Lets talk...

ROI or Engagement: Priority in Social Media

2011-03-15T04:30:00.000-07:00

If you think social media marketing is just another form of marketing, then you are missing out on a great deal! Social media marketing is here to stay, because it is the best platform to build brand identity and create brand loyalty. All roads lead to ROI and that is what business houses see in social media marketing. To determine whether ROI shall be the sole priority of social media marketing or extensive Engagement is the key to its success, remains still a concern with most businesses.

Every social media campaign has direct effect on your ROI (Return on Investment). The real intention of being social on social media is to make maximum use of your network and drive in revenue. It is about getting (financial) returns on every effort, which can only be the growth in sales and business revenue. To make every penny count, you have to work on your social engagement metrics.

Social Media Engagement is intricately related to ROI. It paves way for businesses to get closer to the target consumers, convert them to leads, and track conversion rate for their goals. Be it Twitter, Facebook, Buzz, MySpace or Linkedin, engagement level must be high as nothing convinces consumers better than real-time interaction. Product marketing, feasible promises, creating brand awareness, solving queries, and resolving disputes…the more active a business is on social media platforms, better is the chance of getting maximum ROI. E-mail campaigns, social media optimization, unique landing pages, and promotional coupons are some of numerous ways to engage users and generate leads.

To decide what is more important, ROI or Engagement is a Chicken and Egg situation. The priority must be ‘Revenue’ and the only way to get it is by practicing profitable consumer interaction.

Adobe AIR for iOS Development

2011-02-01T03:04:00.000-08:00

Apple’s decision to lift restriction on third-party development tools has paved way for some notable changes in the world of iPhone application development. To start with, an alternative way of developing iPhone apps without having to write the code from scratch. As developers around the world rejoiced the decision, Packager apps came up with its package of promises. Adobe AIR Development Services is one such third party development tool, which has caught attention of many iPhone developers and with acceptance of Adobe’s Packager for iPhone, things have started to look brighter for flash developers. Before we discuss why Adobe Air is the next big thing for iPhone development, let us get acquainted with Adobe Air and Packager for iPhone.

“AIR, also known as Adobe Integrated Runtime, is a cross-operating system runtime that allows developers to use their existing web development skills to build and deploy Rich Internet Applications to the desktop.” And, Packager for iPhone is an important feature of Adobe Flash Professional CSS Software and AIR. It has enabled Flash developers to build and test iPhone Applications. This feature has enabled developers to reuse the existing codes written for ActionScript 3 real fast and efficiently. Then these codes are used to create native applications for iPhone. This means, now all your Flash applications can be converted to iPhone apps without having to write it from scratch. So, once the app is created, all you have to do is get it approved by Apple and put it on Apple Store!

These AIR applications are available for wide range of iOS devices including iPhone and iPad. AIR 2.5 has gone a step further to work for platforms compatible with Flash. This includes BlackBerry (Tablet), Android, and television. It will also work for accelerometers, cameras, microphones and more. However, Flash is not yet available for mobile browsers. Which means, you cannot run Flash content on your iPhone. It only allows iOS apps to be converted from Flash. It is going to be quite some time before you browse YouTube from your iPhone. Adobe is working with its industry partners to enable web browsing using Flash and run complete apps on AIR.

Adobe Air for iOS Development comes with its own set of advantages. Some of them are as follows:

Automatic Updating: AIR comes with a brilliant feature like automatic updating of application whenever a user comes online.

AIR enables the user to load, save application and related data on the computer itself.

AIR has a notification system that allows two AIR applications running on the same system to communicate with each other.

The SQL databases embedded into it can store all information locally.

AIR supports Flash Player and it is but normal that AIR has rich support for multimedia, Vector animation, and Audio.

If your aim is to create interactive and rich applications, Adobe AIR is one of the best possible choices to build the same.

Adobe Air for iOS Development has made the process of iPhone Application Development Services more interesting and fun for Flash Developers having already stepped into the world of Apple.

Top Software Technology for 2011

2011-01-23T23:11:00.000-08:00

Like every year, the world is ready to welcome the new software technologies yet another time. The Top software technologies for 2011 are not only expected to add edge to your business process but also influence lives to a great deal. As some business and software experts are predicting, this is going to be a year for small and mid-sized businesses. It will be for them to survive and flourish this year. The Top technology trends for 2011 will also be considered by small and big organizations for strategic planning of their business. Here is a compiled list of new technologies to watch out for this year.

Top Software Technologies for 2011:

Cloud Computing: This is going to be a year for ‘Cloud’. Atleast that’s what Gartner says. Cloud Software Technology, which not only cuts down on cost but also is also connectable via various hardware devices. According to the industry experts, it is going to be the year of varied range of cloud computing services. It will the year of vendors providing ‘packaged private cloud implementations’ that will implement their software technologies into the consumer’s enterprise. There will also be service providers who will provide management services for cloud service implementation. According to Gartner, by 2012 there will be enterprises managing and outsourcing Cloud Computing Services.

Mobile Apps: Since, the beginning of it, we knew mobile applications are here to stay. With so many mobile handsets launched everyday and Smartphones capturing the market, mobile application stores are looking forward to do some good business this year. Mobile phones are becoming more of computers and mobile internet connection is really coming up with amazing bandwidth. From Apple to Android, this is the year for mobile application developers.

Social Networking and Communication: 2011 will be the year for businesses and enterprises to accommodate social networking websites to social collaboration and feedback tools to integrate in their applications. We know websites like Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Wikis, Blogs, Youtube and Flicker have gained much popularity with business organizations and this will be the year for them to use these sites to leverage their business.

Video: 2011 will be dominated by videos. According to Gartner, the coming years will see a considerable rise of videos as the popular form of content on business and enterprise websites. This will be a great year for offshore software companies providing media streaming services.

Business Intelligence: This is the year for enterprises to brush up and modify their business intelligence infrastructure. With Internet and web accessed even from the mobile phones, probably this is the time; business processes will shift to ‘Gen-Next Analytics’. This will include running simulations to predict the future outcome.

Social Analytics: To quote Gartner, “Social analytics describes the process of measuring, analyzing and interpreting the results of interactions and associations among people, topics and ideas. These interactions may occur on social software applications used in the workplace, in internally or externally facing communities or on the social web”. Well, so this is going to be the year of Social analysis techniques like social-network analysis, social filtering, and social-media analytics. This will also lead to a considerable increase in use of Social Analytic Tools to examine social structure.

Context-Aware Computing: The world is moving towards a context/consumer aware computing system, which will find a strong foothold in the year 2011. A system that will cater to unique needs of end users and provide services accordingly.

Storage Class Memory: 2011 will see the rise of storage class memory in various mobile, entertainment, and consumer devices. This will be a Flash memory, which will work even when the power is down or the system is rebooted. This memory will also be used in IT systems and for servers.

Hardware Options: This year is going to see a range of flexible hardware options for software requirements for managing systems.

Flex Development

2010-09-16T03:10:00.000-07:00

Rich Internet Applications have made web more interesting and when it comes to open source apps, which helps you to build flexible Internet applications, mention must be made of flex development. One of the most popular apps development solutions, Flex is the thing you need when your requirement is of a cross platform rich Internet application. RIA or Rich Internet Applications work as good as desktop applications with features like interactivity and flexibility. Flex is considered the best technology when it comes to development of RIAs. Flex has all the characteristics of Flash and thus, is highly graphics oriented. This is the reason why it works great for creating graphs, galleries, GIS features, and reports and other features for your website. Whether you want to build network solutions, audio and video apps, messaging solutions, custom solutions or CRM and ERPs, Flex development can make web development a richer experience for you.

