Knowledge Is Power

Digital Channel - Paradigm shift of Metrics

2010-02-27T04:59:00.000-08:00

This blog post is about the most happening Online digital medium and the way this medium has matured into the most happening channel of communication and revenue generation.The way we measure the success or define success has changed since the invent of the New age social networks.

Earlier websites used to measure the success of their Online presence by counting the numbers such as below:
1) No. of hits to the website
2) No. of page views
3) No. of Unique visitors
4) No. of form submissions etc....

However, these metrics are mere numbers that make little / no sense in this age of Digital socialism. The success of an online channel is not only about the short lived popularity but how can it prove to be successful in the long run.Gone are the days when the website owners were churning out heaps of content and expect the public to endorse them. Yes this is the age of Trust and no matter how good a product is there is a heavy chance to lose the customer base as the competition is growing everyday to make better quality products.

So, what is that differentiator when it comes to building a sustainable online business model? Is it about the speed of churning out new content?? Is it about the variety of products that a company sells online? Or is it about the advertising genius of the ad agency working on the website. To my surprise I found that the answer is an astounding No to all this. What matters at the end if the day is the way a community is built around a good product which helps achieve a level of customer advocacy. Customer advocacy is the trust that the customer has that whatever product / service is being offered is absolutely based on his / her needs and the company does what is best for the customer and the society as a whole (sometimes).

Let's take an example. I visited the website Vim website a detergent manufacturer and found an image of a woman showing her back and a loud scream that Vim is the best detergent and it helps clean everything under the sun.Well I don't deny the fact that yes Vim could be good product but the Brand message is all about screaming out loud. This is obviously the 80's way of selling a product and god forbid I don't have to visit the website to see a woman's back again when I come the next time. Obviously the ancient metrics are the ones that would be used on such websites. Now let's focus our attention onto an similar product manufacturer called Seventh generation. The hero banner on the Home page screams "Protecting Planet Home". Wow look at the difference between this and Vim website. Here the message is very clear. "We invite you to join this initiative to make a better planet for you and the upcoming generations". Look at the kind of connect that is brought out by this website. It tempts one to really look up to their products because of the Customer advocacy that it creates. I would really love to buy this product and would definitely recommend this website to all my near and dear ones simply because of the opportunity it creates to share my views, complaints, recommendations and what not??The site is connected to all the major social networks like facebook, twitter, myspace and youtube. Also, it makes me much more comfortable that the company is very open to my views and helps choose a product that I think is best for me and my home. There is no compulsion on my part to buy the product now and I made comfortable that at the end of the day it's my call whether I need to buy this product or not. Probably as a short term this could mean ROI is delayed. But I am sure ROI would eventually become 3-5 times more than what a competitor can get in a peirod of 6months-1 year. Now look the paradigm shift in metrics when it comes to measuring the online success of this website:

No. of re-tweets on twitter (Engagement potential)
No. of followers on twitter and Facebook(Popularity)
Ratio of incoming messages per outbound message (Conversational ability)
Net promoter score (Loyalty index)

No where in these metrics there is just mere volume sans Digital socialism. And ofcourse sales online is the last of the metrics that will be the effect of all the causes tracked via these New age metrics. So, as we see Online channel has become the face of the company and I would say it is more approriate to provide the right brand image online rather than spending millions in offline branding that is fast becoming extinct and costlier.
Also, it is all about matured branding Online by focusing on the Brand strategy and Key product features rather than on mere screaming that is increasingly becoming irritant to the ordinary buyer who is moved up the Maslow's hierarchy towards Self-actualisation and wants instant gratification of his recognition needs.I will write more about self-actualisation and how it relates to marketing today in my next blog. Until then cya.Keep sending in your comments...

Jayu...

Wonderful Article - Have Breakfast or Be Breakfast

2010-02-18T18:38:00.000-08:00

An interesting management article from Dr.YLR Moorthi.

Have Breakfast… or…Be Breakfast!

Who sells the largest number of cameras in India?

Your guess is likely to be Sony, Canon or Nikon. Answer is none of the above. The winner is Nokia whose main line of business in India is not cameras but cell phones.

Reason being cameras bundled with cellphones are outselling stand alone cameras. Now, what prevents the cellphone from replacing the camera outright? Nothing at all. One can only hope the Sony’s and Canons are taking note.

Try this. Who is the biggest in music business in India? You think it is HMV Sa-Re-Ga-Ma? Sorry. The answer is Airtel. By selling caller tunes (that play for 30 seconds) Airtel makes more than what music companies make by selling music albums (that run for hours).

Incidentally Airtel is not in music business. It is the mobile service provider with the largest subscriber base in India. That sort of competitor is difficult to detect, even more difficult to beat (by the time you have identified him he has already gone past you). But if you imagine that Nokia and Bharti (Airtel's parent) are breathing easy you can't be farther from truth.

Nokia confessed that they all but missed the Smartphone bus. They admit that Apple's I phone and Google's Android can make life difficult in future. But you never thought Google was a mobile company, did you? If these illustrations mean anything, there is a bigger game unfolding. It is not so much about mobile or music or camera or emails?

The "Mahabharata" (the great Indian epic battle) is about "what is tomorrow's personal digital device"? Will it be a souped up mobile or a palmtop with a telephone? All these are little wars that add up to that big battle. Hiding behind all these wars is a gem of a question – "who is my competitor?"

Once in a while, to intrigue my students I toss a question at them. It says "What Apple did to Sony, Sony did to Kodak, explain?" The smart ones get the answer almost immediately. Sony defined its market as audio (music from the walkman). They never expected an IT company like Apple to encroach into their audio domain. Come to think of it, is it really surprising? Apple as a computer maker has both audio and video capabilities. So what made Sony think he won't compete on pure audio? "Elementary Watson". So also Kodak defined its business as film cameras, Sony defines its businesses as "digital."

In digital camera the two markets perfectly meshed. Kodak was torn between going digital and sacrificing money on camera film or staying with films and getting left behind in digital technology. Left undecided it lost in both. It had to. It did not ask the question "who is my competitor for tomorrow?" The same was true for IBM whose mainframe revenue prevented it from seeing the PC. The same was true of Bill Gates who declared "internet is a fad!" and then turned around to bundle the browser with windows to bury Netscape. The point is not who is today's competitor. Today's competitor is obvious. Tomorrow's is not.

In 2008, who was the toughest competitor to British Airways in India? Singapore airlines? Better still, Indian airlines? Maybe, but there are better answers. There are competitors that can hurt all these airlines and others not mentioned. The answer is videoconferencing and telepresence services of HP and Cisco. Travel dropped due to recession. Senior IT executives in India and abroad were compelled by their head quarters to use videoconferencing to shrink travel budget. So much so, that the mad scramble for American visas from Indian techies was nowhere in sight in 2008. (India has a quota of something like 65,000 visas to the U.S. They were going a-begging. Blame it on recession!). So far so good. But to think that the airlines will be back in business post recession is something I would not bet on. In short term yes. In long term a resounding no. Remember, if there is one place where Newton's law of gravity is applicable besides physics it is in electronic hardware. Between 1977 and 1991 the prices of the now dead VCR (parent of Blue-Ray disc player) crashed to one-third of its original level in India. PC's price dropped from hundreds of thousands of rupees to tens of thousands. If this trend repeats then telepresence prices will also crash. Imagine the fate of airlines then. As it is not many are making money. Then it will surely be RIP!

India has two passions. Films and cricket. The two markets were distinctly different. So were the icons. The cricket gods were Sachin and Sehwag. The filmi gods were the Khans (Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and the other Khans who followed suit). That was, when cricket was fundamentally test cricket or at best 50 over cricket. Then came IPL and the two markets collapsed into one. IPL brought cricket down to 20 overs. Suddenly an IPL match was reduced to the length of a 3 hour movie. Cricket became film's competitor. On the eve of IPL matches movie halls ran empty. Desperate multiplex owners requisitioned the rights for screening IPL matches at movie halls to hang on to the audience. If IPL were to become the mainstay of cricket, as it is likely to be, films have to sequence their releases so as not clash with IPL matches. As far as the audience is concerned both are what in India are called 3 hour "tamasha" (entertainment). Cricket season might push films out of the market.

Look at the products that vanished from India in the last 20 years. When did you last see a black and white movie? When did you last use a fountain pen? When did you last type on a typewriter? The answer for all the above is "I don't remember!" For some time there was a mild substitute for the typewriter called electronic typewriter that had limited memory. Then came the computer and mowed them all. Today most technologically challenged guys like me use the computer as an upgraded typewriter. Typewriters per se are nowhere to be seen.

