Continue reading »]]> I have always been fascinated by my own Google results. Call it narcissist, but I am concerned about what I am linked to, and who is linked to me (pun totally intended). My results (all 184 of them at this moment) vary from positive, vague, to totally misleading.

My postive results throw up my LinkedIn and Facebook public profiles; articles that appeared in Economic Times, Afaqs, and other publications on me; my own writings as a blogger and commenter in various places, and such.

The vague are vague to most of us, because the link text and original pages are in Chinese, Russian, and Korean ~ reviews (and award listings) of some of my creative work and marketing writings cross these parts.

And the totally misleading, but which I personally wish was true, talks of me sitting on a fat bounty of money – lol!

I must confess, I have worked to keep these results the way I want them to be – including ensuring the lastmentioned result stays around, though not in a high or obvious place

How? It is quite simple, yet complex. And I will leave Julia Angwin to enlighten us on the matter. I spotted this piece of hers this morning on my WSJ Blackberry reader (ahem, name dropping helps too, you see).

Julia Angwin writes candidly how she worked with Google to ensure she looks and stays positive and well linked. I hope she counts this link as a positive one

An excerpt, followed by the original piece by Julia:

“One of the paradoxes of the digital age is that the boundless freedoms of the Internet also constrain our identity. Before the ubiquity of search engines you could go on a date or a job interview and construct a narrative about your life that fit the situation. No one in your book group had to know that you were a punk-rocker in high school. But it’s much harder to package yourself in the Google era. Online, your digital identity often comes down to the top 10 links on your SERP, or search-engine results page.”

Read the whole article here.

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Last Saturday evening, I spent around four hours with some of the friendliest, most unassuming bunch of people I have met in a long time.

Which is surprising, considering I was at the IndiBloggers offline meet in Delhi. And Bloggers, as their reputation suggests, are a volatile and unpredictable bunch of people.

“True, Bloggers around the world have displayed the power to rock countries, bring down companies, and generally cause much damage with their words when provoked, or when they raise their voices against something they feel is not right – for them, or people around them.”

What’s not talked about as much, is the fact that Bloggers often announce important news before daily press and even television channels pick them up; they are known to share knowledge and insights on things both popular and obscure; and they are known to provide great reading (and watching) content that keeps people around the world addicted and waiting for the next post.

So how come there were no fireworks? How come this meet didn’t become the starting point of a revolution that would address the scores of issues around us?

Well there were two reasons for this as I saw it – 1) the Agenda, and 2) the real nature of Bloggers.

The meet’s objectives/agendaitself, was primarily to get Bloggers from the NCR to meet and get to know each other. For this there was a “One Minute of Fame” session, where all the Bloggers stood up and spoke for a minute about their blogs, and why they do what they do.

The next objective was perhaps to begin a dialogue – which translated into a tentative discussion (“this is not a presentation” claimed the organisers) on the issues most bloggers face – of ethics, of responsibility, of censorship, of self-governance, and of course revenue generation, which naturally led to discussions about Google.

Personally, I think this session could have been better planned, because the issues themselves are very important, and while everyone had a point of view, the discussion went all over the place, without reaching any real conclusion or even direction.

“But it was a great start, and I hope to see more such discussions in this area. Because while we Bloggers are all free-spirits, I do believe we have to be good spirits and be spirited for the right reasons.

The fires we create in our rants have to be to shed light, not singe innocents. And the glow we create with our raves have to be natural, not drug-induced.”

I guess you get the drift. So let me get to my next point.

Bloggers are just human. As I watched the gathering that consisted of writers, coders, photoshoppers, a cartoonist, a fitness instructor (she was one, of the two women Bloggers at the meet), a titilator (for want of a better word for a guy who shares ‘sexy’ clips from popular movies on his blog), and other such Bloggers, it struck me that they were no different from each other!

Their reasons for Blogging may be different, but they are all just regular Joes (and Janes) out to voice their opinions, share their passions, and generally aim for the moment of glory or fame that perhaps eludes them in real life. Or perhaps they have just chosen Blogging as the channel through which they will get their moment of glory, get themselves heard the big bad world out there…

These people are not here to harm anyone, not pick unnecessary fights, or rant unreasonably… They all have good intentions, and will hopefully have a positive effect on whoever comes in touch with them. Which is far from what you will get from the average Joe on the street!

And then I realised, I was really proud to call myself a Blogger, and be one of these people. And if the folks behind IndiBloggers and IBNMSget their act together to address serious issues, and develop a gameplan to nurture or channel the energies of Bloggers better, the world will be a whole lot nicer place to live in!

You can quote me on that.

Continue reading »]]> I’m often faced with the tough task of finding a work-bloglife balance. Sharing my thoughts for money, versus sharing my thoughts nothing. And usually, as my last stretch of silence on this blog would indicate – slogging for money wins out!

The other thing is, most people think blogging doesn’t require any thought of effort or time. Well, admittedly it doesn’t need much effort if  the words you flog on your blog are about the new guy on the block, and the mood of your dog. But if it’s about sharing news and views that others can use – it takes a hell of a lot more than the 5 hours a week indicated by the recent Microsoft Blogging study.

