Social Media - A God’s gift

I wander everyday on search engines, SNS(social networking sites) and explore this beautiful thing known as Internet. I love SNS for many things- to mention one- I would say, I like the sheer power it carries. Yes, it is certainly very powerful. Why? because of the abundant information it possesses. That information can be easily transformed into a knowledge resource and as we know - Knowledge is a powerful weapon when utilized. Businesses investing in social media marketing will definitely agree with me on that. But apart from this attribute of ‘being powerful’ i also appreciate SM’s ability to unite people, to attract different individuals from varied backgrounds on a common stage and then giving them the freedom to express, share, and connect with people. This aspect of social media is definitely going to play an important role in years to come. People will leverage upon this benefit of social media much more than what they do now. Say for instance Pooja want’s to consult a skin care specialist in Mumbai, she then posts an update on Facebook asking her friends to refer a few, her friend raj in turn gives her the contact of rhea who recently got the treatment done, pooja then adds rhea as a friend and with her reference contacts the specialist thus availing some discount. This was just an assumption but let me give you my own experience of ‘connecting’ through SNS and getting free advice. Couple of months back I did a search on LinkedIn to see if there’s anyone who could provide me with some clarity on Internet Marketing. My interest was in knowing how Internet Marketing is as a career option and what all skill sets it calls for. After a couple of searches I came across Giacomo’s profile, Mr. Giacomo is Digital Strategy Director,McCann Worldgroup. He’s backed with years of experience in Sales&Marketing especially digital. I then simply sent a add request and a small message asking for some information on Internet Marketing. To my delight I got a reply within 2 days, he answered all my questions and also forwarded certain links which helped me understand the skill sets required. I was joyful not just because my questions got answered but because I got the advice from a person of such a high stature, and that too for FREE ;) . Such is the power of social media, it has made people so accessible, when was this possible before the Facebook era (i refer to this era as the facebook era). Even before the questions pops in your mind there’s an answer ready for it, a solution present for a problem.

That was about how individuals like you and me benefit, let’s talk about business now. Traditional media like print, TV,etc do continue to be highly preferred ones when it comes to advertising but now they are witnessing the silent grand entry of a new media- social media. Internet no doubt, offers limitless possibilities for firms but because it still hasn’t reached the masses across India it still has a long way to go. But in metros it has already spread it’s wings. Youth especially is hooked onto sites like Facebook, Orkut, LinkedIn,etc. Now how a business firm benefits from this. Say for instance you are small sports shop in Mumbai, you offer sports equipments and other related stuff. You don’t have a hefty budget so you start listing down your options to reach your prospects- the youth. You strike out TV and outdoor because it’s way out of your budget. Then you have the option of radio, print. You strike off radio thinking it does offer reach but few seconds do not ensure effective message delivery. You then decide to do print, you select your newspaper and the spot which fit’s in your budget. You do a weekly campaign and do get some response but feel it’s not enough, you want to create a loyal base and engage the youth with your brand. What you want is a buzz, then you go for a new media- social media. You decide to target the youth on Facebook. On FB you get the option to choose the demographic, area you wish to target, age wise, sex wise, and many more. FB can offer this because of the information it has about its users. You then decide to specifically target youth in Mumbai between the age of 15-25 years who have written sports in likes and interests column. And there you go, you have successfully reached your target market and got them talking, your ad is displayed whenever they log in - they then ‘like’ your offerings, they can instantly share it with friends, and reply to you asking for more. What more do you want? You have engaged your target market. Unlike TV, print, radio,etc. there is no pilferage of advertisement, your ad reaches only whom you want it to reach.

Recently Kotak Securities, India’s leading stock broking house created a page on FB. Through this they post updates, international market updates, etc. Interested people can share the information, like it, or comment on it. Kotak, has made the right Marketing move because financial institutions need to come out of the pure transactional model and get into the engagement model. With so many other firms offering similar products/services how do you stand out? How do you keep customers coming back to you? Engagement is the answer and Social Media is the tool.

There’s a lot more to be discussed about the social media, which we will in other articles. One of the cultural values of my company is “We love internet, and we thank God for it”. I firmly believe in it and accept it from the bottom of my heart.

