Shout,Shoot and Shine

This post is not just about expressing myself but involves many questions I have been asked in the past about Social Media, and how can it make a brand click.

First things first, Social Media is not just about those umpteen friends you have on Facebook/Orkut/MySpace, its about using those friends, using the network make your work popular.

Market Study clearly states Word-Of-Mouth to be the most efficient way of advertising, and where would the word come from, if your friend searches for your new company online and finds no result (Besides the irrelevant results, probably based on Rakhi Sawant's last 'social' act).

Social Media can create the new buzz and Zest that your company needs, and it can do all this for less the money a regular marketing firm would take to provide a similar plan.

Twitter.com , a website I once thought was irrelevant for personal and professional use is now doing wonders with its "101 Business" addition. One twitter update can do the job of a lengthy email without being that invasive.

It was amazing to see how Rider University(I worked for 2008-10) has a twitter page for all its students and staff, how easy is it for them to let their followers know of a concert to be held this weekend and let them know of the tickets remaining.

Similarly, it can be very useful for any organization to let their clients and workers know about developments in a new product, a new service or just a declared holiday.They no longer have to waste time in calling the operator and getting the status of the request they had put in last week, a 160 characters twitter update can let them know.

In fact, I am working on a plan where, inventory management could be done via social media, where every department would "re-tweet" the request received and make the members of the organization know about the process. This not only would make work more transparent, but would add to the productivity, as every step involved will be logged on the social media.

Blogging I think is a very powerful medium to let people know more about your product and services, A good blog can impress a prospective client, who no longer looks into the "About Us" section any more, and would now look forward to the more "dynamic" part of the website.

Facebook, is another interesting platform or what I would like to term as "Twitter On Steroids" , allowing the company to boast its profits with charts, numbers, pictures, blogs, almost anything that was being done via a mundane email (With the mundane, 'graphic ' signature and picture).

Then there is FourSquare, and amazing tool that will soon create ripples in the Sales and Marketing world with the claim to fame being the "Mayor ship" of a territory. Imagine multiple companies fighting to become the mayor of "ABC Company" Business Development office. It would not only give an ego boost to the company but will be accomplishment to boast about.

Social Media is not just about standing on an elevated platform and shouting out, its about standing on an elevated platform and shouting out what is at the same time being recorded on  YouTube, podcast'ed on the website and posted on the blog. It is advertising 2.0. 

So, Shout, Shoot and Shine !!

021 !!

Here's my number.. Please Don't Call !!!

I have been following this self made mantra for a couple of months now, I give my number out, but I request them to send me an SMS and not to call.

I lead a very busy life(except on weekdays) and I don't appreciate being called in the middle of an important task, like the one I'm doing now. Deep in my thoughts trying to make sure my fingers are in 'sync' with my brain.Thick in the middle of this syncing process, a phone ring just jolts the whole system, I have to take my eyes off the screen, look at the rather exciting looking phone, compute the positives and negatives of taking/canceling the call, come up with a decision and now the 'ignore' button is pressed. Phew !! as you can see, that is more work than what I was peacefully doing before the phone displayed its "true colors".

And then, there is the kind and polite SMS, a decent beep, a streak of light, and its gone, as if it never happened. A display on the screen politely telling you, "Excuse me.. "Steve, has something to say". You give it a concerned look it shades away to the "idle" sober mode, and you are back on the fingers-brain sync.Oh ! its almost a poetry.

Besides being a mean of communication that helps you multitask easily. It also helps you save time by avoiding the initial greetings and the formalities that go with it. Oh how much I like this part ! Allow me to illustrate.

Phone call :

Chunnu : Hi, Chunni, How are things going ?
Chunni : Hi, Chunnu, Oh my God, its been really long since we spoke.
     I'm fine, just enjoying life( and this is how I'm enjoying it ....)
     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
Chunnu : That's great, Nice to hear that you are having a nice time doing ..Blah Blah Blah
     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
Chunnu : I was in town and wanted to know if you have Ravi's number.
Chunni : Ravi, from school ? Well, last i met his ex gf she told me he has moved to Mumbai
     she also told me Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
Chunnu : Wow, that sad, I hate it when Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah (Nature's call) Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah. I guess you don't have his number
     then ?
Chunni : I went to Mumbai last week for a seminar, I am working on this new project Blah

     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah and I bumped
     into Smriti, Remember her?
Chunnu : Smriti ? You mean Arora ?
Chunni : Arora ? Who was Smriti Arora ?
Chunnu : Arey, the Smriti Arora with the ping bag , you remember when we were in 10th and
     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
      Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
Chunni : Oh yes, Now I do. Where is she ? Long time no see.
Chunnu : She's on Facebook, you can talk to her there.
Chunni : Alright, I'll do that.
Chunnu : Can you give me  Ravi's number now ?
Chunni : Oh ! Like I said, I met Smriti in  Mumbai and she was talking about him and do you
     know Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
Chunnu : Aight, that's good. Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
     Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
     Did you get his number.
Chunni : Yea, I'll text you his number
Chunnu : Thanks !
Chunni : How are things with you ?


Blah Blah BlahBlah Blah BlahBlah Blah BlahBlah Blah BlahBlah Blah BlahBlah Blah Blah
Blah Blah BlahBlah Blah BlahBlah Blah BlahBlah Blah BlahBlah Blah BlahBlah Blah Blah
Blah Blah BlahBlah Blah BlahBlah Blah BlahBlah Blah BlahBlah Blah BlahBlah Blah Blah

The phone battery runs out !!

The Simpler way :

Chunnu; Hey, do you have Ravi's number by any chance?

Chunni; Hey, Long time, Yes I do, XXX-XXX-XXXX

Chunnu; Thanks, Hope Al's good.

Chunni;Chugging along, we should catch up sometime

Chunnu;Sure, I'll let you know, thanks, ciao

Chunni;Keep in touch !! ciao

I'm tired, those "Blah Blah Blah" are driving me crazy !
Anyways, A little over exaggerated method, but nonetheless, just delete some of those "Blah Blah Blah" and you'll get the real picture.

Save time, Save Energy, Save Money  !! Text when you can !! Its healthy too(radiations locha) !!
021 !!

Social Networking : The Open Inter or The Closed Intra

As I started writing this post, I wanted to be sure of what exactly is going on with my mind and here is what I found

_{Inter- refers to between things and intra- refers to within a group. For example, inter-group relations would mean relations between different groups, and intra-group relations would mean relations among people within a single group.}

I helped design and create Kho-joe.com with the idea of going inter and intra on the same path,where talent finds talent. It is time that we stop creating individual pages and start making our own Inter-Solution, or a group of many Intra-Networks.

This would not only help us finally sculpt a network wherein finding a business would not only be about knowing where to buy the building tools from but also about knowing the place to get the best support technicians.

Ending up with a plan which does not expire when the product is made/delivered but to foresee the issues and be well prepared for them.

So the next time you decide to make a page on facebook or launch your own website, look around and find a network that can help you build it, this would not only reduce your effort but would provide bonus points for the "inter" connection.

Deep Verma

TIldeNow