Industry body Nasscom and major Indian IT companies have agreed to spread out their campus hiring over seventh and eighth semesters this year.
The move is in view of the significantly higher projected demand for talent and also to overcome the "operational difficulty" in covering hundreds of campuses in a span of two to three months. Till now companies used to go to campuses only in the eighth semester.
"The industry's requirements are high and at the same time increasing dramatically. The projected requirement for next year is significantly higher than this year," said Som Mittal, president of Nasscom.
"Based on their experience, companies found that their logistic costs were shooting up since they were trying to cover ahuge number of campuses in aperiod of a few months in the eight semester period. It is an operational difficulty." Many big IndianIT firms recruit from hundreds of campuses.
This is a step back from the original agreement between the various member companies of Nasscom who had decided last year that they will only be hiring only in the middle or towards the end of eighth semester. The reasoning behind that was that it ensured the continuity of education and companies dealt with students who had properly finished their studies.
It also addressed the problem of students ignoring studies in seventh and eighth semesters after getting the offer letter. Core engineering courses are still present in seventh semester whereas eighth is generally meant for research project.
"This time hiring will begin early, somewhere in October," said Mittal. "This is the outcome of our internal discussions. Details are to be still worked out." October falls in the middle of seventh semester.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
12 Lesser-Known Google+ Tips
You may have started using Google+, but did you know that you could edit photos in it? Integrate it with other social networks? Or video Chat in HD? Like with any new service, there are a lot of hidden features and lesser-known tricks in Google+, just waiting to be explored. Hitesh Raj Bhagat & Karan Bajaj offer 12 killer tips just as Google+ goes out of beta
1 If you have commented on a post, but do not want notifications of the follow-up comments coming to your inbox, there is a simple way out. Go to the original post and on the right side you will see a drop down arrow. Click on the arrow and select 'mute conversation'. You can choose to shut off all notifications from Google+ settings as well.
2 If you do not want others to see the people in your Circles, go to your profile page and click on ‘edit profile’. On the left side, you will see a small grey disc just above the photographs of your Circle members. Click on the disc and in the box that opens, you can choose the visibillity of your circle members.
3 You can setup Google+ to send notifications to your mobile phone as well.
Click on the gear icon on the top right corner and select Google+ settings.
On the page that opens, go to ‘delivery preferences’ and under your email address you’ll see the option to add a mobile number to receive push notifications. Enter your phone number and Google will first send you a verification code. After verification, you will start receiving free notifications on your phone by sms.
4 By default, video chat in Google+ uses standard definition video, but if your webcam supports it, you can enable HD video support. First, sign in to chat, hover the mouse cursor over the chat section on the Google+ page, click on the small triangle that appears and then click on settings. Here, you'll see a checkbox to enable HD video chat.
5 There is a built-in basic photo editor in Google+ as well. Select
any of the photos uploaded to your profile and double click on it to edit. It will open the image in a full page — click on the 'actions' box below the image and here you can rotate the photos or click on edit to apply a variety of basic effects and tune-ups.
6 The Circle feature can be used to save various shared links and notes if you want to read them later. Go to Circles, create a new Circle, name it whatever you want (like ‘Read Later’) and do not add anyone in it (Google calls it an Empty Circle).
Now, whatever you want to read later, share it on your Google+ status with only this empty Circle that you have created. It will work as your online repository for bookmarks, videos and any other thing you want to access later.
7 To add a faux banner to your Google+ profile page, you will need to do a bit of photo cropping and resizing using an image editing program. Paste a photo into a template, 750 pixels wide and 150 pixels high and resize it to fit. Then, split this image into 5 smaller photos, each with a dimension of 150 x 150 pixels. Go to your profile page, click on 'edit profile' and upload the images in the order that you want.
8 To share your location with a person or a circle, first click the share button on the top right of the Google+ page, then click the 'add your location' button in the text box that pops up. You may have to click 'allow' if a webpage notification comes up. Once Google+ has determined your location, just add names to add them to the share list, or add a complete Circle.
9 Using Google Chrome with Google+ gives you a whole host of new things to play with, thanks to free extensions. For example, an extension called Helper for Google+ allows you to share your Google+ posts to Twitter, while an extension called Surplus integrates Google+ right into the browser. With it, you can post/share though a pop-up or get desktop notifications even if the Google+ webpage is not open.
10 Let's say you want to share a specific post with someone new to Google+ — the easiest way to do this would be to share a permalink (permanent link). To get a permalink for a specific post, simply click the time stamp in the post — and it will open in a new page. Copy this link to share with anyone over email or chat, even if they don't have a Google+ account.
11 Google+ allows you to post updates in a variety of styles. To post in bold, add an asterisk at the beginning and end of the word (i.e., * word *). To post in italics, add an underscore before the word and a plus sign after it (i.e., _ word +). To post with a strikethrough, add a dash before and after the word (i.e., - word -).
12 To add your various other social networking websites or contacts to your Google+ profile page, first go to Google+ settings by clicking on the gear icon in the top right of the page. Then click on ‘connected accounts’ and add the accounts here. For instance, to add your Facebook account, type
http://facebook.com/ yourusernamein the box.
Awesome Google+ Features
Circles
Sharing posts becomes easier by sorting people into groups (or Circles). You start with three Circles — friends, family and acquaintances. You can add as many more as you want
Hangout
Hangout allows you to video chat with upto 10 people at the same time. It automatically brings the person speaking into focus in a large window. Note that this feature requires a fast internet connection
Sparks
Sparks is an integrated service that allows you to add topics to Google+ based on your interests. It can help ‘spark’ new and meaningful conversations with your Circles
1 If you have commented on a post, but do not want notifications of the follow-up comments coming to your inbox, there is a simple way out. Go to the original post and on the right side you will see a drop down arrow. Click on the arrow and select 'mute conversation'. You can choose to shut off all notifications from Google+ settings as well.
2 If you do not want others to see the people in your Circles, go to your profile page and click on ‘edit profile’. On the left side, you will see a small grey disc just above the photographs of your Circle members. Click on the disc and in the box that opens, you can choose the visibillity of your circle members.
3 You can setup Google+ to send notifications to your mobile phone as well.
Click on the gear icon on the top right corner and select Google+ settings.
On the page that opens, go to ‘delivery preferences’ and under your email address you’ll see the option to add a mobile number to receive push notifications. Enter your phone number and Google will first send you a verification code. After verification, you will start receiving free notifications on your phone by sms.
4 By default, video chat in Google+ uses standard definition video, but if your webcam supports it, you can enable HD video support. First, sign in to chat, hover the mouse cursor over the chat section on the Google+ page, click on the small triangle that appears and then click on settings. Here, you'll see a checkbox to enable HD video chat.
5 There is a built-in basic photo editor in Google+ as well. Select
any of the photos uploaded to your profile and double click on it to edit. It will open the image in a full page — click on the 'actions' box below the image and here you can rotate the photos or click on edit to apply a variety of basic effects and tune-ups.
6 The Circle feature can be used to save various shared links and notes if you want to read them later. Go to Circles, create a new Circle, name it whatever you want (like ‘Read Later’) and do not add anyone in it (Google calls it an Empty Circle).
Now, whatever you want to read later, share it on your Google+ status with only this empty Circle that you have created. It will work as your online repository for bookmarks, videos and any other thing you want to access later.
7 To add a faux banner to your Google+ profile page, you will need to do a bit of photo cropping and resizing using an image editing program. Paste a photo into a template, 750 pixels wide and 150 pixels high and resize it to fit. Then, split this image into 5 smaller photos, each with a dimension of 150 x 150 pixels. Go to your profile page, click on 'edit profile' and upload the images in the order that you want.
8 To share your location with a person or a circle, first click the share button on the top right of the Google+ page, then click the 'add your location' button in the text box that pops up. You may have to click 'allow' if a webpage notification comes up. Once Google+ has determined your location, just add names to add them to the share list, or add a complete Circle.
9 Using Google Chrome with Google+ gives you a whole host of new things to play with, thanks to free extensions. For example, an extension called Helper for Google+ allows you to share your Google+ posts to Twitter, while an extension called Surplus integrates Google+ right into the browser. With it, you can post/share though a pop-up or get desktop notifications even if the Google+ webpage is not open.
10 Let's say you want to share a specific post with someone new to Google+ — the easiest way to do this would be to share a permalink (permanent link). To get a permalink for a specific post, simply click the time stamp in the post — and it will open in a new page. Copy this link to share with anyone over email or chat, even if they don't have a Google+ account.
11 Google+ allows you to post updates in a variety of styles. To post in bold, add an asterisk at the beginning and end of the word (i.e., * word *). To post in italics, add an underscore before the word and a plus sign after it (i.e., _ word +). To post with a strikethrough, add a dash before and after the word (i.e., - word -).
12 To add your various other social networking websites or contacts to your Google+ profile page, first go to Google+ settings by clicking on the gear icon in the top right of the page. Then click on ‘connected accounts’ and add the accounts here. For instance, to add your Facebook account, type
http://facebook.com/ yourusernamein the box.
Awesome Google+ Features
Circles
Sharing posts becomes easier by sorting people into groups (or Circles). You start with three Circles — friends, family and acquaintances. You can add as many more as you want
Hangout
Hangout allows you to video chat with upto 10 people at the same time. It automatically brings the person speaking into focus in a large window. Note that this feature requires a fast internet connection
Sparks
Sparks is an integrated service that allows you to add topics to Google+ based on your interests. It can help ‘spark’ new and meaningful conversations with your Circles
Friday, July 29, 2011
Is Your Website Effective?
Bangalore: Website works wonder for any organization, if done right. Especially for startups where money is tight, they rely on their sites to get more traction and business. However, sometimes even an attractive website does not work. Have you ever wondered why? Did you find the reason behind it? Follow the following suggestions and check for the difference.
Quality and Exception
When you create SEO content, overloading your content with key words would not work. You need to create a sound, unique and exceptional content and the keywords should be placed strategically within your content. Your website should contain information about your company details, such as its formation, partners, investors, management team and many more. Keep a track of the essentials that requires be enhanced and emphasized in due course of time as and when required.
No Hidden Drama
Do not create a website with hidden information, where one needs to go in, set back and keep on searching. Create a homepage with all the sub-headings that will easily let the visi
tor to view relevant information that he requires about your company and product/service. An easily accessible site is more appealing and informatics.
Create a Difference
Specify your company and product/service you deal with. The home page of your company's website should contain all the relevant information where one can go and clin
k to know the detail with simple steps. If certain page requires assistance to view, provide that. Be clear and create a difference by being simple.
Contact Details
Many companies' website lack contact details. Not even a phone number is mentioned for reference, forget about the address and site details. As a startup, few would probabl
y know about your company's address. It is better to provide a detailed contact specifying the mailing address, phone number and email address. If possible, provide a map for the visitors for an easy access to your office. If you have offices other than your corporate office, do not forget to mention it with all the details.
Start Blogging
Become a blogger before you become an entrepreneur. Create an image in the market before entering into it. Keep answering to questions, it is a two way process. By answering
others questions, you might get an answer to one of your own question. Do not forget to link your company's website in your blog. Create a Facebook page for your company so appealing that it forces the people to like it.
Quality and Exception
When you create SEO content, overloading your content with key words would not work. You need to create a sound, unique and exceptional content and the keywords should be placed strategically within your content. Your website should contain information about your company details, such as its formation, partners, investors, management team and many more. Keep a track of the essentials that requires be enhanced and emphasized in due course of time as and when required.
No Hidden Drama
Do not create a website with hidden information, where one needs to go in, set back and keep on searching. Create a homepage with all the sub-headings that will easily let the visi
tor to view relevant information that he requires about your company and product/service. An easily accessible site is more appealing and informatics.
Create a Difference
Specify your company and product/service you deal with. The home page of your company's website should contain all the relevant information where one can go and clin
k to know the detail with simple steps. If certain page requires assistance to view, provide that. Be clear and create a difference by being simple.
Contact Details
Many companies' website lack contact details. Not even a phone number is mentioned for reference, forget about the address and site details. As a startup, few would probabl
y know about your company's address. It is better to provide a detailed contact specifying the mailing address, phone number and email address. If possible, provide a map for the visitors for an easy access to your office. If you have offices other than your corporate office, do not forget to mention it with all the details.
Start Blogging
Become a blogger before you become an entrepreneur. Create an image in the market before entering into it. Keep answering to questions, it is a two way process. By answering
others questions, you might get an answer to one of your own question. Do not forget to link your company's website in your blog. Create a Facebook page for your company so appealing that it forces the people to like it.
Google+ traffic falls: Is the shine soon to fade?
Bangalore: The launch of Google+ was envisioned as a milestone. But the happiness fades this week, when a new data released by market researcher Experian Hitwise reports that Googl+'s traffic fell by 3 percent this week. The site was viewed by fewer US visitors, and on an average spent less time on the site.
Google+ had 1.86 million viewers last week, which dropped down to 1.79 million this week. The usage time also fell by 10 percent from 5 minutes and 50 seconds to 5 minutes and 15 seconds on average.
Though the result for this week looks frightful, but the situation is not that grungy. Google+ has recorded an impressive growth, whipping almost all the gurus in tech field and the popularity of the product picks the traffic back. Now the success for Google+ entirely depends on their marketing techniques, and how they attract viewers to come back to the site again and again. The coverage and usage of a newly launched product is expected to cushion within weeks. Introducing new features might help in enhancing traffic and broaden the product's appeal.