Now let’s get out there and Socialize ;)

Real Estate Market in Tier II cities of India

Real Estate market in India is not just booming but booming in all possible directions. The rays of this hot sun are peeping through dense Indian markets, and are guiding developers deeper into Indian markets. Property builders are exploring Indian cities and towns like never before. The opportunity which this period is presenting has got everyone tempted. More fuel is added to this hunger by Government policies which motivate economic and industrial development.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into India in the real estate sector for the fiscal year 2008-09 has been US$ 2.8 billion approximately,according to the latest data given by the Department of Policy and Promotion (DIPP). This has added further thrust to real estate market in India.

This budding sector is witnessing development in all areas such as residential, retail, and commercial. Of course the Tier I cities are the ones that are overwhelmed with burgeoning investments in industrial and service sector, but the markets there are getting saturated and this has forced investors seek other alternatives which is leading them to Tier II cities. Emerging areas like these Tier-II cities offer excellent real estate investment opportunities because of the low entry level costs compared to the saturated big city markets where getting space is very difficult.

India Reports latest report 'Growth Potential: Tier II and III cities in India', mentions that Gartner India has predicted that India is likely to lose some of its significant market share in the offshore BPO business – a drop fueled by rising labour costs and shortage of skilled labour. Industry analysts point out that the concentration of BPOs in cities like Bengaluru, Gurgaon, and Mumbai has meant that they target the same talent pool, pushing up demand. The most apparent solution then, is to seek greener pastures in Tier II cities.

Big cities Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, National Capital Region (NCR) and Pune are still the preferred destinations for setting up an IT or a BPO company, but these centres are closely followed by Ahmedabad, Kochi, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Indore, Jaipur, Lucknow, Madurai, Mangalore, Nagpur, Thiruvananthapuram, Vadodara, Tiruchirapalli and Visakhapatnam, says the NASSCOM-AT Kearney study on `Location roadmap for IT-BPO growth'. Infosys for instance has already established its units in tier-II cities like Mysore, Mangalore, Kochi, Bhubaneswar and Chandigarh.

As industries establish bases in tier II cities, the real estate development will accelerate at a faster rate to fill the gap between the demand and supply of commercial and residential properties there. Tier II cities therefore can be considered as new hottest destinations for investors.

Chandigarh, the silicon valley of India has all the systems in place, the Rajiv Gandhi SEZ saw investments coming from Dell, Infosys, Quark, Ranbaxy, Reliance and Satyam. The ongoing development in IT sector has boosted the realty sector in Chandigarh. It has become the most sought after destination for investors.

Pune which is all set to become the 7th metro of India is another Tier II city which has a booming real estate market. The main drivers now are the EonIT Park, the proximity to revamped airport, presence of 5 star hotels.

Ahmedabad is not an inch behind and has started leveraging its real estate potential now. The upcoming NANO plant, high land availability, and improved connectivity are the driving factors for Ahmedabad.

The Makaan.com Property Index (MPI) also has recorded positive growth for tier II cities such as Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad. The Pune property index, as compared to March 2009, in March 2010 has gone up bye 28.1% . The Ahmedabad MPI has gone up by 40% . Kolkata is another tier II which witnessed a rise in MPI by 52% . These figures represent the rise in property prices in Tier II cities.

Industry experts also feel positive about Tier II cities. Rohit Goel, CMD Omaxe credits the growth of Tier II cities to the real estate development happening in those areas.Leading real estate consultant JLLM was reported saying to ET Now that cities worth consideration for long term investments are Pune, Ahmedabad, Nashik, Nagpur, Vadodra, Coimbatore, and other Tier 2 cities.

If we consider the Union Budget 2010-11, its implications also stand in favour of Tier II cities. The budget has extended 1% subsidy in interest rate for housing loan up to 10 lakhs till March 2011. This in turn would stimulate the home buyers in 20 lakh segment. Major beneficiary of the union budget 2010-11 will be home buyers in B&C category towns, and buyers with a budget around 20 lakh or less, says the intelligence of MakaanIQ. which is an initiative by Makaan.com to provide information, intelligence, and tools for an informed property investment decision.

Kamyab nahi Kabil hone ke liye padho

Kamyab nahi Kabil hone ke liye padho

Two things that I really liked in the movie '3 idiots' are chatur’s cunning expressions while delivering that speech and the line “kamayab nahi kabil hone ke liye padho. There is something about that line. It revived an age old belief in me. Although it sounded new, it wasn’t.

