The View From The Top

The Entrepreneur Media EXpose

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 03:53:00 +0000

Sending Your Name to MARS and what it all means...

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:57:00 +0000

On the 15th July, I registered and participated in NASA's rover space programme. NASA issued me with a certificate of participation, where my name will be carried to Mars on a microchip carried by NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover.

I got so many emails and comments in my inbox asking me details about how my name was chosen and why is it going to Mars.

Some of you might be thinking what's the point of sending your name to Mars?

What's the whole purpose of sending your name?

Well there isn't-- it's just for the fun of it. But what NASA is really doing is that they are engaging and trying to raise the awareness for their space programmes with the public via social media. The mainstream media has proved to have slowed down in their broadcast with NASA's space projects and therefore they took the leap to join in the evolution of social media.

Their efforts have proved to be successful and they are now able to create a personality for their spacecrafts and for people to connect and communicate on a personal level with their astronauts and authorities from NASA.

In fact today NASA's is known for sending more tweets and engaging widely via social media than they do by launching rockets.

The way I look at it with regards to sending your name to mars is this;

1. You can't send a man to Mars as YET --so the next best option is to send your name which might give the end user the so called "experience" of going to Mars;

2. It also suggests that virtual teleportation (holographic beaming) is on it's way and it's very much certain where we will be able to beam ourselves virtually into space (as you have seen in Star Trek);

3. NASA is also raising the awareness of the people and are engaging with the public on a personal level; and

4. To send out real time information on the web to heighten the experience of the viewer and information on space travel and discovery.

These are the changes that digital media is bringing and we must embrace these changes and be prepraed to explore any one of these possibilities that may come in your way.

To keep track on NASA's social media collaborations click here or

If you wish to participate then click here to send your name to Mars!

Obama Checks Out Mayara Tavares??

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:10:00 +0000

"A picture is worth a thousand words" and as good as it may seem it surely doesn't portray what it really means in this case.

Obama was so called "caught in the act" by checking out a girl and it was reported that the girl was Mayara Tavares. Watch the Obama video here.

Pictures can be manipulated and they very often don't tell you the exact story especially when the internet has changed the way we communicate and share things online. As some would say that privacy is dead.

The reaction that this picture brought is quite similar to a video that was previously produced by Marc Anthony in 'I've Got You'. It is a clear exaple of how images can be exploited to portray a wrong message to the public and one that could bring a string of events through invasion or privacy, defamation and so forth. Watch Marc Anthony's video here!

Hail 'Caesar'!

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Mon, 25 May 2009 15:24:00 +0000

Twitter is fast become a tool for 'breaking news' and not limited to that, but a tool that can partake in humanitarian efforts.

This is what happened when two college friends, Connie Donnellan (@cdonnellan) and Jamie Whitt (@WeblogofWeeds) of Texas made a charitable move to save a pit bull's life, which they named Caesar.

They found the dog injured on the roadside and decided to take it to the veterinary as they knew that Causar would be euthanized if it was taken to the shelter home. By acting quickly they spread the message on twitter to raise money for the surgery and in three short days they manage to receive more than enough money for the dog's surgery and two follow ups with the vertinary.

You can read more here or watch the videos of Caesar recovering here...

Chicken Ala Carte: For People who Dont Know The Value of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:39:00 +0000

Here is something which I felt that we should all be ashamed of if we do not know the true value of what life is. Especially in this economic downturn, many out there are suffering. Not just in these tough times, but all the time.

Watch the video below to find out more...

Click Here...

Police Can Now Track You via GPS

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Mon, 11 May 2009 05:56:00 +0000

The courts have ruled that the police can now track you via GPS, so long as they do not violate your constitutional rights.

It is amazing to see how these developments are taking place. This has now open the doors for greater survellance by the police on its citizens.

Be cautious for what you have as your screen saver!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:35:00 +0000

Well for those who are making presentations-- I am sure that you wouldn't want this to happen to you.

A 'Viral Fever' that Rocks the Entertainment World

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:04:00 +0000

Say what you want. This video alone (there are many others posted with similar hits) was posted a day ago and has reached 25,000,000 hits and counting. This is by far one of the gratest viral videos that I have seen.

if you have the buzz, Internet marketing can do wonder for you. Image applying that principle to your business. Imaging your business going viral. What are the consequnces and rewards that you will reap as a result.

Sharon Boyle was featured on Birtain's Got Talent. She said "I always wanted to perform in front of a large audience. I am going to make that audience rock."

She is down to earth and at first-- the impression everyone gave was laughter and thinking that this lady must be a nutter.

However everything backfired when she really made them "rock"... watch the video for yourself and see.

Cover it Live!

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:14:00 +0000

(Image: SpeedBump.com)

Here is an interesting story. I met up with a friend, Anil Netto, who is a writer and a web 2.0 political blogger. He travels a lot and has been covering political events all over the country.

What interests me about him is that he has been providing live feeds and information to his readers and those concerned about the latest development of the political landscape in the country. He believes in political justice and provides readers with uncensored news direct and straight from the source or events.

This is where the power of the internet and social media comes to the rescue. One of the 'tools' that Anil uses is Cover It Live! an online blogging tool that allows you to post comments and information directly to your readers. This tools provides readers live information as the events unfold from your perspective. It is not a chatting device, but caution must be taken as you do not want to lose focus as you might get caught up replying directly to the comments, which will then make it look as if you are having a 'chat' with your readers rather than providing a live feed and information as the events unfold.

(Anil working from his laptop covering the events live as they unfold via Cover It Live!)

