Life without Facebook and Twitter... and Watsapp?

Continuing my thoughts on 'Grown Ups'... The internet has sort of taken over our world!

The whole aspect of 'Second Life' will change! It will probably become 'life'! I was actually thinking about the never-ending debate of how technology is taking over our lives! I know that being a marketing student, and specializing in Digital Marketing, I should be utmost thrilled about the fact that more and more people will be hooked to the platforms. But, somewhere inside, I myself want to know how my mom and dad spent their days! I mean when she was my age, she did not have a twitter or facebook! So how did she keep in touch with friends? Snail mail?

What did they do when they went out? How did they make plans to hangout? I really wish I could understand, but for the life of me, I can't imagine living without my phone, or the internet!

Then I remembered the challenge that Mashable brought out, to leave social media for 2 weeks, I was up for the challenge. Like Sam Laird, I want to see the other side! How was it before facebook and twitter came along! I know its only been a few years, but honestly, would you be up to the challenge?

No social media means no twitter, no blogging, no facebook or any other social networking website. It means you can at most read mails and news. You cannot do anything much! For me, personally, I will have to change the way I use the internet! At present, whatever content I come across, originates from some tweet or facebook post! If I am not allowed to do that, I will have to focus on other aspects of the Internet.

Coming round to the student side of me, that might be a good thing. It might just help if I know how people use the internet without facebook and twitter! My father for instance, spends all day online, but he doesn't have a Facebook or Twitter account! I guess I could do with a glimpse of his cyber-world!

Despite the noble intention, I'm going to have to put the challenge on hold!I have to think about the various projects I'm doing! I need to be online to promote them! I will most likely take up the challenge during my next break - in May.

Understanding Viral Videos!

I've been racking my brains to try and figure out how I can help people using social media. The answer has always been right in front of me - people power. But it wasn't until recently that I realised the true potential of it! When a few months back, the song 'Why This Kolaveri Di' went viral, I realised the real power of social media. But I still need to understand what makes something 'go viral'. What's that one thing that made over a million people around the world watch a video of a song in a language many would not even have understood? And then why did they share it? Forget the rest of the world, why did I share it?

People may wonder, being a digital marketing student, how can I be saying that I don't understand what makes a video go viral! Well the fact is, if anyone knew the secret to make every video go viral, then there would be no questions! But fact is, the same formula seldom works twice! Despite using 'recommended' tactics to promote NGOs and non-profit organizations, they don't gain the popularity that some accidentally viral videos do! This is the point I want to understand! Why is it that 44 million people watch this video, but not half of them will watch or share videos about missing dogs or animals being rescued, etc?



I myself showed at least 3-4 people the video, many of them showed it to 3-4 people and so I helps spread the word. So how is it that the same effect is not seen when people share information about animal rescue or any other social cause?

The questions have been ticking in my mind like the timer of a time bomb!! I still have no answer. I guess some of us liked the use of the south Indian accent. But was that the only reason people watched it so many times and made so many versions of it? No, it's not possible. Trying to understand what makes a video go viral, made me think of another video which had gone viral ages ago. Some of you might remember it, 'The Badger Song'?

Can you imagine the number of views on this video? Around 13 million when I embedded it here! But how? If anyone can solve the riddle of 'why' videos go viral, he/she could call himself the viral guru! One might say 'comedy', 'interactiveness of the video', etc. Fact is, it could be all of these plus more! The 'more' here is the mystery!

At present I'm experimenting with using the power of social media and viral videos to  promote awareness so that people will take responsibility of helping animals around them. Whether it is for helping animals or helping people, or any other purpose, understanding what makes videos go viral will make sure we can easily spread the word on important issues!

So tell me, why would you share (or have your shared) these videos? 

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!

Understanding Digital Channels

We have a new task at hand... becoming an 'expert' in different Digital Marketing Channels! My topic for this particular assignment is iPTV, Webisodes, and Mobisodes. The funny thing is, I was one of those who would rather wait for friends to download movies or television shows and then watch them--and here I am trying to understand the world of online television!

It is not a tough topic--the problem is quite contrary... it is a very extensive topic! Webisodes, Mobisodes, and iPTV are three quite different channels used for more or less the same purpose. When you watch shows on iPlayer, you are actually watching iPTV. On the other hand, there some shows which are designed primarily to be aired over the web. These are then referred to as Webisodes (web episodes). The concept of Mobisodes is still in its infancy. With more and more people turning to smart phones to watch TV, the concept of Mobisodes is becoming popular.

While doing my research, I realised something, whenever I searched for information on Webisodes, I would end up with a number of TV shows and Webisodes but no information about them. I then realised that I need to play with the 'keywords'.

Finally I have sufficient basic information on the topic. However, to get primary sources (straight from the horse's mouth), I still need to find some resources. I should be able to find something soon, now that I know how to find it and what I am looking for!

One of the important factors to remember when understanding any digital channel is that each channel is designed for a particular use and is intended to be used by someone specific (customer, businessmen, organisations, etc). Identifying the target of the channel is probably one way of gauging the efficiency of the medium. For instance, I cannot say that the concept of webisodes have failed just because kids still like watching TV! The idea of a webisode is not to replace TV completely! Perhaps someday it will, just as someday paper newspapers will be replaced by digital papers!

I guess I still have a long way to go before I become an expert in webisodes and mobisodes! iPTV seems an easier bet! It was my search for information on iPTV that got me re-hooked to some of my all-time favourite shows!

Whether or not I become an expert in internet television, webisodes and mobisodes; I will surely become an expert in which is the best website for each show!

