Been a tough last 6-7 months. Been disappointed with myself...Unhappy...things have not worked out in pretty much every way possible....Lost some really genuine friends...Lost some great chances at being happy...picked up bad habits...lost them ...picked back again...no discipline...no focus..Gained weight...Totally unlike the person that i have always been proud of being...And then there is one fine day when one decides...this is it...Lets take control...Maybe needed a push and a tug...AND like it always does..came from inside...So that i felt like blogging today...meant that i am pretty much getting back!! :) Thats a good sign...SO here goes the samurai..starting again after a long hiatus....You will keep hearing from me more often then folks....

cheers,
Samurai

Creating a War Story - 2

So much happening in life suddenly.. work taking its toll... Personal front busy...in the middle of a crucial phase of career...So as the Samurai sat down today.. waiting to start the 2 (big if not biggest) days in his career... he wonders...what hut and speh would have said or what Dr. Kuruvilla would have said... Kuch kijiye na sir.. target poora karna hai na sir... Its a very funny feeling...Honestly, more scared than anything else..... so will it get sealed... will all end well? Will the internal and external stakeholders be satisfied? Obviously what keeps him running is the belief that there is immense hard work and thought that has gone into it.... The fact that he genuinely believes that "he belongs".... Rest without being fatalistic.... God will take care.... but butterflies are there.. If this works out.... the war story will be written down in part 3 & part 4. Its a range of emotions on all ends and he still has to focus... will he wont he... time will tell :)

Creating a War Story

Its exciting, gut-wrenching, scary, excruciating.... adjectives galore... but the Samurai still can't come up with the correct word.....Maybe its a heady mix of all of the above, but it is definitely a defining moment...The result will separate the boys from men....For all of those who do not know... i talk about events on the professional front....Will the Samurai end up a war hero or a damp squib.. time will tell...The only thing that keeps him going is that there is honesty in effort... there is no malice towards anyone and he is working hard because he genuinely believes he can make a difference... Kim Woo Chong... (not the best guy to quote..but nonetheless).. once said... "There is a time for everything... before that you can keep trying and you will not achieve success".  Without sounding fatalistic, let me assure you, the Samurai does believe in that... Whether his time has come :) Time will tell... However one thing he can promise, and that is effort!! He has applied every single word of what Dr. Mohan Kuruvilla taught him in his B2B sales class.... For those of you who can relate to it or who have read my old posts... the answer is simple... "Sir Kuch Kijiye na sir... Target poora karna hai na sir" :)

So long....

Cheers,

The Samurai

Barrack Hussein Obama

The Samurai has been observing Obama closely for the last 6 months. The rise of  the young, charismatic and intellectual Barrack Obama has been nothing short of inspiring. The way he has motivated crowds, gathered money for his campaign, he became a symbol of hope not only for the african-american community or Americans, but for the entire world. His popularity cuts across race, religion or nationality.  And as he took oath today as the most powerful man on earth, one could not help but wish the man good luck!! 

He appears to have a plan and a backup for just about everything. His south asia policy however still looks a little iffy. Whether his lack of foreign policy experience will be exposed  in handling rogue south asian nations  or for that matter the west bank, ghaza crisis - only time will tell. How he handles economy will again be a key parameter indicating the difference between promises and results. Will he? Will he not? There is hope all around...

One just wishes maybe our leaders also rose above partisan, divisive politics and take a leaf out of his book. The way this country respects its soldiers is an eye opener. Being an army officer's kid, it is just hurting when one sees the callousness by the way our army is treated. One just gets a feelign its not for no reason that america is one of the greatest nations in the world. We are no less, but we really need to learn.....Maybe its eloquent speeches with sharp messages that has led the Samurai to take barrack for his word, but all said and done, the man definitely has something special in him......Go Obama!

Cheers,
Samurai 

Greed is Good....Satyam

An unfortunate story again..... The reactions are pretty much as expected.... Everyone out with their own judgements... The anti-outsourcing lobby trying to make it an Indian Outsourcing fiasco rather than an isolated incident.... SEBI and others washing their hands off it.... The directors claiming innocence....Every Tom Dick and Harry out with a version of their own....Some coming out with "Raju Poems and limericks"....The samurai certainly is not a fan of all of this.