One last illustration. 20 years back what were Indians using to wake them up in the morning? The answer is "alarm clock." The alarm clock was a monster made of mechanical springs. It had to be physically keyed every day to keep it running. It made so much noise by way of alarm, that it woke you up and the rest of the colony. Then came quartz clocks which were sleeker. They were much more gentle though still quaintly called "alarms." What do we use today for waking up in the morning? Cellphone! An entire industry of clocks disappeared without warning thanks to cell phones. Big watch companies like Titan were the losers. You never know in which bush your competitor is hiding!

On a lighter vein, who are the competitors for authors? Joke spewing machines? (Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, himself a Pole, tagged a Polish joke telling machine to a telephone much to the mirth of Silicon Valley). Or will the competition be story telling robots? Future is scary! The boss of an IT company once said something interesting about the animal called competition. He said "Have breakfast …or…. be breakfast"! That sums it up rather neatly.

—Dr. Y. L. R. Moorthi is a professor at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. He is an M.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and a post graduate in management from IIM, Bangalore.

Interesting facts in Six Pixels

2010-02-13T03:36:00.000-08:00

Just thought of sharing some interesting facts that I read in Six pixels of seperation the book by Mitch Joel. There were some interesting stories about how thinking Out of box helps businesses grow manifold in this age of competition.

Story 1: "Little Mismatched Socks" a business model which became a great success purely because of capturing the hearts of the young American girls who show off their creativity and express themselves by just buying a little mismatched set of socks and contribute a portion of the cost towards women empowerment in the U.S

Story 2: "E-bay" & "Amazon" on how they revolutionized selling online by banking on the "Wisdom of Crowds" & "Trust Economy". Bringing in a new era C2C Marketing

Story 3: "Radiohead" rock band on how they sold online by asking the buyers to fix a price for their album for controlling music piracy and cutting out the middlemen. And how they proved the concept of "Homo Economicus" as false. Surely, a stepping stone to build trust and re-look at the marketing concepts

Story 4: "Free hugs" campaign and how it attained international acclaim by just using "You Tube" as its promotional platform clearly showing the chain reaction that the Online channel can create

and many more... This is the greatness of the book and it grounds you to reality by showing some living examples.

More in my next blog... Jayu

Wonderful Read - Six pixels of separation

2010-01-31T18:02:00.000-08:00

I am reading a book by Mitch Joel - "Six pixels of separation" - A must read for every enterpreneur / online marketing guy who is planning to embrace the Web 2.0 paradigm. The author has wonderfully divided the book into various topics that deal with:

1) What is Web 2.0
2) What is Enterpreneurship in Web 2.0
3) What are the free Online tools available and how to embrace them
4) Why is it that the Homo Economicus concept is getting proved wrong in today's trust economy
5) What is the power of C2C and how the "Wisdom of crowds" works
6) How Democratization of media operates
7) Unconferences that help people create business opportunities by carrying forward the bond created online
and much more. I love this book definitely and will keep you posted on more stuff as and when I complete a few more chapters.

Until next... cya

Branding in a new Avatar!!

2010-01-31T10:17:00.000-08:00

I think most of you know that I am heading the Online Marketing & Branding SO @ MSAT . I was wondering about what was the difference between Branding before Digital revolution and branding after that. This is an interesting comparison to make. Let's see the difference in the table below:

Before	After
Makers own brands	Takers kindle brands
Brand equity depends on financial reach	Brand Equity depends on customer reach
Branding is functional	Branding is emotional
Brand owners represent Brand personality	Customers represent brand personality
Brand is more often about being Splendid	Brand is more often about being candid
Avoid negative reviews	Convert negative reviews
Trust is incidental	Trust is instrumental
Consume creation	Co-create consumption
Competition based on geography	Competition based on psychography
Adapt to a Brand attitude	Create a brand attitude
Following established techniques fuels growth	Unlearning already learnt techniques fuels growth
Cost = Reach	Fast + Smart = Reach

I hope you liked the blog. Let me know your comments and views. Until next.. cya...
Jayu

Ode to our Freedom Fighters!!

2010-01-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

I wanted to dedicated a poem to our Freedom fighters who put their heart and soul to help us breath free from the Western oppression!! Hope you like it!!Here it goes...

Freedom Freedom our souls cried!!
Far and wide the word spread its vibes!!
This thirst that never dried!!
Spread the fragrance of freedom with pride!! The pride to break free from repression!!
Those souls shall be blessed who were realised and with pride!!
Pride to conquer the bondage!! That became a disease with age!!
Fighting for ages and realised that there was no greater pride than to break free!!
Break free from the shackles of the western mind!!
Praise them who showed the World that the mind is stronger than the arms!!
Arms that embrace and minds that are tuned!! Tuned to the notes of Freedom!!
And shame the world to break free from the Bondage!! The Bondage that pollutes the mind!!
Pay obeisance to them who were cleaners who swept the world of its feet!!
To make it stand up with pride against the blown up “Greed”!!
Greed that taught a lesson to bow!! Bow to the minds of men who took pride in breathing Free!!

Jayu...

Proving my points right!!

2009-08-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

Proving my points right to a friend who criticized my previous article!!
Point 1 argued: A/Cs do not emit CO2 so they are safe...
My answer - Chlorofluorocarbons find application as coolants in refrigerators and air conditioners. These are released during manufacture of aluminum; hydro fluorocarbons are released during the production of foam and other manufacturing processes. They remain in the atmosphere for a long time and trap heat. Moreover they are slowly damaging the ozone layer that protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation

Point 2 argued - Too many vehicles on the road with A.C. that add to the misery. This is not due to Electricity
My answer -Car engines require spark to start combustion which comes from battery. Try starting your car / bike without battery

Point 3 argued - Too much entertainment for the senses leading to eye & hearing problems.This has to do with sloth and not electricity.
My answer - If no electricity then no T.V & no radio or music system. Isn't it true that many people are getting affected nowadays because of this??

Point 4 argued - Obesity due to automation of everything around us!! Another vice called Gluttony. Depends on individual responsibility.
My answer- Just see what happens if automation stops for an year and how healthy people become. Individual responsibility arises due to the fact that there is automation in the first place in this context

Point 5 argued - Too much exposure to radiation from cell phones causing brain damage.True. But as technology evolves, so will the cell phones. How many people get brain cancer from cell phones that you have read or heard of?
My answer - So are you waiting for people to die and then change your habit??there is no disputing the fact that cell phone usage has increased over the years and for many young people it's become a obsession.

Point 6 argued - Fat ass is a strong word. One has to work to pay off the loan.
My answer - work sitting all day long in front of the computer??wat an idea sirji!!

Point 7 argued - Too much pornography on the net which provides easy way to harass children. It's just a vice....
My answer - Dude wake up to reality!!God save you from cyber crime....It's increasing by the day!!

Point 8 agreed upon

Point 9 argued - I would prefer a Robot to clean by bathroom than a human.
My answer - I am talking about Industrialisation and not your bathroom.....You have a very good view :-)

Point 10 argued - Aircrafts and airliners that have polluted the ionosphere in the name of quick access!!And it's because of fossil fuels and not electricity...
My answer - Without electricity can your engine start?? can your radar work??wat nonsense!!

Point 11 argued - Ships & boats have increased competition and suicides. What??
My answer - Of course nowadays you have a motor boat and ships that need radar that can be operated only with electricity. And the food items bought would rot without maintaining the temparature with the help of refrigerating systems....

Point 12 argued - Development of weapons of mass destruction that is a threat to the whole world.What does this have to do with electricity?
My answer - Wihtout a propellant and without computer aided design can you build a missile or a nuclear missile?? wat a stupid question!!

Point 13 argued - Easier spread of viruses around the world like swine flu, SARS etc....No virus spreads have been reduced due to advances in medicine due to electricity...
My answer - If you kept your environment clean and body & mind active the diseases won't occur at all...Moreover a Mexican gets swine flu but a young Indian dies just because of people transporting the virus through aircrafts!!Open ur eyes will you??

Point 14 argued - GM foods are caused due to humans and not electricity.
My answer - Ok if humans did not have electricity can they make GM foods??think!!

Point 15 & 16 - no comments but final conclusion being human weakness is the cause. I am saying the weakness is caused due to application of automation in our lives.....

Cheers,
Jayu

B.E & A.E the two eras (Wondering Why??)

2009-08-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!It's been a long time since I posted a blog and I hit upon a beautiful topic that my colleague was discussing with me. We all know about the 2 eras namely B.C & A.D (Before Christ!!) & (After Christ)!! right??

Well I would say that there are only 2 eras namely (Before Electricity) & (After Electricity). Benjamin Franklin must be wondering why?? Hmm and I know you have already decided that I have gone nuts....Well, I have a point to prove!!Let's see the effects of having electricity now!!

