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Showing posts from December, 2008

Speed Of Time In Virtual World

Recently, I have been very active in facebook with posting and commenting and discussing as well. There was this post or a topic where we all were discussing. At late night, I and my friend were chatting on the same topic when suddenly, my friend said, "Look at the update in facebook." I went straight there and to my surprise found so many posts and comments waiting to be read. At that moment I said to myself, how can so many people post at the similar time and be understood with out any confusion. This took me into thinking of a problem that usually occurs in the banking sector. When, more then one person try to access the similar account at one time, the process needs to make sure that no false transaction occur. In technical term its called atomicity .  But the situation here seems a bit different and I was thinking of something else - the speed of time in the Virtual world . How are we spending our time in social networking site, and how do we look at these activities ?.

Add me as a Friend

Social Structure is based upon the connection between people enhanced by the technology around them. Starting from saying "hi" to the never ending relationships between people is amazing. Once the connection is made, it takes ages for it to break or may be infinity.  Being in a group and having a friend circle is a unique features of Human being that is studied in any  sociology  text books. The happening or making of a group is quite interesting to look at. Don't criticize me for being OVER scientific but mathematicians have some how managed to come with certain approximate ways of defining the social group in numbers. With the rising age of Online Networking groups available, it has become more easier to analyse the group and make a suggestion on them,NUMERICALLY. Also, the rising of the  REALITY SHOWS  like  BIGG BOSS  and others, it has given a  social analyst  a platform to analyse the social bonding and a structure.   Let me narrate a short observation that was made

Selling a Comb to a Bald Person?

Here my friend, Ashay, put it very truly to me that the marketer's most challenge is to sell a comb to a bald. First, I am not trying to justify anything here. But I just couldn't help thinking how on earth am I going to sell a comb to a bald. How? Just how? I kept pondering upon it till late night. I actually had very few options with me, the first was obviously to use Google and Find? :) But, I didn't do that. Some how I was still in confusion. Then just before going to sleep, I had an discussion with my other friend, on types of marketing on issues related to customer centric marketing. Hmm. Then some how it hit me. I went back to basic on my own philosophy, sell things that is needed. So here is a small anecdote I prepared : Sale Person   : Hello sir. How are you? Do you have a time, plzzz? Bald Person : (Almost confused and in social causality) OK OK what is it? I don't have time. Sale Person    : Here sir, do you want to by a comb?  Bald Person  : Can't you

Selling an Empty Box?

Have you ever sold anything? Or have you ever tried selling anything? The experience of selling is very different from any other experience. Its like, - finally someone understands you- kind of thing. Selling doesn't always include a transaction of cash. It can also mean making someone believe what you are tring to say. But, lets not get into that - its the job of lawyer. :) Let me share one occasion where I did manage to sell something. It was during my college days. I was working on a pet project of mine - making a micro controller programmer . It was targeted at programming a 89c51 /52 series of micro controller. Well, don't go on what that means, its one type of micro controller. After working for months on the design and layout and finally fabrication, on my own, I was almost tried of it. Testing took another month. But, finally it worked. I was more than happy. So, now I could use it. Let me show you how it looked.    Well, its not the one I made, but my product looked v

Choice to be made.

So far so good. Its been some time, where I have been pondering upon what to write about. Should I use some marketing brains to choose a perfect topic and just throw it in or just be me. Its time to make a choice here and its not going to be so easy. Therefore, I am not going to make any choice here. Let me think more on it. Starting from the experience so far, I have found some things regarding the Internet media that I want to share: 1. Blog is not Wiki : No matter how much you try, blog can never be wiki because wikipedia already exist and there's no reason to copy it. Blog is a place to share your views with people around the globe who understand what you are talking about. You can't talk about marketing with a guy from literature, right. 2. Social Networking, a place to Advertise: So far, I had used social site like: hi5 and facebook to connect to old lost friends and communicate with them. But recently, I find myself adding anyone in my friend list and updating my sta

Paralysis by Analysis

Have you heard of it? Getting all hooked up by the numbers and equations and graphs, it is very probable of getting overwhelmed by them and losing the motive of making any decision or conclusion. Acting or Making a decision or Coming to a Conclusion is the motive of analysis. You start by following methods: 1. Collect Data 2. Process Data 3. Analyse Data 4. Use the analysis to make a decision. What would happen if you get lost in the step 3 and cannot come to step 4? There can be many reasons, few are: 1. Lost track of reason 2. Not satisfied with the analysis 3. Stuck in confusion 4. Lazy to decide 5. Overwhelmed by the possibilities of new analysis method. Yes, the last one is one of the reason that I was pointing at. You get so excited about the range of types of data and the possibilities of new statistical tools, that you forget that you need to decide. This means getting paralysed by the process of analysis. Next time you analyse make sure to remember that you have to decide and

Opening a Dictionary....

