Continue reading »]]> While you can take this post as support for “free speech” and “protection of our right to privacy on the internet” I am doing neither. I am simply taking forth the point I made in my previous post on careless emailing.

The truth is, everything you say or do on the internet is real. While the medium may be virtual, the implications and repercussions are real world! Your candid blog posts, your moody Facebook status, your random tweet or retweet can get you into real trouble.

Because today more than ever before, the internet is an extension of our conscious and unconscious minds. It representative of mass social behavior and trends within… with individual collectivism and variations being demonstrated 24/7/365.

Take for example, the curious case of Paul Chambers, who’s harmless emotional tweet at being stranded at an airport, led him to get arrested on a terrorism charge!

According to accounts carried on Green’s blog and in the British media, the 27-year-old was alarmed when heavy snow closed Robin Hood Airport, from which he was due to fly in order to see a friend he had met online.

In a message posted to dozens of followers on January 6, he stated: “Robin Hood Airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to get [it] together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!!”

The tweet might have faded into the obscurity of internet had it not been discovered by an airport duty manager browsing the internet five days later. The manager forwarded the offending tweet to his station manager, and – even though the threat was deemed “non-credible” – it was passed on to police.

On January 13, a week after the post, Chambers was arrested and questioned. The case file notes that “there is no evidence at this stage that this is anything other than a foolish comment posted on Twitter as a joke for only his close friends to see”, but he was charged and convicted in any case…

Read the rest of the story here via Sydney Morning Herald

While on one hand the authorities acted zealously to take action on the matter, the incident sparked a snowballing outrage across the internet by regular people all over the world who re-tweeted the original with an “IamSpartacus” hashtag! At last count there were over 5,000 tweets coming out in support of Paul Chambers, making it one of the top trending topics on Twitter!

One example: From @Aprilly

And the Tweet from the Airport in question (?!)

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police, which originally arrested Chambers, scoffed and said “no” when asked if police planned on arresting any of Chambers’s online fans. But she refused to answer when asked why the thousands of jokey threats to blow Robin Hood Airport “sky high” would be treated any differently from Chambers’s original tweet that resulted in his arrest.

Now if you think this cannot happen in India, think twice. No I am not talking about the extralegal nonsense around long journey of Rohinton Mistry or the legal high-handedness in the arrest of a CEO in an MMS case but the fact that anything you say online can and will be held against you in a court of law!

The fact is you cannot make loose comments online without the law looking in on you, as is mentioned in this related article in Times of India -

If you thought only the English law was humourless and that in India doing a Chambers would not get one arrested, then you are wrong.

“A threat is a threat, irrespective of the context it is made in,” says Sanjay Pandey, an IPS officer and e-security expert lauding the action taken by the UK court. India’s Information Technology Amendment Act of 2008, Section 66 A says: “Any person who sends, by means of computer resource or a communication device, any information that is grossly offensive or has a menacing character shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to three years with a fine.”

Pandey, like the UK judge, felt that the tweet was menacing and so the arrest, well-deserved. =The only difference is that in India, the arrest would happen only if someone informs the police about such a post.

Read the whole article in Times of India here.

Now that you got the point, check out the original source of the phrase “I Am Spartacus!” here!

Related Articles

• Twitter users re-tweet Paul Chambers’ “bomb threat”: #IAmSpartacus (boingboing.net)
• I am not Spartacus – any airport threat should be taken seriously, whatever the platform (matthewparsons.net)

Continue reading »]]> I am trying to blog every day.

Why? Because writing forces me to think in depth. And I love thinking and writing about things that affect or concern me; about things I love or want; about things that would interest others, add value to their lives, and of course in turn, have them return to my blog for more!

Research indicates, for a blog to be successful, the blogger needs to put aside an average of five hours a day researching, thinking and writing!

Wow. I don’t have five hours, to put aside, but I do manage around two hours on the structure and craft of every blog post. The thinking however takes up much more time – sometimes days thinking about a particular subject or post.

On weekends I get even less time to write. And if I was to go by research again, its okay if I don’t post on weekends, because blog traffic dips on Saturdays and Sundays.

But I do ‘think’ on weekends, so write I must.

Hence this Sunday Post

The question is, should my Sunday Posts be about all the “work stuff” or “fun things” ?

