Community Strategy - Infoedge's Brijj.com Incentivizes Networking

Strategy Critique - Incentivising Professional Networking - Are we killing the Goose?

Info Edge India Limited of the fame of Naukri.com, Jeevansaathi.com, 99acres.com had launched Brijj.com in 2007 which is a professional networking site built on the lines of Linkedin.com. Though the site was aimed at promoting professional networking and social job hunting (HR 2.0) concept, the initial response was not what they expected.

People jumped in to directly post stupid things like: get me a job. However, the site traffic kept growing (thanks to big daddy Naukri.com). However, recently to enhance the concept of professional networking in India, the portal has taken a strategy to incentivize networking.

I was suddenly surprised when some random people started sending me connection requests and I was thinking probably someone has really gone through the pain of knowing me and wants to connect with me. However, I get this mailer yesterday afternoon from Brijj.com saying:

“A trip to London could be yours”. 

Wow, I don’t mind getting a free trip to London. So what is that I am supposed to do? Well not much, just do professional networking. Sounds like a dream. I build my network and you send me to London. Ahmm…well as apparent this strategy is to promote the user interaction on the community and to get more people coming to website, however, it’s going to loose the purpose of Professional Networking. I build my professional network based on trust and previous or present working relationship shared with an individual.

However, by incentivising the networking it’s like killing the goose. My network might grow, however, is it going to be meaningful? Nah, I would end up networking with jimpys whom I wouldn’t have added otherwise. I had to reject few requests already and then I started thinking if this is the right strategy at all??

What’s your thought?

New Search Engine - www.cuil.com It's Raining Search Engines now

www.cuil.com CUIL the New Search Engine

After Scour.com with Social search now there is CUIL.com a completely new search engine. A former Google employee and her husband launched a new search engine this Monday called Cuil (pronounced as "cool"), aiming to topple Google by indexing more Web pages than the search giant.

After the Web 2.0 buzz across the globe, it looks like it's the time for Search Engines...with news about search engines every day, I feel like I am bathing in a Search Engine rain.

Cuil, situated in Menlo Park, California, is led by Anna Patterson, a former leader of Google's search index and her husband, Tom Costello, who researched and developed search engines at Stanford University and IBM. The two, president and CEO, respectively, met at Stanford.

Russell Power, the third cofounder of the group, also worked at Google on search indexing, Web rankings and spam detection. He works as vice president of engineering at Cuil.

Cuil, claims it has indexed 120 billion Web pages and can provide results organized by ideas with complete privacy for users. While on the other hand, Google, on Friday claimed it had discovered 1 trillion unique Web pages on the Internet.

Cuil said its search engine goes beyond traditional approaches by analyzing the context of each page and the concepts behind each query so it can provide better rankings by content rather than popularity. Cuil then organizes similar results into groups and sorts them by category. It also offers tabs to clarify subjects, as well as suggestions on how to refine searches.

Cuil and Scour aren't the first Google rival to launch this year. Wikia Search, a highly anticipated search engine from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, made its official debut in January. Wikia Search hopes to provide better search results by allowing a community of users to index pages by using their Web page rankings and other suggestions, as well as its own indexing of the Web.

Though, seems like the servers of Cuil are already getting heated up (image below), which is good in a way, as they would have wanted a huge traffic to come to them.

Let's see how cool Cuil is?

Ahmedabad Blasts Update - 16 Blasts, 10 Killed, 100+ Injured

Ahmedabad Blasts Update

According to the sources on NDTV, now its over 16 blasts in the Ahmedabad City which has left 10 killed and over 100+ injured. The scene is really chaotic right now in many parts in Ahmedabad with police trying to shoo away the people with power. This is in favour of the people only as you never know how many blasts have been planned.

Veerappa Moily just now gave a statement that take these blasts as a unified case of blasts and shouldn't be politicized.

Lal Krishan Advani said political angle is not been considered yet...however, later on the agencies can look at that angle too.

These statements are in the wake of the BJP led governements in the cities where these blasts have occured. Agencies like SIMI etc are under scanner now.

I would again like to re-iterate to keep safe and follow the tips which I suggested.

