Snapchatting the World!

Recently I came across this new app for Android and iOS called "SnapChat" which lets users click pictures, take videos and also lets them add text and pictures to it. These pictures and videos known as "Snaps" can then be shared with  friends on your list. 

So you must be thinking what the big deal is when so many more apps let me do that! Well, you surely will think otherwise when I tell you that this app lets you share these snaps with your friends and will delete them soon after they are seen! Now that catches your attention huh!? SnapChat lets you decide the time limit for how long your recipients can view the snaps. It could be anywhere between 1 and 10 seconds, post which the snaps shall be hidden from the receiver's device and deleted from SnapChat's server.

(SnapChat's logo is called the "Ghostface Chillah")

SnapChat is a photo messaging app developed by Stanford students, Bobby Murphy and Evan Speigel  in 2011 as part of their final year project. It has been pretty long (2 years) since this app got released into the market. Apart from the millions of downloads and fame, what gets interesting is that, FB had recently tried hard to acquire this startup and got turned down. This is one of those few startups like Twitter that chose to stay on their ground and not get sold off. Though the app has been misused enough in the most obvious ways, it is an bold idea worth developing. 

So this left me wondering... Despite the fact that there are on an average two startups opening up in India each day, why is that the silicon valley startups get this big in no time and Indian startups take a really long time to even get identified? These were some of the reasons I thought are different about them and us: (this may not hold true for all Indian startups)

1. In India, having no job is a sin! It's a sign of incapability, leave alone trying to assess his/her ability to employ others. So, most tangential ideas are wrapped up even before they take form  

2. Risk taking is looked down upon by many startups. Here, the focus is more on customer behaviour,  current market behaviour and we  often shy away even from the thought of trying to create something the world would not have thought of. 

3. As for us, our biggest fear is acceptance,be it when building things or when coming up with lateral ideas! We think more about others than ourselves, so we do not believe in our own idea much. So anything, we think could change the world has a greater chance of getting diluted and discarded. On the other hand, the silicon valley guys just mould their ideas with no questions asked!

4. The feeling of "boasting-about-oneself-is-a-bad-thing" has been drilled deep into our Indian minds which majorly differentiates Indian startups from the startups abroad

However, with more talented young minds stepping into the business world each day, let's hope more Indian startups get there soon.

The App can be downloaded here: 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.snapchat.android&hl=en

Source of info about Snapchat: Internet
All views mentioned above are subjective 

Shopping on Wheels

It was a real surprise for me when I first noticed a government organization own an e-commerce store in India. The store with railway tracks in its background and the logo on the top will clearly shock many who are unaware of this. It is none another than IRCTC, a wing of the Indian Railways. They own an e-commerce store that sells anything from apparels to electronics, home décor to sports items. The store currently offers close to 30,000 products from 500 brands. It also offers free shipping on a purchase of or above Rs. 500

The IRCTC e-ticketing site contains a link to this store at the top. The moment I saw it, I began to imagine IRCTC trying to sell branded goods to passengers in trains just like the airlines companies do up in the air. However, to my delight I realized that this was not the case and it was  purely an e-commerce store. The store management was handed over to Yebhi.com, which handles both the user interface/design of the site along with the supply chain operations. This is one obvious reason for why the site more or less looks like Yebhi.com itself. Now how does Yebhi benefit from it? 

1) It gets its share of money for handling the look and feel and operations of the store

2) It gains access to the IRCTC database through which it can expand its user base immensely

                                                 

Though the site seems pretty good and well equipped, there are a few notable things here:

1) Though IRCTC is one of the most visited sites which assumes a daily footfall of 1.2 million visitors, it still carries with it loads of complaints such as the Server being down, issues of slow network, loss of money when the ticket was not booked and so on. Despite the kind of reputation it holds for many, the fact that they dared to venture into the click and mortar setup that has nothing to do with railways is shocking and perhaps a daring move

2)The site however requires you to re-create an account to shop here. You aren't allowed to login with your regular IRCTC login details

3)The site is more or less like any other e-commerce stores of today and hence does not really have a visible differentiator except for the fact that unlike many e-commerce stores that are suspected to pack up and leave somewhere down the lane, IRCTC's store may stand its ground longer.

4) Expect for the link to their site in the e-ticketing portal, the site is pretty much not advertised elsewhere. So, are we looking at a company that is planning to do business online without advertising much online?

5) The IRCTC store has no social presence at all. No login through social networking sites, no exclusive Facebook or Twitter pages. Perhaps they prefer preventing complaints on a public domain than having to confront them.

Nevertheless, the site is user friendly and has a simple design, so saves a lot of customer's time and effort. I would really hope the site improves over time and stands as a firm example to many more budding e-commerce players. 

You may visit the store here: http://www.shop.irctc.co.in

Info and Image Courtesy: Internet

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!

ShyCart.com - for all the products you shy away from

Despite all the open-minded talks and broad minded thinking, we ought to confess that there are many products even today that we shy away from buying/asking for. We either have representatives sent to ask for them or have the medical store guy deliver it straight to us. Well, this will no more be a hassle because there is a new startup out there addressing this gap. It is called "ShyCart.com"

ShyCart is an online store for both men and women (though it is majorly inclined towards the female needs) selling products which are often embarrassing to purchase in person. They cater to the needs of women of various age groups. Also, ShyCart mainly focuses on products that are not readily available in general stores near us. Through this site, all you have to do  is Order and pay for your stuff online and they will deliver your products to you in discrete packing.

Apart from the basic shopping facility, they have also provided some interesting additional services. like "Ask the Doctor" and the "Tips" section- which is structured more like an FAQ section, answering some essential questions pertaining to both men and women. 

