like it crunchy).
6. Add Cauliflower, Carrots, and french beans as per the taste and availability
7. Pour 1.5 spoon coconut milk.
8. Put pinch of salt and Chilli powder. Also put 1 spoon soya sauce and 1 spoon chilli sauce. (If you don't have chilli sauce or soya sauce then also its fine)
9. Add 0.5 spoon lime juice and mix well.
10. Serve hot in a plate with chop sticks or fork :) .

Done.

Note:
- Peanut and Coconut Milk Sauce can be pre-made for faster preparation. You can make those sauce by following this recipe and thus add noddles and soya sauce + chilli sauce + veggies and then done.
- Peanut Butter is available at good groceries stores. (Sundrop has recently come out with peanut butter and is available for Rs.100)
- Coconut Milk is available in tetra pack or tin. Tetra pack is usually available for Rs.58
- Suggestions are most welcomed.

Pad thai with small rice noodles and chunky peanut sauce.

Satay in Peanut and Coconut Milk Sauce

2011-09-10T20:00:00.000+05:30

Ingredients (note the ingredients are approx. and as per my taste, please alter as per requirement):

Peanut and Coconut Milk Sauce
1 Firm Tofu (see note)
Two thin Bamboo sticks
Grill / Oven / Toaster Oven

Preparation:
1. Prepare the Peanut and Coconut Milk Sauce
2. Drain all the water of the Tofu packing
3. Place the Tofu in the sauce and marinate. Let the juice get inside the tofu.
4. Pass the bamboo sticks through the Tofu and lay it over the grill. I have Toaster oven thus I am using that. Turn it after 4-5 minutes and keep it on the grill/oven for 12-15 minutes. Make sure it don't burn.It should be grilled.
5.Serve it in the plate using same Bamboo sticks or Chop sticks.

Done.

Note:
- Tofu is now easily available in India. It is also sold as Soya Paneer. It usually cost around Rs.50 / 500gms. If the Tofu has an option of Firm or soft then get Firm or extra firm. If it doesn't have any option and no choice - buy whatever is available. Usually Soya Paneers don't have any options.
- Peanut and Coconut Milk sauce can be made by using following recipe.
- Suggestions are most welcomed.

Satay with Tofu, Peanut and Coconut Sauce. This is a non liquid sauce. Made with Chunky Peanut butter.

Peanut Sauce for Thai Food

2011-09-04T20:41:00.000+05:30

Ingredients (note the ingredients are approx. and as per my taste, please alter as per requirement):

2 Onions
2 Garlic
2 sticks Cilantro
1/2 lime
Pinch of Salt
2 Spoon peanut butter - creamy
1.5 Spoon Coconut Milk
1 Spoon Olive Oil

Preparation:
1. Put 1 spoon olive oil on the pan
2. Throw some Garlic and Onion
3. Once golden brown, put some Creamy Peanut Butter, Coconut Milk.
4. Put 1/2 lime and then add a pinch of salt.
5. Finally add Cilantro

Done.

Note:
- Chop all the veggies nicely.
- You can also add Crunchy Peanut Butter
- For more liquidity texture, add more coconut milk and water.
- Peanut Butter is available at good groceries stores. (Sundrop has recently come out with peanut butter and is available for Rs.100)
- Coconut Milk is available in tetra pack or tin. Tetra pack is usually available for Rs.58
- Suggestions are most welcomed.

This sauce is made with Chunky Peanut Butter. It is non-liquid sauce.

Bean Burritos and Casadia

2011-09-04T15:48:00.000+05:30

Ingredients (note the ingredients are approx. and as per my taste, please alter as per requirement):

1 Re-fried Beans (see note)
1/4 Lettuce or cabbage
Salsa Sauce
Sour Cream (see note)
2 Jalapeno
Corn Tortilla or Meda Roti (see note)
1 Spoon Olive Oil
Shredded Chesse(optional. see note)
1 fine chopped Onion - FOR Casadia only.

Preparation:
1. Put 1 spoon olive oil on the pan
2. Place the Corn/Meda Tortilla
3. Place refried beans, jalapeno, Salsa , lettuce/cabbage, sour cream and chesse at half side of the tortilla. Make sure you don't over fill else when you fold the tortilla the stuffing will come out. Also don't put too much salsa as it will extract tomato water. The proportion of all the above things will be Refried Bean - 1 spoon, Jalapeno - 3-5 pieces , Salsa - 0.5 spoon lettuce/cabbage - 4-5 pieces, sour cream - 0.5 spoon and chesse - 0.5 spoon.
4. Fold the tortilla. So now the circle tortilla will be semi circle. Turn it over till the tortilla becomes golden brown and cooked.
5.Cut the tortilla like pizza slices or make one more fold and you can also eat it like a roll.

Casadia can be made in the same way but instead of refried beans and Jalapeno put lots of cheese and some onion, salsa, sour cream.

Done.

Note:
- Sour Cream is usually not available in India. I usually make it with Dahi. Tie the Dahi in a cloth and drain all the water. Make sure all the water is drained. Once done set it aside for 5 min. You can also put couple of drops of lemon. I don't put lemon as just Dahi with drained water tastes good to me.
- Corn Tortilla is the best and makes an authentic Mexican taste. But again its not easily avaiable in India and some Hypermarkets keep it but they are all exported from abroad and are very expensive (10 tortillas for Rs.250). Thus you can either make them (we tried but its too much work and didn't turn out good) thus I get Meda tortilla that are available at local franky outlet/maker. This Meda roti tastes same as corn only its less healthy and heavy on stomach. But it costs around Rs.4/roti which is damn cheap compared to corn tortillas.
- You can use Monterrey and Sharp Cheddar cheese. I use any kind of cheese or no cheese. Go Cheese have started selling shredded cheese (Mexican style) in India. No idea on quality but looked good. (let me know if you have used it). Else Kraft have great cheese but again expensive in Indian market since it been imported.
- Refriend Beans tins are available in the market. You can also make Refriend beans from scratch. Will post the recepie soon. But as of rightnow either you can google it or buy the ready made tins that are available for Rs.100 or normal Kidney Beans for Rs.60 and then refriend it at home.
- Salsa recipe can be found here.
- Suggestions are most welcomed.

Bean Burrito warped in Casadia style instead of Roll as its east for me to eat. Also I have used Meda Roti instead of Corn Tortilla.

ZNMD Poster at Copy Machine

2011-08-04T17:25:00.006+05:30

Couple of years back I wrote a blog on "Bollywood's Copy Machine". Well here we go again. This time the latest movie - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara's main poster is been copied from Lords of Dogtown movie.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Lords of Dogtown

Yamunastak (with meaning in English)

2011-07-29T10:14:00.003+05:30

Prologue

Shri Yamushtakam is the first among the sixteen works known as shodashgranth. This particular granth is composed by Shri Vallabh in v.s.1549(1491 A.D.) on the Shraavan Shukla 3 during the prithvi parikrama ShriVallabh was in Gokul and he was undecided about the exact place of Thakurani Ghat. At that time Shri Yamunaji herself appeared and guided Shri Vallabh and pointed out the exact place. Shri Vallabh than and there composed Shri Yamunashtakam,the beautiful stotra,in the praise of Shri Yamunaji. It consists 9 verses,eight of them are written in praise of Yamunaji and in 9th Shri Vallabh describes for daily paath- doers the fruits ofShri Yamunashtakam.

The fourth beloved (turyapriya)of Shri Krishna,Shri Yamunaji is epitome of selfless devotion towards Krishna,and only through her or her Kripa(grace) a jeeva(soul) can experience the param phal i.e. leela-pravesh. She purifies souls and removes all obstacles which are in the way between jeev and prabhu and gives the exalted jeeva a new body fit to experience the leela-phal-"tanu-navtva"! For ordinary bhakta of to-day the recital of Yamunashtakam daily will enhance his love towards Shri Krishna,abolish his paap-bad deeds and above all the bhakta will be able conquer his svabhava-basic instincts.

Shloka 1

Namami Yamunamaham sakal-siddhi-hetum-muda
Murari-pad-pankaj-sfurad-amand-renutkatam I
Tatastha-nav-kanan-prakat-mod-pushpambuna
Sur-asur-supujit smarpitu shriyam bibhratim II1II

I (Shri Vallabh)bow joyfully to Shri Yamunaji,the giver of divine super natural powers for experiencing the bhagvadleela. Shri Yamunaji is loaded with the glistening sands emanating from the lotus feet of Murari ShriKrishna. The water of Shri Yamuna is scented with the perfumes of blossomed flowers from the forests located on the banks of Shri Yamuna,such Shri Yamuna is worshipped by gods and demons equally. II1II

Shloka 2

Kalindagirimastake patadamanda poorojvalaa
Vilasagamanollasat Prakataganda shailonnata I
Saghoshagati danturaa samadhiroodha dolottamma
Mukundarativardhini jayati padmabandhosuta II2II

"Falling forcefully on Mount Kalinda Shri Yamunaji appers to be crystal white and looks beautiful with her luxurious flow through cheek like rocks of mountain. Shri Yamunaji follows a zig-zag path noisily and while she flows up and down she looks as if sitting on a beautiful swing. Shri Yamunaji is superior as she enhances our love towards lotus-feet of Lord Mukund. II2II

Shloka 3

Bhuvam bhuvanapaavaneem adhigatamanekasvanai
Priyabhirivasevitaam Shuka-Mayur-Hansadibhee I
Tarangabhujakankana prakatamuktikavaluka
Nitambatatasundareem namata Krishnaturya-priyaam II3II

Bow down to Shri Yamunaji the fourth beloved of Lord Shri Krishna,who has come down to earth to sanctify it and on earth she is served by parrots,peacocks,swans etc. with melodious noises as if served by loving friends. Shri Yamunaji wears bangles in the form of waves and sand on them looks like pearls. Shri Yamunaji looks beautiful with hips in the form of her two banks. II3II

Shloka 4

Anant-gun-bhushite Shiv-viranchi-devstute
Ghanaghannibhe sada Dhruv-Parasharabhistade
Vishuddha-Mathura-tate sakal-gop-gopivrite
Kripajaladhi-sanshrite mam manah sukham bhavay II4II

Shri Yamunaji is adorned with countless virtues and is worshipped by Shiv,Brahma and other gods. She has a lustre of rain filled clouds and fulfilles the desires of sages like Dhruv and Parasher. Pious city Mathura is situated on her banks and she is surrounded by gop and gopees whose only refuge is kripasagar Shri Krishna.O Shri Yamuna! please bless me with the happiness of mind II4II

Shloka 5

Yaya charan-padmaja Mur-ripoh priyam-bhavuka
Samagamanato-bhavat sakal-siddhida sevtam I
Taya sadrashtamiyat Kamalja-sapatniv yat
Hari-priya-kalindaya mansi me sada sthiytam II5II

Shri Gangaji who has emerged from the lotus feet of God could become beloved of Krishna and fulfilled every wish of her followers only after her merger with Shri Yamunaji. Shri Yamunaji can be compared with lotus born Shri Laxmiji only, who is also Shri Krishna's beloved. Shri Yamunaji who destroys all the ills of Shri Krishna's devotees may live in my (Shri Vallabh's)heart forever. II5II

Shloka 6

Namostu Yamune sada tav charitrmatyadbhutam
Na jatu yama-yatana bhavati te payah-panatah I
Yamopi bhagini-sutan kathamu hanti dushtanapi
Priyo bhavati sevanat tav harer-yatha gopikah II6II

O Shri Yamuna! Your character is wonderful!! A person who partakes your water has no fear of pain inflicted by Yama-the god of death-as how could he hurt his sister’s sons(devotees)however wicked they may be because they become beloved of Shri Krishna like Gopikas by serving you! O Shri Yamuna! Let us pay obeisance to you incessantly.II6II

Shloka 7

Mamastu tav sannidhau tanu-navatvam-etavata
Na durlabhtama ratih Mur-ripau Mukund-priye I
Atostu tav lalana surdhuni param sangamat
Tavaiv bhuvi kirtita na tu kadapi pushti-sthitaih II7II

O beloved of Mukund Shri Yamuna! By your nearness let my body become new(worthy) so to gain the love of Shri Krishna-the enemy of demon Mura- is not difficult. So let us shower you with love(by prayers) as Ganga became famous only after merging with you and was not worshipped by Pushti-Jivas before that.II7II

Shloka 8

Stutim tav karoti kah Kamalaja-sapatni priye
Harer-yadanu sevaya bhavati saukhya-mamokshatah I
Iyam tav kathadhika sakalgopika-sangam-
smar-shram-jalanubhi sakal-gatrajaih sangamah II8II

oh! Shri Yamunaji! the co-wife of Laxmiji! The beloved of Krishna!! no one is competent enough to praise you. By worshipping Laxmi with Shri Hari one gets the bliss of salvation only while you give much more- as your water is mixed with sweat generated by the bodies of Shri Krishna and Gopikas while having exotic sports and by worshipping you the devotee gets the bliss of this too.II8II

Shloka 9

Tavashtakamidam muda pathati soor-sute sada
Samast-durita-kshyo bhavati vai Mukunde ratih I
Taya sakal-siddhayo Mur-ripushcha santushyati
Svabhav-vijayo bhavet vadati Vallabh Shri-Hareh II9II

O Shri Yamuna! Daughter of Sun!! A person who always recites these eight stanzas with joy gets freedom from all of his sins and he surely gets affection of Lord Shri Krishna by which he attains all the super natural powers. Shri Krishna-the enemy of demon Mura-becomes satisfied and devotee conquers his nature so says Shri Vallabh.II9II

Source: Dedicated to Shreenathji

Plus coming up with Business Page and Games

2011-07-25T12:28:00.000+05:30

Well yes we all are waiting from Google Plus to come out with its Business Page and Game Page. In my past article on "Google Plus for Business. Signup for testing the Business Pages " they said that they want everyone to hold on the business profiles and wait till the year end for an official Business page.

But things are moving fast and might be rolled out in next couple of months. Their is a high demand for the Business page from the Tech community.

Also if Plus wants to win the war against facebook, they need to have the Games page. I know many people who don't want to jump on Plus since they will miss their Farmville or other similar games. Thus Plus needs to get Games on board at earliest.

So here is the official news from Google Plus's Christian Oestlien

Also recently Google acquired two social gaming companies like Social Deck and Slide. Thus its just matter of time to see the gaming part of Google Plus.

Fresh Easy Salsa

2011-07-24T20:17:00.000+05:30

Ingredients (note the ingredients are approx. and as per my taste, please alter as per requirement):

6 Tomatoes
2 Onions
1 Garlic
2 Jalapeno
1 Chile Pepper
2 sticks Cilantro
1/2 lime
Pinch of Salt and Pepper
1/2 spoon olive oil

Preparation:
1. Chop Tomatoes (small), Onion (small), Garlic (minced), Jalapeno (minced), Chile Pepper (minced), Cilantro (minced)
2. Add some olive oil.
3. Mix everything in a big bowl.
4. Drain excess tomato water.

Done.

Note:
- Chop all the veggies nicely. That is the trick. The more you mix and better it gets.
- Suggestions are most welcomed.

Salsa with excess tomato water. Drain the water.

Suing spoofs is like killing the Creativity

2011-07-21T17:54:00.001+05:30

Well recently McDowells Ad is been in news to get sued by Harabhajan Singh for spoofing his Royal Stag Ad.

I personally think that its ridiculous. As spoofing is not bad, its just an alternate content development to capture the audience. Some time spoofs have been better or connects better with the audience then the original.
Movies, Actors, Politicians, Sport person, celebrities, ads, concept etc all been spoofed and I guess suing them is just killing the creativity.

Some of my favorite spoofs:
- Austin Powers spoofs James Bond Movies
- Coco Cola VS Pepsi: spoofs during late 90s in India (most of the ads came during world cup).

Checkout Royal Stag's Original Ad with Harbhajan Singh

Checkout McDowells Platinum's Ad with MSD spoofing Bhajji

Contact monline today for creative content development for your services/products.

Top 5 Social Media Automation Tools

2011-07-20T14:44:00.001+05:30

Yes checkout the Top 5 Social Media Automation Tools that we use for our clients campaign.

1) Social Oomph :

Social oomph does just about everything, from scheduling tweets and Facebook updates, auto-following, auto-Direct Messaging, to managing multiple accounts and tracking activity related to your profiles.

2) Hootsuite :

Hootsuite is a slick collaborative “Social Media Dashboard”. That said, it’s much more than a dashboard with scope to manage multiple accounts, assign tasks to team members and track/monitor your presence.

3) Twitterfeed :

Twitterfeed is not just a feed for twitter as the name might suggest. It’s a great way for you to syndicate content (that’s available in a feed) to your other social media profiles…e.g. Your latest blog post shared on twitter, Facebook etc.

4) Gist :

I’m only new to Gist, but it’s already proving very useful. Gist combines the information you provide into consolidated Gist profiles. Then, Gist goes to work on your behalf aggregating sources like blogs, Twitter feeds, company information, and news articles from thousands of news providers.

5) Social Mention :

When it comes to tracking social media mentions of yourself, your company, your brand, your products or even your competitors, there’s no easier way than through Social Mention.

Now – there’s plenty more tools and automation services out there in “social media” sphere…
If there’s a FREE automation tool you use to streamline your social media efforts, share it with us via the comments below.

Source: ineeedhits

Also I am looking for a tool that would include google plus.. but on luck.

If you know any tool that works with Google Plus..please post.

Google Pulls the Plug on RealTime Search

2011-07-20T14:28:00.000+05:30

By now all you Google Realtime Search users will have realized that the feature has gone missing and your search query produces a 404 error page. This is because Google’s Realtime Search was recently disabled due to the termination of its agreement with Twitter who also happened to be the main source of real-time data for the search product. Ironically, Google announced this news through a tweet on its Google Realtime Twitter feed.

Google Realtime search was pretty simple – it produced results in real-time from various sources such as Twitter, FriendFeed, Google Buzz, Facebook, MySpace, Quora, Gowolla, Plixi and Me2day.

But the question everyone is asking is why? To be honest, nobody really knows for sure. One suggestion is that Google has plans to integrate its newly launched social element Google+ into the Realtime Search feature and thus saw no point in giving Twitter feeds more exposure in its Realtime search results. Google’s’ Gabriel Stricker reiterated the same in her statement that “The company envisions including Google+ information along with other Realtime data from a variety of sources.”

The agreement between Google and Twitter expired in July 2011, however Twitter will continue to provide real-time data to Google’s main competitors, Bing and Yahoo.

While Google will be doing away with Twitters real-time data in its Realtime results, Twitter data wont be gone from Google results completely:

While we will not have access to this special feed from Twitter, information on Twitter that’s publicly available to our crawlers will still be searchable and discoverable on Google.

Although Google has not provided any clear answer as to why it didn’t extend the agreement with Twitter, here’s hoping that realtime search is gone for good.

Source: ineedhits

Google Plus for Business

2011-07-15T15:33:00.000+05:30

There’s a new social network on the block, and publishers and brands are scrambling to figure out how to use Google+ for business. When a social platform starts growing exponentially [personally, I already have 49 Google+ followers and it’s only been a week!], good marketers take notice and move in fast. However, social media marketers have hit a major roadblock with Google+ – there are no business tools. What’s a company to do?

We got word yesterday from Google+ Ads Lead Christian Oestlien – fittingly in a YouTube video posted on his Google+ profile page – about Google’s plans for business-oriented tools. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Don’t create a business page yet: Oestlien asked brands and business to hold off using consumer profiles to create a business identity on Google+. Using a personal profile for a company or brand violates the Google+ terms of service (much like Facebook’s policy). Google says it will be “actively working with profile owners to shut down non-user profiles,” although companies like Ford already have profiles which Oestlien himself has shared in his feed. In summary, create pages at your own risk until the proper tools become available.

2. Google+ business tools will be coming… sometime this year: Google engineers are currently working on separate business pages, which will include integration with other services like AdWords. According to Oestlien, the “business experience we are creating should far exceed the consumer profile in terms of its usefulness to businesses.” However, no time frame has been set for the deployment of these tools.

3. Apply to be part of the Google+ for business pilot: Google will be testing business features with a small number of users. You can apply to here: http://goo.gl/zq95C

The fact that Google+ has an Ads Lead is a hint of things to come; clearly Google intends to put some form of AdWords on the site, like it has with every other major Google property.

In the meantime, the Google+ rollout is having a massive effect on Google services across the web, and publishers, brands and businesses should take note. The Google 1+ button is has already been deployed on Google AdWords and search results. Publishers can (and should) add the 1+ button to their content, similar to “Tweet This” or “Share on Facebook” buttons. It is likely that these “votes of confidence” from users will show up on their Google+ profile pages and be integrated into Google’s search rankings secret sauce. In addition, Mashable reported that Google will rebrand Blogger and Picasa to bring them into the Google+ fold.

It took brands years to get on Facebook; a year or so to realize the value of Twitter. Clearly times have changed. What’s next for Google+? Stay tuned…

Orginal Article by Alexia Nielsen

TRAI - New VAS directives - VAS ad Telecos disappointed

2011-07-15T13:24:00.004+05:30

Considering the interest of mobile phone consumers of country, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on July 4th issued some strong directives to the telecom operators on the procedure of providing Value Added Services (VAS) to the end users. However, these directives would affect revenues of Telcos who are already battling falling ARPUs and are eying improved incomes after the launch of 3G services, the major attraction of which are the lucrative VAS services.

TRAI has rolled out the directives under 9 clauses in its statement. In its clause it says, All Cellular Mobile Service Providers and Unified Access Service Providers are directed that no chargeable value added service shall be provided to a customer without his explicit consent and that any value added service, which was earlier being provided free of charge, shall not be made chargeable without the explicit consent of the customer.