Well since life’s not a choice of either/or of the two, and since work is a pleasure for me, and pleasure is… well pleasure, I am going to blog a mixed bag of stuff I’ve seen, felt over the week, which I think would be of interest to a larger audience

Here’s my Top 3 blogables of the week gone past:

Obama Comes Job Hunting. Yep, that’s the front page headline in the Economic Times – taking a dig at the fact that most of the measures and efforts announced by the US President on his visit here, aim at creating jobs back home in the US.

C’mon guys, give him a break… don’t we do the same thing? Pushing to increase employment of our own, rise in manufacturing, increase in our sales across sectors…  The guy’s got a tough task ahead of him, given the state of the US economy. And given the fact, as someone posted on twitter yesterday, he’s just another American who lost his house to the economic crisis!

Lol, and while we’re at it, someone please break an egg on Rajiv Pratap Rudy’s head!

Marriage Gems are Universal! I discovered this blog a month or so back. It’s one woman’s effort to share research based marriage tips and insights, which she does so beautifully. And reading her posts you’ll realise, that the insights and tips shared, are as relevant here in India, as they are in the west, and around the rest of the world I would imagine!

The best part of this site, which I as a digital media provocateur find fascinating, is the community of like-minded people around it – from commenters, to bloggers, to professional marriage counselors, who participate and add to make it more than a site, but a vibrant community of people who value relationships and the institution of marriage.

This is “social media” at its best – adding true value to society! Worth a follow, not just a visit.

Find your own Marriage Gems here.

Diwali 2010. All fire, no smoke!

To my mind, this year’s Diwali heralded and indicated the end of really tough times for the market in India. Things heated up all around and I sensed a fire in everyone’s belly these past few weeks – from marketers, to consumers.

The Sensex rose delightfully. Goods and products appeared on and disappeared off the shelves with great fervor. And more and more kids and adults adopted the “say no to crackers” campaign this year!

The result? An overall positive sentiment. And overall reduced pollution. All fire, no smoke

That’s my Sunday Post this week. Monday looms ahead… See you soon

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Festive Digital Excitement

I am not complaining, but yesterday I received 38 SMS on my mobile, 11 wall comments on Facebook, 19 direct messages to my Inbox, 49 email,  and 7 e-card greetings – all wishing me a very Happy Diwali.

Last month, on my birthday, I received – and again, I am not complaining – over 80 wall posts on Facebook alone, besides the countless SMS and email, wishing me countless happiness and success.

While my mobile phone constantly buzzing can be a bit annoying, the posts on my wall, and the sheer number of greetings certainly got my ego whizzing.

How nice ~ so many people took the trouble to wish me. And I took the trouble to reply to every one of the over 100 people who wished me on my birthday. And I will eventually get down to replying to everyone for the Diwali messages!

So much effort, despite the so little time we have spare in our lives today. But then I realize, thanks to the new digital media we have at our disposal today, people actually love doing this!

People love sending out those SMS and wall posts, letting you know they remember, and letting you know they care. What’s more, its effortless, takes less than 30 seconds to think and send, and costs virtually nothing!

This leads to what I will now call FDE: Festive Digital Excitement

Festive Digital Excitement is quite simply defined as festive excitement fueled by digital media – and it manifests in five different ways:

1. Pavlovian FDE
This is FDE that’s prompted by technology and the medium. Example, you sign into Facebook and notice on your right “Events – Oneofmy Friendski’s birthday”, or you see an update that says “Another Postwalla wrote on Friendski’s wall for his birthday”… and you click on the link, and it takes you to a form where you enter “Heyy happy birthday! have a good one!” ~ Tada!! there’s your Pavlovian Festive Digital Excitement!

2. Faked FDE
This is FDE indulged by people you don’t or hardly know,  but have somehow landed up on your “friend” list, or on their “mailing list”. This includes people like the headhunter who’s never met you, but has heard of you and managed to get onto your facebook; this includes the property dealer who got your email off your RWA address book;

3. Relationship FDE
This is the FDE exhibited by your bank, your insurance agent, your travel agent, your AC, TV and mobile phone manufacturer… basically birthday or festive greetings sent by whoever you filled up a form for – Warranty Card, Visitors Book, Feedback Form, etc. Always automated, you can bet your life this is one of those made-by-machine-untouched-by-man “warmest greetings from ColdCorporation” Yeah, right. Like my bank has a heart, and its feelings are overflowing from both email and sms servers!