As we know that the internet promotes the freedom of speech, but some countries including China and Malaysia tend to censor news in the mainstream and traditional media. They do this to prevent the citizens from knowing the truth and what is going on around them (in the political sense based on the corrupt practices of the government). It is indeed a sad case especially when the government of the day does so to their own citizens.

This is when people like Anil Netto among others come into the picture. They play an important role to help spread the message of justice through their blogs and findings. Their news are uncensored and is focused to the benefit of the community.

However, it isn't easy as it sounds. These political bloggers such as Anil Netto, and many others including Raja Petra Kamaruddin (an independent online news provider for the community) are constantly watched by the goverment.

To prove my point, I decided to follow Anil for 2 days to cover the 'Perak Controversy'-- respectively on the 7th and on the 8th of Feb. The 8th Feb, was also a day of for the Hindu Community who celebrate Thaipusam.

We did a live coverage on the 'Perak Controversy' a political crisis that the Silver State is facing and followed a few 'key people' who were able to provide us information on the political landscape as issues unfold.

On the 7th I was at the Perak Chief Ministers Home , where he gave a speech and it was filled with supporters and unidentified and plain clothers police offifers. I went up to Anil and had a conversation with him about the event, and Anil immediately pointed out to me that there was an officer hoovering around us with a watchful eye and ear over us. We then had to move on to a different location to prevent them from following us and listening to our conversations and findings.

The second incident, was during the Thaipusam event (8th Feb). We had a lead that there was going to a a candle light vigil by the Hindu devotess to promote fundamental human rights, freedom of speech and expression, which the government has denied over the many years since they have been in power. Under normal circumstances, such events are illegal without a police permit (and they could have been arrested by the police) and these individuals took the opportunity to use this event to do so. Within moments, I was informed that the Special Branch plan clothes police officers are around and were watching our moves.

(Behind me were many other photographers and journalist covering this event)

The goverment keeps a watchful eye to make sure that these people do not come in their way to provide information about their corrupt practices. As a results some of them (including Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, Jeffrey Kitingan) have been detained under the Internal Security Act (some call this the mirror of Guantanamo Bay), which allows the arrest of a person or a preventive detention without trial for a period not exceeding 2 years.

One thing is for sure-- Change is a must and we must all learn to adapt to change. Such government controls of the media and free speech will only lead to their down fall. We have seen tremendous change in the politics of the United States and how social media has played its part. What about you? Are you ready to change and ready to adapt to what social media has to offer?

Google's 'G Spot'?!

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:50:00 +0000

It was recently uncovered that Google has a 'G Spot' drive that is somewhere hidden in the source code of Google pack. It is speculated that the system is due to be launched-- The GDrive!

The 'GDrive' seems to be an online file and backup storage' system, which was noticed by Brian Ussery in a file used by Google Pack. The information that is described is as follows:

“Online file backup and storage… GDrive provides reliable storage for all of your files, including photos, music and documents… GDrive allows you to access your files from anywhere, anytime, and from any device - be it from your desktop, web browser or cellular phone”.

2009 seems to be a very promising year and it sure does prove that there are lots of developments that are due to come in the months ahead.

Web 2.0 and the death of privacy

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:43:00 +0000

Has Privacy become an issue of the past? These days you are more prone to hear news about Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Police officers and even Government Ministers and Officials being caught on tape. Not only on tape, but today they are all being posted over the Internet. A few cases might illustrate this issue of privacy and how it may lead to other chain of actions that could harm you.

The Dark Side

One was the case of a British man, Edward Richardson, who murdered his wife. His wife changed her Facebook profile status to "single" a few days after they had an argument and moved out. He became so enraged from seeing the change in profile status and subjected her to a brutal attack with a knife leaving her dead in the bedroom. It was also reported that Edward was sentenced to 18 years of jail for the murder of his wife.

The other case is of a Malaysian Health Minster of Malaysia, Dr. Chua Soi Lek, who was caught with his political pants down, where he was "featured" having sex with a young Chinese woman. He was caught by hidden cameras in a 'sex romp', which was widely circulated and became an instant hit in Malaysia. This eventually caused his downfall on his political career and was forced to resign.

The One with The Force

As with online privacy, sometimes it can also work for you. It can provide you with some kind of publicity, create a fellowship and make people like you for what you do.

The case of Alexey Wayner, is one clear example. He posted a video resume in 2006 of 'Impossible is Nothing', which became an 'internet hit'. Within days calls started to flood in and his privacy was invaded. Many spoof's started to duplicate his video and has since spread widely over the net.

Could this be turned around? Would you want to use it for building an online business? It is possible, depending on how you were to look at it. Whether the glass half empty or half full.

If you were to look at it in the marketing sense, it could bring about a great deal of traffic to your site, since the video is viral. It could provide you with some kind of 'credibility' if you are building a business. But if you are not then it could cause damage to your reputation and the experience can be a painful one. The online community is a shared one, and there are people out there who would like to know what you do and don't. But the test a subjective one.

Cameras have played a major role in our lives, both in media, security and also for personal use. But, these days camera's can invade our privacy and thanks to many social media sites and video sites such as YouTube and many other social media sites have allowed images, videos and data to spread like wild fire. It is far easier to invade your privacy and cause damage to your reputation.

Technology has shows how easy it can be and how a persons privacy can be invaded and affect a persons life after the videos, images and data are posted online. Let it be for good or evil. Your privacy is literally blown! It is like 'Big Brother', watching over you or image your life being featured in "The Chronicles of The Truman Show", where everyone is watching you.