The regulator in its other directive has said that incidences have been brought to the notice of the authority where value added services have been renewed to prepaid consumers even in cases where available balance in consumer account was insufficient for the renewal of VAS resulting in negative balance.

To prevent automatic renewal of a VAS, TRAI has also asked the telcos to provide prior notice of three days to the concerned subscriber asking whether the service should be renewed or not.

TRAI also says that every service provider shall, at least three days before the due date of renewal of a subscribed value added service, inform the consumer through SMS, the due date for renewal of such service, the charges for renewal and tollfree telephone number for unsubscribing the value added service.

“If, in response to such request, the consumer indicates his explicit consent by conveying “Yes”, such VAS shall be renewed and such consumer shall be informed through SMS the charges for renewal of subscription of value added service shall be deducted from subsequent recharge,” Trai said.

However, most of the TRAI’s directives seem okay with the Telcos but the most controversial and unacceptable is the 9th Clause, in which TRAI says that in all cases where the value added services are activated through Out Bound Dialer or service provider initiated call or during pre-call ring back announcements (both voice as well as automated) and where a consumer dials a specified telephone number or short code or a telephone number providing interactive session for subscribing to a Value Added Service, the service provider shall obtain confirmation from the consumer through consumer originated SMS or e-mail or FAX or in writing within twenty four hours of activation of the value added service and charge the consumer only if the confirmation is received from him for such value added service and shall discontinue such value added service if no confirmation is received from the consumer.

Now this point is receiving negative remarks from the operators as they find it practically unfeasible to receive any such confirmation from the side of consumer in written form. In an effort to find industry people’s view on this point, insightVAS came to know that the subscriber would probably not want any further correspondence in this regard and he/she would definitely not waste his/her time in writing an email or sending a fax back to the operators. Moreover, in many remote areas the facility and basic infrastructure for sending an email is not accessible.

Most subscribers are still deprived of the internet facility while on the move, how they will be able to respond on such queries while moving.

Durg prices by SMS

2011-07-15T13:15:00.001+05:30

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, a regulatory body which determines the pricing of medicines and drugs to keep them affordable for the common user has come up with a convenient SMS based service with which they will be able to choose the cheapest brand of medicine prescribed by the doctors.

Under the service, a needy must send the brand name of a particular medicine through SMS on which he/she will be sent an SMS with a list of brands along with their prices so that he can choose amongst all the options.

There is a significant difference in the price of the costliest brand of a medicine and its cheapest alternative. A recent survey by NPPA found that prices of the expensive brands can be ten times higher than the cheapest alternative of the same medicine.

Drugs are not allowed to be advertised, so companies push their brands through doctors. There is a wide practice of companies giving gifts, sponsoring foreign trips and other incentives to doctors to prescribe their brands. Indian consumers are price-sensitive, but most are unaware they need not buy the costly brands prescribed by physicians. The purchase decision is made by their doctor.

Source: http://www.nppaindia.nic.in/

Study: Google+ population explodes to 10 million

2011-07-13T10:05:00.002+05:30

Google+ appears to be in the midst of a population explosion.

A statistical analysis by Paul Allen, founder of Ancestry.com and chief executive of Facebook app maker FamilyLink.com, concludes that the Google+ population reached 7.3 million on Sunday, July 10, and likely will reach 10 million today.

And if Google keeps the Google+ invitation button active, as it has since Sunday, Allen expects Google+ to reach 20 million users by this weekend, he said in a Google+ post late Monday night.

"The user base is growing so quickly that it is challenging for me to keep up," Allen said.

A population of 10 million or 20 million is huge in absolute terms, especially given that the service is two weeks old today. But it pales to Facebook's 750 million, half of whom log in daily. Allen's statistics, though estimates, do provide evidence that there's demand for another sizable social network--and that Google isn't necessarily forever doomed to fail in trying to launch it.

Facebook and Google have been fierce competitors. Facebook more than any other company showed that new competitors could outdo Google in important online markets. Now, though, Google has shown that Facebook, too, can't take its incumbent power for granted.

The public trial of Google+ began with a limited set from the tech in-crowd.

(Credit: Lutz Beyer/Cybay New Media)

Google+ began with a small group of the tech in-crowd, but has been steadily expanding. The invitation button that let people add their friends had been a rarity, but the current explosion is doubtless fueled by the relatively easy availability of new invitations. In addition, it Google appears not to be throttling the sign-up rate, or is at least throttling it less, for those who receive invitations.

Allen isn't the only one impressed with the Google+ growth.

"I predict that Google+ will go from 0 to 100,000,000 users faster than any other service in history," said Bill Gross, founder and CEO of technology incubator Idealab, in a Google+ post yesterday. His reasons:

The service is great. It is timely. People are engaging with it like crazy. There are rumors that there are already 4.5m people. That might be high. It might be as low as 1m, or even lower, but my guess is that it's more than 1m people already. That already is probably the fastest growing service (0 to 1m) ever. Now it's not completely fair, since when Facebook started, and when Twitter started, etc. those were tiny companies, and Google is huge. However, the product is extremely well executed, and a lot of people are smitten.
The next year will tell. Will there be bumps in the road? Sure. Will Facebook and Twitter fight back with more innovation? Of course! But I'm saying that Google+ is already good enough, and the team on Google+ is being so responsive in a way that makes me believe they have a real winner here.

To estimate Google+'s population, Allen tracks surnames that appear on the site. Here's how he describes his methodology:

My model is simple. I start with US Census Bureau data about surname popularity in the U.S., and compare it to the number of Google+ users with each surname. I split the U.S. users from the non-U.S. users. By using a sample of 100-200 surnames, I am able to accurately estimate the total percentage of the U.S. population that has signed up for Google+. Then I use that number and a calculated ratio of U.S. to non-U.S. users to generate my worldwide estimates. My ratio is 1 US user for every 2.12 non-U.S. users. That ratio was calculated on July 4th through a laborious effort, and I haven't updated it since. That is definitely a weakness in my model that I hope to address soon. The ratio will likely change over time.

He's working on updates to his approach, too. At some point, though, it'll likely be made obsolete by Google itself, when the company concludes the time is right to trumpet its success.

Article by Stephen Shankland @ CNet

Sharemarket Mobile Trading gathers stream

2011-07-12T15:30:00.002+05:30

It's been just nine months since the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) gave its nod to mobile trading. But the trend has caught up with trades through uniform resource locator (URL)- and wireless application protocol-based systems.

"With mobile penetration reaching around 700 million users, against 100 million people using the internet, it makes sense we develop a mobile app that will facilitate trading for a wider set of public," says Abhay Sinha, COO - India, South Asia, ME, Africa and CIS - Dion Global Solutions.

Earlier known as Religare Technova, the company has launched TradeExpress, an application built on a wireless platform solution, and helps users to look at market watch, open trading windows, place orders, etc. Sinha says, "We have clients from Motilal Oswal to Standard Chartered, and depending on the number of users and trade volumes, we quote a price to facilitate mobile trading. This can vary between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25-30 lakh."

For mobile trading, a trader needs a general packet radio service-enabled cell. Most brokerages have already launched, or are planning to launch, portals for trading through BlackBerry and Apple iPad. While the trader has to pay the mobile service provider for downloading the application, brokerages have to pay the technology developer on the basis of trade volumes. But the charge is small, considering the growth in volumes brokerages claim to be witnessing.

"Every day, we do trades of around Rs 1,000 crore through the online platform. And, that is after the platform has been used since the past five-six years. But mobile trading is catching up quickly. It accounts for Rs 12-15 crore of trades on our site. We are excited about its future," says Vinay Agrawal, executive director - equity broking, Angel Broking. It was the first company to launch an application-based trading platform last October. One has to either download the application from the website of the brokerage or get the link over an SMS. Meanwhile, Angel's application is available for even Java-enabled handsets.

The complexity of the platform, however, continues. While orders can be placed using the mobile trading platform, any order that doesn't get through because of network problems is not the brokerage's responsibility. Also, most brokerages don't allow clients to pay through mobile using m-banking. The clients are required to have online accounts. A few brokerages do allow mobile payment, but Sebi has capped it at a small amount.

Players like Motilal Oswal have thus developed several variants of trading platforms. The brokerage has about 640,000 customers who have access to its trading platforms. In the past six months, according to data available, it clocked 60,000 trades on its mobile platform. "We decided to host a mobile-friendly application on the web, where one just needs to type the URL on his handset, as it can then cater to a much larger client base across mobile platforms," says Naveen Bachwani, senior VP and head (business solutions & innovation), Motilal Oswal Securities. So, if a handset is stolen, the client's trading history remains safe, as there's no data saved in it.

Security issues are specifically addressed while developing the trading platform. Quality testing is done several times just to make sure that the client faces no setback due to the application, or back-end problems.

"Lack of a clear mandate on the use of mobile trading, availability of limited cellular bandwidth and connectivity, and devices with limited capabilities were some major hurdles initially," points out a senior Financial Technologies' (FTIL) official.

FTIL had launched two mobile trading technologies in 2006. iWin was developed to work on all mobile operating systems like Android, Symbian, Windows & BlackBerry OS, while Net.Net was developed using web development tools from Microsoft. FTIL has 225 clients who use these applications in all asset classes such as equities, derivatives, commodities and currency.

Orginal Article by VAS

What do Google execs know about Google+ privacy that you don't?

2011-07-12T12:04:00.000+05:30

I finally made it into Google+, the new Facebook-like social service from Google that’s in “limited field trials” right now.

It has at least one useful but hard-to-find privacy feature that is disabled by default. How did I stumble across this setting? Simple: I looked at the Google+ profiles of top Google executives and engineers. Every single one of them has changed this default setting.

You can see the evidence for yourself by visiting a new website, SocialStatistics, that serves as a leader board for the new service. Does anything jump out at you from this chart?

Hmmm. The list of top 10 users, as ranked by the number of people following them, includes the two Google co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, along with Senior VP of Engineering Vic Gundotra, who runs the Google+ project. Google Engineer Matt Cutts is at #6 on that list.

Those four high-level Google execs and employees are all listed as having 0 Friends, whereas everyone else in the top 10 has lots of friends. Mark Zuckerberg has added 69 people to his Google Circles. Leo LaPorte has 330 friends, Bradley Horowitz has 748, and Robert Scoble has, as expected, thousands of “friends” after only four days.

If you go through the rest of the list, 12 of the top 50 Google+ members have 0 friends (the percentage is even lower if you look in the top 100). And more than half of those zero-friend people are high-level Google employees or company insiders like Gina Trapani.

What they’ve done is perfectly reasonable. In fact, once I saw this, I dug into the Google+ interface to see how they did it and made the same change to my own settings. Here’s the secret:

1. Go to your Google Profile and click Edit Profile.

2. Click the little globe icon to the right of the list of people in your circles.

That opens the dialog box shown here.

3. Clear the top check box to hide your circles completely, OR click Your Circles under Who Can See This? if you want to restrict access to this list to people who are in your circles. (I suspect this is what Page, Brin, et al. have done.) The globe changes to an empty circle.

4. Click Save to accept the changes and then click Done Editing to hide the privacy icon again.

There, you’ve just hidden the list of people you’ve chosen to follow on Google+.

My question is: If this setting is one that everyone on Google seems to feel is important for their privacy, why isn’t it the default for the rest of us?

Original Article by Ed Bott

Facebook Vs Google Plus

2011-07-11T11:22:00.001+05:30

Yes..google plus is out. Everyone is talking about it and wondering who is better. Well here is the box comparison between the two and I guess time will predict the winner. But its going to be a tough fight.

Feature

Facebook

Google Plus

Groups

Facebook calls it Lists. Its not that user friendly and I have separated my coworkers with rest (as don’t want to share all the info with everyone)

Rating: 2/5

Google plus calls it Circles. Its easy and user friendly – drag and drop. Actually its one of the main feature of Google plus.

Rating: 4.5/5

Interest

Facebook don’t have any exact features of interest. But you can join Groups of specific interest and get the info. Again it can be useful info to rubbish.

Rating: 2/5

Google Plus calls it Sparks. Again it searches various blogs and group over the web and helps you to keep watch on those. Good but not best.

Rating: 4/5

Video Chat

Facebook just introduced their Skype feature. It is of great quality. But you won’t be able to watch Youtube videos.

Rating: 3.5/5

Google calls it hangout. Nice feature and easy to do. You can do it with complete circles or just few friends.

Rating: 5/5

Chat

Facebook’s very popular feature. It will allow on site users to chat. Also on mobiles its done thru various third party apps.

Rating: 4/5

Google calls it Huddle. Can be easily done from iphone/android phones. Groups chat are also very easy. Google uses Gtalk of website chatting

Rating: 4/5

Like something

Facebook have Thumbs up Like sign. Like is iconic.

Rating: 4/5

Google has colorful +1 sign. Its new might catch up later.

Rating: 2/5

Privacy Concerns

Facebook have an option of selecing different profile of different groups. But hardly anyone know it or uses it. It also non-user friendly.

Rating: 2/5

Google lets you choose how your profile will look to others. Circles sharing makes profiles more private.

Rating: 4/5

Brand/Company Page

Facebook has fan page. It is very popular and every other good brands wants to be on facebook and get more likes.

Rating: 4/5

Google Plus yet to have this feature. I don’t think it will take long for them to add one. Need to wait and see

Rating: 0/5

Users

Everyone is on facebook. They have first movers advantage. Lets see how they are holding the on.

Rating: 4/5

Google Plus have all the gmail and other service users with them. It won’t be too hard to convert to google. But will take time and have to do well through the process.

Rating: 2/5

Integrated Services

Facebook is a good social networking site. It needs to add multiple service like what they did with Skype to take on google.

Rating: 2/5

Google is a mammoth. They have so many good services besides search engine that facebook needs to be on their toes to beat them

Rating: 4/5

monline’s conclusion

Facebook is good and so far have done well. But need to really have more features and ties and one point integration tools to beat the beast.

Google needs to capture all the users of facebook and add be a one palace for your daily web access needs. Its not easy to change people mindsets (after people are used to with Facebook). It not easy but google has all the money and talent to beat the surprise billionaire.

Let me know your views.

Free eBook: 7 Google Tools to Improve Your Marketing Effectiveness

2011-07-10T12:47:00.000+05:30

Google is a key player in the rapidly evolving landscape of Internet marketing. The search engine remains the dominant destination people land on when they do research, look for reviews and shop.

However, Google is not only a search engine. It also owns a range of assets that provide marketers with social networking and content creation opportunities.

Find out about some of Google's lesser known tools and learn how to use them for marketing your business. HubSpot's latest eBook will help you get started with 7 of these tools and improve your marketing effectiveness.

In this eBook you will learn how your marketing can benefit from:
1. Google AdWords
2. Google Docs
3. Google Keyword Tool
4. Google Alerts
5. Google News
6. Google Reader
7. Google Places

Download the Document here

Rented Offices are IN

2011-07-10T10:29:00.006+05:30

Concept of rented offices are IN since companies are looking to reduce the overheads and add professionalism. The location and quality of the office are very important. It's going to be very important services for start-ups.

Some of the major things to look for before deciding:
1. Location - Should be in good corporate area
2. Furniture and ambiance of the office space
3. VAS like courier services, WiFi, Cafeteria, High Speed Broadband/Leaseline pop
4. Backoffice services like Fax, Xerox, Printing facility
5. Space
6. Scalability
7. Presentation room with project
8. Telephone - Landline ready
9. Reception and Helpdesk
10. Professional Housekeeping
11. Life and over facility/quality of the building
12. Good quality restrooms and drinking water facility

Checkout some of this websites which are recently came across.

http://www.newbridgeoffices.com/index.php

http://www.serviced-office-mumbai.co.in/

http://www.officesmumbai.com/index.asp

Please come back and post your reviews about this companies or any other if you are aware.

2011-07-06T22:00:00.001+05:30

“As the dramatic growth of the mobile web changes the way people consume content, it’s becoming increasingly important for publishers to provide a good mobile experience.”

This was recently quoted by Google software engineer, Luciano Cheng in the announcement that Google has updated the Google Sites service with automatic mobile rendering for iOS 3.0+ and Android 2.2+ devices.

For those of you unaware of Google Sites, it’s a free service that lets users create and collaborate on a simple webpage and this update will allow site owners to customize their sites for mobile devices.

Site owners can make changes like matching the page width of their site to that of the device and re-sizing the text & images so that they all fit into the screen width in smaller resolution. They can also opt to adjust the sidebars and dropdown links or hide some of the links in their site’s footer to give more space to the page content while providing a neater appearance to the sites. A preview of what their sites will actually look on the mobile devices is also available on the desktops.

Users can enable mobile rendering on their site by following these steps:

Log into Google Sites at sites.google.com.
Go to “General settings.”
Go to “More actions.”
Go to “Manage site.”
Click the check-box next to “Automatically adjust site for mobile phones.”
Save the settings.

Apart from this Google is also giving Google Sites users the ability to search and access their own sites from mobile devices by adding mobile versions of the site list, sites search, and browse sites categories.

Even though Google Sites is not a very well known property of Google this recent update should increase its popularity as a handy tool for creating mobile friendly sites.

Article by ineedhits.com

Study Shows Search More Credible Than Social Media

2011-07-06T14:00:00.001+05:30

Of the 2.4 billion brand related conversations taking place around the world each day Google searches provides information for about 145 million of them. Intrigued by this information Google recently joined up with the KellerFay Group to conduct a study to learn the effect of internet and search on word of mouth conversations.

The study primarily focused on determining the influence of internet, search and media/marketing channels on word of mouth conversations between people and their subsequent purchase pattern. Of the 3,000 adults surveyed across 12 categories it was found that the majority of them were “most likely” to buy something after hearing positive feedbacks from a trusted source. Of these, more than half of consumers who discussed goods and services were most likely to make a purchase based on the conversation.

What I found most intersting was that word of mouth feedback from search results are more likely to lead to a purchase than word of mouth feedback from social sites like Facebook and Twitter, as indicated in the chart below.

The Key findings of the study are:

Face to face, word of mouth conversations (WOM) are still the most preferred way of discussing a brand and 94% of word of mouth brand impressions, take place offline

Internet is the main reason for initiation of WOM conversations and is the #1 platform used by people to take an action after their conversations

Search over the internet leads to more than 15% of all WOM conversations in the first place

Google is the leading search portal to which people turn, after their face-to-face conversations, to find more information and or purchase the brands discussed

Google directly informs 146 million brand conversations happening per day

Word of mouth impressions generated by search are 25% more reliable and 17% more likely to lead to purchase than those generated by online social media sites such as Facebook

As always, Google has put all the important information from the study into a short video which I have embedded below for you to check out.

Word of mouth is such a powerful indicator in a person buying decision, so marketers should take a good look at the results of this study when determining how to market their business.

Article by SearchNews at ineedhits.com

TRAI issues Direction to Service Providers on provision of Value Added Services (VAS)

2011-07-06T11:26:00.003+05:30

With a view to protecting the interest of consumers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on July 4th issued a direction on the procedure for providing Value Added Services (VAS).

The issue of the procedure for activating value added services has been receiving the attention of the Authority from time to time. While the Authority is conscious of the salience of value added services, it has always been keen that their growth should be without adversely affecting the interest of consumers. Accordingly, emphasis has been laid from time to time to ensure that value added services are provided only after obtaining the explicit consent of the consumers. Various steps have been taken by the Authority in this regard from time to time.

Despite various initiatives, complaints regarding provision of value added services are being received by the Authority. This issue was deliberated in detail in the consultation paper on “Review of measures to protect the Interest of Consumers in telecom Sector” issued on 2.8.2010. Most of the consumers have underlined the need for further strengthening of the provision to seek explicit consent of the consumers as they are of the view that value added services are still being provided to consumers (especially pre-paid consumers) without taking their explicit consent. Incidences have also been brought to the notice of the Authority where value added services have been renewed to pre-paid consumers even in cases where available balance in consumer’s account was insufficient for the renewal of VAS resulting in negative balance.

Therefore, the Authority in partial modification of existing Directions has directed all Service providers as follows:

1). In all cases where the value added services are activated through Out Bound Dialer or service provider initiated call or during pre-call ring back announcements (both voice as well as automated) and where a consumer dials a specified telephone number or short code or a telephone number providing interactive session for subscribing to a Value Added Service, the service provider shall obtain confirmation from the consumer through consumer originated SMS or e-mail or FAX or in writing within twenty four hours of activation of the value added service and charge the consumer only if the confirmation is received from him for such value added service and shall discontinue such value added service if no confirmation is received from the consumer.

2). Every service provider shall, at least three days before the due date of renewal of a subscribed value added service, inform the consumer through SMS, the due date for renewal of such service, the charges for renewal and toll free telephone number for unsubscribing the value added service.

3). If there is insufficient balance in the account of a consumer at the time of renewal of subscription to a value added service, the service provider shall send a request, through SMS, to the consumer to indicate his consent for continuing such service by sending an SMS as "Yes" or "No" to a toll free number and if, in response to such request, the consumer indicates his explicit consent by conveying "Yes", such value added service shall be renewed and such consumer shall be informed by the service provider through SMS that the charges for renewal of subscription of value added service shall be deducted from subsequent recharge.

Data from VAS

The 2011 CMO's Guide To The Social Landscape

2011-07-04T16:04:00.000+05:30

While social media’s acceptance by and importance to the consumer has ramped up rather quickly, those who believed it had relevance to digital marketing were thought to be making a mountain out of a molehill. Well, that molehill has turned out to be more like Everest. A social-media strategy has clearly become a marketing must-have. These days, marketing channels, platforms, and tools that lack a social component--some way for consumers to actively engage with your brand--are probably doomed to failure. But what worked this time last year might not work today, for this is a rapidly shifting landscape that must be mapped out regularly.

