Internet and Indian youth are two inseparable threads that are weaving the face of our nation at the speed of light. Books and newspapers are fighting a losing battle against what is becoming the future of a more modernized and globalized India. If we have to summarize India’s future with internet in a nutshell, it is nothing less than brilliant.

Here are some of the ways in which we have categorized these points:

1. Greater Internet means cheaper internet: There was a time when having an internet connection at home was meant for the richer upper class, or for people who were supposedly more “advanced”. These days not having an internet connection at home is equivalent to not having any butter in the fridge. With the large number of internet connections getting installed each day, the cost has gone down and has become easily affordable for all.
2. People’s worlds are on the web: From online shopping, to booking flight tickets, everything is done online. With the increasing stress at work, people do not have time to shop or even get groceries. Making these facilities available online, the younger generation is becoming more and more dependent on what can be ordered online and home delivered.
3. Social Networking: People in India, especially the younger generation sleep and eat through popular social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. No one has the time or patience to wait. Instant chat and messaging through such mediums has become popular and this trend is only inclined to grow forward and not backward.
4. Employment: With so many job search portals like naukri.com and timesjobs.com people now have a quick step solution in finding the right job. The process has become simple for employers as well since they can hand pick the best from any industry and the entire process is uncomplicated and free of any error.
5. The 3G craze: Everything can be easily accessed through mobile phones since they now come with a 3G technology, and this further strengthens the bright prospect of internet in India.

The world is shrinking with every passing day because of Internet. What happens somewhere in America can reach the Indian News Desk real time because of the speed at which information is transmitted. In 2010 India was ranked 4th in terms of its Internet users across the globe, and that was just 3 years ago! India is advancing and social media is catching up faster than anything else. The wireless age would be nothing less than extraordinary in times to come.

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Webinars may seldom be charming. However, they are the most widely recognized application of business to virtual space. The ball got rolling with globalization driving internet and social media towards business virtualization.

Professionals work online, train online, and worry more about online reputation management than about the relations that they share with their colleagues. Within all this, webinars consume a significant and vital space. Let’s face it though; they are boring and unbearable to the extent of torturing. Moreover, they seem like a one way ‘forced’ conversation. Since they are obviously ultimately boring they don’t have a great success rate. How do you turn the tables then, and make them one of the best ways to capture audience interest? Here are a few tips:

Bring Out the Blog: Pre webinar blog posts often give people a fine idea about what the webinar would entail. They work like an energizer and motivator.  Keep the blog crisp and concise. Don’t give out the details here. The blog will serve as a guide or a manual to evoke participation in the webinar.

Focus on Industry Updates: A webinar without current industry updates is like stale bread. You can’t make anything out of it. Facts and figures are important; and so are trends. Even if there is nothing interesting to talk about, the way you present the numbers can make the whole difference. Invite people to comment on the trends and talk about what they think about progress. Ask them if they see progress happening, or otherwise.

Understand Audience Behaviour: People are likely to pay attention to other social media platforms, happily chatting their time away if they encounter even a bit of boredom during a webinar. Analyzing and understanding audience behaviour and reaction is a way of predicting feedback. Mock webinars can help you get more accurate results.

As the adage goes – first impressions are the last impressions – so is the case with webinars too. A welcome slide for the webinar should hook the audience. Your half the job is done there and then, is it? No! You need to proceed in an equally engaging manner to make your webinar a hit.

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P.S. this is not to say that Google isn’t already leading.

A lot is expected from Google in 2013. With Facebook changing its search strategy it is expected that Google with unveil its new tactics as well. Till that happens (if it really has to) let us look at what the markets contemplate:

1. An Unbeatable Google+ - Even though Google+ is well developed and has a number of uses, n one has really bothered to use it till date. Add-ons and upgrades are expected in Google+ this year and so is a better marketing strategy. For those who don’t know Google + is already considered far better than Facebook in certain categories. In 2013 users want to be the cream of social media. Maybe till date Google + has not been able to make a mark because it is trying to capture an audience that has.
2. Google Growth - In 2012 Google grew both in size and in operations. In 2013 it has to keep up to its expansion plans. The industry expects Google to own the companies that it acquired in the year gone by.
3. Better Awareness about Google+ - It’s sad that a remarkable innovation like Google+ is going waste because no one understands its purpose clearly. It’s not just a social networking site; it’s a social backplane service. The larger goal is to connect the data from all around the world and not just the people. The smaller agenda is to enhance information sharing.
4. Android 5.0 - The world wants a better android in 2013 and wants Google to beat the rest in coming up with the change. To stop the world from turning away from the Android fever Google will have to innovate in time.

The Internet is a pretty place to delve in. And 2013 will bring many more interesting features to keep busy with the net. Industry trends point out that there is a bigger and better on the cards. Will it be Google all the way in 2013?

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As the Internet is saturated with a plethora of websites, the only thing that can make a website stand out is its design. Design plays a crucial role in defining the overall experience of an Internet user on the website. The points listed below illustrate the impotence of web design for a business.