Presently Google+ is providing an invite-only service and is targeting new users. So the product can gain a lot of attention, if they open the service to all. However, still a lot of work has to be done on Google's part, they should soon come up with some new gaming features in order to give a tough competition to its rival Facebook.
Larry Page, Google's CEO, is not at all demoralized rather he looks enthusiastic. Google+ could grow, only if they make right choices at right time. Moreover, this can just be taken as a learning experience by Google to overcome such situations in future.
Google+ had 1.86 million viewers last week, which dropped down to 1.79 million this week. The usage time also fell by 10 percent from 5 minutes and 50 seconds to 5 minutes and 15 seconds on average.
Though the result for this week looks frightful, but the situation is not that grungy. Google+ has recorded an impressive growth, whipping almost all the gurus in tech field and the popularity of the product picks the traffic back. Now the success for Google+ entirely depends on their marketing techniques, and how they attract viewers to come back to the site again and again. The coverage and usage of a newly launched product is expected to cushion within weeks. Introducing new features might help in enhancing traffic and broaden the product's appeal.
Presently Google+ is providing an invite-only service and is targeting new users. So the product can gain a lot of attention, if they open the service to all. However, still a lot of work has to be done on Google's part, they should soon come up with some new gaming features in order to give a tough competition to its rival Facebook.
Larry Page, Google's CEO, is not at all demoralized rather he looks enthusiastic. Google+ could grow, only if they make right choices at right time. Moreover, this can just be taken as a learning experience by Google to overcome such situations in future.
How to avoid credit card debts
Bangalore: Credit cards have become a crucial part of man's life. They have bought a complete revolution in our life and spending habits by making our purchase and other transaction become easy and convenient. You don't have to carry bundle of notes to make a big purchase. The plus point of having a credit card is, you can you can track your expenses.
Before even getting a credit card take a minute and question your need for one, and consider how healthy your financial practice s are.Are you actually managing your finances, or do you swing from month to month on pure chance and luck? Don't get attracted to just the benefits of credit cards. Because credit card makes you spend money without a foresight. This might get you into debt.
Take a look at what happened to Rehman, a middle class man who was trapped in Rs 3,000,000 debt. He got six cards and nine unsecured loans. He did his best to hide this fact from his wife and friends, but all in vain. His business was failing, so he started using the credit cards to withdraw cash, which he spent on everything from paying his staff to feeding his children. Rehman didn't realize that with most credit cards, high interest charges kick in immediately when you withdraw from ATMs. His feelings of shame prevented him from seeking help. During this traumatic period he was constantly haunted with thoughts of committing suicide and absconding. I am sure you would not want to be Redman's place. You can prevent yourself from getting into credit card debts.
But this doesn't mean you stop counting on credit cards completely. So as you use a credit card keep the following precaution in mind.
Avoid too many credit cards
Undoubtedly credit cards come handy during emergency situations and facilitate payments. But credit cards tempt you to spend without thinking and it is this reckless spending is what gets you into credit card debt that becomes difficult to recover from. Like Rehman who owned six credit cards and got into severe debt that he couldn't repay. Therefore it is best to just take one credit card and avail reward points on that so that you could encash the points quickly.
Have an emergency fund
We think that credit cards are used for emergency situation, but it is unwise to consider it as a general rule. Emergency funds are always beneficial. You could use these funds for any medical expense or a major car repair. You could avoid using credit cards here by paying in cash. Emergency funds should be used as a back up to face emergency situations.
Use credit card based on your recovery capacity
Avoid the mistake of using a credit card to buy things you really can't afford. Don't make a purchase if you can't afford to pay back the cash. Spending more than what you can repay is highly undesirable and could get you into credit card debt. And don't keep a credit card balance for more than six months. Because beyond that point, the compounding of simple interest can produce a very expensive balance to pay off. If you remember this what happened in Rehman's case. He didn't know with credit cards, high interest charges occur when you withdraw from ATMs.
Avoid cash advance withdrawals
When faced with any emergency situation, don not even think of making cash advance withdrawals. This is the worst thing you can do with a credit card. Rather have a smart spending plan and have emergency funds as a backup. If you have to use your credit card to get cash, there's probably something wrong with your finances. A cash advance is the early stages of credit card debt.
Avoid balance transfers
To avoid getting into credit card debts avoid balance transfers from one credit card to the other. Only if you have a valid reason like you transferring your balance because of lower interest rate then go ahead with it. Else your balance will shoot up due to balance transfer fee.
Make full payments in time
Pay your balance punctually every month. Even a slightes
Before even getting a credit card take a minute and question your need for one, and consider how healthy your financial practice s are.Are you actually managing your finances, or do you swing from month to month on pure chance and luck? Don't get attracted to just the benefits of credit cards. Because credit card makes you spend money without a foresight. This might get you into debt.
Take a look at what happened to Rehman, a middle class man who was trapped in Rs 3,000,000 debt. He got six cards and nine unsecured loans. He did his best to hide this fact from his wife and friends, but all in vain. His business was failing, so he started using the credit cards to withdraw cash, which he spent on everything from paying his staff to feeding his children. Rehman didn't realize that with most credit cards, high interest charges kick in immediately when you withdraw from ATMs. His feelings of shame prevented him from seeking help. During this traumatic period he was constantly haunted with thoughts of committing suicide and absconding. I am sure you would not want to be Redman's place. You can prevent yourself from getting into credit card debts.
But this doesn't mean you stop counting on credit cards completely. So as you use a credit card keep the following precaution in mind.
Avoid too many credit cards
Undoubtedly credit cards come handy during emergency situations and facilitate payments. But credit cards tempt you to spend without thinking and it is this reckless spending is what gets you into credit card debt that becomes difficult to recover from. Like Rehman who owned six credit cards and got into severe debt that he couldn't repay. Therefore it is best to just take one credit card and avail reward points on that so that you could encash the points quickly.
Have an emergency fund
We think that credit cards are used for emergency situation, but it is unwise to consider it as a general rule. Emergency funds are always beneficial. You could use these funds for any medical expense or a major car repair. You could avoid using credit cards here by paying in cash. Emergency funds should be used as a back up to face emergency situations.
Use credit card based on your recovery capacity
Avoid the mistake of using a credit card to buy things you really can't afford. Don't make a purchase if you can't afford to pay back the cash. Spending more than what you can repay is highly undesirable and could get you into credit card debt. And don't keep a credit card balance for more than six months. Because beyond that point, the compounding of simple interest can produce a very expensive balance to pay off. If you remember this what happened in Rehman's case. He didn't know with credit cards, high interest charges occur when you withdraw from ATMs.
Avoid cash advance withdrawals
When faced with any emergency situation, don not even think of making cash advance withdrawals. This is the worst thing you can do with a credit card. Rather have a smart spending plan and have emergency funds as a backup. If you have to use your credit card to get cash, there's probably something wrong with your finances. A cash advance is the early stages of credit card debt.
Avoid balance transfers
To avoid getting into credit card debts avoid balance transfers from one credit card to the other. Only if you have a valid reason like you transferring your balance because of lower interest rate then go ahead with it. Else your balance will shoot up due to balance transfer fee.
Make full payments in time
Pay your balance punctually every month. Even a slightes
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Success in startup demands 'Laser Focus'
What charm does entrepreneurship hold that it makes an engineer holding an MBA degree give up a career of 13 years to start afresh and dirty his hands in the murky waters of entrepreneurship; it’s hard to decipher. Is it the passion for the idea, the high of being your own boss or is it the risk factor that attracts people such as Voicetap’s Mrigank Tripathi to chuck their comfort for the grit and grime of being an entrepreneur. TechGig taps Mrigank to find out what made him an entrepreneur and Voicetap his dream come true.
Mrigank, what really made you to enter into entrepreneurship? How, when and why did this journey begin?
After I came back to India, I made up my mind to start my own business. I spent over a year finding out the right business opportunity. The mobile value-added service (VAS) was a great medium to start off with. Despite the growing number of mobile users, this medium has not been utilized to its full potential. A lot of information is available but no one knows whom to get in touch with for the right information. I started working on this idea and we were successful in building a seamless platform where users could connect with experts without any hassles. The Internet allows everyone to create value for everyone else, be it buying, selling, classifieds, search, mail. There is everything a person is looking for in the Internet. The basic service of just calls is not sustainable. With voice as the base platform, one needs to offer unique services to build sustainable businesses.
What ignited the creation of Voicetap? Why did you choose it to begin your entrepreneurial journey?
It was when I found my niece struggling to find the right and desired information for various options that existed for her college admission and was not able to find the right person to talk to. Something clicked in me and I thought “hey, there is a need here and it can really prove to be an opportunity.” My observation found it to be ironical that in a booming market like India, with 600 million mobile subscribers, one could connect with only 500 of them at any time. I realized that a service providing information on a real-time basis could create great value for the customer.
Keeping this in mind the concept of Voicetap evolved that entails getting connected with relevant people on the topics of one’s choice without having to know the person or his number.
How difficult or easy has been the execution of your idea? How did you figure out the logistics (funding, partnerships, etc) of starting out?
As a technology company, we took close to a year to build and perfect the technology behind our platform. Given our unique offering, we have been able to associate ourselves with well-established corporates like NIIT, Bajaj and many more. We had raised angel funds in August 2009, just 4 months after Voicetap’s inception in March 2009 and were able to break even operationally. We have been able to garner about Rs 2 Cr (Rs 20 million) into the business. With our unique products, we have also been able to build alliances with telecom operators like Tata DOCOMO, Safaricom.
What were the roadblocks in Voicetap’s journey and how did you overcome them?
Well, first and foremost it was the financial constraints that came our way. But thankfully our savings proved good enough and we also found an angel investor. Convincing people to try out Voicetap’s offerings was even more difficult. It was only through family support that we were able to overcome the hurdles and launch our business in 2 continents. I knew I was taking a risk, especially when I had a family and two kids to take care off but my family was very supportive. I am happy that as a company we have started driving revenue despite all odds.
Also, we realized that getting the people with the right attitude and passion is the most critical thing. We could not find a suitable person from any of the IIMs to intern with us.
We wanted to ensure that there is perfect DNA match while adding new people to our team which made building the team a difficult task. We were looking for the right attitude rather than just qualifications.
With such scrutiny in place we would love to know about your current team. How big it is and what background do they have?
The Voicetap team currently consists of 17 people with over 55 years of cumulative experience in consulting, sales, operations and marketing. Out of the 17 people in our team, I have not seen the resumes of fifteen team members. All of these people have been carefully hand-picked and there is a perfect overlap of their DNA with ours. We have been lucky to put together a team of highly motivated, passionate and self-driven people.
How does Voicetap reach to the domain experts who speak on various topics? How do you plan to monetize this process?
Voicetap currently has over 1300 experts and 100 partners covering various verticals including - education, career, health, finance, lifestyle. We have build relationship with these partners over a period of time. While individuals have signed up to share their knowledge, businesses have partnered with us to reach out to potential customers. These customers are potential warm leads for these businesses, which helps us in monetizing the platform.
What is your vision for Voicetap? What is its scalability and in what ways do you plan to take it up a notch?
As a company, we are already in the process of scaling up. We are currently present in two continents and in the next five years, we plan to be a $100 million revenue generating company with presence in 20 countries.
We have always focused on creating a search and connect platform – given the simplicity of the business model, scaling up processes is an executional challenge. Our products and technology have been appreciated and awarded at both international and national forums and we are all set roll out more innovative products in the future.
How has Voicetap fared since its inception?
We have done a good job in such a limited time. We have been widely appreciated at both international and national level. We are the Youngest Company ever to win a Red Herring Asia 100 and Nasscom League of 10 awards. We were also one of the finalists at the Mobile Premier Awards at Barcelona. Such recognition in a span of 2 year is a great achievement for us. As a business we have successfully launched in two countries and are looking at rolling out more services with telecom operators in future.
What relevant or interesting trends came forward with Voictap’s conception that guided and/or changed the course of your actions?
Voicetap’s creation brought with it fantastic insights about the VAS industry and consumer behavior. As a startup iteration is must .One of most interesting experiences we have had was with the implementation of voice search. In order to make the user experience smoother, we decided to implement voice search. After a pilot of one month, we realized that both the technology and the Indian market are too nascent for voice search.
What makes Voicetap different?
Our focus on creating relevance based “search and connect” engine positions Voicetap as an innovative company. The idea in principle is to create a one stop number where people can dial and connect with relevant people of their choice on topics of their choice. The fact that this platform creates a win-win situation for experts, businesses and end users makes it an unique entity.
Besides the satisfactory moments what are the learnings that came with Voicetap’s creation?
The learning curve for us over the past two years has been steep. A few key things that have come forth have been
Nothing is perfect on Day 1- Our first product went through 3 rounds of iteration before we launched the beta version. User feedback helps you make the "perfect product". Right People - Nothing is more important than having the right people, with the right attitude on your end. Laser Focus - There are gazillion things that you can do with your technology. The idea always should be to be the Master of one rather than being jack of all trades.
What is it that keeps you awake at night and makes you carry on your chosen path despite all odds?