With this in mind, CMO.com decided that our wildly popular "2010 CMO's Guide To The Social Landscape” needed a fresh look and up-to-date analysis. We turned, once again, to 97th Floor, the SEO and social media firm that developed last year’s chart, to help you determine which social media tools and channels are your best bet in terms of customer communication, brand exposure, traffic, and SEO. The result? Our second annual guide for 2011.

For your convenience, a downloadable PDF version of the chart is available at the bottom of this page. And in the spirit of social, please share it with your colleagues and broader professional networks.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD THE DETAILS

2Bn people to use Mobile Banking by 2020: Study

2011-07-03T19:30:00.002+05:30

Mobile financial services are expected to improve the lives of around two billion people in developing countries within a decade and boost economies, a Boston Consulting Group study found. Overall, mobile financial services can reduce financial exclusion by 5 per cent to 20 per cent through 2020 and increase gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 5 per cent, with Pakistan, for instance, potentially seeing 3 per cent uplift, said the study.

It added that improved access to finance fostered entrepreneurship, new business creation and new jobs. Mobile financial services can also help overcome economic shocks such as natural disasters or unexpected medical emergencies, the study said.

The report, released by Norwegian telecom group Telenor, focused on five countries - Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and Serbia - which represented a broad development range. Some 72 per cent of the population in developing countries are without access to banks or credit cards according to the study.

They manage to work around this by borrowing from friends and family, obtaining short-term credit from employers, forming savings clubs or seeking out moneylenders but these options were often risky, costly and with indeterminate results.

Telecom firms such as Telenor, Vodafone, Orange and MTN have begun investing in mobile payment systems in Asia and Africa that allow consumers to make basic payments for utilities for example but also participate in savings, credit and insurance programmes via mobile phones.

In Kenya, Safaricom's M-Pesa's UAP Insurance insures poor farmers through mobile phones against weather-induced crop failures for example. Norway's Telenor said it was still early days but that the potential for growth was expected to be huge. Telenor's EasyPaisa programme in Pakistan started with 2,200 retail outlets in October 2009 and now has 12,600 retailers spread over 650 cities across the country. It has some 10 million estimated users and the total value of money transfers has reached 17.4 billion Pakistan rupees ($167.2 million).

2011-07-03T15:30:00.000+05:30

Skype, which is being bought by Microsoft for $8.5 billion, introduced a new service on Thursday allowing users of Android phones to make free video calls to Skype contacts, including those on Apple iPhones .

"We are committed to bringing Skype video calling to as many platforms as possible," Skype's product and marketing chief Neil Stevens said in a statement.

The move will help makers of phones based on Google's Android software compete with Apple's FaceTime video-calling service launched last year for the iPhone and now available on its iPad 2 tablet and Mac computers.

Video calling could also help new Skype owner Microsoft promote its Windows Phone smartphone platform, which it is merging with Nokia's in an effort to become competitive with Android and Apple.

Skype had an average of 145 million connected users per month in the fourth quarter of 2010. Together, they made 207 billion minutes of calls in 2010, about 42 percent of which was video calls.

Mobile video calling is in its infancy, but the fixed-line Internet calling market grew 12.6 percent to $17.3 billion last year, according to UK-based telecoms research firm Point Topic.

With the new Android Skype app, users will be able to make free one-to-one video calls between Android phones, iPhones, Mac computers, Microsoft Windows PCs and televisions.

The first Android handsets to support Skype video calling are the HTC Desire 5, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia pro and the Google Nexus S.
The company whose name became synonymous with Internet calling in the mid-2000s said its updated Android app would initially support video calling on selected HTC and Sony Ericsson Phones, with more to follow soon.

39 Things You Should Know About Google+

2011-07-03T14:02:00.002+05:30

Google+ is HOT rightnow. Well read on to get the highlights, let me know as what you think about google+.

1. Google+ is currently available on an invitation-only basis.

2. Google does not consider it a Facebook competitor (at least publicly).

3. Google+ is currently available for download as an app in the Android Market.

4. When you download that app, it splits off the "Huddle" feature as a separate app.

5. Users can post status updates, and these appear on the Google Profile under a tab called "Posts". The +1's and Buzz tabs remain separate. I have to wonder if we'll see Buzz and Posts merge eventually.

6. What is available now is "just the beginning" according to Google. These are just the first features or presumably many more to come.

7. Circles is one current feature. It lets you share things with different people (kind of like Facebook Groups) but with a very different user interface. Watch this video.

8. Another feature is Sparks. This looks for videos and articles it thinks you'll like, so "when you're free, there's always something to watch, read, and share." Filter Bubble anyone?

9. Hangouts is another feature. It's basically group video chat. Google describes it as "the unplanned meet-up."

10. Instant uploads is a mobile-specific feature. Photos upload themselves as you take them, and are stored in a private area on the cloud.

11. Huddle is another group-conversation feature for mobile. Essentially, it's group chat.

The Stream

12. The stream is basically the equivalent of the Facebook news feed.

13. When you share something with Google+ it's added to your stream and the stream of everyone you shared with.

14. The stream shows you what all of your Circles have shared with you.

15. If you mention a user, using the "+" or "@" symbols, the person may receive a notification that you mentioned them.

16. You can see who specific posts were shared with in the stream -- whether they were shared publicly, to extended circles, or a limited group.

17. You can filter the stream by specific Circles.

18. You can chat directly in the stream

19. You can report inappropriate content.

20. You can search for people from the search box at the top of the stream.

21. Soon, Google says you'll be able to search the stream itself from the search box.

22. If you leave comments on a post, you can edit or delete them.

23. The same goes for posts, but you can't edit a post's sharing settings after the post has been shared. However, you can delete the post and share again to different circles.

24. You can "reshare" posts made by others (like retweeting).

25. You can "mute" a post. This will let you stop receiving updates from a post, like if the comments get out of control for example.

The Google Social Network

26. You can use the "Google+ Bar" that appears at the top of various Google products as your connection to the social network.

27. When you're signed in you'll see your full name or email address displayed with a photo or avatar next to it, to help you identify which account you're currently signed in to.

28. If you've enabled multi sign-in you can sign in to two different Google accounts and switch between them using the Google+ bar.

29. When you sign up for Google+, you're also signing up for Picasa Web Albums, so all photos and videos uploaded to Google+ (including from your phone via Instant Upload) will also be available in Picasa Web Albums.

30. You can use the Google +1 button from the stream.

31. You can have a ton of friends on Google+. Robert Scoble quickly added over 1,000.

32. The central user interface is very Facebook-esque.

33. Google+ quickly became the butt of a lot of jokes (and even cartoons), but has also received a great deal of praise thus far.

34. With Google+ Google adds a "You" link to the recently redesigned (painted black) navigation bar across Google properties

35. You can view public Google+ content without actually being invited (Danny Sullivan has a guide on how to view it )

36. China is already blocking Google+. That didn't take long.

37. Invitations have been listed on eBay.

38. There are already privacy concerns about Google+ but the Privacy Guide can be found here.

39. According to the Financial Times article, you can share something within a closed "Circle," but somone from that circle can then reshare it with anyone, and even make it public.

List by Chris Crum

Facebook Faux Pas: Six Things Businesses Need to Know

2011-07-02T17:00:00.000+05:30

Most marketers understand how Facebook works very well from a personal standpoint — but some of the recent rules and changes that Facebook has made in how it treats business users make it easy to commit a Facebook faux pas.

Creating a Profile Instead of a Page – People have profiles, businesses have pages. What’s the difference? That’s worth a chapter in a thick book, not a short blog post. Here are a few of the big differences. Pages can have tabs, and page owners have much more control over how their pages look, what kinds of features they can add to their pages, and what kind of analytics and reports they can get. Profile owners are given access to the same tool set — and the profile page for a Fortune 500 company looks almost exactly like the profile page for a 15-year-old.
Failing to Understand EdgeRank– The wall is the basic way to deliver a Facebook fan Page message. Every post gets a post quality score. A low post quality score, as determined by an algorithm called EdgeRank, means that your post won’t actually be seen by very many people. (EdgeRank has to do with the number of interactions, such as likes, comments, shares, and how much attention a post gets in a short period of time.) Posts with high EdgeRanks stay in the newsfeed, posts with low ones don’t.
Posting Too Often — Or Too Rarely — Posts made in the morning (before 8 a.m.) and on weekends get more “buzz” than posts made in the middle of a work day. Companies that post an average of every other day — especially if the posts contain specific offers that fans benefit from (discount codes, specials, information).
Treating a Corporate Fan Page Like a Profile – This may sound like Faux Pas #1, but the point here is that pages provide custom tabs, while profiles don’t. Custom Facebook tabs provide the perfect tool for business objectives like growing a mailing list, subscribing to a blog, generating discussions, and so on. Not using the Facebook fan page as a landing page that delivers clear calls to action is deprives your business of the chance to harness the real power of Facebook. (Now you can use HTML for this instead of the custom coding language FBML – Facebook mark-up language – required until recently. This makes it easier to create the custom look you want.)
Forgetting Facebook Ad Tools — The Facebook ad platform is a great way to find customers on Facebook. You don’t even have to launch an ad to use it, either. The process for setting up a Facebook ad allows targeting by specific demographics or audiences based on their interests, age, gender, location and so on. If you want to know what the potential for your brand is on Facebook, start the process of launching a Facebook ad — you’ll be amazed what kind of information Facebook will deliver, free.
Rushing the Process — If you think of Facebook as a marketing channel, and your Facebook page as the lynchpin in leveraging that new communications channel, then you’re not likely to create and post a page in 5 minutes or less. Sure, you could — but doing that just isn’t smart. Smart marketers plan the process, from how the page will look, to who will update content, to what messages will (and won’t) be shared on Facebook. One big part of the planning process is handling customer comments — positive and negative — and mobilizing appropriate resources when (not if) an unhappy customer uses your fan page to vent or ask for a resolution to a problem.

What other Facebook faux pas have you seen businesses commit — or committed yourself? What tips do you have for compliance, marketing success, or finding the right tools to manage your corporate Facebook presence? Please share!

Article by Distributed Marketing

####

This article is good for personal or small scale companies. For bigger impact you will need an impact facebook page which can be achieved by roping Social Media Marketing companies like monline

5 Executive Blogging Questions, Answered

2011-07-02T13:00:00.000+05:30

Your company executives or Social Media Professionals (SMP) like monline should be blogging. There's no question about it.

If your company executives are taking care of blogging then following needs to be considered:

They have a tremendous insights and information to share. Those interested in the company, and even those who work for the company, are interested in the perspectives of the people running it. The audience is there. It's time to grab it.

Whether your top execs will be sharing company news and information, asking for feedback, positioning themselves as thought leaders, or just blogging because "everyone else is doing it," getting them started is half the battle. Here are the most common questions (and my answers, based on years of experience working with executives) that execs ask about blogging:

1. How much time is blogging going to take me?

Executives are busy people. They are in high demand and work on many things at once. Everything they choose to participate in comes at the cost of giving up something else. So don't over-commit.

Start with a reasonable schedule of posts, such as one per month. Block out time in the calendar to make it a real deliverable. If it turns out that blogging more often is doable, then fantastic. It's better to undersell and over-deliver.

2. For how long am I signing up to do this?

Starting a blog doesn't necessarily mean that it will continue in perpetuity. The notion of not being able to sustain a blog long term can be a hindrance to getting started in the first place.

Start with an open mind and do it for only as long as it works and feels like a good way to communicate. When contributing to the blog is no longer fun, it's time to take a break or reset expectations for frequency of posts. Don't automatically hold to the standard of another blogger who posts more frequently.

But also know that blogs, just like communities, are not an “if I build it, they will come” experience. It takes time, passion, and compelling content to build an audience. So don't throw in the towel too soon after getting started.

3. How long do my posts have to be?

Posts don't have to be long to be effective. Some of the most interesting, affecting, and conversational posts don't demonstrate everything to the reader; rather, they leave a few things open for discussion and debate. The best blog posts are between 500 and 1,000 words--just long enough to pull readers in, but not so long that readers feel like they must dedicate a lot of time to reading them.

Posts also don't have to contain wholly new content. A commentary on a book, article, TV show, conference, or interview can add a completely new dimension to readers' experience because they can explore another perspective.

4. Should I allow comments?

Absolutely. End of story. Blogging is about having a conversation. Depending on the likelihood of inappropriate commentary, it may be prudent to moderate comments--and I highly recommend stating that this is your approach, if you choose to go this route. It will set the expectation for readers from the outset, and they will value your transparency.

Whether comments are open or moderated, be prepared to answer questions. Nothing will kill readership faster than a slew of unanswered questions, which indicate the author isn't really interested in conversing with his or her readership.

5. Can't someone else just write my posts?

Depends. If its been routed through SMP then you should engage with credible firm like monline. In general Blogging is about conversation and authenticity. It's not about ghostwriting. When questions come in, the answers can be tricky. Who is responding? What if the ghostwriter doesn't answer as the named blogger would? What if he says something wrong? What if someone asks the author about a response she didn't draft or doesn't agree with? If the person who wants the blog can't commit to creating the posts, then don't bother.

The most successful blogs are about passion, commitment, and authenticity.

So do it yourself or rope in a credible Social Media Professionals.

Article by Jamie Pappas with minor modifications.

Why Do People Follow Brands? [INFOGRAPHIC]

2011-07-02T10:47:00.000+05:30

On Twitter, Facebook, and dozens of other social sites, normal consumers often choose to keep tabs on the brands they love.

In fact, many brands have highly optimized their marketing and PR strategies to accommodate that behavior, even going to far as to do one-to-one CRM (that’s customer or consumer relationship management) through avenues such as Facebook and Twitter.

As social CRM specialists Get Satisfaction found, many consumers who follow brands online are only in it for the perks. Around 40% of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter users in a recent study said they followed brands to get access to discounts and special deals.

Another common response in the same survey indicated that many consumers will follow a brand if they are current customers. And creating interesting, entertaining content online is another great way for brands to earn followers and fans on social services.

Check out this infographic from Get Satisfaction and design shop Column Five for more details on why and how ordinary folks follow brands online.

Click image to see full-size version.

[source: Get Satisfaction blog] via Jolie O'Dell

Top image courtesy of iStockphoto user Ridofranz.

2011-07-01T21:00:00.000+05:30

It’s clear that Zuckerberg sits on top of something that other leading companies want and they want it bad. After all, who wouldn’t want to get a piece of an almost billion person pie that is superbly ripe for monetized business and contextual marketing?

Last year, Steve Jobs tried his hand getting into the social/sharing game by infusing Ping into the iTunes offering. Jobs and Zuckerberg tried to get cozy over dinner early on but after eighteen months of trying to strike a technology partnership, it fizzled. Apple claimed that Facebook insisted on “onerous terms that we could not agree to” so they launched Ping without a Facebook tie-in. The Facebook/Apple relationship was further strained when Apple attempted to install Facebook’s public “Connect” login interface without inking a deal with Facebook first, so Facebook blocked them. After Ping’s launch, it never really took off. Why? Well, for a couple reasons. First off, we were already sharing music in a more open environment with sites like Blip.fm, which of course plugged right on into our Facebook and Twitter accounts no problem. Second, no one cares about Ping. Social media is based on a premise that goes against everything Apple’s business is about - sharing and openness. Why would the social media population adopt a social effort by a company that is already known for putting guard rails on everything in their ecosystem so that you do everything you do online but only on Apple’s terms?

Apple isn’t the only frustrated behemoth.

Google tries again with Google +1.

With the latest push of Google +1, Google’s own version of a “Like” button and their third attempt (remember Buzz and Orkut?)at riding the social media wave (pun intended), it’s clear that Google is still an engineering-centric company in their approach. They’re known for having some of the most intelligent brains behind what they do but their philosophy has always been “algorithm is king.” This is why Google is amazing at search. Algorithms are in their DNA. The problem they face with social network customers is that while Facebook’s backend might run on algorithms, its customers and the social media culture don’t.

Here’s why I think Google’s social efforts are gonna matter about as much Apple’s Ping did in social media:

1. The people have chosen their platforms. The mainstream isn’t interested in, nor has the time, to maintain multiple networks. Almost a billion people worldwide on are Facebook. Every new generation that comes online starts with their first email address and then signs up for Facebook. It was one of the highest priorities for my teenagers to get an account and they pushed me every month until they were 13 when I could legally cave. Just like the Starbucks appeal with a bazillion locations always packed with people looking for the same coffee experience over and over, people use Facebook so much that it has essentially defined what the social network experience should be.

2. People don’t want multiple “Like” buttons. If Google was really smart, they would’ve partnered with Facebook to allow Facebook’s own Like buttons to be part of Google search results instead of using their own. I think it actually would’ve worked out amazingly for both Facebook and Google. It could’ve been seamless AND familiar for content consumers and would have resulted in much more overlap traffic-wise for Google. Facebook is currently bedding with Microsoft/Bing though for their “web results” within their search results template so maybe the Google/Facebook love fest wasn’t possible to begin with. Honestly, I never click on Like-esque buttons that aren’t Facebook because the result of that action doesn’t go anywhere since all of my friends, family and business networking constituents are all on Facebook! If I “Like” a blog post on the Disqus network for instance, using their proprietary “Like” tab, no one but Disqus and those on the Disqus network really see what it is I liked unless I follow through with the two additional steps during the “Would you like to share” process in their widget to publish to Facebook or Twitter, hence my point.

3. Stick with what you know. Successful companies should avoid getting into online spaces that others already clearly own and are better at. Apple makes premium consumer technology products that work amazingly and integrate with our personal lives better than almost any other. Google is the master at search, having hired the world’s top engineers and data/behavioral scientists. Apple and Google should just stick to those and they’ll be fine.

Apple and Microsoft meet the personal computing needs of the people. Google and Bing meet the search needs of the people. Facebook and Twitter meet the online social needs of the people.

Let’s keep it that way.

Also check out…

The official Google +1 video on YouTube

Article by Rich Harris @ ZDnet

Facebook granted patent for gift giving, after Facebook Gift Shop closes

2011-07-01T18:00:00.000+05:30

Facebook has patented “Giving gifts and displaying assets in a social network environment.” That’s the official title for patent number 7,970,657). The patent was granted a little late though, given that the social network closed the Facebook Gift Shop last year.

The listed inventor is Jared Morgenstern, who started at Facebook in February 2006. Facebook filed for the patent on April 27, 2007 and was granted it on June 28, 2011. Here’s the abstract:

A system and method is described for giving gifts via a social network and displaying icons representing assets that have been acquired via the social network. In various embodiments, the assets include real assets, digital assets, and virtual assets. Digital assets that have been acquired via the social network environment may also be displayed. In some embodiments, the assets are received as gifts or in trade from another user of the social network environment.

The patent doesn’t necessarily prevent other social networks from offering a gift giving feature. It could make the process much harder, however, since Facebook has described social gift giving so that a purchase can be made known to participating parties as well as others connected to them on the site.

Most users on a social network want their activities to be known to others. That’s exactly how Facebook made gift giving more social, and the patent will thus make it difficult for other social networks to do the same.

Facebook launched Gifts on February 8, 2007, allowing its users to send virtual gifts to their friends that appear on the recipient’s profile. Gifts cost $1.00 and can include a personalized message. Facebook closed down its Gift Shop on August 1, 2010, saying that it would focus instead on improving other products. While you cannot give new gifts from the Gift Shop, the gifts you’ve already received on your Wall remain visible, and you can still view your sent and received gifts on your gifts page.

Officially, Facebook now wants users to use third-party apps on Facebook for giving and receiving gifts. It specifically recommends these four: Birthday Cards, Hallmark Social Calendar, Pieces of Flair, and someecards.

Article by Emil Protalinski @ ZDnet

MySpace sells to Specific Media for $35 million

2011-07-01T14:00:00.000+05:30

Social network MySpace has been sold once again.

The buyer is digital-media company Specific Media, which purchased the site from News Corp. for an undisclosed sum. As part of the deal, News Corp. will take a minority equity stake in Specific Media.

AllThings D's Kara Swisher, who first reported the sale earlier today, said Specific Media paid $35 million.

In a statement about the sale, Specific Media CEO Tim Vanderhook said: "Myspace is a recognized leader that has pioneered the social media space. The company has transformed the ways in which audiences discover, consume and engage with content online."

"There are many synergies between our companies as we are both focused on enhancing digital media experiences by fueling connections with relevance and interest," he said. "We look forward to combining our platforms to drive the next generation of digital innovation."

As part of the deal, Swisher says MySpace's staff of 400 will be cut in half, corroborating murmurs from yesterday that more layoffs were on the way. In a memo sent to employees, MySpace CEO Mike Jones made note of additional "restructuring initiatives" while also announcing that he's departing the company after a two-month transition period.

"My time here at MySpace represents the most engaging and challenging time of my professional career," Jones wrote. "I have found our team to be comprised of the best people I have come across in our industry."

MySpace was purchased by News Corp. in 2005 for a whopping $580 million as a way to help drive traffic to Fox's TV and media efforts. According to Swisher, News Corp.'s announced equity stake will be 5 percent to 10 percent of Specific Media. By comparison, Microsoft invested $240 million for a 1.6 percent stake in Facebook back in 2007, a company that was valued at $70 billion earlier this week.

MySpace underwent a massive redesign last year in an attempt to shed the site's stigma of lagging behind rival Facebook. This included adding a trending topics feature, and more media on profile pages to better integrate media from other properties.

