Goan Observer: Thinking Twitter!

Twitter can never actually be a social network, rather it is a great platform for a social network.

You can’t chat with people on Twitter, you can’t send them anything more than hyperlinks, which open on other websites.

You can not write messages longer than 140 characters even if they include hyperlinks.

You can’t send a direct message to someone, unless they actually follow you.

Once you post a tweet, you can never actually delete it, it’s like trying to take your words back.

It doesn’t give you a lot of privacy, unless you go to the extreme of protecting your tweets, err thoughts!

People have the liberty of writing back to you, via @replies, but you can never actually delete their messages.

 

So what is twitter?

It is a thought collector, where you follow other people’s thoughts (if they are honest enough about it, since they believe they can’t reveal too much in  140 characters)

What is it good for?

If you are the kind who is always bothered about what people think, albeit on a micro level, then this is a great way to listen to the thoughts of those who matter.

 

What is @ on Twitter?

@guykawasaki , for example, is a way of tweeting to a specific twitter profile, such that it is separately listed under @guykawasaki on Guy Kawasaki’s homepage.

 

What do you mean by RT?

RT means Retweet, where a user chooses to resend a specific tweet to their followers for the purpose of spreading a certain message. The source is usually listed as @source.

 

Why do tweets consist of links such as http://ts1.in/31814 ?

These are shortened URLs provided by websites such as tinyurl.com to ensure that the link fits within the word limit of 140 characters.

 

Followers?

For some people, this may be the way to actually know how popular you are, but is it really?

Most of the time, the number of followers you have is inflated, by the number of marketers who are trying to capitalize on your viewers by displaying themselves in the Following list.

Is there any restriction on who can follow you?

If you don’t protect your tweets, NO ! Although there are ways to remove the followers through blocking them and reporting them as spam.

 

Fake profiles?

As with any other platform, one needs to safeguard and keep the platform clean by blocking or reporting any profiles which either try to pull you to their marketing scheme or adult dating site.

These profiles try to disguise themselves by posting normal messages on the top, and then putting the actual message along with the link somewhere in the middle.

 

Who is a Twitter expert?

Well, there is a marketing expert called Guy Kawasaki (http://twitter.com/GuyKawasaki) who believes that twitter can replace entire sets of marketing people.

Then there is Gul Panag who is acclaimed as the celebrity most comfortable with Twitter, so comfortable that she has been signed to post live updates of the ongoing Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW).

Gul Panag(http://twitter.com/gulpanag), has her restrictions though. She has mentioned that actors should avoid unwittingly revealing secret details about their films.

Since there are likely to be a lot of fake accounts for celebrities, Twitter has a Verified badge which can be used to differentiate the fake from the original.

 

Are there any more Twitter controversies, besides the Shashi Tharoor incident?

Plenty! Take the case of Jon-Barrett Ingels(http://twitter.com/PapaBarrett/), who used to be a waiter at the Barney Greengrass establishment in Beverly Hills, USA. Used to be… till he tweeted "Tues: Jane Adams, star of HBO series "Hung," skipped out on a $13.44 check. Her agent called and payed the following day. NO TIP!!!"

The Los Angeles Times blog Brand X, reported that a month later, Ingels claims that Adams wandered into the restaurant, rather upset, and gave him his $3 tip. Ingels offered her platitudes of the "Aw, you didn't have to" sort. But Adams, he says, exclaimed, "Well, I read about it on Twitter!"

By the way, the Shashi Tharoor incident, was due to people outside Twitter, who could not actually read his statement in context. Within the Twitter environment, Shashi Tharoor is well followed, as he gives a very detailed, non-political account of his eventful day.

 

Twitter search?

Now you may ask, why do I need Twitter Search when I can just as well google my way around.

The difference, is that Twitter gives you results as they happen, meaning just about every Tweet posted regarding the given keywords or hashtags (if you choose to use the # tag, that is!). Google on the other hand, only provides the most popular results, but not the most recent results.

