Yu Yu Din - Unofficial Ramblings

Below the Fold - Episode 1

2011-03-15T10:27:00.001+05:30

Below-the-Fold-Episode1.amr Listen on Posterous

Below the Fold is a talk show that Jeanne and I have been wanting to do for a while. We talk about a lot of things, marketing, expat life, challenges of living and working in India, management, and raising puppies. Not necessarily in any order. This was the pilot episode. Hope you enjoy it. Write in the comments below to suggest us topics or give us questions!

Posted via email from Below the Fold

How to Trick Your Dogs to Like Your Guests

2010-10-24T11:55:00.001+05:30

I caught up with my friends Sanjay, and Kanika, and met a new friend, Rohit, yesterday. I hadn't seen Sanjay in years. I wasn't sure how the dogs were going to react. We have an American Greyhound, Grace, and two pure 'desi' Indian street dogs that we adopted almost a year ago. They're black and white (they look like they're wearing tuxedos) and they behave like Terriers. They actually look like Rat Terriers minus the bob tail and behave like Jack Terriers, very alert, very guard dog like in their senses and reactions. And they have scorpion tails black with white tips, and they wag in unison. It's the cutest thing in the world. I'm suspecting that they have a bit of Jonangi blood in them, but it's hard to tell, except when there's fish around. That's when they go crazy.

I say pure desi because, they're not like some other street dogs that look like mixed breeds of popular breeds like Labradors, and German shepards. It's a shame that people just throw their dogs away and face no consequences. Certain folks in India discriminate against street dogs, even if they're dog owners themselves. They also tend to treat bitches horribly compared to dogs.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Last night, my dogs were in their best behavior... no barking, no growling (well, except for psychotic Ethel for a short time because of food). And Grace whined a bit because she wasn't getting chicken. Now that they've grown a bit and both are healthy, it's hard to tell the two sisters apart. You have to look at the ears, Ehel has funny asymetric ears, while Eunice's look like a German Shephard's -- always erect.

My friends were really really impressed that "street dogs" can behave so well. HA! They were just keeping up appearances. Rohit at one point put something on the table for Grace and she wouldn't touch it. They were impressed about that, too.(And so was I!)

Best trick, if you have dogs that don't like strangers, give your guest(s) doggie treats and have them give it to the dogs. Works like a charm. It's like, "Oh, you give me treats, you must be a friend, I won't bark and growl at you, we're cool. Now, can you give me more treats?"

Posted via email from Yu Yu Din's posterous

Rebranding Burma

2010-10-21T20:13:00.001+05:30

If you're aware of the situation, you know that Burma is no longer Burma. It's called Myanmar now.

Yangon (formerly Rangoon) is no longer the capital. Nayphyidaw is.

And this morning I learned that we have a new ugly flag:

No longer the red, white, and blue flag that I grew up with and am proud of:

All the old flags will be burnt. My guess is, the government is so anti-American that even having the same colors, albeit having socialist ideals, isn't going to work.

And in a couple of weeks, we will be voting. Some of us, for the first time in our lives. I voted two years ago at the consulate in Kolkata for the new constitution, in my late 20s, after growing up mostly in democratic countries.

Who will win? The government of course. Now that they're all civilians -- emperors in new clothes, with their new flag. They're going to have the country, too, one way or another. No matter what the people say, do, or think let alone the rest of the world. It doesn't matter what I write here or what you comment, tweet, or who you share this with.

Today, we enter into a new era with big brother China watching us and holding our hand. Today I feel that we've lost our sense of our true identity. I don't feel the same way I feel about US or UK elections -- hopeful for new leadership, excited for a better world. As a third culture kid, I've faced many identity crises, but this one, I believe will stay on.

We can only pray now, for a peaceful "transition", albeit eerie, and quiet. Pray for the people that they have the strength to continue on living in the conditions that they do. That their resillience will continue, that their country's re-branding will not effect their culture, rob their souls, or their sweet laughter, and sense of humor.

Posted via email from Yu Yu Din's posterous

Walking Talking Positive Brand Image

2010-08-12T23:44:00.000+05:30

How do you know if your team members or employees are walking and talking your brand image? In this highly networked, fast pace online world, the conduct of your employees can either help or destroy your company's brand image. It is assumed that we are all professionals, adults, and that our conduct does not need to be checked by HR or our superiors all the time, but what if things get out of hand?

I recently experienced such stark difference of two groups of employees and their conduct on a trip to Yangon. My favorite form of travel is with airplanes. On this trip, my friend happened to book me on my favorite airline -- Thai Airways. It's my favorite airline because my first childhood memory happened to be on a Thai Airways flight. I always thought of air travel as the best, most stylish way to get somewhere. It's like being in a posh moving restaurant with fancy waiters. On the way back to India to join my new marketing job, I thought of how being part of an airline is like being part of a big global brand. A brand image is upheld by people working across the world, people who are on the ground, in the kitchens, and are flying the airplanes.

This year, Thai Airways is celebrating their 50th year in service. As a result, they've been re-branding everything from uniforms, colorways, to their logo. I as a passenger felt the new vigor passed on by their air hosts and hostesses. They still have that royal "silk as smooth" touch that the old Thai Airways had but the people are still young, young-at-heart, and enthusiastic. I saw senior members of teams leading and showing the way for the newer members. I saw impeccable service that upheld that great brand image.

So it was with this image in mind that I boarded TG 315 to New Delhi. Little did I know that the positive marketing thoughts I was having was about to be destroyed as soon as the plane took off. Stay tuned for that story in my next post.

Measuring Results in Social Media

2010-07-19T11:01:00.001+05:30

Online marketing is a bit different from other forms of traditional marketing because of analytics. The fun part is launching your campaign and watching what happens instantly. Within online marketing, email marketing is probably one of the most matured fields where parameters defined already. Deliverables are well defined, industry standards are pretty clear. And if you don't follow the rules, consequences are pretty clear, too.

Social media marketing on the other hand is still a new field. People are still trying to figure out what works and what really doesn't. Social media analytics not very clear yet but numbers matter a great deal. There are the easy ones that you can measure like retweets, forwards, mentions etc. Social rules which are generally "nice things to do" for someone which are easy to figure out but the technology still has to be perfected for tracking.

Just because social media is the new kid on the block doesn't mean old school ways of online marketing doesn't matter anymore either. SEO is still important, you should still take a look at unique visitors and click through rates, time spent on site etc. You need to get these things right because they are the foundation of your whole online marketing strategy. The tools for measuring your SMM campaign are out there but some things are still experimental, not defined like email marketing. Personally, I like GetClicky.com a lot -- it also integrates nicely with Wordpress. Trendrr is pretty cool and is worth a look. And I really like the stats that SocialMention gives out -- it's fantastic for monitoring reputation in the social media sphere.