I mean seriously, if anything it is sad.... maybe we all need to look into ourselves and ask oneself if there is a little Satyam within each one of us.....Almost all of us do.. this ladies and gentlemen is not about an individual or a company or an industry also, it is about moral degradation of society as a whole.... Its almost like the Michael Douglas in Wall Street....( "Greed is Good" ) streak in all of us that is coming to the fore. The Bernie Madoffs' and Rajus' of the world are merely carrying it out at a larger scale.... May sound idealistic but maybe its time we all thought about improving ourselves and at things around us... the world would definitely be a better place to be in....

So much about idealism... Infosys has strongly come out with a statement saying that we should not go after Satyam clients and staff. While i am sure there may be other reasons, but to let go of an opportunity like this is indeed something which speaks volume of Infosys top management....Maybe we all need to take a leaf out of their book .... My respect for some of our leaders just continues to grow.....

I guess the samurai will have to end the ramblings here......For now! :)

cheers,
The Samurai...

Who has won against time?

A thought that just came to my mind today... Events in the past 24 hours have been exciting, painful,scary and amusing at the same time....The usually unruffled guy suddenly took a step back and thought... :) Is this going to happen? Am i going to loose something professionally? Will the cliche .. Sh@$ happens!...happen to me?? Who will be to blame?

But then, adversity has always brought the best in the Samurai.... Is this one going to bring out something new in my character?? DG always said... "No need to take tension. Think what is the worst that could happen. Trust me, once you think about it, it will not appear so bad"  So today when scary economic conditions threaten the Samurai's job, he wonders.... What next?  Is this going to be the beginning of what the Samurai always wanted to do?

Last time i went through this, i realised how strong i was.. it was mental strength which came out to the fore.... This one for personal and proffessional reasons presents a new challenge,While nothing is cast in stone, the worst may or may not happen, but first time in 2 years it made me sit back and realise... you never know... and for the umpteenth time in life, a voice came back.. "I BELONG"...  

Let's see how things pan out, but a tough last 6 months have taught me a lot!! Hope rules......

cheers,
The Samurai

A Spineless Nation!

The Samurai just wonders... is this what India is all about? Petty politicking to feather one's nest and no patriotism ... just bickering and lip service. The ruling party has been acting like a wuss for a long time now, their incapability to control terrorism, removal of POTA, appeasing statements to terrorists... all of this has led the nation to a state of hopelessness.. A state where you have blasts and firings everyother day and the value of life is at its lowest.... I see some status messages on gtalk which say "Just Another day... firings, blasts and more deaths".... That ladies and gentlemen says it all....

Sad isn't it??? Some clowns attacked US and they made sure they taught the perpetrators of crime a lesson... Israel has been doing it for years.... why cant India do it? Till what time will they continue with this soft , weak response? How much is enough? First up the government should be taken to task!! What have they done to keep the country secure?? If anything.. they have failed miserably.. once twice... again and again... India has a hostile neighbourhood.... Even termite sized countries are now showing us teeth on our eastern borders... When is India going to stand up and show some authority and as Dubya says... "Smoke them out of their caves!!"

When will India target the section of population which is the miscreant without targetting any particular religion? When will India' s self-acclaimed leaders in the ruling party stop the appeasment policies for vote purposes? When will the world stop taking us for granted?? As a sad Indian listening to some incredibly stupid analysis in a foreign country on a channel which often calls itself as the best TV channel in the world!! They still do not accept the perpetrators were trained and funded by our neighbours! 

Shivraj Patil quitting as HM or PC taking over the role...will not help. Where are the concrete measures... Our PM looked more like a mouse when addrsssing the nation. All Bush jokes aside... his response to 9/11 was very heartening... All follies aside, he has ensured that 9/11 like things never happend again in US... That is action... 

Hope is what guides the Samurai!! Will the true Indian stand up? Will we finally show some spine and do a crackdown on terror? Hope Floats......

Music changes things!! 

Tell me about it! When selling seems like banging your head against a iron wall, when whatever you do turns cropper, when one keeps telling "you belong" to oneself and still results do not show up, trust the Samurai it is not a pleasent feeling to have at all . But then whoever said it was going to be available on a platter!! The going is tough!! ..That in a nutshell sums up how things are going.... There have been a few bright moments as well,  the grey honda accord, some good friends here.... But in general things have not been lookin up. Last couple of weeks, the mornings have not really given a "this is your day"kind of message to the Samurai. So when one of the friends shared some good music, he was like.. wonder how much that will help... Played the songs in the morning and trust me everything seemed normal again. The zing was back and it felt like a good day. The mood is chirpy and hencethe blog!! So friends no magic pill... no divine enlightenment, but  just the thought that good music can change things, a cheerful mood dragged the Samurai to get back to blogging for the umpteeenth time. Hope this stays!  Note Atul, a blog on Dada and my driving exploits :P is still on!!

