You can skip this step if you have already added the Dotdeb repository while installing NGINX and PHP-FPM on your Debian Squeeze Server. We need to grab the latest version of MySQL to benefit from all new updates and bug fixes. Read this article for information on adding the Dotdeb repository to your Rackspace Cloud Server.

Step 2 : Install the MySQL server and client

Installation is simple. Just use the following command.

apt-get install mysql-server mysql-client

You will be prompted to key in the MySQL ‘root’ password during the installation. Make sure the password is hard to crack. Once the install is over, you can run

mysql_secure_installation

to remove the ‘test’ database and test users. MySQL should be up and running by now!

Step 3 : Configuring and optimising the MySQL Server

MySQL can get resource hungry. There are many articles around the web that talk about MySQL optimisation. The few settings that I have shown here will help free up some memory (RAM). Edit the following MySQL configuration file.

/etc/mysql/my.cnf

The settings that are already in the MySQL configuration file are pretty decent. You can add just the following to free up some additional memory.

skip-locking
skip-innodb
key_buffer = 8M

You can use the Perl script found at https://github.com/rackerhacker/MySQLTuner-perl to further optimise the database server.

Step 4 : Creating a new database user and database

We will need to create a new database and user for the WordPress installation. The following command should do that.

mysql -h localhost -u root -pPassword

GRANT USAGE ON *.* TO 'newuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password'
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON `newdbname`.* TO 'newuser'@'localhost'

This command will create a newuser with a password and assign the user to the new database with the name newdbname.

Step 5 : Restart the MySQL server

service mysql restart

That’s it! You now have a working MySQL database server.

PHP-FPM (FastCGI Process Manager) is an alternative PHP FastCGI implementation with some additional features useful for sites of any size, especially busier sites.
Source : PHP-FPM Website

PHP-FPM is far better than the standard mod_php implementation of PHP and also easier to implement that spawn-fcgi. PHP-FPM works like an application that loads and kills PHP instances as needed. Of all the benefits that it offers, reduced memory usage is the most attractive one.

Step 1 : Add the Dotdeb repository

You can skip this step if you have already added the Dotdeb repository while installing NGINX on your Rackspace Debian Cloud Server. The version of PHP and PHP-FPM in the Dotdeb repository is up-to-date and stable. We need to grab the latest version of PHP to benefit from all new updates and bug fixes. Read this article on adding the Dotdeb repository to your Debian Squeeze Server.

Step 2 : Installing PHP and PHP-FPM

The following command will do it all for you. I have included some popular PHP modules. You can choose and install the modules that you require.

sudo apt-get install php5-cgi php5-cli php5-common php5-curl php5-dev php5-fpm php5-gd php5-idn php5-imagick php5-imap php5-json php5-mcrypt php5-memcache php5-mhash php5-ming php5-mysql php5-ps php5-pspell php5-recode php5-snmp php5-sqlite php5-suhosin php5-tidy php5-xcache php5-xmlrpc php5-xsl php-pear php-soap

This command will install PHP-FPM and auto start the service. PHP-FPM will get added to the startup.

Step 3 : Configuring and Optimising PHP

As you will be using PHP-FPM to process PHP scripts, edit the php.ini file that can be found at /etc/php5/fpm/php.ini. There are a lot of PHP settings that you can configure to optimise PHP for performance, speed and security. The following three are a good starting point.

memory_limit = 64M
expose_php = Off
display_erros = Off

Step 4 : Configuring and Optimising PHP-FPM

Remember, we are setting up a low-end (256MB) web server on Rackspace. We need to conserve as much memory as possible. Edit the file /etc/php5/fpm/pool.d/www.conf

pm = dynamic
pm.max_children = 10
pm.start_servers = 1
pm.min_spare_servers = 1
pm.max_spare_servers = 4
pm.max_requests = 500

This will bring down the number of children processes and free up some RAM.

Step 5 : Restart PHP-FPM

service php5-fpm restart

This command will restart PHP-FPM.

nginx (pronounced “engine-x”) is a Web server and a reverse proxy server for HTTP, SMTP, POP3 and IMAP protocols, with a strong focus on high concurrency, performance and low memory usage. According to BuiltWith, it is used on 9.92% of the top 1 million websites, and its growth within the top 10k, 100k and 1 million segments is increasing.
- Wikipedia

The purpose of this tutorial is to install and configure NGINX (to host WordPress sites) on a low end cloud server (256MB instance from Rackspace).