Flex development is done using Flex SDK or Software development kit. You also need to have Adobe Flash Builder to work on Flex. Flex SDK has all the components required to build a Flex application. The SDK provides a class library, which further helps the Flex developer to create great user interface and superb functionalities. Flex development in India guarantees scalable, flexible, and reliable solutions that are totally customizable and can be re-designed in the future, according to varied requirements. Whether you want to develop an e-commerce portal or other web apps, Flex development services can always get you the desired solution.

The best part about Flex application is that it can be easily integrated with almost all the server side technologies. Whether it is Dot Net, Java, or PHP, you can always get smooth integration for your app. Moreover, there are also other advantages of Flex Development like reducing the use of unnecessary installations, increasing traffic, and sync between the audio and video features of a website. This is the reason why more and more enterprises are going for Flex to scale their website and business. Let’s have a look at some of the features of Flex 4 which makes Flex development the best choice for developing RIAs.

Advantages of using Flex 4:

Flex 4 can help you develop the most proficient and robust Rich Internet Applications for real low cost.
Flex 4 comes with an added feature, which is known as the Spark Architecture. This helps developers to work on the same platform with designers thus, making the development process more flexible and fast.
It supports CSS3 ad HTML5 thus adding to look and feel of the website.
The best part about Flex 4 is that it supports 3D animation. So indulge into as much multimedia effects as you want and have a great experience developing flex 3D animation website.
Flex 4 comes with its automated bug-testing feature and ensures that all bugs are eliminated in minimum time possible. This speeds up the entire development process thus reducing total operational cost.

If you are looking for a great web solution, do look for offshore Flex development companies as they can meet your requirements for real low costs. The best part about outsource Flex development is that you don’t even have to worry about a single thing from development of the project to testing to its delivery. When your need is of a robust, flexible, and scalable web solution, which is also great from its look and feel point of view, Flex is what you need.

iPhone Development

2010-09-06T04:46:00.000-07:00

Since its beginning in the year 2007, iPhone has carved out a huge market for iPhone development. Within 2 years of its launch, around 33 millions of iPhones were sold and over 225,000 iPhone apps were developed during a short span of time. With the launch of latest iPhone 4G, its sale has increased manifolds.

iPhone application development has become very important for the companies working on various mobile development platforms. With the iPhone SDK available, mobile developers can now build new iPhone apps and also customize the existing ones. iPhone SDK or iPhone Software Development Kit includes all the tools and technologies required to develop these applications. iPhone apps are built on the iPhone OS, a platform exclusively used to build range of iPhone apps. There are two types of iPhone apps, web applications and native applications. An iPhone user can buy these apps for various prices and also download it for free at Apple iPhone store, which is the webshop for all iPhone apps.

iPhone is the fastest growing and most popular platform for mobile development compared to other platforms. More and more mobile apps and web development companies are going for iPhone development having understood the huge market that it caters to. Touch screen and instant Internet connection are the key features of iPhone, that has paved way for the popularity of various iPhone apps. It gives users the satisfaction of making maximum use of the costly device that is more of a style statement. These apps can be also used for ipads.

With numerous iPhone apps coming up every day, the challenge for the developers is to make these apps more innovative and interesting for the users. Whether it’s an app for business or an iPhone game, the developers have to come out with new ideas to survive the growing competition in the field of iPhone development. If your requirement is that of an iPhone application for your business or customers, the best way to do it is by hiring professional iPhone developers. There are numerous offshore iPhone development companies, which not only are experts in the field, but can also help you by suggesting add ons and innovative ideas for your applications.

Some of the popular categories of iPhone apps are, iPhone games, iPhone maps, iPhone m-commerce apps, e-book apps, social networking apps, and lot of other entertainment applications.

Your iPhone developer must have years of hands-on experience in iPhone apps development and must know what are the common challenges that come along during the course of development. So, make sure you have the best iPhone outsource development companies shortlisted to suit your need and get the best of it.

Flash Development

2010-09-02T04:20:00.000-07:00

Flash has changed the way Web looks. Some may not be comfortable with the idea, but Flash applications are working more than fine for its users. Flash development is not only easy but also has its dynamic and interactive quality that has changed the way businesses work online. Every company wants a strong online presence and look out for the best ways of scaling business. Organizations are not only going for complete makeover of their websites but also implementing various applications and plug-ins to make their website more interesting and interactive for the end users.

A good flash website never fails to draw traffic. Whether it is an e-commerce portal or a website for IT Company, flash is the best way to add value to the website and attract potential customers. The biggest advantage of Flash Development is that it enables you to add a lot of music and videos to your website. Let us have a look at some of the reasons why you would want to use flash for your website.

Flash enables the developers to program and develop interactive images and videos that can further be embedded into the webpage itself.

As mentioned earlier, Flash is a great way to keep viewers interested in your webpage, especially if you have an entertainment or music website. It also works great for e-learning websites as interactive games and educational videos can be easily built on Flash.

Having a superior compression rate than similar programs like Fireworks and Photoshop, Flash format is perfect for sites like that of MySpace and YouTube.

It is not easy to steal images from a website built on Flash. Therefore, you can protect your images against piracy to a great extent.

One of the great things about flash is its flexibility. It can easily be modified to play multimedia movies online and run various applications.

If you are looking forward to incorporate some animation in your website, then Flash is the thing for you.

A multi platform application, Flash is compatible with almost all platforms and browsers. However, the plugin has to be downloaded for that.

Flash helps the developers to build a user-friendly interface with the help of Action Script and the like.

Where can you use Flash:

To build interactive websites
Online Presentations
Games and animations
Applications
Templates, themes and screensavers
Cd Roms
Online movies
Banners and advertisements

Flash CS4:

Flash has become more fun with the 3D features available in CS4. Now you can make your projects interesting by adding 3D content to it. Flash CS4 comes with two 3D tools namely the 3D Translation tool and 3D Rotation tool. Now you can rotate, translate and set camera angles for your 2D characters and add 3D effects to it to thus making Flash development fun.

How to Write SEO Friendly Articles

2010-08-11T02:27:00.000-07:00

Writing articles is just not enough, when you are aiming at higher ranks in Google. You must know the tricks of how to write SEO friendly articles to perform well in Google. SEO friendly articles ultimately contribute to the optimization of your website. This is one reason why most companies and organizations go for article marketing, exploiting its potential to get higher ranks in Google. Whether you post articles in your company blog or article directories, a well-written article will never let you down when it comes to SEO.

So, how to write SEO friendly articles? Well, let’s have a look…

Tips to write SEO Friendly Articles:

Topic: It is very important to decide on a topic you want to write on. Remember, the only reason people read your articles is because they expect some new information from your write- up. Select a subject, which would be informative, as well as an interesting read.

Original Content: Your content has to be original if you are looking for a better ranking on Google. Do not just copy and paste articles from the web. This will not only destroy your reputation but also your website. Google will mark you as spam!

Title: Title reflects what your article is all about and it is the most important aspect of SEO. Make sure you select an appropriate one for your article. Following are few pointers you must keep in mind before deciding on a title for your write-up.

Make sure, the title doesn’t have more than 5 to 7 words and 65 characters.
Use relevant words or phrases, which you think, readers use the most to search information relevant to your article. For example: An article about SEO can have titles like ‘SEO Tips’ or ’Tips for SEO’.
Use the primary keyword in your title. That is, if your article is about SEO, your title must have the word SEO in it. However, don’t overdo it. Do not repeat the keyword more than once in the title.
Keep the title original and crisp.
Avoid using special characters in your title.

