Social Media Marketing

Facebook

That’s right! The rapidly picking up social networking website, Facebook launched on February 4, 2004 is said to have users writing to each other using a feature called as Wall of Facebook and it seems that this site could have a pricy wall after all.

Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and the membership was initially restricted to students of Harvard College which got expanded to other Boston area schools, Rochester, Stanford, NYU, Northwestern, and all Ivy League schools within two months.

As of July 2007, the website had the largest number of registered users among college-focused sites with over 34 million active members worldwide and it also became one of the most visited websites taking a place of 7th ranking.

The name of the site refers to the paper facebooks depicting members of the campus community that U.S. colleges and preparatory schools give to incoming students, faculty, and staff as a way to get to know other people on campus.

The site is free to users and generates revenue from advertising including banner ads and sponsored groups and revenues were said to be around $1.5 million per week at one point of time.

In May 2005, Facebook raised $12.7 million in venture capital from Accel Partners and on August 23, 2005, Facebook bought the domain name facebook.com from the Aboutface Corporation for $200,000 and dropped “the” from its name.

On May 2007, Facebook launched an API that allows the development of applications to be used on the site, known as Facebook Platform.

In June, the partnership begun the previous year between iTunes and Facebook continued, with the download service again offering free music samplers through the Apple Students group.

In July, Facebook announced its first acquisition, purchasing Parakey, Inc. from Blake Ross and Joe Hewitt. To top it all off the great wall then also hired YouTube’s former CFO Gideon Yu on July 24, 2007.

The original big wall, the Wall street Journal reports that software giant Microsoft wants to buy a stake in Facebook before Google does and to top the icing is the pricing which is valued at around $10 billion.

The article seems to further add fuel to the fire by stating that this social networking site might hold out for a higher valuation than Microsoft is willing to agree on as much as $15 billion. Now that is one heavily priced Wall, isn’t it?

Facebook’s appeal to the massive audience out from every corner of the globe is that huge today. With growing internet users worldwide in billions, companies want to take advantage of such huge social media marketing opportunities on the site.

It has come to levels where people have started saying that this could be the next GOOGLE in the making.

It has all the great qualities of reach, rapidly increasing awareness, innovative style and loads of novel ideas for the growing users. It is definitely raking in all the big bucks with $30 million in profits on $150 million in revenue.

Well for the day, Facebook has a long way to go to be the next Google.

The question is whether Microsoft or Google, who would get their hands on Facebook first. With the big gates fighting page to page for a stake in the Wall the stakes only seem to be looking better for the newest face in the world of social networking.

With the increasing revenues and the millions of new user’s every day, let us watch who gets their hands on first on this quickly growing wall of FACEBOOK.

The

Get ready to get transformed and how much more cool can it get if you have the power to do that on your wrist?

That’s right the power to transform is now on your wrist. These cool metal robot watches can not only be worn on your wrist but they also pop out of the band to become mini-clocks that you can put on your desk.

The transforming mini-robot timepieces are available from Japan’s Cataloger for Rs. 3,990 (about $35 USD) each.

They have flexible arms and headphones which can be used to hang them from a key chain. Stylish and typical robot feel and look makes the watches majorly sought after wrist watches.

The detail to the design has been so uniquely crafted that would take you to the time of robots and gadgets that were timid yet powerful. The metallic color and distinct bolts gives it a more aesthetic appeal for its unique design.

A nice design, with bendable arms, a cool hanging watche, transforming mini robot with nice headphones will definitely pep up your style or should I say, transform your style to a totally new level.

There was a total blackout. I could hear blaring sounds in my head. Voices, objects and people in scores, thumping and banging around with drums of steel making clanking noises so loud that it seemed my eardrums were to come apart.

Soon enough there was absolute silence as I dwelled into the beautiful home of ‘nidra’ meaning sleep, without a reason and without my own realization of it.

It was only after about another 10 minutes or so, that I regained consciousness. My severe attack of migraine had just passed me with a small objectionable visit that was impactful, but was thankfully not prolonged.