1) Too many Air conditioners that pollute the environment causing Global warming
2) Too many vehicles on the road with A.C. that add to the misery
3) Too much entertainment for the senses leading to eye & hearing problems
4) Obesity due to automation of everything around us!! Like washing machine, T.V & Audio Remote control, Automatic doors etc...
5) Too much exposure to radiation from cell phones causing brain damage
6) Online payment of bills, bank transactions, applying for loans, cards etc that don't require you to move your fat ass!!
7) Too much pornography on the net which provides easy way to harass children
8) Changing food habits (looking @ junk food ads on TV) , Road accidents (due to stress), health troubles are all caused due to laziness and automated fast paced life of ours that in turn create a need for X-ray machines, scan machines, Electrocardiograms etc....
9) Robots and machines that have reduced the employment opportunities
10) Aircrafts and airliners that have polluted the ionosphere in the name of quick access!!
11) Ships and boats that have increased smuggling and importing of goods from other countries which in turn affects the local Indian farmer and businessman fueling the growth of suicides and mad competition
12) Development of weapons of mass destruction that is a threat to the whole world
13) Easier spread of viruses around the world like swine flu, SARS etc....
14) Genetically modified food and crops that are the most unhealthy ones to eat!!
15) Selling of processed meat (by machines) increased which in turn has created lots of health hazards to people and increases the Global warming due to more cattle being bred for meat fodder!! (Apparently Cattle waste is the predominant creator of Greenhouse gases!!)
16) and finally in the name of social media people like me write blogs to reach out to friends instead of going and meeting them in person :-) natural group dynamics is formed only when we meet in person!! laziness again!!

and the list just keeps going on....

So, friends think deep about the topic I have posted and pray that the Coulombs of charge helps us get charged rather than getting us into more troubles......

Until next,
Jayu.....

2008-Rewind and 2009-Fast Forward

2008-12-31T21:16:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys,

It's been long since I posted a blog and frankly speaking I did not have anything to share with you guys since my last attempt. To start with when I look back at 2008 lots of things creep into my mind...

Well firstly I don't want to repeat all the sensational news that the News channels carry for getting the TRP ratings. Life shows to us as we look at it. Now, let us look at what had happened:

India-US nuclear deal inked amidst so many protests. Ironically, the nuclear man of India thought otherwise but was asked to keep his mouth shut :-)
India decides to go ahead with Iran-Pakistan-India Gas pipeline ignoring US pressure. US must be having nightmares about the growth of India. As always trying to backstab :-(
India and France sign pact for civilian nuclear technology which went out of focus due to the US nuclear deal and the drama!!
Year 2009 to be ‘Year of India’ in Russia. Did you know that?? So, pack your bags and head to Russia for a vacation this year. Statutory Warning: Going for vacation is detrimental to financial well being of IT folks!!
Reliance power raises $ 3 bn within a minute. This becomes India’s biggest IPO. Does not matter now. The Sensex is now perplexed :-(
Michael Jackson – converted to Islam and changed name from Michael to Mikaeel. Did you ever have a clue??Well, not even me :-)
Vishwanathan Anand wins world title after vanquishing Vladmir Kramnik. But he continues to stay in Spain. I think its much more peaceful than the mayhem here eventhough I encourage people to help this country grow sans our Netas!!
Virender Sehwag joins Lara and Bradman to be the only players to score two test triple hundreds
Tendulkar is now world’s highest test-runs scorer.Of course we know this :-)
Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani with net worth of $20.8 billion, displaces Lakshmi Mittal to become the richest Indian in the world
Aravind Adiga becomes the fourth debut novelist to win the coveted Man Booker Prize for his novel, “The White Tiger”. Remember this was his debut novel!! Have you guys read this book?? If yes, I need to borrow :-)
Chandrayaan 1 successfully launched on 22nd October from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. What a feat achieved!!
And of course the biggest IT sensational news was Satyam Computer Services chairman facing the brunt of investor rage after he decided to invest all the money in Maytas to support Hyderabad metro!! Well, ironically Satyam received the coveted "Golden Peacock" award for corporate excellence and so all I can say is 'Rumours spread faster than AIDS :-)'

Well, most of the news I shared are the good ones that you might have missed out other than the regular news bytes on Olympics and Obama fever. Of course I have conciously ignored the Mumbai terror attacks that still leaves me bewildered about our politicians...... And yes Tatas would get goosebumps when they look back!!Never in their history they could have suffered so much due to the political inefficiencies and greed!!

And personally I grew wise and determined with my career and life. After all the Hard work I got an "Average" rating and ironically my boss claims that he was oblivious to the fact :-) "Boss Mania continues" to haunt me!!And he continues to promise me to look into revisiting the rating and money :-) I handled few successful consulting assignments getting accolades from the clients and learnt so much about the intricacies of Market Research. And in personal life I have learnt to ignore my haphazard diet sensations and be more careful. Realised the value of time and choosing friends!! Never again I wil do a mistake of accepting a friend before I know what I need to know about them!!

2009 Plans / Wishes

To author a fiction novel
To buy a new car & house (Hopefully, we stop becoming greedy about selling our plots and houses more than the guideline value)
To get married :-) (Well personally it takes guts to say that I might not be a bachelor anymore!! Sorry to break some hearts ;-) Hopefully I create a sensation)
To grow in my career and hopefully get some hike and promotion. Heights of optimism being starting a New Business and make profits in this economic scenario :-)
To see some Indian politicians die of greed and curse :-)
To become less spiritual. Well, not that I claim to be spiritual but atleast stop worrying about reading "God and his creations"

So, guys "Wish you a very happy and prosperous New Year" May all or atleast some percentage of the wishes come true :-)

Jayu...

Life's Good with Chrome!!

2008-10-11T03:28:00.000-07:00

I have become a fan of Google chrome and I think it's on par with IE 8 & Mozilla 3. Main features being:
1) More Browsing space
2) Omni box that acts as both search and address bar
3) Downloads would not invoke any dialogue boxes and can be easily dragged and dropped into any folder/ location from the browser
4) Recently viewed sites are automatically displayed when a new tab/window is opened
5)Incognito mode to avoid storing of browsing history and files in the computer
6) Recognises search engines on retail sites and automatically tips off the user to search for required content
7) Multi process browsing experience. Even when content in a tab is stuck we can continue browsing the other tabs without problem
8)Sandbox technology that is more secure for browsing and much more....
Don't miss the video below...... :-) and click here to download one!!

Tolerance!! Bane or Boon??

2008-07-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

I was having a chat with my friend today and he was talking about the perception that people in his office carried about him. "Arrogant", "Aggressive", "Not a Manager material", "Stupid" etc... and the list kept growing....like the traffic in this City. I was not very surprised to hear what people thought about him though!!

In this fast paced "mad" world the perception others carry about us matters more than the skills we have to succeed in life. Let's analyse some scenarios we face on a daily basis.

When you are in office it is okay to use Office phones for personal talk for long hours as long as the individual delivers his job. This especially holds true for all the young trainees and some (not so) clever seniors in your environment
Your colleague abuses the system by "Working from Home" and "Falling sick" and doesn't have to bother about an important deliverable or attendance in Office as long as the chemistry with the concerned Manager is orgasmic
Your peer screws up an important deliverable and asks help to complete it but you end up owning the deliverable. Manager keeps quiet until you deliver and when you ask him "Why?" he says to ensure "Team spirit is High"
In a team meeting you defend your views and question the decision taken by your manager or rationale behind the deliverable and he says you are "Arrogant"
You do all the work given to you by your manager effectively like a paid slave and in the appraisal he says "I expect more from you" when other team members get a "Star" rating just because they are a "Manager material" as they can keep their managers eternally happy by aping their idiosyncracies
"Non collaborative" is what people say when you don't listen to your peers views when you know that you can think better than them
You are an effective manager only if you take opinion from all team members who might influence the perception of the top management about you

Now let's move out of office and look at what happens on the road.....

Well educated people jump a traffic signal, overspeed and honk their way into the traffic when we like idiots try to be patient and follow the road rules like a ousted clan
"Let's settle this Sir!" has become so much a cliche sentence when we get caught by a traffic policeman when there is no fault of ours except that us being a well earning member of this society

And the list goes on.......

The question everytime that runs in my logical brain is "Do I tolerate all the flaws & become numb" or "Do I rebel"?? The irony being that when I tolerate all the flaws I am accepted in the system and when I rebel I am not a good team player!!

I am a wise guy when I act to please everyone who can create a perception or influence the system eventhough it is ethically catastrophic. In IT industry especially in India I saw a stats which indicates 7/10 projects fail to complete or over-run. Wondering why?? Well, I have to say that as long as 1) We tolerate the bad work done by your manager 2) We accept the deliverables given by your peers and dont question them back 3) We allow our juniors & peers to abuse the system and dont want to question to invite the wrath of your manager and 4) We keep dumb and do not express what is logically and ethically right..... we will always end up failing in any project we undertake.