Being in a startup essentially means being challenged every day. Every solution comes packaged along with another problem. Being at Voicetap is no different experience. As a team and as individuals, all of us have challenges and problems to solve the other day - this is what drives us. We have always had great faith in the product and the response from users and clients has always boosted our faith in the product we created – this is what motivates the team.
Any words of wisdom for the growing crop of entrepreneurs across India?
As an entrepreneur, the advice to fellow and budding entrepreneurs is very simple –it is your perseverance, passion, integrity and the ability to run a marathon that will decide what’s in store for you – Stay hungry and stay focused.
Mrigank, what really made you to enter into entrepreneurship? How, when and why did this journey begin?
After I came back to India, I made up my mind to start my own business. I spent over a year finding out the right business opportunity. The mobile value-added service (VAS) was a great medium to start off with. Despite the growing number of mobile users, this medium has not been utilized to its full potential. A lot of information is available but no one knows whom to get in touch with for the right information. I started working on this idea and we were successful in building a seamless platform where users could connect with experts without any hassles. The Internet allows everyone to create value for everyone else, be it buying, selling, classifieds, search, mail. There is everything a person is looking for in the Internet. The basic service of just calls is not sustainable. With voice as the base platform, one needs to offer unique services to build sustainable businesses.
What ignited the creation of Voicetap? Why did you choose it to begin your entrepreneurial journey?
It was when I found my niece struggling to find the right and desired information for various options that existed for her college admission and was not able to find the right person to talk to. Something clicked in me and I thought “hey, there is a need here and it can really prove to be an opportunity.” My observation found it to be ironical that in a booming market like India, with 600 million mobile subscribers, one could connect with only 500 of them at any time. I realized that a service providing information on a real-time basis could create great value for the customer.
Keeping this in mind the concept of Voicetap evolved that entails getting connected with relevant people on the topics of one’s choice without having to know the person or his number.
How difficult or easy has been the execution of your idea? How did you figure out the logistics (funding, partnerships, etc) of starting out?
As a technology company, we took close to a year to build and perfect the technology behind our platform. Given our unique offering, we have been able to associate ourselves with well-established corporates like NIIT, Bajaj and many more. We had raised angel funds in August 2009, just 4 months after Voicetap’s inception in March 2009 and were able to break even operationally. We have been able to garner about Rs 2 Cr (Rs 20 million) into the business. With our unique products, we have also been able to build alliances with telecom operators like Tata DOCOMO, Safaricom.
What were the roadblocks in Voicetap’s journey and how did you overcome them?
Well, first and foremost it was the financial constraints that came our way. But thankfully our savings proved good enough and we also found an angel investor. Convincing people to try out Voicetap’s offerings was even more difficult. It was only through family support that we were able to overcome the hurdles and launch our business in 2 continents. I knew I was taking a risk, especially when I had a family and two kids to take care off but my family was very supportive. I am happy that as a company we have started driving revenue despite all odds.
Also, we realized that getting the people with the right attitude and passion is the most critical thing. We could not find a suitable person from any of the IIMs to intern with us.
We wanted to ensure that there is perfect DNA match while adding new people to our team which made building the team a difficult task. We were looking for the right attitude rather than just qualifications.
With such scrutiny in place we would love to know about your current team. How big it is and what background do they have?
The Voicetap team currently consists of 17 people with over 55 years of cumulative experience in consulting, sales, operations and marketing. Out of the 17 people in our team, I have not seen the resumes of fifteen team members. All of these people have been carefully hand-picked and there is a perfect overlap of their DNA with ours. We have been lucky to put together a team of highly motivated, passionate and self-driven people.
How does Voicetap reach to the domain experts who speak on various topics? How do you plan to monetize this process?
Voicetap currently has over 1300 experts and 100 partners covering various verticals including - education, career, health, finance, lifestyle. We have build relationship with these partners over a period of time. While individuals have signed up to share their knowledge, businesses have partnered with us to reach out to potential customers. These customers are potential warm leads for these businesses, which helps us in monetizing the platform.
What is your vision for Voicetap? What is its scalability and in what ways do you plan to take it up a notch?
As a company, we are already in the process of scaling up. We are currently present in two continents and in the next five years, we plan to be a $100 million revenue generating company with presence in 20 countries.
We have always focused on creating a search and connect platform – given the simplicity of the business model, scaling up processes is an executional challenge. Our products and technology have been appreciated and awarded at both international and national forums and we are all set roll out more innovative products in the future.
How has Voicetap fared since its inception?
We have done a good job in such a limited time. We have been widely appreciated at both international and national level. We are the Youngest Company ever to win a Red Herring Asia 100 and Nasscom League of 10 awards. We were also one of the finalists at the Mobile Premier Awards at Barcelona. Such recognition in a span of 2 year is a great achievement for us. As a business we have successfully launched in two countries and are looking at rolling out more services with telecom operators in future.
What relevant or interesting trends came forward with Voictap’s conception that guided and/or changed the course of your actions?
Voicetap’s creation brought with it fantastic insights about the VAS industry and consumer behavior. As a startup iteration is must .One of most interesting experiences we have had was with the implementation of voice search. In order to make the user experience smoother, we decided to implement voice search. After a pilot of one month, we realized that both the technology and the Indian market are too nascent for voice search.
What makes Voicetap different?
Our focus on creating relevance based “search and connect” engine positions Voicetap as an innovative company. The idea in principle is to create a one stop number where people can dial and connect with relevant people of their choice on topics of their choice. The fact that this platform creates a win-win situation for experts, businesses and end users makes it an unique entity.
Besides the satisfactory moments what are the learnings that came with Voicetap’s creation?
The learning curve for us over the past two years has been steep. A few key things that have come forth have been
Nothing is perfect on Day 1- Our first product went through 3 rounds of iteration before we launched the beta version. User feedback helps you make the "perfect product". Right People - Nothing is more important than having the right people, with the right attitude on your end. Laser Focus - There are gazillion things that you can do with your technology. The idea always should be to be the Master of one rather than being jack of all trades.
What is it that keeps you awake at night and makes you carry on your chosen path despite all odds?
Being in a startup essentially means being challenged every day. Every solution comes packaged along with another problem. Being at Voicetap is no different experience. As a team and as individuals, all of us have challenges and problems to solve the other day - this is what drives us. We have always had great faith in the product and the response from users and clients has always boosted our faith in the product we created – this is what motivates the team.
Any words of wisdom for the growing crop of entrepreneurs across India?
As an entrepreneur, the advice to fellow and budding entrepreneurs is very simple –it is your perseverance, passion, integrity and the ability to run a marathon that will decide what’s in store for you – Stay hungry and stay focused.
10 biggest technology myths
Ah, the world of tech myths! Despite countless efforts to kill them, a host of myths continue to persist. Some of them are result of plain ignorance while a few had genuine lineage but as the technology moves forward, do not hold true anymore.
We take a look at 10 of these fallacies and squash them.
More mega pixels mean better picturesWe wish it could be true. Because then we all would have been pro photographers. More mega pixels were a big deal when digital cameras were new. But once the threshold of five mega pixels was reached, the number stopped being the most important factor in a camera.
In any modern camera, image quality primarily depends on sensor size and quality of lens. This is the reason why you are likely to get better images from say a Nikon D40, a 6 mega pixel camera, than a new point-and-shoot slick camera that can capture photos in 14 mega pixels.
Higher dynamic contrast ratio is betterMonitor and TV makers love to bandy about dynamic contrast ration. For example, Acer says its S231HL monitor has a dynamic contrast ratio of 12,000,000:1. In reality, this number doesn’t mean anything.
This contrast ratio can be achieved only when the monitor is displaying a completely black image. During normal use, the ratio is likely to be lot less than the static contrast ratio, which is 1000:1. Dynamic contrast ratio is a just a marketing scam so steer clear of that.
More RAM in a graphics card is betterThis is another marketing scam. And many gamers fall prey to it. In a graphics card, everything depends on the kind of processing chip that is used and not on amount of RAM. While buying a graphics card users need to pay close attention to the name. For example, AMD Radeon HD 6850 with just 1GB RAM will be more than four to five times faster than AMD Radeon 6450 with 2GB RAM.
Macs don't have virusesIt’s not really a myth. There is some truth to it. People using Apple’s MacBook, iMac or Mac Pro are less likely to face computer viruses. But this is not because Apple’s computers or operating software are virus-proof. The fact is that cyber criminals largely focus on Windows because that is used by majority of people. But as popularity of Apple’s computers increases, cyber criminals are taking note and new viruses and trojans on Mac have started appearing.
Right click+refresh makes PC fasterAround 15 years ago, computers were always running out of memory. RAM was very expensive and most computers had just 4MB to 8MB RAM. Then, there were poorly-coded applications that caused memory leaks. This led to the practice of right click+refresh on the desktop as by refreshing the display or in other words Explorer, in some cases users quickly reclaimed free RAM after closing a process.
On modern computers, which have ample RAM, doing a right click+refresh is nothing more than a foolish habit.
For graphics work, a Mac is bestThis one too was true sometime back. But now it’s more of a myth than a fact. Before 2006, Apple was using processors based on PowerPC architecture by IBM. Compared to Intel or AMD processors, PowerPC chips had an advantage in graphics-heavy work. But after 2006, Apple shifted to Intel processors. A Mac still has some advantage in font management as well as quality of bundled monitor. But if you are a graphic designer who knows your trade well and who takes care while choosing his gear, you don’t need to pay premium and buy a Mac just because someone told you that it is better for graphics work.
To delete a file permanently, delete it from Recycle BinAfter deleting a sensitive file from recycle bin, never think that you have obliterated it. Using recovery programmes, even a kid can retrieve the file back. When you delete a file from recycle bin, Windows just changes its file name and makes it invisible to user. The file does not get deleted unless it is overwritten, which happens over a period of time when you create new files.
CPUs with more cores/Ghz are betterAnother marketing lie. In any processor or computing chip, the underlying architecture is what matters. This is the reason why even slower AMD Athlon processors were considerably faster than Pentium 4. And the architecture is reason why nowadays a four-core Sandy Bridge processor from Intel is faster than six-core processors that AMD sells.
You need to buy expensive security softwareThis was true when no good security software were available for free. But situation has changed a lot in the last few years. Nowadays, if you want some cyber security on a home computer you don’t really need to spend any money.
Microsoft Security Essentials, which is a free dowanload, will do the job. And so will free anti-virus programs from AVG, Avast or Avira.
You need to stop a USB drive before taking it outThis is true but partially. If there is a file transfer going on, which means if you are moving files between pen drive and computer, you may need to stop USB drive before unplugging the pen drive.
But if there is no file transfer happening, you can pluck out the pen drive right away. We assure you that it won’t go up in flames.
HCL Technologies to hire 3,000 people in Q1
Software exporter HCL Technologies (HCLT) today said it will hire about 3,000 people in the July-September quarter."We have already hired 3,000 people in the June quarter. In this quarter, we will hire an additional 3,000 freshers," HCLT Chief Executive Vineet Nayar told reporters here.
The Indian IT industry is ramping up its headcount as it gears up to meet renewed demand for IT services following a slump during the economic meltdown.
The companies are also building up bench strengths to handle the bigger size and variety of projects they expect to grab in the coming months.
Larger rival Tata Consultancy Services ( TCS)) plans to hire about 60,000 people this fiscal, while peers Wipro and Infosys are also hiring aggressively.
The move to hire more people, coupled with wage hikes, will have an impact of about 300 basis points on the first quarter numbers of HCLT.
"We expect the September quarter margins to drop 300 basis points. Of this, about 250 bps would be on account of wage hikes and the remaining 50 bps on new hires," Nayar said.
The company, which follows a July-June fiscal, has given a 12-14 per cent wage hike for its Indiastaff, while onsite salaries have been increased by 2-3 per cent. The wage hikes are effective July 1.
HCLT is, however, confident of making up for the drop in margins. "Though we are expecting a 300 bps drop in margins in Q1, we will recover in the next three quarters," he said.
The company also plans a capital expenditure of USD 230 million in FY'12.
"Last year, our capex was at USD 170 million. This year, we are stepping up our capex to USD 230 million. Most of this will go toward expansion of campuses," HCLT Chief Financial Officer Anil Chanana said.
The Indian IT industry is ramping up its headcount as it gears up to meet renewed demand for IT services following a slump during the economic meltdown.
The companies are also building up bench strengths to handle the bigger size and variety of projects they expect to grab in the coming months.
Larger rival Tata Consultancy Services ( TCS)) plans to hire about 60,000 people this fiscal, while peers Wipro and Infosys are also hiring aggressively.
The move to hire more people, coupled with wage hikes, will have an impact of about 300 basis points on the first quarter numbers of HCLT.
"We expect the September quarter margins to drop 300 basis points. Of this, about 250 bps would be on account of wage hikes and the remaining 50 bps on new hires," Nayar said.
The company, which follows a July-June fiscal, has given a 12-14 per cent wage hike for its Indiastaff, while onsite salaries have been increased by 2-3 per cent. The wage hikes are effective July 1.
HCLT is, however, confident of making up for the drop in margins. "Though we are expecting a 300 bps drop in margins in Q1, we will recover in the next three quarters," he said.
The company also plans a capital expenditure of USD 230 million in FY'12.