Reading a novel or any article, sometime you stumble upon a word that you don't know. Soon the sentences doesn't make any sense, so you ponder upon the meanings of words. Reluctantly and lazily, you open a huge dictionary, though very uncommon now a days, and start searching for the word. Time passes by but you are still stuck with your dictionary. You are already learning many words but not the one you were searching for. What is this phenomenon? The phenomenon of getting lost into your own world. But some people are so focused that they find what they are searching for and soon return to their work. But some, like me, get lost and starts stumbling upon more unknown words. The mystery engulfs the mind and soon you are lost. But, yes ultimately you do find the word you are searching for and then return back to your work. I find life so similar to opening a dictionary. You are confused and lost and try to find the meaning by opening your horizon and soon get lost into millions o

Leader from a BOX?

The above picture has been taken from: www.rfidjournal.com/.../ catalogue/phpcMjv3U.jpg Leaders are not made in Universities or from any kind of training. It is not something that can be made. Leaders are the way they are. They react to the situation and take a lead of their life. They live by their choice and are not affected by the outer criticism. Now a days, we see so many leadership programs run here and there. My say is, its stupid and unnecessary. By training and programs, where the traits of great leader are imposed into the young mind, we only get a robot that react the way, they are trained to be. They go by rules and follow the dogma of leadership. Leaders come by breaking the glass in which they have been living. Everyone is given a choice to lead their life, some take it whereas some submit themselves. There is nothing wrong or right in it. Its just a way they are. But, saying that we can make leader, is a foolish statement. Yes, we need leaders to lead the tribe, but the

Integrity

Integrity , something that you need to save throughout your life. For whom do you save integrity? I say you save it for yourselves, and not for anyone else. Integrity is something that belongs to you, and you only. How do you know if you still have it, or not? You don't, until you lose it. It is the sadness thing that happens to human. Integrity is something for which people live in this world. For some one it is their only life. But what is this integrity and how do you recognize it in you. That is if you have one. Integrity is your power to say YES and NO. It doesn't matter if it is right or wrong, but you must be able to say it. This means respecting your decision and valuing your intelligence. If you cannot then, you have lost it. So I say, value yourselves in this world. Value your thoughts for what it is? Don't care what others have to say just believe in your reasoning. But remember there is difference in giving value and having a vanity. Recognize the difference

80/20 Rule of Marketing

Have you heard of it? Or are you aware of it? 80/20 rules, though not mathematically justified, is approximately an accurate description of the Business Rules and a reality that should not be ignored.  It states that 80% of your business comes from 20% of your total customers. Therefore, it is suggestive to focus yourself to these 20% of your customer rather the 80% of your non-profit customers. It sounds very unconventional that you should ignore the possibilities of business from the 80% of other customers. But logically, it sounds perfect. Why spend money on such customers that brings no business? Instead, it is very reasonable to focus your business's attention to those who really care.  Also, this rule also extends itself to all the other domain like 80% of your complains comes from 20% of those customers which really do not bring any business. It all sounds so obvious and true. Remember that any good rules always sounds obvious after it has been stated but it lies that it is

Social Theory in Online Community

Add as a friend, Join the group, Please Donate, Join a cause, Find a Date. Yes, all the things that you can do in the online social network. How interesting and imaginative!  But, do you think all the classical social theories apply to the online community . I mean does the human behaviour change in the Virtual World or is it the same any way? There are chances that the Virtual Worlds may see a human behaviour that is not seen in the real world. That might be strange. I mean, how can it vary. But the chances are that they will. This can be due to the new possibilities and the moral issues that bind us in the online network. The geographical barriers are breaking and a new kind of community is taking shape in the clouds and in the electrical database.  I have only one question. Is this the MATRIX ? Do you think that someday, we will be so into the virtual worlds that we will forget that the real world exists and that we may need some kind of saviour to make ourselves conscious of it. Th

Lost in Thoughts

When you are on your own, living a life and there is no one to scold you or guide you, you tend to lose every patience and every strength in you. And its obvious, especially, when there is no binding in the thoughts and you are free to think.  Its sometime difficult to make sense of everything, and then just conclude that nothing makes sense.  I believe, in such case, we need to be strong and fight with our emotion and find reason to do something in life.  There is no reason for a clay to be moulded to a statue but trying to give it some shape is what we try to do. Though both may make no sense. War and Peace. Can you imagine a place with no war? I doubt it. Its difficult, an extremely difficult situation. But can you imagine a world in mayhem, YES we can, its so easy. Destruction is so easy. But creation and stability is so hard. If we let the destruction overwhelm us than the society will go down. Remember we all are just trying to create a harmony and exist. We are trying to bring b

On War

There is a book named 1984 by George Orwell . This is the book with one of the most thorough analysis of the society that we live in. The society divided by the class and the society divided by the belief. No, I am not going for a book review, its an important issue that I am tyring to address. It is strange to ponder upon the thought, if the world is ever going to attain peace. If all the human are ever going to attain the equal respect in the society. If power is ever going to be distributed to all the people with out any fear.  Its a question which has almost no answers. But we all keep trying hard to attain peace because it makes sense and it is the only thing that balances the violence. It will be stupid to question if we are ever going to attain equality because that does not matter. What matters is that we bring a balance in the world and live in harmony. Harmony means bringing balance and not wining.  With recent Mumbai Blast and the terror all around the world, its difficult