The internet is based on the first amendment, which promotes freedom of speech and everyone is given the opportunity to post information voluntarily, but sometimes involuntarily especially when someone obtains your data, video or images without your consent. So what kind of privacy is this? Who is to be blamed? Should you be humiliated or exhilarated?

We all have to deal with this increase of information that is being posted on the net, but the question seem to be how much information is enough? Where do you draw the thin fine line to post such information and data online? Who determines this? Should we shut down the internet and block or ban sites that invade your privacy?

Of course not! You do not ban any sites or even try to shut down the internet. The role and responsibility is to be shared online both by web service providers and the end user. We have to collectively raise the awareness of individuals to protect the privacy of individuals online and at the same time making sure that you do your part as the end user.

Some related links:

Data Privacy Day
Raising Data Privacy Awareness
The Privacy Dilemma

Creativity at It's Best

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:29:00 +0000

These days more and more companies are looking for creative ways to promote their ideas, brands and services.

Ikea is one of them and they featured Robert Muraine in one of their creative ads.

Just amazing. Have a look...

Robert Muraine is a 'popper' or also known for his 'popping' dance movements and he was featured in 'So You Think You Can Dance' and eventually won :)

Your Future, Your Fortune

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:07:00 +0000

I would like to get some things straight. There have been people that I have come across with and by listening to their confessions and experiences, I just feel sorry for them. They just have a poor will power and they lack the power to make decisions for themselves.

The people who I am referring to are those who rely on fortune tellers, psychics and mystics. Please don't be fooled by them and get hurt emotionally in the process of doing so. If these guys are real they will be the first ones making a million bucks and living a life of their dreams, but rather they are making a million bucks out of you and from the people who are really susceptible to their suggestions.

These kinds of beliefs are personal and at the end of its up to you to what you practise or preach, but rememeber that at the end of the day your life, your destiny is based on the decisions that you make and not what others suggest to you or 'tell' you what to do.

Can you image if Bill Gates had gone to see a 'fortune teller' way back before he started Microsoft? Can you imagine the fortune teller saying this to him: "Don't worry my child you will be a successful person and you will have a high flying job in the near future." Don't you think it is every persons dream to be sucessful in life and live their dreams? But the test always comes down to those who take action and execute their dreams and ambition, and this is something that many successful individuals have done including Bill Gates. He didn't rely on all the mystics and fortune tellers to sell him that he will start Microsoft. Common sense is not so common and it is they who lack this "common sense" end up becoming preys of such people.

I have come across individuals who relied on these alternatives rather then to be a master of their own destinity. As a result of these alternatives, they have ruined their relationships, their jobs and careers and some even commited suicide. This is true. Don't be a victim to all the 'spoofs and pranks'.

If these individuals can proof their claims then maybe they should take up the James Randi Paranormal Challenge, where $1,000,000 shall be awarded to those who can prove their "powers" by experiment. Till today, I have yet to see anyone proof of these claims as well. I myself have come across such pranksters and when questioned, they tend to shun away and say this is the gift of god. Yeah right!

Why should he or she have such powers and not me? Shouldn't I be having such "powers" and "gift" as well as I am also the son of god just like you? At the end of the day it all comes down to one simple question: If you do not know what you want in life, then you will be heading no where. Success is a science, Period! You can control most of the events that are within your capability and what you think about, you can create provided you take action and work towards them.

The problem is this that most individual do not know where they are heading and as a result they end up going with the 'flow' just like a dead fish that flows down the river stream into the ocean where everyone is. However, those who know where they are heading and know what they want in life are like Salmons. They swim against the flow and current; heading to their destiny and final outcome. And when Salmons reach their destiny, they die.

However, we human beings are the same in perspective of a Salmon, where we can create the same results. The only difference is that we do not die when we reach our goals, but rather we can create and achieve more in life and help others around us.

Perhaps in the future if you feel like taking an "alternative" route to seek some "advice" from the mystics or psychics, perhaps you might want to ask the psychic in the video below first if it is worth it or maybe ask me and pay reward me with the money that you are going to pay the psychic ;) and all I need is to ask you is this: Do you know what you want out of life? If you don't then decide now and don't let others make that decision for you.

Don't say I didn't warn you... Because common sense is not so COMMON ;)

Google Me, Google You, Google Everyone

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 06:46:00 +0000

It's been 10 years now since they "officially" started and Google is clebrating their 10 year anniversary. The co-founders of Google: Larry Pare and Sergey Brin have build one of the most powerful search engines and business concepts of all time. It has been a great decade of achievement for the two co-founders as they have kept pushing all the boundaries and constantly innovating, improving and creating new roads ahead for many to follow. They are the true leaders in the modern day online search, advertising and business.

The avenues are unlimited, everyday new ideas are being created and many are beginning to follow. In the modern age of the world wide web and web 2.0, you can either be a leader in your field by creating something new or you can follow others and modify their ideas (making sure that you do not infringe any copyright laws).

Google is a company that just does that. They started off with a search engine, where they hosted their first data centre in a 7' x 8' garage and transforming into a giant media corporation that hires an approximate figure of 20,000 employees. They have capitalise a huge success from all their ventures beginning from the search engine, ad words, ad sense, youtube, blogger, gmail and now the google chrome browser.

All of these achievements were done in the past 10 years from their modest beginning and location of their garage of 7' 8' garage and jumping to their 1.5 million-square-foot headquarters called the "Googleplex" that is based in Mountain View, California. Not bad for such an effort!