I've been disappointed a bit with Google though. They just launched analytics for email marketing, which is integrated, but I have a sneaky feeling that it's still a bit experimental. I'm sure they're still developing social media analytics but who knows when they'd launch it. Analytics need to be in one complete package instead of having people run around looking at three or four different sites, tools and software. It's too time consuming, the main job for a social media strategist is to be able to analyse the numbers.

And of course, if you have funds, you should check out Omniture and Web Trends -- the two grand daddies of web analytics. Both of them have integrated their analytics software with real time social media tracking. But it will cost you a pretty penny. What are your favorite social monitoring tools? Which ones would you recommend?

comScore Arrives in India (Finally!)

2010-05-04T10:46:00.001+05:30

I woke up this morning and the first thing I read was about comScore opening their offices in India (press release here). Well, it's about time! As an Internet marketer, research is a huge part of figuring out demographics, especially in India. First off, there are very few reliable sources that you can get information. Then, the various tools that we have in our marketing arsenal makes us run around into different directions. Plus, most folks don't really understand or know how to read the stats. Each tool gives out readings that don't really agree with the other because they measure things with a different set of rules and parameters. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that as of November 2008 there are 81 million Internet users in India. That number has grown exponentially and it's going to grow more because it makes up only 7% of the population. India has one of the world's fastest growing telecom markets. Growth doesn't mean a mere jump in India, it leaps out. Things catch on so fast and so viral that it can change the game for any dot com that catches the attention.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recorded in March that there are 8.75 million broadband subscribers (keep in mind, "broadband" in India means anything above 256 Kpbs -- not the luxury "broadband" speed of the west). On TV, commercials are filled with ads that offer the latest and cheapest mobile service plans to the most portable Internet connections. This subcontinent is on the move and telecom companies are there to accommodate it. There are so many companies to choose from if you're in a metro area that you can see it's really a cut-throat industry. Even Airtel, one of the largest service providers are handling their customers better than before. I'm an Airtel customer, and I used to really dread calling their customer care, but lately, it's been ok.

comScore being in India means better stats, better research, and a clearer picture of this very chaotic world of the Indian social media and Internet landscape. A lot of young people, especially young working, educated professionals -- who happens to have loads of money to spend because they still live with their parents and earn are pretty much addicted to the latest gadgets, online activities like Facebook, and Tweeting, are still shy about opening up. Most folks tweet under lock and key or maintain online alter egos. There's not a lot of "openness" in what appears as an 'open society' either because of job security or because they don't want folks outside the inner circle to get into their business. And folks here are very curious about other people's business. I've been living here over eight years and I'm still shocked when a someone asks me how much I make or why I'm not married.

Marketers who use both mobile and social media marketing will be able to have better tools in their belt. Since there are more mobile penetration in India, it cannot be ignored. By September 2010, there will be 760 Indian cities that have 3G networks. People are already recharge (read pay) their satellite TV services, and conduct banking processes on their phones, the next step will be to order and buy products. This would require concrete stats and analysis for both sales and marketing teams. Having comScore there to navigate these waters will be a bonus and a much needed helping hand.

Graphic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/silvertje/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

First Rain

2010-04-28T13:01:00.001+05:30

Thunder threatens high above the skies...
Nothing but heat, grim,and dust surrounds us,
For months and endless weeks.
The heavens darken,
With the promise of rain --
Birds chirp,
And squirrels warn each other.

The dogs wait in anticipation.
The end to dog day afternoons.
They wait, listening to the skies
To and fro their ears scan the parameter.

A cool breeze enters,
Teasing us as it circles around.
Then, everything comes to a stand still.

A quiet stillness...

Slowly, the heavens open,
And the skies let go.

First drops of the season,
The sweetest of them all.
The earth mingles with the cold water.
Engulfing our senses.
Brightening all things green,
Along with our spirits.
First rain.

Photo:http://www.flickr.com/photos/girl-inchoate/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

How do you spark real conversations?

2010-03-04T10:36:00.002+05:30

TEDx was held in Gurgaon last weekend, which was an interesting event considering it was community organized. I went to hear Kishore Bhargava and Atul Chitnis speak. (Those were the only two speakers visible online when I checked the site way back when.) I also dragged Jeanne with me. Read her reaction here. The event was more well organized than I had expected -- starting on time and speakers pretty much spoke at the right relatively intended time. (I stopped having expectations for conferences in India a long time ago.) Unfortunately, I had to run in and out of the conference because I had appointments scheduled. I caught the tail end of Osama Manzar's talk on Digital Empowerment. That really inspired me. It's great to meet folks that share the same vision as you. It's also uplifting to know that there are others out there trying to change thw world from a grassroots level.

What I found weird was the videos in between of TED speakers. While they were thought provoking, I couldn't understand why they were shown. We just assumed it was to make up for the lack of live speakers. I mean, couldn't we just sat at home and watch the videos? Plus the audio wasn't calibrated properly (my biggest pet peeve) and the visual wasn't at the right resolution.

I enjoyed Atul's talk on the BBS systems, and the old ways of communicating online. A lot of people disagreed on his statement about folks not having meaningful conversations anymore. He asked the question on how we can teach the next generation to have conversations. Of course there was a strong reaction from the audience (which was great since that was the only time people became alive). I wished there was an interactive session that followed the talk but it didn't. Plus Jeanne and I had to run to a different meeting after tea time.

While Atul was speaking, I started thinking about the next generation of social media consumers. About how I started using the Internet. I was part of the first generation of social media consumers. I still remembered when Bolt.com was marketing to "the youth" at a youth conference in Washington, D.C. This was when TakingITGlobal went online and folks were talking about connecting to those who are separated for three degrees -- this was before the dotcom bust back in 1999. Did we use social media back then to have real conversations? We certainly did.

Student activists used platforms like Friendster to connect with activists across the nation. Fast forward to the Facebook era, there is a lot more noise but I follow young people like Will and Shonali. Yes, there's a lot of teenage banter but there's also a lot of meaningful conversation. We've talked about renewable energy, religion, culture and dealing with being outsiders more so on these young people's walls than other adults.

Will is 16, a fantastic writer (his blog here) and an excellent conversationalist. He comes up with topics that some adults can't even fathom. He knows more of literature, culture, and subculture more so than a lot of people in their twenties. He has no problems hanging out with us at "adult functions", which I wouldn't even invite some folks I know. Shonali is just a remarkable young woman who is not afraid to make her point and engages people. Her wall comments go on and on with real, meaningful conversation.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, one of Atul's questions at TEDx was on how to get young people to have real conversations. The answer is simple -- engage with them. Engage in real conversations with young people. Give them books and other materials to read. Ask them questions. Listen to what they have to say. Listening to young people and validating them as young adults not just empowers them but gives them reasons to go out and engage in more real conversations. They question their friends, and influence other young thought leaders.

I was lucky enough to have parents who gave me protocols to read. Knowing what ICJ is and how it functions in my pre-teen years was awesome. Experiencing first hand, the notes from the Earth Summit in Rio influenced me a great deal, too. You don't need to have diplomats for parents to have these conversations. We can always talk about the price of oil, society's dependency on it, war and terrorism that happens in our own back yards, racism etc. These are things that will effect future generations, too, not just us.