Step 1 : Add the Dotdeb repository

The version of NGINX in the Debian repository is slightly outdated. We need to grab the latest version of NGINX to benefit from all new updates and bug fixes. Read this article on Adding the Dotdeb repository to your Rackspace Cloud (Debian Squeeze) Server.

Step 2 : Install NGINX

The following command will do it all. It will also start the NGINX service and add it to the server startup.

apt-get install nginx

Step 3 : Configure & optimise NGINX

The NGINX package from Dotdeb comes bundled with all the key modules. The configuration file is pretty good too. We’ll still need to make some changes as our cloud server instance is just 256MB. Open

/etc/nginx/nginx.conf

using your preferred editor. The following are some settings that you can change / add.

worker_processes 2
worker_connections 1024
server_tokens off;

# Timeout Settings

client_body_timeout 10;
client_header_timeout 10;
keepalive_timeout 5 5;
send_timeout 10;

# Gzip Settings - For improving (SEO) page speed

gzip on;
gzip_static on;
gzip_comp_level 6;
gzip_disable "msie6";
gzip_vary on;
gzip_types text/plain text/css text/xml text/javascript application/json application/x-javascript application/xml application/xml+rss;
gzip_proxied expired no-cache no-store private auth;
gzip_buffers 16 8k;
gzip_http_version 1.1;

The above are just a few critical ones. You can refer to the NGINX documentation if you would like to further optimise NGINX.

Step 4 : Create virtual hosts for multiple domains

Create the following folders to store the website’s files, scripts and logs. The third command will make NGINX (www-data user) own the website files.

mkdir -p /var/www/domain/httpdocs
mkdir /var/www/domain/logs
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/

Create a domain vhost configuration file at this location.

/etc/nginx/sites-available/

The filename can be anything. e.g. domainname.conf, domainname, domainname.tld, etc. Create a symlink to this domain’s vhost configuration file from

/etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

using the following command.

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/filename /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/filename

The following content should go into the domain’s vhost configuration file.

server {
  # This redirects the non-www version of the domain name to the www version
  server_name domain.com;
  rewrite ^ $scheme://www.domain.com$request_uri? permanent;
}
server {
  server_name www.domain.com;
  root /var/www/domain/httpdocs;
  index  index.html index.htm index.php;

  access_log /var/www/domain/logs/access.log;
  error_log /var/www/domain/logs/error.log;

  location ~ \.php$ {
    # The next two lines address a security flaw in NGINX.
    # https://nealpoole.com/blog/2011/04/setting-up-php-fastcgi-and-nginx-dont-trust-the-tutorials-check-your-configuration/
    try_files $uri =404;
    fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
    # NOTE: You should have "cgi.fix_pathinfo = 0;" in php.ini

    include /etc/nginx/fastcgi_params;
    fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9000;
    fastcgi_index index.php;
    fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME /var/www/domain/httpdocs$fastcgi_script_name;
  }

  # Disable index.php and make WordPress permalinks work
  location / {
    try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
  }

  # Expires header to improve SEO (Google Page Speed)
  location ~* \.(ico|css|js|gif|jpg|jpeg|png|xml|pdf)$ {
    expires 1w;
    add_header Pragma public;
    add_header Cache-Control "public, must-revalidate, proxy-revalidate";
    log_not_found off;
  }

  location = /favicon.ico {
    log_not_found off;
    access_log off;
  }

  location = /robots.txt {
    allow all;
    log_not_found off;
    access_log off;
  }

  # Deny all attempts to access hidden files such as .htaccess, .htpasswd, .DS_Store
  location ~ /\. {
    deny all;
    access_log off;
    log_not_found off;
  }

  # Don't log and deny access to files which end with ~, as these are usually backup files.
  location ~ ~$ {
    access_log off;
    log_not_found off;
    deny all;
  }
}

The above settings should be sufficient to run a WordPress based website. We have also taken care of some key page speed improvements that Google recommends.

Step 5 : Restart NGINX

Once you have completed the above steps, you will have to restart NGINX for the new settings to take effect. You can use the following command to restart NGINX.

service nginx restart

Step 6 : Point the domain’s A record to the server’s IP address

For the domain and the hosting to work together, you need to edit your domain’s DNS records and point the A records (@ and www) to your server’s IP address. Once the DNS change gets propagated around the web, you will be able to enter your domain name in the address bar of the browser and reach your website stored under the folder (/var/www/domain/httpdocs).