In fact, I was hesitant at first during the launch of Google Chrome, as the layout looked preety simple without any fancy design. But later after reading and receiving a few reviews from some friends in the industry, I decided to download and try the new Google Chrome browser. I am quite a loyal person and I was quite comfortable with my current use of Firefox after switching from IE and Safari, as I found Firefox to be a better browser personally.

However, after I downloaded and installed the Google Chome browser, I must admit that it realy did surpass all my expectations that I had about it. Google stated on their website that the "Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier". And, so it is!

I am very impressed and it is definitely faster in its loading time compared to many other browsers. It doesnt have much of the 'fancy smancy' design, but the technology is great and easy to use. If you haven't downloaded the new Google Chrome browser, I would suggest that you do so by going to this link, get the browser and try if for yourself. I would definitely like to hear from you and what you have to say about it.

Download Google Chrome today!

The Gladiator: The Man, The Myth and The Legend

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:10:00 +0000

“The Leader was Ousted out of Office,The Man who became a Fighter, The Fighter who Defied the Government”.

If you have watched the movie ‘The Gladiator’ you will be familiar with the above mentioned quote: “The General Who Became a Slave, The Slave Who Became a Gladiator, The Gladiator Who Defied an Empire”.

What I can relate now with this movie is quite as close to what is happening to the political scenes of Malaysia. With the resent by-elections that was held on 26^th August, many around the world had their focus on this one man: Anwar Ibrahim.

He was once the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia (1993 to 1998) and is the only Malaysian to have appeared on Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. His career ended there when he was charged for corruption and accused for being a homosexual and a sodomite.

He pleaded innocent for the accusations and charges that were brought against him. The trials went on for years and in 2004, the highest court in Malaysia overturned the sodomy conviction. During this time, he was disqualified from entering into politics for 10 years and in 2006, he announced to return into politics after the end of the disqualification period in 2008.

2008 is a very important year for many. In the United States, the Presidential campaign began. Politicians were all out to campaign and promote their message across the country and they have all been very creative in their campaigns.

Politicians resorted to the internet instead to the main stream media, which was by far the next best thing as it was directly communicated to the end user without any red tape and controls. The internet is a medium which promotes pure democracy, freedom or expression and speech without any government controls and this was the main purpose of it. It was an evident sign that we now no longer focus much on the main stream media and this was the case of the political scene in Malaysia.

Bloggers (the opposition parties) took control of the online media and decided to declare a “war” against the current governing party. Their strategy proved well when they won the March 8, 2008 elections with a landslide victory by winning 5 states in the country overnight. Something that has never taken place before in the past 50 years after independence from the British in 1957.

The story goes with new allegations of sodomy, in which Anwar claims that these new allegations were being manipulated and fabricated by certain quarters of the current government. This has led many international leaders and governments to criticise these new allegations that were made by these quarters.

But let’s narrow it down to the by election that took place recently: August 26, 2008. It was another historic event and the MAN, who we spoke about in the quote earlier: Anwar Ibrahim came back into power and is back into Parliament as an MP now. Anwar Ibrahim had faced many challenges and it was an uphill task for him, but never the less his persistence and hard work proved it all.

He speaks for the people and the people voted for him on August 26, 2008 during the Permatang Pauh by election and it was a sensation as he was back again and being put under the spotlight once again, but this time by the people.

Anwar Ibrahhim has set his sight on becoming the next Prime Minister of Malaysia by September 16, 2008. September 16 has been translated to a "Golden Day" by many as 916 is a number for gold. If you were to go to a jeweller in Malaysia and ask for 916, you will be presented with gold jewellery.

It is yet to be another historic moment that many are looking forward to. It wil be the biggest victory and history that is yet to be written if and when Anwar Ibrahim and his coallition party were to take from the current ruling government and head for new reforms that the people of the country are asking for.

The Gladiator reminded me of this whole event. It events were like de ja vu to me and you must watch the movie in order to relate to this event. Once you have or if you have watched this move you will know why I call Anwar Ibrahim: The Man, The Myth and The Legend.

Social Media and Health Care 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:54:00 +0000

What I find interesting these days is the health care industry-- an industry that is worth billions. It is an industry that never sleeps and it caters for our health care needs 24/7/365. We have seen lots of changes over the past decade in the development of science and technology and to this aspect, the health care industry has also kept up with it.

This growing change has led the health care industry to fuse and keep up with the need of creating an awareness and the spread of information about health care, medicine and body to individuals worldwide, through the use of the internet and social media today. Many Physicians and Bio-medics are working hard to create online projects that provide information on health care, medicine and the body that can benefit the world at large.

Here are some projects and reviews on the Online Health Care Industries:

MedPedia

MedPedia is a global project that provides information through their 'living encyclopedia', which consists of health, medicine and body. It is the 'Wikipedia' of Medicine and it is to be available freely to individuals around the world. MedPedia is calling for content and are currently working along with Physicians, Health Organizations, Harvard Medical School, Stanford School of Medicine, Berkeley School of Public Health, University of Michigan Medical School and other leading global health organizations, and they are all working very hard behind the scenes by compiling a comprehensive medical resource that can soon help and provide information to millions around the world.

Practice Fusion

Practice Fusion is another project that provides health care information to doctors and patients at no cost. Practice Fusion claims to reduce cost and allows medical practitioners to provide high level of care to their patients as they are committed to contribute to the community and believe that there should be equality in the standards of healthcare between individuals no matter where they come from.

Health World Web

Health World Web is an online social network of patient community. On the site, members can ask questions, post a blog, add a doctor and share your healh care experiences that you have had. The site boasts to have more than 1.5 million doctors and dentists in a range of specialties. In fact, it is a good platform for individuals to share their health care experience and even share their doctors or hospital contact information with others who might need some care or advice.