Just a few months later, the company gutted its infrastructure, announcing a "significant organizational restructuring" that cut 47 percent of staff, or around 500 employees. That move was said to be tied to the company attempting to trim down to make itself more of a target for potential buyers.

During an earnings conference call in February, News Corp. CEO Chase Carey said that the time was right to sell off the Web property to a new buyer in order for the site to "reach its full potential," and that the company was "evaluating those strategic alternatives."

Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg said the sale shows how volatile the social market is, and how quickly consumer tastes can change.

"The fundamental question is where did $550 million of value go?" Gartenberg said. "And there's a cautionary tale for other players in the space. Certainly the largest players have less to worry about, but smaller players that are looking very, very good today that are very niche may discover that consumers are more fickle than they think, and definitely have an affinity for the latest, shiny new thing that comes along."

According to research from Compete.com, MySpace pulled in 30.79 million unique visitors last month, which is down 6.34 percent compared with the previous month, and a 54.47 percent drop year over year. Looking at those numbers over the past two years, the chart looks like this:

Monthly unique visitors to MySpace, month by month for the past two years.

(Credit: Compete)

As for how the new buyers can change that trend, Gartenberg suggested refocusing the site on its music roots.

"If they double-down in that area and really focus the site on music, and can fit in this with existing music services that are out there, and the strong social connection, there's probably some sort of profitable business that can be rebuilt out of it," Gartenberg said. "But is it going to be a site that's going to dominate the entire social-network space? I think those days are behind it at this point."

Article by Josh Lowensohn

Obama to do Twitter chat on economy on July 6

2011-07-01T11:45:00.002+05:30

President Barack Obama will hold a "town hall" webcast on the economy and jobs on Twitter next week, but don't expect his answers to be short.

The online service's normally ironclad 140-character limit -- the written "Tweet" format -- will apply to the questions the president receives but not to his answers.

The White House used Twitter to announce Wednesday's event and invited people to begin submitting queries.

The president, who has been praised for his oratorical skills and criticized at times for being too verbose, will appear on a webcast in a discussion moderated by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, the company's executive chairman, White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Thursday.

The White House Twitter account, which has 2.2 million followers, invited questions to a new account "@townhall" marked with the hashtag "AskObama."

Americans' pessimism about the sluggish U.S. economy, especially the 9.1 percent jobless rate, may be the biggest obstacle to Obama's hopes of winning re-election next year.

Shortly after the announcement, questions were coming in on topics including green jobs, innovation and corporations. A video feed of his answers will be streamed online. The 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) webcast will also include a "TweetUp," Twitter's term for a meeting of people who use Twitter.

The White House makes regular use of social media, which it sees as a way to get its message to a wide range of Americans and hear from them directly. Obama's Twitter feed -- he started writing the occasional tweet himself just this month -- is one of the most popular on the system, with 8.9 million followers.

Obama visited Facebook in April for a town hall with the popular social network site's founder, Mark Zuckerberg. TOI

ZTE builds VAS platform for Vodafone Essar in India

2011-06-30T08:00:00.000+05:30

ZTE has built and deployed an advanced VAS platform for mobile operator Vodafone Essar in India.

With the completion of the platform, Vodafone customers can avail the Vodafone Newswrap, a Mobile Newspaper service offering news from around the world, on their mobile phones. The introduction of the service will play a role in enhancing VAS revenues for Vodafone Essar.

As a part of the project, ZTE India has created the MNS and MMSC platforms, under a revenue-sharing model.

Data by InsightVAS

Yahoo's Apps Search for Mobiles

2011-06-30T05:00:00.000+05:30

Realizing that mobile searches are increasingly taking over PC searches, Yahoo has introduced two new search tools to make mobile app searches a less tiring task.

Yahoo! App Search for the PC and the Yahoo! AppSpot for iPhone/Android will make it easier for users to browse through the thousands of mobile apps available on the iPhone Store and Google’s Android Market.

The Yahoo! AppSpot is a free mobile applet that allows users to locate and view a comprehensive description, snapshot, price and star rating of the apps.

The highlights of this tool are:

Personalized Recommendations: A daily personalized recommendation regarding the apps you have recently searched
Precise Results: Shows you the most relevant apps by matching the titles and keywords you type in during your search
Related Apps: While searching for an appropriate app, you can now look forward to receive a list of several related apps within the “more apps you’ll love” section that best match your requirements
At-a-Glance Shopping: You can see comprehensive information including price, overall star ratings, screenshots, and description on one screen instead of continual navigation through the screen
Fast & Easy Downloads: Direct links to the specific apps on the Apple App Store or Android Marketplace will be provided to allow for a quick and easy download

The Yahoo! App Search is a computer-based version of AppSpot which can be found on the top panel navigation panel on the Yahoo! Site. This feature allows users to conveniently search and download apps to their mobile devices directly from a desktop. Users can search for an app by category, operating system (OS) or by simply typing the keywords into the search box.

It’s apparent that Yahoo! is trying to reclaim its dwindling existence in the search market and at the same time is adapting to the steadily evolving trend of mobile searches.

Have you tried either of these tools yet? If so, feel free to share your thoughts below.

Article by SearchNews

Google’s “Me on the Web” Aims to Help Manage Your Online Reputation

2011-06-29T18:00:00.000+05:30

Keeping personal information off the web is quite difficult these days. With most of us active on social networks, blogging or even tweeting, maintaining privacy can sometimes seem an impossible task especially when our details appear on search engines.

Taking this issue into consideration Google has introduced a new tool “Me on the Web” that allows users to manage and control their personal details appearing in search results.

The “Me on the Web” tab has been placed in every user’s Google dashboard just below the ‘Account Details’ and contains various help documents that can be referred to for controlling and managing your personal identity and information on the web. This tool shows you all the websites (containing your name and contact information) that are synced to your Google profile so that you can moderate them accordingly.

If you’re familiar with Google Alerts, then you’re probably quite proficient with reputation management and the notifications it provides for any mention of your name, email address and other personal information being used across the web. For those who dont use Google Alerts, “Me on the Web” makes it easier to set up notifications by automatically suggesting some common search terms that you might want to monitor.

Perhaps the best feature of this new tool is the suggestions from Google on how to control third parties posting personal information about you. By using the links to resources under the “Me on the Web” tab, Google inlcudes suggestions like contacting the webmaster of any site and asking your personal information to be removed from their site. You can also report to Google directly asking for legal action, where ever applicable, via an online tool available under the “Me on the Web” tab.

Though Google is not the first company to address and take action on the online privacy concerns of users, with a centralized tool like “Me on the Web” Google is certainly helping the cause.

Article by Searchnews

Review : I have a Dream from Rashmi Bansal

2011-06-29T17:04:00.004+05:30

Finally done with the book. Please read about the book at my older post "I have a Dream from Rashmi Bansal".

Personal Rating: 8/10

The book was great and in Bansal's usual pattern. I liked the first two editions more than this one. And the theme of social entrepreneurship was really catchy and needed for the youth.

Some of the stories went in too much details which got boring after few pages. Same with the projects. 3-4 projects were less interesting (in my view) and was less inspiring. I knew quite a few of organization who are doing much better and bigger things.

But well the stories are inspiring and engaging. People who enjoyed R.Bansal's pervious edtions will also enjoy this one. In a nutshell, It's a really good book and worth a read for every entrepreneur.

I enjoyed it and would recommend to get a copy at earliest. Motivating and Inspiring for anyone who is/wants to be a social entrepreneur or working in the similar field.

Nokia launches Mobile Money Client on its all major dev

2011-06-29T14:00:00.001+05:30

Nokia has facilitated its vast range of mobile devices with mobile money client to in India. The mobile money service provided by Nokia offers the unbanked and under-banked groups to access financial servies through their mobile phones.

Nokia has made Mobile Money Client services to a major range of Nokia devices including high end Symbian smartphone devices, Nokia´s Series 40 feature phones, as well as the Series 30 entry level devices and support both keyboard, touch and combined devices.

Nokia has already providing its mobile financial services initiative by partnering with Union Bank of India (UBI), Yes Bank, Obopay and a wide range of merchants, retailers and business correspondents. The services, called Union Bank Money and Mobile Money Services by Yes Bank, are already available in several regions and are being rolled out across India in the forthcoming quarters.

Consumers will have the option of choosing and subscribing to either Union Bank Money or YES Bank Mobile Money Services from their Nokia devices. The app can be activated at Nokia retail and other outlets, which are also, authorized banking correspondents of Yes Bank and/or Union Bank of India.

Mobile Money services eliminate dependence on the physical presence of a branch or availability of internet banking services.

Data by InsightVAS.

Unwanted Calls may soon become history

2011-06-29T11:50:00.000+05:30

The end of unwanted texts and calls from marketing executives might be near. Last year, TRAI had announced that calling phone numbers registered in the Do-Not-Call Registry (over a 100 million mobile phone users) would invoke a first fine of Rs and up to Rs 2.5 lakh for the sixth offense, after which any failure to comply would lead to a 2 year blacklist.

Previously, penalties stood at Rs 500 and Rs 1000. This powerful measure had not been legislated, even after 4 (missed) deadlines. Now, according to an official's statement to the Economic Times, this measure might be formally passed by end June.

The new rules will let you screen out all telemarketing calls, while opting to receive SMSs, which can also be filtered by your area of choice, ranging from banking and financial products to real estate, education, health, consumer goods, automobiles, communication, entertainment, tourism and leisure.

Further, you won't be receiving this text messages at odd hours - the 9PM to 9 AM telemarketing text window will be closed. This will also be applicable to unregistered customers.

The TRAI recently sent a new communication to the Indian Department of Telecom, asking for completion of registering telemarketers with the '140' number series, an easy way to spot unsolicited commercial calls.

However, BSNL is asking for more time (till the end of the calendar year)to upgrade to the new ten-digit numbers starting with 140.

'The delay is due to BSNL - most of their switching infrastructure is old and it will be challenge for them to get it ready to handle the new numbering series on landlines. On the mobile side, the infrastructure is largely in place across all operators," explained Rajan Mathews, who heads the Cellular Operators Association of India, the industry lobby representing all GSM players.

There have also been reports of more powers in curbing erring telemarketers. Action on spam SMS and telemarketing scenario was held up due to the legal issues between regulators and the Department of Telecom.

Data from InsightVAS

Facebbook Virtual Currency credit comes to India

2011-06-27T18:00:00.000+05:30

Facebook Credits, a virtual currency that enables users of the social networking sites to buy virtual goods and services in Facebook games and apps and watch movies on the site, is now available in India. This is a good news for the developers who can now use the credits to charge for the apps and games they develop on Facebook. Not only developers, even Indian e-commerce businesses will benefit from these Facebook credits.

In the blog yesterday, Facebook said that it has added new international payment methods and improved payout workflows for developers using Facebook Credits. Now the credits can be purchased by the users using credit card and PayPal account. You can find details of the payment methods supported in your region, in this list.

Each Facebook Credit can be bought at 10 cents ($ 0.10). Facebook developers can redeem their Facebook Credits by connecting their Paypal account to their Facebook account.

Facebook introduced the concept of Credits two years ago in the US. Since then it has become a rage on the social networking site. Earlier this year, when Warner Brothers decided to screen “ Batman: The Dark Knight” movie on the site, one could watch the movie for over 48 hours, with unlimited number of pauses, by paying 30 Facebook Credits. Facebook users in India missed out on the opportunity, however as they could not use Facebook Credits that time.

Article by Swati Ramnath

Are you scored as influencer on twitter?

2011-06-27T11:33:00.002+05:30

Imagine a world in which we are assigned a number that indicates how influential we are. This number would help determine whether you receive a job, a hotel-room upgrade or free samples at the supermarket.
If your influence score is low, you don't get the promotion, the suite or the complimentary cookies. This is not science fiction. It's happening to millions of social network users.

If you have a Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn account, you are already being judged -or will be soon.
Companies with names like Klout, PeerIndex and Twitter Grader are in the process of scoring millions, eventually billions, of people on their level of influence -or in the lingo, rating “influencers.“ Yet the companies are not simply looking at the number of followers or friends you've amassed.
Rather, they are beginning to measure influence in more nuanced ways, and posting their judgements -in the form of a score -online.

Influence scores typically range from 1 to 100. On Klout, the dominant player in this space, the average score is in the high teens. A score in the 40s suggests a strong, but niche, following.
A 100, on the other hand, means you're Justin Bieber.
On PeerIndex, the median score is 19. A perfect 100, the company says, is “god-like.“

How does one become an influencer?

After analysing 22 million tweets last year, researchers at Hewlett-Packard found that it's not enough to attract Twitter followers -you must inspire those followers to take action. That could mean persuading them to try Bikram yoga, donate to the Sierra Club or share a recipe for apple pie.
In other words, influence is about engagement and motivation, not just racking up legions of followers.

Article by Stephanie Rosenbloom in NYT

Google Extends Ad Targeting Based on Browsing History. Good or Bad?

2011-06-27T07:27:00.001+05:30

The way Google’s Interest-based advertising works is that sites that join the Google Display Network (which includes Google’s Display partners, YouTube, and specific Google properties that display Adwords ads), and serve ads to users based on browsing history. Google’s Display Network and Search Network are separate, and combine to make up the entire Google Network, but advertisers have the option of running their ads on the Google Network.

On the Inside AdWords blog, Google Display Network Product Manager Jon Krafcik writes:

We’ve been slowly expanding the availability of this feature, and as of today, interest categories are now available to all AdWords advertisers. It works like this: our system looks at the types of pages a user visits, taking into account how recently and frequently those pages have been visited, and then associates their browser with relevant interest categories. Using these categories, you can show ads to the people most likely to purchase your products or services, and you can reach them across all types of sites in the Google Display Network in addition to contextually relevant sites.

With over 1,000 interest categories from ecotourism to mobile phones, we’re confident you’ll find a category that fits your business. And with over 500 million users interested in these categories who visit the Display Network every day, you’ll be able to reach a huge number of potential customers. You pay only for clicks or impressions at auction prices, as always. Our beta advertisers have used interest categories to successfully meet all kinds of goals, from an advertiser increasing brand lift by 40% to a shoe retailer driving 400% more conversions at a lower advertising cost per sale.

Google claims that the Display Network reaches 70% of unique Internet users around the world. “The Display Network has the advantage of reaching potential customers at different points of the buying cycle,” Google says. “Not every potential customer is focused on conducting a search. Not every visitor is ready to buy at a given moment. The advertiser’s challenge is to capture their attention at the right time. For example, a user might begin a search for digital cameras with just an interest in reading reviews. While reading a review, though, that user might note the ads of online retailers or click on the ads themselves. With search-only advertising, this customer would have been missed.”

The addition of interest-based advertising should theoretically help the advertiser in reaching the customer at the right time.

Privacy

Here’s a video Google put out about privacy as it relates to interest-based advertising, back in ’09:

Google users can edit the categories of ads they wish to be shown. I’m not sure the average user will know to do this or even think about it, but Google has a page where you can go and adjust this, or even opt-out entirely. Right now, Google has me set up to view ads from the following categories: celebrities and entertainment news, online video, advertising and marketing, Internet software, Mac OS, search engines, SEO and marketing, business news, politics, and social networks.

While these categories, I would imagine are relevant enough to me, I would hardly say they’re representative of my interests at large or even my web use at large. Google will let us add (or remove) categories, as we like, however. You can add sub-categories from Arts & Entertainment, Autos & Vehicles, Beauty & Fitness, Books & Literature, Business & Industrial, Computers & Electronics, Finance, Food & Drink, Games, Hobbies & Leisure, Home & Garden, Internet & Telecom, Jobs & Education, Law & Government, News, Online Communities, People & Society, Pets & Animals, Real Estate, Reference, Science, Shopping, Sports, Travel, World Localities, and Demographics.

The interests are associated with the advertising cookie that’s stored in your web browser. When you opt out, Google disables your cookie and no longer associates interest and demographic categories with your browser. Your ads are likely to be less relevant as a result. Here’s another privacy video from Google talking specifically about cookies:

On the Ads Preferences page, Google says, “Google is a participating member of the Network Advertising Initiative and follows the industry privacy standards for online advertising. You can opt out of this cookie, as well as other companies’ cookies used for interest-based ads, by visiting the aboutads.info choices page. If you want to persist your opt-out of interest-based ads from all NAI member companies, you can install the Keep My Opt-Outs plugin.”

The “Keep my opt-outs” plugin is essentially a “Do Not Track” mechanism that lets users opt out from receiving personalized ads as they browse the web.

Competition

As Facebook becomes an increasingly attractive alternative for online ad spending, Google is smart to ramp up its targeting abilities, although I’m not sure they match the targeting power of Facebook’s. Google’s is much more about timing, which can certainly be effective, but in reality can be hit or miss. Facebook has the advantage of all its users “likes” which can really be far more representative of their “interests” than simply listing somewhat broad categories in their Google settings.

For example, with Facebook Ads, I can create an ad that targets 21-year-old males who live in Lexington, KY, and Like the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” the band “My Morning Jacket,” and drink “Pabst Blue Ribbon”. That can be pretty powerful. There’s a reason these ads are gaining popularity, particularly among local businesses. I report from MerchantCircle this month found that 22% of local merchants have used Facebook Ads, and that two-thirds of them would use them again.

Facebook and Google are becoming competitors in more ways than one, but advertising is obviously a key area, as it’s the real money maker for both companies. This also comes at a time as Google’s future in advertising is uncertain. The company is facing multiple antitrust ordeals, including a potentially lengthy investigation from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and questioning from the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice is looking into the company’s proposed acquisition of ad optimization firm AdMeld.

The FTC is said to be sending out requests for information from companies that deal with Google, and it will be very interesting to see which companies these include. Google will argue things like “the competition is a click away,” and probably that it’s main competitor Bing (using Microsoft AdCenter, which is also powering Yahoo search advertising) continues to gain market share from month to month. In online advertising alone, Google may also point to an increasingly popular Facebook advertising platform, as Facebook is clearly a force to be reckoned with on the web with its nearly 700 million registered users (yes, the number is disputed, but there’s not denying that Facebook is an enormous force).

Article by Chris Crum

Top 10 Tips for Lead Management

2011-06-26T13:21:00.001+05:30

Lead management is the ability to:

• Capture leads when they’re searching

• Nurture leads that aren’t yet ready

• Score leads so you know who’s ready for sales

• Give leads to sales at the right time

• Evaluate leads to close the loop on lead quality

Done right, lead management creates more educated buyers, helps you better understand their needs, and ultimately means more revenue.

So how do you do it right?

1. Nurture leads before sending them to sales

2. Use thought leadership to influence buying criteria

3. Work with sales to define when a lead is “salesready”

4. Score leads using implicit behavioral data

5. Give sales detailed information to ensure a seamless hand-off

6. Track sales follow-up; evaluate leads with sales’ input

7. Track every marketing activity, not just lead source

8. Progressively understand the prospect’s needs

9. Track anonymous visitors and tie their data to new leads

10. Develop & enforce data quality

Read in details by downloading there Top 10 Tips for Best Practice Lead Management from Marketo.

1.3 bn users to adopt Mobile Instant Messaging by 2016; poses no threat to SMS

2011-06-25T16:52:00.000+05:30

Juniper Research, the England based leading analyst firms in the wireless sector, in its new report has predicted that over 1.3 billion mobile phone users will switch to the advance ‘Instant Messaging’ facility by the year 2016.

The research says, the foray of new services such as Apple’s iMessage, AOL’S AIM, Blackberry Messenger, Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, Nokia’s Pushmail and Microsoft’s Windows Live will drive subscribers’ interest towards this new version of messaging, which was earlier restricted to one-on-one and one-to-many messaging through SMSes.

Within the SMS market, revenue from Application-to-Person (A2P) SMS will exceed $70bn by 2016, overtaking Person-to-Person (P2P) during that year. A2P messaging - defined as those messages which are sent to or from an application - has a wide variety of use-cases, including financial services, ticketing, and any other service involving sending or receiving a large number of messages.

In addition, despite SMS charges coming down significantly over years, the charges for an outgoing national SMS remains at about INR 1.0 per local message on prepaid and INR 0.50 on postpaid. There are SMS packs for heavy users of SMS, however, the adoption of these packs remains relatively limited. Given that a majority of the student and youth population is on prepaid plans, the availability of a free (or in other words, included in majority of data plans) messaging alternative, especially for casual, instant communication makes a lot of sense for this section of users. Other feature-phone providers are also embedding IM aggregation clients in their devices which work on the data channel to allow free chat, but have not become as visible as BBM. The affordability benefit is much clearer for international messaging on-the-go, providing an alternative to paying INR 5.0 per SMS for international texting, and is a significant use case for urban Indians with an international network of friends and relatives.

But, at the same time no threat to the existing SMS service has been observed with the popularity of Instant Messaging. The main reasons behind this are certain limitations in terms of usage of IM. One of the most prominent one is the restriction of having smartphones or high end handsets, the sales of which are undoubtedly increasing at a fast pace but still there is a large number of mobile users who own a basic mobile device. Secondly, the IM service restricts the communication to a specific brand (Only two persons having Blackberry devices can use Blackberry messenger), whereas, SMS has no such obligation and they can be sent to any of the network provider or handset brand.

The launch of these free Mobile IM services has been facilitated by the increasing number of smartphones in use, low-cost data packages and the development of high speed mobile networks. While some IM services are ad-funded, most are viewed by the operators as customer retention tools, with the only cost to the user being the data usage charged.

Adding to the popularity of Instant Messaging, these services offer the real-time communication and apparent absence of cost. But, the market is fragmented by different services which cannot communicate with each other. The Instant Messaging clearly demonstrates its endeavor in an internet-centric mobile ecosystem. IM is helping significantly enhance the value proposition of the mobile gadget and potentially helps developing a social network which can be monetized in the future through services and software revenue.

