A picture is worth a thousand words. Mahendra Shah, the famous artist and cartoonist behind www.ameamericanamdavadi.com, has sent this picture. It says it all!
Jul
8
Every year Oxford Dictionary adds new words to its corpus. Considering the global situation, it is no surprise that the new words this season include ‘Sub-Prime Mortgage’ and ‘Credit Crunch’.
The other new words include:
Gorilla - the dominant contender within a particular sphere or activity
Locavore - those who eat only locally grown or produced food
Freegans - those who seek to retrieve and use discarded food and other goods
Vanity Sizing - assigning smaller sizes to clothing than is really the case to encourage sales
Slebs - CelebritiesFascinators - an item of ladies millinery
Muffin Top - a roll of fat visible above the top of a pair of women’s tight-fitting low-waisted trousers
Bragging Rights
Custard Creams
Jul
7
Taggalaxy is a cool site to view Flickr Images. It is a Flex App and throws up interesting results!
RIAPedia says:
Tag Galaxy is a 3D Flex application that allows visitors to browse Flickr by entering a starting tag. Once you enter a tag, you see the tag as a 3D planet-like object, with other related tags circulating the main object. Once you select a tag to explore further, clicking on it brings photos onto the 3D object and displays them for users to browse. You can spin the globe around to browse the photos. Its a bit hard to explain, so head over to the site and explore it yourself.
Jul
7
Check out the Rediff Site for Indian Railways - Rediff Trains Fare Search.
It is quick and effective. It has all the features of IRCTC Site. As a bonus, it shows cheapest flight options to your train booking query. Smart work.
Of course, IRCTC has improved its site and is deploying all the ideas suggested by Magnet’s Chairman Nirav Mehta . Thanks IRCTC! But there is a great room from improvement. We would love to make that happen!
Jul
3
Kartik Mistry sent me the following Checklist for Emails. He got it via Seth’s Blog by Seth Godin on 6/5/08.
The Checklist makes tremendous sense. And hence I thought of putting it up here. Check it out!Before you hit send on that next email, perhaps you should run down this list, just to be sure:
1. Is it going to just one person? (If yes, jump to #10)
2. Since it’s going to a group, have I thought about who is on my list?
3. Are they blind copied?
4. Did every person on the list really and truly opt in? Not like sort of, but really ask for it?
5. So that means that if I didn’t send it to them, they’d complain about not getting it?
6. See #5. If they wouldn’t complain, take them off!
7. That means, for example, that sending bulk email to a list of bloggers just cause they have blogs is not okay.
8. Aside: the definition of permission marketing: Anticipated, personal and relevant messages delivered to people who actually want to get them. Nowhere does it say anything about you and your needs as a sender. Probably none of my business, but I’m just letting you know how I feel. (And how your prospects feel).
9. Is the email from a real person? If it is, will hitting reply get a note back to that person? (if not, change it please).
10. Have I corresponded with this person before?
11. Really? They’ve written back? (if no, reconsider email).
12. If it is a cold-call email, and I’m sure it’s welcome, and I’m sure it’s not spam, then don’t apologize. If I need to apologize, then yes, it’s spam, and I’ll get the brand-hurt I deserve.
13. Am I angry? (If so, save as draft and come back to the note in one hour).
14. Could I do this note better with a phone call?
15. Am I blind-ccing my boss? If so, what will happen if the recipient finds out?
16. Is there anything in this email I don’t want the attorney general, the media or my boss seeing? (If so, hit delete).
17. Is any portion of the email in all caps? (If so, consider changing it. )
18. Is it in black type at a normal size?
19. Do I have my contact info at the bottom? (If not, consider adding it).
20. Have I included the line, “Please save the planet. Don’t print this email”? (If so, please delete the line and consider a job as a forest ranger or flight attendant).
21. Could this email be shorter?
22. Is there anyone copied on this email who could be left off the list?
23. Have I attached any files that are very big? (If so, google something like ’send big files’ and consider your options. )
24. Have I attached any files that would work better in PDF format?
25. Are there any 
or other emoticons involved? (If so, reconsider).
26. Am I forwarding someone else’s mail? (If so, will they be happy when they find out?)
27. Am I forwarding something about religion (mine or someone else’s)? (If so, delete).
28. Am I forwarding something about a virus or worldwide charity effort or other potential hoax? (If so, visit snopes and check to see if it’s ‘actually true).
29. Did I hit ‘reply all’? If so, am I glad I did? Does every person on the list need to see it?
30. Am I quoting back the original text in a helpful way? (Sending an email that says, in its entirety, “yes,” is not helpful).
31. If this email is to someone like Seth, did I check to make sure I know the difference between its and it’s? Just wondering.
32. If this is a press release, am I really sure that the recipient is going to be delighted to get it? Or am I taking advantage of the asymmetrical nature of email–free to send, expensive investment of time to read or delete?
33. Are there any little animated creatures in the footer of this email? Adorable kittens? Endangered species of any kind?
34. Bonus: Is there a long legal disclaimer at the bottom of my email? Why?
35. Bonus: Does the subject line make it easy to understand what’s to come and likely it will get filed properly?
36. If I had to pay 42 cents to send this email, would I?
Jul
2
Technology development continue to marvel us!
Last week’s The Economic Times carried an interesting news. A new software system which enables mobile phone users to obtain location-specific, real-time information, either actively or passively, from other users across the world has been developed by a team led by an Indian-American professor at Duke University. The rapid convergence of social networks, mobile phones and global positioning technology has given Duke University engineers the ability to create something they call “virtual sticky notes,” sitespecific messages that people can leave for others to pick up on their mobile phones.