The Doctors Channel

The Doctors Channel is an online web tv that enables doctors or individuals to watch, listen and learn from doctors alike. It is a free service for everyone and it allows doctors to share ideas with one another fast and easy with the latest news and information and the changing face of the health care industry. The site provides medical and non-medical information to individuals that is reviewed by their team of physicians, writers and doctors.

OR Live

OR Live is another social media project that provides live and on-demand online video streaming which focuses on new medical breakthroughs and procedures from world renown medical centers and hospitals. OR Live are one of the leaders in health care broadcasting, where they have developed more than 600 live and on-demand events with over 2000 hours of programming.

Patient UK

Patient UK is an online information source or patients. The site provides information on health care needs that are usually provided by general practitioners to their patients during their consultation. Patient UK, is currently a market leader and have their systems installed in more than 50% of the GP's Clinics in the UK. The site is aimed to provide good quality information to individuals about health care and disease and for health care and medical professionals outside the UK to obtain health care information from a UK source.

All of these sites do provide good resources in the health care industry. There have been many developments and progress in the health care industry. It keeps growing from day to day with the aim of providing good quality information by creating the awareness and providing free access and information to anyone at will.

However, you should not take this for granted. Although, the information provided in these sites are current or authoritative, you should not substitute such information for any professional face to face advice from a doctor. The content of such sites should be treated as informational purpose only.

Becoming a Public Figure

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:27:00 +0000

Come to think of it for a minute, in this day and age of social media and technology, everyone is a 'public figure'. What I mean by this is that, anyone and everyone has the opportunity to be a public figure. With the facility and tools that we have today, our profiles are all being posted on the world wide web. Such postings do indeed make each and everyone individual a 'public figure'. This arrangement is not a direct one for those who wish to be on the limelight, but rather takes a softer approach.

I would like to reaffirm the statement above with the decision of a Judge from Florida, where by being mentioned on the net can indeed make you a public figure. Public figures are usually categorised as politicians or celebrities, but so as long as there is a substantial presence, debate and contribution on your part, you too can be categorised as a 'public figure'. Please note that there can be serious legal implications for publishing such material on the internet, where the information or material might be untrue or one that tends to tarnish the reputation of an individual, which might lead to a claim of defamation.

Let's take a look at some of the Negative aspects of these developments.
Please note that when using the world wide web, you are crossing jurisdictions and breaking geographical barriers when communication or making contact with an individual or business.

First, some of these developments in the world of social media and networking are encouraging the 'death' of privacy laws. You might want to consider these questions:

1. What level of privacy should you anticipate from another individual online?;
2. What do others believe of your expectations?; and in addition to that
3. What would you consider as a reasonable expectation?

Secondly, more and more students and individuals are posting pictures of them comsuming alcohol, and some making references to drugs and sex, but what they don't realise is that these publications are permanent and that the world is 'watching' them. Some authorities have begun using these tools to help them in their investigation and have so far proved successful.

Thirdly, issues of information security, that involves spams and indetity theft occur all the time.

Fourth, there are sexual predators online who tend to prey on the 'weak', but where does this end?

You should know by now that Cyber Space is no Private Space! Anything and everything that you post online is visible to the whole world at large and such information might be abused and you might not even have the littlest idea on this.

Take for example, the trend of having online 'friends' on your facebook, myspace or friendster account might be a great thing, with the idea that the more 'friends' you have the merrier it is. Think again! A British Judge in the UK has ruled that your "facebook friends" cannot be defined as "friendship in the traditional sense". Such friends might turn out to be stalkers and they might even start harassing you, just because they seem to 'think' that you are a 'friend' of theirs. Imagine having 1 million friend, do you think you will know all of them? Very unlikely. But then again, these are just some of the donwfalls of the developments of social media and networking. You should be responsible of your own actions and when dealing with people online.

However, this is not always the case. Having 'friends' can be a good thing as well if you were to look at it from the business point of view. Most online marketers, will applaud to this idea of having a huge fan base and being able to connect to a huge amount of people online. It provides them with a headstart and a platform for their business and it also enables them to provide information, suggestions and advice to people online and it makes them an authority or expert in their respected field.

The idea of having 'friend' in the business world is to leverage their existing connections. It helps someone in the business world to expand their connection and establish their presense online with like minded people, who can invite them to their events through social participation. This too makes an individual a 'public figure' if you are active with your networks.

Infact, I kind of like AirAsia's tagline: 'Now Everyone Can Fly', but I would like to rephrase it to: 'Now Everyone is a Public Figure', with the rise of Social Media and Networking, and this is evident today. Stating that, there might be many arguments, where some may agree with this statement, but, literally: You are a 'public figure'. Here are the question that you might want to ask if you are in the business platform:

1. Are you doing the right things and acting with integrity to be one?
2. Are you acting like a winner and a person with high ambitions and vision?
3. Are you serving and providing for your community?
4. Are you open minded and willing to take responsibility for your actions?

You must understand and realise that for you to be respectable and be looked upon a 'public figure' you must be someone who speaks with authority and substance. You can only keep their attention by writing and speaking with authority.

The world is a small place after all and you can build new relationships really quick and boost opportunities by building new bridges between people from all over the world. I believe that there are always pros and cons in everything, but where do you look for your solution? As an entrepreneur, I always look for opportunities and the bright side of things, even though sometimes it might not seem to be so, but it is always best to keep an open mind and be aware of the things that you do and the law of cause and effect for each and every action of yours.