 

This is the reason why when the bomb blast happened in Margao, the first place it appeared, was on Twitter.

Similarly, when the Mumbai terrorist attack of 26/11 happened, there was continuous coverage on Twitter, even though the cable news channels were blocked for a few hours because the government had stopped it when there was a worry of too much information being spilled out.

 

Trending?

Twitter constantly tracks the most popular keywords, hence the trending topics is a great way to keep track of what everyone is talking about the most. Since this is based only on the number of hits, it is far more accurate than any other listing of most important topics.

 

Is it accurate?

As with any other source of information, it depends on your sources.

If you have been following someone for a long time on Twitter, who has provided accurate information over time, then it will have a higher probability of being accurate.

 

Can Twitter be used with Facebook and Myspace?

Yes, since Twitter provides information which fits within the status box on various networks such as Myspace and Facebook, Twitter provides tools whereby users can integrate their Twitter account with Facebook and Myspace.

This is the main reason why, while you might delete a tweet on Twitter, you would find it difficult to also delete it at the same time on Myspace and Facebook.

 

Following?

One should never follow a new person, unless there is actually something worth following.

People who follow you, would be interested to know who you follow, hence if you are a marketing expert and are following Mcdonald’s, people would believe that there is something in Mcdonald’s worth following. If they come up on a dud, then it reflects wrongly on you as well.

 

Is there a message in reading the number of followers versus following?

Yes. If the number of followers is more than ten times the number of following, it would mean that the person is a thought leader, who most probably writes a lot of books, or is a celebrity.

If the number of following is more than ten times the number of followers, then this is a case of spam. Very often, brand based twitter profiles, or profiles for new websites, will try to increase their number of following, using software.

If the number of follower or following is more than say 1000, then there is a case of hype, otherwise the profile is clean and the chance of really interesting tweets is high.

 

Are there ways to Tweet from my phone?

 

Yes, currently Airtel is tied in with Twitter so that you can send Tweets just as you send SMSes.

For the rest of us, there is the option of pointing your phone browser to m.twitter.com, where you can follow your friend’s tweets, and post your own.

There are also various mobile applications, depending on your phone model by which you can tweet comfortably.

 

So, are you ready to think out loud (tweet)?

Goan Observer: How to blog well

The word blog, has come in from the word web log, hence simply translated, is an online journal.

Blogging, is a personal form of journalism.

Hence, to be a good blogger, you need to be a good reader.

There are a variety of blogs today, right from a great blog on wierd things www.boingboing.com, to blogs on technology, www.gigaom.com, blogs on gadgets www.gizmodo.com, blogs on technology startups www.techcrunch.com.

In India, blogs exist around subjects such as advertising and media www.afaqs.com

Certain celebrities are great personal journalists, such as Aamir Khan, www.aamirkhan.com , Amitabh Bachan www.bigb.bigadda.com . www.indivibe.com and www.submerge.in, the so-called home of Electronic Dance Music.

With regards to the Indian investment economy, a must read is www.vccircle.com, a blog initiated by Sahad P.V. , a leading journalist.

Once you start reading these various blogs, a point will then be reached where you develop an opinion about various articles.

The best way to voice these opinions is to just comment directly on the blog. Be aware that these responses can be read by one and all, so use pseudonyms if you don't feel comfortable using your own identity.

Another great place to indulge in conversation  are various online groups or forums. The best place to look is Yahoo Groups or Google Groups, for topics of interest.

Read enough?

Feel brave enough to start writing? . .  Then go ahead!

Wordpress and Blogger are great places to start a free blog. 

Both websites come with great plugins to block spam, provide a feed through RSS, link to your flickr photoalbum and even generate advertising revenue through Adsense.

To start with, a frequency of once a week should help you develop a regular audience of readers.

The average time taken to write a blog is usually a few hours, for a successful one, since it isn't easy to hold the attention of your readers for very long.