Another big factor to all this is travel. Both Will and Shonali are third culture kids. They've traveled enough to know that this world is not homogeneous. That it is not one dimensional, that our generation is leaving them a lot of problems and challenges for them to solve and deal with. We need to engage and talk about these problems so that they can be better leaders and citizens of the world when they grow up. Already I hear things like, "You guys are leaving us a shitty planet and we're going to have to solve this stuff," they're right in a sense but they don't have to grow up totally unprepared.

How do you have real conversations with young people?

How to Kill Your Career on LinkedIn

2010-02-08T23:13:00.004+05:30

I've been quiet on this blog because I've been writing stuff on other blogs. Plus I've been pretty busy the past couple of months. But don't worry I'm trying get back into my writing groove. If you haven't read my post on the 7 Deadly Sins of a LinkedIn Profile you should check it out.

I asked my network on LinkedIn about what they find the most annoying about LinkedIn; everyone said spam. Spam in the form of groups, spam in the form of people who are adding you without knowing you. The worst kind of spam? Asking for recommendations without knowing the person. This was so basic that my network didn't bring it up in the Q&A. There's nothing much to explain here. If person A hasn't worked with person B or even know that person, how will he or she give a recommendation?

Well, one person just did that, and asked the wrong person. He received quite the recommendation -- but poor fellow probably couldn't read properly or thought that he has to post every recommendation that came his way. So, he posted that recommendation even when it said that he was an asshole. This is just stupidity in the highest possible degree. I was an eye witness from the start to finish. We thought he'd just send an apology or ignore the fake recommendation but he didn't, he went ahead and posted it! I've seen mistakes by companies, people, and even I've made bad decisions on social networks but this is by far the most surprisingly dumb thing I have seen. Click here to read about the whole story.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinmarks/ / CC BY 2.0

Facebook Invades Orkut the Google Run Social Network

2009-10-01T13:36:00.006+05:30

The Google run social network, Orkut is by far the most popular social network in India. It's where high school and college students, and young professionals hang out. According to Alexa Orkut is #4 top most visited site from India with Facebook at #5 trailing closely behind. Facebook gaining promenence in India is very recent. A lot of people did not want to get on Facebook, and there are still some who are not on Facebook. All this can change with the Orkut connect via Facebook.
I logged into my Facebook account to find that I can connect to my Orkut friends on Facebook with three easy steps. Here are the steps:

There was a big message on top of my profile to connect with friends from Orkut and it seemed easy enough when I clicked on the link for the steps. The tools to connect to Orkut friends from Facebook has been there for a long time, like through the Friend Finder API as seen on the Lapnol blog. Now those friends who are in Orkut will also be a part of your Facebook as well, you just have to click!

It's only a matter of time before more Orkut users switch to Facebook. I'm pretty sure Facebook can take over the #4 seat from Orkut once more people from India use and get more of their friends to join and stay on Facebook. What's ironic though is it's a Facebook API that runs on Orkut site and matches those users on Facebook and connect friends together.

Understanding Myanmar

2009-08-23T20:00:00.004+05:30

Following Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's trial as a Burmese made me mad, hopeful, happy and sad all at the same time. I regularly follow stories about Myanmar but I've paid special attention to this story since it broke in May. I wanted to see more news analysis, coverage, and understand the issues behind it before the verdict. I couldn't really find proper posts or articles that gives the big picture and puts the story in context. Disappointing -- yes, but not surprising. Coverage surged after the verdict because of the reaction of world leaders.

Myanmar is a country that exists in a glass dome. Isolated from the world, it almost has its own laws of physics. "Burma experts" are an entirely different species even in the academic circles. The country's laws, rules, customs, and culture is not easy to comprehend. Add to that, everyone has their own notions or opinions of Myanmar. I know a lot of you are saddened and angry at the verdict but for those of us who know the country, this is no surprise. Here's a break down of what happened.

The Context
Myanmar is in the midst of government led 'reforms'. Assemblies have been drafting the constitution since I was a kid in the '90s. That constitution was voted in as a referendum in May, 2008. Miraculously, it was approved with 99% votes in the middle of the the biggest natural disaster in the nation's history. Because of this referendum, we now have a constitution, which means the election process can start. The elections are scheduled for 2010. If Suu Kyi runs for the election, or even help the NLD it can mean chaos in the nation. Technically, she can't run because she was married to a foreigner. We've all known about the clause in the referendum since the late 90s.

John Yettaw
There's a lot of people who are angry that some American came out of the blue because of a 'vision'. Most Burmese will not say it out loud because they're polite, diplomatic, or don't want to taint relations with Americans. The timing's so perfect that conspiracy theorists are saying that it might be all planned. He's a perfect instrument for the government to use so that there's a rift between the pro-democracy movement and their American supporters. Most pro-democratic funding does come from America and Europe. Dropping him like a hot potato was no surprise either. We don't want attention, and worse yet, with his fragile health, we don't want him to die in captivity. Besides, we can't treat him for his PTSD, bi-polar, or anything else he might have. Releasing him was the best solution for all parties involved.

The Law
No matter how ridiculous it may be, the law for reporting overnight visitors is very clear, and very serious. You're required to report overnight visitors with proper ID etc. at the ward or township offices because it's a risk. It's a way to deter harboring terrorists or rebels. Besides, anything can be a 'technicality' in a political case. If the government can outlaw an entire constitution, what is a small section of a law going to do?

The Trial
August is a hot political month for Myanmar. BBC reported that there were in-decisions within the leadership, the matter is not as simple as that. The historic 8.8.88 uprisings happened in August, which placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest to begin with. If the verdict was held anywhere near that date, the government had uprisings to worry about. A lot of twitter folks were surprised that she was found guilty. Do you really think they'd let her lose in the middle of a highly anticipated election? Were we surprised that she got it easy. The whole deal about clemency was the government's way of saying to the world: "We hear you, but we're not going to bend our ways just because you want them to. We still run our own country."

The Coverage
I was surprised to see BBC reporting live, having in-depth commentary and making it into their feature story. Folks online really didn't care until UK came online. That's the only reason why "Aung San Suu Kyi" became a trend on Twitter. It wasn't trending when the story initially broke because people were still getting out of their beds. UK is #2 country that use twitter most, with London (where a lot of activist organizations are headquartered) being the top city. I was expecting only a couple minutes on the headlines. I was disappointed however, that the Indian media almost missed it. It came on the headlines only after it became a popular news story, and only for the 15 second headline blip spot. I don't blame the TV producers for it, it was those dissidents who were in cities like Delhi or Kolkata who should've been more prepared. They should rely less on the west and start concentrating on having the message heard in the east and global south more -- especially in ASEAN nations. If any change is going to come, it needs to be with the help of these nations. We have the closest trade and diplomatic ties with them.