Article by Gaurav Maurya

2011-06-24T12:31:00.001+05:30

What separates a good blog from the best blog. I've found that most of the best bloggers share very similar characteristics. Here are 7 keys that all of the best blogs have in common.

1. Consistency

A lot of people, when they start blogging, worry too much about frequency. How many posts per week do I need to write to get the best results? Posting frequently enough that your readers don't think you've fallen off the face of the earth is important. But, it's more important to post consistently.

When I was little, I used to look forward to every Sunday because I knew that I had an entire sections worth of colorful comic strips to enjoy at the breakfast table. If, all of a sudden, a Sunday rolled around without the comic section, I would have been devastated. This is the way you want your readers to feel. But, if you post to your blog sporadically, whenever an idea happens to pop into your head, you aren't going to achieve this. Post consistently and you will develop a loyal following who make reading your blog part of their routine.

2. Relevancy

Frequently, if someone has been blogging for a while, they will run out of things to say. This often causes writers to go off on tangents that have little if anything to do with the topic of the blog. This can be distracting and confusing to your audience, which in turn might cause them to stop following your blog. If you ever feel like you're going off on too much of a tangent ask yourself if/how this piece of content adds value to the overall theme of your blog.

3. Tenacity

Staying consistent and relevant is no easy task. In order to be successful you must be tenacious and strive to do whatever it takes to deliver high quality content to your audience. I'm not telling you to over-commit and try to write a blog post a day. Start small with something like a blog post a week, and increase your volume as you get into a rhythm.

4. Curiosity

Curiosity is going to be the quality that helps you continue to come up with interesting and insightful pieces of content. If you are constantly reading blog posts and saying to yourself "yea, I agree with that" then you aren't going to be a very successful blogger. You should be constantly questioning things that you read online, constantly asking yourself why the author has a certain perspective, and then working hard to come up with your own.

5. Personality

People enjoy reading unique perspectives. Your personality cannot be replicated by anyone, and this is the reason that you shouldn't be afraid to let it show in your writing. It's great to look to successful content creators for tips on style, but, in the end, your blog posts should be a representation of who you are. Trying to write in order to please your audience will only make your writing dull and boring.

6. Passion

I don't even really feel like I need to explain why passion is so important. If you don't love what you're writing about then it's going to show. Regardless of whether or not people agree with your opinion, they will be able to tell if you are truly passionate about what you are talking about. To me, the first few episodes of American Idol are the only ones worth watching. These are the episodes in which contestants with vocal capabilities equivalent to a parrot are told the sad news that they aren't going to be the next American Idol. It's not the headache inducing singing that is enjoyable to me. It's the passion and belief in themselves that these people bring to their performance.

7. Commitment

Blogging should not be undertaken for it's short term gains. It takes a long time to establish a readership, a voice, and the skills required to really thrive. If you don't think that maintaining a blog takes a significant amount of time and effort than you are lying to yourself. I'm not saying this to discourage you, but rather to let you know that you must really commit to every one of these keys. If you do you will be able to produce a blog that's better than 99% of the blogs out there.

Did I miss any keys that you think are critical for producing a successful blog? Let me know in the comments below.

Article by Eric Vreeland

Free Holiday Picture Slide Show

2011-06-24T11:17:00.002+05:30

Checkout http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/

Tripadvisor have started a free service of slideshow with music from your holiday pictures. They have beautiful themes to go with your holiday settings like Beach, Family, Romantic, Outdoors, etc.

Also one can upload the pictures from their Facebook, Picasa, Flickr accounts or even MyComputer etc.

Moreover - the slideshow can be downloaded on the computer or DVD.

Overall, a good bet for your vacation photos. Try it out.

Monsoon in Lonavala Slideshow: Vivek’s trip from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India to Lonavla was created by TripAdvisor. See another Lonavla slideshow. Create your own stunning slideshow with our free photo slideshow maker.

Filters by the Websites on the internet

2011-06-21T11:04:00.005+05:30

Very interesting session from Eli Pariser at TED Conference at Long Beach, CA in Feb.2011. He talks about the privacy and filters that are pulled upon us by the biggies like Facebook, Google, Netflix etc. Our clicking/surfing patterns are always interpreted by some complex algorithms and gives us a refined/altered/filtered data. Watch the video...its of good quality and short (9.05min).

Airport city on the cards in Navi Mumbai

2011-06-16T15:04:00.002+05:30

The Maharashtra government plans to set up high-end townships around the new international airport at Panvel, Mumbai and promote them as special business, hospitality and amusement clusters along with residential complexes, according to a report by Ketaki Ghoge in Hindustan Times. The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) - the planning authority for the area - will prepare a master plan of 50 sq km for development around the demarcated airport site. The idea of setting up the Navi Mumbai airport as an aerotropolis (airport city), has been inspired by international airports like Washington and New York. A team of officials visited airports in the US last week to study their management of multiple airports. Louis and Berger, consultants for the Navi Mumbai international airport, sponsored the week-long trip. Officials said that in the past, townships surrounding the airports were associated with a certain degree of negativity because of the constant noise and pollution.

However, in recent times, townships around airports have become chic neighbourhoods. Officials estimate that once the Navi Mumbai airport is operational by 2012, there will be a huge demand for land exploitation to set up hotels, retail outlets and shopping malls. The state’s Urban Development Department (UDD) plans to modify development control regulations so CIDCO can offer developers additional vertical development rights in this area in exchange for a premium. “CIDCO can earn substantial revenue from this development. The townships will have mixed land use with residential, business, hospitality and retail centres being developed here,” said a senior UDD official. CIDCO will have to ensure that there is minimal noise pollution. A buffer of mangroves and trees will surround and cordon off the main airport site from these townships.

The planning agency has designated 370 acres as a No Development Zone around the airport following directives from Ministry of Environment and Forests, and this will help in minimising noise pollution. CIDCO will also build large parking lots at and near the airport because this has been seen as a major revenue generation source for international airports.

Article by Hospitality Biz India Staff

Marriot International, Inc launches Facebook game as recruiting tool

2011-06-16T14:20:00.002+05:30

Marriott International, Inc is launching a game on Facebook called ‘My Marriott’ which is to be used as a recruiting tool for approximately 50,000 positions this year, particularly in India and China. According to the company release, at My Marriott Hotel on Facebook, gamers will first manage a 'virtual' hotel restaurant-cum-kitchen before moving on to other areas of hotel operations. The game will be available in English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Mandarin. My Marriott Hotel is similar in concept to the Farmville and Cityville games.

“As Marriott expands in growth markets outside the United States, and as we seek to attract more Millennials – those between the ages 18 and 27 – to our workforce, we must find new ways to interest them in hospitality careers. This game allows us to showcase the world of opportunities and the growth potential attainable in hospitality careers, especially in cultures where the service industry might be less established or prestigious,” said David Rodriguez, Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources, Marriott International.

Launched just a month ago, Marriott’s Jobs & Careers page on Facebook has more than 12,000 active users and more than 270,000 page views. The most active users are from the United States, Egypt and India.

Article by Hospitality Biz India Staff

Google Adds New Product Ads for Mobile

2011-06-14T14:33:00.000+05:30

Google has launched two styles of product ads for mobile that have previously been available for the desktop: product extension ads and product local ads.

“Product Extension Ads enable you to easily display relevant product images and details directly in your mobile search ads,” explains Google Mobile Product ads Surojit Chatterjee. “Since many mobile users are searching for product information while they are in a store or on the go, including this type of information in your ads can help you stand out by highlighting the products you carry and help drive mobile conversions for specific products on your site. Product Extension Ads are enabled by linking your Google Merchant Center account to your AdWords campaign. When your mobile search ad appears, and your Google Merchant Center account contains products that are relevant to the searcher’s query, Product Extensions show the product images, titles, and prices of your products in a plusbox under your ad.”

“An enhancement to Product Extension Ads, Product Local Ads show the actual availability of products in local stores along with the product image and price all within the mobile ad,” added Chatterjee. “This ad format takes advantage of one of the things that makes mobile uniquely powerful, the phone’s greater location aware capabilities. That’s why we’re especially excited to bring Product Local Ads to mobile where location is even more relevant to user’s searches. Now advertisers can better show what they have in-stock to users who are nearby and ready to buy their products. With the same Smartphone User Study showing that 54% of smartphone shoppers use their phones to locate a retailer and 34% search for a store’s product inventory, Product Local Ads help mobile shoppers complete their goals and can drive more in-store purchases.”

The Product Local ads can be shown based on location signals, which include local search queries and device location (when users have opted into share it). They require the advertiser to submit their local product inventory through the Google Merchant Center.

According to Google, 79% of smartphone users use their phones to help with shopping activities, such as finding more product info, comparing prices or locating a retailer.

Article by Chris Crum. Twitter: @CCrum237

Victoria’s Secret: Branding in Detail on Social Media

2011-06-14T14:31:00.002+05:30

This post focuses on a most intimate apparel, Victoria’s Secret (VS). Victoria’s Secret has a colossal Facebook following with more than 13.7 million “Likes.” The page’s wall is the default tab and the first thing I noticed is how well the page translates the VS brand. It provides a sexy, feminine appeal effortlessly and with promotions, contests, behind-the-scenes video, makeup style guides and much more, fans find themselves coming back to the page often for the value proposition and wide variety of content.

Spotlight Tab

The spotlight tab does a great job of showcasing its newest social offerings like apps, mobile alerts, and its other social channels (Twitter and YouTube). This tab serves well as a showcase for other efforts but I can’t help but to think there has to be a better way of showcasing these efforts without sending fans away from the fan page.

Bombshell Summer Tour Tab

The Bombshell Summer Tour Tab is currently my favorite VS Facebook tab. Here you can scout out the locations for the Victoria’s Secret summer tour where you’ll have a chance to meet your favorite angels and get a first look at their Bombshell Summer Collection. The tab offers great behind-the-scenes footage, fun polls and more. They also offer followers the chance to earn their Victoria’s Secret Foursquare badge (I wonder if they’ll include special discounts for those that earn their badge).

The only thing I would recommend is that VS set this tab as their default tab during the tour so the content isn’t lost.

In addition to the Bombshell Summer Tour Tab, Victoria’s Secret stuck with the bombshell theme to further promote their new line by hosting a contest on the page for a chance to win a $500 shopping spree. The contest was simple. Fans needed only to use content and imagery provided to them by VS to show off their personal style and share with their friends to get likes – fun and simple, my favorite kind of contest.

Supplementary Tabs: Wallpaper and Gift Cards

Victoria’s Secret encourages fans to “Glam Up Your Desktop” with a tab offering 6 wallpaper choices. All of the selections in some way relate to the brand’s angel theme, thus the options feature one of the signature Victoria’s Secret Angels, an Angel product or the Angel brand logo. Each individual wallpaper post permits individual likes and shares via either a fan’s wall post or a message. The one that has netted the most individual likes is the wallpaper bearing the words “What Kind of Angel Are You?” featuring the word angel written with the brand’s moniker font.

The Gift Card Tab does something different by presenting consumers with the opportunity to personalize, purchase and send a gift card via Facebook without having to exit Facebook at any point. Victoria’s Secret is one of a few women’s lifestyle brands that are testing the waters on Facebook with ecommerce offerings. While it’s only gift cards, I’m sure actual product offering on Facebook in the form of a storefront is a natural next step for the brand considering the number of fans they have and continue to gain by the minute. As a matter of fact, the page was up a couple thousand fans just in the time I’ve spent analyzing the page.

Victoria Secret Facebook Content Strategy

Content is plentiful and diverse on the Victoria’s Secret Facebook wall. If it’s video you want, they have. If it’s photos of new collections you want to ogle, they have it. If it’s makeup pointers for a new look you seek, they have that too. Any fan of Victoria’s Secret can easily feel like they are in the know with everything Victoria’s Secret related that the company posts to keep fans engaged and aware whether it’s promotions, industry honors, special events, or even Victoria’s Secret Angels’ birthdays.

Though there are no distinct trends in relation to the posts that are receiving above average engagement rates, on the whole fan engagement questions and video posts appear to be getting the best feedback rating. Posts that are receiving the least amount of fan engagement are store promotional posts and announcements which is typical of any brand.

Engagement Rate Comparison: Victoria’s Secret VS Converse

For reference, I compared Converse and Victoria’s Secret. While slightly different, I find its relevant because it’s another specialized fashion retailer with comparable fans. Converse’s engagement rate average is not as high as the VS fan page and the reason is apparent. Converse hasn’t yet posted updates that are engaging for the fan. Video and music related content accounts for half of the posts and are receiving less than average fan engagement rates. To me, it seems that the music’s connection to the brand is not translating well with fans. Converse did post in the last month that they love to hear from their fans and has more in store so perhaps a new content strategy is in their near future.

Time sensitive, brand relevant variety when it comes to content is the lesson that can be learned for the Victoria’s Secret Facebook fan page, which is currently trumping Converse in fan engagement despite their nearly equivalent fan count. As a matter of fact, I think variety is key for most brand pages. So are there things I believe VS could do to better engage their fans? Of course, everyone could improve upon their current strategy but I’d say they definitely have the right idea.

What, if anything, would you do differently if you managed the Victoria’s Secret fan page?

See more examples in 26 Social Media Fan Page Examples in Detail.

Originally published at Ignite Social Media

Article by Christian Sullivan

To Brand yourself on Social Media and other online medium: Please contact the experts - http://www.monline.in

What will we be using facebook for in Five Years?

2011-06-14T14:20:00.003+05:30

Facebook is estimated to have somewhere around 700 million users art this point. It was only 500 million when the marketing campaign for The Social Network launched last year.

How long until it reaches a billion?

Facebook is seeing a great deal of growth in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Philippines, Mexico, Argentina, India, Columbia, Egypt, Turkey, and the UK. Facebook has become the top place for communication, photos, games, charity, and news for a lot of people already, and we’ve not even come closer to seeing the limit of what will be done using the social network. One of the interesting things about Facebook’s growth is that the more things people are able to do with Facebook, the more it is likely to grow still. And the company hasn’t even had an IPO yet.

We’ve seen plenty of glimpses into the future of Facebook – things that are being done on a modest scale, which will likely blow up in time (e-commerce, payments, videos, travel, etc.) As Facebook’s growth continues, more businesses are going to feel comfortable using it as a platform of operation, or at least as a major component of it.

E-Commerce

We’ve already seen e-commerce on Facebook increase over the last year or so, with more businesses setting up storefronts on Facebook itself, but I expect this to grow much more significantly over the coming years. It will be like selling merchandise through websites used to be. At first, many businesses didn’t offer their actual products through their sites, but now, most do. This will likely be the case on Facebook too, and it might not even take as long.

Most businesses have already recognized the benefits of at least having a Facebook Page, and given the ease of setting one up, compared to creating (and maintaining) a website, it’s not hard to see why wider adoption came so quickly.

We recently ran an article by Krishna De, who discussed nine tips to increase your social commerce success:

1. Have an attractive image for your store
2. Make use of your profile photo
3. Add a customized tab on your Facebook page
4. Incentivize your Facebook fans
5. Mention your Facebook Store in a status update
6. Test the Facebook Store out yourself
7. Consider using Facebook Ads to build awareness
8. Mention the launch on your site
9. Encourage people who purchase to leave a recommendation

Identity

Identity is the key to everything Facebook does, and is a major component in every business, app, and website that associates itself with Facebook. It’s all about personalization, and last year when Facebook launched its Instant Personalization features and social plugins for websites, it truly took over the web. Today, you’d be hard pressed to find a credible website that doesn’t have some kind of Facebook integration, even if it’s as small as simply the use of a “like” button.

Despite privacy concerns from many users, they still continue to use Facebook, and using Facebook they can log into and interact with other sites and apps, without having to create a separate account. It ups the convenience factor significantly, and reduces friction. This will continue to be key for future endeavors, and every facet of Facebook usage, whether that be paying for goods online or off, playing games and keeping your records, getting personalized news, keeping personalized music playlists, or whatever else.

Facebook faces competition from companies like Google and Twitter (more so now with Twitter’s integration into Apple’s iOS 5) in the area of identity, but Facebook has a huge lead here, particularly in how it relates to personalization and actual friend-related data.

Of course, you still need an email address to have a Facebook account.

Payments

It is the identity aspect of Facebook that lends it to payments. With Facebook Credits, the social network has its own currency, which one can easily envision becoming a widely adopted and acceptable form of payment given the rise of innovation in the mobile payments space for the physical world, the fact that so many sites are integrated with Facebook in the online world, and the fact that every business already wants you to “like us on Facebook”.

Imagine going to McDonald’s or Sears, and tapping your phone on a device at the register to pay with your Facebook Credits.

By the way, Facebook Credits will reportedly work with iTunes apps too.

Travel

There are 107 apps currently on Facebook listed under “Travel,” and that’s just internal Facebook apps – apps you access while on Facebook itself. That doesn’t include the Facebook integration Travel sites all over the web are employing. Look at what Delta Airlines is doing, for example. Its Ticket Counter app lets users check in online and access their boarding pass on Facebook within 24 hours of their departure. It also lets you check flight status, view trip details, and view skymiles.

Travel is just one aspect of life where the ubiquitousness of Facebook comes in handy, as those catering to that aspect (like Delta) are able to take advantage of your Facebook ID to provide you with a helpful service.

Given Microsoft and Facebook’s relationship, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more Facebook and Bing Travel integrations over time either.

Search

Speaking of Bing, and its partnership with Facebook, don’t be surprised to see Facebook become a much bigger part of the search market picture. Facebook has data that search engines crave already. Personalization is the name of the game, and nothing on the web can come close to delivering the kind of personalized experience Facebook can to those that use it.

We’ve talked at length about Facebook’s potential in search in the past, so I’m not going to go on and on about it here. I’ll simply give you a link or two. But suffice it to say, Facebook is very relevant to search, and search is very relevant to Facebook. It will be even more so, as more businesses and people flock to the social network.

Advertising

Businesses are already recognizing how powerful Facebook ads can be. I expect Facebook Ads to continue to grow as a more popular place for companies to advertise. The targeting based on all of the data Facebook has about users is simply too great.

Just this week, MerchantCircle put out results of a survey finding that 22% of local merchants have used Facebook ads, and two-thirds of them intend to do so again. That’s as they stand now. You have to consider that Facebook is going to continue to make new features available over time, and find ways to make ads even more attractive to advertisers. It’s highly unlikely that they think their work is done, and that they’re not going to improve.

That goes for Facebook as a whole, by the way. There’s no telling what Facebook and its pool of top engineering talent will come up with in time, that nobody’s even considered yet. Look at everything Google’s done in the last decade. Who knows what Facebook will have its hands in another ten years. By the way, much of that top talent has come from Google.

Entertainment

Obviously games are already an enormous part of Facebook use for a lot of people. One can’t help but wonder if it has even played a part in the cancellation of certain soap operas. Movies and music may be poised to make up an even greater part of the puzzle as well.

As you may know, Warner Bros. has already been testing Facebook movie rentals. You go to a fan page for a movie, and then, you can rent the movie from right there. It’s not at all hard to imagine this becoming commonplace in the industry.

Facebook has also been talking with various music services, according to reports. The product of these talks is rumored to be a tab/widget that would display a user’s most-played songs and provide an easy way for friends to hear them. People are already sharing music on Facebook all the time, whether that be through a YouTube video, a SoundCloud file, or other formats, and bands are already connecting with fans through their Pages.

Musicians are even charging Facebook credits for on-demand concert streams.

News

People are already getting a lot of their news from Facebook, and Facebook has been placing more emphasis on this side of things itself. If you’re doing all of these other things with your Facebook account, it only makes sense that you would get at least some of your news through this venue as well, by “liking” publications’ Pages, which share links and notes about stories, and through posts that Friends find worth passing on (including through Facebook’s social plugins – like the “like” button or the newer “send” button).

A couple months ago, Facebook announced the launch of new journalist resources and a series of events for journalists to come together and find new ways to better harness the social network for their craft. Of course Facebook has played a significant role in creating the news as well (see recent revolutions).

Acquisitions

Looking at Facebook’s list of recent acquisitions can give us hints as to what the company might be up to, though as they are often geared toward talent rather than product, we can only speculate until we see results. Recent acquisitions from Facebook include:

- Drop.io (file hosting and sharing)
- Rel8tion (mobile advertising)
- Beluga (group messaging)
- Snaptu (mobile app development)
- DayTurn (infographics)
- Sofa (mac apps)

What Will We be Using Facebook For in Five Years?

This is where I’d like to call upon feedback from our readers. I’m sure I’ve barely scraped the surface of what the future truly holds for this increasingly powerful company. I want to hear some ideas from you about what you think we’re in for. So, I ask you: what will people be using Facebook for five years from now, that they aren’t already using it for? What would you like to see Facebook do in the future that it doesn’t already do? What would you like to see it stop doing?

Article by Chris Crum. Twitter: @CCrum237

Visit monline.in for your social media marketing needs.

New Marketing Wave: Mobile Barcodes

2011-06-14T13:40:00.003+05:30

Mobile barcodes let marketers reach consumers anywhere, anytime. This emerging technology transforms traditional media into marketing that is both interactive and measurable, even on print ads, billboards, product packaging, hang tags, and more.

When consumers scan these barcodes with their mobile devices, they are immediately connected to the web, where they can view movie trailers, music videos, book excerpts, and other marketing offers. They can even launch options such as click to call or initiate a texting session.
What's more, all of these actions are measurable.