Some bloggers have held their blogs longer than their jobs, like www.dooce.com who lost her job because of her explicit blog.

Some bloggers have done so well, that they have published books based on their blog, with less success though, e.g. belle du jour.

From blogging, other publishing mediums appeared, such as podcasting, where people used to recording their voice and their music, broadcast the same as podcasts.

Video blogging, using YouTube is great for showing demonstrations of various devices or techniques, also for taking a clip of your best scene from a movie.

Photoblogging, is a great way to go up the ladder from amateur to Professional, through sites such as Flickr, where there is a great group of photo enthusiasts ready to egg you on!

Of course, there are those of us who have a shorter attention span than one paragraph. For them, there is Twitter, where you get to express yourself within 140 characters, thereby eliminating the need to think, and answering the perennial question "What's up?"

Pimping myself to the highest bidder!

Ever been bored of sitting for interviews all over the place, taking up long-term projects which end up shorter than short-term? 

Well, I am!

So here I go...

I am hereby auctioning myself to the highest bidder, with the only condition being that I be based in Goa.

Do I have the credentials for it? You decide :P

What can this guy do?

1. Trainer
   
2. Writer
   
3. Teacher
   
4. Photographer
   
5. Mobile Strategist / Executioner
   
6. Online Strategist / Executioner
   
7. Events guy
   
8. Speaker
   
9. Social Media evangelist
   
10. Gadget Guru!
    
11. Ready to talk on anything worth being passionate about, except Sports :P
    
12. Middleman/ Offshore Goa office
13. Speedbiker: Usually race a Bullet for conveyance

So place your bids, in the comments below, and hope for the best :P

Oh, and in case you want to know if I can actually work , check this!

Update 14-10-09 Adding Middleman to the list

Update 15-10-09 Adding Speedbiking

Bevinda Collaço's 6 Things to remember when going Goa

A little common sense and courtesy is all we ask for. Oh yes, our tiny state is blessed with all that is fine and good hills, dales, forests, rivers, fields, beautiful beaches, lovely people, PCOs and broadband. Okay, if you insist, it’s a gift from God. Kerala claims to be God’s own abode, but everyone knows when God needs a holiday He comes to Goa.

 

We understand that there are other beautiful places with similar features all over the Konkan coast; all over the country; all over the world. We understand that Goa is cheap, gives you great value for money and that you can get your eyes, teeth and several other body parts fixed for a fraction of the amount it would cost you in your place of origin. We understand that you have looked forward to this holiday for a long time, that you have planned it down to the last detail. That you will be talking about this perfect holiday till the cows come home. We understand all that, but we need you to remember certain things.

 

1.Take memories, but don’t leave litter!

We need you first to respect this beauty that you come to revel in, so when you buy overpriced bottles of mineral water, canned juices, wafers, ice creams and snacks, remember to carry a bag to stow away all your empty containers. The beach, roads, gutters are not the place for it. Put it all in a bag and deposit it in the bin at your hotel.

 

When you buy paan from any of the vendors, remember our money has gone into the painting of our lovely heritage buildings all over the state and spitting red paan saliva on them does not merely distress us, it makes us mad as hell. If you must eat paan, then carry a small tin or container or portable spittoon, spit into that and empty it out in your hotel bathroom.

 

2. Hang out, but don’t let it all hang out!

When you come here all shiny-eyed and bushy tailed ready for the holiday of your life, it’s okay to let your hair hang down, but don’t let all your body parts hang out also. It does not only embarrass us, it puts our girls in danger when the creepy crawlies who cannot lay their hands on you decide to get their jollies by molesting our girls. Again, bras and badly fitting shorts crawling into every crevice and fold of fat, exhibiting angry red, wrinkled, freckled skin is enough to put a normal person off their feed for a week. Do yourself a favour; look at yourself in a full length mirror before setting off, wearing beachwear in the city. When you visit our churches and temples, a little decorum to clothing and behaviour is of the essence.