Dotdeb is a repository containing packages to turn your Debian boxes into powerful, stable and up-to-date LAMP servers
- Dotdeb About Page

The Dotdeb repo for Debian based Linux servers contains the latest stable versions of NGINX, PHP and MySQL. All three of these packages combined can provide us with a powerful yet light weight web server to host static and dynamic websites. The aim of this tutorial is to setup NGINX, PHP5-FPM and MySQL on a Rackspace Cloud Server to host a WordPress based website.

To add the Dotdeb repository to any Debian Squeeze server, edit the file

/etc/apt/sources.list

and add these two lines

deb http://packages.dotdeb.org stable all
deb-src http://packages.dotdeb.org stable all

at the bottom of the file. You will now need to fetch the GnuPG key for this repository. You can download the GnuPG key using wget and then add it to the server.

wget http://www.dotdeb.org/dotdeb.gpg
cat dotdeb.gpg | sudo apt-key add -

Run

apt-get update

to complete the repository addition.

Source : Dotdeb Website. Please visit the Dotdeb website for instructions on setting up the repository for Debian Lenny servers and updates on all the available packages.

Step 1 : Create a new Rackspace account

You will need to register with Rackspace and provide your credit card details. You will be charged only when you use the products and services offered by Rackspace. Rackspace will call you to verify the account sign-up.

Step 2 : Add new server

Once your Rackspace account is setup, you can log into the control panel. Along the left menu, click on Hosting > Cloud Servers. Click on the Add Server button to launch the Add Server window.

Step 3 : Server image / Linux image

You will be asked to choose the a Linux distribution. I prefer Debian Squeeze as it uses very little memory (remember we are going to be working with just 256MB of RAM).

Step 4 : Server Configuration

Key in the server name. This is how you will identify your server within the Rackspace control panel. The server name can be changed later, if you wish to do so. Choose a server size of 256MB (10GB Disk Space). This will cost you £0.01 per hour. The monthly (744 hours) cost would come to £7.44 plus VAT (approximate). Press the Create Server button to launch the server. The server’s password will be flashed on the screen and also sent to you via email.

Step 5 : Server active

You will see the live status as the server builds. The new server instance should be active in less than a minute. The IP address of the server will be displayed on the page and also sent to you via email. You can connect to the server through SSH. You can also access the server using the Console (web based). If you wish to retain the IP address, but restore the factory image of the server, you can use the Rebuild button. The Resize button will allow you to scale the memory (RAM) of the server.

That’s your Rackspace Cloud Server ready now!

I am aware of emails that go out to people with a very tempting statement and then request that they click a link to read about it. Even though I am aware of such practices, I was tempted to click this link. I do blog from time to time and the fact that someone might be saying horrible things about me was quite shocking. I was very tempted to click the link. However, I decided to go into Twitter and check out my friend’s wall. The friend had posted a status where she mentioned that someone had hacked her account and sent these nasty messages. What a relief! I was so close to clicking on the link.

Updates – Similar Messages:

• Hey guess what? i got to test and keep an iPhone 4S this rocks u should get one!
• Bad blog going around about you, have you read it yet?
• Someone is posting a pic of you all over Twitter

Spam! Delete and disregard it.

PHP Objects are clean and easy to write.

// Echoing a PHP Array value
echo $array['value'];

// Echoing a PHP Object value
echo $object->value;

Now to the conversion (casting) of a PHP Array into a PHP Object. This is very simple. I just type cast the Array as an Object when returning it.

funtion array_to_object($array) {
    $return (object) $array;
}

The above is just an example. You do not need a PHP function to convert an Array into an Object. The (object) function will do that to any PHP Array. If you ever need to change an Object into an Array, then use the (array) type casting function.

funtion object_to_array($object) {
    $return (array) $object;
}

Now, back to some Codeigniter coding :)

function country_dropdown($countries, $name="country", $top_countries=array(), $selection=NULL, $show_all=TRUE)
{
  $html = "<select name='{$name}' id='{$name}'>";
  $selected = NULL;
  if (in_array($selection, $top_countries)) {
    $top_selection = $selection;
    $all_selection = NULL;
  } else {
    $top_selection = NULL;
    $all_selection = $selection;
  }

  if (!empty($top_countries)) {
    foreach ($top_countries as $value)
    {
      if (array_key_exists($value, $countries)) {
        if ($value === $top_selection) {
          $selected = "SELECTED";
        }
        $html .= "<option value='{$value}' {$selected}>{$countries[$value]}</option>";
        $selected = NULL;
      }
    }
    $html .= "<option>----------</option>";
  }

  if ($show_all) {
    foreach ($countries as $key => $country)
    {
      if ($key === $all_selection) {
        $selected = "SELECTED";
      }
      $html .= "<option value='{$key}' {$selected}>{$country}</option>";
      $selected = NULL;
    }
  }

  $html .= "</select>";
  return $html;
}

The above code was originally posted by Watermark Studios in the Codeigniter forum. There is also a Codeigniter Wiki article that explains the same.

