Irrelevance - a phenomenon going extinct?

No, i did not spell it wrong, Irrelevance is what i am talking about

Entrepreneurs, Companies, Organizations, Marketers and all those who identify themselves under the umbrella of business, have begun to swear by the importance of “relevance” lately! Buy a watch on Flipkart once and more and more watches are shown to you, calling it “Relevant” I read technology news for a day or two and all i will be updated about eventually is Technology. You look for a book online and you keep attracting similar books.

Even the Facebook feed for instance will only show me updates of profiles that I regularly click on. Well, that’s sad because the whole point of being updated on the people I have lost touch with (in the physical world) is dissolved in this process. So, how exactly is Facebook connecting the world again?

This in case of an offline setup may end up being quite different. Let’s assume I love science fiction as my favorite genre. If I end up buying that book online, the internet has the lovely habit of showing me books of the same genre over and over again! So, I might not even end up attempting to look for what’s new in other genres. The purchase happens and the story ends. But imagine I am in a book store (a physical one) despite the fact that my eyes may first look out for science fiction, I will not miss on the opportunity to eye other genres as well. You never know which book may just impress you and you buy it, read it and what next, it might just end up giving you the next big idea in life! Does this show irrelevance is important? Am I missing it online?

Steve Jobs as we all know is a great businessman, a charismatic leader and everything under the sun that we can take inspiration from. Think of him and Technology is what comes to your mind first. Well, he chose to learn Calligraphy back at college! How irrelevant right? But as we know this helped him design the world’s most awesome GUI feature, “The Fonts”. If only irrelevance was so irrelevant, how could Jobs connect those dots in his life? How could he end up being charismatic and legendary?

This is what uxmag.com talks about calling it Meaningful Serendipity, it's all about surprising customers/users with spontaneous results. This i assume will soon be a great part of our Digital World. Does it sound like dejavu? like good old times? Ofcourse yes! Well, I am not against the wonderful algorithms that tailor content to my taste, however what i am talking about is excessive personalization that's narrowing down my world, my knowledge in particular. Don't you think?

The Aam Aadmi Party Jhaadu!?

I totally understand the urge of businessmen to cash on every opportunity that comes their way. Sometimes they could say, "We bring light into your life", when all they are selling is a matchbox! Well, all is fair in business and the more creative you get, the better shall be your results. 

Opportunities are such a must-catch for them! Look at the Cycle Brand Agarbatti's ad, one would easily comprehend what I mean by saying "cashing-on-the-opportunity"

Also, let's not forget the Dhoom 3 special apparel and accessories that were up for sale on the Great Online Shopping Festival's website this December. Well, all of this put aside, here's something that tops the list unanimously!

The Aam Aadmi Jhadu! They are up for sale online!? What a smart move by Tradus.com to use the success of AAP to brand an un-branded good (simply meaning people don't really care which company makes them. It's a basic utility item) The AAP jhadus are being sold at a startling price of Rs. 5/-  The price holds for the first 1000 customers, post which they shall be charged Rs.19/-  Is this a one time stunt? or will we end up seeing this develop into a strong brand for broomsticks!? 

"Join Anti Corruption Campaign in Delhi. Pay Rs. 19 for this brand new Aam Aadmi ka Jhadu and celebrate the birth of corruption free NEW India." is what the website says. Converting a new political wave that's inspiring many into currency is ethical? funny? Well, that's pretty subjective. But, from the business viewpoint, I would call it a smart move! 

Many may mistake this for a fund-raising initiative, but it gets funny when you realize it is not! While the Aam Aadmi Party is busy raising funds from people by convincing them of their motives, here's Tradus.com investing in their fame. 

So, what are your opinions on this ? 

Check out the AAP Jhaadu here: http://www.tradus.com/campaign/aap-offers

Source of pictures and basic info: Tradus.com, http://www.aamaadmiparty.org/page/aap-mobilises-17-crore-in-funds, http://news.oneindia.in/new-delhi/aap-jhaadu-being-sold-at-rs-5-on-e-commerce-stores-1369964.html

P.S: All opinions are purely original and not intended to promote the product or Tradus.com

A world full of Jargon

Out of the many things that fascinate me about the world of business, usage of Jargon is one thing that takes a toll on me. It's not about the very existence of it, but my concern lies in the misuse of it. 

3 reasons why I strongly believe Jargon are a total no-no. 

1) The Vision and Mission statement mania: I do not know if it is just me, but I somehow land up not understanding the vision and mission statements of most companies. I'd rather skip it than try and understand something that totally makes me feel like a foreigner there! If mission and vision are things so vital for a company, why is it deliberately sentenced so against normal understanding? 

2) The Unwanted abbreviations: "The best way to get our customers to talk in this situation is by using the FGD mechanism", said my fellow student. FGD!? Oh a focus group discussion. right! Sorry that didn't strike me soon and certainly disrupted my flow of concentration. Now my question is,  how much time and energy did we actually save up by making an abbreviation of an otherwise easy to understand term? How much do I approve of the very "Focus Group Discussion" term will be a story I will save for another day.

3) If you can't convince, confuse : Sometimes people play around with jargon when they clearly cannot prove themselves. I once happened to read an undergrad college's educational brochure that says "We offer contemporary globally acceptable and holistic curriculum" There was another college that said, "We offer World class holistic global education" Ok! Now I don't really know or want to know how they differ from one one another. This is what I personally call a forceful usage of Jargon! 

Scientists say we practically use only 1% of our brain. I opine that it's not because we don't attempt to use the rest of it, but because half the things that interest us in the world are covered up under the necessity to understand the veil over them- the Jargon. Our interest soon dissolves much before we reach anywhere close to it. 

People say "It's easy, it's not Rocket Science" If not for the horrifying jargon around us, may be someday many of us will attempt to even understand Rocket science too!

The Secret Decoded

Observation and Association are two major forces that could totally transform the way you are engineered to see the world. Out of the numerous such links i try to draw about the world around me, here's something interesting i wanted to share.

Like the Secret, by Rhonda Byrne says, "When you incline yourself keenly towards what you wish in life and keep visualizing it often, the entire universe will come together to bring it to you". I am sure you were as inspired by this as i was. Seemed believable and for many, it was practically tested and proved too. 

We know business entities try to cash on every little thing that catches their attention since profit generation is their oxygen. Well, they would use this highly imaginative concept too, who had seen this coming? Or may be that's what i see it as!

You visit an online store today, Facebook is suggesting you similar ones the next day, you buy something in Jabong today and Gmail keeps routing similar sites to you while Google asks you to buy more! Even YouTube keeps suggesting more videos matching your previous choice . Does this ring a bell? Isn't this a sure shot implementation of the "Law of Attraction". You visit a site today and immediately all the social networking platforms are on their way routing similar sites to you. 

We totally understand that these platforms try to analyse our activities to provide us a customized service in the process of creating a feeling of "life-at-your-footsteps" But here comes the question! Does my buying a pendrive today from Flipkart indicate that  i'll buy more each day until i buy so many of them that i land up opening my own store? Certainly not! So, probably Google or Facebook should try and show me other electronic gadget offerings rather than bombarding me with pendrive ads from similar sites from the time i buy a pendrive. 

In this field, Law of attraction may hold good at times but definitely not always. Though it may not seem like a lot of disturbance, improving this aspect could help social networking sites improve their service. 

P.S: This is a purely original observation of mine and not a fact that this service has been inspired by the Law of Attraction.