If you want to read more of my rants on Myanmar here's another post.

Use Social Media to Fight Plagarism and WIN!

2009-08-23T14:13:00.004+05:30

I wrote about plagiarism and how it is so common in the work place a couple of weeks ago. Sure enough there was another big story on the horizon. There's a very popular food blog in Delhi, Eat Out in Delhi that's run by Hemanshu Kumar. We've heard about it because we've read the reviews in Time Out Delhi. Being big foodies, we love reading, watching, and talking about food. I personally love the fact that the Delhi National Capital Region has more things available (which are even delivered to your doorstep).

The story of plagiarizing EOiD blog started with a classic Indian outsource scheme. SpiceJet outsources its content needs of their in flight magazine, Spice Route to Maxposure, which then outsourced it to Hirak Gautam, who is a freelance writer, who happens to be a 'chef' at a Delhi hotel (I'm assuming it has some stars). The supposed author, instead of doing his own homework searches reviews on Google (or directly went to EOiD site) and manufactured his own version of reviews, et voila, there's an article made! Easy right? After all, what are the chances of people reading 'print' on a flight reading 'online' articles or blog posts?

Last week, a regular reader of EOiD found the article on Spice Route. It was practically copy-pasted from the EOiD blog, without credit to Hemanshu or EOiD. The reader then took a picture and informed Hemanshu. He posted the story on EOiD and there was an immediate out cry in the Indian twitterverse. With comments going up on EOiD post about the case. Hirak Gautam, the so-called "author" was forced to set up his own Twitter account and reply for his mistake. The excuse? He was on a deadline. A representative from Maxposure also commented on the EOiD post saying, "strict action will be taken on this issue". The next day, Mail Today published a story on EOiD about the SpiceJet fiasco. According to the article, Hemanshu is demanding compensation and a published apology. You can read more about the story here.

We were all excited and spoke about the case extensively at the Gurgaon tweet up last night. We were more excited because we watched the story happen and tweet and spoke about it to our online friends, and twitter followings, in a sense we WERE part of the story and community.

The three lessons I take from this sorry mess:
1. Plagiarism gives freelancers a bad name. It gives India a bad name. It gives outsourcing a bad name. There's a lot of talented writers, chefs, and Indians out there and they all write their own original pieces. Not everyone is a horrible lazy writer (aka douchebag). If you are, you should change your profession -- I don't care if you're a kickass chef with connections. You should just remain a chef. (No offense to my kickass friend chefs who write their own pieces, you know who you are.)

2. Editors in India need to be proactive. Spice Route does have editors ya? What were they doing? Don't they check facts or check the copy? Stop being cozy in your 9 to 5 job and start checking the damn copy for real. You're as accountable as the guy who copied it. The article would've never gone to print if the so-called editors were doing their job. There IS a "job" attached to the title you know. (Frankly, I'm surprised that EOiD was as polite and peaceful as they've been in handling this. If it happened in my friend circle, the people/companies involved would've been flamed, torched, and burned left and right.)

3. Things can change, they have. And yes we can! As consumers of social media, it is our job to inform the community when we spot stuff. If the reader who was on the plane didn't inform EOiD, the story would've never gotten out. We can use the power of social media to improve our world.

Jeanne said last night that, "As consumers of social media, we shouldn't be tweeting for tweet sake but help bring about awareness and change." This is what open web should be doing.

We're still waiting on how this story is going to resolve itself. The ball is in Maxposure/SpiceJet's court now. Keep your eye on @eoid for updates.

Photo by: Rebecca Jackson

What makes your readers click through?

2009-08-11T08:30:00.000+05:30

Reading the Newsweek article about a study on how being right handed or left handed affect our decision making process had me thinking about placing buttons and links on a website so people click. There is a reason why people click on certain links and not others. Take a moment and think of those annoying pop-up ads. Have you ever clicked them by accident then realize a moment later and go, "DOH!" -- that's when your brain automatically takes over because you're so used to clicking certain messages on your computer. Of course, the word that you're linking counts, too. Read this Copyblogger post to know more about that.

When I took over the newsletter department for a job, increasing clicks was one of the biggest challenges. I had been managing blogs and knew nothing about email marketing. Our boss wanted a huge increase in clicks, my immediate boss, a veteran in the industry thought it was near impossible. Both of our jobs were on the line. I had a theory that colors played an important role in click psychology, not just words. For the demographic I was working with it was easy to know what colors will get most amount of clicks, all I had to do was look at magazines like Martha Stewart Living. Proving my theory to both my bosses was another challenge. Working with a legacy template, I had to literally cajole tech to track individual links so we knew what each link was doing. Or else we would be flying blind for any changes done to the template, no matter how subtle it seems to the end user. I went under the radar, hand coded each newsletter, stripped legacy junk coding that got the email stuck in filters. Sometimes you have to fly under radar to get the job done.

Once the figures came in though everyone was happy. Clicks increased, some weeks better than others but it was an upward slope. Eye balls and clicks means dollar signs in Internet marketing. Your content writer or web editor should be aware of what's going to bring in clicks and more visitors whether you're writing a web copy, email copy, or a simple blogpost. And if they make it work, they can not just recover the cost of your email marketing operations but can literally float their own salaries.

Same thing goes with social media buttons, where are you placing them so that you get more tweets, bookmarks, and eventually more traffic? Is it on the right hand side or left hand side? Bottom of the post or the top, or both? Are the colors, font, and images recognizable or is it becoming noise to the reader? Think carefully but don't put buttons everywhere and over do it. Sometimes too many buttons and too many ads can be a turn off.

Photo by: Jared

Blog Management: Managing Comments Pt. 2

2009-08-10T21:06:00.001+05:30

Comment management tools help you save time and weed out spam comments and spam trackbacks. Some tools also help you promote your blog across multiple sites like Twitter, Facebook, etc. They help you verify the identity of the person who comments by having them log in through OpenID or Google. If you don't already have comment management system on your blog and you're thinking of installing one, you should keep the following in mind when you're choosing a system.
1. Make sure you're familiar with the system because you're going to be the one handling it, unless a site admin does it for you.
2. See if the company you're going for is going to be there for a while and not shutdown shop a couple of months down the line.
3. If you're satisfied with the system that comes with the blogging platform you have, you don't really have to change. Just because everyone is doing it doesn't mean you have to do it, too.

Having said all that, if you want to still put them in your blog, here are the five tools that will help you manage your conversations. First thing I did was to check them against each other so that I know how popular they are. Here's a snap shot of what the figures say:I encourage you to check their sites and play around before you change your blog. Don't forget to back up your blog before you change things!

1. Disqus
I use Disqus to manage comments on this blog. According to Compete.com it's the most popular tool compared to the other four. It had a steady incline in traffic and seems to be doing very well. It works on most blogging platforms and it didn't take a lot of tech skills to get it installed on this blog. I like the fact that you can integrate a lot of services like Facebook Connect, OpenID etc. It gives my users a lot of options as to where they want to login or not and comment.