In my opinion,  this is an excellent initiative because this site addresses a gap that was existent for a very long time in our society. It eases our job, making our secret purchases even more convenient and easily-accessible from anywhere and everywhere. 

Here's the link to its site: http://shycart.com/

Email = Google or Yahoo ?

If that's your notion as of today, you're so not aware of all the awesome features other mail service providers out there are offering. All the mail servers you must have heard thus far may have included Gmail (which has more or less become synonymous with the very term e-mail), Yahoo mail, Hotmail, Rediff mail and a few others that offer closely similar services. But let me tell you about a very interesting e-mail provider called BigString.

 Big String: 

How many times does it happen that we badly regret having sent a mail in anger and disgust and just wish we could take it back? Often right? How cool would it be to have an email that you can edit, delete or even cooler; self-destruct itself after sending ? It not just happens with James Bond. Now, it's even possible with you. Bigstring let's you do that!

Some cool features of BigString include:

1) It lets you recall, edit or delete the email sent by you even after the mail has been opened by the receiver

2) You can track the number of times your email had been opened by the recipient

3) You can make arrangements for your mail to be self-destructed after a certain time limit

4) You can send password protected emails ; a password that only you and your recipient   can share

5) You can also send in mails that cannot be forwarded or printed

Interesting huh? Well, though Bigstring has its own pitfalls the services it offers are truly remarkable and it is an info worth sharing around!

P.S: Currently the site has gone offline but it's worth a shot once the site is up! 

How Popcorn joined the movie business

How often does it happen that we go to the movies and not buy popcorn? not very often right? Have you ever wondered how pop corn had become an inevitable part of the theatres?  I too did not until one of my professors mentioned it in class. So, i decided this would turn out to be a pretty interesting story to both know and tell. So, here it goes...

Even before pop corn was seen as a snack, it was used in making small garlands that women wore around their head when dancing during the 16th century. Eventually, it was introduced as a snack that was sold in carnivals and public fairs. The world's first portable popcorn machine was invented in 1885. Ever since, people began setting up popcorn shops of their own and since it was as cheap as 5 cents a bag, sales began to sore high. 

One great coincidence that happened was the inception of Nickelodeon's theatres that attracted huge crowds, so much so that the popcorn vendors found this place a lucrative one to sell their popcorn (of course outside the theatre) However, the theatre owners were annoyed by the smell that these vending machines left behind after use.

Then, there came the Great Depression and movie sales began to plummet. But, popcorn sales remained untouched. So, owners of movie theaters had no choice but to invite the smell inside the theatre that once seemed so annoying to them. That's when the theatre owners decided to setup their own popcorn vending machines inside the theatres so as to attract people. This worked well for them and that's precisely how popcorn entered the movie theatres.  

Two interesting events took place during this time. One being the advent of Television that massively hit the big guys' business, i..e. the Movie Theatres. Secondly, due to the prevailing conditions during the World War II, sugar distribution began to drop. So, availability of candy had become scarce. This further boosted the sales of popcorn giving it the everlasting position in the theatres that it still enjoys till date. 

Info source: Internet

Do you know your Virtual Value?

The Value of a person is pretty subjective. It can have multiple notions. However, in our physical world, we are apparently talking about the person's social status or his/her economic level. Now, we obviously spend a lot of time in the virtual world everyday right? I meant our social media and cloud presence. So, do you know what's your value up there? Tricky huh? Well, not very! 

In a world where information is power everything holds a value. You and I as normal people may not realize our worth but, businesses out there do! Marketing, Sales, Distribution, etc. are what people say as elements necessary for a business. But Information forms the nucleus of any business. Though, it is not explicitly mentioned it is implied. How would i know whom to sell my product if i din't know there are people out there in need of it? It is as simple as that! So, as an individual, your tastes, preferences and  lifestyle are important sources of information. While people can make money out of it by catering to your needs, there are also people out there who make money by selling this basic information.

Hackers could gather this info about you, not just you but of many many people without their knowledge and make a database out of it. They sell this info out and you may not even know until trouble actually starts peeping at you!

It is surprising to know that there is a way to calculate your value in case a hacker were to use your information. This application is called the CLOUDSWEEPER! It is a research project  being conducted at the University of Illinois, Chicago by Peter Snyder and Chris Kanich. This tool helps users understand the online risks and makes them confront the necessity to secure their accounts.

Once you choose to run this tool, it requests for permission to access your gmail account. However, it does not ask for your credentials. Cloudsweeper then sweeps through all the information in your account that may seem lucrative to hackers. It then puts a value to your account, i.e. indirectly to you. For example, Apple is worth $8 and Amazon is worth $15 as of now! The important thing to understand here is, greater the value of your account, higher is your risk!  (The value referring to the money a hacker could earn out of your account)It only indicates that your account is more vulnerable! This does not end here! If you are interested in working on this vulnerability issue, Cloudsweeper offers you ways in which you could deal with your security essentials.

Sometimes we pass on our passwords through mail and never anticipate that they could be stolen. It is also possible that some of you hold one password for all of your accounts. So, technically speaking  in both the cases, one account of yours could hold the key to open multiple other accounts that belong to you. Never thought so right? There is so much such info that we unknowingly hold on the cloud without encrypting. Cloudsweeper  offers to encrypt such info for you. 

Cloudsweeper makes use of OAuth, which is an open authorization standard to access user accounts without getting to our credentials. This enables users revoke their access at any point of time.

For everyone who thinks they aren't really exposed to such vulnerabilities, since they are normal, this tool is a reality check. So, start clicking to know how much worth your virtual self if!

For cloudsweeper tool click here: https://cloudsweeper.cs.uic.edu/

Content and Picture Courtesy: Internet