Sachin Uppal: Ahmedabad Bomb Blasts - Update - 9 Blasts, 2 Killed 20 Injured

Sachin Uppal: Ahmedabad Bomb Blasts - Update - 7 Blasts, 2 Killed 20 Injured

http://sachinuppal.blogspot.com/2008/07/ahmedabad-blasts-6-blasts-in-30-minutes.html

http://sachinuppal.blogspot.com/2008/07/ahmedabad-bomb-blasts-6-bomb-blasts.html

Ahmedabad Bomb Blasts - Update - 7 Blasts, 2 Killed 20 Injured

Ahmedabad Bomb Blasts - Update 2 - 7 Blasts, 2 Killed 20 Injured, as updated on NDTV.

It's a really disheartening to see how bad the situation is becoming on a daily basis in India. Yesterday, teams were sent from Rajasthan and Delhi to Bangalore to probe the bomb blasts and even the national security guard (NSG) teams were checking the blast sites and trying to find out cues on the sources of the same.

It's becoming evident now that these are all similar kind of blasts which are low intensity blasts and done to disrupt the local population with their daily activities and instill terror in the country.

The perpetrators of this crime should be brought to justice.

News updates:
HamroPalo.com
A2to.info
theindian.com

Blog Updates:
Danny G Sam
Hindustaniat
Paras Shah
Indian Raksa
Ankit Rawat

More updates to follow...

Ahmedabad Blasts - 6 blasts in 30 minutes

Ahmedabad Bomb Blasts - 6 blasts in a series within 30 mins. These bombs were allegedly planted in soft targets like Cycles, Tiffin Boxes, Buses - and with evil intentions in crowded areas ... more news is awaited.

Places where these bombs were planted - Maninagar, Bapunagar, Isanpur, Narol Circle, Sarkhej, Haksar

Ahmedabad Bomb Blasts report: - at around 7.30PM

There are reports of 6 bomb blasts in Ahmedabad - this is as per the news showing in NDTV news channel.

Kindly share if you have any information regarding this.

TIPS to keep safe in a time like this - A public appeal to all Indians:

• Please keep away from crowded places.
• Try to avoid traveling for few of days.
• Inform any suspicious activity to police immediately.
• Keep general vigilance in and around your vicinity.
• Do not spread panic, relax and help others.

Keep safe.

Ahmedabad Bomb Blasts - 6 Bomb Blasts Reported

Ahmedabad Bomb Blasts, 6 Bomb Blasts reported till now

While the IT City of India, Bangalore was just recuperating from the Serial Bomb Blasts yesterday, now Ahmedabad has been rocked by series of 6 bomb blasts.

Just one day after the bomb blast in Bangalore, today, serial Bomb blasts have rocked industrious Ahmedabad city of Gujarat in India. Till now 6 bomb blasts have been reported. The effected areas are Maninagar Chowk , Raipur , Bapunagar , Isanpur , Narol , Naroda , Juhapura.

These bomb blasts have occurred in busy areas like market places, buses etc. There seems to be a lot of chaos already.

Also, refer to Paras Shah's blog for the same.

Bangalore Blasts – Update 4 - Series of blasts - Terror Strikes Bangalore

Bangalore Blasts – Update 4 - 8th Blast - Series of blasts - First Time Ever in Bangalore

Bangalore has largely been a safe and sound city to stay in. Most of the IT companies find it as the safest haven with the best of talent and mostly stable political situation in the city. Even though the infrastructure of the city has been a area of concern for many organizations, however, with most of the positives these things take a back seat.

25th July's Serial Bomb Blasts in Bangalore which lead to at least 1 killed and over 6 injured shook the city. These were low intensity blasts, however, this opened the city to the first ever serial blast risk. After Delhi and Mumbai serial blasts, Bangalore has been on high alert however, things were peaceful in the city. But after this series of bomb blast, things are different now. Even though the city is quickly recovering from the shock, the government and police needs to make sure the security is stepped up to the next level and such instances do not occur again!

A recent update seems to point out that there has been one more blast which is the 8th in the series now

Below is the - City News and Blog Update - News and related updates from across the city:

NDTV LIVE video reporting

Economic Times Reporting - Terror strikes Bangalore, Sensex ends lower

Neha Singh – Reuters UPDATE 3-Seven small blasts hit Indian IT city of Bangalore

Yahoo News - Five blasts hit Bangalore

Times of India - 7 blasts rock Bangalore; two killed, 20 wounded

Humsurfer reported - Bangalore Bomb Blast, 6 blasts rock Bangalore, Two killed, 20 injured, Bomb Blast In Bangalore, Bangalore News