 

3. Enjoy the beach, but live to swim another day!

When you come here from other parts of India, especially the landlocked areas, remember the sea is deceptive. It contains all sorts of threats that can snuff out your life in the most implacable way possible. The rip tide slides in from anywhere in any depth of water and will drag you far out to sea and drown you. When the lifeguards tell you not to swim in certain areas, listen to them. They are curt with you when they come out with their second and third warnings because they know that when you are being sucked down into a watery grave, they will have to risk their lives and limbs to come out to save you. And their lives are not worthless as you may think. They have families depending on them returning home whole after their day’s work is done.

 

4. Drink, but don’t sleep with the fishes!

There’s so much booze available in Goa and you sip and stagger like there’s no tomorrow. Do that by all means, but don’t harm others, or put yourself in harm’s way. If you cannot hold your liquor, cease and desist, have a mocktail instead. It costs a little less and looks more impressive. And for heaven’s sake, do not drink alcohol and swim, it’s as dangerous as drinking and driving.

 

5. You love us? …We love us more :P

We know our people are naïve, warm and welcoming. That our girls have a serene Polynesian kind of beauty, but like you they are just trying to get on with their lives. They are not prostitutes either professional or free-lance. Don’t ogle them; don’t fondle them; they don’t like it. Neither do the common folk. Also leave our little children alone.

When Goans get angry they will punish you.

6. Visit but please don’t stay

Enjoy your holiday then return to your home state or country. Don’t visit real estate agents and try to buy land here. We have very little of it and we need it for ourselves. Also, there’s no guarantee that you won’t lose your life’s savings. Come back again and again. Goa will welcome you in her warm embrace every time. Just don’t abuse that welcome. We have a way of life here, we are desperately trying to save. It is this way of life that makes Goa so special. Help us to protect it. And Goa.

======

The original version of this article appeared in the Herald on 27th September 2009 as Open letter for visitors to Goa.

 

Setting Vodafone Live on your Windows Mobile phone in India

I had a huge fight on Thursday with the Vodafone GPRS guy who said "Sir, it is impossible to set Vodafone Live on your Windows Mobile phone, that is why people pay extra for Vodafone Connect!"

Bullshit! I had got it working before I got my Xperia serviced.

It's not that difficult.

=====

Go to Settings> Connection Setup> 

Here it downloads Vodafone_www settings, cool!

Now, go to Settings> Connections

Under Vodafone_www> Manage existing connections ,  add:

• Enter a name for the connection: Vodafone Live
• Select a  modem: Cellular line (GPRS, 3G)

Click "Next"

• Access point name: portalnmms

Click "Next"

Leave:

• User name
• Password
• Domain 
  

blank, don't type anything.

Then click Finish.

Now look for the bottom tab called Proxy Settings

Check the box which says "This network connects to the Internet"

Check the box which says "This network uses a proxy server to connect to the internet"

Add the Proxy server name as: "10.10.1.100"

Click Advanced

Click on "HTTP " under Type, and then add the Port number as 9401

========

Now that your Vodafone live settings are working, show Vodafone the middle finger :P and enjoy!

The Best of - Bullet Mechanics

For me, the most frustrating thing about riding a bullet, is to give my bike to the wrong mechanic.

So here's my recommendations on the best Bullet Mechanics around:

• Bangalore

1. Mehboob Motors (Feroz)(buying, selling and pickup in case of breakdown): Landline-  08023436682 . Location: Next to the Funworld petrol pump, on the way to the Cantonment Railway Station, from R.T. Nagar.
   

• Mumbai

1. Sharma (Most of the Catholic mechanics in Mumbai are terrible! , can't even tune the contact points) Mobile: 09821112964 . Location: Khar, on S.V. Road.
   

• Goa
  

1. Somnath(Mechanics in Goa are usually just handymen, who make you run for all the parts) Mobile: 09923633820 . Location: Next to Spitfire, in Porbavaddo, Calangute.