Apple iPhone vs. HTC’s Touch Diamond

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:03:00 +0000

There has been so much of hype about the iPhone and its 3G status. I am not sure why everyone is going ga ga about the iPhone. There has been news that Apple has sold more than one million of its 3G phones on first weekend. Then, on the other side of the continent-- there is the new HTC Touch Diamond, another revolutionary mobile device that you might not want to miss out on.

Perhaps you might want to look at what these phone’s have to offer and you can then make your own verdict.

The Apple iPhone 3G

The iPhone 3G has a fast wireless technology, which allows users to make calls by tapping on a friends name, listen to music and watch videos on a 3.5” widescreen iPod with a multi-touch display, and the ability to browse the net with html emails and GPS mapping. It claims to be a ‘personal computer’ and redefines what a mobile phone can do.

Based on the specifications the iPhone runs on GSM Quad band frequency, EDGE Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 and a 2 Mega pixel camera. It comes with an 8GB (Black Model) and a 16GB (White Model) flash drive and weights about 4.7ounces (133 grams). The iPhone 3G is to be priced from $199 (this is not a stand alone price).

With lots of application platforms that you can download, the iPhone seems to be user friendly. It is rather a good tool to make your iPhone personalised and personal and this will put the internet in your pocket.

HTC Touch Diamond

However, from the other side of the world, HTC has launched its own unique version of its mobile device: the HTC Touch Diamond device. The HTC Diamond comes with a compact size handheld device that comes with a mobile browser and a 3D interface called TouchFLO 3D, which provides animated access to people, messaging, email, photos, music, weather forecasts.

The device runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and supports high speed mobile Internet access, which includes Bluetooth, and also a built in GPS system. The HTC Diamond has a new YouTube application for its users to watch user generated video content and the ability to access Google Maps for mobile mapping and traffic data and it comes with a 4GB internal memory and a 2.8 inch VGA display.

Observing and comparing these two devices based on its functionality and visual looks, I would prefer the HTC’s Touch Diamond mobile device. It is sleeker and smaller than the iPhone and it has a great craftsmanship with a comfortable feel when you hold it in your hand. It is also relatively simple to use as it comes with a Windows Mobile Software, which makes it easy to use as many are familiar with the use of Windows and it also puts the internet in your pocket.

Verdict: Personally, I would prefer the HTC Diamond as it has a sleeker and smaller design with added comfort to hold on to when on the phone.

Is the World filled with ‘Good People’ or ‘Bad People’?

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:12:00 +0000

I took the coach today. I made my entry into the coach and paid my ticket fare as I boarded the coach. As I walked in, one man from the back raised his hand and said, “there is a seat for you there,” and I thanked him for pointing it out to me.

I then sat on the vacant seat and on my right was an elderly gentleman who was in his 70’s and on my left was a younger guy in his early 20’s. I sat down there enjoying the journey and all of a sudden the younger chap on my left started to fall asleep. He had his left arm and hand supporting his head and each time when he dozes his left arm drops and his hand hits my right arm.

I was thinking to myself “Great! This is what I need for a great start in the morning.” So this went on for a while and the elderly chap on my right saw this and I looked at him and both of us nodded our heads (as a sign to acknowledge this behaviour of sleeping in the coach). I was kind of patient and sympathised with that guy as he might have had a very long night and now he is getting the after effects.

As it continued over and over again and now his head started to rest on my shoulder, I thought to myself that enough is enough and there is always a certain limit of toleration that each and everyone has and can take. I then turned around and touched the guy and say “Excuse me, can you please stop hitting me with your hand!” (At this point I wanted to go on further, but he nodded his head and raise his hand to say sorry. I didn’t know if he even had a clue of what I was saying as he looked really dazed and confused.)

However, I thought that I shall save it for later if he does it again I will definitely speak my mind out and tell him that I'm not his pillow and if he needs to sleep go home and do it (I know this might sound harsh, but, personally if you are travelling in the coach, it is not a place to sleep and to make the others around you to feel uncomfortable as it is a vehicle to transport you from point A to point B). Well he got off three stops later and I was just glad for that.

A few stops later, couple more people boarded the coach and there very a few elderly people who just boarded. I thought that I would get up and offer my seat to them. You will not believe this. Just about when I picked my bag up and was about to get up, the elderly gentleman on my right gently caught my right arm. I was puzzled as to why he did so, and he told me to sit down.

I felt really bad as I remained seated and not offering my seat to the elderly people now. I stayed on and continued the journey and I asked the elderly gentleman a question and he didn’t say much and just nodded. As we approach to the end of the journey the elderly man said to me, “Do you know why I asked you to sit down and not get up earlier?”, I said, “No, why?” He said, “Because there were some ‘bad people’ around”. You know what? I was so mad and shocked at this guys attitude. I almost lost it could have given him a piece of my mind as well after the first incident. But I thought to myself. What’s going on in the world today? Why are people behaving so strangely and having such mindsets? Wasn’t that man’s act of asking me to sit down and depriving the seat to the elderly a bad act itself that made me a ‘bad person’ or was his actions that made him a ‘bad person’?

As we progress in life, I would like to think that we also progress mentally and mature in everything that we do, but sometimes there are people who remain stagnant in their image and their mindset. At the end of the day, the question is a subjective one, because you have the power to decide and do what is best for yourself and determine if the people around you are ‘bad people’ or ‘good people’? Perhaps it’s a personal point of view, but it has also be stated that “ordinary people can succumb to social pressure to commit acts that would be otherwise unthinkable”, as psychologist Phillip Zimbardo has seen good people turn evil.