"Last year, our capex was at USD 170 million. This year, we are stepping up our capex to USD 230 million. Most of this will go toward expansion of campuses," HCLT Chief Financial Officer Anil Chanana said.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Getting Finance For Organizing Christmas Celebration
Christmas Celebrations can be really expensive. At this time of the year, there are many additional expenses to cover for and sometimes you just need finance to cover for them. However, you need not worry as when Christmas time arrives, lenders tend to offer special loans with promotional rates and very advantageous terms to finance present purchases, food, decoration, etc.
These special loans are tailored for the Christmas needs and can be repaid in different ways according to the applicants budget. The uses are infinite: traveling on Christmas holidays, purchasing presents, buying all those special groceries for the occasion that are usually quite expensive, paying for decoration such as the Christmas tree, lights, etc.
Types Of Loans: Christmas Loans
Christmas loans refer to the holiday basically and are not a special kind of loans. However, regular loan types usually feature different loan terms when these special times arrive. Thus, it is not strange to find loans with promotional rates, higher loan amounts, longer repayment programs, less credit requirements, less income requirements, or offering presents along with the money lent.
There are car loans, unsecured personal loans, pay day loans, and even some home equity loans specially tailored for Christmas celebrations. This is mainly done by lenders because they now people tend to consume more during Christmas holidays and loans are products like everything else; financial products, but products all the same.
The Repayment Programs
The repayment programs will vary according to the loan type. Christmas loans tend to offer extended repayment programs on all loan types. Probably the best offers are on unsecured personal loans for Christmas that let you purchase presents and repay the loan in small installments within a year or two.
Payday loans that are usually due by the next payday may offer installments during these special times as well as promotional fees or even no fees at all. The same goes to certain car loans during the Christmas seasons that offer longer repayment programs, lesser credit requirements and promotional interest rates.
Searching Around For The Right Lender
Remember that you don’t need to accept the first offer you are presented. There are many lenders out there and you can get loan quotes from them without applying for a loan directly. You can then compare what the different lenders have to offer and make a conscious and well-informed decision.
Requirements For Approval
Getting approved for a Christmas loan is not that difficult. Generally these loans have lessened requirements and you don’t need excellent credit and income qualifications in order to obtain them. However, some minimum requirements are always demanded. Mainly, you’ll have to show proof of a steady income in order to get approved.
And as regards to credit verification, it really depends on the type of loan you want to obtain. Though there are some loans that have no credit verifications at all, most of them have credit requirements, though lessened ones. Certain delinquencies are always a drawback, specially bankruptcies and defaults. However, there are also Christmas bad credit loans where you can get approval despite bad credit but you need to face higher interest rates.
These special loans are tailored for the Christmas needs and can be repaid in different ways according to the applicants budget. The uses are infinite: traveling on Christmas holidays, purchasing presents, buying all those special groceries for the occasion that are usually quite expensive, paying for decoration such as the Christmas tree, lights, etc.
Types Of Loans: Christmas Loans
Christmas loans refer to the holiday basically and are not a special kind of loans. However, regular loan types usually feature different loan terms when these special times arrive. Thus, it is not strange to find loans with promotional rates, higher loan amounts, longer repayment programs, less credit requirements, less income requirements, or offering presents along with the money lent.
There are car loans, unsecured personal loans, pay day loans, and even some home equity loans specially tailored for Christmas celebrations. This is mainly done by lenders because they now people tend to consume more during Christmas holidays and loans are products like everything else; financial products, but products all the same.
The Repayment Programs
The repayment programs will vary according to the loan type. Christmas loans tend to offer extended repayment programs on all loan types. Probably the best offers are on unsecured personal loans for Christmas that let you purchase presents and repay the loan in small installments within a year or two.
Payday loans that are usually due by the next payday may offer installments during these special times as well as promotional fees or even no fees at all. The same goes to certain car loans during the Christmas seasons that offer longer repayment programs, lesser credit requirements and promotional interest rates.
Searching Around For The Right Lender
Remember that you don’t need to accept the first offer you are presented. There are many lenders out there and you can get loan quotes from them without applying for a loan directly. You can then compare what the different lenders have to offer and make a conscious and well-informed decision.
Requirements For Approval
Getting approved for a Christmas loan is not that difficult. Generally these loans have lessened requirements and you don’t need excellent credit and income qualifications in order to obtain them. However, some minimum requirements are always demanded. Mainly, you’ll have to show proof of a steady income in order to get approved.
And as regards to credit verification, it really depends on the type of loan you want to obtain. Though there are some loans that have no credit verifications at all, most of them have credit requirements, though lessened ones. Certain delinquencies are always a drawback, specially bankruptcies and defaults. However, there are also Christmas bad credit loans where you can get approval despite bad credit but you need to face higher interest rates.
Christmas Celebration - Christmas Traditions Around The World
Christmas is an annual festival celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Nazareth. Christmas celebration is one of the biggest celebrations for the people belonging to the Christian faith. Christmas is celebrated with high spirits in different parts of the world. No matter where you are in the world, Christmas festival is always an exciting and magical time. Irrespective of how religious we may feel ourselves to be, we all can share and enjoy the several Christmas Gifts that the season of goodwill ultimately brings, the more religious can embrace all of the holiday's spiritual christmas gifts, while the more secular of those among us can enjoy those of a more worldly variety.
Indeed, Christmas celebration is truly a global celebration. Although the traditions and foods associated with it vary with culture, climate, and country, even calendar, the spirit of the day transcends all such differences. Christmas Gifts are generally exchanged between relatives, friends, family members and loved ones, such generosity also extends to food. After all, there must be something special behind a decision to stay up all night making sausage rolls and mince pies, and then spending most of Christmas morning cooking a tasty dinner. Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, Church celebrations, and the display of different decorations including the Christmas tree, mistletoe, lights, , nativity scenes, and holly.
Christmas is one of the most celebrated festivals in all over the world that aroused the curiosity of devotees to celebrate this festival with enjoyment and fun. christmas celebration is not only one of the most celebrated events of Christians in all over the world, but also people of all religions celebrate this festival in amusing way. Christmas celebration is delightful experience for all devotees, which has become more popular by arousing the eagerness, curiosity, and keen observation of all types of devotees. Christmas Eve is the main important day of Christmas celebration before Christmas. The celebration of Christmas begins on the evening of December 24, which keep the importance of Christmas Eve in terms of popular customs is greater than that of the Day itself. On this day, the Christmas-tree is manifested in its glory, the Yule log is solemnly lighted in many lands and the most distinctive Christmas meal takes place. Churches hold Candlelight service, which is naturally held earlier in the evening. It is also seen as the night when Santa Claus makes their rounds giving gifts to good children.
Christmas is one of the most celebrated festivals in all over the world that aroused the curiosity of devotees to celebrate this festival with enjoyment and fun. Christmas celebration is not only one of the most celebrated events of Christians in all over the world, but also people of all religions celebrate this festival in amusing way. Christmas celebration is delightful experience for all devotees, which has become more popular by arousing the eagerness, curiosity, and keen observation of all types of devotees. christmas eve is the main important day of Christmas celebration before Christmas. The celebration of Christmas begins on the evening of December 24, which keep the importance of Christmas Eve in terms of popular customs is greater than that of the Day itself. On this day, the Christmas-tree is manifested in its glory, the Yule log is solemnly lighted in many lands and the most distinctive Christmas meal takes place. Churches hold Candlelight service, which is naturally held earlier in the evening. It is also seen as the night when Santa Claus makes their rounds giving gifts to good children.
Indeed, Christmas celebration is truly a global celebration. Although the traditions and foods associated with it vary with culture, climate, and country, even calendar, the spirit of the day transcends all such differences. Christmas Gifts are generally exchanged between relatives, friends, family members and loved ones, such generosity also extends to food. After all, there must be something special behind a decision to stay up all night making sausage rolls and mince pies, and then spending most of Christmas morning cooking a tasty dinner. Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, Church celebrations, and the display of different decorations including the Christmas tree, mistletoe, lights, , nativity scenes, and holly.
Christmas is one of the most celebrated festivals in all over the world that aroused the curiosity of devotees to celebrate this festival with enjoyment and fun. christmas celebration is not only one of the most celebrated events of Christians in all over the world, but also people of all religions celebrate this festival in amusing way. Christmas celebration is delightful experience for all devotees, which has become more popular by arousing the eagerness, curiosity, and keen observation of all types of devotees. Christmas Eve is the main important day of Christmas celebration before Christmas. The celebration of Christmas begins on the evening of December 24, which keep the importance of Christmas Eve in terms of popular customs is greater than that of the Day itself. On this day, the Christmas-tree is manifested in its glory, the Yule log is solemnly lighted in many lands and the most distinctive Christmas meal takes place. Churches hold Candlelight service, which is naturally held earlier in the evening. It is also seen as the night when Santa Claus makes their rounds giving gifts to good children.
Christmas is one of the most celebrated festivals in all over the world that aroused the curiosity of devotees to celebrate this festival with enjoyment and fun. Christmas celebration is not only one of the most celebrated events of Christians in all over the world, but also people of all religions celebrate this festival in amusing way. Christmas celebration is delightful experience for all devotees, which has become more popular by arousing the eagerness, curiosity, and keen observation of all types of devotees. christmas eve is the main important day of Christmas celebration before Christmas. The celebration of Christmas begins on the evening of December 24, which keep the importance of Christmas Eve in terms of popular customs is greater than that of the Day itself. On this day, the Christmas-tree is manifested in its glory, the Yule log is solemnly lighted in many lands and the most distinctive Christmas meal takes place. Churches hold Candlelight service, which is naturally held earlier in the evening. It is also seen as the night when Santa Claus makes their rounds giving gifts to good children.
Christmas Celebration
Christmas is an annual festival celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Nazareth. Christmas celebration is one of the biggest celebrations for the people belonging to the Christian faith. Christmas is celebrated with high spirits in different parts of the world. No matter where you are in the world, Christmas festival is always an exciting and magical time. Irrespective of how religious we may feel ourselves to be, we all can share and enjoy the several Christmas Gifts that the season of goodwill ultimately brings, the more religious can embrace all of the holiday's spiritual Christmas gifts, while the more secular of those among us can enjoy those of a more worldly variety.
Indeed, Christmas celebration is truly a global celebration. Although the traditions and foods associated with it vary with culture, climate, and country, even calendar, the spirit of the day transcends all such differences. Christmas Gifts are generally exchanged between relatives, friends, family members and loved ones, such generosity also extends to food. After all, there must be something special behind a decision to stay up all night making sausage rolls and mince pies, and then spending most of Christmas morning cooking a tasty dinner. Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, Church celebrations, and the display of different decorations—including the Christmas tree, mistletoe, lights, , nativity scenes, and holly.
Christmas is one of the most celebrated festivals in all over the world that aroused the curiosity of devotees to celebrate this festival with enjoyment and fun. Christmas celebration is not only one of the most celebrated events of Christians in all over the world, but also people of all religions celebrate this festival in amusing way. Christmas celebration is delightful experience for all devotees, which has become more popular by arousing the eagerness, curiosity, and keen observation of all types of devotees. Christmas Eve is the main important day of Christmas celebration before Christmas. The celebration of Christmas begins on the evening of December 24, which keep the importance of Christmas Eve in terms of popular customs is greater than that of the Day itself. On this day, the Christmas-tree is manifested in its glory, the Yule log is solemnly lighted in many lands and the most distinctive Christmas meal takes place. Churches hold Candlelight service, which is naturally held earlier in the evening. It is also seen as the night when Santa Claus makes their rounds giving gifts to good children.
Christmas is one of the most celebrated festivals in all over the world that aroused the curiosity of devotees to celebrate this festival with enjoyment and fun. Christmas celebration is not only one of the most celebrated events of Christians in all over the world, but also people of all religions celebrate this festival in amusing way. Christmas celebration is delightful experience for all devotees, which has become more popular by arousing the eagerness, curiosity, and keen observation of all types of devotees. Christmas Eve is the main important day of Christmas celebration before Christmas. The celebration of Christmas begins on the evening of December 24, which keep the importance of Christmas Eve in terms of popular customs is greater than that of the Day itself. On this day, the Christmas-tree is manifested in its glory, the Yule log is solemnly lighted in many lands and the most distinctive Christmas meal takes place. Churches hold Candlelight service, which is naturally held earlier in the evening. It is also seen as the night when Santa Claus makes their rounds giving gifts to good children.
Indeed, Christmas celebration is truly a global celebration. Although the traditions and foods associated with it vary with culture, climate, and country, even calendar, the spirit of the day transcends all such differences. Christmas Gifts are generally exchanged between relatives, friends, family members and loved ones, such generosity also extends to food. After all, there must be something special behind a decision to stay up all night making sausage rolls and mince pies, and then spending most of Christmas morning cooking a tasty dinner. Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, Church celebrations, and the display of different decorations—including the Christmas tree, mistletoe, lights, , nativity scenes, and holly.