People talk about corruption in the police force. However, we ourselves tolerate to get an advantage. We talk about how Western countries stick to law & rules where as we tolerate all the complacent behaviour shown by our fellow men.

Mahatma Gandhi taught "Tolerance" towards other people and not the system but I think we have learnt the other way around!! Wat ya say??

The "Name" Game

2008-05-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I wrote a new post and I thought it will be ideal to do so now or my name could become extinct in this fast moving world. Well many of you might know that my name is "Jayendra M.G" (M-Mandalam & G-Gurumurthy). The reason why my dad kept this name?? and he says "Jay+Indira(Gandhi)= Jayendra". How Dumb?? I made sure that I never voted for Congress ever since I got my voting rights.

As you see a very controversial name for some people for reasons you know :-) (Jayendra Saraswathi- another name my friends gave me) but then I had everybody pronouncing my name with different syllables and words ever since my school days. Look at the following examples:
1. "Jugendra"
2. "Jayandra"
3. "Jagendra"
4."Gajendra"
5. "Jeyenth" etc..... and the list would go on..

Once it so happened that I got selected for the City U-13 cricket team and my name was displayed in the notice board as "Jeyentra". I was so overwhelmed that I came home and informed my parents who were delighted to hear the news. There was a match that was scheduled a week later for those who got selected in the team. So, I made all my preparations and left with my mom to the cricket ground for participating in the match. It turned out to be a nightmare though. The guys who had posted the list of players had removed my name as my certificates had it as Jayendra MG and the guy who got selected was "Jeyentra" :-( So, no amount of explanation helped the cause and I had to return home dejected and cursing myself & Indira Gandhi and her faithful follower Mr. Gurumurthy.

I had to change my name inorder to be assured that someone is indeed calling me. I made sure my friends & colleagues know me as "Jay" and my parents and relatives know me as "Jayu". And few of my relatives call me as "Jagadish". Now, when I went Onsite I called myself "Jay Gurumurthy" for obvious reasons of saving my name from cultural disgrace and mind you that no one dared to mess up my last name :-)

One more funny thing happened. I had gone to a famous numerologist in 2006 and he re -christened me as "M.G.N.Jeyenthira" much tougher and longer than my original name and he was very confident it would bring wonders to me. I almost fainted on my chair!! How can this name become so complicated in somebody's life? So, for obvious reasons I had to drop it and I am sure that name would have made no difference to my life :-)

So my friends, I went in search of why this confusion in my life?? and being an ardent follower and learner of astrology I found that having "Ketu" in my 4th house is the cause of all problems. This michievous planet will never allow my name to be pronounced or spelt only one way and the right way. Oh my God!! Where are you?? Wondering how many more changes required? Even a terrorist has less number of alias I guess!!Phew!!

Hmmm, so next time when we name our sons or daughters just ensure our Indian politicians do not steal their sweet name of it's charm!!What say??

Poetry on Holi

2008-03-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I wanted to publish a poem in my blog. Well, opportunity has come now to show my poetic skills I guess :-) here you go...

It doesn't matter if you are black or white!
Let the colors splash to make our lives bright!!

Colors are many, natural and artificial!
Spread the colors that show our divine!!

Join hands to bond a nation!
Let Holi make life, a Celebration!!

Hope you enjoyed the poem. Let's see if this poem gets an award for Holi poetry competition in my office! :-)
Will keep you posted!!

Jayu logging off.....

Spot "The Monkey"!! Have Fun :-)

2008-01-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

Respect Indian Tradition!!

2008-01-07T18:22:00.000-08:00

India is rich in values & culture.We have heard this many times but ever wondered how & why??When the East India company set up trade on the shores of our land they were really awed by looking at our culture. But eventually they ruled us because of some Hypocrites who gave away their mother land & traditions for money, power & women.

"All good things come to an end" and unfortunately most of our traditions and their need were buried deep inside the mud because of Western thoughts and Globalisation. I am not against adopting Wesern culture but against those who behave they were born in a foreign land and their mothers slept with white skins. (Note:I am not against Anglo Indians....)

As a youngster I had many questions creeping in my logical mind as to "Why I have to do what I have to do?" Many a times it was about the chores as a part of tradition that I had to follow on a daily basis which I thought were illogical & without reason. I am sure many of us would have felt the same. I would end up debating with my mom and eventhough she argued that it was a rule I thought may be some day I would discover "What lies beneath"!!Well, today most of my doubts stand cleared (atleast 70%) when my friend gave me a PDF explaining our traditions. I feel its my duty to share my learnings with my readers as I always believe that "No education is complete if it is not applied for the upliftment of self and the society"!! I am sure if not able to uplift you, atleast give you that pinch of salty sensation in your tongue for all the doubts you had raised about our country's tradition. Click here

MBA :-)

2007-12-09T22:04:00.000-08:00

How to better manage fixed bid IT Projects?? -Part 1

2007-11-14T23:00:00.000-08:00

"Project Management" always sparks an interest in my usually tranquil mind. Well, project management as a job was more of a serendipitous choice for me. Glimpse of my managerial skills was first spotted by my mom who used to compare me with my dad when it came to people management. She always used to think that I can manage people pretty well.

Now, let me first define the word "Project Management". It is all about managing the resources associated with the project in terms of scope, cost, quality & time. Now let's see why Project Management is so important??

“History has shown that almost half of IT projects fail & over 80% run late or over budget.” – Source “PMI”

So, all my IT brethren wake up & understand that PM is not an easy job. It requires a lot quality managerial time & acumen. In my current organization Satyam I come across so many fixed bid projects failing either in terms of running late or going over budget.

Fixed bid projects have their own challenges as the end date is fixed and we work backwards to organize the various modules/ phases in the project. Moreover having a fixed budget the profitability factor is directly related to the time spent or resources working on it.

So, where is the problem?? Let us analyse it.

Scenario 1 - How many times have you realised that the client is asking for more functionalities that are not originally part of the scope and eventually either extra resources / extra hours being spent on the project? - Clear problem of Scope not being defined & agreed with the client

Scenario 2 - Project has started & resources have started working. But suddenly we realise that the team does not have the necessary skills / resources to handle the technology involved. - Indication of lack of resource planning & mix which is a result of poor Document of Understanding & backup or training plan.

Scenario 3 - The project team has the right mix of resources with high skill levels & credibility, however the project is proceeding at an alarmingly slow rate or with lots of rework. - Problem of lack of motivation / Internal politics within the team.

Scenario 4 - The project team has the right mix of resources with high skill levels & credibility, however the work is delayed due to unidentified risks - Please do proper risk management.

Scenario 5 - Business Metrics used for tracking the progress not being agreed to by the client as indication of the successful progress of the project. - Business metrics fall into several categories: Scope and deliverables, timeliness, budget and quality. For many organizations, developing solid business metrics often means changing the nature of the relationship with the client. So, please identify these metrics at the planning phase itself to avoid discrepancies.

Scenario 6 - The project cost is skyrocketting due to more number of high cost resources working on the project. - This is clear case of lack of good recruitment strategy and team organization planned at the beginning of the project which creates a costly resource mix.

So, please ensure that these scenarios are minimised (if need be create a check list) to the extent possible to ensure a decent success rate for the projects you handle. Please feel free to add any other scenarios you might come across.

Until next... Ciao......

SONY ERICCSON (Vs) NOKIA

2007-09-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

I had always felt that monopoly was bad for the economy. So, I realised Nokia was getting onto my nerves and wanted to try different brand next time I buy my mobile.

So, I went and bought a Sony Ericcson W810i as it was the closest competitor to Nokia in the month of February 2007. Some of the best features were:

Excellent sound clarity on earphones. Better than even the Nokia N series that my friend had.

Camera with a decent picture quality of 2.0 mega pixels. Some of the pics that I took in US with the mobile phone can be accessed from the link http://www.flickr.com/gp/69615963@N00/3dr85t

Cool external speakers producing fine quality music. Not so noisy and irritating like Nokia N series. I always believe that volume is not everything when it comes to playing music. It has to sound soothing.I am sure many of you would agree with this.

Compact on the hand and when you carry in your mobile pouch.

Well if you thought that these features were very cool and truly they were, I always think that durability is a big factor when it comes to electronic goods. And Sony Ericsson obviously looses out to Nokia.

Suddenly, beginning of this month the phone started acting weird as the screen would hang and none of the functions could be done. Initially I thought that the battery was the problem but then the techies in the Sony Ericsson service center realised that the "motherboard" had to be changed. Luckily I had a 1 year warranty and so it costs nothing. Just 6 months since I bought the phone and already the motherboard is defunct!! Bad experience I would say....