Social Networking: Old Game, New Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:40:00 +0000

Social Networking and the Art of Building your networks has never been easier. Today, we have all the tools to help us build our networks online, quick and easy. It is still an old game with new tools, but we must choose the right tools to build our networks.

Social Networking sites are blooming and are gaining momentum online. There are so many of them and you will need to pick the right one for your niche. These sites have brought down the boundaries and geographical locations as to how people may communicate and interact with one another. Making friends and building your social or online networks is just at the click of the button, where you can request someone to be your 'friend' and whether you have anything in common with them.

You should never underestimate the power of these social networking websites, as they can really boost your credibility and your presence internationally. At the click of the button, you are making new contacts and friends online and these 'friends', may sometimes invite you to events and functions, where you can meet them face to face and further build your network. You may be invited to conferences, parties, and even weddings and these are some of the events that you should consider attending, if you wish to build your network and meet new people.

But, then again, online social networking is nothing compared to the good old way of meeting people and making friends face to face, as there is more interaction and you get to see how the person is able to relate to you physically. You are able to build better rapport with the person face to face than meeting them online. I am not saying that online networking is bad, but rather, it is a starting point for making friends and building your list and at the same time you are breaking the local barriers and boundaries and interacting with people on a global scale.

As a result of my 'online social profile' and network, I have been invited and attended many events that has enabled me to build my contacts on a global scale. I would suggest that if you haven't got an 'online social profile' perhaps you might want to consider creating one. You may create a profile that suits your needs and niche. You will never know how your 'social profile' may benefit you in the long run. What have you got to loose anyway? Only friends to make!

Social Media and Politics

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:47:00 +0000

One of the things that I hate is Politics. It can really get dirty and I usually stay out of it. But, I would like to point out a few things in the development of Social Media and Politics in today's world. It is really interesting to observe how these events are unfolding over the past few years and how people are using it to gain popularity.

I would like to touch on the use of social media today (and not what they parties have done or not) by politicians and their parties. It is one of the most powerful form of media that we have today. The Internet has really changed the way we communicate and work. technology is changing and advancing from day to day and we all really need to adapt and keep up with this change. There are no two ways about it and we either do it or we don't! Period.

Case # 1

In the last British Election, we saw the labour party using Youtube.com as part of their political campaign and they were really successful in terms of promoting their campaign. I observed at that time that the British Government didn't even have any kind of 'multimedia status'. But they managed to pull through and utilised the availability of the social media. The labour Party components have also been successful in creating such pages and blogs online during their political campaign and it has proved to be a success.

One of them is Councillor James Alexander a Labour Party Candidate. He has his own Youtube page, which has about 424 subscribers. Then we have Labour: Vision, which also promotes the labour party and interviews and talks by other Labour candidates. And finally, 10 Downing Street, another Labour Party page, where you'll find exclusive films and features from No. 10 and the British Prime Minister.

In 2007, Tony Blair has even used the Internet to Congratulate Sarkozy on winning France's presidendial election (this video can be watched on the 10 Downing Street Page). The party and its candidates have done well by keeping up with the change of technology and the impact it has in the world today. They have also managed to adapt to the changes that have taken place and used it for their political campaign. Queen Elizabeth has also resorted to Youtube with her Christmas address, with hopes to reach the younger generation.

Case # 2

Now this second case scenario rally interests me. The Malaysian Government started the MSC (Multimedia Super Coridor) in 2006, which was designed to be a leapfrog Malaysia into the information and knowledge age.

This 'MSC status' seems to portray and provide that Malaysia is 'fit' and is 'some kind of a leader' in the information and knowledge arena. However, this was only backfired during the recent Malaysian elections in 2008, we saw a landslide victory and a political tsunami in Malaysian politics after 50 since independence.

You would assume that Malaysia's leading political party would resort to the use of the internet and social media as the British Labour Party did, but instead they didn't. It was admitted bluntly by the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that: "In the last election, we certainly lost the Internet war, the cyberwar," during an investors' conference. He also said that it was "a serious misjudgement" and that "It was a very, very serious mistake on our part", while the opposition parties, (e.g. Jeff Ooi won and became a Parliamentary Candidate), resorted to the use of blogs and social media as part of their campaign.

I was quite surprised by these remarks. How can the ruling political party that set the MSC, be so careless in the use of the internet and social media when they were the ones who implemented it? It doesn't seem to make sense.

It is just an old game, with new tools. How can one possibly ignore the facts and the tools that are readily available to you at this day of age? Are we just so ignorant still or are we going to adapt and use the tools available to us and stop making excuses?

Many other political parties like the Australian Democrats are resorting to the use of social media and it is becoming more and more common these days as it doesn't involve much in advertising costs. All you need is a computer and the internet connection to do so. One of the most remarkable promotion and the use of social media can be seen in the U.S. Presidential Campaign. It is arguable that part of Barack Obama success is due to use of social media, where he has made innovate use of social media, which includes pod casting, Twitter, Flickr, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and others. There has also been a lot of online statistics showing forecasts of the winner of this current U.S. Presidential Campaign.

As you can see, the use of social media in politics is gaining it's dominance and momentum online. It is a viral game that is creating 'viral politics' and changing the way politics is run.

Emotional Mastery

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:32:00 +0000

On Sunday, I went out with my nephew to one of the local telecommunication outlet to get my mobile phone line sorted. I was there for about an hour or so and I went home after that. As soon as I reached home and while I was still in the car, I received a call from an unidentified number. I was hesitant about answering the call, but I decided to pick it up.