With Mobile Barcodes, Marketers Enjoy These Benefits:
* Extended reach from existing media channels, including print and TV
* Highly targeted marketing, including location-based
* Measurable results and competitive
* ROI Rich mobile marketing experiences: videos, demos, special offers
and more
* Opportunity to create 1-to-1 interactions with your customers
* Higher sales-conversion rates
* Ability to grow your customer database: pre-ordering movies, CDs,
games and more
* Fewer out-of-stock situations, thanks to rain-check coupons and
online inventory
* Greater control, thanks to near real-time changes

Try out mobile barcodes, use your mobile device to download a FREE app at getreader.com

Blogger vs. Wordpress.com Comparison Chart - 2011

2011-06-09T20:05:00.001+05:30

Well back to the same old story. Is Blogger better or Wordpress. I have Blogs on both the sites. I am running a general personal blog on blogger - http://daavpani.blogspot.com/ and my this site - http://www.monline.in is made and developed in Wordpress.

Thus I was looking for a comparison between both of them and here I found a wonderful article at http://pulsed.blogspot.com/2007/07/blogger-wordpress-chart.html by kPulsed. Check

My personal conclusion: Blogger is good if you have a non-commercial blog/website. But if you having a domain name and hosting and want to host your blog and site then Wordpress has the upper hand. Thus check it out and decide you self as what fit for you.

- Vivek Bhalavat

In the following chart features at Blogger (blogspot.com) and Wordpress.com are compared. These are the two main contenders for free blog hosting. Features which are clearly better at either BlogSpot or Wordpress have been highlighted. Widgets are listed in another summary table after the features list. If you have your own website with PHP/MySQL support, you can download and use WordPress with no restrictions (get it here).

Updated June 2011.

Feature	Blogger.com	Wordpress.com
Themes and customization	Blogger has introduced a collection of easy-to-customize templates with Google Web Fonts. Earlier templates can still be edited, but don't have all the features. New: Mobile Templates.	No template editing. Style sheet editing is only available as a paid upgrade. Many of the 100+ themes let you upload a header image. Some have additional customization options.
Visitor stats	Built-in dashboard stats (more info). You can also include third party tracker scripts — or any type of script.	No scripts allowed. The admin dashboard shows 2 days of stats and daily, weekly and monthly charts.
Import	Only from another BlogSpot blog.	Import from Blogger, Yahoo! 360, Type·Pad, MovabIe·Type, Blogli, Israblog, Posterous, Vox.com, Live·JournaI or another WordPress blog.
Image storage	1 Gigabyte. There is no interface to browse through the images unless you sign up for Picasa Web Albums.	3 Gigabytes. Paid upgrades are available to add more space. You can also upload .ppt, .doc, .odt and .pdf files (more file types with an upgrade).
Galleries	You can use Picasa Web Albums.	Simply add the tag to any post or page (more info).
Static pages	Blogger allows up to 10 static pages to be created (more info).	Create posts or 'pages'. Static pages are listed in separate menus.
Categories	'Labels'.	'Categories'.
Post excerpts	Expandable post excerpts (more info).	Post excerpts with a "more" tag.
Post by email	Submit your posts by email. You can receive new posts by email too (helpful for team blogs).	Submit your posts by email. Images can be attached (more info).
Contact forms	Not available. You could add a third-party contact form, however.	Simply add the tag [contact-form] to any post or page or use advanced features.
Domain names	Free domain name mapping (more info).	A paid upgrade is required to map a custom domain.
Private blogs	You can restrict access to invited Google account holders.	You can restrict access to 35 invited Wordpress account holders (unlimited with a paid upgrade). Alternatively, individual posts can be password protected or Private.
Team blogs	Administrators and non-administrators only.	Administrator, Editors, Authors & Contributors. Option to receive post changes by email.
Comments	Visual confirmation, spam filtering and moderation options, but no editing of comments.	Moderation, comment editing and Akismet spam protection.
Widgets	See the next table.

Blogger comments:

Visitors can preview comments. They can also choose to receive follow-up comments by email. However, the embedded Comment Form option is entirely dependent on JavaScript. Spam filtering is now available as an alternative to moderating every comment.

Wordpress comments:

In 2009 Wordpress.com added follow-ups by email and comment threading options. Wordpress has more comment options than Blogger, but there have been problems with Akismet spam protection. See this post on the WP user forum...
http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic.php?id=16584

Widgets compared:

BlogSpot Widgets	Description
Add a Gadget	Software applications that do cool things. There's an extensive menu in the sidebar.
Popular Posts	Displays a list of popular posts on your blog.
Blog stats	Displays your blog's visitor count.
Pages	Displays a list of stand-alone pages on your blog. You can create up to 10 pages.
Followers	Displays a list of users who follow your blog.
Search Box	Search over your blog, your blogroll and everything you've linked to.
HTML/JavaScript	Add third-party functionality or other code to your blog. [ i.e., any third-party widget]
Text	Add some words to your blog - like a welcome message - with our rich text editor.
AdSense	Earn revenue by displaying relevant ads on your blog.
Picture [for the sidebar]	Add a picture from your computer or from somewhere else on the web.
Slideshow	Add a slideshow of your photos to your blog.
Video Bar	Clips from YouTube and Google Video for readers to watch without leaving the page.
Poll	Survey your visitors by adding a poll.
Blog List	Show off what you read with a blogroll of your favourite blogs.
Link List	Add a collection of your favourite sites, blogs or web pages.
List	Add a list of your favourite books, films or anything you like.
Feed	Add content from an RSS or Atom feed to your blog.
Newsreel	Automatically add current headlines from Google News to your blog. (see an example)
Labels [categories]	Show all the labels of posts in your blog.
Subscription Links	Let your readers easily subscribe to your blog with popular feed readers.
Logo	Choose from a variety of Blogger logos to add to your page.
Profile	Display information about yourself. [Wordpress blogs have an "About" page]
Blog Archive	Display links to older posts.
Page Header	Display your blog's title and description.
Wordpress.com Widgets
Akismet \| Archives \| Authors \| Author Grid \| Blog Stats \| Blog Subscriptions \| Box.net file sharing \| Calendar \| Categories \| Category cloud \| del.icio.us \| Flickr \| Gravatar \| Image \| Links \| Meebo \| Meta \| Pages \| Recent Comments \| Recent Posts \| RSS \| RSS Links\| Search \| SocialVibe \| Tag Cloud \| Text \| Top Clicks \| Top Posts \| Top Rated \| Twitter \| Vod:Pod Videos

In addition, WordPress shortcodes are widgets for individual posts.

Theme choices

Blogger has introduced new, easy-to-customize templates. Earlier templates can be modified, or you can install a third party theme. Make sure that third party themes have the latest layout tags.

Although the Wordpress.com collection of 100+ themes sounds like a lot, finding features you might want is a challenge. Customization options are limited unless you pay for an upgrade that allows stylesheet editing. Wordpress.com uses a scheme called Typekit for changing fonts, while Blogger offers a straightforward method to choose between standard fonts (in addition to standard fonts there are Google Web Fonts). Both systems have Mobile Templates.

WordPress theme browser: http://theme.wordpress.com/themes/

Ongoing improvements

The WordPress team frequently add new features and themes, and since the new BlogSpot publishing system was rolled out in 2006, the Blogger software team have added new features too. Visit the developer blogs to find out what's new:

Conclusion

In 2007, I wanted to find out what was on offer in terms of free blog hosting. Before that, Blogger was looking stale, and Wordpress.com didn't have nearly as many themes or features as it does now. I chose Blogger, and this was my first post. If Wordpress.com allowed stylesheet editing without having to pay, and visitor stats comparable to the tracker scripts you can obtain for free, my choice would have been Wordpress.com for sure.

Online Reputation Management Handbook

2011-06-08T16:01:00.004+05:30

My Review:
Its a good coffee table collection book for media and online marketing people. It talks about Online Reputation Management (ORM) in much simpler manner. But it doen't have details. Its talks about the topic without going into any insights, challenges, tools or resources. This book can be for beginners or anyone who want to understand ORM or Media Marketing. Buy it as its available at very affordable price of Rs.99 (list price and if you search through web then can get is a much lower price. I bought it from Crossword at the list price) . It also has some Indian case studies in the end which came come handy for the industry professionals.
I liked it's previous edition "Social Media by Dentsu" which is more insightful then this book.
In conclusion - Good buy for Media/Social/Online Marketing Professionals.

Summary of the Book:
What is Online Reputation Management or ORM? What is the widespread reach of the internet today, it becomes crucial for the companies to project their brand and reputation on the world wide web. There are numerous social media on which consumers can post their views about a company or corporate entity. These include not only blogs, groups and discussion boards, but social networking sites like Orkut, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and You tube.
The book follows on the best-selling Social Media handbook and gives you step by step guidance on how best to build your reputation on the internet and how to defuse negative feedback from consumers and news media.
The Handbook is a must-have for any corporate that wants to utilize the potential and reach of the internet to build its brand image in the best possible way.
The book is produced by Dentsu Digital which is the acknowledged expert on the subject.

The Winning Way

2011-06-08T15:38:00.003+05:30

My View:
Just finish reading the The Winning Way: Learning From Sport For Managers.
Its a good read for all the entrepreneur, and Manager. I am a sports person and thus it makes more sense and interesting read. Harsha Bhogle knows India and have vast experience with the MNC w.r.t Branding, Marketing and Training. Thus its worth a buy. I would recommend this book to all the Managers and Entrepreneur who likes sports (and not just cricket but sports in general).

Rating: 7/10

I bought this book from Indiaplaza.com @ Rs. 120 - including shipping ( list price = Rs.200).

About The Book :
The Winning Way deals with what sporting champions do and what constitutes a winning team. Two renowned IIMA alumni, one a sports commentator and writer and the other an advertising and communication consultant dig into examples from the world of sports to see how they can help promote managerial skills. The Winning Way gives a clear picture of winning teams, good leadership and why some teams continue to perform well while others decline with time.

Anita and Harsha Bhogle reiterate the importance of perseverance and the right attitude to attain success. If an individual combines ability with the right attitude, he is bound to excel and become the best he can be. The writing is contrary to the popular belief that ability is the major distinguishing factor for success. This principle is particularly important as the levels of competition increases. For the distinguished authors, this book marks the completion of 300 successful corporate workshops of The Winning Way that they run.

Facebook Fan page VS Website

2011-05-23T17:17:00.002+05:30

Q: I’m a small business entrepreneur, and I’ll be introducing a consumer product soon. Should I create a website for my company or a Facebook fan page?

A: I faced a similar question a few weeks ago for my book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions. I had three options: create a site for the book, add a section for the book to my existing website, or create a Facebook fan page.

After five minutes of thoughtful deliberation, I decided to add a bare-bones section to my website (which I haven’t gotten around to do yet—which should tell you something) and create a Facebook fan page but not to create a website for the book. Here’s why I did not choose a website:

1. I’m busy. Designing a website is a big deal. I can’t create one by myself so this means I’d have to find a company to do it or impose on my friends. A template or canned package would never make me happy, so I’d end up spending mucho time interacting with whoever is building website for me.

2. I’m impatient. I like to go from idea to implementation in a week or two. From start to “finish” (if a website is ever finished), it’s hard to make a website happen in two weeks.

3. I’m cheap—and picky. The good news about a website is that you can make it do anything. The bad news about a website is that you can make it do anything—as long as you pay for it. I wanted a site that can engage people by letting them discuss the book, post pictures and video, take quizzes, and enter contests. A website can do all this if you’re willing to pay thousands of dollars.

4. I’m realistic. Let’s say that I got beyond the laziness, impatience, cheapness and pickiness and somehow obtained a great website. The next challenge is getting people to visit it. Sure, I’d put the Facebook “Like” button, Tweetmeme “Retweet” button (disclosure: I invested in Tweetmeme), or Twitter “Tweet” button on it, and I’d blog and tweet the hell out of it, but the building traffic is still hand-to-hand combat.

By contrast, here’s my experience with a Facebook fan page:

1. Instant gratification. You get 25 friends, a Facebook vanity username, and boom, you’re in business. It’s still easier to get a Facebook vanity URL than a good domain name. Either that or God was with me a few weeks ago because Facebook.com/enchantment was available when I looked.

2. Built-in functionality. The social networking functionality you’d want on a website is built into Facebook: commentary, discussion, visitor posting of photos and videos, and reviews. This means you don’t have to figure out how to add this functionality to a website or pay someone to add it for you.

3. Limited flexibility. Facebook fan pages don’t provide the total flexibility of a website, but that is an advantage for people like me because it prevents us from going nuts with features and design. Basically, there are tabs and sub-tabs to play with. A side benefit is that people don’t expect a unique/cool/whatever website because they see that all Facebook fan pages have a similar look and feel. As my boss at Apple, Mike Murray, used to tell me, “Discipline sets you free.”

4. Flexibility. Within the limited flexibility of Facebook, however, there is substantial flexibility. You can choose from hundreds of Facebook apps to add functionality. If you can’t find what you want, then you can ask someone who knows a lot about Facebook like Mari Smith to recommend a developer. That’s what I did, and she sent me to Hyperarts Web Design. Two weeks and $2,000 later, you’d have a custom looking Facebook fan page that looks like this. I would have had to spend more than $2,000 just to buy the domain that I wanted for a website.

5. Curation. Facebook is a more curated environment than the wide-open web. People have to join Facebook, and most people care about their identities and reputation. You can also block orifices and complain to Facebook about them. On the web, it’s much easier for anyone to litter your website with trashy comments, photos and videos, and it’s much harder to get rid of them too. For the better, Facebook is a controlled environment.

6. Inherent spreadability. The best part of Facebook is that there are, depending on who you believe, about 400 million members. In other words, if Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest in the world—behind China and India but ahead of the United States. Every time people do something on your fan page, they spread the word about it to their social contacts. This is the holy grail of marketing: unconscious word-of-mouth advertising! I like this a lot better than hoping people will click on a “Like” or “Tweet” button on a website or forward a website’s URL in an email.

Here’s a tip for you. I discovered that you can create a “reveal” Facebook tab. This is how it works: People must “like” the page in order to see its content. I did this with the PDF version of my first book, The Macintosh Way. If people “liked” this page, they were presented with a link to download the book for free. It generated thousands of fans. If you have something you can give away such as a PDF, song, or discount coupon, you should try this.

7. Gratification. I’m a shallow person: I like to increase the number of followers on Twitter and fans on Facebook. Just as there are only two kinds of people on Twitter (those who want more followers and those who are lying), there are only two kinds of companies with Facebook fan pages: Those who want more fans and those who are lying.

I find that getting fans on Facebook is more gratifying than getting followers on Twitter for two reasons: first, on Facebook you pretty much know that a person made a manual decision to “like” your page. You’re never sure on Twitter if your new followers are bots, spammers, clever manipulation of Twitter’s database, or 50-year-old men with a 18-year-old, hot-babe avatar. Second, the follower count on Twitter for anyone who was on the Suggested User List is meaningless. The number of Facebook fans is a much more accurate proxy for the quality of your fan page interactions—or the offer on your “reveal” page.

8. Free. It’s hard to argue with free. I’ve paid nothing to Facebook for all the wonderfulness that it’s provided me. In fact, I would be happy to pay Facebook just as I would be happy to pay for my use of Twitter because both companies provide such valuable services. Until Facebook asks me to pay, I’m more than willing to let it run ads on my fan page. I don’t even want a cut of the ad revenue—keep it, Facebook, you earned it.

What are the dangers and disadvantages of a Facebook fan page strategy vis-a-vis your own website? There are some:

1. You are supporting Facebook’s inexorable ascension to worldwide domination. Is this different from using Windows? (Something I don’t do.) Or buying an iAnything from Apple? (Something I do quite regularly.) I’d rather ride a tsunami than build my own sand castle. Heck, if Facebook helps my book and your product succeed, maybe it deserves to achieve worldwide domination. I don’t care if Mark Zuckerberg is a punk or if Facebook is leaking my data (What is it going to leak—that I like hockey?). All I care is whether Facebook works as a marketing platform. “It’s not personal. It’s just business.”

2. You’re putting all your chips on Facebook. This is true. If Facebook pulls a “MySpace,” your fan page might disappear one day. The odds are, however, that my book will go out of print before Facebook dies. If it does go out of print, then the fate of Facebook won’t matter. On the other hand, if the book achieves critical mass (hopefully, in part because of its Facebook fan page), it won’t matter if Facebook dies. In other words, I don’t care if Facebook implodes as long as it doesn’t implode right away. It won’t.

If you have a long-term corporate perspective as opposed to my short-term, product-introduction orientation, then Facebook’s longevity is a serious consideration. But in the long term, we’re all dead anyway, and you can always start with a Facebook fan page and create a website later as your sales ramp up.

3. Gurus will tell you that won’t get the black-magic SEO juice, brand awareness, inbound links, street cred, etc. of a website. Also true. But then again I can allocate the time, effort, and money that I’m not investing into making a website into other efforts to make the book successful. When all is said and done, either a product sells or it doesn’t. I doubt that the cause of failure will be using Facebook instead of a website although I am betting that using Facebook will help make my book more successful than using a website.

Here’s some inspiration to look at to get your fan-page juice flowing: Starbucks (17 million fans!), The Wave and Mari Smith. These were the sites that I looked at when making my decision. For you, the bottom line is that if you’re small business owner who is busy, impatient, cheap, picky and realistic (shallowness is optional) and want to ride a tsunami rather than roll your own sand castle, then it’s time to consider a Facebook fan page instead of a free-standing website. Kawabunga!

Answer by OPEN Forum's expert Guy Kawasaki.

Also checkout this video by Change for a Dollar

2011-05-16T10:46:00.002+05:30

Apartment prices up and interest rates are going up. The big question for people trying for a dream home with rising equated monthly installments (EMIs) these days is: should one buy a flat or does it make more sense to live on rent and wait for better days to make a purchase?

The average apartment price across the country has risen by 20% over the past year, say market experts. This means your home will cost 10 to 15 % more, based on a 1.5 to 2 percentage point increase in interest rates on your EMIs.

A home loan rate of 11%, up from 9.5% a year ago, implies a 15% jump in the EMI – and the net impact on your property price may be around 35%, taking into account the EMI load. Floating rate loans may eventually see a decline in EMIs, but only if lenders pass on any cost reduction to customers.

Experts say that if your horizon of buying a home is for five to 10 years, a rented home may be a good idea.

“It takes care of uncertainties surrounding EMIs, rising interest rates, high property prices and your cash-flow issues,” said Lovaii Navlakhi, managing director at International Money Matters, a financial advisory firm.

“If you are in a city only for few years renting is the way to live,” added Vishal Dhawan, a Mumbai-based financial planner.

However, if you are looking at your first property and stay in it yourself for 10 years, experts concur that buyers should go right ahead.

“It is not a transparent market and you don’t know if the real estate prices fall, by how much and over what time,” said Surya Bhatia, a Delhi-based financial planner. “Identify the property and buy it.”

But do watch some basic rules, experts say. Do not “over-leverage” to stretch your borrowings, and keep EMIs in a comfortable limit. The thumb rule is that the total EMIs you pay should not exceed 40 to 45% of your household income.

Experts are unanimous that the current market is not for investment as prices might even fall.

“Broadly, residential real estate prices will see a moderate growth of 5-10%, as developers continue to liquidate their stocks,” said Anuj Puri, country head at property consulting firm Jones Lang LaSalle India.

Puri said the recommended formula for investors would be to go in for stable, rent-yielding properties while looking out for properties that have potential for appreciation.