4. Wtf FDE
This is the really bizarre Festive Digital Excitement, and usually comes to you via SMS: “Dearest Nosh, Wishing you and your family a very happy diwali!” …and then blank… no name, and no, you don’t have this number saved. So you go “who the f* is this??” I even get similar sounding email with no names at the end, only an address like clevercatsomething@gmail… or somethingboilercompany@hotmail… Hello! if this is a personalised email, at least put down your real name!! As I said before: *wtf*

5. Hearfelt FDE
Okay, this is the real deal, the real McCoy. Personalised SMS or Email on festivals, starting with your name “Dear Nosh…”. Posts to your wall with interesting, or insightful greetings “Hey, Happy Birthday… And don’t worry, life begins at 40!”. Messages to your Inbox with a note and other news and questions. The birthday SMS at the stroke of midnight or thereabouts. And of course, the most heartfelt of all… the ones with voice – “Hiii Nosh… Happy Birthday… I hope I am not interrupting your party, but I had to wish you in person. I wish I could have been in India this year too, like I was for your birthday last year!” Of course, one can always tell when the greeting qualifies for this category, and clearly, it is the most preferred and treasured of the lot!

So there you have it, my own take, on my own new term: Festive Digital Excitement. The truth is, its all around us, and it is spreading.

PS. My dad, who is a complete technophobe, spent all of last week figuring out if his mobile phone (he finally ditched his landline for a ‘cell’ this year, at age 76!) allowed him to send the same message to different people. And after I showed him, he started at 7 am on Diwali morning excited as a child – he composed, added numbers, and sent his SMS greetings to 12 of his buddies across the country! Now that’s excitement!

Continue reading »]]> There was a time when, as an ad agency person, all the Marketing Managers I interacted with were experienced, scary people who knew their jobs inside and out, and could even teach me a thing or two about my own.

Likewise, Marketing Managers today are scary people too, but for different reasons. Most of them are professional novices with around 8-10 years experience. As I hear them speak I realise the only things they’re actually capable of doing, is remember a complex combination order of tea, coffee and coke at meetings with the Managing Director.

Their lacking the two basic foundations of marketing – knowledge and experience – puts them on a road guided by Ignorance and its first-cousin Arrogance. And the only reason I would call on them, is if I want to murder my brand.

Flashback to Good-Old Days:

The Norm: Meeting them was a challenge because you had to have done your homework, you had to have your thinking and perspectives clearly in place for whatever it was you were discussing, and you had to have dotted the ‘i’s and crossed your ‘t’s in whatever it is you were presenting.

The Exceptions: The exceptions in those days were the Marketing heads of what we called “lala companies”. Here the Marketing/Corporate Communications head was usually a clueless but trusted family retainer, who organised all the meetings with Lalaji and always prompted us with what Lalaji wanted and what Lalaji liked. In private a lot of them would confess to not having a clue about what to do, and would just go with their trust in “the agency”.

I learnt this as a junior (and arrogant, aggressive) creative person, and lived with it as one of the guys at the top years later.

Cut-to Today:

Today, things are different. While the average professional age of so-called Marketing Managers is between 8 and 10 years, their average mental age and behaviour is that of a 13 year old (real, not professional age).

Most of the new age Marketing Managers of today are hired because they look smart and talk smart, and not because they think smart. And they come in two types: The MBA and the PMBA.

The first type of MBA (or Masters in Business Assininity) comes from a class A management institutes like IIMs and throws his weight around because his mind is deluded by the money he’s suddenly being paid.

He’s usually one of the left-overs after the Investment Banks and other top dollar international companies are done with their hiring. He usually gets placed at middle level in a decently large MNC in India.

The second type PMBA (or Pretend Masters in Business Administration) comes from B Grade management institute which usually named with variations and combinations of the letters “I” and “M” often repeated and with additional letters like T or J something… Most of them gloss and mumble their institute names in the hope that you’ll mistake them for an IIM. But in reality, they’re just that – wannabes. As a result these graduates add more bluster to their demeanor in order to sound like a real MBA. He usually gets hired by wannabe MNCs and Lala companies who don’t know any better.

This type is typically found at SMEs who have suddenly grown and realise the need for a “marketing department”. And they’re also the kind you find in home-grown MNCs.