And, it was my mum. She said to me, "Harry, please come home, your bother has met with an accident and she broke down into tears". I reacted as well and started to get worried and asked her, when and where did take place and how? I told my mum, I am just outside the out and I am coming in. This was definitely a testing time. In such times, any human being will surely react emotionally and burst out in tears.

As I walked into the house, I thought to myself, hang on there. I know that my brother has met with an accident, but what can I do about it by worrying? I am not sure what the extent of the casualty is and, there is surely no point of worrying and getting all hyped up over the matter. I thought to myself this is a test for me and a chance for me to master my emotions and control them. I started to apply what I had learned all these years about the human psyche and the effects that it has over the mind of man.

I walked in and went straight to the dining room, where my mum, dad, sister and some friends who came by heard the news as well. They were all worried and my mum told me that a car had hit into my brother, while he was riding his motorbike. They were all worried and started makings calls to find out where he was and which hospital was the ambulance was going to take him. At the same time, they wanted to drive down to the state where my brother lives, which was about 200km from the place that I live.

Everyone was upset and wanted to do something to help. I just had to intervene and ask them who provided you with the information? And, it was my brother who called them up. I thought, okay, that's a start and if he can call that means he is still conscious and that is indeed a good sign. I went on further and asked that if he said anything else? I was told that my brother seems to think that he has broken his leg in the accident.

So now, I thought that we are heading somewhere and I knew it might not be that serious as he was still able to communicate in a conscious and reasonable manner. In my past experience of rendering my service to the NHS, U.K.-- I observed that you can roughly tell by the impression of the individual if he/she has a broken bone. The signs or symptoms will usually be a great amount of pain or displeasure and that the person can usually be in hysteria or in a shock, without being able to reason properly.

As a result of all these events, I decided to reserve any judgments of the outcome and the seriousness of the matter. I told my parents to hang on for an hour or two until we hear from my brother again, and only then will we decide when to leave. They all agreed and we waited.

While waiting, I tried calling my brother's mobile phone and it was going to the voice mail. I tried calling every 10 minutes for the entire hour and finally got through to him and he said that he was on the way to the x-ray department. I then proceeded to ask him about his condition and I was told that there wasn't any head or bodily injuries and I was so pleased by that news. I informed my parents about the news and only decided to leave a little later to visit my brother that night. There was more that unfolded later that night, but I shall reserve those events for my own personal experience only.

I realised that, by practicing the 'stillness' of the mind has a very powerful effect towards your body and emotions. Many people, would however, react and over react to such situations, as emotions are difficult to control at times. But, the practice of mastering the mind does help to master your emotions and the outcome of your life.

I am not sure about you. But, have you experienced any of these events before personally or have you seen anyone within your foresight that had such an experience? What were your thought and response towards these events?

New Look, New Beginning and Let's Educate

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Seggu) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:30:00 +0000

It's been sometime since I posted anything here. I decided to
give the blog a new look, feel and deleted all the previous content.

Well it has been a busy period for me and I have been travelling
a lot lately and haven't had much time for myself. But, along the
way I have experienced a lot more, by observing the people,
businesses and organizations around me.

It really mystifies me at times. Last year in 2007, a close friend
of mine applied for his post graduate degree at a public university
and they told him that he was "under qualified" to pursue the
programme that he wanted to do. He then, applied to another
private university and gained entry and since, he has now completed
his Masters Degree.

I have always had the intention to pursue my Masters/Phd
as part of my professional development, and lately I decided to do so.
I made an application in January 2008, to the same public university
that my friend applied to, and I was declined the offer to carry out my
postgraduate degree on the basis that "I didn't have the
qualifications/experience to do so," and I was shocked.

I had all the relevant qualifications and experience for the research that I proposed and they had the cheek to say that to me. However, while waiting for their reply, I applied to another Private University and I submitted my research proposal to them. Guess what, they accepted it! And it took them only 3 weeks to decide and get back to me, compared to the former that took them 6 months.

It's gets better now... Since the completion of his first Masters Degree, my friend, intends to pursue a second Masters Degree. We spoke about it and decided to write back to the same public university that declined him earlier on. This time, they said that he is "overqualified" and that he should do his Doctoral Degree, rather than a second Masters Degree. When I heard this, I started to laugh.

My friend, told me that he would prefer to do a second Masters Degree rather than a Doctoral (this was based on his personal preference), and I agreed to his argument. He then applied to another private university and gained entry for his second Masters Degree.

Now the point is this: I am just curious about the manner that some of these institutions make and what are their decisions based on (or could it be that just that particular "one" public university was just to choosy). I find that they (Public Universities) are just losing out on all the potential candidates and income that they could get from these candidates. At the same time they are also depriving individuals who wish to further their education and career plans.

Why? What is wrong with the system? I always believe that to EARN more you must LEARN more, and I am a keen learner and I always read and learn about anything that interests me. The world that we live in is no longer what it is some 10-15 years ago. Times have changed and it has become far more competitive than before. The cost of living is rising and we must do more so that we can sustain and live a better quality of life. It is time that we all educate ourselves and eradicate poverty and the mindset of mediocrity.

People are being more aggressive and are those who take action, that will usually reap the results. These individuals should be good decision makers and not just people who will screw things up (like those in the public university referred to earlier on), as these decisions can leave a lasting impact and impression of what people will thing about you and your organization.

I just can't wait to see how the future will be in time to come, but it will all depend on the things that we do today, which will be the effect of tomorrow.

Don't you think we should all do our bit today for a better tomorrow?