Christmas is one of the most celebrated festivals in all over the world that aroused the curiosity of devotees to celebrate this festival with enjoyment and fun. Christmas celebration is not only one of the most celebrated events of Christians in all over the world, but also people of all religions celebrate this festival in amusing way. Christmas celebration is delightful experience for all devotees, which has become more popular by arousing the eagerness, curiosity, and keen observation of all types of devotees. Christmas Eve is the main important day of Christmas celebration before Christmas. The celebration of Christmas begins on the evening of December 24, which keep the importance of Christmas Eve in terms of popular customs is greater than that of the Day itself. On this day, the Christmas-tree is manifested in its glory, the Yule log is solemnly lighted in many lands and the most distinctive Christmas meal takes place. Churches hold Candlelight service, which is naturally held earlier in the evening. It is also seen as the night when Santa Claus makes their rounds giving gifts to good children.
Christmas is one of the most celebrated festivals in all over the world that aroused the curiosity of devotees to celebrate this festival with enjoyment and fun. Christmas celebration is not only one of the most celebrated events of Christians in all over the world, but also people of all religions celebrate this festival in amusing way. Christmas celebration is delightful experience for all devotees, which has become more popular by arousing the eagerness, curiosity, and keen observation of all types of devotees. Christmas Eve is the main important day of Christmas celebration before Christmas. The celebration of Christmas begins on the evening of December 24, which keep the importance of Christmas Eve in terms of popular customs is greater than that of the Day itself. On this day, the Christmas-tree is manifested in its glory, the Yule log is solemnly lighted in many lands and the most distinctive Christmas meal takes place. Churches hold Candlelight service, which is naturally held earlier in the evening. It is also seen as the night when Santa Claus makes their rounds giving gifts to good children.
Tips to avoid losing money in stocks
Bangalore: Indians are currently most optimistic investors. One thing that comes to the mind of an investor is which stocks to invest in. Shares are considered to be one of the most perilous forms of investment. Because there always lingers a fear of losing money with the descend of market that puts off several investors from investing in stock market. You also know there are two sides to every coin; likewise any investment comes with its own shares of risk.
A fearful investor support their entire system, thoughts and style of investing on a negative thought process. Whereas a successful investor, whether it is stocks, real estate or businesses, always develop strategies to protect from the down-side by concentrating on the reward against the original risk. Make a drift from a fearful investor to a smart investor, and follow these tips given below to save your money.
Tips to avoid losing money in stocks
Stay invested
The up and down phase of the market is very obvious. The stocks never stop to move. You witness both gains and a red day where you suffer loss. When you are sailing through such bad period, don't think of taking away all your money, stay invested because when the markets bounce back, the rise is nearly 9.8 percent per month on an average after it touches the bottom. There are times when the returns will be double of what you have invested during the bounce back. For a developing market like India, be confident and stay invested; you will definitely earn profit when the markets bounce back.
Do not fear the bear Phase
As mentioned above at times the market is bullish. A few dips are inevitable, but the growth story does not stop there. So investors don't fear the bear ride because it is always shorter than the bull phase. Don't fall a prey to fear, get hold of all those fears and stay invested. Don't come under any selling pressure. As the stocks get underrated during the bear phase there is almost 100 percent assurance that during the recovery phase the investor will receive profit.
Don't make decisions in haste
Familiar with the line 'Haste makes waste', yes when dealing with equity market be prepared to face risk. As an investor be patient and don't make decision in haste when faced with pressure. In an investment the bulls and the bears will surely be there. At the end it's the patient and smart investor who is rewarded and not the one who fears facing loss and makes decision in haste.
Invest in diversified stock
A common trend noticed among most of the investors is to deposit their money in similar stocks, after some very successful initial proceedings. It is best to invest in diversified stock. You could invest in different sectors like real estate, infrastructure, Gold, oil and Gas. The benefit you get by investing in diversified stocks is that if any sector slumps you can still receive profit from other sectors. One should balance their portfolio.
Know where you want to invest
The most important thing for an investor is to protect his money. So as investor know which company you are interested in investing very well, know the stake of the promoters, FII exposure, quarterly performance and the strength of the order books too. Just don't invest in a company because you were given tips on investing in that company. Don't make any investment without complete information.
Don't just hold stocks, turn bad stocks into good stocks
Don't hold your stock too long, there is a value when stocks are sold. Long term investment plan is not practical anymore. The best strategy is to sell the stocks that are not earning money, and reinvest elsewhere. Buy low and the sell the same for a higher value. This will help you earn more than enough to compensate the loss.
A fearful investor support their entire system, thoughts and style of investing on a negative thought process. Whereas a successful investor, whether it is stocks, real estate or businesses, always develop strategies to protect from the down-side by concentrating on the reward against the original risk. Make a drift from a fearful investor to a smart investor, and follow these tips given below to save your money.
Tips to avoid losing money in stocks
Stay invested
The up and down phase of the market is very obvious. The stocks never stop to move. You witness both gains and a red day where you suffer loss. When you are sailing through such bad period, don't think of taking away all your money, stay invested because when the markets bounce back, the rise is nearly 9.8 percent per month on an average after it touches the bottom. There are times when the returns will be double of what you have invested during the bounce back. For a developing market like India, be confident and stay invested; you will definitely earn profit when the markets bounce back.
Do not fear the bear Phase
As mentioned above at times the market is bullish. A few dips are inevitable, but the growth story does not stop there. So investors don't fear the bear ride because it is always shorter than the bull phase. Don't fall a prey to fear, get hold of all those fears and stay invested. Don't come under any selling pressure. As the stocks get underrated during the bear phase there is almost 100 percent assurance that during the recovery phase the investor will receive profit.
Don't make decisions in haste
Familiar with the line 'Haste makes waste', yes when dealing with equity market be prepared to face risk. As an investor be patient and don't make decision in haste when faced with pressure. In an investment the bulls and the bears will surely be there. At the end it's the patient and smart investor who is rewarded and not the one who fears facing loss and makes decision in haste.
Invest in diversified stock
A common trend noticed among most of the investors is to deposit their money in similar stocks, after some very successful initial proceedings. It is best to invest in diversified stock. You could invest in different sectors like real estate, infrastructure, Gold, oil and Gas. The benefit you get by investing in diversified stocks is that if any sector slumps you can still receive profit from other sectors. One should balance their portfolio.
Know where you want to invest
The most important thing for an investor is to protect his money. So as investor know which company you are interested in investing very well, know the stake of the promoters, FII exposure, quarterly performance and the strength of the order books too. Just don't invest in a company because you were given tips on investing in that company. Don't make any investment without complete information.
Don't just hold stocks, turn bad stocks into good stocks
Don't hold your stock too long, there is a value when stocks are sold. Long term investment plan is not practical anymore. The best strategy is to sell the stocks that are not earning money, and reinvest elsewhere. Buy low and the sell the same for a higher value. This will help you earn more than enough to compensate the loss.
JetKing launches assemble-it-yourself tablet
MUMBAI: Jetking Infotrain Ltd, a computer hardware and networking institute announced its entry into the tablet market with the launch of its Google Android Version 2.1-based JetTab entry-level model.
Jetking Infotrain will be positioned as an 'assemble it yourself' kit which has been bundled with a 12-day course, an instruction guide book with diagrams, as well as a compact disc with video tutorials, a top company official said.
"The idea is to make people understand what goes into the making of a tablet, rather than making them mere users. Being a computer hardware institute, we would like to train a large number of people in this technology, as we see tablets replacing laptops," Jetking Infotrain Ltd's Managing Director, Suresh Bharwani, told reporters here.
"We will be giving this kit to our students to assemble a tablet. We also have plans to sell this kit without our 12-day assembling course soon. Jetking's aim is to turn laymen from non-technical backgrounds into engineers," he said.
The company is also in the process of expanding in Vietnam and Thailand and the African continent.
"We are already in the process of tying up with an university in Vietnam. We are also planning to expand in Thailand and African countries like Nigeria. We are also going to introduce this kit to school students from eight standard onwards and college students from September. We intend to sell at least 5,000 kits sourced from China every month, through our 110 training centres all over India. We have invested around Rs 40-lakh in this venture," he said.
Jetking Infotrain will be positioned as an 'assemble it yourself' kit which has been bundled with a 12-day course, an instruction guide book with diagrams, as well as a compact disc with video tutorials, a top company official said.
"The idea is to make people understand what goes into the making of a tablet, rather than making them mere users. Being a computer hardware institute, we would like to train a large number of people in this technology, as we see tablets replacing laptops," Jetking Infotrain Ltd's Managing Director, Suresh Bharwani, told reporters here.
"We will be giving this kit to our students to assemble a tablet. We also have plans to sell this kit without our 12-day assembling course soon. Jetking's aim is to turn laymen from non-technical backgrounds into engineers," he said.
The company is also in the process of expanding in Vietnam and Thailand and the African continent.
"We are already in the process of tying up with an university in Vietnam. We are also planning to expand in Thailand and African countries like Nigeria. We are also going to introduce this kit to school students from eight standard onwards and college students from September. We intend to sell at least 5,000 kits sourced from China every month, through our 110 training centres all over India. We have invested around Rs 40-lakh in this venture," he said.
5 reasons why you should switch to Google Plus
Bangalore: Although it's too early to speculate on the fate of Facebook, Google Plus, the social networking arm from the internet giant Google, offers many a thing from ease of use to data privacy that are worth to switch over to it. Creating a new breakthrough, Google has finally come up with its own social networking platform which is rich in content and features. ComScore has revealed that Google Plus has received 20 million viewers in the first three weeks of its operation. Predicted to become the vital part of Google's whole identity, certain features of Google plus give us a valid reason to consider leaving Facebook for Google Plus.
1. Integration with Google services
The integration capability of Google Plus is regarded as the biggest factor that drives people close to this social networking website. It's being integrated with all the products and services from Google which allows the users to monitor all Google Plus events while being tuned to any of its services. Google will gradually bring its social networking tools and features in all its online services including You Tube. Most of Google products now feature Google Plus in their navigation bar which enables you to be active on its social media without signing off from the website.
2. Data backup
Personal data protection has always been a nightmare for Facebook users and Google Plus is all equipped to solve this trouble in their social networking platform. While Facebook dema
nds you to make some of your personal data public which is hard to delete, Google Plus provides the freedom take back all the data you have entered in the website. The site has a special tool named ?Data Liberation? with which you can download data from different Google services such as Google profile, Picasa, Google+ stream etc.
3. Group chat
Google plus has added greater value to its social networking arm with the strong group chat feature which is said to be one of the biggest disadvantages of its rival Facebook. The webs
ite has made it very simple to create a special group video chat with its Hangouts features. Hangouts features a very sleek interface that does not need additional downloads and it's free forever. This amazing feature can include 10 people in the same video chat room at a time. In addition, other feature called Huddle enables users with group text chats.
4. Great mobile app
Migrating content from your mobile phone to Google plus is created in such a way that it?s very effortless, cleaner and is a lot more functional with Google+ mobile app. Goo
gle Plus is eying to attract the huge Android user base with its mobile app that is fast becoming a seamless appendage of the social media.
5. Privacy settings
Google Plus has created the concept of privacy settings much simpler in comparison with the settings in various websites which may lead the users to great blunders. With the f
eature known as Circles, you can create a different page of yours for different groups of people. This gives you the freedom to share the content with the friend circles that you want to. Separate circles for your family, friends, colleagues etc can be created here.
1. Integration with Google services
The integration capability of Google Plus is regarded as the biggest factor that drives people close to this social networking website. It's being integrated with all the products and services from Google which allows the users to monitor all Google Plus events while being tuned to any of its services. Google will gradually bring its social networking tools and features in all its online services including You Tube. Most of Google products now feature Google Plus in their navigation bar which enables you to be active on its social media without signing off from the website.
2. Data backup
Personal data protection has always been a nightmare for Facebook users and Google Plus is all equipped to solve this trouble in their social networking platform. While Facebook dema
nds you to make some of your personal data public which is hard to delete, Google Plus provides the freedom take back all the data you have entered in the website. The site has a special tool named ?Data Liberation? with which you can download data from different Google services such as Google profile, Picasa, Google+ stream etc.
3. Group chat
Google plus has added greater value to its social networking arm with the strong group chat feature which is said to be one of the biggest disadvantages of its rival Facebook. The webs
ite has made it very simple to create a special group video chat with its Hangouts features. Hangouts features a very sleek interface that does not need additional downloads and it's free forever. This amazing feature can include 10 people in the same video chat room at a time. In addition, other feature called Huddle enables users with group text chats.
4. Great mobile app
Migrating content from your mobile phone to Google plus is created in such a way that it?s very effortless, cleaner and is a lot more functional with Google+ mobile app. Goo
gle Plus is eying to attract the huge Android user base with its mobile app that is fast becoming a seamless appendage of the social media.
5. Privacy settings
Google Plus has created the concept of privacy settings much simpler in comparison with the settings in various websites which may lead the users to great blunders. With the f
eature known as Circles, you can create a different page of yours for different groups of people. This gives you the freedom to share the content with the friend circles that you want to. Separate circles for your family, friends, colleagues etc can be created here.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
10 Creative ways to say 'I quit' Part-2
Contuined fro previous post 10 Creative ways to say 'I quit' Part-1
5.Using post it
Sticking a post it addressed as, "I quit" could be an old trick but it is one of the good ways to quit a job.
6. T-shirt
Wear it on the weekends, wear it to the mall, but if you want to quit your job, wear it to work!
7. Send an error message
One unnamed designer quit his job by utilizing the very skills he was hired for having and creating this modified error message explaining what happens next. We're surpr
ised he's even asking them to renegotiate his contract after making such a bold move.
