One of the things I am glad I am not carrying in from 2011, this year, are the barrage of text messages on my cellphone. Back in 2009, I wrote about mobile SMS spam. Back then, I used to accumulate 51 short messages in 3 days. Early in 2011, I was accumulating 51 messages in just a day! That’s how bad it got. Then the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) came up with a beautiful plan. They said, “No SIM should send out more than 200 SMS in a day.”
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How Ford India spoilt my day and made it at the same time
I got a car. My first car. And it was quite an experience getting it. As the days went by, the experience turned sour around every turn. I was tempted to blog about it but I had vowed to myself that I would not write anything in public till I get the car.
Like any serious shopping decision made, after more than a year of research, contemplation and personal budget analysis, I (we) decided that we cannot do without a vehicle of our own anymore. And part of that research was to find the right car at the right price. Ford India had released the Figo more than a year back and it seemed a perfect fit for our requirements.
We went on July 20 and booked our car at MPL Ford (Taramani branch), one of the dealers for Ford in Chennai. We were told that the average waiting period for the Figo is 20/22 days. August 10 was set as our delivery date.
I don’t want to write about all that happened separately. I captured it all in an email I sent to the Managing Director of Ford India, Michael Boneham
Management lesson at the barber’s
I am not a big fan of visiting the barber. So the fact that there is a barber shop right next to my house helps.
Anyways, it was not my regular barber at the shop this time. It was a young boy – maybe 16, 17 years old. There were no other customers when I stepped in and this guy was busy cleaning shelves. (Not a good sign!)
I checked with him and he asked me to wait 2 minutes. And the haircut was on.
He was slow. Didn’t use a lot of water (which they normally do in haircuts). I was worried I was going to walk out of there with a bad haircut. I wanted to tell him to use more water because he would get better control of my frizzy hair. But I stopped myself. (My thought: Either this guy is nervous and he will nick me or he may actually have his own method for cutting hair. If I tell him to do it my way, it may put him off and I would actually walk out with a bad haircut). So I waited. He finished. And it actually looked as if my hair was chewed on.
You suck at PowerPoint
Presentations have been a very dear subject to me. More than the actual deck, the whole art of capturing your audience’s attention is what makes the presentation come alive. Unfortunately, I have found no easy way/cheat/hack to get that technique. Some people seem to be naturally good at it while others struggle to make connection with their audience.
The presentation deck is a tool that is used to complement your thought process / talk. But boring presentations are made and sadly, the person writing this is also guilty of the crime.
Michael Hyatt posted this presentation from Slideshare today. It is a great presentation by Jesse Desjardins and I strongly recommend going through these slides for some great points and ideas.
Tradeshows 101: Starting out on the tradeshow circuit
I did a simple Google search on managing tradeshows and I noticed a lot of stuff on tradeshow management was written by booth suppliers or vendors and there were none really written by company personnel (like me) sharing their experiences on and off the show floor. So here’s my series on tradeshows/event management.
I will start with four rules that I use every year.
- Start early.Think 1 year. For those of you who haven’t gotten into the rhythm of the events tune, one year may sound like a lot of time. But it is true, a lot of things can happen before one year. For one, all the key slots/booth spaces for next year’s event get booked at this year’s show. So if you want a good spot for next year’s show, make sure you meet with your sales rep during the show.What if you weren’t at this year’s show or you decided to do the show for the first time? Then you don’t have a choice. Try to book the show as early as possible to get best pricing and a good location. More than the pricing, it is the location that matters.
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User Conference New York – Update [PICS]
We wrapped the ManageEngine User Conference in New York City this week (March 22, 23). It was a great show – in terms of content, participation and energy. We had a packed room at Park Central Hotel – 112 attendees, excluding the organizers.
In terms of content, we had a great keynote presentation from Dennis Drogseth, vice president, Enterprise Management Associates followed by presentations by ManageEngine personnel and customers. We also had a customer panel chaired by Dennis, which got very exciting – we extended it by 30 minutes. You can read more about the event here and here.
Some pictures* from the event:
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SuperMoon Pictures – March 2011
On March 19, we witnessed the SuperMoon. The term “SuperMoon” was coined in 1979 by Richard Nolle and defined as
“a new or full moon which occurs with the Moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit. In short, Earth, Moon and Sun are all in a line, with Moon in its nearest approach to Earth.”(quoted from the Wikipedia page)
SuperMoons occur every year as the moon orbits the earth. But the supermoon that occurred on March 19, 2011 is one of the closest in 18 years. More details here.
Took some pictures last night. The moon looked the same to the naked eye like any other night except it was brighter. But when I looked through my lens, it was definitely bigger than the last time I captured it. Here is what I saw:
Shades of SuperMoon - a play with white balance
If content is king, design is queen
You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But the cover of the book is what makes -
- the reader pick your book from the book rack.
- the recruiter choose your resume to read from the pile.
- a girl look at you in a crowded club.
- the impression you make when you walk into a room of strangers.
When you think design, do not limit it to the usage of colors and images or to what is printed on paper or on a website. Design encompasses the layout within a retail shop, the font style, size and structure on a research report or even the clothes you wear everyday.
If you notice all successful businesses, books, artists, people – they all have good design. I have yet to find something great but with poor, crappy design.
Concert Photos: Mighty Thunder 2011
On Jan 21 – 23, I attended a three-day live concert in Cochin, Kerala, India. It was a christian concert with artists from all over the country. You can get more details about the event at mightythunderconcert.com.
I got the opportunity to photograph the event and I loved it. It is the first time, I went all manual on my DSLR and used only my 70 – 300 mm lens on all three days.
One of the best things about covering an event like this is that you get to be in front of all the action. :)
So after10.5 GB and 3600 photos, here are some of my best frozen moments:
The Indian Marketing Revolution
In India, we have had our green and white revolutions. We are having our high-tech revolution. They are also trying for a tiger-striped revolution.
I think it is time for India to have a marketing revolution. As I make this statement, I acknowledge that, as a country, we have some great companies, products and services. We are also known for great creatives and campaigns. But I am not referring to the few who are successful or to a particular function within marketing but to the general attitude towards marketing (and how that can apply to our everyday, sometimes personal, life).
The reasons why I think we need a marketing revolution are plenty and just to list a few:
- Everybody seems to be doing the tried and tested. Nothing new!
- Involvement (at different levels) seems to be at an all-time low.
- Poorly executed marketing strategies (not just flyers, but the whole works sometimes)
Go figure!
I made seven posts on this blog this year (eight, including this one). Yes, that is pathetic!
If I resolve to make a post every week in the new year, will I be able to keep it?
I feel like Craig Ferguson who keeps talking about his crappy set and how nobody watches his show. He actually has an amazing show with actual guests and is very popular.
Go figure!
There really is no substitute for content and consistency.
Pictures: Gazing at the moon
My fascination with the night sky started very early. I could stare at a star-filled sky for several minutes (I never could do hours because I could never find a nice place to lie down and stare at them!) Anyways, when I got my camera, I had the opportunity to capture those moments. But, I faced two problems:
- It was and still is too dark at night.
- The only thing bright enough for me to capture with my camera is the moon. And if you don’t have a tripod, it is going to look like a very bright, shaky studio light.
So I got myself a tripod and read up on the right settings and this picture here is my pick from the first lot.
In case you are wondering if I encountered a blue moon, I don’t think I did. That is a result of the White Balance set on Tungsten.