1.       Initial Point of Contact: For most of people, the initial point of contact with an organization is the organization’s website. Keeping in mind that the first impression is the last impression, the design of the website shapes the overall image of an organization in the mind of the relevant public.

2.       Effective Communication: A website often plays the role of the primary source of information regarding an organization. It is important that the website coveys the information effectively to the visitor. The website’s design must present the information well so that it is readily accessible to the user.

3.       Stand Out: With an appealing and intuitive web design, an organization can easily stand out among its competitors. A website is also a great tool for small and medium scale businesses for projecting a formidable image to their key demographics.

4.       Greater Business Prospects: A website says a lot about a business organization. An efficient web design will efficiently communicate the ideology and purpose of the organization. With only a little investment, websites can increase the scope of their potential clients and business prospects.

5.       Connection: A bad web design can eliminate all possibility of establishing a discourse with your relevant publics. If your web design seems to be unique and innovative, it also projects a positive image of the organization.

The website of an organization must carry a design that is intuitive and confirms with the overall ideology of the organization. A good web design is not something optional but critical for the success of an organization in the contemporary scene. So, get your website designed by the experts today!

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We are sure to have a unanimous opinion of not understanding one bit of South Korean music sensation PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’. In fact that ‘s the only phrase that one can spell out of all the jibber jabber but can give him some credit, which is to let everyone around the world share the video or at least comment on this video on their Facebook page once. It’s crazy but it’s there and people love it or the better way to put it would be ‘hooked’. So, the question, what’s with everything from some sensible to absolutely nonsensical things going viral on social media?

There’s no corollary but there’s definitely a psyche behind why things go viral on web, especially social media. One thing that goes inevitably with the given situation is the availability of the Internet. Technology certainly has made things easier to be shared and people just can’t wait to do that. It’s like starting up a whole new platform for gossip and self representation is a big part of it. So, one shares a song, an article or a blog to carve that special niche of ‘self’. We do not deny that sometimes it goes without any deep purpose but just for the sake of it.

An interesting facet to sharing of viral videos on the web is the psychology of association. Self-identification with a genre of work is undermined over the bigger picture of getting attached to the crowd so, if a friend gets to like a video, one feels like liking it, tweeting about it, sharing it or commenting on it. It then, would not boil down to matter of opinion but the fact that it was noticed and ‘you’ participated.

Another side to it is more rational, like the feeling of getting attached to a cause, which is closer to heart. This may be anything from a personal choice of perfume brand to saving the environment or going vegan. The motto behind sharing is getting others to know, spread awareness and join the cause that one is so passionate about.

Before we close the discussion, shared here is a video that speaks of a unique research done in the area, enlightening us on the sides of why people share before embarking on the marketing side of how to get the content shared. So, the first five and a half minutes of interaction adds a new perspective to the view of ‘shares’ that goes ‘viral’.

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Blogging has become a fairly popular activity due to which thousands of new blogs surface every day. The challenge is how to stand out and build a genuine base of followers.

1.    Build Individuality:  A blog is something very personal and it must carry a personality otherwise it will just be another webpage. The Internet is saturated with generic content and people read blogs to break this monotony. Always accentuate your posts with a personal touch to make your blog essentially unique.

2.    Maintain Consistency: There is no substitute for posting regularly on blogs as it naturally generates a trail of followers. Posting consistently also ensures that your followers have minimal trouble following you blog. Greater content on your blog will also help your blog to rank better on search engines.

3.    Interact: Interaction is central to the very idea of a blog. You must respond to comments so that your audience feels involved with your blog. Techniques like polls can also be used to invite opinion and feedback from your followers.

4.    Talk to Them: A blog must talk to the readers not inform them. No matter what kind of information you share, your writing style must build a rapport with your audience. Know your audience and write accordingly. Wittiness and humour also helps to build a bond with your followers but it must be used with caution.

5.    Accentuate the Content: Your page should not look like a chronicle of information. Adding photographs and videos will enable your blog to cast a better impression on your readers. Your blog should also have a well defined structure, so that the reader can navigate through your blog easily.

An ideal blog is a unique, creative and personal webpage. It must project the individual personality of the author. There are no set rules that pertain to blogging. So, never be shy of doing something out of the box.

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Music only exists in digital form in the contemporary realm. The vogue of CDs and other recording formats is also waning as music is mostly bought though online stores. This phenomenon started in the early years of the 21^st century with the opening of iTunes store. Music is now available on the Internet in universal formats such as MP3 which can be easily accessed across all platforms.

Buy One, Not All

Advertising techniques for music has also undergone a major shift.  Unlike before, one has the option to purchase songs individually rather than the whole album. This not only proves to more economically viable but also more efficient. You can also rate the songs which helps other customers with their buying decisions. Most online music stores also feature songs that are most downloaded and top rated. These lists also play a critical role in influencing the decision of the buyers.