8.Use a presentation
Slip another slide into your presentation and when the slide pops up at the end make a small statement about it. But you need to make sure that your presentation was bl
ind blowing and seeing the next slide, your boss should regret about losing you.
9."I quit" on Balloons
Write "I quit" and the reasons for why you are quitting on different balloons which would some up to about 10 and leave those in your boss's office. He will have a tough time reading them and will be annoyed.
10.Baby Monitors
Pick up a quality set of baby monitors. When your boss has left for the day sneak into his office and set up one of the monitors in a location that he won't easily find, but that will still be loud to hear. The next morning when he gets in to work, assume a commanding voice let your boss know that you are quitting you are not happy with the state of the company.
Quitting doesn't have to be a terrible ordeal. It can be liberating, relieving and even a little bit fun. Forget the usual 2 week notice and try something a bit more creative. What's the most creative way you've ever quit a job?
5.Using post it
Sticking a post it addressed as, "I quit" could be an old trick but it is one of the good ways to quit a job.
6. T-shirt
Wear it on the weekends, wear it to the mall, but if you want to quit your job, wear it to work!
7. Send an error message
One unnamed designer quit his job by utilizing the very skills he was hired for having and creating this modified error message explaining what happens next. We're surpr
ised he's even asking them to renegotiate his contract after making such a bold move.
8.Use a presentation
Slip another slide into your presentation and when the slide pops up at the end make a small statement about it. But you need to make sure that your presentation was bl
ind blowing and seeing the next slide, your boss should regret about losing you.
9."I quit" on Balloons
Write "I quit" and the reasons for why you are quitting on different balloons which would some up to about 10 and leave those in your boss's office. He will have a tough time reading them and will be annoyed.
10.Baby Monitors
Pick up a quality set of baby monitors. When your boss has left for the day sneak into his office and set up one of the monitors in a location that he won't easily find, but that will still be loud to hear. The next morning when he gets in to work, assume a commanding voice let your boss know that you are quitting you are not happy with the state of the company.
Quitting doesn't have to be a terrible ordeal. It can be liberating, relieving and even a little bit fun. Forget the usual 2 week notice and try something a bit more creative. What's the most creative way you've ever quit a job?
10 Creative ways to say 'I quit' Part-1
Bangalore: Sometimes no matter how bad your state is and how desperately you need to stick to your job, but there are certain times when you reach the end of the rope and just have to say goodbye to the job that you can no longer stand. Well most of the time it is, serve your notice period and leave. But some are so happy leaving their bad job or boss that their process of quitting will be very inventive.
So here we are presenting a few creative ways that people have quit their job. But please remember that burning bridges isn't always an ideal way to move on. But sometimes it feels so good!
1. Resignation on a cake
You can write a complete cover letter of your resignation on a cake and present it to your boss like how Neil Berrett of San Francisco did. In the letter, Berrett wrote: "Dear Mr. Bowers - During the past three years, my tenure at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard has been nothing short of pure excitement, joy and whim."
"However, I have decided to spend more time with my family and attend to health issues that have recently arisen. I am proud to have been part of such an outstanding team and I wish this organization only the finest in future endeavors.
"Please accept this cake as notification that I am leaving my position with NWT on March 27. Sincerely, W. Neil Berrett".
2. Book
This sends a more subtle message. Just come into work on Friday afternoon reading this book. I think your boss will know what's coming on Monday.
3. Poster board
Why use a tiny scrap of paper when you can utilize all the space on a poster board? They?re going to regret making you want to quit with an idea this smart
4. Via dry erase board
"Jenny" got America's attention by "quitting" her job via dry-erase board.
So here we are presenting a few creative ways that people have quit their job. But please remember that burning bridges isn't always an ideal way to move on. But sometimes it feels so good!
1. Resignation on a cake
You can write a complete cover letter of your resignation on a cake and present it to your boss like how Neil Berrett of San Francisco did. In the letter, Berrett wrote: "Dear Mr. Bowers - During the past three years, my tenure at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard has been nothing short of pure excitement, joy and whim."
"However, I have decided to spend more time with my family and attend to health issues that have recently arisen. I am proud to have been part of such an outstanding team and I wish this organization only the finest in future endeavors.
"Please accept this cake as notification that I am leaving my position with NWT on March 27. Sincerely, W. Neil Berrett".
2. Book
This sends a more subtle message. Just come into work on Friday afternoon reading this book. I think your boss will know what's coming on Monday.
3. Poster board
Why use a tiny scrap of paper when you can utilize all the space on a poster board? They?re going to regret making you want to quit with an idea this smart
4. Via dry erase board
"Jenny" got America's attention by "quitting" her job via dry-erase board.
'Harry Potter' franchise crosses $7 billion mark
Los Angeles: "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2" has had a record breaking run in the first week - the eight and the last instalment of the boy wizard story has already earned $640.2 Million and with that, the franchise has crossed the $7 billion mark worldwide.
The film earned $214.9 Million at the US box office and $425.3 million at international ticket windows.
"It is an extraordinary privilege for everyone at Warner Bros to share in this piece of cinema history. We are extremely grateful to the Harry Potter fans who have remained loyal to the movies for more than a decade," deadline.com quoted Jeff Robinov, president, Warner Bros Pictures Group, as saying.
Authored by J.K. Rowling, the first "Harry Potter" book came out in 1997 and became a rage, and four years later its movie version starring Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson hit the screens. The movie was equally successful.
"We also want to congratulate the amazing roster of actors and filmmakers, whose artistry and talent is evident in every frame of every film. But special thanks must go to the woman whose incomparable imagination literally changed the world, Rowling," Robinov added.
Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution of Warner Bros. Pictures, said: "Becoming a $7 billion-plus franchise is a stunning achievement, which is shared by everybody involved in any or all of the Harry Potter films.
"On the domestic side, the studio is also thrilled to have reached the billion dollar benchmark for an unprecedented eleventh year in a row. We thank everyone at Warner Bros whose hard work and dedication have contributed so much to our success."
The film earned $214.9 Million at the US box office and $425.3 million at international ticket windows.
"It is an extraordinary privilege for everyone at Warner Bros to share in this piece of cinema history. We are extremely grateful to the Harry Potter fans who have remained loyal to the movies for more than a decade," deadline.com quoted Jeff Robinov, president, Warner Bros Pictures Group, as saying.
Authored by J.K. Rowling, the first "Harry Potter" book came out in 1997 and became a rage, and four years later its movie version starring Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson hit the screens. The movie was equally successful.
"We also want to congratulate the amazing roster of actors and filmmakers, whose artistry and talent is evident in every frame of every film. But special thanks must go to the woman whose incomparable imagination literally changed the world, Rowling," Robinov added.
Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution of Warner Bros. Pictures, said: "Becoming a $7 billion-plus franchise is a stunning achievement, which is shared by everybody involved in any or all of the Harry Potter films.
"On the domestic side, the studio is also thrilled to have reached the billion dollar benchmark for an unprecedented eleventh year in a row. We thank everyone at Warner Bros whose hard work and dedication have contributed so much to our success."
Friday, July 22, 2011
Information on Domain Name Registry
All domain names are registered in a database called the domain name registry. These domain names are changed into IP addresses by zone files that are generated by a registry operator which will keep the database of the domain names. These registry operators, or network information centers, are organizations that handle the registration of the names and control the policies.
Registries may, for instance, have a policy to reject applications or cancel existing domain names when they detect obscene contents. They may also choose which companies or organizations will be allocated names based on biases of political, religious, cultural or other such dimensions. But if not for these, the acceptance of applications is based on who submitted first. The price of domain names may also vary depending on the registry.
Disagreements on domain names are resolved according to different methods depending on the policy subscribed to by the domain name registry. There are those which have their own resolution method, those who follow homogenous policies among registries, while there are those which resolve such matters through civil courts.
The selling of domain names may be done directly by the name registry or through smaller commercial establishments. These may actually be made in wholesale -wherein an entire dot extension is owned by the client – or by retail. There are also different levels of domain systems that are sold. Second-level domains, for instance, may sub-sell under their registry.
These can be seen in the dot extensions within the IP addresses wherein the before the final dot entry are several other dot partitions – example, while not existent would be future.st.int – the main owner of the registry would be .int which allows sub-registration and thus the .st after the chosen domain name, future, of the client. Sub-registrations may go as far as four levels.
These domain names are administered by a system headed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority which also assigns domain name authorities to specific website name registries. A domain name registry may be government departments, non-profit organizations or commercial institutions. Domain name servers then can market domain names through website name servers. You can check out more facts at http://domain-name-registry.org/.
Registries may, for instance, have a policy to reject applications or cancel existing domain names when they detect obscene contents. They may also choose which companies or organizations will be allocated names based on biases of political, religious, cultural or other such dimensions. But if not for these, the acceptance of applications is based on who submitted first. The price of domain names may also vary depending on the registry.
Disagreements on domain names are resolved according to different methods depending on the policy subscribed to by the domain name registry. There are those which have their own resolution method, those who follow homogenous policies among registries, while there are those which resolve such matters through civil courts.
The selling of domain names may be done directly by the name registry or through smaller commercial establishments. These may actually be made in wholesale -wherein an entire dot extension is owned by the client – or by retail. There are also different levels of domain systems that are sold. Second-level domains, for instance, may sub-sell under their registry.
These can be seen in the dot extensions within the IP addresses wherein the before the final dot entry are several other dot partitions – example, while not existent would be future.st.int – the main owner of the registry would be .int which allows sub-registration and thus the .st after the chosen domain name, future, of the client. Sub-registrations may go as far as four levels.
These domain names are administered by a system headed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority which also assigns domain name authorities to specific website name registries. A domain name registry may be government departments, non-profit organizations or commercial institutions. Domain name servers then can market domain names through website name servers. You can check out more facts at http://domain-name-registry.org/.
IT cos give new recruits English, etiquette lessons
Urban-bred, English-speaking tech talent is limited.So, vast numbers of those joining the IT workforce now are from tier II and III towns, and though they are technically good, many of them lack knowledge of English, and they lack what's called soft skills—etiquette , proper conduct in different settings.
For an international business like IT, this is a huge challenge, and it is placing new requirements on their training infrastructure. If the employability was about 60% among urban applicants, it is a mere 10% among those who come from smaller towns around the country.
"These candidates have good academic records and possess sound technical knowledge. But they are lost in transition. They try to translate their vernacular thoughts into English. As a result, the entire meaning gets distorted," says Nirupama V G, MD, AdAstra, a hiring and training firm.
Geetha Kannan, an independent HR practitioner, says when she joined Infosys in 1990 most of her colleagues were from the IITs. "Today, the industry is rapidly expanding its employment base, and we have no option but to look at the available talent pool, where employability is the biggest issue," she says.
The inability to express in English shows up sometimes as an attitude problem. For instance, when a candidate was asked to speak about himself, he said, "All there in my CV, please read it."
A senior job seeker who was asked what was his salary expectation was had this to say, "You say you give job, then I say compensation."
Even if they are cleared by hiring firms, they are rejected at the final interview at the employer end. Companies see clarity in communication as being critical at the workplace for individuals and teams to function seamlessly.
Sangeeta Lala, co-founder of manpower firm TeamLease Services, says, "Candidates may be academically and technically sound, but certain level of aptitude, articulation and attitude is required to bring out their functional skills to the fore. Many candidates look great on paper, and that's it."
For an international business like IT, this is a huge challenge, and it is placing new requirements on their training infrastructure. If the employability was about 60% among urban applicants, it is a mere 10% among those who come from smaller towns around the country.
"These candidates have good academic records and possess sound technical knowledge. But they are lost in transition. They try to translate their vernacular thoughts into English. As a result, the entire meaning gets distorted," says Nirupama V G, MD, AdAstra, a hiring and training firm.
Geetha Kannan, an independent HR practitioner, says when she joined Infosys in 1990 most of her colleagues were from the IITs. "Today, the industry is rapidly expanding its employment base, and we have no option but to look at the available talent pool, where employability is the biggest issue," she says.
The inability to express in English shows up sometimes as an attitude problem. For instance, when a candidate was asked to speak about himself, he said, "All there in my CV, please read it."
A senior job seeker who was asked what was his salary expectation was had this to say, "You say you give job, then I say compensation."
Even if they are cleared by hiring firms, they are rejected at the final interview at the employer end. Companies see clarity in communication as being critical at the workplace for individuals and teams to function seamlessly.
Sangeeta Lala, co-founder of manpower firm TeamLease Services, says, "Candidates may be academically and technically sound, but certain level of aptitude, articulation and attitude is required to bring out their functional skills to the fore. Many candidates look great on paper, and that's it."
Cognizant set to replace Wipro as India‘s third largest IT company
Analysts say that Cognizant's focus on faster growth rates and market share gain with lower margins has helped it close the gap with Wipro .
IT major Cognizant is all set to replaceWipro to become the country's third largest IT services provider when it announces its results on August 2.
Wipro on Wednesday reported IT services revenues at $1.408 billion for the April-June quarter. This is about $40 million less than Cognizant's April-June quarter revenue guidance of $1.45 billion.