DNA India - Serial blasts rock Bangalore, one dead

Blog updates on Bangalore Blasts:

http://justkeepsakes.blogspot.com/2008/07/blast-in-bangalore.html
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/07/25/india-bomb-blasts-in-bangalore/
http://rimahadchiti.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/bomb-blast-in-bangalore-today/
http://zdark.blogspot.com/2008/07/update-3-seven-small-blasts-hit-indian.html
http://sterex.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/bomb-blasts-in-bangalore/
http://amritanshuu.blogspot.com/2008/07/7-blasts-rock-bangalore-two-killed-70.html

Bangalore bomb blasts - Update 3

NEWS : Bangalore Blast : 5 bomb blasts in Bangalore - 1.30 PM 25th July
Update 1: 6 Bomb Blasts in Bangalore 1 killed- NDTV reporting LIVE
Update 2: 7 Bomb Blasts in Bangalore in 5 Locations - City in Chaos

I have just reached home and the area near koramangla and madivala seem to have been deserted. Either the police has cordoned off the entire area or people have just left the area completely. This was surprising as I was expecting the Traffic JAM which was there just 1 hour back...now it was completely calm.

City seems to be coming under control and things are cooling off. I am suspecting in the evening at 5.30 PM and 6.00 PM when many offices will have their off...things might become chaotic again. However, the way police has handled the situation till now, its commendable and I hope things will be fine by tomorrow morning.

A public appeal, if anyone sees anything suspicious please inform the police immediately and take care.

Bomb Blast in Bangalore - Update 2

Due to multiple and series of Bomb Blasts in Bangalore this afternoon many offices have announced holiday for the rest of the day. Bangalore police is reporting that it was triggered by a timer and some gelatin based material was used. All these bomb blasts happened apparently in just 12 minutes (NDTV reported).

I tried opening AAJTAK's website and it didnt even open, NDTV has done a good job in keeping people informed and updated on the same.

As many offices have given off to the employees, the roads have been jammed. Large IT companies like Wipro, Infosys and TCS has not given the half day off and they are maintaining calm at their campus. Most of the roads are having chaotic traffic and jams because of this. 

As these blasts happened in a busy areas like Madivala (very near to Koramangla) a residential and commercial hub, things might go berserk. However, bangalore police is handling the situation well and asking people to maintain calm.

From the areas affected a small portion has been cordoned off by police men.

Bomb Blast in Bangalore 25th July - Update 1

Bangalore Bomb Blast - Update 1

NDTV is airing the video Live online of the bomb blast scene and the video can be seen at:http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/videopod/default.aspx

Recent updates total - 6 serial blasts
Reported (not confirmed) 3 killed, several injured
Areas where blast happened: (reported)

Nayandahalli,
Madivala,
Adugodi
mysore road
Mallya Hospital,
Langford Road

All Cell phones are getting jammed...

Bangalore Bomb Blast - 5 bombs went off

I was just passing by the area where apparently some bomb blast happened. Even though I didn't see any scene of actual bomb exploding there, but I have heard there has been a series of bomb blasts in Bangalore upto 5 of them in multiple places.

The scene was busy with people getting anxious and asking what's going on, however I have not see anything in particular. It was all filled with Police men trying to sort out the chaotic traffic and managing people.

Bangalore has been a high growth city for past 10 years now and has been peaceful. However, it seems like many people do not want that to happen. It can also be a political unrest or some kind of terrorist act. However, in the past couple of years this has been the 3rd biggest incident of Bomb blast in a city like Bangalore.

I wonder sometimes, what leads the people to do something as heinous as this? What do they get personally out of this?

I am sure like Mumbai ... Bangalore is becoming resilient to such instances and will surely come back to normalcy within a day!

A Big Thanks to Google! - Google Adds Search Volume Data to Adwords

A long awaited but a welcome step from Google when it added the search volume data for keywords and Ad placement flexibility to the Adwords platform.

Some time back I wrote about Google's Hogwash on how auctions set prices, and my key argument was that there was no campaign data available. However, with the below mentioned new tools and features added by Google, it proved again that they are the Best and the most pioneering and innovative Search company who really listens to customer's demands and deliver on the same. Hats off to you guys!

Also, it added Keywords and placements -- together!

Now, both keywords and placements can be targeted in all AdWords campaigns. We can now use both to get better control and pricing power on the content network. (this was a big disadvantage earlier)

What can you do with keywords plus placements?

• Bid more or less for specific placements. Let contextual targeting with keywords place your ads across the content network, while you set placement bids for sites that have a special value for you.