Description: Your content must have a description, summarizing the content. This is the part, which attracts readers to your article. Let’s have a look at a few pointers, which can help you to write proper descriptions for your articles.

Make sure the description is relevant and interesting enough to invite users to read on.
Description should not be more than 3 to 4 sentences and must have the primary keyword in it.
You may pick up sentences from your article use it in the description. However, it’s always works better if you write it anew.
Do not include company name or any personal information in the description part and neither do add the title in it.
Avoid using ‘all caps’ or special characters in the description section.

Content: What is it about your article that will interest the readers? Well, nothing works better than original content for your article. Also, try to write articles that will be of some use to the users. If it’s an informative article, keep the word limit upto 500 to 600. Writing long articles doesn’t make sense because users tend to have very little patience to read much. Short and crisp write up is the way to go.

As mentioned earlier, Internet users have very little patience and with so many options for a good read, they tend to drift away from your article. So try to keep your write-up lucid and simple. Avoid using bombastic words or long complicated sentences. Use the main keyword of your article atleast 3 to 4 times throughout the article. Do not copy from the web, and publish original content.

Subheading: Adding subheadings to your article is a great way to keep the users interested in your site. This not only makes the article comprehensible but also descriptive. Each subheading should represent the idea present in the following paragraph.

Links: While submitting articles to directories, you may want to put external links in the write-up to direct readers to your website. However, make sure, you do not put more than one or two links in a single article. As for posting in your company blog or personal blog is concerned, there is no need to post links separately.

Polls: Polls and voting are a great way to popularize your article with the readers. The reason being, users love to express themselves and share their preferences with others. And your article will be the platform for them to do so.

Images and Videos: Images and videos are a great way to bring your article in the limelight. Images and videos must be relevant and add value to the article.

Proofreading: Last but not the least, whatever you write, do not forget to proofread it before uploading. Make sure there are no grammatical errors or spelling mistakes.

Surviving the Race called E-commerce

2010-08-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

How convenient is it to shop with just a few clicks of mouse! And, easier is to find hundreds of alternatives and options for e-stores. The competition has gotten real tough for the online businesses now, with more and more companies joining the race. The challenge is to attract new buyers, while retaining the previous ones.

Online shoppers have little patience, million options, and indefinite access when it comes to e-commerce. To be a portal, where consumers end their search for online vendors, all you have to do is understand the rules of the game, stick to it, and keep the users interested in your site. Here are few tips, which can help you keep your e-commerce site popular with the users.

Innovate:

Why do you need to innovate with your e-commerce portal? Simple, to hold back users on your webpage longer than usual. And how do you do that? Well, even a small change in your website is not bad to start with. Make it a point to revamp your website on regular intervals, say in every 3 months! From design, to presentation, content and merchandizes…all need to be updated and upgraded to spice up the user experience.

Initiate word-of-mouth campaign:

And to do this, you have to encourage group buying on your website. Provide options for buyers to form groups and join like-minded people, interested in the same category of merchandizes available in your webshop, and shop together. This will not only encourage discussions and talks about your products but also get you new user groups, adding to your consumer base.

Limited offers:

Shopaholics love discounts, and when it comes for limited time period, no further effort is required to attract them to your website. You can also announce season sales twice or thrice a year. However, all these sale and discount alerts should be mailed or sms’d to them to add a personal ouch to it.

Flash offers:

Offer free goodies and gifts with selected merchandizes and make it flash on the homepage (and other pages) of your website. This will not only attract attention but also inform the passersby, browsing through your website, about the latest offers going on, thus giving them a reason to register and login.

Personalized shopping experience:

Nothing can please a buyer more than your personalized sales pitch. Track the buying habits of users on your website and offer them discounts and gifts on similar sections. You can also make your users fill up a form explaining their interests and hobbies. Use this information to promote your products. For example, for a football fan, what can be better offer than a football T-shirt free with purchase over a certain amount!

Create a Market niche:

Unless and until you create a niche, buyers won’t give any particular attention on your products. Highlight and popularize different categories of merchandizes, thus drawing more traffic to your website and encourage online shopping.

Use Social Networks:

The only ‘mantra’ to survive the tough competition is spreading the word, and when it comes to popularizing your business, nothing can work better than social networking sites. Create communities, write blogs, join forums, initiate discussions and stir a conversation.

IT Outsourcing: Why would you want it?

2010-08-06T04:10:00.000-07:00

Considering outsourcing? Well, with offshore outsourcing taking quite a big shape in the recent years, no doubt you too want to make the best use of it. But before you do so, what is it about IT outsourcing that makes it such big deal and why would you want to do it for your company?

Let’s have a look at a few reasons why outsourcing your IT work can be a great way to scale your business and add value to it.

Reasons to go for IT outsourcing services:

When you have an IT service provider working for you, you can surely count on their long years of experience in respective fields. This not only helps them to tailor the perfect solution for your requirement but also understand the scope of your project perfectly.

The best thing about IT service providers is the rigorous business process that they follow. They not only keep a strict tab on the project expenditure but also plan a formal budget to manage smooth execution of the project. This not only reduces your overall expenditure but also helps to manage IT efficiently.

One thing you can be more than sure about outsourcing, is the quality of service. The main reason behind this is the risk of loss that the providers fear. You have to understand, IT service providers are running a business, which demands efficient work force and effective work structure. This is the reason why, the work they deliver is usually of highest quality. Milestone based development module and multiple testing ensures that the final product delivered is bug free. The service provider strives to deliver the best quality service not only because he wants the profit, but also you, as a repeat client.

Offshore IT service providers keep their technical team updated with the latest technologies ruling the market. Their familiarity with the latest technologies and industry standards help you get the best in industry but ensure that your system is built on the best industry practices to survive tough competitions.

Once you have outsourced your IT requirements to some offshore service provider, you can relax and focus on major important aspects of your company. Most of the companies don’t deal with IT effectively, the reason being it is not the core competency for their business. This is the reason why outsourcing is a better alternative for them, as this way their job is taken care of.

Outsourcing is a great way to gain access to special skills and knowledge related to the field. As mentioned above, IT service providers work with experienced professionals who have the knowledge of latest technologies and industry standards. This practice of the service providers helps them to build teams of specialists according to technical skills, which helps the outsourcing companies in the end.

Most of the IT service providers offer your 24*7 services. That is you can contact them throughout the day. This not only makes it easier for you to resolve all your IT concerns but also get 24 hours support.

If you don’t like the way your IT service provider is working, you can change it and go for another one.

With all the positive aspects of offshore outsourcing, there are few risks involved in the process, which can not be ignored at all. Like, you must go for a trustworthy vendor or your business can suffer quite a loss. Here are some common guidelines you should follow before going for any IT service provider.

To start with, you must be registered with some reliable bidding portal, which is known for its authenticity. Bidding sites are a great platform to get the right provider for your project, and in case of disputes with the providers, be assured; the site authority will take up the matter.

Once you decide upon a provider, perform a thorough check on his background. Talk to his previous clients and get a feedback on him. Check his previous work samples and status of the projects. Once, you’re convinced of the provider’s skills and authenticity, take matters forward.

When it comes to project milestones and payment terms, make sure you have documents for every single agreement and all the details of work done and payments made.

While getting a website or application done for your business or company, make sure no vital information about your organization is passed on to the providers. If you have to give out certain information to get the work done, make sure you have the NDA and confidential agreement signed with the provider.

Keep regular track of the developments and progresses made in the project.

Before the project handover, make sure all your requirements are met and all aspects of the project are working perfectly. In case of bugs, get back to the provider and get the problems fixed.

