New Years Resolution!

It's that time of year - when you start thinking about the year gone by, and the year that lies ahead. Nearly everyone thinks of the same thing - I will change this year! It will not be the same as it's been all these years! It has to be different.

One year later, you think of exactly the same thing! I've been trying to think of my new years resolution for ages!!! Ever since mid-December... and I have come to one conclusion - I will not keep it anyways, so why bother thinking of one?!

Nevertheless, I did make a resolution, and true to new year resolution rules, I did not stick to it for even a day!! But I will start (hopefully this year itself!)

So what was this big new years resolution that I thought of - decided to keep it simple - Finish what I started!

NOAH - I'm going to take the next step and make sure NOAH works the way I wanted it to!! 1 hour a day, that's all I will spend on it - the YouTube series, the website, the blog, the facebook and twitter accounts - anything and everything!

Some day soon, I will start working on it - Again!! 

A new series, and a new episode!

So I created another web-series for the Network. This video is about animals planning to help us, cause they think we are just to messed up to do it for ourselves!

The series is titled 'The Takeover', since it is about the way animals will be taking over our lives. But this is no ordinary 'takeover'! The only reason the animals are trying to takeover is because they feel that during this troublesome time (recession et al), we need help in surviving. Since they have survived for decades without any worries, they are now going to help us, mankind, survive! But will they be able to? Don't we humans tend to put them down generally?

Last week I also released the second episode of 'Every Little Bit Helps'.

Chris makes the pitch to his boss with the presentation, but what do you do when you have a boss who is just not willing to see anything beyond numbers?! The boss has given him a challenge! From here on, the story will go the way people want it! If he has enough supporters for his cause, he will go ahead with it, if not...

Since the series in meant to show people the kind of problems that people trying to help animals face, it is best to get people to direct the story!! I have thought of keeping it simple: If you support Chris, like the video! If by the time the time runs out, Chris does not have 50 likes on his video, then he has not won the challenge! Simple, isn't it?

So I made my first web-series a few days ago. I know last time I wrote about starting a travel blog, and I have, though I have not gone public with it just yet!

The video above is my first shot at seeing how I can use webisodes for marketing purposes. Since I am a student, I do not have the liberty of splurging money around. That is why I have started using YouTube's Video Creator Apps. The best thing about it is that I am just getting to know the app. I love the fact that there are different kinds of videos that can be created using the apps.

Some provide animated characters like the ones I used above. However, there are also other kinds of videos which are more useful for people who want to make video presentations.

Fact is that while doing my report for my digital channel, I had to explore the world of webisodes and mobisodes. That was when I realised it. A picture says a thousand words, then a movie?

Every Little Bit Helps is a series about young adults who are trying to change the way people around them think. This episode starts showing the hostility and attitude a large number of people have to the very concept of CSR.

As of now, this video was released on 31st January, 2012 and has received 73 views. I realise that the number may not be extraordinarily high, but nonetheless, at least it reached that many without any advertising (apart from the few tweets and facebook posts). I have till now, not spent a penny on my NOAH campaign. But have managed to get around 205 followers (of which I only worked at getting the first 120 or so)!

If NOAH does well, I will definitely be on cloud no 9! I just need to put in a bit more effort!

A special campaign for NOAH

I have been trying to think of a special campaign for my 'buzz campaign'! Personally for me, NOAH has turned into more than just a buzz campaign. It is something that I have believed in for a long time, but was just not able to bring it to 'life'! Now that I am 2 weeks into the campaign, I have managed to bring about a 100 fans to the page! But now I need to think about ways to increase this number.

People may say that with time and through word-of-mouth the name will spread and people will realise the use of the campaign. However, I have decided that since I am learning digital marketing, I will use some of those techniques to build on NOAH as a brand! By New Year, the aim is to get 1000 fans on Facebook.

Think I can do it?

I am sure I can! Yesterday, I spent about an hour on the page, and got around 22 fans! Now I know that is not enough, but I think it's a start!

But just getting likes on the page is not enough. I need to push people to actually post stuff and interact with the page. Which to my joy is actually happening! There are new posts that are shared by those who like the page. This also means that through mere engagement, people will start spreading the word.

The idea behind NOAH is to build a non-commercial, non-regional network linking people worldwide but for a specific cause--helping animals. What better way to do this than use platforms that link people already--like Facebook and Twitter?

113 to Edgware

Sitting on the top floor of bus no 113, I can't help but look down on everyone else (coz of the height of the bus, off course! But maybe I should re-phrase that, since I don't look down too often! Most of the times I look straight ahead. I wonder how many people pass the same route and how many of them actually remember any of it.

For those who have never been on route 113, here are some pictures:

You may look at these pictures and wonder where they are taken ( if you don't know where in world I live)... They were taken in London... just not something you will find on postcards (if you use them anymore)!

So you must be wondering what a stupid topic to blog on, but the fact is that most of us, spend very little time logging what we do everyday... TRAVELING!

There is so much you do and think when you are going from point A to B.... But not many of us remember what we thought about on the bus... So I named this little post of mine after a bus that takes me to school and brings me home again! I have a number of things on my mind right now...

Firstly, wondering if this a new city will become my home forever, or will it just be for a year... To be honest, I am split in 2 or maybe 3 minds! I want to stay, I want to go back home and I want to go to a third place...

Just one look out, and I realized how similar something's are to delhi... The minute it rains, the traffic slows down like a flood hit town (in both places)! And then it clears out within seconds again!

Coming back to what I was thinking about, the second thing on my mind was NOAH. It's a social network project that I took up for myself. The idea behind it is to use the Internet to benefit animals...

People may think I am obsessed with animals, but then that is just how I am!! I have a weakness for animals and birds, and in general nature. Since we have such a wonderful thing such as the Internet, I wanted to put it to better use!

When one connects to people with similar interest, by default it happens within ones own country/region. However, with the Internet and social media taking over our day-to-day lives, it has become quite simple for people to get connected all round the globe!

It was in Prof. Ronan's class that I came up with the idea. He told us to create a 'buzz campaign' for a cause we believed in. The minute he said it, my mind raced--animals, animals, animals... How can I use the campaign for them? There are tons of rescue pages in every country... And then it hit me... I came back that night and just kept thinking about it. The next day, I decided that come what may, I was going to start off my campaign, and so I did!

My sister helped me choose the name, since NOAH is an acronym, and the real name, 'network of animal helpers' is not used by anyone else, I chose it.

My stop is nearing, and so I must leave... More the next time I am traveling by 113 (or maybe when I just feel like blogging!)