Now, we need the country data. At the above links, you will find an array of countries with their ISO codes and names as key and value pairs. I chose to go for a database approach. I have a database table called ‘countries’, that has the names, ISO 2 and ISO 3 codes of the world countries. You can download the SQL script to create this table. CountriesSQL.zip. Please note : This is not a comprehensive or perfect list of countries. You can find many similar database tables from around the web.

The following PHP function goes into the Codeigniter Datamapper Country model. It basically pulls out the ISO 2 codes and names of all the countries and creates an array of key and value pairs.

function get_dropdownlist()
  {
    $countries = array();
    $countries_get = $this->get();
    foreach ($countries_get as $country)
    {
      $countries[$country->iso_code_2] = $country->name;
    }
    return $countries;
  }

In the Codeigniter controller, I load the Country model and pass the data to the view through a $countries variable.

// Loading the Country model
$countries = new Country();
// Sending the drop down list to the view
$this->template->countries = $countries->get_dropdownlist();

Within the view, I echo the $countries via the country_dropdown() helper function. The first parameter is the array containing the country names and their ISO 2 Codes. The second is the name of the select form field. The third is an array of countries that I wish to be placed on the top of the select field. The last parameter is the country that I wish to preselect.

<?php echo country_dropdown($countries, 'iso_code_2', array('GB', 'US'), 'GB'; ?>

This is a screenshot is how my country drop down form field looks like.

Your twitter account vkathirvel@gmail.com has been suspended for a violation of our Terms of Service. Your account was suspended for aggressive following and tweeting. Following large numbers of users and tweeting too much in an attempt to attract attention to your own account can be annoying to other users and is a violation of the Twitter Rules http://twitter.com/rules. Suspension of your account will be effective at anytime. To avoid permanent suspension just complete our twitter free offers below. Click here to complete some offers.

Always hover over suspicious links and look at the browser’s status bar. You will see the destination link at the bottom left hand corner of the web browser. Keep safe.

Facebook thinks that my account’s protection is low! In the RED :( Oh my God! I need to do something about this. What should I do? Give my phone number to Facebook. Yes! Yes! That’s how I’ll keep my account safe…

In my opinion, Facebook is just hungry for personal information. They can’t stay satisfied with all the information that we’ve already given, and they want more. Yes, using mobile verification one can restore a hacked account and all that rubbish. The point here is the warning signal. “Your Protection (Red Bar) Low”

While social media can be helpful and fruitful, we should also be aware of how much control they possess over our lives. I love Facebook for its core idea (bringing together your social network on the internet) and it’s for FREE! My only concern is the naughty tricks that they pull.

Solution
Just click on the Not Now link to bypass this splash page.

To continue, please type the characters below

Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network. This page checks to see if it’s really you sending the requests and not a robot. Why did this happen?

I’m using Google Chrome as my browser and always search using the omnibox. Any suggestions?

The cold callers often say that they have researched our business and they found certain sure shot strategies for us. I love to tease and turn down the motivation of these kind of cold callers. Instead of answering their questions (perfectly crafted by someone claiming it to be the best approach to convert new customers), I question them! I make them admit that they know nothing about my business. What satisfaction :)

Anyway, the point is, through cold calling you might get 1 in a 1000 people to convert into a customer. Let me assure you that through thorough research and analysis, you will convert a lot more.

1. Know the demographics of your lead / potential customer
2. Find out what they might not have and that what they would like to have
3. Gain some real insight on that particular ‘requirement’ of your lead
4. Come up with a offer that is hard to refuse
5. Finally, get creative when calling or emailing the lead. Most people can sense a cold call in the first 2 seconds.

Happy Selling…

The internet is constantly evolving and consumers are a lot smarter than ever before. February, Yellow Pages sent out their bulky telephone directories. Does anyone care? Not a single copy of the directory has been touched in my apartment and at least in three other apartments that I know of. What would you do, as a consumer, to find a decent restaurant? Would you spend five minutes flicking through the printed directory or just Google up the word ‘Restaurant’ suffixed by your locality name? Now, imagine someone looking for your products and services. Are you geared up to gain a new customer or lose them to your competitor?