So long!

cheers,

The Samurai

A Thankless Nation!!

My heart goes out to these guys... Sachin Tendulkar.. the great man!! "God" as he is known in my circle... 12000 runs.. 1st man to do so... and our media celebrates it with a caveat that .. It took a long time coming... I mean come on!! The man has given you some of the most exhilrating moments and has done you proud for the last 19 years!! Is this what we are about as a nation??

Another one... Sourav Chandidas Ganguly.... since come back in 2006.. 1810 runs at 47.63 with 3 centuries including a double century...Only 4th man after Sachin, Gavaskar and Dravid to complete 7000 runs in test cricket for India. 127 runs in the existing series with 2 notouts leaving him with a staggering average of 127!! Not a single word of praise from anywhere!! No picture of our man on any website!! A small mention somewhere... These guys are gunning for his head for long now... Funny thing is that our skipper this year.. the celebrated "young" man averages a lowly 25.45!! Funny right?? No one baying for his head? One just wonders.... is the media blind? Or is it a consipracy to pack off the seniors...

Just some random thoughts....... Think India Think!! Maybe we have some introspection to do...

cheers,
Bhanu

Made In China!!

This happened on a recent trip to NY. Now, it was a rainy saturday afternoon and yours truly and friends were not carrying any umbrella. Picked up a cheap $5 Made in China umbrella from WTC station. The three of us had merely walked say a 100 paces and boom!! GG's umbrella gave away. I was just marvelling at my masterpiece when it fell apart too.. We stuck to our guns and persisted with the battered umbrellas.

This incident happened near the famous Bull at Wallstreet. Abhik was trying to click our pic. It was still raining and we were somehow managing to hold on to our umbrellas. A bunch of Chinese ppl (5-6) were standing around clicking as well. They saw our umbrellas and scoffed at us and said.. hehehe look at their umbrellas :) Do you want to use ours for the pic! Well somehow that jibe felt like below the belt hitting....And out came the Samurai with a quick retort.....

"I hope like hell you guys are not Chinese ppl" The gang got excited and said Yes we are Chinese! :) Which is when yours truly remarked!! Look what country is selling to the world!! This (raised the umbrella) ladies and Gentlemen is what "Made in China" stands for!! The entire bunch was so surprised at the quickness that they did not know where to hide!! Within no time our Chinese friends went missing and Abhik, GG and myself gave them a roaring send off! :)

It was a funny incident... and something thats going to stay with all of us for a long time to come!! Suddenly realised how one does feel more for the country when away! Did get a good taste of the NY night life....Anyways, loved the city.. As karan says.. you either love NY or you hate it!! For once the Samurai is on the right side of things!

cheers,
Samurai

Back Again!

Adios Bangalore (My last pic there)! I guess left blogging once the shifting process started...

Back to blogging at last!! It's a weird thing....For someone who has always been so organized and has a "give me this and a little more" attitude, things are suddenly not under 100% control.. It's a funny feeling to have :) The last couple of months probably have been the most hectic ever for the samurai. Shifting locations within India is a pain, but to move to a new country and without much help.. baby.. its a different ball game all together!!

Nonetheless here goes, reached gora land a month back... and since then its been a comedy of errors for me...bank accounts not opening.. getting taxed for a different state.. salary going to a wrong account... Acct payables increasing like anything...funds drying out... a possible SSN compromise... getting furniture and finding parts missing...having no clue where to get the next meal from and what to eat in the first place!!.... its been hilarious to say the least... No idea how long this will last... but all one can say is ... this gotta go too!! :)

The only silver lining has been the work front... getting pretty much what was promised and what i aspired for.. big shoes to fill... tons of responsibility... business going down.. slowdown.. competitors eating into your share... to pull it back from there is going to be one hell of a story.. and gut feel tells me... Baby watch out for me!! It's exciting, depressing, exhilarating, humbling.... and challenging all at the same time... A lot to learn and hence the learning curve is huge... To be honest.... I think this is where my first job post MBA has started.. Before this it was all balderdash...Whether i will kick a$$ or not.. time will tell.. But as the McDonalds punch line goes.. I'm Loving it!