So here I am, 15 days later than the day I promised to be back and blogging. My sincere apologies to the regular visitors at noshtradamus. But I promise to try and make up for the lost time with some interesting thoughts and news in the next couple of weeks.

Cheers!

Continue reading »]]> When I tell people that I help companies understand new media, and how to use it to their benefit, most people look at me and say – “by new media you mean the internet, right..? what else is there??!”.

In the beginning, I used to get stumped by the ignorance behind this assumption. I used to be apalled by the fact that even seasoned communication professionals in advertising and public relations think:

a) there’s nothing more to new age communication than the internet, and

b) that there’s nothing more to the internet than websites, banner ads and email!

Well, yes there is more, and I will attempt to briefly summarise what I know and share as part of my day job.

In my mind “New Media” is anything that can be used as a tool for communication with new age consumers and audiences. It just so happens that the internet occupies a huge part of their lives, followed by the omnipresent and omnipotent mobile phone… that’s new media too!

In fact as much as we use tools born out of new technologies, I would classify innovations in conventional media as new media too. As long as they acquire the dynamism that can match the unpredictable free-flowing behavioral and consumption patterns of our audiences today.

So portable billboards that follow their audiences, rejuvinated conventional radio channels, cell broadcasts, multimedia streaming by bluetooth to handheld devices… they all are new media.

And when it comes to the internet, the usual suspects like websites, chat rooms and blogs aside, you should look at social networking groups, messenger services, wikis, and community generated hang outs – like youtube. The list is endless and evolving even as you read this post.

The amazing thing about new media, is also that it’s a great internal communication tool. For example, did you know:

1. That you can make real time, online Powerpoint presentations with sound and you speaking to anyone, anywhere in the world, using MSN Messenger… which is actually yours to download for free!

2. That you can make audio visuals that look and sound as good as a slickly produced film, using MS Powerpoint?

3. That you needn’t invest in any expensive Intranets and/or ERP systems, if you simply change mindsets and create of culture checking and responding to email promptly?

I’m just skimming the surface here… really! You won’t believe it, but most of us use our PCs (or a Mac) like we use our minds – at just about 3% of their actual potential or capacity! And to maximise the potential of your PC, you don’t need any fancy computer science degrees. You just need the desire to learn, supported by a whole lot of curiosity.

Think about it. Explore that PC on your desktop or lap. But if that’s too much to ask, you know who to call!

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Every couple of weeks I open a newspaper or magazine in India, to see these gorgeous photographs of superbikes (like the one above), with accompanying headlines like “the superbikes are coming!” and alternately “the big bike question” (ET AutoMania, 2nd November 2006).

Enticed enough by the visuals, I end up reading the article, only to discover either:

1. The “superbike” planned by some company or the other is a 180cc or at best a 220cc (!) wannabe superbike.

2. The article interviews half a dozen top executives from Bajaj, Hero Honda, Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki about them introducing real superbikes (500cc and above), only to conclude that Indian roads (!) are not ready for these superbikes, and they will not be successful (?)

Give me a break! Being a superbike fan, I am not even going to address the first point, because you have to be daft to put “220cc” and “superbike” in the same sentence (yuck, it hurts to even say that!).

As for point 2) the conclusion that Indian roads are not ready and they won’t be successful, shows either a complete lack of understanding of the market/consumer insights, a lack of guts and something lower, or simply reflects a case of “sour grapes”!

Let’s consider each element of the case against the launch of superbikes in India, one by one, and see what makes sense, and what does not:

1. “Indian roads are not suited for superbikes”

- It is not about the road, silly! It is about the bike and the passion to ride one!

- Indian roads are as good or as bad as roads in Bangkok, Johannesburg, Lima, Mexico city and Rome, to name just a few. And we haven’t heard them complaining, have we?

- The point is, these bikes will never be used for day-to-day-commutes to places like Chandni Chowk or Lower Parel. But they will be used for thrill seeking and statement making.

- For the thrill seekers, places like Delhi-Gurgaon Jaipur highway, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the Hyderabad-Secunderabad Tank Bund will do. For some, even two spins through Phoenix Mills and the malls in Gurgaon will give the desired satisfaction!

- Anyway, most of these bikes are best enjoyed at night, when the toy bikes and cars have gone home to bed, and every street becomes a super-highway!

2. “won’t be successful”

- How do you define success? Compared to the 100cc, 100kmpl motor-bicycles that are consumed by the millions in this country?

- You’ve got to be more realistic. Even in the rich countries they don’t sell as many superbikes as perhaps one Hero Honda dealer would sell in New Delhi!

Now, for my perspective, on what would help – not rocket science, but a little common sense!

1. Belief Systems: First and foremost get your own mind in order! Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

2. Honesty: The problem isn’t the roads, it’s the numbers – if it does not make business sense for you, say that. If taxes and laws are killing, explain. Don’t blame the roads and other irrelevant aspects. If you identify the problem correctly, you will always find relevant solutions.