  Selling soccer shoes? You might bid $1.00 for clicks from any content network pages that match your keywords, but $2.00 when those clicks come from a soccer fan site that's converted well for you in the past.

• Show your ad only when both keywords and placements match. You'll get the benefits of keyword targeting while also limiting the places where your ad can appear.

  For instance, set your campaign to appear only on your favorite soccer fan site, and only when the site content matches the keyword soccer shoes. You may see less traffic, but AdWords contextual matching will help make sure your placement pages are highly targeted.

Instead of creating separate campaigns for keywords and placements, you can now include both in any campaign. All ad groups now have tabs for both keywords and placements, and the two can work together to target your ads on the content network.

Keyword-Targeted Placement-Targeted Online

Here's an example: You might target the keyword roses and the placement *www.example.com*. You can let the keyword roses display your ad across the content network, and use placements to raise your bid whenever roses triggers your ad on www.example.com. Or you can choose to have your ad appear only on www.example.com, and only when its content is a match for roses.

Pick Keywords

Pick Placements Google finds pages that meet both criteria

Well, what pleases me most is the way Technology and Marketing have got married these days. It's the nupital knot which any Techno-Marketing professional would want to get into. And additionally what makes me feel elated is the way companies are learning from there customers and prospects through social media and using that feedback to come up with better product features and solutions for the customers.

A big thanks to google again!

www.Scour.com - World's own Web 2.0 Social Search Engine

www.Scour.com - World's own Web 2.0 Social Search Engine

How is scour different from anything else? What is a social search engine anyways? Can Scour - Social Search Engine gives Google, Yahoo, Microsoft a run for their money?

How is Scour different from the rest?

Scour - the social search engine, is a reward based search engine which brings in the search results from Google, Yahoo! and MSN, all together with their rankings. You can comment and vote for the search results that you get and you don't have to switch to various search engines to get the best results which are most relevant for you.

The huge opportunity this social search engine brings is to involve the individual searching into the revenue sharing model. This incentivising technique attracts the individual to come back and search on scour and nothing else.

Social search, I guess, was the only phenomenon left in the Web 2.0 space which was started by the social search engine AfterVote and is now known as Scour! Dan Yomtobian, CEO, Scour.com explains the concept behind Scour in the Video below:



What is Social Search?

Social search or a social search engine is a type of web search method that determines the relevance of search results by considering the interactions or contributions of users. When applied to web search this user-based approach to relevance is in contrast to establish algorithmic or machine-based approaches where relevance is determined by analyzing the text of each document or the link structure of the documents.

Social search takes many forms, ranging from simple shared bookmarks or tagging of content with descriptive labels to more sophisticated approaches that combine human intelligence with computer algorithms.

The Search experience revolves around the outcome of collaborative harvesting, collaborative directories, tag engines, social ranking, commenting on bookmarks, news, images, videos, podcasts and other web pages. Examples of user input include social bookmarking or direct interaction with the search results such as promoting or demoting results the users feel are more or less relevant to their query.

Some time ago AfterVote was acquired by ABCSearch, one of the largest pay-per-click search companies in the world. As a result of this acquisition, the product has a much better backing for growth and quality and its offerings are now bigger and better with this move. The original core development team from Thinking Big is still deeply involved in Scour, but it has more resources, better servers and a richer brain trust to improve the quality and accuracy of daily information search needs.

So what would be the next step? Will Google, Yahoo and Microsoft acquire stake in this company? I guess considering MS couldn't lay its hands on Yahoo!, Scour's popularity might attract MS to consider a stake.

Also, interestingly the commenting and voting attracts the individuals to look around which can also mean that click/ad revenue Scour search engine might be better. This clearly means that advertising dollars would start flowing in for Scour.

However, monetizing commenting is not that great an idea as it would lead to spam comments and would eventually be of no use to anyone. If there is no moderation / trusted member validating comments, it would lead to disruption of search results which will go against the pure reason of existence of Scour - ie Search.

As of now I am starting Scouring but the real fate of Scour needs to be determined in the coming years!

Digital Marketing in India - Agencies or In - House?

I would be publishing the blog post on "Digital Marketing in India" - Agencies or In-House where I am going to profile some Top Digital or Interactive marketing Agencies in India.

To get your organization profiled, send me a mail.

With this I will also be publishing the results of the in-house survey on "Internet marketing challenges and opportunities – 2008". To be part of this Global Survey...Click Here.