Got any more?

Learnings from El Che and The Mahatma

El Che (Ernesto 'Che' Guevara)
[Source: The Motorcycle Diaries, Harper Perennial ]

{Told by the old man in the last chapter}
"The future belongs to the people and gradually, or in one strike, they will take power, here and in every country.

The terrible thing is, the people need to be educated , and this they cannot do without taking power, only after. They can only learn at the cost of their own mistakes, which will be very serious and will cost many innocent lives. Or perhaps not, maybe those lives will not have been innocent because they will have committed the huge sin against nature: meaning a lack of ability to adapt. All of them, those unable to adapt - you and I for example - will die cursing the power they helped, through great sacrifice, to create.

Revolution is impersonal; it will take their lives, even utilizing their memory as an example or as an instrument for domesticating the youth who follow them. My sin is greater because, I, more astute and with greater experience, call it what you like, will die knowing that my sacrifice stems only from an inflexibility symbolizing our rotten civilization, which is crumbling. I also know - and this wont alter the course of history or your personal view of me - that you will die with a clenched fist and tense jaw, the epitome of hatred and struggle, because you are not a symbol (some inanimate example) but a genuine member of the society to be destroyed; the spirit of the beehive speaks through you and motivates your action. You are as useful as I am, but you are not aware of how useful your contribution is to the society that sacrifices you."

The Mahatma (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi)
[Source: India of my Dreams, Navjivan Publishing House]
"Civilization, in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplication, but in the deliberate and voluntary restriction of wants, which promotes real happiness and contentment and increases the capacity for service."

[Source: Harijan, 3rd June 1939]
"Suppose I have come by a fair amount of wealth either by way of legacy, or by means of trade and industry, I must know that all that wealth does not belong to me, what belongs to me is the right to an honourable livelihood no better than enjoyed by millions of others. The rest of my wealth belongs to the community and must be used for the welfare of the community."

[Source: Harijan 1st February 1942]
"Man falls for the pursuit of the ideal of plain living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. History gives ample proof of this.
Man's happiness really lies in contentment. He who is discontented, however much he possesses, becomes a slave of his desires. And there is no slavery equal to that of the desires."

Hence, in conclusion, both El Che and The Mahatma:

1. Believed that Capitalism just meant the rich getting richer, whereas true civilisation, means everyone getting their fair meal.
2. Believed in turning themselves, into contributions for the society at large.
   

Goafest: Thoughts!

The entire focus of Goafest, was that Advertising had changed, that's it's inherent nature, has been corrupted.

The advent of the internet, changed everything. Where traditional advertising created a stereotype, and propagated it, new advertising needs to understand the various fragments created, the various parts of the Long Tail.

The old advertiser, was an out and out creative guy, who over the years, has got so drawn into a rut, that his focus today, is just implementation. The world has changed so much, that the focus of the new media man, is to build the concept, and figure out which mediums are to be used as the message.

The truth is, traditional advertising has dropped by 20% every year. No country is isolated from the other. Things which happen around the world, happen in India. There is a local side to the everyday individual, and an increasingly common global side.

There is a merger happening, advertising as it stands, stands for Print and TV.

New Media, stand for New Disciplines, for the merger of software with creativity, for the merger of the truth with the message.

People don't trust advertising any more, advertising can no longer be about the message, it should be about the medium.

Advertising as it exists, can no longer exist on the Internet Medium, Phishing and other Popup Blockers killed them looong back.

Content can no longer be paid, it always had to be free. The best things in life SHOULD be free.

No longer can advertising focus on living off good content, it has to BE the good content.

Does that mean that Print and TV, don't mean nothing? They always have, and they always will. A true work of art, will always be on paper, and the most funny thing ever, where the user does nothing, will be the TV.

We need to be driven by the concept, not the product.

The true champion today, is not the artist, but the freak, a product of multiple disciplines. A cocktail of different talents, and a company willing to outsource to companies who can make miracles happen.