Probably I did not buy it on an auspicious time and date :-) but then there were 30 others on a Saturday complaining about their phones in the service center.(I never had any software problems with the previous Nokia mobile models that I had bought anytime!!)

So, I am not alone and Sony Ericcson probably taught me a management lesson "Jack of all trades but Ace of none!!" and Nokia has proven that specialist always remain dominant in the market and probably monopoly won this time around....

Until next... ciao...

God Bless America-part 1

2007-07-15T05:06:00.000-07:00

Long time since I updated my blog!! It's been a 4 month wait getting a topic to write about. Yes, this is all about my experience as a true desi in the Land of Opportunities. I am talking about a 231 year old country that has grown & given opportunity for the rest of the world, popularly known as "USA"..

I am here on a business visit to work for Citicards and I stay in a very beautiful place called Florida. To be precise, I stay in the city of Jacksonville.Well, yes America is very exciting however it requires a big time maintenance to bring it to normal.

First, let me share why America is exciting. Florida with its sexy beaches, Bikes & Cars makes you wonder if you are visiting a different planet where you see prosperity all around. In Florida I first visited Daytona along with my friends. The Daytona beach and its NASCAR track makes you feel orgasmic. I had seen around 20-25 bikes which were 1000 cc Honda engines near the beach front. Well a global war is imminent when it comes to bike market in America. The Japanese & the Harley Davidsons vying for every inch of the automobile market makes you believe its a battle of pistons :-) . So when, you are all pumped and want a feast for your racing senses you know where to go. Believe me, the beaches are so clean that you would even start following the norm of "No Litter" policy. There was one of the streets that we entered which takes you to a different time zone. Yeah, the Harley Davidson bikes parked there makes you believe that there is so much tradition with the owner of each bike being over 50 years of age.So, life never is over for the people in this place as there is a inner urge to keep loving what they do and never get bored. Through out the street we saw people having beer along with their wives /girl friends, god knows the chemistry :-) The average age group was around 40 years. I am sure back in India life ends @ 45 as many of our neighbors & relaives would retire from being normal.

From Daytona, I had an opportunity to visit St.Augustine, one of the oldest towns in USA. True to its reputation, the town is so laid back and you start wondering if you have visited one of the villages in India. People suddenly seem to have all the time in the world to go boating, chill around in one of the many pubs there with their family, stroll on the beach sand, playing with their pets, swimming etc...A quick gush of laziness would certainly hit you once you step into this town. An ideal place for newly married couples to open up and get down to business :-)

The pinnacle of craziness was when I visited Panama City in Florida. Luckily it was summer break time and all the college kids were present along with their gangs. They were in their full gear when it came to their cars & bikes and in full oblivion when it came to their attires. "Truly American craziness Inc" is what you would see in Panama City. Bumper to bumper cars, honking, booing, singing, and all the stereos singing in chorus the Metallicas and the Iron Maidens of the world....being the norm. Our Pachaiyappas & Presidency college students need a big learning curve to get to this level :-) I visited La Vida, the largest night club in America along with my friends. Well, to say it was great is an under statement. I met people all around the world inside the night club.The funniest part was there was a separate entrance for teenagers less than eligible age (21 years) too...The synonym of merry making would be understood by everyone who enters La Vida.But remember to take your passports as photo identity whenever you visit this place. From La Vida, we headed to a beach side party that was full of young people who I am sure were kicked in their butt by their parents for being what they are.Even monkeys would have behaved better :-) Nobody owns nobody's girl friend inside, is what I realised as the party progressed. My friends and myself actually ended up with a culture shock treatment as we kept re-assuring that we were in our senses and "Seeing is believing" was really true.

So, being over nourished with the beaches, I decided to visit Orlando and get to see the various theme parks. I wonder if Disney owns half of America. Well, thats the feeling anybody would get once you step inside any of their theme parks. I visited Magic Kingdom along with my friends. So many acres of land that incudes resorts, lakes (they look real. but may be man made), golf corses etc makes you believe you have entered Wonderland.

Innumerable fun rides, sweet looking kids, all the disney characters of Mickey, Donald, Goofy that we saw as kids in our Door darshan Sunday cartoon feast and grandeour all around makes you feel so lost in the Wonderland. When we bought tickets we saw packages for 2 days, 5 days, 7 days & 10 days and were wondering why? This got answered once we entered the place and started to realize that "Magic Kingdom" alone needs 2 full days to cover.So, this just being one of the 4 theme parks definitely requires that much time to cover them.So anybody visiting Disney, I would definitely recommend the various fun rides around. Do not especially miss the Splash mountain, Mountain rail, Sharks and Space ranger rides. The best one I liked was the Space ranger where a fast moving rail would take you across the virtual solar system in absolute darkness, madness etc that you start feeling that you are actually floating in space. The reason I could logically think of was that since there were no lights, the people on the ride lose their point of reference and feel as if they are really travelling in space.

In my next posting I would talk about my experiences in Universal Studios, work & culture, and why this country requires a big time maintenance overhaul. Until then...

Ciao...

Validating Credit Cards - An easy approach

2007-03-25T04:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been using credit cards for about 3 years now. Long before when I was doing my E-commerce certification in SSI, Chennai(1999), one of our tutors taught us the art of finding out if a credit card number is valid or not. I was wanting to re-collect the learning and finally ended up googling as usual :-)

Just follow the below steps to validate if a card number is genuine or cooked up. Before we start there are some basic hygiene checks one has to do;

MASTERCARD Prefix- 51-55 Length -16

VISA Prefix- 4 Length -13,16

AMEX Prefix- 34 & 37 Length -15

If your card# is say 4216270001012807 then here it is how you validate;

Step 1- Multiply all the odd numbers starting from the first digit by 2. We get 82400040 as the digits. Adding them we get 8+2+4+0+0+0+4+0 = 18. In case on multiplying by 2 the number exceeds 9 say 12 then the resultant number must be put as 1+2=3

Step 2- Now, add all the even numbers in the card. 2+6+7+0+1+1+8+7 = 32

Step 3- Let's now add 18+32 = 50

Step 4 - Now on dividing 50/10 the remainder is zero. So, the card number is valid.

If the resultant number is not divisible by 10 then it's a fraudulent number!

Simple is'nt it? The name of this Algorithm is Mod 10(i.e.Modulus of 10)

Regards....

"Wow" Mozilla Rocks - Part 1

2007-02-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

I am sure many of us would have seen the television Ad for Windows Vista. People from various walks of life express their delight in experiencing Vista by giving a "Wow". Banking on Customer Delight.

Well, I have not used Vista yet, but when it comes to web browsers Mozilla is & will remain to be the best. Its a product which creates customer delight for sure. Wondering why? Then read on about the various Add on tools Mozilla has....

Scrapbook - It helps you save a page or website or a snippet from it with a couple of clicks.Once you save it we can access the pages offline. The various steps involved are;

Just access this URL and download the scrapbook.
Once download is complete user is prompted to restart Firefox for completing the installation.
Just access a page or select a snippet in a page or website and save it in a folder. You can also create a folder and save. :-) Now, go offline & experience the "WOW"

Well, the unique selling points being
a) User need not download the whole page for just viewing a snippet.
b) A complete website can be downloaded without any download tool.
c) Easily manage the pages or snippets or websites by saving them in separate folders.

2. Backword - How many times we would have wondered how to pronunce a word like
Plagiarism. Well, from now on you need not refer to Oxford or find a English language geek.
The various steps involved are;

Just access this URL and download the scrapbook.
Once download is complete restart Firefox (i.e close window & load firefox again) for completing the installation.
Just access a web page and select a word in a page and mouse over.Now, you need to be patient though. It takes couple of seconds for the menu to pop-up.
Now click on a speaker like icon {Visual Metaphor is not used well here :-( } and hear to the pronunciation of the word. A real wow isn't it? :-)

The main USPs being;

a) We can "back a word" i.e. bookmark the page from where we picked up the word. In the
future, if you encounter the word again just mouse over the word and right click on the
quote list. The page where the word appears gets displayed in a small window.
b) Search the web for the pronunciation incase it is not available in Backword. Hmmm what more can a user expect?? :-). Another good point being the web page opens in a separate tab too...

Watch out for Information on more Add ons in Part 2......

Rushing to office......

Regards..........

Income Tax - Is the calculation so Taxing?