It’s never too late to rethink your website and online marketing strategy. Majority of businesses wouldn’t have got it right, the primary reason being investment of money and time. A rock solid strategy requires a professional touch. Find an agency that can handle online marketing as a whole and not just a designer who is good at designing pretty layouts. A beautiful looking website is just the start of your ebusiness process. You need to promote the site through various online and offline channels in order to gain visitors. After you’ve got the visitors, you need to present them with relevant content and a compelling reason for them to buy your products or services. Through the buying and after sales stages, you must create a strong impression that will make your new found customer recommend you (reviews, word-of-mouth, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.) to others. The same process will apply to the next wave of customers who will visit your website.

Remember, if you don’t do it, someone else will!

Jakob Neilsen summarises in his blog

Eyetracking visualizations show that users often read Web pages in an F-shaped pattern: two horizontal stripes followed by a vertical stripe.

The moment I saw a friend’s new profile layout, the first thing that caught my attention was the column of ads along the right hand side. I had to voluntarily accept the new profile design to be able to demonstrate my case. The following is a screenshot of my profile using the old layout. I’ve shown the F pattern over the layout.

All elements of the profile page seemed to be in good balance. The Facebook wall got the best position and spanned well across the visible (focus) area. The advertisements were placed to the far right and wasn’t really obtrusive. Then came the “yet another” Facebook redesign. Only this time, the design seems contrived.

The F overlay on the profile screenshot has been placed on the same position as it was on the old version of the profile design. The profile image has been moved to the left and the advertisements have been made prominent. They are so prominent that they are hard to be missed.

Is it bad? No! At the end of the day, Facebook is offering a free service to it’s 500+ million users. They need to monetise in order to keep going. So what if they sell our details and data to their advertisers? The best we can do, is to say less on Facebook.

If anyone visits the Netherlands, they should check out at least one of its many water mills. Absolute beauty!

I went through the usual, ‘No Thanks.’ She then said with great concern, ‘What if your flat was on fire? We can insure all belongings like your TV, Computer, Furniture, etc.’ I said, ‘My owner has got an insurance on the house and I don’t really have many belongings.’ The next thing that she said is what shook me, ‘So, if your flat was on fire, you will be able to replace all your belongings by yourself then?’ To this I nodded Yes and she turned out to be quite unhappy by the fact that I turned down her proposition.

Fear as a sales tool might have been great a few years ago, but not anymore. Consumers are not to be treated as idiots. I well websites, ecommerce solutions, and marketing to various businesses. Never do I say to a prospective customer that their business might have to shut down if they did not trade over the internet! For some businesses, the earlier might be true, but to scare the customer is like insulting their intelligence. So, thank you BOS!

I accept and understand that Facebook is a free service and no one is forcing me to use it, but the Help a Friend and Reach Out to Say Hi features sound a bit too strong. Help a Friend, in need of what? Friends!? Weird.

Do we control social media or does social media control us? Looks like social media dictates what we should be doing. Facebook used to have some stronger message like ‘…you should suggest friends for your new friend…’. Glad they changed it to something less strong. Hail Facebook! :)

FREEMSG: Our records indicate you may be entitled to 3750 pounds for the accident you had. To claim for free reply with YES to this msg. To opt out text STOP.

Clearly, I haven’t had any accident for years, and I knew the message was a bait. Some scamster was trying to get people to respond. The moment you send a response, you might be hooked into constant messages and charges. According to the message, you’ll have to send a txt message with STOP to get out of this con. In my view, just delete the message.

I post this here so that others might benefit from the knowledge. Imagine, someone who had an accident recently gets this text message? If they were probably expecting a call from their insurance company or accident claims solicitors, they might respond to this text. Even if a tiny percentage of the mobile users respond to this scam, the scamsters would have hit a jackpot!

Never respond to any such text messages, emails, or even phone calls. There is another scam where someone calls you from a number and cuts the call instantly. When you call back, the number is forwarded through a premium rate phone number you will be paying for listening to some rubbish tape playing on the other end.

If anyone’s got similar experiences, please share.