My First Individual Assignment at Hult

Analyzing a website is not an easy task. But we, the MDM students at Hult have to each pick and analyze the website of a brand listed in the Interbrands list of the top 100 brands of 2011. When we were given the project, I presumed it was very easy; but I guess I was not thinking of it from a marketeers POV.

At first, I was very confused! But then I picked the one I thought would be interesting to do - Nescafé. One of the reasons for picking the site was that I wanted to know what a coffee brand could and would do with their website.

Although there are a million things you can suggest, implementation is not always as simple! I am sure they wanted to do a lot with the site, and will probably do so, step-by-step.

Most people would wonder why Nescafé? The answer lies in the fact that after looking through a number of websites, I could not bring myself to understand how and why Nescafé was 30 on the list! The brand was popular, but that popular that Interbrands ranked it in the top 50 was a bit of a surprise.

For the past 2 weeks I have been trying to analyze the website. While this may seem like a cakewalk, it is not quite so! Analyzing anything takes time. A website is no different. There are several theories that can be applied and various results that you get out of it.

But if there is one thing that I did understand during this time, it is the fact that there is a lot of scope for improvement on the site! Maybe someday I can make these suggestions directly to Nescafé!

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?

A Tweet is NOT Just a Status Update!

I have been thinking about the various things that people do with social media. Since I myself have started getting onto several social network sites, I realized the uses of each are different!

My biggest misconception is finally getting cleared! Twitter is not just about status updates. It is more about conversations and discussions. I know many people who read this might think, she just posted to days ago about 'Getting the Hang of Twitter', and now she says she has understood it?!

To be honest I knew the basics... Hashtags, using the '@' symbol, sending messages, etc. I just didn't know how to use it when I don't have any friends on twitter (on a personal basis)? I used to do it for the company I worked for (although for a short time).

So then I just shifted my focus, from only friends to friends plus work!

My earlier perception was that twitter is mostly used only by people who have a lot of friends (who are on twitter) and by film stars and journalists! Why? Because most of my friends were not on twitter! These perceptions have changed thanks to some friends from my Digital Marketing program. I also always believed that social networking should only be used to connect to friends. That has been put into perspective.

Social media sites may have started out aiming at connecting (or re-connecting) friends, but they have come a long way since. People now have personal and professional accounts or some simply use different media to communicate with different people.

Personally, I have started enjoying tweeting! The only part I still need to start liking in twitter is shortening the URL. Even though twitter is supposed to shorten URLs posted in tweets, I don't think it always does!

Where Am I Headed?!

Since yesterday, I have been trying to think about the top companies that I would like to work for. And the first thing to pop-up in my mind is... a blank! In our class about Career management, we were asked to list out the top 20 companies we want to work for.

Every time I would think about it, I drew a blank. Until a few minutes ago, I was in the same pathetic situation!

I just could not think about a company that I would die to work for. I have classmates who know exactly what they want, and where they want to go, and I have many friends who know what they want out of life, but to be honest, I couldn't pin-point any one company per-say!

I have heard time and again that if you work where your passion lies, then you will be able to excel regardless of anything else. So I decided to combine digital marketing with some things that I just love doing, such as:

1. Helping Animals (as always)
2. Travelling
3. Cooking
4. watching music videos/movies

I decided to fuse the thing I like most with digital marketing (specially social media marketing) to create my buzz campaign.

Though, thinking about it from a career point of view, I didn't think I wanted to merge my hobby and work life together.

I would love to work for companies that deal with travel (and maybe allow me to travel too). All the other options can probably be followed on a more personal level. Managing the Facebook or twitter account for companies in the travel sector is quite interesting. There is so much they can do using digital media! They have hardly tapped into the market.

Digital media is not just about setting up a twitter account or creating a Facebook page. The crux of social media lies in the interaction. Since I am fond of travelling, I have a good idea of what will attract a travellers attention using social media--and I know that no airlines or travel company uses social media to its full potential!

From here I began working my way up to where I want to work. Although I have still not ranked my preferences, I have a good idea about what I want to do. So the next time I walk into the 'Lifetime Career Management' class at Hult, I will have some idea of where I am headed.

Getting the Hang of Twitter

A few years back, when twitter hit India, I thought it was just another networking site--like Facebook and Orkut (Google's first attempt at social media). But then I joined it anyway. Why? Cause of all the hype created by the Bollywood stars, the news industry, etc. I realised that there are a lot of things that I can gather from twitter rather than anywhere else. But soon I lost interest in it. My account just stayed with some 20 odd followers, and with just 2-3 tweets from me!

Last year, I started using my twitter account to promote the twitter account for the company I worked in. Since I had part responsibility in maintaining my company's twitter account, I needed to learn about twitter. So I followed some companies/people talking about Social Media, only to realise that I really enjoyed tweeting (for my company). But personally, I never understood the use of twitter. I always thought it to be more of a corporate tool, for companies to make brief announcements!

When I decided to get into social media marketing, I knew I had to understand twitter in-depth! Sadly, I have still not got a hang of it. I am still quite clueless of how to increase twitter followers for just a regular person!

When you are a star or a company, you tend to get followers, whether you like it or not! but how do you get followers by tweeting about your daily life? Is anyone really interested in what I am doing personally (since I am not yet a big personality)?

I have always had my doubts. This being said, we have repeatedly been told in class that since we are in the field of digital marketing, we must be on all the channels out there! And I couldn't agree more...

So to change my way of doing things, and to get used to twitter, I have decided to use twitter regularly from now. My tweets at start may be quite ridiculous, but I'm sure I will get the hang of it soon! But till then, I will not post anything directly to my Facebook Account! Everything will happen via my twitter account.

So here goes At least a month (if not more) of no Facebook posts! Twitter twitter twitter...