The last step is the payment. Once the payment has been done, make sure you have a receipt document signed by the provider and that there is no issue pending that needs to be resolved. Full and final settlement is what you must aim for. If you wish to start another project with the provider, make a fresh start.

Top 3D Games

2010-08-03T04:20:00.000-07:00

PC games have come a long way from simple 2D graphics to rich and complicated 3D graphics. With the gaming industry buzzing with the excitement of 3D games, it’s a challenge to settle for the Top 3D games! If all you want is best games for PC, how can you not go for these trendiest and cool 3D games! From 3D games for kids to new 3D games, the choice is huge as you look forward to a unique gaming experience.

I have tried to list Top 10 3D games for you to choose from. Some of these games are new, and some are ruling the market for quite some time now. All these PC games have but one thing in common, that is a great graphical interface. The three dimensional characters and background transfer you completely to the world of virtual reality, which can keep you involved for days. However, you must have a 3D gaming set-up to play these games.

Prince of Persia

An all time favorite. Old but tops the popularity charts till date. From the texture to the graphics, there is a lot more to the game than the fantastic storyline and exciting challenges. And, watch out for the amazing cinematography. It will just add to the fun of playing this game.

Mass Effect 2

If you’re looking for a new 3D game, I can only suggest you to go for Mass Effect 2. A game to watch out for its amazing cinematography, interesting features, and wonderful graphics. Change your weapons and explore the space on your cool space shuttle…with all the action and adventure, indulge into the sheer excitement of playing this game.

Beowulf

Some may not agree, but the excitement of ruining your enemy and being the leader of your band has its own magic. All action, adventure and thrill, Beowulf takes you to a world of amazing graphics and a fantabulous storyline.

Lord of the Rings Conquest

One of the best multiplayer games, the game is woven around the plot of ‘Lord of the Rings’ story. The best of this game can only be realized when played on 3D player. The fine graphics and great cinematography is what make this game exceptional.

Avatar

One of the latest in the market, Avatar is ruling the world of 3D gaming with its amazing graphics and texture. As you must have understood by now, the game follows the storyline of the motion picture ‘Avatar’. Watch out for the magic land ‘Pandora’ and its people. Must play game for gamers.

1701 AD

Might be an old one, but it has never failed to excite the gamers. The amazing graphics and rich visuals will make it fun for you to own islands, protect it from enemies, and win territories. Indulge into the fun of it as the game with its lifelike presentation of characters.

Resident Evil 5

One of the favorites with 3D gamers, the fifth version of Resident Evil works the best on your PC. The amazing storyline and mystery involved with it makes the game a fun experience for gamers. From scary graphics to amazing visuals, get a copy of this game to enjoy the best.

Batman Arkham Asylum

One of the best 3D games ever, Batman Arkham Asylum has the best graphics, outstanding visuals, amazing actions and adventures, and a brilliant plot. Some say this game is the best 3D game ever made which involves a superhero.

Assassins Creed

When your expectation from a 3D game is action, adventure as well as fabulous graphics, just go for Assassins Creed. A brilliant thrilling plot and absorbing graphics will for sure make your day.

World of Warcraft

A must play game, World of Warcraft is magical. The engrossing plot and breathtaking visuals will take you to a world of action and adventure. Try this out to experience the best of 3D gaming.

Have other games in mind? Let me know, and don’t forget to attach a screenshot with your post.

Evolution of 3D games

2010-08-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

3D games never fail to surprise me. Such precision and duplication of real life astounds me. From human figures to cars, birds to clouds in the sky…everything seems to be as good as real life characters. From the texture to theme of the games, everything has shaped up a bright future for 3D games and secured its popularity for a long time to come.

3D graphics did not happen in a day…a series of events led to one another and textures were formed. The lights came to life and the shadows added depth to the concept. Let’s have a look at the few major techniques without which, 3D would not have happened.

Techniques leading to 3D graphics:

2D Vector Graphics

“Vector: A vector is a point in space defined as the distance from the origin along each axis.”

Every geometrical shape is represented by a group of points…ring any bells? Well, anyone who has studied trigonometry knows that each of these points have X location, which is its horizontal location and Y location, which is its vertical location. These are also known as 2D vectors, which are connected to create shapes. The first videogame ever created was done like this.

MIP Mapping:

Simple texture mapping with high-resolution textures inefficiently uses both memory and processing power, and tends to exhibit various problems with shimmering artefacts (see ‘complex filtering’). MIP mapping solves both of these problems by storing a series of scaled-down versions of each texture map, with each successive map being half the size of its parent. When a texture is applied to a polygon, the rasteriser computes how far the pixel is to the camera. This defines which MIP map to use, though several MIP levels are typically used and interpolated between to get smooth transitions. MIP mapping predates the commercial use of GPUs, but the most notable examples occur after the GPU’s introduction, such as Rage Software’s shooter, Incoming. Released in 1998, its fast, smooth 3D was a showcase for GPU-enabled effects.

(Taken from http://bit.ly/bFejCD)

Texture Mapping

One of the main challenges in rendering 3D graphics is creating surface detail, because representing every little element as coloured, shaded polygons is computationally expensive. Texture mapping is therefore employed to simulate surface detail, a technique that’s fundamentally important to 3D graphics. In its basic form, texture mapping is pasting an image on to a polygon. The process assigns the vertices in a polygon to specific pixels in a 2D image called a texture map. When the polygon is rasterised, the 2D texture coordinates are interpolated to find out which pixel in the texture map (the ‘texel’) matches each screen pixel to map the texture onto the surface of the polygon. Developers had attempted to use texture mapping since the birth of filled 3D polygons, but it wasn’t until Descent was released in 1995 that the process showed its full potential, with a complete 3D environment of walls, floors and in-game objects rendered as fully textured polygons.

(Taken from http://bit.ly/bFejCD)

Scaled Sprites

In order to match the visual detail and colour featured in 2D games in early 3D worlds, developers looked to sprites. In 2D games these small images would normally be rasterised at full scale on to the screen, but for 3D games they needed to be scaled depending on their distances from the viewpoint. In such systems the sprites representing gameworld objects are placed at vectors – as the image is rasterised, the pixels from the source image are copied multiple times to adjacent pixels or skipped in order to scale the sprite correctly, a process called linear interpolation. It’s a technique made famous by Sega with games like 1985’s Space Harrier, which ran on its now legendary System 16 arcade hardware. Ironically, modern GPUs actually emulate sprites using textured polygons aligned to square up to the camera’s view angle, exactly what Sega was trying to simulate, such as the fronds of leaves on Oblivion’s trees, the ‘sprites’ in Castle Crashers or the smoke from skidding wheels in racers like PGR.

(Taken from http://bit.ly/bFejCD)

Filled Polygons

While many early wireframe games used vector beam displays, the cathode-ray tube was far more common among displays until LCD and plasma technology came along. CRT displays are raster-based, the image being made up of rows of thousands or millions of coloured pixels. Rendering, or rasterising, polygons on such displays is a process in which the image is ‘painted’, pixel by pixel, as the display scans each pixel on every line of the screen from left to right, top to bottom. By computing the edges of each polygon in each scan line, they can be painted with colour in order for them to appear solid. This is still used today in the core of GPU rasterisers and is part of the family of Bresenham line drawing algorithms, which determine how pixels can represent straight lines. Though its atypical game design prevented it from being a hit, Atari’s I, Robot, released in 1983, is now considered the forefather of the modern 3D videogame, with its use of filled 3D polygons and camera controls.