Update of more numbers used by the scammers:
07775480248, 07526372273, 07542068126, 07780197630, 07796476638, 07403576346, 07541734771, 07795212735, 07767830014, 07500750829, 07543026439, 07547529139, 07979206867, 07865936434, 07784275004, 07786208448, 07537402449, 07401849441, 07401727590, 07553034937, 07597622314, 07548062030, 07551368262, 07401460977, 07403150502, 07402272879, 07510800336, 07510820992, 07957427719, 07511435502, 07973149518, 07770671596, 07765248310, 07770498479, 07826405030, 07788103388, 07786206953, 07786838098, 07722811487, 07748386062, 07789350787, 07585321541, 07884405772, 07591297489

Image Source : Ken Banks

3 Idiots (based on the core idea of Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone) explores the subtle nuances of what most Indian students endure through their college life – marks, professors, hostels, ragging, family, money, competition, and finally the job interview. The screenplay is well written and there is a stash of broad laughs. Boman Irani, Amir Khan, and new comer Omi Vaidya stand out as the real stars of the movie and without even one of them, the movie would be a big let down.

Although the film is enjoyable and puts a smile on the viewer’s face or tears in their eyes, there are many sequences that could have been totally cut out. The ragging sequence (bit gross for Raju’s style), suicide student, giving birth to the baby, Kareena’s wedding, the real Rancho, and many other sub-plots do nothing more than add puff to bloat the screen time.

The producers and director have reused the Munnabhai MBBS blue print, converted the medical college into an engineering college, slightly modified the plot, and roped in Amir Khan to sell this movie to the audience. Boman Irani repeats Dr. Asthana’s role, but with a different makeup. Sharman Joshi takes the role of the suicide kid. Kareena replaces Gracy Singh, as the daughter of Boman Irani and a budding doctor. Omi dons the role of the Nerd Swami. Jaadu Ki Jhappi is now Aal Izz Well.

Amidst a band wagon of bad and weak Hindi films, 3 Idiots comes as a saving grace!

Second : The Critic (with a grin on my face)
I like to talk about the films that I watch. Some films are not even worth getting a mention. A critic’s mind is built upon life experiences and film knowledge that he / her possesses. For example, when I claim that Avatar’s recurring theme music is the same one that James Horner played in Enemy at the Gates (ref. The Tractor Factory, at 0:18), you’ll know I know what I am talking about.

I was in awe when another friend of mine pointed out to me that Avatar’s Pandora is a future version of Disney’s Atlantis. He was smart to point out how in the later, mercenaries go to grab the Heart from the people of Atlantis.

While watching Avatar, there are so many moments when you feel like, “Haven’t I seen the same in some other film?” It’s just the visual effects that make the movie, enjoyable. Even though the Na’vi language’s vocabulary, Pandora’s layout map, its variety of species/flora/fauna, and magnificence are in no way close to Lord of the Rings, I have to make special mention of the amount of creative input that must have gone into the making of this film!

Third : Why do most people claim this film to be an EPIC?
These are people who are intensely targeted by smart brained marketers and advertisers. Those of you who know the Bollywood industry would know better. The trick to box office success is to sell the idea that the movie is an awesome piece of art, even before the film is done with shooting. That’s how studios get funding!

Even before you realise it, you are sipping out of Avatar labelled soft drink cans, watching the new sneak peeks and trailers over and over again, going through all visual effects magazines and blogs to find more about the technology they have used, and through all these clever strategies that the studio executives have injected into your social life, you have sold the film’s success onto yourself. All that’s needed is for the film to be mediocre enough to make you paint that last star on your review.

Fourth : Casting and Characters
James Cameron has always given life to the lesser known actors by pitting them in powerful roles that are supported by some time tested veterans. Titanic saw the rise to fame of Leonardo and Kate Winslet, while the likes of Kathy Bates, Bill Paxton, and Bernard Hill supported to maintain the balance of the cast. Sadly, the only saving grace for Avatar comes in the form of Dr. Grace (aptly named) played by Sigourney Weaver.

Epic movies require a cast that the audience can relate with, whereas the viewers of Avatar were left to the mercy of one-dimensional characters in a three-dimensional movie! If you are expecting a Jack being supported by Molly Brown or Jack saving Rose moment, there is nothing of that sort that Avatar would offer.

Finale!
Though the review sounds like I hated the movie Avatar, the truth is, I liked it. I just liked it and didn’t love it. Movies like Gladiator, LOTR, and Saving Private Ryan can be certified as Epics. They shake-up the audience while the credits roll up. Avatar, fails at it.