“Every mobile phone can act as a telescope lens providing real-time information about its environment to any of the 3 billion mobile phones worldwide,” said Romit Roy Choudhury, an assistant professor at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering.
It will be as if every participating mobile phone works together allowing each individual access to information throughout the virtual network.
Interested in trying that new Indian restaurant? Tap into the virtual sticky notes floating in the ether within the restaurant and find what other network users thought of it. Heading to the airport and need to know where the traffic jams are? Sensors in the phones detect movement and can relay back to the network where traffic is the heaviest.
The potential of this new application, which has been dubbed micro-blog, is practically limitless. “We can now think of mobile phones as a ‘virtual lens’ capable of focusing on the context surrounding it. By combining the lenses from all the active phones in the world today, it may be feasible to build an internet-based ‘virtual information telescope’ that enables a high-resolution view of the world in real time,” Roy Choudhury said.
The application combines the capabilities of distributed networks (like Wikipedia), social networks (Facebook), mobile phones, computer networks and geographic positioning capabilities, such as GPS or WiFi. “Micro-blogs will provide unprecedented levels and amounts of information literally at your fingertips no matter where you are, through your mobile phone,” Roy Choudhury said. “We have already deployed a prototype, and while some challenges remain to be addressed, the feedback we’ve received so far indicates that micro-blog represents a promising new model for mobile social communication.”
In simple terms, people who use the micro-blog application will enter information - photos, comments, videos - into their mobile phone, where it will be “tagged” by the user’s location.Passive information, such as location or speed, can also be recorded. All this information is then sent to a central server, where it is available to all participants.
“So if you’re planning a trip to the beach or a restaurant, you can query the micro-blog and get information or see images from people who have been or are currently there,” Roy Choudhury said.”Say you are in a museum,” Roy Choudhury said. “As you pass a particular painting, your phone could download comments from art experts providing relevant information about that painting.”
The current prototype works with the Nokia N95 mobile phone, but Roy Choudhury said the application will eventually be written for any kind of programmable mobile phone.
Jun
24
The wait is over! The official launch of iPhone in India is near.
Vodafone has formally started the booking for iPhone in India.
Today’s The Times of India carries a front page ad for the same.To book iPhone, SMS IPHONE to 56789.
Pretty Smart Marketing work by Vodafone to beat Bharti’s Airtel.
Update : Tajender Singh Virk informed me that Bharti is also booking iPhone. SMS iPhone to 54321.
The concept of booking reminds me of early days of booking for Bajaj Scooter, Maruti and TV.
But Apple has created a cult and that is a dream of every marketer!
Jun
18
The hype around Chetan Bagat’s new book ‘The 3 Mistakes of My Life’ is understandable. His previous works, Five Point Something and One Night @ The Call Center are runaway hits. They still dominate book store top ten lists in fiction across the country.
And indeed they are well-written, simple and interesting stories with the right message to appeal to today’s youth. Five Point Something inspired other campus stories including Above Average, Watch Out We Are MBA, Anything For You Madam etc. So it is natural to have huge expectations from ‘The 3 Mistakes of My Life’. And that was the only mistake of all Chetan Bhagat Fans. Like mutual fund disclaimers this is true - past performance is not an indicator of future returns.
I finished ‘The 3 Mistakes of My Life’ in 3 hours. The first thought after reading it was that the author seemed confused. I was at a loss to what the author wanted to convey. The book is full of stereotypes and not in the same league as the first two books. The book is about 3 friends and is set in Ahmedabad with a detour to Australia. It has popular themes like friendship, love, cricket, religion and business to make it a masala book. But it is not different nor presents any new perspective. Even if you do not read this book, you are not at a loss.
The 3 Mistakes of My Life just seemed to be a good marketing title. All the three are not mistakes in true sense. Of the three, two do not seem to error in judgement - but everyone needs to make those errors to grow up. And one mistake is repeated again and again, which does not make it a mistake but a habit.
The book grabs the life and colors of Amdavadi life in a very beautiful manner. The book will be popular in Ahmedabad as people can relate to it better and already Chetan Bhagat, Sudha Murthy are very popular in Ahmedabad. Also Big Bazaar’s Depot and other books stores are heavily promoting the book which has an attractive price tag of Rs 95.
The 3 Mistakes of My Life is readymade for Bollywood. Already, Chetan’s other books are in different stages of production in Bollywood and this is next in line.
Overall, the book is not extraordinary. However, Chetan Bhagat has made his place in Indian publishing history. And even great masters sometimes fail to live upto their usual high standards. It happens. Anyway, we are with you Chetan!
Further Reading:
Rashmi Bansal’s Review on Youth Curry
Jun
7
IPL was a great success.
Earned Astronomical Amount of Dollars for BCCI
Earned Marketing Clout, Execution Accolades for BCCI - Financial Muscle Was Existing
Allowed Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan to enter national sides
Allowed McGrath, Pollock, Gilchrist etc to prove that age is no bar to class
Allowed Sharne Warne to finally win India and Indian hearts
Thanks Lalit Modi. Thanks Kapil Dev. Thanks ICL.
Jun
5
Magnet celebrate its ninth anniversary last week. Nine years of making a difference, challenging assumptions, living the vision and moving ahead! It has been a remarkable journey.
We had picnics at both the offices and here are the snaps of the same. Magneteers also displayed some remarkable amount of creativity and energy. I was touched by their love and passion for Magnet.
Snaps of Magnet Mumbai’s Picnic to Royal Garden Resort
Snaps of Magnet Ahmedabad’s Picnic to Mahudi, Swapna Shrushti Park and Amarnath Dham