About this country.. prima facie looks like a nice place... any outsider will have a torrid time for the first couple of months and then life will become better if not Jazz! So i guess i am going through the transition. Driving is still a major pain.. Can't get myself behind the wheel.. Can't just muster the confidence.. There is no point in being adventurous and ending up paying huge money on car damages :) so better learn the rules before one hits the road.... Setting up house has been an experience as well... have not even managed 20% of it as yet... I guess it will take time.. but even this has been one hell of a journey.... Nothing to write home about except that one learns :) Have not it the gym or the pool and i guess it has started showing a bit!! So was the first day at gym here today.. which is when the samurai thought.. maybe its time to get back to action!

I'd like to revive the sales blog which i used to write and get that going quickly... I guess i have enough thoughts on that end... So hopefully, blogging after a hiatus will continue.... will have tons of experiences to share.. I could write so many of them now but don't want to sound like a "Just Landed" :P. Signing off for now!

Cheers,
Samurai

Adios mangalore!!

This is the last post from Mangalore... the beautiful port city...Well to be honest, the Samurai was mostly with thyself here... but still there something really endearing about the place, that one now leaving with some mixed emotions... There is something about the place (and i can't keep a finger on it) which made me muse over my stay here for the last 2 months!!

Mangalore is a small city with an even more "in the face" small town culture! Everyone seems to know everyone and talks about it... You find all the amenities... a bowling alley, multiplex, malls... everything is there, but still something which makes it very earthy and likeable. People (though did not interact with too many , hence generalisation is a risky thing!) appear to be very chill, not too ambitious, smart (let's say not as simple as they look)... The beaches are beautiful, mostly virgin with very little commercialisation, places around mangalore are even more pretty!! Weather is very calicuttish and hence felt at home a wee bit! :) All in all... even though most of the time was spent in office or confines of my room (courtesy IPL), as i leave i feel maybe i should have explored it a wee bit more!

Which brings me to what i have been watching on the idiot box off late... I have always maintained that we Indians love to celebrate mediocrity! Average people are turned into super humans just because of media frenzy... But maybe times are changing.... You listen to some of the singers that we have on our reality shows today.. some of them are really amazing! They have raised the bar so high now, that an average Indian watching the show has a vastly improved musical sense. People now expect to hear some high quality stuff only and amateurish stuff just won't do. Any flaws in singing are exposed and not tolerated... So much so... that I was listening to some of the audience discuss at a music competition in Infy.. Most people were catching the mistakes easily and some of the comments / observations were so astute and educated (a la the reality show judges) that one wondered if this was a one off case of avid connoisseurs of music... or is it a general phenomenon.... Just made me feel good that for once.. we are not settling for anything mediocre!! Sadly though this can't be genrelised to some of the music dished out with movies...

Another observation ( and a little disturbing) is how we (read Indians) because of easy media accessibility have become loose cannons and without being responsible about our comments, we consider it a privilege to over look our responsibilities and point fingers at others!! A case in point is a TV show where in a bunch of socialites and literati were belittling IPL and how it has commercialised cricket! Irony was, that (none of them had anything to do with cricket!! ) some of these (literati) need to conduct marketing and PR events by calling celebrities to release their books (mind you none of the books have been a success). Now with people like this pooh poohing the commercialization of cricket... it was getting out of hand. I mean come on... what's wrong with it. You sell your books and do a lot of marketing... that is all right.... you open up news channels.. make stories out of absolute trivial incidents just to get some TRPs....you write fake movie reviews so that people can go and watch absolute rubbish!! and then point fingers at some one else who is trying to make money and also trying to improve the standard of cricket in India!!

Another amusing story is about our health minister... who instead you don't improve the health and safety conditions in India.. but blame SRK for consuming liquor in films.... Now how interesting is that!!.. What has India come to?

Rising prices.... Re appreciation, India's growth or lack of it.... recession in US... everything seems to be the government's fault! As if the worldwide economic conditions are not even in the picture... they behave as if we are an insulated economy totally unaffected by the world outside and with supreme power to do anything lying with the government of India!! Anyways.... maybe the samurai is getting a little carried away....Time to sleep :)

Adios Mangalore!!

cheers,
The Samurai

Cometh the Hour Cometh the man!

