7 Weapons Against Consumers

Here is a list of words/phrases/marketing strategies that are used in abundance nowadays by corporations to dig deeper into the pockets of innocent consumers.

1. ) Limited Time
Used in almost every industry imaginable. It is the ultimate weapon to sell either manufacturing products with defects, or with any intentional/unintentional changes that didn’t cost the company anything, at double/triple the price ( Sometimes upto 10 fold.)

2.) Limited Edition
Exploits the sense of urgency in customers forcing them to act quicker than their preferred comfort levels, hence causing unnecessary purchases being made by consumer.

3.) Unlimited
Take it from me. Nothing in this world is unlimited. And nobody can guarantee you anything unlimited. It is just the simple law of nature. Everything has to come to an end some point or the other. It is also often exploited with a small clause in miniature font called “Fair Usage Policy” which sets upper limits on the “unlimited” service.

4.) Exclusive
Yet another marketing gimmick, used to sell things that just require minor modifications, giving the corporations millions in profits. Customers love buying something “Exclusive” , thinking they are one of the few people buying it.

5.) Unseen Footage
Pick up any DVD and tell me if you don’t find this phrase. Combined with #1, #2 and #4 , this is the ultimate profit maker for movie making companies and publishers.

6.) Free
Consumers just don’t realize how much they’re actually paying for free stuff. The cost is always included in the product and is an excellent marketing gimmick, which urges consumers to buy things that they don’t really need.

7.) Added Benefits
A ridiculous concept of providing coupons/tickets to services/events that the consumer has a very low probability of availing/attending. If and when the consumer does avail/attend, he ends up spending more money there. ( He wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for the coupons ! )

10 Tips For New WordPress.com Blogs

Hi !

Whether you’re a new blogger on WordPress.com or have been on it for a while, I hope you’ll find at least some of this stuff useful  :

0) If you’re on Blogger.. Move To WordPress.com !

It’s true WordPress doesn’t allow Flash and some other stuff Blogger gives you, but if you’re really interested in getting a good reader base, WordPress is better because it provides excellent Search Engine Optimization (SEO) facilities. Also, in general, the quality of WordPress blogs is far superior, they look better, they are easier to manage, and they give you 3 GB of storage for your blog’s pictures, videos etc. So make the shift to WordPress !

1) Don’t be intimidated by the layout!

Simply put, WordPress has the best layout any blogger could ask for. When you login for the first time, make sure you click-around and check out the tonnes of features WordPress provides you. Trust me it’s not as complicated as it looks. The left sidebar summarises typically everything you can do with your blog. Play around a bit and you’ll get a hang of it.

2) Write your first post.

WordPress will have already written a sample post for you. Edit it if you want to, otherwise create a new post by clicking on Add New under the Posts header in the left sidebar. Add a post header ( probably Hello World and start typing out your first post ! Introduce yourself and the reason you started this blog, and anything else you might feel the reader ought to know. Wait, don’t click Publish yet ! On the right sidebar, add a few tags under the Post Tags header, and add a category under the Categories header. Then click the big blue buttton Publish.
( P.S. : Just so you know what tags and categories are : Tags are a set of keywords that give someone a general idea about what the post is about. Category, however, is a single word/phrase defining what category this post comes under. Both are important to get good recognition on search engines (this is SEO).. Eg : For this post of mine, relevant tags might be : tips, tricks, hints, tips for wordpress blogs, tips for bloggers… and so on.. Whereas a category might be “Tutorials”. )

3) Activate Turbo

If you’re not using a shared computer (eg : Cyber Cafe, Friend’s home … ) then activate the Turbo feature in WordPress. It can be found on the top right corner of the page, between your username, and Log Out.
Basically, Turbo can help you save a lot of bandwidth by saving images and icons that WordPress uses, on to your computer, so it needn’t load them from the Web again. Hence, WordPress will load quicker.
Click on Turbo, and then click on Install Now. Follow the instructions and you’re all set !

4) KISS

Keep it Simple and Sweet.
Nobody likes blogs with cluttered layouts, and tonnes of widgets in the sidebar they are never going to look at. Click on Themes under Appearance header on the left sidebar. Choose a theme that suits your style. Use the search filters to narrow down on what you’re looking for.
Once you’ve chosen a theme, click on Widgets ( under the Appearance header too ). Only add widgets you feel others, or yourself might find useful. New blogs are good enough with the following widgets :

Links ( Your blogroll (blogs you read).. Create your blogroll by clicking on the Links header in the left sidebar. )
Meta (Login/Logout . Links to WordPress.. )
Tag Cloud ( Extremely important if you want users to stay on your blog ! )
Categories ( Ditto )
Pages ( If your theme doesn’t have a page list header, you’ll need this widget when you add more pages )
Twitter ( If you are on twitter.com and twit regularly)
Once you start getting readership, you could add :

Archives
Calendar

Search

But remember not to clutter your sidebar. KISS.

5) Disable Snapshots

This is one feature which many find irritating, and it is turned on by default. You’ll realize that if you keep you mouse on a link on your blog, a small window pops up next to your mouse pointer and the target page starts loading. This is a waste if you didn’t intend on clicking there, and it hogs bandwidth. And if your posts are filled with links, your readers are going to have a nightmare reading your blog.
Don’t Fret ! It can be fixed ! Under the Appearance header on the left sidebar, click on Extras. Now un-check the check-box that says : Enable Snap Shots on this blog.

6) Create your About-Me Page

Very few anonymous bloggers ever become successful. People like to know who wrote the content that they’re reading, that way someone can be reposible for the content and authenticity is assured to an extent.  So make your identity public ! ( But keep your email address and phone number to yourself )
Click on Pages header in the left sidebar, and click Add New. Title the page “About Me” and write away about yourself. I say this inspite of telling you to include it in your first post, is because when you add more posts, your first post will go into the Older Entries and will not be available on the first page of your blog. Save the page and Publish.