2007-02-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

"The hardest thing in the world to understand is income tax" -Albert Einstein

If this is the case with a mortal having highest levels of IQ then imagine the plight of intelligent IT professionals like me :-). Well, being a M.B.A student of LIBA I had the opportunity to learn the art of tax calculation. As the saying goes;

"No education is complete if it is not applied for the upliftment of self and the society"

So, I just wanted to share with my readers the slab rates for Salaried professionals like me in India;

For the assessment year 2006-07, rates of Income‑tax in the case of individual assessees are divided into the following three categories:

a) resident individuals, who is of the age of 65 years or more (senior citizens) at any time during the previous year;

up to Rs. 1,85,000/‑Nil
above Rs. 1,85,000/‑ up to Rs.2, 50,000/‑20%
above Rs. 2,50,000/‑30%

b)resident individuals, being a woman, aged below 65 years;

upto Rs.1,35,000/-Nil
above Rs. 1,35,000/- up to 1,50,000/-10%
above Rs.1,50,000/- to 2,50,000/-20%
above Rs.2,50,000/-30%

c)other individuals (this is were I fit in)

upto Rs.1,00,000/-Nil
above Rs. 1,00,000/- up to 1,50,000/-10%
above Rs.1,50,000/- to 2,50,000/-20%
above Rs.2,50,000/-30%

Please note that the tax rates are applicable on the Income remaining after Deductions.

Hope this article was helpful. Until next time.....

Ciao.......

Brand Concepts - Part 2

2007-02-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

Let us now see what we really mean by Brand Architecture? It is nothing but the organizing structure that specifies brand roles, and the relationship among brands, keeping their market driven roles in mind. Usually I would divide the Brand Architecture into 4 dimensions.

Brand Portfolio - Includes all the brands & sub Brands

This is how HLL’s (Hindustan Lever Limited's) brand portfolio looks like: Surf, Surf Excel, Modern, Rin, Pond’s, Lakme, Aviance, Aim, Clinic Plus, Sunlight, Dalda, Kissan, Le Baron, Close-up, Vim, Ala, Liril, Pears, Wheel…. and a long list that includes numerous variants and branded products as diverse as thermometers and glycerine

2. Portfolio Roles

Strategic Brand-Represents a meaningful future in terms of sales and profits. Like what Xbox is for Microsoft
Silver Bullet-is a brand or sub-brand that positively influences the image of another brand. Like how IBM Thinkpad boosted IBM’s corporate brand image
Lynchpin Brand-Leverages a major business area though it may not be the core business. Example - Jetrewards for Jet Airways

3. Market Context Role - A combination of brands that fulfils a specific product or market related need. There are various roles here:

Endorser brand-is usually an established brand that provides credibility and substance to the offering.Like HDFC endorsing its home loans
Driver Role - The degree to which the brand drives the purchase decision and usage experience. Thus people refer to their credit card as “Citibank card” and not Visa from Citibank. Here Citibank plays the driver role.
Co-brands: are brands formed by collaborating brands from distinct organisations
to create a new offering. Ex- Indian Oil Citibank Card

4. Portfolio Graphics - the pattern of visual representations across brands and contexts.

Taking HLL as an example the visual representation of Surf and its variants represent one string of brands that are different from the look and feel of Pond’s & its variants.

So, what does Brand Architecture really achieve?

•Clarity of product offerings
•Leverages brand equity
•Provides a platform for future growth
•Effective and powerful brands - Those that have a point of differentiation and customer appeal.

Hope this topic was helpful. Until Next time....

Bye...

Brand Concepts - Part 1

2007-02-04T18:34:00.000-08:00

Let us look at the definition for a Brand. What exactly it stands for?

"A Brand is a complex symbol. It is the intangible sum of a product’s attributes, its name, packaging and price, its history,reputation,and the way it’s advertised. A brand is also defined by consumer’s impression of people who use it, as well as their own experience "
- David Ogilvy

Now let us look at how Brand Experience is differentiated. The External Brand Experience include;

Name
Logo
Advertising
Brand Identity
Environments
Products & Service

While the Internal Brand Experience comprises of;

Business Process
Customer Relations
Brand Values
Training
Quality
Staff Motivation
Recruitment Policies
Technology etc..

Now what exactly we mean by Brand Positioning. It is how we Position ourselves in the minds of the consumers. In other words it is how you differentiate your product or service from that of your competitors and then determine which market niche to fill. Look at McDonalds Positioning statement;

"We are not a burger company serving people but are a people company selling burgers"

This statement clearly reflects both the Internal & External brand value of McDonalds. Now let us look at the Brand Identity Prism based on Kapferer model and the 6 key dimensions in it;

•Physical
–Product features, symbols & attributes
•Personality
–Character & attitude
•Relationship
–Beliefs & association
•Culture
–Set of Values
•Reflection
–Customer’s view of the brand
•Self-Image
–Internal mirror of customer as user of brand

For Sify India let us look at how they have built the brand basis the Kapferer Model;

Physical - Kite Symbol, Online Access
Personality - Innovative & Tech savvy
Culture - Customer centric & Indian
Self -image - "net" way of life empowered
Reflection - Consistent & dependable performer
Relationship - Best guide to the net

Rushing to the office now. Rest in the Next...

Regards....

The Queue is Dead - An User driven Analysis

2007-01-30T10:21:00.000-08:00

It is really a great initiative done by Satyam Cinemas to come up with a cool website https://www.thecinema.in/ for online booking of cine tickets. I am sure many of us in Chennai (India) would have used the website atleast once. For newbies "It's better late than never". Do give it a try!!

The entire website has been built on Flash with AJAX technology behind it. The response time is really quick with literally zero page refresh.The Information is neatly structured and booking tickets is a simple 6 step process.

Step 1 - Select a movie & date along with the number of tickets required. (i.e. check availability)
Step 2 - Log in using account information
Step 3 - Select your seats or let the computer select it
Step 4 - Select the food items required (optional)
Ste p 5 - Give your credit card information
Step 6 - Take a print out of E-ticket or note down the reference number

However, there are some inherent drawbacks with the website. They are;

Lack of User control & freedom - We cannot select more than 10 tickets at a time. In case of bulk booking I am sure many of the users would be wondering why this restriction?To book more we need to go through the same 6 step process over again which is highly irritable. Solution - They could rather have a text box where the user can input the number of tickets required.
Lack of proper System Status - On selecting the movie & date along with the number of tickets required the system prompts the user to either "Book tickets" or "Go back".The whole selection gets highlighted with a translucent layer on top of it. However, I am sure many of us would not be able to recognise the selection done.Solution - Probably they can highlight the selection shown with some bold colors to make it upfront for the user.
Lack of Error Prevention - Once the user enters Step 5 the user is asked to input Fuel card holder name, fuel card number & HPIN number. However, I am sure many of us would have entered our credit card numbers. Also once, I entered my Debit card number and I realised lately that only credit cards were allowed :(. Solution - Display the card type drop down & then only on selection of the card type display the other fields. Also, indicate that only credit cards are allowed.

By the time I complete this article , referring to the website in another tab I have been logged out almost 3 times :-). There is no indication on time remaining for session to expire.Probably a counter could have helped me better. Again the system status was not shown to me :-(

Inspite of all these drawbacks, https://www.thecinema.in/ has branded itself as the pioneer in enhancing user experience and would certainly be ranked better if they consider the solutions given. I wish them ALL THE BEST!!{including the users :-)}

Regards....

Usability Training I attended - Part 2

2007-01-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

Well, the first day was all about learning the 5 layers of User Experience and then arriving at the UI design. The second day was filled with lots of group tasks which gave us an insight on the real time Usability analysis especially analyzing umpteen number of intranets used by Satyam employees.

Well, if it was the Heuristics analysis (a technique for finding usability problems with a user interface) that needs to be done then, we had to consider 10 major heuristics parameters namely;

Is System status shown? (transfer status,loading status etc..)

Is Error Prevention provided?

Is Error Recovery provided?

Is there Minimalist Design? (to minimize visual overload)

Is User control & freedom provided? (especially in controlling a task or situation)

Is Consistency maintained? (in terms of UI, IA, task flows etc)

Is there Recognition rather than recall? (Is approriate & standard icons used)

Match between real & virtual world? (Is metaphors used easy to understand)

Is Help & documentation provided? (both situational & pro-active help features)

The key take being that UI plays a vital role in the adoption of a product. "Microsoft" being the leaders when it comes to adopting Heuristics techniques.

When it comes to methods of collecting User feedback there are several techniques namely;

Direct Interviews

Usability Lab testing - My team UXM is going to have one very soon :-)

Questionnaire Method

Contextual Enquiry

Cognitive Modelling - In Market Research jargon it is "Simple Stratified Sampling - Stratified sampling techniques are generally used when the population is heterogeneous, or dissimilar, where certain homogeneous, or similar, sub-populations can be isolated (strata). "

We also discussed the various types of users basis their capability(efficiency & effectiveness) to use a product or website. They are;

Novices - Level 1

Advanced Beginners - Level 2

Experienced Users - Level 3

Expert Users - Level 4

The key take being that before developing any application we need to take into account the type of users who are going to access it. The startegy, scope, structure, skeleton & surface layers drastically change according to the end users.