Source: HT

Social networks offer a way to narrow the field of friends : An anti-oversharing crowd

2011-05-11T14:06:00.004+05:30

There are times when you just have to tell your friends about something, but not necessarily your Facebook friends. Just ask Becca Akroyd. When Akroyd, a 29-year-old lawyer in Sacramento, wanted to share a picture of her garden, she didn't turn to Facebook. Instead she posted it on Path, a service that lets people share pictures, videos and messages with a small group.
"The people I have on my Path are the people who are going to care about the day-to-day random events in my life, or if my dog does something funny," Akroyd said. "On Facebook, I have colleagues or family members who wouldn't necessarily be interested in those things — and also that I wouldn't necessarily want to have view those things."
Path, which limits friend groups to 50, is among a new crop of Web services that allow people to connect with a handful of friends in a private group. Users get the benefits of sharing without the strangeness that can result when social worlds collide on Facebook. Other start-ups in this anti-oversharing crowd include GroupMe, Frenzy, Rally Up, Shizzlr, Huddl and Bubbla.
Even Facebook recognises that people don't want to share everything with every "friend." It has privacy settings that control who can see what, but many people find these challenging to set up. So last fall, Facebook introduced Groups, for sharing with subsets of Facebook friends. And in March, it acquired Beluga, a start-up that allows sharing photos and messages with small groups privately.
Last month, Facebook said its users had created 50 million groups with a median of just eight members. It also introduced the Send button, which websites can use to let people share things with Facebook groups.
"We realised there wasn't a way to share with these groups of people that were already established in your real life — family, book club members, a sports team," said Peter Deng, director of product for Facebook Groups. "It's one of the fastest-growing products within Facebook. Usage has been pretty phenomenal."
No one expects the start-ups in this field — most of which are new and have relatively few users — to replace Facebook or Twitter. Instead, their creators say that they do a better job of mimicking offline social relationships. NYT

Article from DNA

Facebook driving more traffic to news websites

2011-05-11T13:54:00.003+05:30

Facebook is driving an increasing amount of traffic to news sites, but Google remains the top referring service, according to a study published on Monday. The study by the Pew Research Centre's Project for Excellence in Journalism looked at the behaviour of news consumers online during the first nine months of 2010 using audience statistics from the Nielsen.
The study examined the 25 most popular news websites in the US, looking at how users get to the sites, how long they stay there, how deep they explore a site and where they go when they leave. An average of 40% of the traffic to the top 25 news sites comes from outside referrals, the study found, with Google Search and, to a lesser extent, Google News the single biggest traffic driver.
The Nielsen figures did not break down where the remaining 60% of a news site's traffic comes from but the study said much of it stems from direct visits to the home page of a news site.
"Far from obsolete, home pages are usually the most popular page for most of the top news sites," the study said, and were the most viewed part of the site for 21 of the 25 studied.
Google Search was responsible for driving an average of 30% of traffic to top news sites with the Drudge Report and Yahoo! also ranking as major traffic drivers. But social media — and Facebook in particular — is "rapidly becoming a competing driver of traffic," the study said.
At five of the top 25 sites, Facebook was the second or third most important driver of traffic. "If searching for news was the most important development of the last decade, sharing news may be among the most important of the next," the study's authors said.
The website drawing the most traffic from Facebook links was The Huffington Post with 8% of its visitors landing on the site that way. Twitter, somewhat surprisingly, "barely registers as a referring source," the study found.
Only one website in the top 25 — the Los Angeles Times with 3.53% — derived more than 1% of its total traffic from Twitter. On average, 77% of the traffic to the top 25 news sites came from users who visited just one or two times, the study said, with the percentage varying among sites. More loyal and frequent visitors return more than 10 times per month to a particular site. AFP

Article from DNA

Social network users have twice as many friends online

2011-05-11T13:47:00.003+05:30

Research finds that one in 10 people has either met their best friend online or believes they will meet good friends on the Web, reports the Guardian.
After clocking up more than a few acquaintances online, it might come as a particular blow for keen social networkers like Barack Obama, or even Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg himself.
But it seems that there really is something in that lingering suspicion that most users of social networking sites have more friends in cyberspace than reality. The average person has in fact double the amount of online friends than physical ones, according to research commissioned by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, which found users of such sites have 121 online friends compared with 55 physical friends.
The study also claims that people tend to be more open, confident and honest with their virtual friends than their "real" counterparts.
The results also reveal that one in 10 people has either met their best friend online or believe they will meet lifelong friends on the Web. The findings highlight how social introductions are also changing. Only 5% would ask for someone's phone number whereas 23% are more likely to ask for an email address or a full name with the intention of adding them on a social network.
According to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, the Internet provides a vital lifeline to people unable to physically socialise as much as they would like to. Scrutiny of the alleged impact of social networking websites on society at large provided by a separate study found that one in five parents think their children's school results are suffering due to the amount of time they spend on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and other non-educational web pages.
A questionnaire completed by 4,427 adults, suggested that 20% of parents believe their child's education is being hampered by the amount of time they spend on such sites.
The survey, conducted on behalf of TalkTalk's Internet security service HomeSafe, found that children are spending an average of two hours and six minutes a day online. Nearly half of six to 11-year-olds spend one to two hours per day using the Internet to play games but only 10% use the Internet daily to do their homework, results show.
It found that 50% of children aged between 12 and 17 use social networking sites every day while only 16% use the Internet daily for homework. Agencies

Aritcle from DNA

Amul Ads

2011-05-05T16:18:00.005+05:30

Latest from Amul Ads
Source: http://www.amul.com/2011hits/page2.html

Store Count: Subway VS McDonalds

2011-05-05T15:31:00.002+05:30

Well its Subway VS McDonalds on the number of store counts. McDonalds was leading this race from long time but now Subway - Eat Fresh is overtaking the giant.

According to a report in www.hindubusinessline.com, at the end of 2010, McDonald's globally had 32,737 outlets, while Subway had 33,749 stores. In India too, the two brands are neck and neck (in terms of store count in the first week of March), with McDonald's at 211 outlets and Subway at 200.

While in terms of revenue (globally), McDonalds claim that they are far ahead of Subway stores. McDonalds claims that they are at USD 24 billion, while subway is at USD 10-15 billion.

Also McDonald claims that their store are averagely 3 times bigger then Subway outlets.

Anyways both the companies are investing heavily in India and around the world. News are they both are pumping around 550 crore (McDonald - as per Hospitality Biz) and 40 crore (Subway - as per Hospitality Biz)in near future.

Bin Laden death big on Twitter--but not biggest

2011-05-03T14:34:00.005+05:30

News of Osama bin Laden's death was big on Twitter--but not the biggest so far in terms of tweets per second.

"Twitter traffic spiked to more than 4,000 tweets per second at the beginning and end of President Obama's speech tonight announcing the death of Osama Bin Laden," said company spokesman Matt Graves. Twitter also spread the word of bin Laden's death faster than the official announcement and supplied an inadvertent live account of the attack on bin Laden by U.S. forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on Sunday.

For comparison, that was more than the peak rate of 3,085 tweets per second of the 2010 NBA finals, the 3,283 tweets per second of Japan's World Cup soccer victory over Denmark. It's in the same range as 4,064 tweets per second for the 2011 Superbowl.

But it's well short of the 6,939 tweets per second ushering in the new year in Japan. That moment, of course, was very precisely timed, which probably led to a more concentrated burst of tweeting.

Peak tweet rates don't just depend on the magnitude of a news event. They also depend on when the event happens, and in the case of bin Laden's death, it was late on a Sunday night on the East Coast.

The timing likely was convenient for some on the Net. Unplanned surges in interest can swamp Web sites, especially those delivering data-intensive video. When news arrives during off-peak hours, though, it can give sites time to prepare with better traffic capacity and smooth out demand for the information.

There were some problems keeping up, said Keynote Systems, which monitors Internet and mobile data performance.

"Keynote Systems observed that the leading connected and mobile news sites began to experience performance slowdowns and streaming sites too groaned under the traffic load," spokesman Dan Berkowitz said.

Source: Article from CNet News

Tea Boys from Brooke Bond

2011-04-27T12:17:00.005+05:30

Yesterday while I was on road, I saw couple of Brooke Bond Tea Boys selling Coffee and Tea. It was interesting way of Branding. This guys carry a Bagpack with Hot water pumped into the cups. They had nice paper cups, a stainer, and pouches of Brooke Bond Tea and Coffee.
They had three options:
1. Masala Tea = Rs. 6
2. Plain Tea = Rs. 6
3. Coffee = Rs. 7
The menu card was wrapped to their chest. - See photo.

In terms of revenue - I doubt it be a good business model. As on chatting with the boys - the best day's sale is around 40 cups. Which as per me is low. But I guess it was a great branding gimmick. The presentation and presence is great.
By the way I had a Masala Tea - which tasted very good and my colleague had a Coffee - which was also good.

Overall a good Marketing - Branding idea that I liked and enjoyed.

I have a Dream from Rashmi Bansal

2011-04-27T11:56:00.003+05:30

Well new book coming out from Rashmi Bansal (first week of June 2011). Yes..the author of Connect the Dots and Stay Hungry and Stay Foolish.
I enjoyed both her previous editions (yeh..some companies already crashed out but was a good/inspiring story to read) as it talks about entrepreneurship. This book is in the same line of the last two but with social entrepreneurship.
I am excited towards the book and have already pre-ordered the copy from Indiaplaza.com @ Rs.86. (List price is Rs.150)
You can also book from Flipkart - available for Rs.101 - free shipping or from infibeam - available for Rs.75 + shipping - which in my case came to Rs.105 so I picked up Indiaplaza.com
Anyways checkout the book and as I think she is one good author like Chetan Bhagat who targets the Young Indian in the right direction.

A brief synopsis:

'I Have A Dream' is the story of 20 idealists who think and act like entrepreneurs. They are committed to different causes, but they have one thing in common: a belief that principles of management can and must be used to achieve a greater common good.

These stories say one thing loud and clear change starts with one person, and that person could be someone next door. Someone like you.

I am fired and I don't give a crap. BRING IT ON.

2011-04-23T15:57:00.003+05:30

Well I was just reading some emails from my friends about work load, change in management, pressure, change in vision etc... @ their work and how they are dealing with it. Most of them are trying to compromise, ley down, kiss ass, go along to get along, hide their real perception, and avoid the situation.
Well this reminds me a scene from 3idiots were Raju Rastogi goes in a campus interview after the suicide attempt and he says 'yeh attitude bhot ko kai aaya hai'. And I guess that is what we need to do. We are afraid of so many things that we loose our real selves.
Even I want to start my business and my wife's demand of flat, comfort, luxury, jewellery etc. and my mom's expectations against the family/friend/society are huge and pulling me down. I am also afraid to put the foot down and go on a ride. Most of us have financial, health, family, knowledge obligations and that holds us back.
In case of jobs - we have to change the approach. I have successfully tried this in recent times and am happy for it(attitude). I have told my self that - YEH!!!! I AM GOOD AND DOING MY JOB HONESTLY AND EFFICIENTLY. THE COMPANY NEEDS MY KNOWLEDGE, MY EXPERIENCE, AND SERVICE. IF THEY FIRE ME I WILL GET SOME OTHER JOB WITH BETTER PACKAGE AND THEY WILL BE AT A LOSS. THERE ARE LOTS OF OPENING FOR GOOD PEOPLE IN THE MARKET AND I AM NOT THE STUPID ONE WHO WON'T GET THE JOB. AND WORST SCENARIO IF NO ONE HIRES ME I WILL CREATE OPPORTUNITY FOR MY SELVES AND CREATE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING. My family, friends, liking, hobbies, are equally important in my life as compared to the job. I will and want to work but at reasonable cost. I am open with my attitude within the family and company. Anything which won't compromise my basic criteria is fine. Thus this also reminds me of another scene from Karthik calling Karthik movie where Faran Akhtar goes back to his office after getting fired and makes his Boss realize - as how important he is for the company.
Overall one needs to be honest with themselves and take chances. Being a sales person and a fan of Rocket Singh movie I can't miss this quote - Risk to Spiderman ko be lena padta hai me to fir bhi inshaan/salesman hu ;)
In recent times, I am doing fine with the job and my overall attitude towards it. Now its my turn to take the similar approach towards the business. I am calculative and trying to work around it - lets hope that I kick the fears and fight for my better future.

Family, Health, Friends and Spirit are like Glass - Fragile

2011-04-23T15:24:00.005+05:30

Just go this forwarded and thought of sharing.
- Value has a value only if its value is valued.
- Work is like rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.
- Family, Health, Friends and Spirit are made of glass cannot be joined once beaked.
- Work efficiently during office hours and leave on time. Give the required time to your family, friends, and have proper rest.

Trip to Thailand - March2011

2011-04-23T14:40:00.004+05:30

Last month I went on a vacation with my family to Thailand. Overall it was a good trip. We did the trip on our own instead of taking a travel agents tour or tour package. I find it more fun, adventurous, insight and knowledgeable then the guided tours. We went in the last week of March thus the Visa On Arrival (VOA) fees were waived due to tourism promotion. Thus we saved 1000 Bt/person on that. Just bit tired to write the complete experience so putting the main highlights of the trip. Comment/Reply me if you want to know any specifics. Here is the summary:

- Normal VOA fees is 1000/Bt/person at Bangkok Airport.
- You need to have three officials requirements fulfilled for VOS. 1. Return ticket within 15 days, 2. 10,000 Bt per person or International Credit card and hotel booking vouchers and 3. Valid passport for atleast 6 months remaining.
- Bangkokair is a great airline. Cheap, Nice service, Good timing and when we went it was half empty thus we can stretch for sleep. Also they allow 25Kg/person instead of 20Kg.
- Bangkok airport is great. Its based on Hindu philosophy. They have a wonderful Samundra Manthan storyline on the airport.
- We booked our Hotels from agoda.com
- In Bangkok we stayed three nights at Pinnacle Lumpinee Hotel. Its near to Subway station and great locality. Nice service, Good WiFi, Good Breakfast.
- In Pattaya we steady two nights at Citin Loft Pattaya Hotel. Very poor service, poor breakfast and Zero courtesy. Swimming pool and WiFi was good. Their shuttle service from Hotel to Breach Road was also very bad.
- Last night in Bangkok we stayed at Le Platinum Silom Hotel. It was a good small hotel with India channels and food. (Thanks to the hotels that they had Indian Channel and thus I was able to see India VS Pakistan Semifinal Cricket Match during World Cup.) Its good for Indian people else its on average hotel.
- Don't Miss Chatchuk Weekend market. Also do all your shopping over there. Its of good quality and best price. Also their is lot of variety.
- Also visit the Safari World, Marine World, and Wat Po temple.
- We went to Pattaya instead of Phuket due to price and distance. But don't do that mistake. Pattaya is average over Phuket.
- In Pattaya - don't miss Noog Nung Village.
- khob-kun-Krub (means thank you)

Korum Konnect

2011-04-23T14:30:00.002+05:30

Korum Mall in Thane-Mumbai is WiFi enabled by us. They have done nice job in promoting the WiFi under the branding of KORUM KONNECT. You will find the SSID of korum konnect and thus connect to internet from your laptops, cell phones or PDA/Tabs. Initially the Wifi was free for first three months and now its Rs.50/hour (all inclusive). The speed, support and service is great. Checkout today. In case of any problems you can call Airlink's 24X7 NOC at 080-44469444 or reply here and will sort out your problems.

Cricket Mania

2011-04-23T14:22:00.003+05:30

I was in Korum Mall, Thane yesterday and saw the life size cutouts of crickets handing from the celling of the mall. It looked great and adds value to the mall. The mall is showing live IPL matches at the food court area and this cutouts are complimenting the promo. I think its a good marketing idea.

Diwali2009 trip to Rishikesh - Nainital - Corbett

2009-11-02T13:06:00.006+05:30

This Diwali (17th - 24th Oct.) we went to Rishikesh, Nainital and Jim Corbett National Park. The trip was quite adventurous and enjoying. We were accompanied by Priyank and Vibhuati at allthe locations.

As said earlier, we started our adventure right from Ahmedabad Railway station. We had booked the tickets from Ahmedabad to Haridwar. Our Delhi to Haridwar tickets were confirmed but the Ahmedabad-Delhi was in waiting list. We checked online status till the last moment but the waiting list didn't moved due to Diwali rush. In the end Miti and Vibhuati secured places in general bogie while me and priyank floated between AC coaches to bribe the TC. After Mehsana (2hr. from we took off) we got a confirmed seats and we started shifting. It took us three stations to shifts our luggage and our better halfs. Finally after two and a half hour we made it to the seats (thanks to the bribe system - I love my India). Delhi arrived at 5.30am and we shifted to our new location since we already had confirmed seats for that location.

At 12.30pm we arrived in Haridwar. We hired a cab/taxi (Tata Indigo) and went to Kodiyala via Haridwar and Rishikesh. We stopped at Laxman Joola, BharatDevi Mandir etc along the way. Our journey was also halted by a landslide on the way. Finally at 6pm we reached Kodiyala. It was a good hotel on the River Ganga. Our rooms were facing the river. We got ourselves some Rum and huddle around the camp fire as it was very cold.

Next day we checked out in the afternoon and headed for River Rafting from Shivpuri. We had one level 4, two level 3 and few level 2 rapids. We also jumped into the Ganga for swimming along the current. It was great workout and the water was very cold. After that we even did cliff (30 ft. high) diving. It was scary and it took me 10 min. to make up my mind and plunge. After river rafting we had our lunch and headed back to Haridwar (this time in personal Chakda – big auto ricksaw at damn cheap cost).

At midnight we had our train from Haridwar to Kathgodam. Before we reach our destination, a station before Kathgodam – a taxi driver came to our bogie and gave the taxi rates. He told us to get the cab a station before the destination as it will be cheaper and faster (this is what I call aggressive marketing). We took the cab (Maruti Alto – yes 4 ppl. + luggage + driver) and went thru the snaky roads to Nainital. Those crooked roads made Miti to throw up several times along the way to top.

Finally after couple of hour’s taxi we reached Nainital. Our Hotel was fab. We had to take ropeway (cable car) to reach our hotel since it was on top of the hill. Our hotel was an old governor rest house and now converted into a heritage hotel (from 1920s). We had the best view of Nainital and Himalayas mountains from our place. We roamed around the Naini lake and street of Nainital for next one day. We had good Vodka and camp fire in the evening at our hotel.

Next day we left for Corbett in afternoon and reached there in couple of hours (this time our taxi was a nice Toyota Innova). We stayed 14Kms outside Ramnagar (town were all the booking and trip to jungle begins) at Bailparaw. Our resort was very good and it was spread out into 5acres land. It had a nice swimming pool (which we never used due to cold), camp fire, gardens, landscaping, ducks with other wild lives, service staff and restaurant (except the GM of the hotel – who made us pay very high for our elephant ride and gave misleading advices about the safari rides). Next day we took an Elephant ride into the outer areas of the jungle and in the afternoon we had a nice Jeep safari ride into the jungle from Jhirna Gate. Unfortunately we didn’t see any tiger but some monkeys, deer, sambars. Overall the Jungle experience was great but the wildlife was disappointing. We were accompanied by a nice Ahmedabad based doctors during the jeep safari (which also brought down our expense).

Next day after breakfast we took a train from Ramnagar to Delhi. In Delhi we took Metro to Rajiv Chowk/Palica Baazar and then took the Metro again for New Delhi railway station. Next days early morning we were back to Ahmedabad and thus finished our nice adventurous trip.

Pictures of this trip can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/vivek.bhalavat/Diwali2009TripToRishikeshNainitalCorbett

IIM-A grad launches subzi mandi on laptop

2009-10-31T15:04:00.001+05:30

Surat: Your daily aloo, baigan and bhindi will soon be just a click away. No more finding your way through the filth at your neighbourhood subzi bazaar and haggling for prices with rude vegetable vendors. An IIM-Ahmedabad graduate has brought the mandi right on your laptop.
City-based Akrosh Sharma, who passed out of the elite B-school in 2004, is all set to launch an online vegetable store after running a vegetable retail business for the last couple of years.
The website will create an online mandi where one can “see” the fresh vegetables, check prices and place orders. “Apart from purchasing daily vegetables, one can gift fruits using the web service. We are launching the concept of gift-packing fruits and vegetables as a ‘healthy gift’ option,” says Sharma. Sharma feels it will be a hit, especially among working couples in the Hazira industrial zone who seldom get time to shop for fresh vegetables everyday.
“Once the order is placed, customers will get the vegetables at the time specified by them,” adds Sharma, who grew up in Vadodara and joined IIM-A after getting an engineering degree from MS University. His stint at IIMA landed him a lucrative job with a top MNC and was based in Surat. But Sharma, apprehensive of getting into a comfort zone, left his job to tread a different path and go on his own. He launched his vegetable and fruit business in 2007 in a 10 by 10 feet shop.
“I competed with the mandi and not the big stores. I created a subzi bazaar-like atmosphere in terms of product display that had well-behaved staff members dealing with customers, high sense of hygiene and no haggling,” said Sharma. Currently, his “mini mandi” concept has crossed Rs 1 crore in annual turnover.

“New concepts like these will lead to improvement of the market where the customer will have better options. An institute like IIMA can encourage entrepreneurship in a big way. We wish it is not only IIM grads but even other entrepreneurs should come forward with innovative concepts like this,” says Vardan Kabra, who was Sharma’s classmate at IIM-A and had opted out of the placement process to launch his own school in Surat.

Source: The Time Of India

End of Geocities

2009-10-28T13:23:00.004+05:30

Yahoo has officially shut down Geocities.The company has said that it did not count the property among its priorities, so it is simply getting rid of it. Yahoo has shut down about 20 services in less than a year.

We learned that Yahoo would be closing the door on GeoCities back in April, so users have had plenty of time to migrate to other services. Earlier this year, for example, MSN partnered with WetPaint to allow people to create "fansites". After Yahoo's announcement, Wetpaint took the opportunity to announce a "bailout plan for foreclosed GeoCities properties," which it called the "GeoCities Asset Recovery Plan (GARP)."As it shuts down GeoCities, Yahoo itself is now plugging its own $4.99-a-month Web hosting service.

Ok, so there are other options for GeoCities users, but is just shutting down a community that still attracts so much traffic the right thing to do? Yahoo's way of going about it has been widely questioned. According to Compete data, GeoCities has still been seeing over 10 million unique monthly visitors as recently as last month. Why would Yahoo want to just shut that down?

"Then there's the fact that Google, not Yahoo, appears to be responsible for the lion's share of GeoCities referrals, sending about 31.45 percent of the site's traffic its way," noted Doug Caverly upon Yahoo's original announcement. "Yahoo's only behind of 16.89 percent of all GeoCities visits. So by closing GeoCities, for which it paid $3.6 billion in 1999, Yahoo seems to be turning its back on a large amount of traffic. Moreover, it's turning down free traffic from its biggest competitor."

"Carol Bartz may be trying to get Yahoo's costs under control, but it looks like sticking a 'for sale' sign on GeoCities would be at least one preferable option compared to a closure," he added.

But alas, it looks like the sign reads "closed" rather than "for sale." So say goodbye, and in the words of Richard Marxx, "hold on to the memory."

It seems unwise from a business perspective, but what about the users? Does Yahoo have an obligation to its users who may have spent years using their GeoCities site only to have it pulled from the web? Should Yahoo provide a forwarding web address for GeoCities users? After all, it was the GeoCities users that built their sites, promoted them and put up with sometimes annoying ads. A simple forwarding of their GeoCities url to their new home would be appreciated!