2. JS Kit
I found JS Kit through Jeanne's blog actually. It had a lot of visitors a couple of months back but it seems the traffic has decreased. Just like Disqus, you can login using your OpenID, or Twitter account to comment. It's tied up with one of the biggest blogger networks: Blog Catalog - which can explain why it's so popular.

3. BackType
I was really surprised that BackType isn't doing so well. I heard about it from Robert Scoble. I think the reason they're not getting a lot of visitors is because they're not compatible with platforms like Blogspot. I think BackType's developers are working on it though. Blogspot users tend to be folks who have been blogging for a long time, and those who focus on content rather than the bells and whistles of coding.

4. IntenseDebate
I've seen IntenseDebate here and there but mostly on Wordpress blogs. Besides the usual features of a good comment management tool, the have a neat little voting system so that the best comments are moved to the top. I thought that was interesting. Who wants to read 20 comments if you can just read the top best ones right?

5. coComment
I used to use coComment when I had to track a lot of blogs/personalities. It was the only management tool that I used then. Frankly, I'm surprised and disappointed that they're traffic isn't anywhere near Disqus -- but that can change depending on what kind of services that they're incorporating in the future.

Photo by: massdistraction

Tools for Your Blog: Managing Comments Pt. 1

2009-08-10T14:00:00.000+05:30

Comments and conversations are the building blocks of social media. They happen on any site you logon. They happen on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. They used to happen as IRC, forums, MySpace comments, and blog comments. It's the way people interact, share stories, have flame wars, introduce themselves, meet new people -- and generate ideas. Conversations also build community, reputations, brands, and spread awareness of whatever that you're doing or promoting.

Comments are an integral part of any blog no matter where the conversation happens. Most of the conversation on this blog happens on Facebook and Twitter. No matter where your conversation ends up happening, the starting point is always your blog.

If you're thinking of starting off in building a community around your blog, here are 8 Steps to Growing Your Blog Community one Person at a Time by Ben Yoskovitz. It's an old post written even before MyBlogLog was bought by Yahoo. But the principles still hold true and you can apply them for Facebook, or Google. Fast forward to the Twitter age -- we still need conversations despite having them in 140 characters or less at a time. So how do we plug into the stream of conscious with all these sites and all these conversations happening at the same time? What if we don't have time to manage an influx of spam comments? Simple: get a comment management tool.

I was going to write just one post on this but there's a lot of topics to explore. Next up is, which blog comment management tool you should be using. Stay tuned.

Photo: Scott Beale / Laughing Squid

Online Reputation Management Service RapLeaf Changes Features

2009-08-08T10:46:00.007+05:30

When I checked my email this morning, I got an email from RapLeaf saying that they're phasing out one of their features on the 17th "due to low demand". They gave me an option to opt-out.

RapLeaf started out as a personal online reputation management tool and evolved into a service that gets information about people on the web for businesses and consumers. I signed on it reluctantly in June, 2008 because I didn't really have a choice -- they had my information up already without my permission. After I "claimed" my profile, I forgot about them until today. My first impression was that they were a bogus company since they just copied my information on LinkedIn.
I don't really like seeing my info up without my permission. These days it's pretty easy for a company to get or make a program that traverses the Internet and use it in their own service.

By December, 2008 RapLeaf changed their policy but my initial opinion of them remained, even though they had great press. Maybe a lot of folks who heard about them came through them the same way, maybe this is the cause of their low demand. It can also be that a lot of people are satisfied with having just a LinkedIn profile. Having a lot of profiles can be taxing on time and energy. If the user doesn't find a need to use the service, most likely they won't bother using it or even put up a profile on it.

New web services need to start thinking about harnessing people's profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter and provide additional tools. It is crucial that the user understands a need or else it'll just be another clone site. Which tools do you use to manage your online identity, profiles, and reputation? Why do you stick with them?

12 Ways to Combat Twitter Withdrawal

2009-08-07T01:33:00.003+05:30

Twitter is down, slow, or not working and you're starting to get the jitters, twitches, or go New York on everyone you see...

Take a DEEP breath. Inhale all the way and exhale slowly through your mouth.

Calm down, it's not the end of the world. Here's what you can do to combat your Twitter withdrawal. Feel free to use one, all or just some of these tips, in any order that suits you.

1. Pick up a phone and talk to a friend. Maybe someone you haven't spoken to in ages.

2. Walk the dog or pet the cat. (You can talk to them too but they'd probably be thinking, "Oh no, there she goes again about Twitter.") If the dog sighs, I suggest you change the topic. The cat might just run away or wag his tail slowly, in anticipation of the end of the conversation.

3. Open a window or door and look at the sky.

4. Play on your PSP, Wii, or an iPod game.

5. Get to your record or CD collection and play something old. Remember that song you always listened to in high school? They didn't have Twitter then. (@epandu: not for you, since you tweet FROM school. Go do your homework or pay attention to the teacher.)

6. Cook yourself or your love something, even if it's just eggs and beacon. He'd still appreciate it. Or bake a cookie, she'd really love that.

7. Talk to your roommates (Even if they don't live on Twitter, they're people, too.)

8. Watch TV. It's ok, you don't have to tweet about it. Don't cheat and look for news about Twitter either.

9. Go out to a movie. You don't need to tweet about that either.

10. Buy yourself a little present like a box of chocolates or a new pair of pants. You'd be helping the economy anyway.

11. Read a book, newspaper, or a magazine -- anything on paper -- even the ingredient listings on cereal boxes would do.

12. Write something, a haiku, free write, describe your cubicle, room, computer etc. Remember that screenplay, treatment, article, or letter you always wanted to write but didn't have the time? Explore writing that is not bound by 140 characters.

Bonus: Write a blog post about how you combat Twitter withdrawals and share it with the world by linking to this post. ^_^!

Photo by: srqpix

Dealing with Dirty Cops in India

2009-08-06T09:20:00.001+05:30

It's a big coincidence that BBC broke the story on police brutality in India yesterday morning because I was going to write about my experiences with them the day before. It's not news that police in India are corrupt. Offenses go from asking small bribes such as “chai money” to beating people and killing them. While it's understandable that police harass and ask for bribes because they're not paid properly, it is still annoying to the general public.

I would've let it go if it was a one time case but this is the second time the police picked on my driver. First off, I don't really have a great opinion of the police force in India. The only people I respect are the ones who are higher up officers – because they believe in justice and getting the perps to face consequences. I've also seen them in action on a stake out so I know how they behave. I've heard so many stories of what cops do to get bribes and have personally witnessed such things. It's really ugly and disgusting.