What if we don't get to know the real users? How do we build a product for them? Simple, use common sense! Build "Brand personas" for the product or website.Each persona is a fictional character. The crucial thing being the brand personas must be as close as possible to the real users. 3 steps to be covered in this;

Develop a list of personas - Profile of various individuals involved with and affected by the product

Define the personas - Give Name & description

Define the personas goals - This is very important. Design decisions will be based on a persona's goals

We also discussed navigation design. The key take being that navigation must be "Wide & Shallow" with 7+- 2 menus.

Well, at the end Atul concluded by showing us the diagram below;

A nice way to conclude :-)

Regards.......

Usability Training I attended - Part 1

2007-01-21T07:26:00.000-08:00

After recovering from the stress of 15 hrs of Usability training that I attended in my organization I am writing this article to share with you some key learnings on Usability and how it ultimately affects the Brand.

The first thing I learnt in the 2 day training attended for usability was, how do we define Usability? The definiton is as below;

"Usability refers to the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of user"

I liked this definiton as much as the trainer Mr. Atul Manohar. In the first day of the training we covered the fundamental concepts of Usability & the second day was all about Usability methodologies & various tasks were given to us. (I will share with you the same subsequently).

Well, it was indeed very fascinating to learn how we humans interact with the computer. Atul quipped in by saying "Master & Slave" relationship is what we expect when interacting with the computer. True to a certain extent I must admit. The 5 layers of User Experience as explained by Jesse James Garrett the "Usability Guru" was discussed in detail (click image to enlarge)

The key take being that "UI design" is the last step towards building a particular product or web application. Why? Because we need to;

Understand business & User goals - Strategy

Define functional specifications & content requirements - Scope

Define Information Architecture - Structure

Define navigation & information design - Skeleton

Finally Prepare UI design - Surface

Once the bottom 4 layers are well planned then UI design becomes more specific to the user. As UI design always is subjective any iterations on the UI design (every client does this) would be only on look & feel and less of content changes or re-arrangement. This reduces the work load on the UI designer and most importantly the product meets it's purpose of providing an enhanced "User Experience".

As mentioned earlier we are living in an "Era of User Experience". Every user wants his product or website "Simple","Easy" & "quick to learn". In other words it is effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction that every user wants to experience both in the virtual & real world. Now, let us look at some research data to analyze how good or bad online User Experience affects the perception of the brand the user interacts with. (click image to enlarge)

The bottom line being that the interaction of a customer with your company's website directly impacts the brand perception & loyalty.So, it's time that the websites are designed keeping this in mind and realize the importance of adhering Usability standards & methodologies.

Rest in the next.......... "Come on" people. Speak up!

Regards......

AJAX - The buzz word

2007-01-19T19:53:00.000-08:00

I am sure everybody knows what AJAX stands for. For beginners it stands for Asynchronous Java Script and XML. So what is AJAX all about? Why is the whole world talking loud about it?Before I give you a glimpse of AJAX is all about lets understand that there have been 3 eras of product development;

Era of Invention - This is the period of Graham Bell, Wright Brothers, Charles Babbage, Dunlop and alike who came up with inventions which put the consumers in awe. They were totally bowled over by the fact that something called a telephone or an aircraft was indeed true and not a fantasy.
Era of Technology - This is the period of Microsoft, IBM, Intel etc who dominated the world by showing how technology is a powerful tool to automate the redundant and complex tasks done by the human mind.
Era of User Experience - This is the current era we live in. "Consumer is the king" is the lesson every business man has learnt. Virtual world is where we users spend most of our time. So, no wonder that Web 2.0 as a concept has evolved. "Simple & quick" is what every user wants. And so AJAX has evolved to address this.

In order to understand AJAX as an user I would recommend a hands-on approach. Please visit the following URLs and get a feel of it.

Google Suggest - As you type in the search box some keywords, Google will offer suggestions
Google Maps - Recommend you to to click on the satellite button on top. Really amazing.
Gmail sign up - However you need an invite from existing user to sign up.

To sum up, AJAX is all about minimum page refresh and quick access to information for users.It allows pages to request small bits of information from the server instead of whole pages. This incremental updating of pages eliminates the page refresh problem and slow response that have plagued Web applications since their inception. Most importantly it works on all modern web browsers :-) . "Wow" what a relief! ATLAST

Waiting for some more inputs from the blogging community...

Regards....

Brand Power - Part 2

2007-01-19T19:01:00.000-08:00

BEST GLOBAL BRANDS BY COUNTRY

Click Image

The image says it all. America leads the world when it comes to Global presence of brands followed by Germany, France & Japan.

Methodology:

The new brand ranking methodology is unique because it is the first to combine consumer research with public financial data to measure the contributions brands make to the bottom line. Additionally, it is the only ranking to quantify consumer sentiment about a brand’s momentum and future prospects, and the first to focus on “market facing” brands as opposed to corporate brands.

Key Insights:

Europe leads the world in luxury brands - Louis Vuitton ranked (24), Mercedes (28), Porsche (44), Chanel (75) and Cartier (82). The super-affluent consumers are increasing world wide.
Chinese brands are gaining global power - China Telecom (4) & Lenovo
New economy, new business models and new money - New business models have enabled new brands such as Starbucks, ranked (48), and Zara (87) to establish their positions not only in the market but in consumers' minds

The research was done by global marketing research firm Millward Brown.

Brand Power - Part 1

2007-01-18T19:02:00.000-08:00

I wonder if any of the readers of my blog know that I work for the Online Branding team in Satyam Computers, Chennai. Probably I have not shared with you anything that is related to branding. So, let me kickstart my articles on Branding by giving you a glimpse of the World's most powerful brands for the year 2006. In my next article I will tell you why these brands are powerful and the evolution of a brand. Here you go;

BRANDZ Top 10 (value in $million):
1. Microsoft - 62,0392. GE - 55,8343. Coca-Cola - 41,4064. China Mobile - 39,1685. Marlboro - 38,5106. Wal-Mart - 37,5677. Google - 37,4458. IBM - 36,0849. Citibank - 31,02810. Toyota - 30,201.

For the comprehensive list click on the image below for better clarity......

In the next post we will discuss why these brands are so powerful.

Regards......

Astrology - Art or Science?

2007-01-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

It is really amazing to note how one's horoscope reveals one's past,present and future life.Nine planets control your destiny. Out of the nine "Rahu" & "Kethu" are not really planets.

However, I always had a doubt if Astrology is purely an art or science?Science yes, because the level of vedic mathematics involved. Art because the accuracy of drilling down to 1 possibility out of 100 possibilities for a particular planetary disposition. Astrology is always right. However some astrologers might go wrong in their predictions. The accuracy depends on the astrologer's horoscope and his/ her planetary disposition.

I have met very few astrologers who have 90% & above accuracy. To name a few K.C.Purohit, Kenni, Chockalingam.

K.C.Purohit gives free predictions and does not charge any money. He has been practising the art of prediction for the past 15 years and is one of those silent genious. Many a people have benefited from his advice and is very straight forward in his disclosure to clients. one can reach him through phone 9444042986.

Kenni has been a well renowned astrologer in Sify's panel of astrologers and is a tech savvy guy. He is one of those astrologers who believes that intution plays a vital role in predictions. He always has a point of view in any topic he discusses and has guts to speak up. You can get a glimpse of his work, consultation fees and personality by visiting his blog.

Chockalingam is synonym of 6th sense. Not that others don't have. But his level of intution is far higher. He is an expert plamist, steller and keeps a very low profile. Every politician in power today, has consulted him atleast once. The moment we think of politicians we think of money, power, corruption right?But here is a retired government servant who lives in a 2 bed room house about 650 square feet and drives a TVS Champ. He charges Rs.100/- per family and according to reports donates Rs.50/- for charity.Such is his simplicity that one starts believing in the adage "Looks are deceptive". He stays in Hosur and one can reach him through phone on Wednesday - Friday between 8:00 to 8:15 am. (04344-265797)

Hope you get benefited from this article. As mentioned, you need to run a favorable time to meet the genuine astrologers who can guide you.

Rest in the next. Bye....

My Mom

2006-10-29T01:05:00.000-08:00

There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it

Sandiyar in Satyam....

2006-10-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

Guess who?? Kamal Hassan recently made a visit to Satyam Computers, Shozinganallur and made a powerful performance on stage. He was dressed like Virumaandi / Sandiyar. However Kothalathevar & Annalachumi were conspicuous by their absence. The audience went berserk seeing Kamal's performance. As usual there were autograph buffs and women audience all over him. No one could stop admiring him and there were praises pouring in.

