Some *Gyaan!!

When I started this blog, I named it media-wedia. Since online media is my line of work, I thought this would be a good extension to it. But I have been writing about everything but online media till now! So now I have decided to share some knowledge every now and then. Hope you enjoy it :)

Over time I have met many people and discovered that they want to develop a website but do not understand the importance or otherwise for it. They like the idea of having a website but do not know why they want it. For most of them they want it because everyone else has it and it looks good on a card! Makes the company feel big. It is true to a certain extent - every company worth its salt has a decent website nowadays. But there is more to it than that. To start with, it can be a medium to brand your products/services, a way to interact with your customers, provide customer service, customer support and have a global reach. A website can be one of the following kinds:

A coporate website to represent what the company does, it's location etc. This is an extension of a brick and mortar company to the online world. Typically such a site would have just enough information about the company, its services and contact numbers. It is mostly static with no interaction with the user. But now more and more companies make it interactive so that they can provide technical support and customer service to their customers. If you notice, most electronics and IT companies put up their product manuals, and other support knowledge-base online. So whether you need to download an application, a driver for installation, or need help assembling or operating your product, help is at hand - online. It cuts down on the repetitive work done by support people and they get to deal with only desperate cases! These websites can also be used to extend the services online where a customer can purchase the product without having to visit the store physically.

Then we have websites which have no link in the physical world. The whole business model revolves around this website alone. Such websites can be content based which earn revenue through advertising. Or it can be a product/service based website which earns revenue by selling something online (ecommerce).

There are many options available to a consumer and it takes some time to match the wants and needs with their budgets. Some answers one should know before proceeding are - what do I want to achieve with this website? Do I want to sell online? Who will benefit from my site? How will it add value to my business/work? How much time and resources are available to build such a website? Will I have someone who would update it for me? What is the skill level of thes people.

The last two points are very important because if you make a site which needs constant updation/inputs from your end, and no one is allotted to do so, it is a waste of money and efforts put in to make such a system. Everyone wants to have the most modern and interactive site - but if the site is not updated in a timely manner it doesn't help the business.

Then we also have the social and business networking sites which are gaining fast momentum as a medium for marketing your products etc. This is a very interesting topic and I would defnitely share some knowledge about it in the near future.

Tell me what has been your experience while building a site? (I'm sure most of you would have made/got one made at some point of time...) Did you eventually get what you wanted?

*Gyaan: Knowledge

The Randomness Tag

I got tagged by Goofy Mumma. And I must admit I was wanting to do this one. So here I go with some random things about me. But before that, here are the rules.

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. My husband is my biggest motivatorBut and critic. I hate him as much when he criticises, as I love him when he encourages me.
2. I am paranoid that my kids would feel I don't understand them. That I am of another generation - just like I thought of my mom!
3. I get bored of things easily. My favourite dialogue? "I'm bored"!
4. I love going for long drives esp when it's cloudy or raining.
5. I looove clothes...no amount of buying can ever satisfy this want for me.
6. I want to travel the world-not in one go-but one place at a time.
7. Big groups make me uncomfortable. I enjoy it more when fewer people are around.
8. My husband and my brother are the most important men in my life.
9. I am a spoilt brat. Spoilt by my mom, sister, brother and now by R my hubby.
10. When I was young I argued a lot. So my dad would say he will make me a lawyer when I grow up. This is one of the few things I remember of him.
11. If there is a song playing, I have to - just have to - sing along.
12. I tend to remember the lyrics of almost all the songs I hear. Funnily I cannot say the same for everything else I do :(
13. Everytime we sisters get together, we sing our old favourites together - including hymns we learnt in school and the school anthem!
14. When I was young, I had a diary where I wrote all quotes and lyrics for songs. Yes I would rewind and rewind a song, till I got all the lyrics. Then sing along reading from my diary! (I still have this diary with me)
15. I can laugh at the silliest of comedies. In fact I love Govinda/Salman type stupid comedy.
16. My siblings would tease me that I am not their sister and that they found me in a "kude ka dibba" (Dust bin)!!! And I would believe them!
17. If I don't like you, you will know it.
18. I cannot flatter someone - even when the situation demands me to.
19. Life for me is made up of colours. Without colours everything is boring! (see here I go with the boring bit)
20. Most of the time I have to work really hard to get what I want. But at times things come so easily that I wonder if I am lucky or not?
21. I find it very hard to make money. But when I gamble I always do-very easily!
22. I am usually an independant thinker.
23. I have too many questions when I go for a spiritual meet. (So I refrain from going for one). One such question which I have not got an answer for is : What happens to people who marry again? In the next birth do they get married to the first spouse or the second? (Hindus believe that a marriage lasts for 7 lives.)
24. I am crazy about houses. I can remeber their sizes, layouts and any such detail about it.
25. I would like to learn dancing cos I suck at it.