Since it was Tuesday, most of the markets and shopping centers in Gurgaon were closed. There wasn't much traffic on the street. I went to Galleria Market to run some errands and told the driver to pick me up after an hour. I called him up after I was done when I got to our pre-arranged pick-up spot. He said he was coming but I didn't see him at all, so I started walking the block and kept an eye out. In the distance, I saw a white car that looked like the car we came in and two cops surrounding it. Now, my eyes are not in a great condition – due to the over use of electronics such as the computer, iPods and PSP, I can't really see that far. And since my pup chewed both of my glasses, my eyes seemed to be working fine until two days ago. As I approached the car, I saw that it is really our driver and the cops are really talking to him. The driver was behind the steering wheel calling the guy who runs our car service.

Our driver happens to look Asian because he's from Sikkim a state in the Northeast part of India. We like him because he's on time, prompt and knows where he's going most of the time. If he doesn't he'd check with the guy who runs the service. We like this service because it's very efficient, and we have a great deal with them. They'd replace the car if the AC's not working, they get you to the place you need to go on time, and they're available for pick-ups and drops at odd hours like 1 am for the airport etc. The guy who runs it is flexible and it's pretty much a two men operation with two cars or so. They both don't speak much English but we get by. I like the driver because he's aware of security issues, protective and can maneuver out of bad situations. (More on that later.)

I immediately looked at the cops – a skinny tall one and a fat short one. I recognized the skinny cop with khaki uniform because he tried picking on us last week until I came out of the ATM and asked him whether I can help him. He said something about parking and let us go. This time again, I asked them what the matter was. One cop said he was on the cell phone, another said, it's because it's a no-parking area. The skinny one scrammed immediately right after that. I guess he realized it's no use dealing with me. He also had his name tag on his uniform. I tried reading it and tried memorizing it. The fat short cop, also in khaki didn't have a tag. He seemed like he wanted some money out of this deal and told me to sit in the car. I sat, put the bags that I was carrying away and assessed the situation. The fat cop then got into shot gun position and we drove three feet down the road where other cops where sitting.

There were two cops in khaki on a Gypsy (great little jeep car that's used mostly by police and government officials) and two traffic cops on plastic chairs in front of the Gypsy. I knew that already because I just passed by them. The fat cop got out and handed the papers to the traffic police. You can tell they're traffic police because they wear white and blue uniforms. I called Will at home and spoke to him about the situation. I just wanted to be on the phone and talk to someone about it. He asked me if I wanted him to come down to Galleria. I was a bit alarmed because this is new territory for me. I've heard enough horror stories of Gurgaon cops. At least officers in West Bengal spoke English. I told him that it was not necessary and that I'll be calling my lawyer friend soon. I got out of the car while I was still on the phone and walked over to the traffic police. I got off the phone, I lifted my sun glasses and told them, in English that he was on the phone because he's picking me up. I told them that I just passed by them and that they did see me. (I know they were watching me because I look like a foreigner. Nobody wears all black in India, especially not tourists.) Besides, people stare at people all the time here, especially if you're a woman and obviously a foreigner or worse yet, you're white. One of the traffic cops on the chair mumbled something about parking and looked at the papers. I looked at the cops on the Gypsy and they didn't seem to care about what's going on in front of them. Only the fat cop seemed eager to squeeze something out of the situation.

I walked back to the car to get my lawyer friend's number and called her up. She's handled mostly human trafficking cases but she's familiar with dealing with the police and procedures. I walked back in front of the cops while I was on the phone again. I spoke to my friend about the situation, and told her in front of them what has been happening. I made sure they heard me even though the conversation was all in English. The fat cop looked up, worried. Then they let us go, my driver called and I was back in the car as she was telling me what to ask for from the cops if they asked for money. They didn't even get to that part and let us go. By that point I told her that we're on the way and that they've let us go because I've been stern and have been on the phone a number of times. I also told her that this might be racially motivated since the driver is Asian and this is a second time we've been stopped in the same area. Indians are very race conscious and if you're white or Asian you tend to stand out.

My friend said that if they ever asked for money, ask for a slip or receipt of some sort. Tell them that you're willing to pay the fine but you're not willing to pay through illegal means – that you'll pay through the proper channels. She also told me to learn Hindi fast so I can yell at them properly. It's just another day dealing with dirty cops as far as I'm concerned. But it's a widespread and well known problem. What the Naureen Shah from Human Rights Watch said was right, India needs reforms for its police forces if they want to be a proper “democracy” and properly modernize the country.

Photo by: mvcorks

What Customer Care 2.0 Should Be

2009-07-23T18:00:00.000+05:30

I have a bad habit of typing whatever there is on my head on Twitter. I'm not as 'chatty' in real life as I am online. If you know me, you know that I'm actually a quiet person. I don't talk much. I spoke very late in life, so late that my mother thought I was a mute kid. This week I've been rambling off about my wishes on Disqus, and a new TV commercial of Sula Wines. I actually said something bad about Sula Wines. I thought no one was listening. @sulawines immediately replied and said that I should try their premium wines. If they didn't call me on it I wouldn't know that they had premium wines. I'm willing to try it out now even though I haven't liked their older wines. Some of my expat friends drink Sula. I just haven't developed a taste for it but their new line might make me change my mind.

As for Disqus, there was something wrong with the connection and a comment got posted twice. I wanted to delete it. It was more of a wish to be able to delete your own comment than a complaint. It was cool that @disqus got back to me immediately. I'm so used to complaining about Airtel or electricity that I didn't expect reaction from the Twitterverse. They were both nice pleasant surprises. Now I just wish more companies, especially from India are on Twitter and are listening. It can boost their brands to another level and gain not just customers but brand ambassadors as well.

Airtel are you listening? Stay tuned for my next post on my Airtel nightmare experience.

Graphic by: Ben Sheldon

Reading Newspapers - A Lost Art in America?

2009-07-23T15:58:00.007+05:30

I watched Obama's inauguration with two American friends in Kolkata. I think we watched it on BBC because we didn't like the commentary on CNN or something. All of a sudden, the news presenter mentioned Howard Dean. Both of my friends passively asked, "Who's Howard Dean?" Shocked, I stared at them for a moment and asked with my accusatory tone, "You don't know who Howard Dean is?" I didn't wait for their response, "He's the chairman of the DNC, which is like the governing committee for the Democrats."

"Well how are we supposed to know that!" was my friend's reply. Then she said, "We have three people here and the only person who knew about Howard Dean is a non-American. That just tells you how much we know about our country..." Sometimes it is true that people outside America know more about what's happening in America than the average American. We often joked about how rickshaw wallas in India read newspapers everyday and knows what's happening around the world. For some taxi drivers in Kolkata, they make it a habit. Even if they can't read in English they'd read the newspaper in Bengali. There would be boards on the street with papers posted so that people who pass by or folks who can't afford them can read. Usually these are posted by party cadre of a particular ward.

For those taxi drivers who can, they would read the paper in English. In the beginning it surprised me to see an English paper in a cab, but later it became almost a norm. It's also one of the ways I can identify whether the taxi driver is from West Bengal or new from Bihar -- a state in North India that has the most migrant workers. Never mind how accurate or not the paper is, what matters to them is that they learn how to read, practice their English, and are in constant contact with the world at large.