(Taken from http://bit.ly/bFejCD)

Gouraud Shading

Though polygons are often employed to represent smoothly contoured shapes, they’re let down by the fact that polygons are inherently angular. Gouraud shading is a technique that blends the gradients of color making up their facets, visually softening them. In the process, each vertex that defines a polygon is given its own colour, with differences between adjacent vertices interpolated during rasterisation, so the shading changes smoothly across the polygon. It’s a method often used alongside basic realtime lighting, which is calculated by computing the angle between the vector of a simple directional light and a polygon’s ‘surface normal’ – that is, the direction its flat face is pointed. The angle is analogous to the amount of light falling on the polygon and shaded accordingly. If the surface normal values between adjacent polygons are averaged, however, you can, in effect, move the surface normals to being ‘vertex normals’, and therefore use Gouraud shading to make lit surfaces look smooth, a process used to great effect by Star Wars: TIE Fighter, released in 1994.

(Taken from http://bit.ly/bFejCD)

Wireframe 3D

If 2D vector graphics are represented with two numbers for each point on a plane, 3D requires three, with the extra numeral representing depth (the Z location). The mathematics to manipulate and to project them on to a 2D plane have been understood for centuries so, in some ways, 3D games were inevitable once computer hardware became powerful enough to manipulate and display enough 3D points to represent a game world. Released in 1980, Atari’s Battlezone was the first truly 3D videogame. It used a similar vector beam display to that of Spacewar! and, indeed, Atari’s own Asteroids, to show tanks and the battlefield as simple vector outlines. After all, the hardware, even though it featured a custom math co-processor, could only handle a handful of points each frame.

(Taken from http://bit.ly/a3lkoL)

(This article is inspired by http://bit.ly/a3lkoL)

Worst Blogging Mistakes

2010-07-27T23:05:00.000-07:00

Being a blogger is probably the easiest and one of the most common activities online. Everyone, from students to celebs, are at it, sharing loads of information for others to read and share. Even big companies utilize this increasingly popular web platform for marketing and advertising their own products

Remember, like everything else on web, blogging too has its share of rules and guidelines, which if followed, can do wonders for your blogs. There are numerous tips to be a successful blogger but it is easier to mention the worst blogging mistakes, which you must avoid at any cost. Let’s have a look at some of the common blogging mistakes which can prove to disastrous for you:

Top Blogging Mistakes:

Title: Title is the most important part of a blog. It shows what’s the blog is all about. Whether you are a technical writer, an entertainment columnist or just write for fun, your title must always complement your article. It must give the readers an idea of what your write-up is all about! A misleading title or a wrong title can not only irritate the audience, but also term your blog as a trash.
Wrong Information: And that is the worst thing you can do to your blog. Nothing can be more jeopardizing for your blog than wrong information. Users will not only make it a point not to visit your blog ever again but also mark it as nonsense. Make it a point to validate and crosscheck every bit of information before you put it online.
Lack of unique Content: With so many bloggers running in the race, what are your chances to be a popular one? Well, it is not only enough to attract visitors to your site and get them added to your followers list. The main challenge is to retain and keep them interested in you (that is your blog). And, the only way to do so is by keeping your content unique. Nobody wants to read the same article published on web over and over again, in different styles.
Lack of Marketing: When the entire industry moves on marketing, why not be a part of it! Learn to market yourself, your skills and your blogs to the readers. Decide on your target audience and spread the word among them. Add a bio to your blog and if possible a profile picture.
Not implementing ‘Share’ and subscription: Spread the word as much as you can. Implement share buttons for Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Digg, Delicious, and a lot more. Also provide an option for your readers to subscribe to your blog through email. Let users do the marketing for you.
Being Impatient: What do you think, it very easy to be a popular blogger? No, actually it is not. It takes a long time for a blog to attract large number of visitors and be popular with its target audience. So, all you need to be a popular blogger is patience. Bring impatient or inconsistent is not going to work for you.

Besides keeping in mind the mentioned pointers, it is also very important for you to select the right blogging platform. My personal favorite is WordPress for the fact that it is flexible and simple. Please do let me know if you have any other points in your mind.

Expression Engine CMS: Reasons to love it!

2010-07-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

With Expression Engine CMS creating such a ripple in the industry, the definite and obvious question that arises, is what makes it such a popular CMS with the developers. Is it equally workable for big and small websites? What extra features does it provide which makes it a tough competitor for other Content Management Systems like Joomla, WordPress, Drupal and the rest.

When it comes to your website, you would definitely want your CMS to do more than just manage and publish contents. You after all want a CMS and not a blogging tool! Let’s see how can Expression Engine help you come up with reasons to have it for your website.

Expression Engine is not free, okay. But which one actually is! If you consider the entire development cost and associated expenditure, I really doubt if you’ll feel the same for other CMS! You need to pay a license charge for EE and renew it annually.
The development team is small, but extremely supportive and active. You can get considerable help from their forums or the brilliant documentation of the product, which almost works as a hand guide.
You can easily extend and modify the CMS with various plugins and modules. Expression Engine comes with the source code and knowledge in PHP/MySQL will just work fine for you. It also supports HTML, CSS, and Javascript.
Expression Engine can be installed in your browser and operated through the control Panel. In fact, according to many, the catch of the system is its amazing control panel. From managing access for other users to managing page templates, you can also customize it according to your projects or clients.
EE also has numerous features for security and safety. From IP Banning, anti spamming tools like white lists and captcha, email banning features to throttling…EE has proved itself excellent in terms of security issues.

Despite such flexibility and features, some people do not consider Expression Engine good enough when used for bigger websites, forcing developers to code things in a longer, harder way. Some say, WordPress is the best CMS ever. What do you say to it…let me know.

#indianenglish: Twitter trending on the way we speak!

2010-07-22T03:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world of opinions, where notions form and break in a day. Welcome to Twitter where hundreds share and support your views. I would not have guessed the intensity of a user’s involvement with this social networking website, hadn’t I been interacting on it two days back.

Like always, my twitter timeline was busy with ‘tweeps’, talking about politics, sports, countries, and what not! There were numerous hash tags (#) and even more school of thoughts operating from every corner of the world. It was then, that I spotted few interesting tweets tagged #indianenglish. And, in no time, my timeline flooded with tweets tagged the same. Curiousity got the better of me and I went on to check out what was going on there in #indianenglish. What was it all about?

I was completely bowled over by what I saw! There were thousands of tweets coming in from all over the country, discussing the way and styles of English, we Indians speak! Some were hilarious! Following is a list of few I liked the best (Original twitter handles removed).

name @name I have two daughters, both are girls #IndianEnglish
name Please press my pant #IndianEnglish
name LOL @name Lift any sari 100/- rupees only! #indianenglish
name Myself Non veg What are you #IndianEnglish
name We don't take guarantee of your goods. Please leave your values behind #IndianEnglish
name RT @name: ;) RT @name: Teacher : "why are you looking at the monkeys outside when i am in the class?!" #indianenglish
name And the classic! "I didn't knew that!" #indianenglish
name Convent -educated, wheatish complexion, single and innocent, caste and creed no bar #IndianEnglish
name #indianenglish teacher in class.. I have to daughters, i married my elder daughter last year.
name Both my two sons are highly educated boys, perfect match of your daughter. #indianenglish :D
name Teacher : "Either you hang this calender or I'll hang myself !" #indianenglish
name How many childrens you have? #indianenglish
name #indianenglish First we no talk, then we talk, then make friendship, but then i wanted loveship.. She said no loveship before marriage!
name Open the fan #IndianEnglish
name RT @blabla42: These papayas are from my backside #IndianEnglish ha ha ha ha!! :D
name Don't get wet in the rain. You will catch cold. #IndianEnglish
name SMH. Pure comedy RT @name: my father will kill me if i steal his cigarette n not put it back after smoking #IndianEnglish
name #IndianEnglish My mind thought about that thought just now today
name "I would like to thank the President of the United States from the bottom of my heart and my wife's bottom too"- #IndianEnglish
name Since I have to go to my village to sell my land along with my wife. Please sanction me one-week leave. #indianenglish