While you keep relishing the article and hope to be an audience next time around let me break my silence and let the truth triumph. All the characters portrayed in the article are true except the fictitious character Kamal Hassan. It was a look alike and the character name is "Jay" alias "Jayu" alias "Jayendra". Yeah, the guy in the photo is me :) Hehe! Until next post, Ciao and take care...

Beautiful Kodai

2006-08-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

"Kodai". Hey don't worry it's not about the umbrella :-)! I am talking about the hill resort Kodaikannal. One of the most beautiful places that I had ever visited.

One of my dreams was to join a CMM level 5 company. I guess "Some dreams come true"! But as the saying goes "Dreaming is important, not whether it becomes true"! Well luckily my dream had become a reality by the time I visited Kodai! Yes, I had joined Satyam Computers(Chennai) a CMM level 5 company. What more? On one hand excited about Satyam and on another going on a company sponsored tour.We a bunch of UXM guys (UXM is the team I work for) went on a fun spree. We had reached Kodai on a Saturday morning and headed straight to the hotel by road. We landed up in one of the best hotels I had ever stayed in, "The Carlton". Just check out this link to know more about the hotel.

Once we stepped in we were allocated 2-in-ones! Sounds Crazy right? Even I was excited about getting a 2-in-one. I am talking about the rooms though! (2-in-one room). I had to share it with my teammate- A 30+ year old man who was wanting a chance to get rid of his wife for a while or not really I guess :-) I was given a choice though! I could take a room as long as my room partner was a man. So, I chose this "good pal" of mine-also booze pal to be precise :-)!! Once we got ourselves ready we headed straight to have breakfast.That's when I got the buzz "More excitement in store" from our ever smiling "DK" a man with split personality. Split personality because he was our tour guide, Financier, Advisor & entertainer. I had never seen a bugs bunny live. But here was our man entertaining us with his smile! I was guessing what could the excitement be?? May be a latino girl doing a Brazilian samba? Or was it some sort of gifts (my first choice was wine). As I was guessing, a van arrived with a group of girls & guys! Yes, a team from our Bangalore office. Most importantly couple of girls were good looking!

After breakfast DK arranged for a photo shoot and interactive session between the teams. The "man of the show" was none other than our team mate and pal David who played the role of event manager introducing our team to the girls! He took great care in introducing the UXM design team members to the girls! "Good PR with team members Dave" I said to myself, although fuming inside!!

After this, a cab was arranged and we were taken on a tour to some of the coolest spots in Kodai! To name a few we went to Suicide Spot, Berijam Lake, Coaker's walk...The best one I must say was the Coaker's walk, especially the view of the landscape from the telescope mounted near the exit.

I made new friends during our trip that day (Anil & Murali both Telugu) and when we returned back were informed about a big party that night! I wanted to be well prepared for the party. "Well prepared" I must say is an understatement. I wanted to be "pumped up" and get into a "yo-yo" mood! Before the party my pal & myself joined David and gulped a few drinks! Soon, we realised that the party was getting started and had to leave behind what was remaining in our bottles. Once we reached the dance floor, I joined the UXM design team members and was dancing my wits out!

My pal cajoled me to ask the girls from Bangalore for a jive! But, unfortunately neither did I have the courage nor did the girls show any interest! They were so much in shackles and were confined to a corner dancing in a separate group. "Come on Girls! Behave like a social animal I screamed deep inside". However we UXM guys stole the show! At the end of the party the guys from Bangalore said "Well done! That was great dancing!" Well, girls as usual were dumb! I mean voiceless. :-)

The next day morning we were informed of a visit to a theme park nearby. Well, nearby acording to Bugs bunny was a few 130 kms :-). "My goodness!" that was quite a drive and by the time we reached the theme park "Athisayam" it was already 4:00 pm!Luckily the theme park was all about water rides. Myself & my new friends "Anil" & "Murali" quickly removed our dress! Hey don't mis-interpret! That was inside the change room! We quickly put on our shorts that we hired and headed straight to the longest water ride! We spent nearly 3 hrs swimming and playing polo. Before I realised, the Bangalore team left the place to catch the last train in a hurry.

To sum it up, it was a great experience having been there and would love to visit the hill station again!

Wow My Nick Name has got a History behind it!

2005-02-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

Well , as some of you might know that my Nick name is Jayu! :).

If this is a news for some, I bumped on something really great and funny! A park in Korea is called "Jayu Park"!

Well, as I read on this article http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/inchon/339 I found out that it had a great history behind it!

General MacArthur's statue here makes it one of the most famous places in Korea! Ever wondered who he is?
Well, Read on.....................

Civil War broke out between Communist and non-Communist forces in Korea from June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953. At the end of WORLD WAR II, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into Soviet North Korean and U.S. South Korean zones of occupation. The two zones clashed in 1950 with Red China turning the tide against the UN Forces and causing the 38th parallel stalemate.

Douglas Mac Arthur:

He had served in both the World Wars and the Korean War!

Korea War:
In June 1950, with the beginning of the Korean War, MacArthur was appointed the Supreme United Nations commander. However, on April 11, 1951 he was relieved of his command by President Truman.

Very interesting isn't it?

Jayu. :)

Excel Tips

2005-02-21T15:57:00.000-08:00

Hey All,

This is a need based finding that I made! My Boss wanted me to send a Excel giving a project plan with the delivery time clearly defined. However I had entered the date in the dd/mm/yyyy format. Like 21/2/2005. Well, he asked me to convert it to 21-Feb-2005. But How the hell?

I tried so many things by formatting the cells but in vain.........................................................:(

Then the next day morning I thought let me try at home! Sweet home :). And then finally I cracked it!

Step 1: Go to Insert dropdown in the top tab.
Step2: Select the Date Function!
Step 3: Enter the data in the relevant fields!
Step 4: Now right click the field and choose Format cells!
Step 5: Select Date Category and the display format you want!
Step 6: Well, Just relax the job is done!

Chao for now.....................................................

Math Bytes

2005-02-21T14:55:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Some Math bytes !

Ever Wondered how easy it is to multiply 2, two digit numbers ending with the digit 5!

Ex: 15*15 = 225 but how easily can you arrive at this answer? ever wondered it can be done in one step?

Read On..............................

Multiply both the 5's! you get 25 right? Now, multiply 1*1 and add 1 one to it = 2. So, the answer 225 :)

Similarly,
25*25 = Multiply both the 5's! Now again it gives you 25! Also, 2*2 =4 + 2 = 6. So, the answer 625 :)

and so on......................

So, try for other numbers and know the results yourself! Until next time chao!..................

Jay.

The Most Unforgettable Moment In My Life

2005-02-18T09:12:00.000-08:00

I would like to narrate an incident that took place when I was doing my college, which is to me the most unforgettable moment in my life.

Well, joining a professional course was one of many wishes that came true. Though I was passionate about joining an Engineering college, I was not very keen in performing. I was one of those happy-go-merry guys who were occupying the last row in my classroom. Lazy, daring, playful, etc were usually the comments that were passed on me. As the time went by, rather to say flew by, I had already completed 2 yrs of precious college life.

Change is the rule of nature & for me it was no different. One of the most important changes that happened to me was my attitude towards accepting a challenge. This happened because of one important incident that occurred.

We had a subject named Electrical and Electronics Measurements in my 3rd year. The lady who taught us was in her mid-thirties & “dumb” according to me. This is because I never understood what she said & never bothered to know. On a typical classroom lecture this lady was busy explaining things that was out of curriculum to my mind. I was busy chatting with my friends, which was disturbing not only the class but also the lady’s mood. She got wild at me and asked to repeat whatever she had explained. I was clueless & never cared to answer. This was the worst thing that I could do to her & best to myself. The first real challenge was about to come. The lady said, “I bet you cannot even stand in front of the crowd and deliver!” The whole class looked at me as if they felt the same. I had time until the next class. That day I reached home & pondered what had happened in class. The lady had given me a topic and asked to give a lecture the next day! First time, I realized I need to prove myself.

The next day I reached college & was feeling sleepy but strong. Sleepy? I am sure you would wonder why? Well, obviously I had to prepare and couldn’t sleep. The moment arrived! I had to deliver the topic to the whole class. I said to myself “Oh my god give me strength and the confidence to do this”. I don’t know if god overheard me! I had no clue what happened for the next 40 minutes. All I remember was the applause I received from the whole class & a pen from the lady!
“The greatest gift of my Life”. The most unforgettable moment of all.

Sania "The Princess of Hyderabad"

2005-02-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

Hello Folks,

Kudos to Sania for being the first Indian "woman" to have won the recently held WTA tournament in Hyderabad. Sure, home conditions would have helped her but nonetheless she had won the heart of many Indians. No wonder a banner held by one of the spectators read "YOU HAVE DRAGGED US FROM CRICKET TO TENNIS"!

Hope and pray that she wins many such tournaments and brings pride to our country.

Waiting for your comments!