I made my dad subscribe to New York Times and the Nation when I was in high school. It was one of those things I just had to do as a nerdy, goodie-two-shoe student council kid. But my paper reading habits have been really bad since I left New York (and I'm no longer 'goodie-two-shoe'). I have a feeling my attention span is also shorter -- thanks to social media. I still read NYTimes, but it's all online. I'm trying to get back into the habit of reading newspapers but it's been tough. We subscribe to two papers here -- Times of India (which I don't really like but it has Soduku, and a relatively reliable schedule for movies), and Economic Times (because that's the only paper that seems to edit their stories, and it has Dilbert and the exchange rates). I'd also recommend Hindustan Times. I'm more into magazines because I like the style of writing. I prefer in-debth coverage to run of the mill regurgitated press releases. I've heard more than once from folks who write press releases of how "journalists are lazy" -- well you should come here and really see to what extent it can get. Case in point: a recent coverage of the American in Delhi blog. The reporter almost copy-pasted an entire post and did no leg work. She wrote whatever it is that she found on that blog. The blog isn't hard to find, it's #1 on Google for... you guessed it: "american in delhi".

As of April this year, according to New York Times, circulation numbers have been dropping in America. It's because of budget cuts and the fact that people are moving online to read papers. One thing about online reading though is it's up to the user. They'd choose which sections to see via email or RSS feed and completely disregard other sections. News is more funneled and gets viewed only when it becomes popular. It's up to to the user now to figure out to what extent they want to know about the world. So if you just follow popular celebrity news, you might be an expert on Michael Jackson but won't know what the heck ASEAN is or even think Burma is a province of China. (Oh believe me, I've come across those people more than once.)

I don't blame them. I don't usually get mad either, I just find it funny. Occasionally I'd retort, "Well, it's almost like a province of China." (But that's an inside foreign policy joke.) I also have my own weaknesses -- just because I know who Howard Dean is doesn't mean I know every famous or semi-famous American. I don't know all the governors in all the states. I also wouldn't be able to identify American Idol contestants or winners. An average American might be able to identify Linsay Lohan from a mile away. I wouldn't, whether she's naked, clothed, running, walking, sober or high. I can't even spell her name right the first time.

What about you? Do you still read physical newspapers or does your life revolve completely around the Internet?

Photo by: DRB62

What's the Meaning of a Solar Eclipse In Burma?

2009-07-22T04:00:00.000+05:30

Bad luck. Burmese society is extremely superstitious. Folks take unusual disturbances in nature or heavenly objects to be 'a sign'. Historically, it's always been bad. Take 1988, there was a solar eclipse in March. Elders often talk of the fact that the eclipse was some how a warning for the 1988 uprising and bloodshed. From then onwards, the country became pretty much isolated from the world. There's not a lot of stuff written online about Burmese culture and solar eclipses but I found this Burma forecast from an astrologer. Astrology is a BIG DEAL in Myanmar. Children are named according to the day that they were born and their characteristics determined. Star charts and various rituals are preformed for almost every phase of life. The people who rule the government are extremely religious and adhere to strict rituals as well.

When Cyclone Nargis hit, it coincided with the voting for the national referendum on the new Constitution. Rumors spread throughout the nation that it was "god's punishment" or disapproval. People often joke amidst the destruction on how even the storm wanted to vote for "their election". Miraculously however, there was a 99% vote on the approval of the referendum.

In a couple of hours there will be another solar eclipse -- an eclipse you can see from Myanmar but not Thailand. In two days time on July 24th, the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's verdict is supposed to be heard in court. Fascinating coincidences that we'll just have to brace ourselves and see what happens.

Spymaster: New Twist to Flames & Cyber Bullies?

2009-07-21T21:56:00.011+05:30

Spymaster is the latest sensational Twitter game that was just recently launched on Facebook as well. Ben Parr wrote on Mashable that, "Spymaster has become the standard in Twitter games." I got invited a while ago from one of the people I was following on Twitter. I didn't get around to try it out until yesterday. I loved the interface, the premise, and the connections that I can make to my friends. By this morning I was hooked. Just like I get into World of Warcraft or Westnoth (the open source, turn-based, tactical strategy game) I started carrying out espionage tasks as much as I could.

I left my Twitter followers alone though. I figured there would be a ton of auto-tweets and messages if I played it. I know to what point my obsession can run with RPGs. (And no, I'm not too old to be playing games, thank you.) I lucked out that the Facebook invasion was launched last week. My Facebook posse (though weaker spy ring) is more tolerant with game messages since they also play games. They're also friends who I've met, who can control what they see as opposed to the Twitter crowd who I talk to mostly for professional exchange of ideas.

So today I explored other parts of the Spymaster universe. I read the Directorate's blog and signed myself to the Spymaster Fan site, which is using the Ning custom social network platform. There's also a Spymaster Fan group on Facebook if you want to network with other spymasters.

What I saw in the forums at the Spymaster Fan site didn't surprise me. There was a woman who said she'd be quitting because another spy master had been assassinating her, winning, and getting her assets. She equated her losses to be a case of harassment and bullying. Those who replied to her SOS post (including me) wanted to gang up on the fellow and assassinate him in return. After all, making and helping allies is a part of the game.

Apparently picking on certain spy masters as target to be assassinated on a schedule is used by some as game strategy. It's not a bad game strategy, but it's a boring strategy. It takes the fun out of the game. I've picked on lower level newbies from time to time but never the same target. That's just really really boring. Plus we have the whole of Twitter and Facebook universe to explore, which means two hundred million or so potential spy masters are out there.

While it's not really nice to be picking on just one person because you know the odds are in your favor, it's not really the case of cyber bulling either. Cyber bully implies that you don't really have any choice and you're psychologically attacked. Here you have groups to turn to for help and other spy masters who are willing to help you. It's also the premise of the game. After all being a spy means you'd be at risk for assassinations and psychological warfare. You should also know that you've already agreed to notifications etc.

Here's a screen shot of the 'dossier' of the spy master who had been attacking the woman spy master. Judging from the messages, it has both the 'assassin' and the 'victim'. And maybe other spy masters as well.

In dossiers screen names don't come up like regular messaging boards because they're not supposed to be a wall or a messaging center. It's a heated discussion. There will be more heated discussions over wins and losses. And there will be wars between groups. I'm interested to see addition of new spy group affiliations other than the Russian, CIA, and MI6. Personally I'd like to see Mossad and RAW (Research and Analysis Wing - India).

As to controlling cyber bullies on Spymaster, ground rules should probably be developed. In certain games there would be ground rules or pre-defined system settings. But this is a spy game -- you ARE supposed to be killing each other. Maybe people are taking their role playing too seriously. (Another thing that is so common in RPGs or MMORPGs.) Maybe Spymaster should develop algorithms or "cooling off periods" in place for spy masters. What's your take on this?