(For more such tweets, visit #indianenglish.com at http://bit.ly/dvjAgH )

While some laughed their minds off over these one-liners and real life situations, some were not too comfortable with the idea of making a mockery of Indian English on a global platform like Twitter. They protested vehemently against the tag and typecasting Indians as fools, who don’t know what they talk about (in English). Even a news website went ahead to discuss the topic in their own website!

name RT @name Indian English (#IndianEnglish) gets attention on #Twitter, some object to idea. http://bit.ly/cKAU1n #news
name Indian English gets attention on Twitter, few object the idea: Indian English (#IndianEnglish) gets attention on #... http://xyz
name @name Enough of u tweeting abt #Indianenglish! Its not even in top 100 trending topics!
name Why are we talking about #IndianEnglish #AmericanEnglish is worse - Refudiate, Misunderestimated, Wee-wee'd up
name But I speak english pretty well. No real advantage of mocking #indianenglish
name I thought effective communication is more important than scoring full marks in grammar exam #indianenglish
name that is not fair... those who tweeting this are insulting the country :) #indianenglish

But again, these sentiments were not taken too lightly by tweeps who were really loving #indianenglish. According to them, it was just a way of having fun and had nothing to do with insulting the country. Moreover, it proves that Indians can laugh at themselves and still be proud of what they are!

name @name Trending #IndianEnglish wasn't criticism. Simply recollecting all the funny & stupid things (now that we know) we've done & said.
name Wonder why people are taking #IndianEnglish so seriously! Some of these are truly memorable! They should all be compiled somewhere :-)
name Nothing 2 b ashamed if it is poor/Incorrect. Not our Mother tongue anyway @name: #IndianEnglish . on #Twitter http://bit.ly/cKAU1n
name Sum tweeps today frustrated by the tt #indianenglish ;) It's just for fun. I enjoyed today's tt lot..
RT @name We aren't insulting our own nation!we're just showing how we have our own form of English & how cute it is! #indianenglish

The debate is not yet done with, neither is the thread closed. People are still having fun at #indianenglish, while the rest are fuming. The question that has come up amidst all this is, whether or not Twitter has given birth to a new generation of patriots. You may feel irritated at the issue been blown out of proportion by some of the tweeps who have taken this joke personally. After all, people must learn to think simple and enjoy a joke, without complicating it. However, no one can deny that many a people have come forward to announce #indianenglish as a disgrace to the entire nation on a global platform.

Patriotism or over reaction, what do you think of the ‘indianenglish’ episode on twitter? Is it a blow to our respect being Indians, or just a fun activity? Let me know.

How to make e-commerce site popular

2010-07-19T05:06:00.000-07:00

To be a successful name in e-commerce industry…it is tougher than it sounds! With more and more businesses coming online, it is just not enough to have a web presence. Your webshop has to have something different, something unique that can make it stand out from the rest. Brick and mortar shopping has its own challenges but when it comes to e-commerce, make sure you are acquainted with all the rules and tricks of the game. If the audience finds sufficient reason to come back to your portal, be sure of its dramatic success.

Adding to the popularity of your webshop and publicizing it is not that tough if you know the right way to do it. Let’s have a look at some of the basic steps to make your e-commerce site popular.

Design & Layout: The first thing that hits the user about your website, is its design and layout. Make sure the design of your portal compliments the type of products you sell and the taste of your target audience. For instance, an e-commerce portal for children can always use motifs like flowers, teddies, balloons and the like. Whereas, a lingerie site may use sensuous patterns and warm colors like red and orange. The goal is to make the site appealing enough to attract more and more audience. Also avoid using cluttered layouts with images of products, reviews, multiple colors, motifs, columns and other sections, all into the homepage. Make sure the pages are well categorized and in order.

Focus on products: Products are the catch of your website and your prime focus should always be on the presentation of your storefront. Arrange for multiple views of every single item. From extreme zoom in to side views, make sure users get all round view of the products they want to buy. Arrange the products in neat categories for the users to find it easily. Also mention the availability of products clear. For the ones out of stock must belong to a separate category.

Payment: It is not easy to win the trust of your users. It takes a lot of time to convince the buyers. The best way to start with the process, is to keep your payment terms and prices transparent and clear. Make sure the price of every product is mentioned clearly. The taxes involved should also be displayed and there should be no hidden cost involved.

Shipping: The most challenging job is to make the shipping terms and charges understandable for the users. Make sure the delivery date and charges involved are explicitly mentioned. Also mention the mode of shipping for the merchandises.

Payment modes: There is no doubt that credit cards are the most popular mode of payment on web, but not all users are comfortable with it and therefore, your portal must have alternative payment modes like Internet banking, check payment, cash payment on delivery, and the like. This will naturally add to the popularity of your website.

Spread the word: No business has ever survived without being popular with the target audience and this is where publicizing your portal becomes important. Spread the word on social networks, online communities, forums, discussions, threads and wherever you feel it’s relevant to talk about it.

Discounts & Offers: Shoppers love discounts whether it is at a shopping mall round the corner or at your online store. Promote your website by giving out discounts, offers, and free gifts.

Get the customer talking: Encourage users to comment on your portal, on whatever aspect of your website it maybe. This will not only keep the users involved and interested in your website, but will also help you to understand the status and flaws of your website. You can do the improvements based on their comments.

You don’t have to be a pro or a technical expert to make your e-commerce portal popular with the users. All you need to have a little business sense where customer satisfaction comes above everything else. Let me know if your have other ideas…it will truly help many.

Chat Lingo? OMG it’s Uber Cool!

2010-07-07T01:19:00.000-07:00

“Hey guys..!!! ‘Howdy’?

Chatting…who isn’t into it! Infact, a day ‘wthout’ ‘talkn’ to ‘frens’ on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Meebo, Orkut, or on ‘othr’ ‘IMs’, is a day wasted! I ‘luv’ my ‘frens’ & so ‘mk’ it a point 2 meet ‘thm’ ‘evryday’ on Gtalk, ‘FB’, ‘YM’, and ‘smtyms’ on Orkut. & ‘m’ sure, ‘u’ ‘2’ do ‘d’ same. ‘Aftral’, ‘lyf’ ‘wthout’ ‘frens’ ‘wl’ ‘b’ ‘sch’ a bore! & ‘thr’ is no ‘betr’ place ‘thn’ these ‘on9’ platforms to ‘b’ in touch ‘wth’ all ‘frens’, ‘whrevr’ ‘dey’ ‘mayb’, ‘whtevr’ ‘dey’ ‘myt’ ‘b’ ‘doin!’...”

OMG…ahh sorry, I mean Oh my God! What’s wrong with my spelling! What did I write? It doesn’t make sense at all, does it? Well well well…you’ll be surprised to know that it actually does, to more people that you can ever imagine! These misspelled words are consciously known as chat room abbreviations, popular chat lingo that teenagers consider to be cool and linguists consider to be nonsense.