Listen Before You Buy

Music stores also offer the option of listening to the preview of the song before actually purchasing it. The preview of the song serves as the advertisement for the song itself. The major advantage of online music stores that they provide access to a humongous collection readily. The music is organised under genres which you can access as per your taste.

Get Recommendations to Get Music

Advertisements are also projected in the form of recommendations. Online stores generally keep a track of your purchases and recommend songs on that basis. Users can also post reviews for songs and share their views about any song, album or artist. Online stores also serve the function of social media as users can interact and share their interests and ideas.

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Social media has given advertisers a powerful tool to connect and influence the younger generation. Owing to the increasing penetration of Internet, social media has emerged as one of the most important elements in the advertising mix. However, conventional media like television still maintain their stronghold on the India subcontinent.

Ubiquity: Though, the pervasion of Internet has been remarkable at the least, it still cannot match the ubiquitousness of television. Television is something that is rudimentary to every household while internet is still somewhat accessorial.

The Reach: Television still continues to be the closest bet to a universal medium. While television connects with almost all demographics, social media can only reach the urban and semi urban population. Social media is still light-years away from reaching rural and backward areas.

Simplicity: Social media certainly cannot compete with the simplicity of the idiot box. Television can be operated and understood by most masses, even the illiterate. Social media requires its user to be internet savvy in order to exploit its potential.

Targeted Approach: Social media extends advertisers, the privilege to acquaint themselves with their audience. With social media, advertisers can adopt on a highly targeted approach and tap on niche markets.

Feedback and Analysis: Advertisers can never garner instant and accurate feedback for television advertisements. The number of views and popularity for a television advertisement can also be only ascertained. The feedback and statistics of any social media campaign is instant and accurate. Due to this unique advantage of social media, it has also emerged as a test platform for television advertising campaigns

The various facets of advertising have undergone many changes in the recent past. While television still continues to be the dominant medium, it is also apparent that social media poses a veritable threat to its dominance. From a long term perspective, advertisers cannot afford to ignore the potential and reach of social media.

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The digital age brings with it many irresistible evils, one of which is the ease of copy-paste of content freely available on the Internet. With regard to the amount of knowledge that the digital age has made, it has become so very easy to share collaboratively, I often thing what use is adding any more information when a lot is readily available to be used over and over again. Someone correctly said that “in the digital age, it’s not plagiarism, it’s repurposing”.

Speaking in the context of writing, one of the biggest revolutions that has ushered in is easy availability of copious information. We don’t even know how much text is within our reach. And here is the problem. The biggest problem that most of the writers are facing today is, not needing to write any more any longer. It may seem as the biggest paradox ever, but it’s true that with the diminishing need of having to write content, the content writing industry today is at its peak nowadays.

The focus today is just not creating content; that, the homosapiens have been doing since ages. The concern for the industry today is to negotiate the information that is available in a humongous quantity. Imagine how difficult or challenging it would be to create 20 writings on the same topics. The task ahead of writers is towering. Writers across the globe share the same content pool and creating different versions to save the work from being tagged as “copied” is smart art.

The ‘unoriginal genius’ should not be mistaken as someone who remoulds content intelligently. That definitely is a leverage that is available to them. Young writers can’t be stopped from taking cues from the given content pool. Repurposing the information according to your need has become essential. Almost everyone does that. Students do it. Writers do it. Damn! Even lyricists do it.

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The Indian landscape is certainly one of the most diverse and abundant in the whole world. Here, the old intermingles with the new with an innate harmony. While India has underwent rapid urbanization, a majority of population still lives in rural and semi urban areas. In accord with these changes, advertising has also evolved to cater to the unique India demographic.

The Feel Good Factor: Ads that simply purported to the various the benefits of the product are fairly outdated. Now, people enjoy advertisements and seek for an entertainment value out of them. The advertisements are not focussed around the features of the product but how that product adds value to your life. The shift of emphasis has been from people’s mind to their heart.

Brand Value: Advertisers are not satisfied with the consumers making a single purchase; they are more interested in getting them to buy again and again. The centre-stage attraction of advertising is not the product now but the brand. Brand building has emerged as the foremost aspect of advertising.

The New Media: Internet is well on its way of becoming fairly ubiquitous throughout India. The sheer popularity of social media among the Indian youth has given advertisers a platform to effectively connect with a segment possessing a formidable purchasing power. Naturally, the share of online advertising in the overall advertising budget has augmented significantly. Social networking websites and video sharing websites have also emerged as test platforms for large advertising campaigns.

Targeted Approach: Advertisers now can’t afford to the stick to the “one for all” approach.  Ads are now specifically aimed at a key demographic rather than at the whole masses. Ad campaigns now consistently tap on niche markets to better establish the brand and more dedicated brand following.

Advertising has become more challenging than ever as the Indian consumer is now inundated with multifarious brands and products. As India moves towards becoming a more consumerist society, advertising also adopts to the change with innovation and creativity.

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