Rohan R. Rao

Why do self-proclaimed experts always resort to using non-standard abbreviated versions of words that is more often than not a ‘gobbledygook’ to many? They tend to use part of words and put it to represent the entire concept and when the listener seems confused, then they disseminate all the ‘gyan’ they have. Looks like they are hooked to use Synecdoche!

Beside, these self-proclaimed expert also tend to be a bid rigid about the fundas they deliver. Some times they defend it by saying that all the big corps does it and resort to the best practices leeway. When the best practice is not applicable, they resort to innovative customizations to bolster their fundas. Don’t blindly follow is what they say.

And, when the executions don’t churn out the expected moolah they say that it is lack of internet penetration in the country. Still better, Social (Media) is not a ’substitute’ for marketing strategy. It is an adjunct to it. Getting Social is one aspect. There are others which are more cardinal then just getting social.

What they forget is that socializing as such is giving away or attending give aways.

• It is giving and taking.
• Give gyan. Take gyan.
• Attend complaints. Give solutions.
• Listen to grievances. Say sorry and rectify the errors.
• Be flexible. Be receptive. Be sporty to take criticism.
• Work on social to attend to the problems and try and solve them Not for ORM.

Why don’t they drop pretensions and just ‘Socialize’

It really is if you get comments & responses and good stats!

And what if you don’t? It still can be contagious when you are passionate about writing. It doesn’t have to be information dissemination or gospel preaching. It simply has to be straight, terse, impacting and real. And these adjectives can only be associated if it is straight from the heart. If you feel about the things you write. If you know what you are writing. It has to be real and not ctrl + c and ctrl + v.

Also, beside the abovementioned preaching remember to -

• Read comments
• Reciprocate
• Accept mistakes & rectify those
• Visit the commentors blog and drop in comments.

Blogging is best enjoyed when you read and you are read. Isn’t it a social thing? Personal updates as blog content is passe and dead. If it has to be personal updates, Facebook & Twitter have taken over.

Have a good time

Contemporaneous times and it seems that one can never over-emphasize the importance of social media. Reaching out to the intended consumer is the mantra and word of mouth marketing (BzzAgent), Twitter, Facebook, Orkut, Blogs, Forums and other platforms are all the handy tools that an online marketing executive looks to explore and ‘hopes’ for maximum benefits.

With the surging tide of social media nearly all are turning upto to social media – albeit they don’t have a clue of how to proceed with it. Clueless find someone who has a clue or someone who claims that he has the clue – The so called social media experts. Learn why you shouldn’t call yourself a social media expert here)

The very intriguing point about investing time and money in social media marketing is the obscurity of ROI – it is not easily computable like Pay per clicks or SEO. If you have 3673 fans on your facebook page or 39 blog comments and 237 diggs you still cannot decipher the actual implications of these numbers on your sales and revenue. [But - But new measuring tools like Radian 6 and ClearSaleing are starting to make things a little easier]

You cannot exactly estimate the time and money invested versus the return ratios in terms of social media marketing. And the very important fact of the matter is that the conversion rate of these numbers in actual revenue generation is ‘unpredictable’ and inconsistencies are inevitable.

What is the overarching goal of social media? Essentially it is a one-to-one interaction with potential or actual buyers. Social media is used to generate sales leads in the form of opt-in followers. It is therefore the goal of any social media effort to generate followers and it is the generation of these that is a measurable parameter of social media marketing goals. But statistics about the conversion of potential buyer to buyer is not clearly elucidated by social media marketing.

Knowledge Network survey claims that only 16%” are more likely to buy from companies that advertise on social sites. This is relatively on the lesser side considering the hype and attention that social media is hogging away from conventional marketing practices.

The essence is one, as a marketer, must know where to draw the line and use social media as an aid to traditional media – relying on social media along won’t do the business. You must go out, meet, discuss and exchange – Face-to-Face in real world.

Tech writer Mike Elgan brilliantly argues that while our parents taught us hard work and long hours will lead to success, in the internet age the ability to control what you pay attention to is the key.

A person who works six hours a day but with total focus has an enormous advantage over a 12-hour-per-day workaholic who’s “multi-tasking” all day, answering every phone call, constantly checking Facebook and Twitter, and indulging every interruption. It’s time we upgraded our work ethic for the age we’re living in, not our grandparents’ age. Hard work is still a virtue, but now takes a distant second place to the new determinant of success or failure in the age of Internet distractions: Control of attention. Hard work is dead. Are you paying attention?

Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book called “Outliers,” made a statement as profound as it was accurate: “Control of attention is the ultimate individual power,” he wrote. “People who can do that are not prisoners of the stimuli around them.”

But why is that truer now than ten or twenty years ago? Why will it be truer still ten or twenty years from now? Internet distractions evolve to become ever more “distracting” all the time — like a virus. Distractions now “seek you out.”

Distractions mask the toll they take on productivity. Everyone finishes up their work days exhausted, but how much of that exhaustion is from real work, how much from the mental effort of fighting off distractions and how much from the indulgence of distractions?

Pundits are constantly talking about Facebook, Twitter, blogs and humor sites, not to mention old standbys like e-mail and IM. One gets the impression that we should be “following” these things all day long, and many do. So when does the work get done? When do entrepreneurs start and manage their businesses? When do writers write that novel? When do IT professionals keep the trains running on time? When does anyone do anything?

Courtsey – Malcom Galdwell

Orkut nahi pata??? Tum to Chirkut ho!!!

hmm.. that’s how the contemporary www community seem will respond. Any one entering the cyber world today, be it tech geeks or med science, kids, teen and all…
every one is just ORKUTTING…
yeah oxford doesn’t have this word in its list… but am afraid it surely have to do so…and
it will go like this..
ORKUT (noun) and ORKUTTING (verb).. and hell if it doesn’t go like this…Oxford will have no takers… isn’t it???
Talking about orkutting .. yes..it is now considered to be form of an activity… yes.. see most of the profile on orkuts and you will come to know… it has..It has reached peaks…and infact stretching its own popularity every time…every moment when a new www user logs in…

Here is what Wikipedia say about orkut: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orkut

Orkut is an Internet social network service run by Google and named after its creator, Google employee Orkut Büyükkökten.

Here is Orkut Buyukkokten’s homepage: http://www.stanford.edu/~orkut/

Here is what Orkut says about the site on its page: http://www.orkut.com/About.aspx

Until recently, Orkut was invitation only, but it now permits users to create accounts without an invitation. So the takers have increased beyond anything…its an online phenomenon..

Well if providing links about orkut is why I am writing this stuff….then I would be an absolute fool to be doing so… I have mentioned a few that matters.. as far as links are concerned… just try googling …orkut being the key word and it shows..

Results 1 – 10 of about 13,500,000 for orkut. (0.17 seconds)

I need not say anything beyond this to make myself more clear… www community is smart enuf breed to get the point…

Now, orkut being a big success… bigger to express ..beyond vocab…., many others are trying to try their luck… many have started so called online socializing community..
Gazzag, Yaari, Hikut, Fropper and many others… and let me tell you they are not running short of profits as well…ofcourse they are no where near to where orkut is…but nevertheless, they are reaping profits.

Now immediately the question that comes to ones mind ( atleast it comes to me) is that

‘what is it that is making it so appealing to the public?’

Now it’s a tricky one to answer…
If I start on a note that is not in the favour of the ‘orkutters’ then I will be labeled as a Pessimist..a guy with lack of seeing light… the glass is half empty
And if I start on a positive note… I’ll be an optimist… the glass is half full..
Do hell with it… damn… I am thirsty and now quench it…see the glass is looking empty now..and me too aint thirsty anymore…

To begin…

Orkut is a very easy to use online social community website.
It boasts a good, not very graphical stuff…but easy to use and good enough interface for its users… yaa.. and easy to use is a very important factor here…
It doesn’t make a bit of sense to provide all sorts of features and graphics and stuff…with all the complexities of the world loaded on a page and making the user go through the ordeal every time he logs in… the provisions might be there…but then it will have no takers… so orkut wins a point here… user friendliness.