Instant-messaging lingo is increasingly becoming a part of our mainstream conversation and life. Not only the young crowd, but all users who are active on web have accepted this lingo. As exclaimed by Professor David Crystal, "I see a brand new variety of language evolving, invented really by young people... within five years! It's extraordinary." And true to every word of it, it is really extraordinary, how these simple yet meaningless ‘words’ (If I may say so) have become a trend.

What is it about this lingo that makes it so popular with the Gen-Y? “It sounds smart and cool” says a user, though most will agree that it is also quick, fast, and prompt. Who wants to type an entire word when you can convey a message typing just two alphabets! It not only saves time but also money, when it comes to mobile text messaging.

A student once wrote in Chicago Maroon, the newspaper of University of Chicago “These abhorrent abbreviations are nothing less than an insidious linguistic plague”. Well, people may hold different opinions, but no denying the fact that chat slangs are here to stay! I have found some of these extremely interesting. Take a look…

LOL: That’s the most common one, means ‘Laughing Out Loud’….hahahaha!!!
L8R: ‘Later’ = ‘L + Eight + R’ = Whoa!!!!
LMAO: ‘Laughing My A*** Off’…Ahem! Slang but funny…LMAO!
IMHO: ‘In My Humble Opinion’…humble??? Wow!
BFF: ‘Best Friends Forever’. Sure…!
2nite: ‘Tonight’. 2 nights?? ;)
OMG: This one is my personal favorite meaning ‘Oh My God’…seriously!
WTF: ‘What The F***’… How frustrating!
SITD: ‘Still In The Dark’. How true!
BTW: ‘By The Way’…this one is quite common btw .
BRB: ‘Be Right Back’..ohh sure!
XOXO: Means ‘Hugs and Kisses’, don’t ask me how.
WYWH: ‘Wish You Were Here’. Simple.
RBTL: ‘Read Between The Lines’… You bet!
PAW: ‘Parents are watching’. Parents Beware!
GAL: ‘Get a Life’…hmmm!

There is lot more and you can get some help on web too. Make it a point to go through it or you may end up being confused! Also, let me know what are your favorites or which ones do you use very often.

So, bye for now, happy chatting…Catch you guys L8R.

Blogging is Dead!

2010-07-06T03:30:00.000-07:00

Hey…did you know the blogs are dead? That they have been murdered! Yes, they are no more with us… blogging is dead! Let’s observe two minutes of silence for the poor souls…

Hey just heard, the poor blogs have been replaced. Now, they are on the way of going obsolete in its true terms. Who took their place?…ahh…microblogging of course!

Microblogging…What is it?

Ohh, c’mon guys, welcome Microblogs, the new member to the world of web! The web giants like Facebook, MySpace, Orkut, and others are quite tensed of their future now. Who would want to use them now that microblogging has paved way for faster and prompter communication! Also, not to forget the attribute of reaching out to larger number of people. Well, not a bad deal after all!

Microblogging is relatively a newer concept compared to other platforms on web. It refers to small updates of maximum 140 to 150 characters that have become instantaneously popular with the bloggers. ‘Twitter’ is a living example of it, which enjoys the maximum market share followed by other microblogging platforms like Jaiku, identi.ca, Yammer, and Plurk. The most attractive feature of these microblogging sites is that they can also be updated from your mobile phones! So keep blogging while on the go! There is even more to it…

Top Features of Microblogging:

Besides being mobile compatible, there are other features to these microblogging sites, which attract more and more users to it. Let’ have a look…

Speed: Not only when you post your stuff, but also the speed with which it reaches out to the remotest corners of the world! Doesn’t matter if everyone on the network is connected to you, your message will for certain travel across the world. Thanks to features like’ Retweet’ and ‘Share’. You followers, the followers of your followers, and their followers and so on…all you have to do is keep your post interesting and it will reach people in lightning speed.

Hassle Free: All of us bloggers know, if the blog doesn’t look nice, you’re out of the race. Decide on the themes, the font, the right images….it takes more of your time than actually writing a blog! Microblogging comes hassle free…no need to change your profile theme, no worries about fonts, nothing doing with the page layout…you just keep on posting your say and that’s it!

More Fun: Just imagine getting the first hand information from live locations and situations itself! Thanks to mobile blogging, you can always be posted about the latest happenings around, even before the media is informed…and that’s the fun of it! Just imagine your friend attending your favorite rock band concert (which of course you could not make) and reporting live from there on microblogs…amazing huh!

Real-time Responses: You won’t have to login again after sometime to check out if your post has got any responses. The best part about microblogging is that, the real-time users and live bloggers are always there to read your posts, as it shows up in their timeline and comment immediately.

Challenges:

Microblogging might be fun but it can be pretty challenging to deal with your ever-growing timeline. You continuously have to monitor your timeline or wall for new posts or you just miss them! And once missed, trust me, it takes quite an effort to go back where you had left.

What Next?

Whether you too are going to go for micro-blogging as other bloggers are doing or just leave it here, I don’t know But I know, microblogging is on its way to be the next big thing with bloggers, who have already abandoned conventional blogging. . It’s upto you whether or not you want to utilize its potential.

So, now that we know the reason behind this death, the death of blogging…who would you blame…Microblogging or the Bloggers?!

The Magic of Twitter and Why!

2010-07-05T03:23:00.000-07:00

What is it about Twitter that makes it so popular with nearly everyone having some kind of an online presence? Why are celebs choosing this platform to express their views? Why even the politicians are talking up a storm in Twitter? Well, as we all know, now-a-days it takes ‘Twitter’ to be heard. Some say it is a great marketing platform and some say it is yet another waste like other social networking sites. But whatever said and done, fact remains, hundreds of people around the world are joining Twitter like there is no tomorrow.

When I joined Twitter, it was just the desire of being close to the personalities I adore (even if it was in the virtual world!). From world famous authors to the representatives of glamour world, they all shine in there. With thousands of followers, they enjoy quite a presence in Twitter. But as I grew old following celebs, connecting with friends, and joining the communities of ‘#’ tag and ‘@’, I faintly realized the further potential that this network has! Probably it is the best online marketing platform as of now. People may differ, but it really pleases me to reach out to even the remotest corners of the world and people living there, and that too without being acquainted to them! I really want to believe, when my favorite star thanks his fans and thereby me, and convince how he couldn’t have done without me (fans)! And all effort that you need to put in, to enjoy this experience, is travel through a couple of ‘clicks’ and follow your favorite profile.

I am active in Facebook, MySpace, Orkut, and many social networking websites, but what appeals to me about Twitter is its ever-growing busy timeline! So many people sharing their views, so many businesses coming up with their unique ideas, and posting interesting links, it seems to be a whirlpool of activities that never ceases to be! The first hand news from the horse’s mouth, people tweeting from real life situations giving you first hand details of it, it is just too tempting to resist.

I remember, I was in Kolkata during the massive explosion followed by the fire that happened in Stephen Court, Park Street, claiming hundreds of lives. And, even before the media could air the news, it was on Twitter! Some brave heart who somehow was stuck inside the building was continuously tweeting from the location. I bet that day people cared to talk to him more than sitting before the television and watching the news on some local news channel. Some were comforting him, some were asking him to be brave and patient, some were frequently dialing numbers for help and the others were just awake on him. He was saved, yes, but it brought out a new fact before me, the power of ‘live tweeting’.

The catch of ‘Twitter’, I feel, is its vitality. It gives the users a feel of being a part of continuous flow of activities. There is a strange urge that I feel, to frequently check out my timeline for new updates or information that interests me. Or, for what my favorite celeb is saying. I don’t know if Twitter will wear out like the rest, once a better alternative hits the market, neither I’m sure if it will keep growing like now, but one thing that I know for certain is… ‘Twitter’ is here to rule and enjoy the limelight for some time now.

iPhone in Politics?