We all want success, but have we taken out time to find out what success wants, probably not. It may be because we were too busy running in the race, carrying heavy school bags, putting others behind in ranks. While desperately trying to meet the assignment deadline and sipping the coffee late night we forgot the purpose of that assignment, and unfortunately the evaluators as well have forgotten or I should say, have failed to recognize the true purpose of them giving assignments. But throwing all the hot potatoes on them won’t be right, as sometimes we (the students) don’t bother to understand why we are studying what we are studying. We all must have studied the world famous equation E = mc² . How many of us have raised the hand to question our teachers that why is it so? And how is it so? Some of us might have and some of us (like me) didn’t. For those who did ask, I am sure the common reply would have been a theoretical one ‘as given in the textbook’. Well, we actually should have probed our teachers to tell us how this equation was derived. I am not talking about the mathematical explanation chalked on the blackboard. What I mean is the story behind E = mc² . Knowing that story would tell us that Einstein was not only a genius but moreover a courageous personality. He questioned the accepted theories and boldly published his own (which was eventually proven right).

He assumed that speed of light is constant and in fact time and distance were relative; this was in contradiction to earlier theories. Einstein was criticized by the scientific communities as he had challenged the fundamental principles. But he didn’t lose hope, he worked on his belief. He derived proper reasoning to support his findings. Instead of getting distracted by the pressure of the society, he focused on getting his equation right. And ultimately he got it, the miracle year 1905 staged him as a genius in front of the whole world.  

But if we look at it from a different angel, he was just like a common man but actually a very courageous person. He imagined, made assumptions, stood against criticism and finally arrived at his equation.

What we need to learn from this is:

We should not blindly accept the facts presented in front of us

We need to stick to our guns when everyone around us is attacking us

We don’t need a certification from our society about the truths we believe in. If what we think is true has a good reasoning, that’s enough.

Our ancient education system, the gurukuls as we call it were the best as all the students were miles away from the tension of ranks, marks, etc. The focus was on the overall development of the individual. Unfortunately the colonial era saw the beginning of the end of this system in India. British needed clerks and hence the system was designed so, and sadly the same is being carried on even after years of Independence.

That’s why it is said that “kamayab nahi kabil hone ke liye padho” (don’t try to find success, try and find excellence ). It’s only when you look for excellence that your mind would be liberated, you would come across untold truths, you would question the generally accepted principles and ultimately uncover the truth. Einstein did it, he was termed as a genius, and he was. 

But genius is not the one who has an IQ above 150 or who scores 90+ marks, genius is anyone who recognizes his/ her talent, develops it, and stays focused, Einstein was one and so is Sachin Tendulkar and so is any other common man. Even you and I are eligible for that tag, only if we recognize our true potentials.

Mugging up the theories would definitely help in scoring good marks but kindly try and understand the concept as well, as it will help you throughout your life, says my professor.

To conclude I would answer the question asked in the beginning, that what success wants. Success wants you to be kabil (capable enough), not on your marksheet but in terms of understanding the basics. And it’s time that today’s youth like you and me understand that “kabil honge to kamyabi…

Somesh S. Khandalkar

V is the new ME

Few days back i went to buy recharge coupon of dishtv and outside the shop i came across a canopy coloured in green and white- it was videocon, but wait it was not a promotional setup for TV,washingmachine or other home appliances but it was sonething new- Videocon Mobiles.

"Aah, another hand to have a slice of pie- the mobile handset market pie"-i thought.

But i was happy because our Indian Multinational seemed to be determined to go head on head with global giants and market leaders like Nokia, Samsung, Sonyerricson, LG, motorola and even Onida(Indian), as a matter of fact.

And there are no reasons for Videocon to ignore this market it seems.

"Indian telecommunications industry is one of the fastest growing in the world and India added 113.26 million new customers in 2008, the largest globally" (source:www.ibef.org).

Videocon mobiles are here to cater to different segments, this is evident from the fact that their range starts from simple FM phones to high end touch phones- the pamhplet did provide good info.

ahhh...i jus wish it turns out to be user friendly, and durable just like other videocon products.

Ultimately its going to be a war between MNC's - both service providers and handset manufacturers...and we are the ones to benefit from it because as porter says...buyer's power increases when new entrants pop in and substitues are available.

SRK Detention – A time to criticize the US system or a time to look into our own???