CB Series final. Everyone pointing fingers at the little master. His once close allies (read Sanjay Manjrekar) calling him the white elephant! What a day our man chose to silence everyone. Two back to back sterling performances and an emphatic statement with the bat! "Let me play my cricket!" I am still the same champion i was 19 years ago!

Same goes for Harbhajan Singh. After getting under the skin of virtually every non -Indian in Australia, bhajji rubbished media, the Haydens, the symonds and just about every detractor of his with 2 wickets each in both finals. And cricket being the leveller that it is, turned out to be those of his famous friends in the aussie team. This just goes on to show the kind of power media has! The kind of unmindful jingoism that it can generate if it wants to. Our simple, sometimes rustic and sometimes classy sardar was crucified without a trial in Australia. So much so, that the match refree took complaints from the media and gave statements acquitting our man!!Nonetheless, congratulations India for an emphatic win both in the CB series and the Under 19s. Virat Kohli, Tanmay Srivastava and Sangwan sure look to be the men to look out for in future!!

The Samurai for a period of 2 months has moved to Mangalore office for a short term assignment. Now, the weather and trees have a very calicuttish feel to it and the samurai is trying to soak in every thing! - The small town culture, the small company feeling where every one keeps a tab on every one else!, The wary team-mates, its all there!! All is not as rosy as it may seem, and things look not all that bright! But, as they say, cometh the hour cometh the man!! Samurai is all set to fire and make his presence felt everywhere! The effort, quality of work that a Kozhian stands for is what will drive the samurai! Till the next post.... So long!!

cheers
The Samurai!

Reasons galore!

The Samurai has always believed that everything happens for a reason. Going through Jack Nicholson's biography further reinforced the fact. Our man Nicholson, the 3 time academy award winner was on Maxim's "Top 10 Living Legends of Sex." He allegedly slept with 2,000 women. With five children by four different women; he was married once. Being infamous about not being able to keep relationships, his list of women was long (what an understatement!). His escapades along with fellow studs Warren Beatie and Marlon Brando are well known.....

One wonder's where the instability or inability to be with one woman came from. Maybe this gives us an idea. At 37, our man came to know through a TIMES journo (who had done research on jack), that the woman he called his mother was actually his grand mother and the lady he called his sister was his real mother "June Nickolson". A singer, showgirl from the "quickie marriage" town of Elkton. Apparently, as a child he often felt the need to be loved by his mother who he thought did not love him enough...... His being with different women was maybe just a way of finding or being with "The Woman". It's circumstances, a few bad relationships in addition to the fact discussed, that made him seek greener pastures everytime and not stick on to one woman..... He seemed to be deeply hurt and which is why he was a source of sarcastic quotes.... "It must be so ironic when my mother called me a SOB"!! But any of the people who were close to him always swore that he was a charming, helpful and a classy man! A talented actor, a genius who was way beyond his times....

Likewise, a look at the movies throughout his career, they were all roles/characters way ahead of their times... e.g. his brillaint role as a recidivist criminal (One flew over cuckoos nest) who is serving a short prison term on a work farm for statutory rape, and is transferred to a mental institution due to his apparently deranged behavior. This is a deliberate gambit by McMurphy(jack's character) in the belief that he'll be able to serve out the rest of his sentence in relative comfort and ease... His roles were all anti establishment, against the accepted norms and essentially cusp characters, whose time had not yet come, but was almost there... He rode the break all norms wave of the 70s and became one of the most loved actors across generations with oscars spanning across 3 decades. His characters had strangely a lot in common with is life or some of the people he was close to. So maybe sub-consciously, its the environment that made him the actor that he was!!

Again his choice of roles was not chance but a well thought out winning strategy by this well read, extremely intelligent,perceptive and talented actor. In a nutshell, Jack's biography is a good read that gives an insight into the lifestyle of hollywood stars and REALLY why life is not easy everywhere!!

cheers
The Samurai

The Wizards of Kozh!!

Perhaps the only thing that can get out Samurai from hibernation is the K factor! Going back to campus for the alumni meet was an awesome experience.. The doors, the walkways, the library, rooms, classrooms, panoramic views,NC, Backwaters, Mess parties, SCON, the verve, passion, enthusiasm, killer instinct... everything was the same.... just the faces had changed.....