I left my workplace and was heading towards home as one of my workplace employee got me a rickshaw to get back home safely.

The drive was going to be lengthy so I rested in the luxurious and cramped vehicle.

Luxurious because anything and anyplace that let me just slide in now felt so comfortable and cramped as the ‘jhankar beats’ in the rick was in full swing all of a sudden that was clobbering my head.

I asked him to ‘Just shut it’, as he looked back with a not so contented face, he sure did.  I was in no mood to explain why to him but damn, I just should have.

As the alacrity of that awesome machine and the not so positive feelings of the driver got together, the vehicle kept swirling across many bewildering lanes and pathways, I felt as if I was being taken for a ‘ride’ and I double checked to look at the roads.

He was heading in the right direction. I guess it was just my head that was still raging with the earlier impact then.

Soon enough the resentment and frustration of not allowing him to play the wild and horrible songs in his vehicle caught up with him and he was showing no signs of slowing down.

Bang….. Bam….. thrash!!!

Our awesome flying saucer was hit by a ‘lorry’ and the little vehicle rolled sideways.

Strangely and by god’s grace nothing happened to me as I came out of the vehicle with not even a scratch, except for my head that was now screaming with the rising agony called migraine.

The rickshaw-valla was hit roughly and I with few others took him out of the vehicle.

He was still able to stand as he looked at himself and then at me as if I was some alien.

I took him to the nearby traffic policeman who escorted him to the doctor as I left for the close to railway station.

I was in Sion station soon enough.

Now the effect of the collision and my now very active and boisterous headache was taking its toll on me. I was getting extremely exhausted and could not even descend the steps to reach to the platform. But it was me, so I eventually did.

I got in the first class compartment and just lied down inside. It was noon and it was quite empty.

I was woken up in a not so subtle fashion by someone who by looking at my face which was too weary by now probably thought I was drunk. It was the TC.

He asked me for my pass and as I reached my hand towards my pocket, I realized I had unknowingly donated my wallet apparently in the road accident. I explained to the TC but in vain as he asked me to get down and go to the place where the ticketless travelling classes of people are given due and generous attention by more than one TC.

All my explanation was futile but I told him of what had happened from the start of the day, he then looked a little bit more convinced. I was not in a position to talk as I sat down on the seat and it was just then that one of the sessions from my management class just hit me hard.

Brand sells.

I searched for my bag and showed him my student id that I had with me of one of the most elite institutions in India and the name just hit him hard. I guess, it is true, Brand does sell.

He mellowed down and asked me where I work and got few other details. He also asked me if I had any money to buy a ticket. I told him, my wallet was gone and had none.

He asked me to get down with him in the next station and believe it or not, he bought me a ticket for second class for my way back home and got me in the train compartment safe and sound.

That was a very positive experience I had that day.

Sure I have heard of gruesome stories about them, but that day, needless to say, I was impressed to see humanity still to be so much in existence. They too have too many cases of not so genuine reasons many a times I guess. Anyway, I was also glad that I was awake when the lecture was taught in the class saying, Brand sells!

As I continued my routine journey in the train from the next day, I met with the same TC by the end of that week again. It was the same TC in the compartment of the first class and I reminded him of the incident.

I gave him my fine that was due from the other day, took the receipt and for a change happily got out off the train.

It was never about the money I guess. It annoys people normally because of the way they treat you many a times.

But I guess, You give something good and you get something good in return.

I don’t know whether every person could deal things this way always like that TC did, the world would be so much a better place then and if they don’t, as the old saying goes….. Even this shall PASS! No pun intended.

Let me know your views and comments on the same as you always do:

Be well

Ananthanarayanan V

Visit Editred.com

http://www.editred.com/techdivine

Ups and Downs! « THE ROAD TO ETERNAL BLISS!

A ‘desire’ to quote it, just right!

Last week’s questions and discussions on the current spiritual scenario: On youth, desire and spirituality:

“Desire is the root of all evil. Ancient wisdom says, stay away from desire”

Now this line caught my notice which said, Desire is the root of all evil.