15^th Aug, our Independence Day, the day when we celebrate our freedom. A day when we salute our martyrs, and remember our heroes of the nation. I got up in the morning, glanced at the newspaper – swine flu news, saina lost in quarters,etc. I kept the paper aside n went onto get ready. After my bath I always switch on TV and after surfing through MTV, CHANNEL V, I move onto CNN IBN. Every time it’s some or the other news going on but 15 aug was different. A CJ show was going on showing a martyr’s family’s fight for a land that they deserve to be allotted by the govt., and then after sometime a breaking news flashed on my TV screen and I kept the remote aside because the name mentioned was ShahRukhKhan, my favourite. 

The news was shocking – SRK detained in US- the world famous bollywood icon, holder of a French doctorate detained. It was but obvious for me to find out why. He was detained at the Newark airport and questioned for two hours by the officials. Instantly scenes from the movie Newyork flashed in my mind. But I knew his detention wouldn’t have lasted for long – he’s a celebrity after all – a human being with a clean record. I switched on to other news channels; everywhere the news of his detention was flashed. It’s hurting and at the same time ironic that an Indian of such a high status is detained on the I-day. On several news channels one could see celebrities, actors, and media people expressing their views on this sad incident. A common thing rose of all the news – US is cruel, they have no sense of humanity, they have been doing this for years despite being criticized inside and outside the country!

Many condemned the US system, so did I, after all suspecting on the grounds of colour, race, or name is wrong, is unethical. But there is another way of looking at this, a broader perspective. After 9/11, what the world witnessed was a US which has ZERO tolerance policy against terror. We saw attacks on Iraq, Saddam being prosecuted and hanged, Afghanistan attacked. Why, why do you think they did all this? Because the officials there care for their country- or as an American would say it “we take no shit”. We condemn their acts and their policies, but have we tried to ascertain the effect of those laws and policies. After 9/11 not even a single incident of terrorist act took place in US. They created such a strong intelligence network that it is impossible for another 9/11 to take place in that country.

Why we don’t have laws that reflect ZERO tolerance policies? Why we entertain a mercy plea of a terrorist. Why we have to show more than 100 witnesses to prove that Kasab is guilty, why we have to consider US remarks for our acts against Pakistan?

Why we don’t learn from our epics – Ramayan and Mahabharatha?? Did Ram had a 10-15 year long dialogue with Ravan, to rescue Sita. Yes. He did gave him a chance but not more than three I suppose. Then what he did, he did what he had to (dharma). He didn’t consult a third party nor did he sat and waited, expecting that Ravan would one day realize his mistake and stop his cruelty towards people, and also return Sita. He was known as “Maryada Purshottam” (A man who knows his limits), he had a limit for his tolerance level as well. But where is our limit? Or are we spineless creatures?

Today, when SRK was detained, I was sad, it hurt me. I too hate US for the same but it’s not the time to criticize them, instead, question our own authorities that what have they done to make us feel secure. On this Independence Day all I want to say is, we have grown so much as a nation, we reached moon then why are we lacking when it comes to security of our own people. Instead of criticizing other nation’s acts we should all come together to create a system which reflects the teachings of Sri Ram, Bhagat singh and others who fought for freedom.

Namaskaaarrrrrrrr!!!

Hari Om!!! i always say this before starting somethn new!!!

hi!!! 2day i created my blog...jus now...i thought it's a kool new way to communicate...1 of my fren also has one...

i dun knw wat to post...so jus writing wateva goin on in my mind......may be i will post somethn related to Marketing......or sme thn abt my summer trainin...

me workin in Future Education Ltd. as summer intern...no work 2day it seems in d office...so im jus chattin, surfin net for good articles and i created a blog ofcourse...wid me i hav brian...ek no. ka item hain...bt full timepass...he's a "churan" master...churan means...full mirch masala laga ke saamne waale ko patana..convince karna...and dash dash banana..........

aur kya likhu.,....watchin ipl is great fun these days...my fav team is mum n RR...mum out now..so sad...KKR won yest...finally after so many matches they tasted victory...good for SRK...im his big fan......u knw 1 thing common btw SRK n Gandhiji.........both came bak 2 India after being insulted in South Africa...heheee....sorry SRK no intentions to hurt u.....bt its a fact.....now gear up like Gandhiji did n fight bak next year..........for next year throw that buchanan out...n keep 1 captain only........

want 2 write more but need 2 giv my left wrist some rest...jus yest. i had gone 2 bandra to visit DR.Narain.......has given some ayurvedic medicines...will tak them in lunch...

chalo aaj ke liye bas itna heeeeee....hum hain rahi pyaar ke...phir milegne chalte chalte......see i told u im a big SRK fan..........

bye t.c