Thursday, November 29, 2012

Thanks for the cyber week


Once every year, technology magically transforms a week into a cyber week, claims a tech fan.

BC: Hi, did you finally buy that camera you were looking for?

AD: Yes, I had messaged my friend Mukund in the US - he got me a fabulous Nikon camera on Black Friday.

BC: Huh?

AD: It’s the day after Thanksgiving Day, when the festive shopping spree begins…

BC: So what’s black about it?

AD: A few years ago, the shopping crowds and the traffic on that day gave the American authorities and the police such a tough time that they began referring to it as Black Friday…

BC: Sounds like the various sale events we have here for New Year and Diwali…

AD: The big difference is that a lot of action has shifted to the net – the online version is called Cyber Black Friday.

BC: Technology... and Thanksgiving!

AD: Absolutely. Millions thank technology for the websites and apps that indicate the best deals and the nearest outlets where they are available…

BC: I heard that most malls and outlets have begun opening shutters on Thanksgiving night…

AD: Yup, that’s why Thanksgiving Day is also known as Cyber Thursday.

BC: With people deciding to binge on deals instead, several turkeys must have felt relieved… Guess a Cyber Thursday would help beat the rush of a Cyber Black Friday…

AD: Absolutely, Friday gets pretty manic - many websites and apps crash because of the online traffic. That would explain why most avid shoppers decide to shop on Cyber Thursday. However, for those who are more interested in their Thanksgiving dinner, Small Business Saturdays are always there…

BC: What’s that – a day for small businesses to sell their products?

AD: That’s right. While this is mostly a local event, technology - as always - lends a shoulder to promote the event through social media. Small businesses are offered web pages and online advertising opportunities free of cost to reach out to potential customers, and to offer discounts and coupons…

BC: So what comes after – Cyber Sunday?

AD: Well, Cyber Sunday exists, but it’s a pay-per-view freestyle wrestling event. Instead of chasing deals, you’ll be watching hulks chase each other inside a ring. The idea is to relax and wait for Cyber Monday, which has become one of the most happening online shopping events of the year…

BC: Don’t people have to go to work after the long weekend?

AD: They do, and quite a few of them have tried to shop online from their workplace... There have been cases of employees being fired for shopping while at work.

BC: Imagine looking for deals over the weekend and looking for a job on Monday!

AD: You bet! And as a follow up to Cyber Monday, Australian companies have added another day to the online shopping spree, called…

BC: Cyber Tuesday. Look at the brighter side of it – at least, you don’t have to get fired from work on a Monday.

AD: The real bright spot to the day is actually a concept known as Giving Tuesday – after all your splurging, you could get on to a social media site on Tuesday and donate to charity...

BC: A nice way to atone for one’s greed. Why do I get the feeling that you’ve missed out on something…?

AD: There’s a Cyber Wednesday too, thanks to companies that want to stretch the shopping bonanza for the entire week…

BC: Reminds me of the life of Solomon Grundy – the only difference is that by the end of the week, you would want to bury your credit card instead. 

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Technology to the rescue


There are times when technology kicks up a storm – and times when it helps handle one, claims a young techie.

BC: Hi, it’s sad to see the trees missing in your neighbourhood…

AD: Blame it on Nilam - she took quite a few with her.

BC: But her big sister seems to have created a lot more havoc in the US…

AD: Sandy? Some of my friends in New York and New Jersey had a tough time. There was no power for a week – and you know how almost everything there runs on electricity…

BC: With half the country shutting down, wonder how the media went to work…

AD: It was technology that saved the day. Smartphones captured images and videos, social networking sites became message boards, blogs ran articles while Twitter messages gave regular updates… In short, the local residents turned journalists and offered updates by the minute.

BC: But how does one verify that the news they give is authentic?

AD: You’re right. At times, rumours and fake news did the rounds. For instance, someone had posted that the New York Stock Exchange was flooded. This was picked up by many and re-tweeted so many times that even major news agencies believed it...

BC: I remember residents becoming journalists for a local tabloid in my neighbourhood… So, such collaborative efforts existed even before technology arrived.

AD: It’s not just about local tabloids – even TIME magazine decided to capture Sandy through mobile cameras and uploaded the images on Instagram…

BC: I think one of those images made it to the cover of the magazine, right?