P.S. If you are playing the game you can add me to your spy ring by sending me a friend request on Facebook. Send the message "Spymaster" along with your request. If you're on the Fan site, you can go ahead and add me as a friend. If you're in the CIA, you can join this group. ^_^!

Update: Here's a great post on Spymaster and why people play it. You'll understand more.

Photo by: Whiskeygonebad

Plagiarim: a National Pastime?

2009-07-20T10:44:00.007+05:30

Bad writing is one thing, straight off plagiarism is another. I'm really tired of seeing this happen over and over, especially in India. And just because you give the person credit as a name doesn't mean you have the permission of that person to post it. You need EXPLICIT PERMISSION or some sort of an agreed license like the ones from Creative Commons.

Here's a bad case of copy-pasting that I came across recently:

On July 17th, a twitter by the name of @ruplal sent me a message a brand new site to take a look. The site was: http://kolkatatech.com. I think I had been tweeting about my concerns of riots in Kolkata and how work would be interrupted that day. A lot to my friends are in Kolkata, a portion of that friend circle is in tech. I checked the site, which happened to be a blog that doesn't seem to be proof read. Indian English is fine, and typical, but then I saw a familiar name: Angsuman Chakraborty -- an acquaintance who runs a company in Kolkata. We've met a couple of times at BarCamp and other tech network/unconferences. I thought, well, it's about time someone starts writing about the Kolkata tech scene since it badly needs to start moving and growing.

I thought Angsuman was starting a new blog, but it was very unlike him since his core audience is not really Kolkata. He wouldn't limit himself for just Kolkata. (It's not economically viable.) I checked the other posts and it seems the blogger(s) has been "borrowing" content from other folks. I thought, maybe it's a syndicated blog of some kind. I sent @ruplal a message, checked profiles on LinkedIn of the co-founders of the site. And checked back with @augsuman on Twitter. I asked him whether it was a new site he was putting up or just random copy-pasting. I really didn't think it was. Angsuman replied this morning that it actually was a copy-pasting job using his name on a post about Google Chrome.

I wasn't surprised but I was a bit disconcerted -- 'pissed off' might be the term. Copy-pasting happens ALL THE TIME in India. I've seen a very unethical boss do it, colleagues do it, I see it on blogs again and again. There are instances where I've refused candidates to join my team after evidence of plagiarism in their sample writing. It's a sin that has no redemption. It gives India a bad name. It gives writers in India an even worse name. Plagiarism might not get you in court in India, but you're still breaking international law. If morals and ethics don't appeal to you, as a blogger you should know that Google will penalize the blog for duplicate content -- it will hurt you in the end. If you don't have the time, resources, or talent don't bother running a site.

Have you seen cases of copy-pasting and plagiarism? Do you confront it or just ignore it because it's so common?

Photo by: Esther_G

Google will follow your link from here!

2009-07-18T14:28:00.008+05:30

I've been a big fan of the 'Do-Follow movement' since I found out about it on the Instigator Blog back in 2007. Back then I wasn't able to concentrate on my own blog or personal projects so I haven't made any tweaks to any of the blogs that I was running. Now I have the time so I'm changing a couple of things on this blog. You'll probably notice that this blog has been undergoing some design changes. All the major design changes should be finished by Monday. But I'll still keep tweaking things here and there, but hey, that's just the way I am.

Just because I'm a Do-Follow blogger doesn't mean I don't have some sort of policy. It's pretty simple, there are three rules to you commenting on my blog:
1. If you comment and leave a link to your blog, Google bots will come from my blog to yours. (If you leave interesting comments, people will come too.)
2. I will check comments on a regular basis and yours will be deleted if you're spamming me.
3. Grow some balls and use a proper user name if you're commenting. Anonymous commenting is allowed but discouraged.

Now that the air is clear, let's get back on track:
The Do-Follow movement have taken off to a whole new level these days. It was started by Randa Clay design where you'll find great buttons to add to your blog. It doesn't matter whether you blog with Blogspot, Wordpress, or Typepad. Check out her post and you'll find guidelines for your platform. Plus you can get great buttons there.

Do-Follow blogs now have their own directories, in case you want to talk to fellow do-follow bloggers. You can either find them on DoFollowBlogs.com, the Follow List, or Blogs That Follow directories.

Of course, the Do-Follow blogs are on Twitter too. Read this post by I.C. Jackson. Tag your tweets with #ucif and the Do-Follow bloggers will take notice.

Keep in mind, do-follow bloggers aren't a bunch of wussies afraid to kick your butt if you abuse the system. Read this Dosh Dosh post so you get a couple of ideas to get you started on how to go about commenting.

And don't forget to have fun. If you want the graphic post it note, you can download it here. It's modified from Peter's Post It Note under Creative Commons' Attribution-NonCommercial Share Alike License. Happy commenting!

Twitter Combats ID-squatting but is it enough?

2009-07-16T10:13:00.006+05:30

Any of us who use Twitter on a daily basis who get bogus followers and femmebots know what a pain in the butt fake profiles can be. On June 6th, Twitter announced on their blog about the Twitter verification process. It seems they've been moving through the celebrity tweeple for now because I saw it as I was checking out @wilw's twitter profile. (If you don't know who Wil Wheaton is, he's the actor who played the doctor's kid, who became an ensign on Star Trek Next Generation series.) I checked some other personalities like @WilliamShatner and his account was verified, too. I think they're moving through the twitter elite first before the program it's available to us mortals. If it's ever available.

With hacks, security lapses, and impersonations galore, folks will want to be verified. For people who work and live online, our identities are priceless. We take years building up profiles. Our accounts, data, and networks are very important to us. Brands or even fake personalities like Bruno wouldn't be able to market and pull off campaigns if there were others hijacking or using the names. ID-squatting can not just damage reputations but can lead to financial losses.

I use OpenID via ClaimID but it takes a while for an average user to figure out the system. Steve Rubel calls it "geeky". Right now, there's no real unifying process across all social networks unless it's passing info to that specific social network. New apps pop up every day and new sites come online. The average Joes and Janes are moving onto social networks to interact with friends and family. They're not going to think twice about protecting themselves online.

Privacy is an after thought, no one really looks for that little button that limits views of your profile. Case in point: Facebook and MI6: MI6 chief's wife posted family photos and details of their home. For ordinary people, that's a simple fun thing to do online. Everyone does it. But for an MI6 chief, it can be life threatening. Same thing goes for diplomats. And diplomats' wives do blog, if you know where to look or who to look for.

Social networks are moving so fast and becoming popular that governments, and companies can hardly keep up. There are no manuals on how to protect your online identity or even awareness campaigns on why we need to protect our IDs. We're also not developing tools fast enough to combat this problem. Once a system is in place, there will be less femmebots, fake profiles, and spammers. Just like ISPs and email marketers have come up with strong systems to block and punish those who abuse the system, there has to be a way to control it in the social media arena.

There has to be a balance, to let people have fun while protecting their privacy. What are your thoughts?