Desire is never evil. What you desire and the approach in which you desire might lead you to evil. The issue was uncomplicated and yet had lot of depth in it as the master’s quote read: “I may always desire more than I accomplish – Michelangelo”

So, now the person, who had laid this query to us, perceptibly did it with an intention to set off something in me. Probably a nerve which was tickling my funny bone or may be a nerve that held my tolerance level high.

In any way, I thought of jotting this down by asking the same question to few others in the last 24 hours in the Q n A session on – current spiritual scenario: On youth, desire and spirituality.

An overall gist of people’s response was like this:
• Desire, if you do not, there is no need to live.
• If you desire more than you can, you will always be unhappy.
• If I do not desire, then nothing in life I deserve.
• Divine and spirituality is for old and retired people.

Ok. So there was a slight repairing or oiling required may be.

This is for all our youth out there today, saying ‘another day, another dime earned.’

First of all, desiring something is the whole basis and idea for survival.

Reason, the person who asked me the question had no job putting this personal question before me. But he desired to do more than his job profile demanded. So he asked.

I desired more, to know what people had to say, even though I am going to jot down at the end and express my views on the same, because I desired the need to bond and get in touch with all of them and get into their minds. And at the end still hold the power to speak and express….. hey, it is my blog!

On a more serious note, I did it to know and feel their pulse on the same.

So when we take a look at a term like desire, we see that desire is nothing but convincing. Convincing others or yourself. But this time, convincing that, there could be more to life. Convincing that this is how it has to be or not to be.
Desire is why a society stays alive. Desire is why we have grown beyond a religious or spiritual round table conference and are able to do this online today. Because someone desired to do more than there was.

Now coming back to the divine part, Desire is never bad.

The holy books have always shown us the technique to get what we yearn for. Being spiritual does not mean giving up on worldly pleasures. It means understanding what the earliest knowledge has left for us to learn and be paramount in whatever we ‘desire’.

I have been born into a very religious family. But luckily I never followed or obeyed the customs nor was I asked to. I chose to follow them by choice. I am not religious, but definitely spiritual. It helps me concentrate better than I can, which is fantastic.
Believe it or not, religious customs and traditions are what gives us more discipline and focus in life. People tend to take it in the wrong way.

A person who reads and is able to understand the books of such immense knowledge, can accomplish whatever he or she wants out of life.

You want to be rich, you want to be a superhero, you want to have a castle, you want to get a Ph.d.?

It’s all in there.

But, you take it and drink it as a whole. Do not try to take the gist of it. You cannot just smell your food and say whether it is perfect. You have to taste it and eat it properly to know.

I feel hilarious when people say, spirituality means giving away worldly desires or when I hear that these things are for those who are old. I feel sorry for both of them. Not because they do not believe in it.

Each of us has a choice to lead a life that we want to live, as we ‘desire’ (no pun intended).

I know that those people are already brilliant and talented enough to such an extent, that these disciplines if they acquire, each of them could have what they desire or seek out of life faster than they would.

And like one of my management lessons quoted: ‘A dime earned today, is more than a dime earned tomorrow’. So let us build our passion with the words of the wise and use it in our foray.

And mind me; it is also not something that is gained over just five to10 years. It’s an on-going process. It’s like having an MBA and applying that to work for 10 years to become the CEO instead of just doing it with a bachelor’s for over 20 years and ending up being a manager at 60.

At the end of it all, it’s each one’s choice and each one’s way of life. But it is always good to know, that there is something out there for us that can help us reach our goal faster than we desire.

So desire with spiritual knowledge or self-realization is great. Is victory. Is success. So let us desire and stay alive, kicking and winning. There are no regrets when you desire and dream.

So let us Desire, Dream and De-stress!

Happy reading.
———-
Ananthanarayanan V

techdivine@gmail.com

Ups and Downs! « THE ROAD TO ETERNAL BLISS!

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