MIND YOUR OWN MONKEY BUSINESS! Image (c) GorillaTank.com

The “Shut up and do as I say!” Syndrome

Few of these designated Marketing Managers today are briefed about their roles and responsibilities. And most are not taught the rules-of-engagement. All they are told is to “get it done”.

So they drive around blindly – ignorant about the basics of marketing and communication, and insensitive to the spirit of teamwork and professional respect. Their favourite stated and unstated refrain is “I am the client, shut up and do as I say”

The main reasons for this are:
1. They think they know everything
2. They don’t know how to take advice or help
3. They will not escalate matters to their bosses when they start to go out of hand

I remember once recomending evaluation parameters for a project to one such pup at a home-grown company in the airline management business – and she wrote back a nasty email to me saying “You should do what you are asked quietly, and not to tell me what to do!!!”. The rest of the deranged soul’s email was even more absurd and vitriolic!

Reading her email, I felt very sorry for the poor thing. And I felt even more sorry for the company that hired her – because hers was a classic case of the blind leading the blind!

On the other hand, here I was bringing 20 years of professional experience gathered from some of the best MNCs in the world to their doorstep… and her 20-something ego was refusing to let it in!

The point is this – three simple thoughts I’d like to put into every marketing manager’s head, and something which should be put into their job descriptions:

- Perhaps the other person is right
- You don’t keep a dog, if you are going to do the barking yourself
- When you are full of yourself, there is no space left for improvement

Live by these simple rules and you’ll probably be a successful and well respected marketing professional. Ignore them, and it’s likely both you and your brand will die and unsung death – murdered by marketing.

Continue reading »]]> Last week, in a live show in Delhi, comedian Russel Peters joked about how Bollywood was all about looks and less about acting. He made it a point to speak about the extremely beautiful former Miss World who is all wooden and terrible as an actress.

So today when I read the news that Kareena Kapoor is being paid a whopping 5 crore rupees to endorse a soap (Vivel) and 7 crores to endorse junk food (Kurkure). The article also points out that Kareena is the highest paid actress in Bollywood.

I guess this proves the fact that in Bollywood (and Marketing) we pay more for looks, than talent. Take Priyanka Chopra, Rani Mukherjee, or Preity Zinta for example. I think they are far superior to Kareena (who is also better than Aishwarya) when it comes to acting and talent.

But Kareena takes the cake – albeit this time a cake of soap and the entire bakery (brand). Not surprising therefore, Mallika Sherawat reportedly got paid 3.5 crores for an ad, and Katreena, Aishwarya, Priyanka, Preity and Rani follow in that order… although personally, I would put my top dollar on Priyanka any day!

Bollywood Actresses - The top Brand endorsers

Admittedly, Bollywood (and the Indian public) has always chosen form over substance. Now brand managers and account planners have chosen to walk the same path, with their trademark creative laziness added in double measure. Not only are we choosing “endorsement over idea” we are also looking at loads of “oomph instead of script”

So while Russel Peters may have joked about the subject, the truth is no laughing matter.

Also check out: Top Bollywood Male Brand Ambassadors & CEO Brand Endorsers – Main Hoon Na!

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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 was most happy to read about news, that the Tatas are considering moving out of Singur in West Bengal, and setting up the Nano plant elsewhere!

It is about time the corporate world stops cowering to pressure from mindless mobs led by out-of-portfolio politicians, and stands up to say: “hey! we bring money into the economy. we give people jobs. our companies create an eco-system that goes beyond the walls of our factories and offices – creating further employment and income in services, retail, and what have you!

And on the issue of land acquisition, typically people make more out of their lands from selling it, than they ever would earn from it in their lifetimes. Plus they usually end up being employed in their own backyards, than having to leave their roots and travel to far off places for employment!”

The above statement is particularly relevant, and should betargeted at the Left parties and their time-warped notion of the economics, and their misplaced understanding of the role of government in modern times.

If the Left parties had their way – The rich will be made poor; The poor will not be allowed to become rich; Everyone’s income would be rationalised and standardised at “Low”; And the government would only exist to subsidise the masses, pay for incompetent public enterprise, and eventually go bankrupt in the name of taking care of the people.

The fact that the Left parties are no longer part of the government (from inside or outside) is a big relief for me, as I am sure it is for the entire corporate world.

The problem with Corporate India is, that it is mostly made up of, and run by decent, professional people. People who live by rules and decency, not anarchy and aggression which they have to face and live with every day of their lives.