Image from Avatar’s Flickr stream

Thorsten Fischer joined RBS in October 2005 as a Senior Economic Adviser. An applied micro-economist, who has published in peer-reviewed economic journals, his areas of specialisation include natural resources, environmental issues and transportation. Thorsten is also interested in risk management (he is a certified Financial Risk Manager), public policy and regulation. He regularly presents to internal and external audiences. After gaining a first diploma in business administration and economics from Osnabrück University in Germany, Thorsten left his home country to earn a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, where he also worked as an instructor of economics and international business. After graduation, he spent five years at an independent economic consultancy in Pennsylvania.

Source RBS website

Though Dr. Fischer wasn’t giving exciting news such as UK coming out of the recession, the crowd welcomed his honest opinions. That’s what the businesses were wanting to hear, and not just words of empty hope that is propagated by the ruling party. Highlights of Thorsten Fischer’s speech were

• It is going to take 3 to 4 years before our economy returns back to boom time.
• Can’t really forecast exchange rates, but Sterling might take about 6 years to recover against Euro.
• Most traders are optimistic and believe that there will be a V-shaped recovery. Sadly, it will not happen. There are various other market and economic forces that will prevent the steep climb.
• There will be high inflation in 3 years when liquidity gets back to normal.
• Climate Change Targets? Banks and the government are aware of the need, but difficult to account for in the current tough economic scenario.
• Opportunity for export will increase as Euro zone can afford to pay for products from the UK.

Yes, the speech wasn’t an upbeat one, but Dr. Fischer wanted local businesses to be aware of the reality of the economic forecast. He was asking businesses to plan their future and current developments based on hard facts.

Later while networking over dinner, Thorsten Fischer was asked if the return of the 17.5% VAT would affect buyer behaviour once again. Dr. Fischer said it might not affect FMCG retailers but might affect service providers and retailers of big-ticket items.

For a recent economic insight guide published by RBS, follow the link.

Photo by Rafael Matsunaga

Philip Glenister is shown in a bar and he says, “Oh come on, it’s Christmas… That girl prancing around in her underwear.” The advert cuts to French model Noemie Lenoir, wearing a bra and knickers, jumping around the woods! Quite unnecessary, but come on, every brand wants to show some skin and grab consumer attention. I guess it was the tone of delivery and the very line that makes the advert the subject of hot debate.

I watched the above mentioned commercial on the big screen and loved it. Even though it looked beaufitul and full of festive spirit, the lingerie shot shook me up. I was thinking, why this shot!? The advert was cute and friendly, and then comes this girl jumping around in her bra and knickers. What I didn’t realise was, even other people felt the same way. In any case, I think it was unnecessary to complain about the advertisement to the Advertising Standards Association (ASA).

Nintendo’s advertising campaigns are handled by Karmarama, a leading UK agency. Smart campaigns? Yes, but somewhat contrived. Consumers are not always stupid and they do not always eat the grass that agencies dump in front of them. Nintendo is trying to discuss the following issues through their advertising strategy.

• Who says Nintendo can distract you from your professional career? Nintendo helps the cab driver with math and they are able to give better change! What were they doing before Nintendo DS was first made? Maybe they were giving us the wrong change all the time! They guy says, “We’re dealing with figures all day long.” I don’t think I’ll go get a job in investment banking hoping that a Nintendo DS will help me count! :)
• Yes, don’t forget the family! In modern-day advertising, families need to be shown having time together. Thank the Nintendo, it has brought the cab driver’s family together! Nintendo seems to have succeeded at what religion is failing – family getting together. “To be honest, we all sit down and it brings us all together,” says the cabbie.
• You better have a brain score. What? I am from a sane group, mate. I don’t need a brain score to prove my skills.

The Nintendo DS/Wii ads are working well for the brand and they are making more commercials. There is one where Ant & Dec go to a Weight Watchers meeting and make sexual gestures. Whatever maybe, Nintendo is surely selling more consoles than the rest. I know of a friend who recently got a console and said, “My Nintendo Wii is the best thing I’ve ever bought in my life!” That’s some real serious thing, after about 25 years of living on Earth.

Ant and Dec who host the popular show, Britain’s Got Talent have recently revealed a new show that’s coming soon – “Push The Button”. Anthony McPartlin (33) and Declan Donnelly (34) have taken a 10% pay cut and extended their contract with ITV for another two years. They have brought in some popularity for ITV’s shows and advertising revenue. ITV is paying £20 million to keep the duo. It’s the going rate for such stars it seems! At least, they come cheaper than Jonathan Ross who gets paid £18 million to spill rubbish over the respected British Broadcasting Network (BBC).