And now I look forward to reading a bit more about you all:

Mampi, My Space, Nisha, Renu, Chammak Challo, Agnes, Mumbai Diva, Bum Bum Bhole, Piper, Shalom

PS: Happy Valentines' Day to you all :)

Recession Depression?

I have gotten very busy with work and that takes up most of my time. Everyday I decide I want to write a post and read some, but it never happens. Off and on, I have been going through some of your posts - sometimes commenting sometimes not. But I am still here and finding it hard to give up on blogging!

Recession has hit everywhere - but I hear it's not as bad in India? Is it true? Dubai is different story altogether. With the real estate sector booming in the last couple of years, most people were dabbling their hands in property. Many made tons of money (I am not sure how many of them have been able to retain those profits, as they always reinvested to get greater returns you see). Suddenly that sector is wiped out. Companies are downsizing and people are losing their jobs left, right and centre. Banks, Steel industry, Oil sector, Retail - everything has been spiralling downwards. Yesterday I was told by someone, a local bank announced to the top management that they will be downsizing. Within 1 hour they had a list of people to be fired. Those people were to empty their desks and leave the office in the next 30 minutes! And they fired over 300 people.

Dubai is a rootless place. When I say rootless, I mean the people living in this country are mostly expats. And they are here either for money or to break their journey towards West. Since one can almost never get a citizenship here, as soon as the job/business is lost, the expat is ready to leave. There is no real attachment or reason for one to stay back. In fact even if one wants to (for whatever other reason), one cannot because the visa is cancelled.

So as I was saying, a friend pointed a very different perspective. If people lose their jobs and leave the country, how will the economy ever pick up? Is job cutting the real answer to this problem? Is it possible to cut costs by cutting salaries of people rather than downsizing? That way atleast the person has money to spend and would thus keep the demand for things going (however slow that might be, atleast it won't be zero).

They say "the pain has not even started". I wonder what a real depression would be like. Not that I am dying for a first hand experience, but I am curious! And we are starting a new business - yes a new one - at this time. It's good because the costs are coming down, but then so is the demand. So keeping our fingers crossed!

PS: Saw and read about the Pink Chaddi Campaign. Fantastic effort by these girls. Ram Sena deserves a super "moohphat" jawab like this!! Check out their blog here

Edited to add: Did you watch the NDTV Greenathon? I wonder why none of the politicians came forward to adopt a village? I mean that would've earned them brownie points and some votes too! As much as I applaud the effort, I also wonder if this is in any way freeing the Government from doing their duty? Afterall we pay taxes for this very reason - so that every village/city/town gets a decent infrastructure including electricity. Right?

Love Is In The Air

This is the month of love - not only beacuse of valentines day but also because it is our anniversary this month. February remains special for us for this very reason. I still remember, eight years back, when we were on our honeymoon, on our first valentines together we fought. Yes we did. The evening started very mushy mushy, as hubby gave me an extravagant gift and off we went to a very romantic place for dinner. Everything was going fine till we got into an argument somehow and left the place early - both very angry! We made up by the time we reached the hotel (which was an hour away from the restaurant!), but the evening was spoilt. The next year was a more pleasant and hubby surprised me by first taking me to dinner and then staying back the night at the hotel. I was naive enough to not have noticed that he packed my things and kept in the car that evening! But it was a good surprise.

Usually Anniversary for us is celebrated with family and friends. Don't remember spending the night alone ever! But the anniversary eve is reserved for just the two of us. This time it'll be different though. We plan to go out for dinner alone and get drunk. And if you know me, you will also know that it only takes one glass of wine for me to get drunk! Last week, I suffered a hangover the whole of next day because I took a glass of wine. Moral of the story? I will drink 5-6 glasses of wine from now on. Because the next day is going to be just the same ;)

I am wondering what to gift hubby this year. Last year I made a scrapbook of all our correspondence and pictures and presented to him. He loved it but then that was the end of the story. I am the one who is responsible to look after it and make sure it is kept in a safe place! So this year it has to be something more materialistic. I've already gifted him a watch (twice rather), shirt, wallet, key chain, pen - are we left with any more options now? Maybe this time he will have to do with a hug, some flowers and cards alone...what do you say?

And R if you are going to read this post (which I doubt you will!) but just want to say I love you soooo much and hope we can share this wonderful time with each other for a long long time to come.