MySpace isn't exactly at the peak of its popularity, but there are still tons of people who use it. What if they just pulled everything? What if Google bought Facebook and decided to kill it? What if your Tweets vanished? Sure these things seem unlikely now because these services are still fresh. Well, GeoCities was once the "it" thing too. Granted, most GeoCities sites I have seen are not much to look at now, but that doesn't mean people aren't getting use out of them. They're obviously getting page views.

Here's what Yahoo is telling GeoCities users to do if they want to keep their sites:

On October 26, 2009, your GeoCities site will no longer appear on the Web, and you will no longer be able to access your GeoCities account and files. If you'd like to keep your web site, you'll need to move your site files to another web hosting provider.

We recommend moving to our award-winning Web Hosting service, which works a lot like GeoCities but includes a personalized domain name (such as widgetdesigns.com) and matching email, terrific new site building tools, unlimited disk space and bandwidth, premium customer support, and more.

Perhaps it's not worth it to users to go throgh the hassle of migration, but it has been nice to have their GeoCities site at least remain in tact. Well, tough luck. I hope you've gotten what you wanted away from it before Yahoo obliterates it. There are some sites out there that have not yet been shut down, but it appears that is only a matter of time.

source: webpronews.com by Chris Crum

Only In Japan: Burger King Offers A Windows 7 Whopper

2009-10-25T19:21:00.003+05:30

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2787537724230594021
If you listen close enough you can probably hear the arteries of hundreds of Japanese people clogging as Burger King has unveiled the Windows 7 Whopper.

What is a Windows 7 Whopper you ask?
Well, it’s just like the ordinary Whopper… only with 7 patties of meat and stands over 5 inches tall. As far as the price goes, the Windows 7 Whopper will set you back ¥777, which translates to about $8.55, which isn’t that bad when you think about the quantity meat you’re getting.

Only the first 30 customers per day can take advantage of the special ¥777 pricing, each patron after that will have to pay ¥1,450, which is about $17.10. For those interested, the promotion runs from 10/22 - 10/28.

Source: Webpronews.com by By Jeremy Muncy

'Jail bhajiyas’ on wheels

2009-07-01T15:57:00.004+05:30

The wait to savour fries of Jail Bhajiya without going to its stall at Ellisbridge is over. The Jail Mobile Bhajiya kiosk will start visiting different localities in the city after its inauguration in Gandhinagar on Wednesday. Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Balwant Singh and Chief General Manager of State Bank of India (SBI) TCA Ranganathan will do the honours.

Locating the mobile kiosk would not be an uphill task. You just have to dial a mobile number (9638972154) to spot it.

The mobile bhajiya van is a brainchild of IG (Prisons) Keshav Kumar. He mooted the idea a year ago.

“I was very excited to implement the scheme. It took a lot of time and efforts to execute the plan. My dream came true since the SBI showed keen interest in it,” said Kumar.

“The unique project is not aimed at making profit. Its objective is to reform and rehabilitate prisoners,” he added.

Ranganathan, the Chief General Manager of SBI (Gujarat Operation), said: “This is a unique thing. One has to think out-of-the-box for this kind of schemes. I was excited after learning about the plan and agreed to lend a helping hand for a social cause. This is an effort to reform and rehabilitate prisoners.”

The mobile bhajiya kiosk will visit different localities with three inmates of Sabarmati Central Jail and two police personnel. There will be an autorickshaw driver, too. The jail inmates will make bhajiyas, while the driver will steer the vehicle to different places.

Source: AM

Biggest Online Jigsaw Puzzle

2009-06-23T10:18:00.004+05:30

Lipton has put up a World's Largest Online Jigsaw Puzzle. You can also win iPods, Bags, etc...as prizes. Take Part.....nice website.

http://www.stay-sharp.in/staysharp/userHome.aspx

Movie made for $70 wows Cannes

2009-05-26T19:35:00.003+05:30

Cannes: Amidst all the glitz at the Cannes Film Festival, a British Film Colin made on a shoestring budget of £45 ($70), is set to become a surprise hit amongst the heavyweights in the French Festival.Director Marc Price, shot the zombie movie on a camcorder in Swansea and London over 18 months. He persuaded all the actors and make-up artists to donate their service for free.

It was by advertising for volunteer zombies on social networking sites, borrowing make-up from Hollywood movies and teaching himself how to produce special effects that helped Price make the film for less than the price of a zombie DVD box set.Price shot and edited the feature—which ingeniously spins the zombie genre on it’s head by telling the story entirely from the zombie’s perspective—over a period of 18 months while working nights and part-time as a booker for a taxi company.In keeping with Price’s beg and borrow approach, most of the zombie make-up in the makeup artists’ cases was inherited from other movies. “One of our make-up people came off X-Men 3, so we were having the same latex that was put on Wolverine,” he said. The 97-minute film had its first Cannes screening on Saturday and has already caught the eye of film distributors. Two Japanese film companies have made a bid to distribute the movie and the Price is hoping that more offers will start coming in.

Source: AGENCIES and TOI

All IPL teams are making profits

2009-05-26T19:26:00.002+05:30

If the IPL has stood all you thought you knew about cricket on its head, it’s done the same with finances too. In a year when franchisees were complaining about how shifting to South Africa would make a mess of their budgets, each one of them will end up with a profit.

If that’s not strange enough for your taste, try this: The two finalists, Royal Challengers and Team Hyderabad, would make a fraction of the profits that bottom-of-table Knight Riders will even if you take prize money into account.The main reason behind the healthier bottomlines is a huge jump in the share of revenues from broadcasting. Last year, each franchisee got Rs 25 crore from IPL as its share of the central broadcasting revenue pool. This year, that has more than doubled to Rs 67.50 crore each.

Franchisees won’t be the only ones partying. BCCI’s profit too, according to one estimate, jumped substantially to Rs 477 crore from Rs 350 crore last year. For good measure, broadcaster Sony Max is also likely to be in the black this year.

Had the matches been organised in India, it’s likely the teams’ profits would have been even higher because of higher receipts from ticket and merchandise sale, which have averaged Rs 8 crore and Rs 50 lakh respectively in South Africa. In 2008, teams like Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Team Delhi earned around Rs 20 crore from ticket sales alone as the capacity of their home stadiums was large enough to accommodate over 70,000 and the crowds just poured in. Team Jaipur tops profit table

According to a report by equity research firm IIFL, Team Jaipur will make the highest profit of Rs 35.1 crore in the group matches of the second edition of the tournament. Jaipur had also made the second highest profit of Rs 14.50 crore in 2008, including the Rs 4.50 crore ($1 million) prize money.

Knight Riders, which finished lowest in the league table during the qualifying round in South Africa, will nevertheless end up with the third highest profit of Rs 2.8 crore in the second edition of IPL. Team Mohali, which also did not make it to the semis, will just beat Kolkata to second spot with a profit of Rs 26.1 crore, according to the IFL report.

In fact, the only semi-finalist which also stands to make over Rs 20 crore in profits is Delhi.

This is despite the fact that prize money in the IPL is a sizeable amount, with Rs 4.8 crore for winner, Rs 2.4 crore for the runners-up and 1.2 crore each for the losing semifinalists.For those who didn’t get past the league stage, the sums are correspondingly smaller — Rs 80 lakh for the team that finished fifth (Mohali), Rs 70 lakh for the sixth placed (Jaipur),Rs 50 lakh for the seventh (Mumbai Indians) and Rs 40 lakh for the lowest one.

The healthy bottomlines are a happy change from last year when besides Knight Riders and Jaipur, Team Chennai just scraped into the black due to its Rs 2.25-crore prize money for the runners-up position, according to a highly placed IPL source.

Source: Prabhakar Sinha | TNN and TOI

Evolution of Logos

2009-05-13T18:20:00.023+05:30

Well, while i was trying out different logos and generating ideas for gagagiftz and I found this interesting piece of series called Evolution of Logos. Check out the history of logos for some of the well known brands.

So..... this means gaga can also evolve down the road... :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MasterCard logo

VW logo

Shell logo

Boeing logo

GE logo

Saab logo

Yamaha logo

Nike Logo

Mazda logo

BBC logo

Mercedes-Benz logo

Kodak logo

Nokia logo

Reuters logo

IBM logo

Starbucks logo

Mitsubishi logo

Intel logo

Adobe Systems logo

Pepsi logo

Playboy logo

Audi logo

Motorola logo

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) logo

Fiat logo

Nestle logo

Apple Inc. logo

Ford logo

Xerox logo

Canon logo

LEGO logo

BMW logo

Google logo

LG Electronics logo

Microsoft logo

Renault logo

Siemens logo

Palm logo

WWF logo

Nortel logo

Source: Best Ad Blog

For Website Archive: Checkout this cool website www.archive.org

Nice Chennai Super Kings Poster

2009-05-12T16:15:00.006+05:30

Checkout this Nice Gladiator Chennai Super King Poster.

Click on the Image to enlarge

The inevitable ugliness of the IPL trophy

2009-05-12T16:04:00.002+05:30

All right. It's time to talk about the IPL trophy. I've been resisting for a while, but we're inching closer to the semi-finals, everyone's hedging bets on their top four, and come May 24 one team is going to be holding aloft what might possibly be the ugliest trophy in the world, and newspapers everywhere are going to immortalise it in all its gaudy glory. Before this happens I think it's necessary to address not just the ugliness of the IPL trophy but the inevitability of its ugliness.

Whenever I haven't seen it in a while, I think to myself, "Is it really that bad?" But then the camera pans across the shimmering surface of it, or a commentator says something about the imaginative artistry of this masterpiece, and boom, the beast is back. What exactly is imaginative about it anyway? I mean, how long do you suppose it took someone to sit down and say, right: IPL, ergo India; cricket, ergo man with bat; sponsors, ergo DLF. Clunk it all on a wooden frame, chuck an obscene amount of diamonds and sapphires all over it, and then for the sake of being symbolic, throw in eight rubies for good measure to represent the franchises. Oh, I bet they were patting themselves on the back for thinking of that. Really? Is this Incredible India? Is this the best we could come up with?

On one hand I sympathise. It's not as if sporting trophies are the most inventive things. There isn't anything as iconic as the little gold man of the Oscars in the world of sport. We've got the Ashes, which are kind of like an enshrined stupa for the Australians and the English. Instead of an ossified Buddha's tooth you've got a burnt-up piece of bail. Great. We've got the green Masters jacket in golf, which is pretty different and comes with a wad of cash. That's nice. But by and large most sport trophies involve a ball of some sort, a man with bat/club/ball, or are plain old-fashioned jug-ears. So I can understand the need for departure, to do something special when the opportunity presents itself. Why have a boring old trophy when you see yourself as the purveyor of great change? Surely it would be an antithesis to radically alter the format of the game and to not have a suitably radical prize at the end of it? A trophy is a chance to say something big. I get that. But what exactly is the IPL trophy saying about India?

The problem is, this trophy stands for everything typical of a particular elite echelon of modern India. It is ostentatious, crass, bereft of any redeeming aesthetic qualities, and unashamed of all the above. To me it screams of insecurity. "Look!" it's trying to say, "I'm going to show you who's the boss now!" Count up those diamonds baby.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for breaking off the shackles of colonisation and proving to the world that the money and ideas are where we're at. But I think it's pointless doing it without any sense of style. Especially when we come from a tradition where the very concept of beauty, or saundarya, has been codified and explored for centuries. I mean, this is a country where every context of beauty is covered, from the simple Kutchi village woman embroidering in her skirts, to a lovesick king depleting the state treasury to build a marble mausoleum for his dead wife. Beauty in India was in the day-to-day. It was not something artistic or out of reach, it was utilitarian. People surrounded themselves with ordinary objects of beauty because it was more pleasing to live that way.

All this has changed with modernity in India. We have been assaulted by a massive attack of ugliness. We have not only whole-heartedly taken to plastic and mass-production, we also seem to have lost all sense of proportion and design and relegated all our concepts of rasa and shringar to dusty textbooks. Walk around any Indian city now and you'll see how it suffers from this malaise of ugliness. It's in the glass high-rises directly copied from a street in New York; it's in the billboards, the dearth of trees, the lack of civic consciousness, and worse, in the innate belief that beauty is something to be bought or borrowed.

The IPL, which could have been a great platform for modern India to assert herself in an utterly unique way, has already chosen to take the path of commercial success over aesthetic glory. Fine. I understand that advertisers pay the bills. I'm willing to oversee those garish uniforms. I can tolerate any number of DLF maximums and Citi moments of success. But would it really have hurt anyone if, at the end of it all, there was a trophy worth its weight in gold to lift? To silence everyone just for a moment in a way that only something truly beautiful can?

Zoozoos : New Vodafone Mascots

2009-05-09T12:42:00.004+05:30

The popularity of zoozoos, the white, ghost-like creatures promoting Vodafone’s value-added services, are indicative of the fact that mascots are definitely here to stay. Advertisers are banking heavily on visuals, colours, mnemonics, sounds and symbols to connect with the target consumers. The advantage of a mascot over celebrity endorsement is that it is cost-effective. Also a celebrity endorses multiple products, creating confusion in the minds of the consumers, unlike the mascot that is unique to each brand.

Not only do the mascots create instant recognition for the brand, it also helps advertisers cut through the clutter. In a diverse market like India where mass brands have not less than 16 language translations for their ads, mascots are a very powerful means to create a stronger connect with the consumers. It also helps minimising surfing out of the channel during commercial breaks.

It appeals not only to the educated mass, but even an illiterate consumer, who instantly identifies the brand with help of the mascot.

The Hutch pug not only attracted customers, but even set the business soaring for the telecom major — it led to an increase in its subscriber base by 20 per cent.

Chintamani was another appealing mascot people identified with. The other unforgettable mascots include the Amul girl and Lalitaji who endorsed Surf.

On the flipside though, Indian consumers have a tendency to associate animated brand mascots with products aimed at children. However, sometimes mascots overshadow the brand itself in the consumer mindspace.

The cool, yuppy Fido Dido mascot grew bigger than the Seven Up brand, so much that one recalled the mascot but did not associate it with the brand.

Mascots need not be animated. Zoozoos indicate that fresh execution of ads with mascots always work.

Zoozoos have indeed revolutionised way mascots are projected in Indian ads. In case you have not been able to figure out what these zoozoos are, they aren’t animated characters. They are human beings who were made to wear body suits. Kudos to Ogilvy.

Watch Ads : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGqndA5F3i8

Source: AM

Daavpani

Google to Shut Google Buzz

Facebook helping Indian Film Makers

Here's to CRAZY ONES. Think Different

Its all about content baby.... Interesting

Daily Expense Manager - Android App

Pad Thai Noodles

Satay in Peanut and Coconut Milk Sauce

Peanut Sauce for Thai Food

Bean Burritos and Casadia

ZNMD Poster at Copy Machine

Yamunastak (with meaning in English)

Prologue

Shloka 1

Namami Yamunamaham sakal-siddhi-hetum-mudaMurari-pad-pankaj-sfurad-amand-renutkatam ITatastha-nav-kanan-prakat-mod-pushpambunaSur-asur-supujit smarpitu shriyam bibhratim II1II

Shloka 2

Kalindagirimastake patadamanda poorojvalaaVilasagamanollasat Prakataganda shailonnata ISaghoshagati danturaa samadhiroodha dolottammaMukundarativardhini jayati padmabandhosuta II2II

Shloka 3

Bhuvam bhuvanapaavaneem adhigatamanekasvanaiPriyabhirivasevitaam Shuka-Mayur-Hansadibhee ITarangabhujakankana prakatamuktikavalukaNitambatatasundareem namata Krishnaturya-priyaam II3II

Shloka 4

Anant-gun-bhushite Shiv-viranchi-devstuteGhanaghannibhe sada Dhruv-ParasharabhistadeVishuddha-Mathura-tate sakal-gop-gopivriteKripajaladhi-sanshrite mam manah sukham bhavay II4II

Shloka 5

Yaya charan-padmaja Mur-ripoh priyam-bhavukaSamagamanato-bhavat sakal-siddhida sevtam ITaya sadrashtamiyat Kamalja-sapatniv yatHari-priya-kalindaya mansi me sada sthiytam II5II

Shloka 6

Namostu Yamune sada tav charitrmatyadbhutamNa jatu yama-yatana bhavati te payah-panatah IYamopi bhagini-sutan kathamu hanti dushtanapiPriyo bhavati sevanat tav harer-yatha gopikah II6II

Shloka 7

Mamastu tav sannidhau tanu-navatvam-etavataNa durlabhtama ratih Mur-ripau Mukund-priye IAtostu tav lalana surdhuni param sangamatTavaiv bhuvi kirtita na tu kadapi pushti-sthitaih II7II

Shloka 8

Stutim tav karoti kah Kamalaja-sapatni priyeHarer-yadanu sevaya bhavati saukhya-mamokshatah IIyam tav kathadhika sakalgopika-sangam-smar-shram-jalanubhi sakal-gatrajaih sangamah II8II

Shloka 9

Tavashtakamidam muda pathati soor-sute sadaSamast-durita-kshyo bhavati vai Mukunde ratih ITaya sakal-siddhayo Mur-ripushcha santushyatiSvabhav-vijayo bhavet vadati Vallabh Shri-Hareh II9II

Plus coming up with Business Page and Games

Fresh Easy Salsa

Suing spoofs is like killing the Creativity

Top 5 Social Media Automation Tools

Google Pulls the Plug on RealTime Search

Google Plus for Business

TRAI - New VAS directives - VAS ad Telecos disappointed

Durg prices by SMS

Study: Google+ population explodes to 10 million

Sharemarket Mobile Trading gathers stream

What do Google execs know about Google+ privacy that you don't?

Facebook Vs Google Plus

Free eBook: 7 Google Tools to Improve Your Marketing Effectiveness

Rented Offices are IN

Study Shows Search More Credible Than Social Media

TRAI issues Direction to Service Providers on provision of Value Added Services (VAS)

The 2011 CMO's Guide To The Social Landscape

2Bn people to use Mobile Banking by 2020: Study

39 Things You Should Know About Google+

Facebook Faux Pas: Six Things Businesses Need to Know

5 Executive Blogging Questions, Answered

Why Do People Follow Brands? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Facebook granted patent for gift giving, after Facebook Gift Shop closes

MySpace sells to Specific Media for $35 million

Obama to do Twitter chat on economy on July 6

ZTE builds VAS platform for Vodafone Essar in India

Yahoo's Apps Search for Mobiles

Google’s “Me on the Web” Aims to Help Manage Your Online Reputation

Review : I have a Dream from Rashmi Bansal

Nokia launches Mobile Money Client on its all major dev

Unwanted Calls may soon become history

Facebbook Virtual Currency credit comes to India

Are you scored as influencer on twitter?

Google Extends Ad Targeting Based on Browsing History. Good or Bad?

Top 10 Tips for Lead Management

1.3 bn users to adopt Mobile Instant Messaging by 2016; poses no threat to SMS

Free Holiday Picture Slide Show

Filters by the Websites on the internet

Airport city on the cards in Navi Mumbai

Marriot International, Inc launches Facebook game as recruiting tool

Google Adds New Product Ads for Mobile

Victoria’s Secret: Branding in Detail on Social Media

Spotlight Tab

Bombshell Summer Tour Tab

Supplementary Tabs: Wallpaper and Gift Cards

Victoria Secret Facebook Content Strategy

Engagement Rate Comparison: Victoria’s Secret VS Converse

What will we be using facebook for in Five Years?

New Marketing Wave: Mobile Barcodes

Namami Yamunamaham sakal-siddhi-hetum-muda
Murari-pad-pankaj-sfurad-amand-renutkatam I
Tatastha-nav-kanan-prakat-mod-pushpambuna
Sur-asur-supujit smarpitu shriyam bibhratim II1II

Kalindagirimastake patadamanda poorojvalaa
Vilasagamanollasat Prakataganda shailonnata I
Saghoshagati danturaa samadhiroodha dolottamma
Mukundarativardhini jayati padmabandhosuta II2II

Bhuvam bhuvanapaavaneem adhigatamanekasvanai
Priyabhirivasevitaam Shuka-Mayur-Hansadibhee I
Tarangabhujakankana prakatamuktikavaluka
Nitambatatasundareem namata Krishnaturya-priyaam II3II

Anant-gun-bhushite Shiv-viranchi-devstute
Ghanaghannibhe sada Dhruv-Parasharabhistade
Vishuddha-Mathura-tate sakal-gop-gopivrite
Kripajaladhi-sanshrite mam manah sukham bhavay II4II

Yaya charan-padmaja Mur-ripoh priyam-bhavuka
Samagamanato-bhavat sakal-siddhida sevtam I
Taya sadrashtamiyat Kamalja-sapatniv yat
Hari-priya-kalindaya mansi me sada sthiytam II5II

Namostu Yamune sada tav charitrmatyadbhutam
Na jatu yama-yatana bhavati te payah-panatah I
Yamopi bhagini-sutan kathamu hanti dushtanapi
Priyo bhavati sevanat tav harer-yatha gopikah II6II

Mamastu tav sannidhau tanu-navatvam-etavata
Na durlabhtama ratih Mur-ripau Mukund-priye I
Atostu tav lalana surdhuni param sangamat
Tavaiv bhuvi kirtita na tu kadapi pushti-sthitaih II7II

Stutim tav karoti kah Kamalaja-sapatni priye
Harer-yadanu sevaya bhavati saukhya-mamokshatah I
Iyam tav kathadhika sakalgopika-sangam-
smar-shram-jalanubhi sakal-gatrajaih sangamah II8II

Tavashtakamidam muda pathati soor-sute sada
Samast-durita-kshyo bhavati vai Mukunde ratih I
Taya sakal-siddhayo Mur-ripushcha santushyati
Svabhav-vijayo bhavet vadati Vallabh Shri-Hareh II9II