This makes the page load a lot quicker..faster…and the user doesn’t have to think of a tea before replying to a scrap…its quick..
The previous point may be irrelevant to the broadband and wifi users…but remember..even though internet penetration in India is increasing, the majority of the users are on dial up connection..and it does take time… even the cyber cafes speed aren’t good enuf…everywhere..
So faster loading of the page is also a big factor..thats taken care of as well…

Another factor which is a striking feature of orkut is its transparency. Yes.. orkut allows its users a lot of freedom.. a lot of transparency has been included in the entire system..like..
Anyone can visit anyones profile…
Anyone can scrap anyone…
Anyone can visit and see anyones scrapbook..
Anyone can join any community..though some are moderated it doesn’t really make a difference..
Anyone can create multiple accounts…
Add as a friend request as well..

All this just extend and stretch what all a person can do as an orkut user…and this leeway allows them to do whatever they want… which is more than appealing to join in…

There might be many more reasons..and there are many more… but this ones are primarily the ones which orkut himself can boast off…
Many other features are appealing as well..

I think of one more reason…which orkut promoters themselves wouldn’t like to mention as a part of their promotion campaign… and that’s is the ANONYMITY one can maintain while speaking out..and freaking out what ever one has on his/her minds…without having the fear of being publicly criticized…
Thesaurus describes anonymity as noun :
The quality or state of being obscure: namelessness, obscurity, unacknowledged,
Unknown..
And let me tell you it sometimes really helps…
Take any controversial topic or a debate..and may comments roll in… not surprisingly many anonymous callers roll in as well…and that’s because of a fear..the fear of being criticized..the fear of being ridiculed…but when anonymous who cares…
Speak out free.. crap or meaningful..but free comments…
Freedom of speech has always been a feature of our democracy… ask the media they are using this right to the maximum extent… intrusion of privacy isn’t an issue.. freedom of speech is…
But to come out and comment publicly requires mettle… and where this mettle is scarce..anonymity helps… orkut users find this easily..
I aint saying this is the determining factor…but it is one of the factor as well..

Another question…

Benefits of joining in?

Yes..important question as well… why would you want to join in…

Man is a social animal..and socializing is what comes naturally to him… so online social community isn’t a bad option…reaching a wider mass…

Also.. communicating isn’t a barrier.. since half of the world is already registered on orkut..it isn’t a big seal to find a person..just type in the search and you have profile on you screen of the person..
Many of the schoolmates…bichde hue dost… long lost friends …and all have been able to communicate on orkut and get back in touch…it’s a great thing..believe me..

Another thing is enterprenuership..many business groups and communities..be it adventure sport or any other thing… orkut have become a good source of advertising platform for targeting audiences and takers..
The option while creating a profile does provide with the option business networking…and it helps..
many groups started out as small bunch of friends together and then moved on to bigger stages… it’s a good platform to build on..

Also orkut provides a platform for discussion of issues… a discussion for like mindeds… say for trekkers… or for a bunch of students.. like CAT/GRE/GMAT and stuff…or for trifles; but it does provide for discussions… and it sometimes..yes..some times and very rarely helps..but it does..
I said sometimes and rarely because…

Action without thinking is a sin,
But Thinking without action is a crime

And believe me most of these discussions are onsite…are online.. these people rarely ever go beyond internet to actually solve the problems and act according to the discussions… so I said rarely… but exceptions are always there..and in this case such exceptions are most welcome..And again..as said..there are various benfits people might think of joining in orkut…and different people have different perspectives..
Oh yes, I forgot to mention, orkut as a way of socializing is a great stress buster as well..just being among people and the feel of being listened to helps a lot… its good ..

Just as we think and mention why should I join orkut and try to reason out.. as we answer ourself… there comes lots of doubts.. why shouldn’t I join in..??

Now let me put it as opposed to the points mentioned under why one should..
So comes…

Socializing….
Agreed man is a social animal…. And socialzing is absolutely necessary… online socializing isn’t a bad option as well.. but then..it shouldn’t be the only one too..
Orkut users have become so addicited… that they just forget that there is a society beyond the scrap book and friends list.
One can be so much engrossed with increasing the number of scraps in their scrap book and increasing the head count in their respective frinds list…ORKUTTING..you see..
The actual society in which one lives in.. of which one is a part..actually takes a backseat…if not totally neglected
People spend hours on orkut… socializing… but actually ..it leading them to being a solitary soul.. me, myself and orkut…and orkut … being aware of it is important…
Draw the line..set limits…and orkutting is a very good stuff…if realized…