The problem with Corporate India is, that it underplays its role in the country today. It lets the politicians and mobs believe they run the country, and that they are responsible for the growth and success the country is going through today.

“If it wasn’t for private sector enterprise and capitalism, we’d be exactly where we were twenty years ago – a deprived, dissatisfied bunch of global nobodies, lacking confidence to stand up or stand out in any arena, just waiting for that house or telephone allotment to materialise, bribing or suffering incompetent and arrogant babus, for the simple things of life.”

So when I hear of the political and so-called social hurdles being placed in front of projects such as the Tata Nano project in West Bengal, I cringe. And am embarassed that this is happening in India today.

But when I hear of Rattan Tata deciding to stand up, and willing to lose money now rather than suffer the mobs anymore, I delight! And I hope, this is just a sign of things to come, in India tomorrow.

Note to Mr. Rattan Tata:
Good for you, Sir! May your tribe increase. And as you increase, rest assured there are many states that see value in what you bring – left, right and center!

Note to the Politicians:
Dear Sir/Ma’am, If you have access to, and power over so many able bodies that you can catch the attention of the entire nation, perhaps you should focus energies and getting better compensation for the farmers, rather than giving them back the land which they will have to sweat over thanklessly.

Perhaps you can use your people to address to clean up the streets and build dams and water tanks (remember the old Hindi movies?). Perhaps your people can go to neighbouring Bihar and help with the flood relief efforts? Perhaps you can simply blockade Buddhadeb’s office demanding control over crime and corruption that’s rampant all over…? I am sure you can come up with a list of at least a 100 things on which your efforts would bear greater fruit for the nation.

Related Reading:
Singur type protests will stall progress - Kamal Nath, to the Economic Times
Rattan Tata should pull out of Singur – Subramanian Swamy, via Sify.com
Not against Tata, but demands return of land – Mamata Banerjee, UNI via webindia

Singur and West Bengal, Are you listening? - By Sudheendra Kulkarni

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Cool!

Huge malls in the middle of the hot desert. Ski-slopes covered with snow, and marinas with boats, in the middle of the malls! This is fact, not fiction in Dubai. And the list of such paradoxes here, is endless.

Every waking moment since I arrived last Thursday, has been spent reversing my perceptions of the middle east. And as I reflect upon them, I see the paradoxes divided into “the expected”, and “the unexpected”.

The Expected Paradoxes:
Most of the paradoxes you experience in Dubai are of the expected kind. In the context of making this emirate a great place to be – for the locals, the expats, and for visitors like me.

“After all, who doesn’t want the best things in life – both in terms of the basics, and the luxuries of life. And if you have the money and the space to create what you want, why not?!”

And if you build on this “basic human need” truth, these paradoxes and pleasant surprises are clearly part of a larger plan to infuse the region with new talent, and human resources, followed by international investment – all of which only add up to making the place better, and of course, richer!

The Unexpected Paradoxes:
The surprises which are unexpected, are those in the context of being in the middle-east, and being an Islamic nation.

You see men in western business suits walking alongside men in traditional arab robes Agal. You see women in summer dresses alongside women in Hijab.

You can go to a TGIF, you can go to Wafi Gourmet (for traditional arabic fare). You see nightclubs, Stuff and FHM… you see mosques and prayer rooms everywhere.

And all the above seem to exist comfortably with each other.

Is this a paradox? Is this unexpected and un-islamic? I think not. As a Moslem gentleman himself told me, two very important aspects of Islam are “tolerance”, and “hospitality”. And Dubai lives true to these facets.

The Paradox around women – better than the best?
In Dubai, women walk proudly, and fearlessly all around. In the malls, on the roads, or even alone in the evening. In western attire, or in Hijab. And no one stares at them, no one leers at them. The kind of space and respect I see women get in public, I haven’t seen anywhere in the world. Not even in western countries.

To me, this isn’t a Dubai paradox, its a global paradox!

Dare to compare?
Seeing the discipline, infrastructure and style of governance here, I cannot help but compare Dubai to Singapore. Both attempt a squeaky clean image of great infrastructure, an open economy, social tolerance, zero crime, and so on…

I think Dubai wins hands down.

Besides sheer scale and opulance, the key differentiator is what I sense lies beneath the surface. And to compare the two, I will use my favorite “barometers of a nation” – the cabbies. Talk to a cab driver, and you will know what a nation feels. The Dubai cabbie is quiet, efficient, and relaxed. The Singapore cabbie is, well… not the same.