2010-07-03T04:57:00.000-07:00

Hey...just heard iPhone apps have entered the political scenario!!! Candidates are getting their own iPhone apps developed and spreading their message. Hmmm....wonderful how technology savy these politicians are becoming. First it was Facebook, then Twitter, and now iPhone apps! Great! I just wonder whether Indian politicians will too be thinking of something like this or will they stick to their conventional demonstrations and political meetings. Can't wait to hear your views on it. Let me know fast!

I still don't trust e-commerce!

2010-06-30T23:19:00.000-07:00

I had never been too comfortable buying things online…maybe it is because of the common Indian apprehension that dwells in me too! Like my father, or my uncle, my mathematics professor or my dance teacher, ecommerce has not yet made way to my shopping practices. We Indians have always been conservative when it comes to giving out our personal details and when it comes to money, we will definitely not want to take a risk! Giving out credit card details to some unknown entity…it seems to be just a preposterous idea! What is the guarantee that I will not be fooled, or what if my personal bank information is stolen!

Though the scenario is increasingly getting better, no doubts that the uncertainties still prevail. It’s is quite tough for the online business giants to penetrate to the masses who are still the major buying force in the country. Yes, some people do prefer shopping online but the majority of shoppers do not even know what they are supposed to do to shop online! Blame it on the existing computer illiteracy in India. Even many members from educated families do not know to operate a computer! Astonishing but true!

When I was growing to online shopping or ecommerce, my father warned me about the forthcoming danger that he could foresee. Danger of my credit card details being stolen and misused by individuals or organizations. He is just not a game for using credit cards and online shopping portals. Maybe this is the reason why small but firm seeds of doubt have grown to be much serious concerns in my mind Now that I’m earning well and spend thousands in a whiff, I still prefer a drive to the nearest shopping malls and getting all the things required. I don’t know how many people think like me, I can still say, the number is not too less! There are many who are not only concerned about their personal details being stolen but also are not too sure about the shipping methods these online stores follow.

With so many online stores and brands trying to get a strong foothold in the Indian consumer market, the challenge really remains to earn the trust of Indian consumers. There has to be some marketing strategies adopted by these companies, which will let the common mass, know of the authenticity of their business transactions. Indians move on trust, and when a company earns that, their business for sure sees success.

Web 2.0...Web 3.0...Nooooooooooo!!!

2008-03-03T00:32:00.000-08:00

edit | delete

I often wonder what's all the buzz about Web 2.0. I have gone through numerous sites, innumerable times but have failed to get across a single proper definition of Web 2.0 besides what Tim O'Reilly has already said. But there is no stopping for the techies...taking about Web 2.0 and some of them having deeper insight into the concept have even started talking about Web 3.0 ! :-o And also have I read articles (whose authors I'm sure are geniuses the world has seldom got ) on Web 4.0. Ahem!!!...hope I am not transfusing into you my state of confusion.

Few days back I came across some interesting terms online...I would love to share them with you. Lunch 2.0, Marriage 2.0, Wardrobe 2.0, Travel 2.0...for God's sake, it's ridiculous 2.0 . I mean what's wrong with everyone of us...? Does it make any sense??? No, as for my answer.

Well, I may not be a gyan guru like others but I would try (honestly without confusing you all the more) to make you understand what Web 2.0 is all about. We all remember the time when the web was read only. There was no way the users could contribute their share in a web page. That is the time when web was termed as Web 1.0. Then came the read and write web...the one we are using now. We can comment on particular content online, chat, blog, upload videos and images online, receive and send across information...this was not there during the time of Web 1.0. This state of the web is known as Web 2.0. Youtube.com, flickr.com, blogger.com, wikis, Facebook, Myspace, Orkut,Google talk, del.icio.us ... are the few instances of Web 2.0 concept. It is just that communication, flow of information and live interaction has come up as the most important concern in the Web 2.0 era.

Web 3.0 according to the latest buzz...though most of it is still behind the mist of huge confusion and doubt (and I'm talking of normal human beings with average kinda intelligence like me ), promises a semantic web which would be not only be useful for the general users but also developers. Artificial intelligence is supposed to be the major concept of Web 3.0.

Well, I have had enough of these keywords. I would love to hear it from you guys...tell me what do you think of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0.. for God's sake, tell me something new !

Job sites??? Not me, Plz !!!

2008-02-10T23:29:00.001-08:00

How many times have you wondered if you are in the right kind of job? Well, you must have gone to lot many job sites like me for finding the job that suits your interest and talent. Some of us might have succeeded, but what about the rest of us???

Here I take the privilege of sharing with you my personal experience of going through some of the happening job sites. Before I do so I would like to ask you some questions. Have you ever gone through 'Monster.com' or say 'Jobstreet.com'? These are the famous job sites earning in millions of dollars every month ! What do you think about these sites???

Well, as for me... I found the experience as similar to that of walking down a labyrinth. To find out the right option and right company...I felt it's gonna' take a lifetime to get hold of it. I mean I found the pages extremely cluttered and unorganized. I couldn't find the right category I wanted to apply for. Besides this there is the never ending problem of getting to know if your CV is really considered by people who understand the worth of it. As I went through the job descriptions, I nearly laughed out to myself...they all say the same thing all over again ! ..."we need the best people, ready to work for long shifts, with 60% marks in the required subjects"...and so on...Gimme' a break !!! "I know these things..give me more...", I felt like screaming to the ears of the advertisers. Can't you come up with something understandable? I mean maybe a better description of what exactly are you looking for???

And then there I saw the useless colorful advertisements laughing at my face to add to my existing confusion....Ok I understand that the sites are earning money...but an advertisement in the center of a job description??? This is too much... As it is the page seems confusing and then the ads at its ridiculous best are there to divert one's attention all the time.

Whew !!! ... And after all these when at last I posted my resume, then what??? There is no guarantee I would ever receive a call. I have heard people complaining that even after applying for 100 jobs online, they hardly got one call ! So, what was all this hard work for???

Hmmm....there has to be some way outta' it... maybe a site that would take the CVs directly to the HRs of the companies. A focussed job portal which would come to assistance of the people like me rather than making all efforts go down the drain !

Am I daydreaming...? Maybe, but as the song says..."I'm not the only one !"

Being Online... it's just not happening !

2008-02-09T02:10:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't like shopping??? Going out with friends...rummaging through the racks for the latest products in town. Clothes, gadgets, music, shoes and accessories...my list is endless. A shopaholic, I never missed a single chance to shop for my favorite goodies. When I don't have enough time for going out...I just sit in front of my PC and voila!!! ....I shop my fill. But lets admit it...it is nowhere close to the experience of going out to the shopping malls and getting what you want. Let me tell you why....

Log on to a shopping portal and whew !!!... I find myself surrounded with innumerable categories and options. The advertisements on the other hand are always there to add to my confusion. Seems like it will take a lifetime to find out what I want. Then with immense effort if I get the section of my interest, the new problem of getting the right option for myself arises. Say a few days back I was looking for a shirt for myself. Trust me...I had to go through a helluva of experience to find it...and at the end of the day..I didn't succeed. I didn't get the full view of the shirts which were showcased and when I tried to find out different colors on the same design...I don't even want to tralk of what I had to go through. I nearly ate my nails out of frustration.

I detest the complicated layouts that most of the shopping portals have. I hate wandering around without knowing where to the thing I'm looking for. Why all the online shopping portals have to be so hopeless...? C'mon guys...can you please let me know what do you think can solve the problem?????