Then comes communication…
And it is really a good thing… one really cant find a glitch in this aspect…ofcourse..unless the communication is on healthy grounds..
As mentioned earlier… being anonymous and scrapping… or yes.. creating fake profiles… being incognito…and then communicating stuffs which one cannot come forth and do…is really the biggest bane of orkutting…
Agreed…we do have to tackle unwanted elements in every walk of our lives…but the problem here is that the element …the bug is neatly under cover…and hideous..while bugging us…with unwanted … scraps..messages…
Worse still… cloning of profiles ..really hurts..
This means that someone else creates a fake profile using someone else’s name and then just..no need to say creating nuisance for the people and more so for the persons whose profile the culprit fakes… the poor fella has to keep on explaining stuff to his friends…or so called people an his/her friends list… it really is a nuisance…

Also there are many friends… so called some of them… mny not even knowing each other.. and the message goes like this…
‘I came across your profile…found it very appealing, sparky… we share the same passions as well and so.. we can be good friends… hope you respond positively’

bullshit…you respond positively… me being a guy..really cant figure the degree of such messages and scraps…. Ask the gals…and they will let you know…they just want to hurl… they get ‘n’ number of such scraps and can do nothing beyond ignoring…
some of them oblige the requesters as well… it depends..
but then…the whole thing..is just beyond my cerebrum… it doesn’t corresponds with the stuff…. I aint saying its bad..but perhaps I aint good enough..

This amounts to many of the people on our friends list..we haven’t even seen..talked..or related in anyways…and there is a new bud..a new sapling.. of friendship arising..emerging from no where… anyways..

Also pornographic content are being widely distributed…communities are formed.. links circulated… it just is getting beyond control..and getting on the cyber-cell official’s nerves…
Also..there was onecommunity.. defaming Shivaji maharaj..again the orkutter did not have the guts to come forth and opine…voice his opinions..so what does he do? Quietly form a community..and say some bullshit… ANONYMOUS..bullshitting…
Also..community…’ I hate India’ and stuff wre formed… this is what I call as stretching the limits of democracy..bloody.. using..or rather misusing the right to freedom of speech against the bery own country providing it..
I don’t want to get into civics.. hell..i don’t want to go in it… it always screwed my percentages.. rights and duties of citizens and stuff…but the whole stuff under this pretext going on in orkut is rotten and the filthy..and stink is now unbearable…

Then..yes.. have heard of it..got some messages and scraps.. haven’t yet confirmed.. but it said… that the photographs of girl orkutters is being morphed and used for obscene stuffs..that is a big hazard as well..so..just .. well…

Already written so much about Orkut..Orkutting..Orkutters..
Its benefits..and banes.. its features… provided number of links…regarding the same..
Opined myself…

So to tinker on…
The glass may be half full or half empty… optimist or pessimist… determined by the way one looks at it..
But as already said…don’t just sit and watch..as it is said…

Don’t just look at the watch,
Do what it does…keep going..

So when, as most of the controversial topics…double edged ones are debated…and tried to arrive at a conclusion..inference…I will too go with the tried and tested method… weighing both sides equally… and scoring..
It goes something like this;

‘when used appropriately, orkut is a great medium..a great platform… truly a phenomenon online..but when used responsibly and appropriately… if done otherwise it can be a big nuisance. So be wise enough to sign in and use it responsibly and appropriately’such a balanced statement to conclude with…. I guess, I have not earned the wrath of orkut faithfuls as well as their counterparts … just words…
just see… why the hell entire bla bla was needed..lol…
(again don’t try to find the word lol in the current edition of oxford dictionary..you may not find it now, but chances are you deifinitely will in the forthcoming editions..!!!)

Something more crap..

I am myself an orkut user…
Have many friends… scrap them and wait for their scraps in return..
This is the link to my orkut profile..

http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=17749741359900201765

just click on the link to know more about me..
I am truly a gem of a person…and would like to make new friends.. please add me and yes do scrap me as well..(I want to increase the numbers in my friends list and the scrapbook)..lol…
Told you na..just wait till the next oxford edition!!!

Please note…
The sarcasm in this article was completely my own words..fictious…not to hurt any person or soul in person… and inspite of telling this if anyone is hurt or feel that this is targeted for them…then just ..

I don’t give a damn for such a bullshit!!!