Disclaimer: I don’t claim to know everything about Dubai and what makes it tick. The above are my thoughts based on my own observations and instincts. Having spent just 3 days here, I cannot claim to know what lies below the surface. Feel free to agree or disagree.

Related Reading:
Dubai Diaries Part 1: First Impressions
Dubai Diaries Part 3: The Perfect BPO Model

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Someone invented “Email Delivery Reports” and “Return Receipts” for a reason. And for good reason, I must say.

These two little gems use technology to eliminate the uncertainty of “did he get my mail…?”, or “should i call her and find out if she knows when we’re meeting..?”.

They are the technology equivalent of common courtesy we (hopefully) extend in real life by saying “I hear you, I will get back to you shortly”.

Yet I find a lot of people pulling the plug on this gem of a feature in our emails – either by blanket ban of “Do not ask me about sending return receipts” or worse exercising the option of “Allow me to choose/Ask me before sending”

This I believe is extremely rude, and usually covers up a deception prompted by either inefficiency, laziness, or pure evil intent. Because the moment the “Delivery Report” goes out, the person on the other side has put the ball in you court – and you don’t want/cannot handle the ball! (besides of course, you cannot delete the email and later say, “really? I didn’t get your mail..!”)

I did a quick dipstick with my Inbox, and checked with a couple of friends and associates. This is what I found:

1. Most senior people send Delivery Reports and Read Receipts!

Amazingly, almost all people at CEO level have no qualms in sending out these common courtesies, and have it on “Always Send” mode.

Which goes to show they recognise their responsibilities as well as decency, knowing fully well that if they take time to respond the other person will understand that they’re busy, and may require a reminder!

2. Middle Management people are selective about their reports

Interestingly, the people who are supposed to be on the job all the time, and are at the front end of communication are least interested in common courtesy, and are afraid to acknowledge that the ball is now in their court!

In my experience, this bunch includes people who have little or no say on the matter contained in the email, and are usually conduits to senior people and larger tasks!

3. Friends almost always send Read Receipts

This is true among all those I know and with people in my peer group. Friends always get the courtesy of “hey, i got it… i’ll reply when i can!” (except of course, if they’ve got the automatic option turned off for “official reasons”)

4. Self important, pompous as****es will always yank your chain!

This applies across the board of senior, middle and junior management, as well as among friends’ circles! They’re usually the people who in real life are always playing games, doing wrong things, not doing things right. Ironically, they are people you’d rather email from afar, than actually speak or connect with in person!

With these folk, connect at your own peril and uncertainty!

In the end all I’d like to say is this – extending common courtesy in today’s day and age, especially in a professional relationship is not an option, it’s a given. And if you don’t extend it, you’re only exposing yourself as weak or devious.

…you read me..? 

Continue reading »]]> You know you’re an Iconic Brand when you find thousands of videos of your Brand on YouTube – and you put up only one or two yourself!

On YouTube you will find user ‘using the Brand’ videos, your ads, parodies of your ads, even new ads created by someone else for you based on how they think you need to communicate!

A search for “Sony” for instance will throw up around 133,000* videos – mostly complimentary! But then this includes everything from Bravio, VAIO and Sony Ericcson.

“Samsung” however, throws up only 6,910 videos, even though it has an equally, if not wider range of products than Sony!

“Microsoft” throws up 49,000 videos including developer videos, demos, and talks. “Linux” throws up only 13,900 videos.

“Nike” with just one single product (shoes)  brings up 48,900 videos, while “Nokia” (only phones) shows 26,300 results – which is the best among mobile phones. 

When it comes to people – a search of the name “Amitabh Bachan” throws up 1,530 videos; “SRK” throws up 21,300!!

“Rani Mukherjee” 1,100; “Bipasha Basu” 600; “Paris Hilton” 57,400!!!

Among bikes – popular among the youth on YouTube – “Bajaj” shows 630 videos; “Hero Honda” only 205. Most of the Indian videos on stunts feature Bajaj bikes (Pulsar mainly) while Hero Honda has a good number of Karizma real biker videos.

Of course, the single, one brand, one product winner is the iPod – with 45,400 videos!

Surprised by the above results? I didn’t think so.

*Search on September 21st 2007