Google’s Adwords marketing team was in Edinburgh, to talk to local businesses about the advantages that Google can provide to those wanting to trade online. The conference hall at the City Chamber (High Street, Royal Mile) was filled with representatives from local businesses. The event was organised by the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and the Business Gateway (Scottish Enterprise)

Start thinking about exporting to the EU zone
Andy Barke commented that the UK’s electronic commerce market is at its mature phase and the EU zone is warming up to online shopping carts. With the value of the Pound weak against the Euro, businesses in the EU zone will now afford more to import to EU from the UK. “UK businesses should consider export to EU” , he says. Google provides an export advisory tool at the following link http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/exportadviser. This export advisor and market value calculator is at its beta stage and partnered with Applied Language, HSBC, Royal Mail, UK Trade and Investment, The Institute of Export, and Alibaba.com.

How can Google help me?
Google offers a wide range of free and inexpensive tools that can help businesses compete in the ever changing market. Andy says, “Your business has to be insightful, agile, and fast”. The following free tools from Google are worth a try.

• Google Insights : http://www.google.com/insights/search/ (Research tool to help find what your target market is looking/searching for)
• Google Local Business: http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter (Promote your business on the internet)
• Google Analytics: http://www.google.com/analytics (Research and understand your website visitors and their behaviour over your web pages)

Pay for Adwords and you will benefit from it
While Google is being very nice to us by offering so much for free, they ask us to spend just a little in return. Adwords is Google’s advertising network. Gilli Goodman detailed the process involved in setting up a new Adwords account and repeats over and over again that we need to spend a lot of time in researching keywords and target market and demographics before setting up a new campaign. Give it a try, the Google team along with Satyan Joshi urged.

Key points that I observed
Always mention prices in your Adwords ad block. By doing showing the prices on your advertisement, you avoid clicks from people who couldn’t afford your product.

1. Adwords advert position depends upon your ranking that is made up by multiplying the maximum CPC (Cost per Click) and the website’s Quality Score (depends on click through rate, link value, landing page, quality of user experience, and page speed).
2. Organic/natural website listing position is based on the website’s relevance to the users search and latency (speed, web standards, IP address, etc).
3. Do not pay your hard earned money to agencies that charge a bomb. At most times, you might be able to get great results by putting aside some time for research and experimenting.

Buffet dinner and networking followed the event. I had the opportunity to talk to Andy Barke and Satyan Joshi. Both of them denied the myth that Google favours big brand and names that can afford to pay for a special arrangement that will provide better search results. They mentioned that they have even stopped paying the 15% commission that the advertising agencies used to get.

I hope the presentation will prove useful to the 200 odd businesses that had attended the event titled as “Speedup during the Slowdown”.

Photograph by Mykl Roventine.

Parents hate it when their children won’t get off the Wii, Xbox, PlayStation or any game console. They always complain that their son or daughter is glued to the console and not getting out and meeting other kids. We all know the truth, don’t we? Gaming consoles have the capability to consume the player and alienate them from others.

Nintendo has launched a very smart campaign, using Ant and Dec. The TV advertisement is lively and thoroughly enjoyable. One view at it, and you start liking it! Ant and Dec lend their humour and style to make this advertisement, a success.

Notice the point where Dec says, “I can’t wait to get out and meet real people who play Wii, who play DS” and Ant adds, “Who are competitive as us, who are good as us”. This is a smart and subliminal message. Dec’s tone gets serious when he starts the sentence. This conveys the opinion that people who play on Nintendo are to be taken seriously and not as a slacker. Ant communicates the view that people who like them and their shows should be playing on the Nintendo Wii while at home and on the Nintendo DS while travelling.

Very effective message, packaged in a cute and lovable advertisement! Nintendo has recently been focusing on communicating the message that they bring people, families, and friends closer. This is a far better approach at marketing the Nintendo Wii and DS as compared to the rivals Sony and Microsoft, who just associate their brand name with the adverts for the individual games.

What do you think of Nintendo’s strategy? Share your comments about the Ant and Dec Wii advertisement.

Addition : – I’ve been asking around and most people seem to understand, the above mentioned advertisement is contrived. I’ve been a part of major ad campaigns in the past and know that celebrities don a wide smile and lie blatantly for the money they get paid. Nowadays I find more and more consumers aware of the same fact. Mass media has opened the eyes of the good old and blind customer. I seriously believe that such amateurish campaigns ruin the reputation of brands rather than helping it.