Missed da E-hostel gang of DG, Battu, Dalmiya, Harshal, Pruthi, Mayank (Motu and Bond were here)...... There was this inherent urge to shout their names and call them to go to NC. The mindless banter and taking everybody's case for no fault of theirs ... an art which some of the names mentioned above mastered....

It's amazing, the way IIM kozhikode has grown over the years. Be it placements.. or the B-school rankings (Business world).. or simply the attitude or quality of students who have come in.... the change is there to see! There (IIMK) time has almost come... Wait and watch people....

The Wizards of Kozh will take it all!!

cheers
The Samurai

Lip Service at its best!

1st December - World AIDS day. Another one of those days when socialites, politicians, celebrities in the garb of "social activists" get together and make empty speeches on how we can tackle this menace at all levels. Isn't it a tad surprising that none of these social champions are seen doing anything but appearing on talk shows, debates or other such functions and crying their throat hoarse about protection and social acceptance. 3 million AIDS victims in India alone!! Who are we fooling?? One wonders how many of them are even involved in actually doing grass root level work to help spread AIDS awareness or help AIDS victims. Most of these people on TV don't even know what they are talking of. One such young lady when asked on camera about what she did on AIDS day replied - "Today i ate a biscuit from the same plate as an AIDS patient" This for me is a great achievement. I felt liberated, great, infact out of this world!!!" Shocking isn't it! .... Just makes me wonder what help such a crusader would be in the battle against a deadly menace.

So in the Samurai's humble opinion, mere talks will not do!! You don't need to join an AIDS victim helping organization. All that is needed is to be sensitive to the fact that AIDS victims need to be treated normally. Making them feel like outlaws is ridiculous! Its time we shed hypiit ocrisy and talk openly about how it can be contracted. This ladies and gentlemen is not the time to be politically correct, but being matter of fact about it. Its about fighting an even bigger menace - "Freeing ourselves" . Only if we as individuals in the society are able to fight the battle within our heads. The battle of acknowledging that this is just a disease and the victim needs to be treated with respect. It's only then that we will be able to fight AIDS. Other than that most of it is as they say is - Mere Lip Service.......

The Kar Mafia ???


At the outset a clarification that Vegsarkar, Tendulkar, Dravid, Dada and Azhar are some of Samurai's favourite players. This post is really a neutral take on how the Mumbai lobby ( "Kar" mafia as they are popularly called) and what stake they have in deciding the "First Man" of Indian cricket - Test captain of Indian cricket Team.


Now then, it's always been an allegation that with Mr. Pawar at the helm, Vengsar'kar' as chairman selectors, Gavas'kar' and Shastri as the key decision making unit, Niranjan shah the bcci secretary and obviously our little master Tendul'kar'... the 'kar' mafia has had the last word and mumbai players have been favoured. Speculation was rife that Vengsarkar and Co. had been pressurising Dravid to resign as skipper, they had made life difficult for him to pave way for sachin. But with the 'little master' doing a volte-face and backing out from captaincy race, this theory has fallen flat on its face. The Samurai's view is that Sachin has had an unblemished and distinguished career and lets not spoil things by pointing fingers.... The fact is that Dhoni has found it difficult to adjust Dravid in the one day squad. Everyone is performing and Raina, Manoj Tewari and Virat kohli are knocking on the door by giving in one good performance after another. Offcourse there is the 'Nabob Of Najafgarh' who is back in favor with the selecters as well. So dravid will have to bide his time... There is no reason to believe that he is redundant. He will lead the Indian batting challenge in Australia. So the idea is, get him in the ODI squad and play him 1 match by resting sachin or saurav out. Obviously he will play in Australia!! So, let's not disrespect a great player who has served India with distinction over the last decade. He is definitely one of the greatest to have played the game... atleast for India.

Likewise, its unfair to blame the 'kar' team too. The argument against them may hold merit, but if Mr. Vegsarkar is a selector and has been chosen, let him do his job as he sees it best..Let's not give in to the jingoism created by the media. They are paid for it!!! - What is our excuse????

Think about it.......

cheers
Samurai

Social Networking Sites - Why???

Last night at a dinner party, someone asked, “Microsoft valued Facebook at approx. $10 billion. What’s your take on why the community sites like Orkut/Facebook/BigAdda are selling like hot cakes?” This sure got the Samurai thinking. So here goes the Samurai line of thought on the issue.