AD: Right! And with social media coming in, the role of technology in disaster relief has become more prominent. Take every natural disaster that has struck us in the past few years, like the earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand last year, or the floods in Thailand…

BC: Good to know that people use Facebook for better things than wishing their spouse a happy anniversary…

AD: No kidding! Reports have it that Instagram had as many as 10 images with the hashtag #sandy being uploaded every second.

BC: For once, the general public wouldn’t have minded being bombarded with updates and messages…

AD: Well, even the authorities were on social media to reach out to people when they realised that newspapers and television would never get there. From passing on important warnings to announcing relief measures, social networking sites became the favourite media vehicle for many.

BC: I’ve been reading about the death toll and the widespread damage caused – seems like a nightmare…

AD: Reports mention losses amounting to over $ 20 billion. Sandy had become such a hot topic on Twitter that it was popularly dubbed Frankenstorm, in other words a ‘Frankenstein of a storm’. Unfortunately, it turned out to be true…

BC: Guess it just goes on to show that when faced with nature’s fury, even technology has to stand and watch helplessly.

AD: But technology did help many who were trapped in their houses or in flood-ravaged areas. There were several SOS messages that were constantly forwarded, shared or re-tweeted by many. This helped as these tweets found their way to various rescue forces and government departments that despatched teams to help those who were stuck.

BC: Back home, Nilam has done its bit to mess up the city... There was so much garbage piled up everywhere.

AD: And before all that garbage could be moved out, the streets have exploded with more trash…

BC: Another cyclone?

AD: No, I was referring to Diwali – the streets are strewn with leftovers of crackers, cartons, plastic covers and paper. 

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Shall we tag the President?


‘The US Presidential elections have found a new weapon – social media,’ claims a young enthusiast.

BC: Hey, did you watch the Presidential debates on TV?

AD: That’s 60s stuff… You should have caught the action online - it was incredible.

BC: Really?

AD: Reports have it that the first debate was the most tweeted political event in the history of Twitter, with over 10 million tweets.

BC: I’m surprised at the importance being given to social media…

AD: With almost 60% of the voters in the US active on social networking sites, neither party wants to miss out on them...

BC: So, who’s leading?

AD: While there are reports favouring both sides, Obama is generally considered more active online. He has over 21 million Twitter followers and over 31 million fans on his Facebook page. These numbers dwarf those of his Republican counterpart…

BC: Guess he had a headstart, having been President for a term already…

AD: That’s right. Social media is also being used as an analytical tool to gather data, like the response of the public to the campaigns…

BC: So what’s been the response like?

AD: Sometimes, it soars like Big Bird…

BC: What’s that - the eagle?

AD: No, Big Bird is a character from a popular series, Sesame Street. In one of the debates, Romney had mentioned that he liked the character – and soon, there were several videos, photos, spoofs and comments, all of which went viral…

BC: So now, Romney has both the donkey and Big Bird to watch out for!

AD: He also has the internet to monitor, because more Democrats have been contributing online - through websites and smartphones - to see their party win, compared to Republicans...

BC: Perhaps Republicans are more comfortable with old-fashioned methods of donations…

AD: What’s equally concerning for Romney are jibes that are creating havoc online - like Romnesia, a term coined by Obama about his opponent backtracking on his original policies…

BC: I’m sure the social networks must be lapping it all up…

AD: Absolutely! Likewise, Romney’s ‘binders full of women’ comment, which was originally intended to explain his search for qualified women to be part of his team, ended up being parodied on Twitter and Facebook.

BC: Poor man, so technology does have him in a bind…

AD: The other big problem is when your opponent has more followers – they simply take over your hashtag and ‘out-tweet’ you. Apparently, the Democrats have stolen the Republicans’ thunder at least a couple of times on Twitter.

BC: But the number of fans or followers in an online forum may not be an indication of the number of votes that a candidate might get…

AD: Absolutely. Besides, if popularity on Twitter can decide who’s going to be President, then the United States could well get its first woman President.

BC: Really? Who?

AD: Lady Gaga. She has over 30 million followers, which is 10 million more than Barack Obama.

BC: Well, the voters will truly face the music if that happens…

AD: It’s a bit like the opinion polls before an election... The final result could simply make a mockery of the predictions – we’ve seen it happen many times in India.

BC: However, whoever wins the US elections is going to feel like Superman as he occupies the world’s most powerful chair…

AD: But even Superman has acknowledged that social media is more powerful than he is.

BC: What do you mean?

AD: Well, news has it that Clark Kent has quit his job as a reporter for the Daily Planet and has taken up a job as a blogger in a social network…