3. Understanding your audiences: You have two kinds – the passionate money-bags and the passionate money-lacks.

- With the passionate money-bags, eliminate the fears (put there yourself, and by your peers) of bad roads, and sell the bikes which you have so lovingly created.

- For the passionate money-lacks, just organise the finance! I rememember, the BMW 650 launched many years ago cost as much as 3 cars at a time when people couldn’t even afford 1! And when I went to a Yamaha showroom last year to see their proposed Royal Star, I was told I would have to cough up around 900,000 rupees without any chance of finance! I may be bike looney, but ain’t bloody loaded, so help me out here!

India is a vibrant dynamic country. The economy is booming. And the kids here (18 to 40 year olds) are ready to take on additional financial EMIs, if you promise enough social and emotional ROI.

If this gets the wheels in your head moving, puts serious superbike plans into gear in your company, I along with plenty others will be delighted. And if you decide to give me a call to help out with the strategy, I’d be ecstatic!

Related Reading: Looking Ludhiana, Talking Tokya: Why Yamaha has lost it, in India

Continue reading »]]> I’ve been using Blogger for a while now to air thoughts, opinions and news I gather about communication in general. It has been great, and I have a huge number of shy people reading my blog regularly. Yes, I’m saying shy because while the comments are few and far between, Statcounter tells me there are loads of people tuning in!

Now I also like the way wordpress looks, and the customisation it offers. So I’m actually going to publish my thoughts from both blogsites simultaneously. So you can read me like this, or like this.

Well however you may choose to patronise noshtradamus, I appreciate your visits. And hope I can keep giving you value for your time spent here.

Thanks and Regards,

Noshtradamus

Continue reading »]]> Reading my previous post on the ICCO Global Summit a lot of people asked ‘what on earth was I doing at a Summit for PR professionals??’ I mean, I am a student of economics, with a hardcore advertising and marketing background, and I’m now making a living out of strategic design and new media consultancy… where does this PR jamboree fit in??

While I think even the organisers of the Summit underestimated the potential of something like this, and hence only targetted (and got) PR folks to attend the Summit.

However, if you look at the agenda you’ll notice it had far more to offer than what you’d expect from conventional public relations. And not living and operating out of any specific industry silo, I was quick to spot the learning opportunity!

You see as boundaries between advertising agencies, pr firms and marketing consultants begin to blur and even compete with each other (an they should, if they want to retain their jobs and premium remunerations) it becomes all the more important to know what ‘the other side’ is thinking.

The name full form of ICCO (International Communications Consultancy Organisation) alone should have got other folks interested. I mean aren’t all the above mentioned (ad, pr & mktg) people communication consultants really?

Next practices… the changing face of the consumer and the changing face of communication… the internet… opportunities in India and China… talent, measurement… aren’t they relevant to anyone who’s in the communication business?

If your answer is ‘no’ – buddy, you better have a fat bank balance on your side, or an alternate career path as a pan handler all mapped out – because you’re certainly going to need it, sooner or later.

If your answer is ‘yes they are relevant’, but missed this opportunity, just stick around – and let noshtradamus guide you through the learnings in the next couple of weeks!

Continue reading »]]> It’s perhaps one of the most redundant question we’re asked every day… wherein the person who asks will perhaps get surprised, if you answer the question – truthfully, that is!

My question is, how many of us actually ask ourselves this question? And how many of us can actually answer ourselves truthfully?

Highs, Lows, Delights, Frustrations, Loves, Lusts, Hates, Truths, Untruths… they all add up to, or subtract from your balance sheet of life, defining your current state of mind and the way you approach the future.

The above also defines the way you will interact with people you come across in your life every day. And it will define their perception of you – at work and at play.

The fact is, who you are and what you do – in other words, “your reality” is entirely in your hands to nourish, nurture and project.

The first step of course is an unbiased self assessment – and if that’s tough, talk to people who you trust – to be honest.

Does this sound strange to you, doing a ‘personality’ or ‘life’ audit? Why?? Don’t we do it all the time at work? Don’t we ask questions about our Company and our Brands? Don’t we use this knowledge to our advantage – building on the positives, and working on the negatives?

We’re no different. We are Brands ourselves. And if we look at ourselves objectively, life ahead will be much simpler. We’ll not only be able to add value to our own existence by exploiting our positives, and filling in our need gaps, we’ll also find great joy and satisfaction in adding value to the lives of those around us.

To tell you how seriously I take this, check out an audit of my own life. Courtesy of the internet of course!!

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	9.5
Mind:	8.9
Body:	8.6
Spirit:	8.8
Friends/Family:	6.5
Love:	10
Finance:	9.1
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Continue reading »]]> You can read about it. You can talk about it. You can even recommend it to friends and family. But it all means nothing, if you haven’t done it yourself.

 I’m talking about blogging. And I’m talking about it on my very own blog – Cheers!

Now having put that initial excitement online, I’ve got to think about what I’m going to publish next, and hopefully not before long!

Thanks for dropping by, and see you later.