Fad: That was the instantaneous response that came up! These sites have mushroomed due to viral, word of mouth marketing and gradually a cool factor has come to be associated with them. “Hey you not on Orkut!! What’s wrong with you?” “Have you tried to super poke anyone on Facebook?” “How many fans/testimonials do you have on Orkut?” Statements like these add to the popularity of networking sites. A caveat here though is that not all of these sites will be successful. Every now and then you have a new site coming up with newer features. This cool / fad factor may mean a fickle membership base and even extinction for these sites. But you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see that there’s a lot more to it than mere fad/cool factor. These sites are here to say. So why?

Social Disconnect: Our lives have become so disconnected now. Not anyone’s fault, but you cannot connect to someone for everything. There are things you can discuss with your parents and some that you can’t. Same holds true for your Girlfriend or Wife or Kids or siblings or friends for that matter. There needs to be an outlet where you can connect to people with the same thought process and point of view. Hence, the “I hate Himesh” or “I love Shahrukh” communities (Pardon me for the slightly crass examples) give you an opportunity to share thoughts with likeminded people. This connect is giving people a high which not all relationships are giving.

Cynicism: “I do it for Networking”. While this one seems to be a no-brainer, it may not necessarily be the complete truth in all cases. “You want to stay in touch with all your friends / business contacts and instead of calling them up every time, a scrap is enough to show that you are thinking about them“. But tell me honestly, would not a small email have served the same purpose? Why not go to a professional networking site like a LinkedIn? Or is it, that there are a few people whom you just want to keep at arm’s length and you say. “Boss scrap is enough. I don’t want to be too friendly”. Seems hard to believe, but have met a lot a people who confided the above statement to the Samurai.

Selling: These sites work on a simple business model with revenues from banner or text ads. They are a fantastic channel to target youth which is the primary membership base. Even job postings on these sites are getting better responses than say a monster.com. But, if the membership base falls, the revenues and subsequently the sites will fall flat on their face. Which is why new sites will come and go, but very few will stay due to business reasons. Hence these sites are in today, because it makes business sense to run them.

Obviously, there are a number of advantages like keeping in touch with friends. Nice way to make new friends, which is a big reason for popularity with the college crowd. Where else would you find an easier way where you would be able to find an easier way to show case yourself in the best manner possible with friends writing good things about you? For some, being on these sites is a great stress buster! Being a regular on Orkut and Facebook, the Samurai is not against any of these sites or any of the reasons for their popularity. So all in all, the social networking sites are here to stay and we sure will hear about them for a long time to come…
But the million $ question is “How many of them will survive?”

cheers
Samurai

A sales blog!!

As if one was not enough, here comes another one from the samurai. Had been noticing that have stopped myself from writing my musings here for the reason that i promised to make it a sales related blog. So, here goes.
Here on i have a new blog on http://dbsalespeak.blogspot.com/ This is where the sales related thoughts go here on!! Moving my last two posts there as well.

cheers
The Samurai

How Time Flies!!

How time flies!! A little nostalgic today.. Was just telling a friend about my stay at IIM K and well i'd say no regrets. Lived life king size. Loved K then and always will. It will always stay close to my heart. I guess you can take Scon out of K but K out of the Scon... Naaaaah!! Not possible!!

So here i am at Bangalore. At my work place, composing my first blog on my 12 inch Toshiba. Well, things have changed! New city, New Office, no college environs, no K junta around... no G-mid .. no E top.. things have changed .. Yes!

Bangalore is a strange place. It kind of grows on you... For someone who used to vehemently crib about bangalore is getting to like it... Party scene has not started ..coz house setting is first on the agenda! However, it does seem at times that the autowallahs have all ganged up against the samurai ! Not knowing too many people here is a bit of an issue, but on the whole life is good! The challenge now though is to ensure that weight is not gained. Believe me an IT work environ can do that to you. On the job front, pretty much what one could aspire of after passing out of a B-school. But the settling period is still not over , for someone who has always believed to live upto own standards ... i guess i have not as yet set the place on fire!! Nonetheless, people here are smart and intelligent. A great place to learn and already falling in love with it. Planning to turn this into a sales blog. Maybe i open up another one for that.

Signing off for the day for now!

Ciao People

'The Samurai'