JP Morgan analyst Tientsin Huang, in a report on Cognizant dated July 15, drew a revenue estimate of $1.46 billion for the company in the April-June quarter. Huang expects an upside in revenues because of Cognizant's track record of reporting premium growth in the June quarter and its more favorable regional mix (larger proportion of North America). Cognizant's $1.45 billion April-June guidance is also greater than the lower end of Wipro's July-September revenue guidance of between $1.436-1 .464 billion.
The underlying business fundamentals for the IT sector are healthy as the recently announced strong quarterly earnings of TCS , IBM and Accenture suggest. Therefore , Cognizant is expected to meet if not beat its guidance. The weakness that Infosys's and Wipro's results exhibit is more a reflection of company-specific issues as against market fundamentals.
Ankur Rudra, IT analyst at Ambit Capital , said that historically Cognizant has given a conservative guidance and has a good record of beating it. "There is a good momentum to their business with some good client wins. They are likely to surpass Wipro's revenues in the April-June quarter," he said.
Srishti Anand, IT sector analyst at Angel Broking, said that they forecast Wipro to grow at 13.5% for the 2011-12 fiscal. Cognizant, which reports on a calendar year basis , is expected to grow at around 29% to $5.92 billion in 2011. "This means that Wipro will not be able to catch up with Cognizant in the foreseeable future," she said.
Given the expectations of a April-June quarter upside, JP Morgan analyst Huang estimates that Cognizant could increase its calendar year 2011 revenue growth guidance to over 31%. "We see very little downside to current guidance of 29% + even if the macro environment deteriorates to the extent it did in late 2008/ early 2009," the report added.
IT major Cognizant is all set to replaceWipro to become the country's third largest IT services provider when it announces its results on August 2.
Wipro on Wednesday reported IT services revenues at $1.408 billion for the April-June quarter. This is about $40 million less than Cognizant's April-June quarter revenue guidance of $1.45 billion.
JP Morgan analyst Tientsin Huang, in a report on Cognizant dated July 15, drew a revenue estimate of $1.46 billion for the company in the April-June quarter. Huang expects an upside in revenues because of Cognizant's track record of reporting premium growth in the June quarter and its more favorable regional mix (larger proportion of North America). Cognizant's $1.45 billion April-June guidance is also greater than the lower end of Wipro's July-September revenue guidance of between $1.436-1 .464 billion.
The underlying business fundamentals for the IT sector are healthy as the recently announced strong quarterly earnings of TCS , IBM and Accenture suggest. Therefore , Cognizant is expected to meet if not beat its guidance. The weakness that Infosys's and Wipro's results exhibit is more a reflection of company-specific issues as against market fundamentals.
Ankur Rudra, IT analyst at Ambit Capital , said that historically Cognizant has given a conservative guidance and has a good record of beating it. "There is a good momentum to their business with some good client wins. They are likely to surpass Wipro's revenues in the April-June quarter," he said.
Srishti Anand, IT sector analyst at Angel Broking, said that they forecast Wipro to grow at 13.5% for the 2011-12 fiscal. Cognizant, which reports on a calendar year basis , is expected to grow at around 29% to $5.92 billion in 2011. "This means that Wipro will not be able to catch up with Cognizant in the foreseeable future," she said.
Given the expectations of a April-June quarter upside, JP Morgan analyst Huang estimates that Cognizant could increase its calendar year 2011 revenue growth guidance to over 31%. "We see very little downside to current guidance of 29% + even if the macro environment deteriorates to the extent it did in late 2008/ early 2009," the report added.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Management Lessons from Mahabharata
Bangalore: The second longest epic of the world, Mahabharata is not just an epic narrative of the Kurukshetra War or a book of philosophy; rather it's a comprehensive manual on management strategy. Mahabharata encompasses many lessons on management which can potentially be applied to modern business practices. Vyasa's epic poem is considered to be a pertinent handbook on management and these management insights are being practiced by many today. Take a look at some of the best practices from India's great epic of knowledge and inspiration.
1. Transform your weakness into strength
Like how Pandavas transformed their weaknesses to strengths during the years of exile, you need to have the urge to improve on your weakness. Mahabarata gives many an examples to highlight the importance of utilizing time to overcoming your skills like how Arjuna went on a mission to attain the Divyastras or Yudhisthira mastered the Game of Dice. You need to have the passion to dedicate adequate time to learn those skills that can help you overcome your weakness only by which you can be a great manager.
2. Share your responsibilities
Efficiently sharing responsibilities is the mark of a good manager and the great Indian epic gives the best example for this. Pandavas fought the war as one
team with one goal in mind while Kauravas lacked the team spirit and they all fought individual wars. It advises the managers not to make the decision-making process a dictatorial one, rather involve everyone so that the best of ideas will pop up.
3. Learn the art of teamwork
It was not a common war for Kauravas as they never showed the unity. But the way Pandavas fought is a lesson for managers as it highlights the significance of sticki
ng on to the common goal while meeting the individual targets. The great story teaches the golden lesson that only a combined effort can bring in success.
4. Know the ground realities
Pandavas spent one year in exile with the poor people and the years of exile helped them to reach out to people from various strata of the society while Kaur
ava's had no experience of the ground reality as they lived a royal life. Managers need to understand the realities to lead their team in the right direction. They need to break the barriers to get in touch with their subordinates to understand their problems and identify ways to make their work easier
5. Take calculated risks
Krishna has acted as a greatest crisis manager showing how to take calculated risks at the time of crisis. Management is all about taking calculated risks. Shying
away from challenges is not a sign of management, rather well-assessed decisions to on facing the challenges is the trademark of good management.
1. Transform your weakness into strength
Like how Pandavas transformed their weaknesses to strengths during the years of exile, you need to have the urge to improve on your weakness. Mahabarata gives many an examples to highlight the importance of utilizing time to overcoming your skills like how Arjuna went on a mission to attain the Divyastras or Yudhisthira mastered the Game of Dice. You need to have the passion to dedicate adequate time to learn those skills that can help you overcome your weakness only by which you can be a great manager.
2. Share your responsibilities
Efficiently sharing responsibilities is the mark of a good manager and the great Indian epic gives the best example for this. Pandavas fought the war as one
team with one goal in mind while Kauravas lacked the team spirit and they all fought individual wars. It advises the managers not to make the decision-making process a dictatorial one, rather involve everyone so that the best of ideas will pop up.
3. Learn the art of teamwork
It was not a common war for Kauravas as they never showed the unity. But the way Pandavas fought is a lesson for managers as it highlights the significance of sticki
ng on to the common goal while meeting the individual targets. The great story teaches the golden lesson that only a combined effort can bring in success.
4. Know the ground realities
Pandavas spent one year in exile with the poor people and the years of exile helped them to reach out to people from various strata of the society while Kaur
ava's had no experience of the ground reality as they lived a royal life. Managers need to understand the realities to lead their team in the right direction. They need to break the barriers to get in touch with their subordinates to understand their problems and identify ways to make their work easier
5. Take calculated risks
Krishna has acted as a greatest crisis manager showing how to take calculated risks at the time of crisis. Management is all about taking calculated risks. Shying
away from challenges is not a sign of management, rather well-assessed decisions to on facing the challenges is the trademark of good management.
Twitter turns 5, recalls the journey
Bangalore: In the era of so much facebooking, twitter is one social networking site that has been able to retain its position firm and serene. It has created a niche for itself, which is adored by the masses. It started its initiative with Jack Dorsey as CEO by San Francisco start-up company Obvious Corp five years back. Today this organization employs about 450 full-time staffs.
On the eve of its completion of five years Twitter tweeted about its growth. It said they saw more than 600,000 sign ups on a day. It took them more than 16 months to reach the first 600,000 Twitter accounts. It is pretty impressive that a five a year old organization have become worth for $7 billion in such a short span of time and users of about 200 million, who send more than 1.4 billion tweets per week. Today people tweet about everything, from shopping to munching on to their favorite chocolates.
Let's go through their journey of success, and their milestones that they triggered each time.
Initial take off
The foundation stone of twitter was laid on by Podcasting start-up Odeo on January 2006 and March 2006 it was finally available to the public as Twittr, however the name was changed to twitter on September 2006. It had 400,000 tweets posted per quarter in 2007. The tipping point for Twitter's popularity was 2007, during 'South by Southwest' festival. During the event, Twitter usage increased from 20,000 tweets per day to 60,000. This grew to 100 million tweets posted per quarter in 2008. In February 2010, Twitter users were sending 50 million tweets per day. As of June 2010, about 65 million tweets were posted each day, equaling about 750 tweets sent each second, according to Twitter.
New logo
On September 14, 2010, Twitter launched a redesigned site including a new logo. By March 2010, the company recorded over 70,000 registered applications.
Records
A record was set during the 2010 FIFA World Cup when fans wrote 2,940 tweets per second in the thirty-second period after Japan scored against Cameroon on June 14, 2010. The record was b
roken again when 3,085 tweets per second were posted after the Los Angeles Lakers' victory in the 2010 NBA Finals on June 17, 2010, and then again at the close of Japan's victory over Denmark in the World Cup when users published 3,283 tweets per second. When American singer Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, company servers crashed after users were updating their status to include the words "Michael Jackson" at a rate of 100,000 tweets per hour. On June 2011 even Barack Obama, the U.S. President started tweeting.
Acquisitions
Twitter acquired application developer Atebits on April 11, 2010. Atebits had developed the Apple Design Award-winning Twitter client Tweetie for the Mac and iPhone. On May 2011 tw
itter acquired social media client TweetDeck for upto $50 million. TweetDeck is one of Twitter's top third party customers using software application for internet social networking services. TweetDeck offers a real-time application that allows users to monitor an abundance of information from social networking websites including Twitter in a single concise view. Besides, Twitter also rejected a $500 million acquisition offer from Facebook in 2008.
Challenges
In 1st July 2011 Twitter was investigated by U.S. regulators over its dealings with third-party companies including UberMedia, the firm behind popular BlackBerry and iPhone app
s. The Federal Trade Commission is investigation whether Twitter's business relationships with other companies comply with U.S. antitrust laws.
Hacks
On December 17, 2009, Twitter was attacked. A group calling itself the Iranian Cyber Army took credit for the hack, which was later discovered to be a DNS exploit designed to redirec
t users from Twitter.com to a page.
On the eve of its completion of five years Twitter tweeted about its growth. It said they saw more than 600,000 sign ups on a day. It took them more than 16 months to reach the first 600,000 Twitter accounts. It is pretty impressive that a five a year old organization have become worth for $7 billion in such a short span of time and users of about 200 million, who send more than 1.4 billion tweets per week. Today people tweet about everything, from shopping to munching on to their favorite chocolates.
Let's go through their journey of success, and their milestones that they triggered each time.
Initial take off
The foundation stone of twitter was laid on by Podcasting start-up Odeo on January 2006 and March 2006 it was finally available to the public as Twittr, however the name was changed to twitter on September 2006. It had 400,000 tweets posted per quarter in 2007. The tipping point for Twitter's popularity was 2007, during 'South by Southwest' festival. During the event, Twitter usage increased from 20,000 tweets per day to 60,000. This grew to 100 million tweets posted per quarter in 2008. In February 2010, Twitter users were sending 50 million tweets per day. As of June 2010, about 65 million tweets were posted each day, equaling about 750 tweets sent each second, according to Twitter.
New logo
On September 14, 2010, Twitter launched a redesigned site including a new logo. By March 2010, the company recorded over 70,000 registered applications.
Records
A record was set during the 2010 FIFA World Cup when fans wrote 2,940 tweets per second in the thirty-second period after Japan scored against Cameroon on June 14, 2010. The record was b
roken again when 3,085 tweets per second were posted after the Los Angeles Lakers' victory in the 2010 NBA Finals on June 17, 2010, and then again at the close of Japan's victory over Denmark in the World Cup when users published 3,283 tweets per second. When American singer Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, company servers crashed after users were updating their status to include the words "Michael Jackson" at a rate of 100,000 tweets per hour. On June 2011 even Barack Obama, the U.S. President started tweeting.
Acquisitions
Twitter acquired application developer Atebits on April 11, 2010. Atebits had developed the Apple Design Award-winning Twitter client Tweetie for the Mac and iPhone. On May 2011 tw
itter acquired social media client TweetDeck for upto $50 million. TweetDeck is one of Twitter's top third party customers using software application for internet social networking services. TweetDeck offers a real-time application that allows users to monitor an abundance of information from social networking websites including Twitter in a single concise view. Besides, Twitter also rejected a $500 million acquisition offer from Facebook in 2008.
Challenges
In 1st July 2011 Twitter was investigated by U.S. regulators over its dealings with third-party companies including UberMedia, the firm behind popular BlackBerry and iPhone app
s. The Federal Trade Commission is investigation whether Twitter's business relationships with other companies comply with U.S. antitrust laws.
Hacks
On December 17, 2009, Twitter was attacked. A group calling itself the Iranian Cyber Army took credit for the hack, which was later discovered to be a DNS exploit designed to redirec
t users from Twitter.com to a page.
Broadband: The next IT revolution in India
NEW DELHI: The next revolution in the IT and communications sector should be in broadband, which will help the government connect with the population and social schemes to percolate down to the intended beneficiaries, Telecom Secretary R Chandrashekhar said.
"After the telecom revolution, which helps India to reach around 850 telecom subscribers, now it's time for a broadband revolution, which not only will help the government to reach to the poorest of the population, but will also create new jobs and will help in percolating the social schemes of the government to the 'last door'," Chandrashekhar said in a broadband function organised by CMAI.
According to telecom regulator TRAI, the present data on the number of broadband subscribers only indicates individual connections, without throwing any light on the actual number of users accessing the broadband services or the usage pattern, as well as the hindrances and barriers to adoption and usage of broadband.
Broadband growth has not only been slow, but is also biased in favour of urban areas. More than 60 per cent of broadband subscribers live in the top ten metros and tier-I cities, while more than 75 per cent of the connections are in the top 30 cities.
Supporting the cause, the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovation, Sam Pitroda, also said, "The next phase is all about broadband, connectivity, utilisation and innovation on this front."
Further, Pitroda added that broadband services can add 1 or 2 per cent to the growth of the GDP and have the potential to enhance the quality of life though its social applications.
The penetration of the internet and broadband has remained low in the country, mainly due to the limited spread of wireline telephones and non-availability, so far, of broadband technologies.
The number of broadband subscribers at the end of March, 2005, stood at 0.18 million and it increased to 12.12 million at the end of May, 2011, TRAI data reveals.
There is an urgent need for a nationwide broadband network to connect education, healthcare, banking and other services infrastructure to the entire population, thereby realising the objective of inclusive growth.
"This sector not only provides ample opportunity, but also throws up the challenge to implement this in order to reach the people who really want this (broadband services), which can help the government to reach to them," Minister of State (MoS) for IT and Communications Milind Deora, who is in charge of telecom, said.
Even the MoS for IT and Communications Sachin Pilot, who is in charge of IT and the Postal Department, said, "Government is aware of the importance and the reach of the broadband services and we (government) are doing our part in order to bring a broadband policy in place so that it can be used to change the lives of many people."
"After the telecom revolution, which helps India to reach around 850 telecom subscribers, now it's time for a broadband revolution, which not only will help the government to reach to the poorest of the population, but will also create new jobs and will help in percolating the social schemes of the government to the 'last door'," Chandrashekhar said in a broadband function organised by CMAI.
According to telecom regulator TRAI, the present data on the number of broadband subscribers only indicates individual connections, without throwing any light on the actual number of users accessing the broadband services or the usage pattern, as well as the hindrances and barriers to adoption and usage of broadband.
Broadband growth has not only been slow, but is also biased in favour of urban areas. More than 60 per cent of broadband subscribers live in the top ten metros and tier-I cities, while more than 75 per cent of the connections are in the top 30 cities.
Supporting the cause, the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovation, Sam Pitroda, also said, "The next phase is all about broadband, connectivity, utilisation and innovation on this front."
Further, Pitroda added that broadband services can add 1 or 2 per cent to the growth of the GDP and have the potential to enhance the quality of life though its social applications.
The penetration of the internet and broadband has remained low in the country, mainly due to the limited spread of wireline telephones and non-availability, so far, of broadband technologies.
The number of broadband subscribers at the end of March, 2005, stood at 0.18 million and it increased to 12.12 million at the end of May, 2011, TRAI data reveals.
There is an urgent need for a nationwide broadband network to connect education, healthcare, banking and other services infrastructure to the entire population, thereby realising the objective of inclusive growth.
"This sector not only provides ample opportunity, but also throws up the challenge to implement this in order to reach the people who really want this (broadband services), which can help the government to reach to them," Minister of State (MoS) for IT and Communications Milind Deora, who is in charge of telecom, said.
Even the MoS for IT and Communications Sachin Pilot, who is in charge of IT and the Postal Department, said, "Government is aware of the importance and the reach of the broadband services and we (government) are doing our part in order to bring a broadband policy in place so that it can be used to change the lives of many people."
Cloud computing to create one lakh jobs in India: Study
Bangalore: As the next technology wave, cloud computing by enterprises has the potential to create about 100,000 new jobs in India, a study said.
"Of the projected $4.5-billion total cloud computing market in India by 2015, private cloud will account for $3.5 billion, generate about 100,000 additional jobs and save about 50 percent of cost of IT operations for Indian enterprises," the study "Private Cloud Landscape in India", by Zinnov Management Consulting and global IT firm EMC Corporation, revealed.
In cloud computing, multiple servers are used as a single platform through a digital network (website) under secured environment with access to a range of applications and tools for reducing the cost of IT operations.
Cloud computing is emerging as the next big IT service for its pay-as-you-go model, which eliminates capital intensive investment by companies, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in setting up IT infrastructure.
Spend on using cloud by information technology and back office firms, telecos, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), manufacturing and government organisations is set to increase to 8.2 percent over the next five years from 1.4 percent in 2010.
"There will be an increased preference of cloud adoption over the next five years in India. The total cloud market, which was about $400 million in 2010, is expected to growth by a whopping 60 percent annually with private cloud dominating the landscape," Zinnov chief executive Pari Natrajan told reporters here.
Though vendors with partnerships are better positioned to address enterprise needs, the survey noted that many Indian firms would have to invest in competency building to take advantage of cloud computing technologies as they were under-skilled in meeting the growing requirement.
"Cloud computing will reshape the Indian IT market by generating new opportunities for vendors and driving changes in traditional IT offerings," Natarajan pointed out.
Companies and organisations, which have not adopted IT so far or invested in data centres and server farms will have the advantage of directly moving to the low-cost cloud model.
"For cloud computing to deliver its promise, customers need human resources with cloud computing competencies, both as vendors or as internal resources. Though there are vendors such as ours (EMC) offering the solution to customers for making informed decisions, we need to build competencies to leverage cloud computing technologies," EMC India president Manoj Chugh said on the occasion.
The findings are based on a survey of over 100 chief information officers (CIOs) and IT decision-makers in India across industry verticals conducted during January-May 2011.
"Of the projected $4.5-billion total cloud computing market in India by 2015, private cloud will account for $3.5 billion, generate about 100,000 additional jobs and save about 50 percent of cost of IT operations for Indian enterprises," the study "Private Cloud Landscape in India", by Zinnov Management Consulting and global IT firm EMC Corporation, revealed.
In cloud computing, multiple servers are used as a single platform through a digital network (website) under secured environment with access to a range of applications and tools for reducing the cost of IT operations.
Cloud computing is emerging as the next big IT service for its pay-as-you-go model, which eliminates capital intensive investment by companies, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in setting up IT infrastructure.
Spend on using cloud by information technology and back office firms, telecos, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), manufacturing and government organisations is set to increase to 8.2 percent over the next five years from 1.4 percent in 2010.
"There will be an increased preference of cloud adoption over the next five years in India. The total cloud market, which was about $400 million in 2010, is expected to growth by a whopping 60 percent annually with private cloud dominating the landscape," Zinnov chief executive Pari Natrajan told reporters here.
Though vendors with partnerships are better positioned to address enterprise needs, the survey noted that many Indian firms would have to invest in competency building to take advantage of cloud computing technologies as they were under-skilled in meeting the growing requirement.
"Cloud computing will reshape the Indian IT market by generating new opportunities for vendors and driving changes in traditional IT offerings," Natarajan pointed out.
Companies and organisations, which have not adopted IT so far or invested in data centres and server farms will have the advantage of directly moving to the low-cost cloud model.
"For cloud computing to deliver its promise, customers need human resources with cloud computing competencies, both as vendors or as internal resources. Though there are vendors such as ours (EMC) offering the solution to customers for making informed decisions, we need to build competencies to leverage cloud computing technologies," EMC India president Manoj Chugh said on the occasion.
The findings are based on a survey of over 100 chief information officers (CIOs) and IT decision-makers in India across industry verticals conducted during January-May 2011.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Facebook bans Google+ ad
Bangalore: Alarmed by the great success of Google +, social networking giant Facebook has reportedly removed a Google+ ad and banned the creator from putting ads on the site. The ad that was created by a Facebook user invited people to connect with its creator on Google+; however, Facebook decided to ban ads on its site that promote its rival Google+.
Internet geek and a web developer Michael Lee Johnson placed an ad on Facebook circulating for Google+; however, his idea did not work out as he expected as Facebook banned his ad account. The simple-looking ad had the headline which said, "Add Micheal to Google+." The text of the ad read, "If you're lucky enough to have a Google+ account, add Michael Lee Johnson, Internet Geek, App Developer, Technological Virtuoso."
However, upon banning his ad, he received a message back from Facebook saying, "Your account has been disabled. All of your adverts have been stopped and should not be run again on the site under any circumstances. Generally, we disable an account if too many of its adverts violate our Terms of Use or Advertising guidelines. Unfortunately we cannot provide you with the specific violations that have been deemed abusive. Please review our Terms of Use and Advertising guidelines if you have any further questions."
The Facebook guidelines on advertising clearly state that they may refuse ads at any time for any reason, including our determination that they promote competing products or services or negatively affect our business or relationship with our users.
Internet geek and a web developer Michael Lee Johnson placed an ad on Facebook circulating for Google+; however, his idea did not work out as he expected as Facebook banned his ad account. The simple-looking ad had the headline which said, "Add Micheal to Google+." The text of the ad read, "If you're lucky enough to have a Google+ account, add Michael Lee Johnson, Internet Geek, App Developer, Technological Virtuoso."
However, upon banning his ad, he received a message back from Facebook saying, "Your account has been disabled. All of your adverts have been stopped and should not be run again on the site under any circumstances. Generally, we disable an account if too many of its adverts violate our Terms of Use or Advertising guidelines. Unfortunately we cannot provide you with the specific violations that have been deemed abusive. Please review our Terms of Use and Advertising guidelines if you have any further questions."
The Facebook guidelines on advertising clearly state that they may refuse ads at any time for any reason, including our determination that they promote competing products or services or negatively affect our business or relationship with our users.
Harry Potter' soars high in technology
Bangalore: One of the most awaited movies of the year is 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' and with more than $40 million tickets sold in advance it definitely expected to make it even bigger. It has already recorded a business of $168.6 million in the U.S. and Canada in just three days. The movie also had the biggest international debut ever, grossing a magical $307 million overseas in 59 foreign countries. With awesome animations and mind boggling technology it is definitely heading for a record-breaking business in the box office.
The two things that make the difference this time, is its awesome animation and best utilization of Facebook and twitter in promoting the movie. Back in 2001 when Harry Potter first movie was realized Facebook and twitter never existed, but in 2011 Harry potter made the best out of the social networking sites to reach out to its fans.
Animation
The awesome fantasy world is delivered and a culminated work of a combination of companies like Rising Sun Pictures, Double Negative, Cinesite, Framestores and Industrial Light and Magic. The visual effects put together are really fantastic as give a real like feeling and takes you to a world of magic, witches and heroism. Technology has taken a leap for sure and this was quite evident in the last series of Harry potter and it was a very clean and neat show put by the Warner bros for sure.
Facebook
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' has kicked up the social media marketing. Warner Bros has long maintained a solid Facebook presence for the Harry Potter film seri
es as the studio ramped up its efforts in engagement and in Facebook app features. Nearly 29 million users have 'liked' the Harry Potter Facebook Page. In the week before the premiere which took place on July 7, 2011 the Harry Potter Facebook Page gained nearly 100,000 new fans per day. The frequent posts of images, behind-the-scenes tidbits, interviews with stars, links to coverage on other media outlets and movie trailers have lifted the fan following and likes numbers. Warner Bros has created local Facebook fan pages for a variety of different countries and languages.
Twitter
The HarryPotter Film Twitter account is not as active as the Facebook Page but it had recorded 343,000 followers, but it has done a pretty good job in engaging the users by sharing links to interview and media articles and posting photos. Photos from the event of the premier night were also live-tweeted using TwitPic.
It seems all the strategies have paid off well for the producers as it is busy making waves in the industry.
The two things that make the difference this time, is its awesome animation and best utilization of Facebook and twitter in promoting the movie. Back in 2001 when Harry Potter first movie was realized Facebook and twitter never existed, but in 2011 Harry potter made the best out of the social networking sites to reach out to its fans.
Animation
The awesome fantasy world is delivered and a culminated work of a combination of companies like Rising Sun Pictures, Double Negative, Cinesite, Framestores and Industrial Light and Magic. The visual effects put together are really fantastic as give a real like feeling and takes you to a world of magic, witches and heroism. Technology has taken a leap for sure and this was quite evident in the last series of Harry potter and it was a very clean and neat show put by the Warner bros for sure.
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' has kicked up the social media marketing. Warner Bros has long maintained a solid Facebook presence for the Harry Potter film seri
es as the studio ramped up its efforts in engagement and in Facebook app features. Nearly 29 million users have 'liked' the Harry Potter Facebook Page. In the week before the premiere which took place on July 7, 2011 the Harry Potter Facebook Page gained nearly 100,000 new fans per day. The frequent posts of images, behind-the-scenes tidbits, interviews with stars, links to coverage on other media outlets and movie trailers have lifted the fan following and likes numbers. Warner Bros has created local Facebook fan pages for a variety of different countries and languages.
The HarryPotter Film Twitter account is not as active as the Facebook Page but it had recorded 343,000 followers, but it has done a pretty good job in engaging the users by sharing links to interview and media articles and posting photos. Photos from the event of the premier night were also live-tweeted using TwitPic.
It seems all the strategies have paid off well for the producers as it is busy making waves in the industry.
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