( P.S. : A little note about pages. Pages are static entries that do not appear along with your blog posts. By default, your latest blog posts appear when someone comes to your blog by typing the address yourblog.wordpress.com . However, if you want a static page , like an Intro page to come up first, and your blog as another section of your website, do the following :

Under the Settings header on the left sidebar, click on Reading. The first setting on the page will be :
Front Page Displays :

Select the bullet “A static page” , and from the drop down box select a page. )

7) Clearing the Writer’s Block

Yes you’ve successfully set up a blog. But now you don’t know what to write about !! Yes it’s happened to everyone and it’s caller the Writer’s Block. Click on the following link for some websites which will help rid you of this disease  :

http://www.ihelpyoublog.com/20070316-101-great-posting-ideas-that-will-make-your-blog-sizzle

http://thefuturebuzz.com/2009/02/16/blog-post-ideas-generate-buzz/

Or you can always Google for ideas : http://www.google.co.in/search?q=blog+post+ideas&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t

Follow your niche !

Whether you’re a 75 year old grandmother of six, or an 18 year old guy who doesn’t know what to do with his life, you’ll have something dear to you, which you love talking about with your friends. Something that can never bore you ( apart from sleeping ! ) . That could be one of your niches ! Even if it’s a personal blog, you can keep a general pattern of posts so you can targer a specific audience.

9) WordPress Upgrades

Once you’ve become a “chronic blogger” , you’ll see the need for your own domain name ( eg : yourblog.com instead of yourblog.wordpress.com ), or some extra space for all those pictures and videos of your parties, or you just want to get yourself a goodie for your birthday.
Click on the Upgrades header on the left sidebar, and check out which of the stuff you could really use, and which you could do without. Remember, changing to a unique domain will require all your readers to update their bookmarks, and there is quite a chance you may lose some readers in the process. )

10) WordPress Support

Whether you’re in a dilemma over some settings, or just don’t know what to do about some feature, head over to WordPress support. The WordPress community is huge, and you’ll definitely get help with your problems.

There is quite a chance your problem already has a readymade solution, so head over to WordPress Support at http://support.wordpress.com and look around for a possible solution.

If you can’t find anything there, head to WordPress Forums, at http://en.forums.wordpress.com/ , login, and ask the community whatever is bugging you.

Don’t worry about forgetting these two links. Anytime you’re logged in, you’ll see a small grey box called Help on the top right corner. Click it and Wallah ! The links are there.

–

I hope at least some topics help you out. You can always leave a comment if you have any more doubts or need something else..

So until next time… Keep blogging !!

Go Gooners !

Whatever happens tonight, this will remain a satisfying year for Arsene Wenger. He has managed to lead Arsenal on to another unbeaten run bringing back memories of the Golden 49-game run with Thierry Henry and Robert Pires. And he has stuck to his famous belief “We do not buy superstars. We make them.”  ( Barca owe him for making Theirry Henry for what he is today, from a below-average right-midfielder to one of the deadliest strikers of today. )

As far as the first leg was concerned, ManU deserved to win, probably by a goal or two more, but Almunia was brilliant and his saves do count as saves, no matter how close ManU came to scoring. Injurry plagued Arsenal remain without Gael Clichy and Eduardo for the 2nd leg, that leaves matters up to Gibbs and Van Persie.

Still unbeaten at home in Europe so far, the Gunners will be hoping to make their fans make a hostile environment for the Reds tonight, and I can somehow sniff a narrow victory for Arsenal. My brain tells me that ManU will win by a goal, but my heart continues to believe in Arsenal’s abilities to convert this fixture into a perfect opportunity for a berth at the Finals on 27th May, 2009.

Cup-tied Arshavin will be unavailable to provide his services. What an addition he has been to the EPL ! His twists, turns, runs and shots are simply a delight to watch. He’s become the perfect partner Fabregas was looking for.

Getting back to tonight, I hope Arsenal remain in their senses and not play with 3 central midfielders : Fabregas, Song and Diaby. They need a strong right midfield and Wenger should be looking to buy one in summer. Ramsey has shown to be one of the best signings of the season apart from Arshavin, and Wilshere has not disappointed.

Only a few hours till kick off.
Signing off,
Gooner For Life !

And My Vote Goes To…

As the elections progress, the newspaper articles become more and more hilarious, and it’s becoming obvious that our intended system of democracy is going down the drain.

Whether it is the tu-tu-main-main of the Congress and the BJP over the Babri Masjid ( Get Over It will you ?? I wish all these old people in these two parties get Alzheimer’s and just forget it !), or the so ridiculous manifesto of Samajwadi Party ( No stock markets, computers, machinery and English ? I see. Your ass. And my foot. We should meet .. ), or even the publicity stunts of the CM of Tamil Nadu ( If you want to die a graceful death, just get a private Russian assassin, or an ex-KGB agent to snipe you. You’ll be legendary I swear ), it’s really becoming a nice comedy show. And we are watching it, some of us enjoying it, others unable to do anything about it, unable to voice their opinions.

India is a perfect example where democracy is mockery. It is exploited so widely, that some reports suggest that more than half the votes could have been “sold” in rural areas. Really, this is not what Dr. B.R. Ambedkar expected. I think it’s high time that people realise that the Indian constitution was written over 60 years ago. And it was meant for that age.

This age is different. People are different. And the world is so different. Yet we hang on to every clause in the constitution. With all due respect to Indians in India, a huge fraction of the “intelligent” Indians are currently residing outside India. But yet we do not let them vote. They have a far better understanding of how the supposed democracy of India works. Yet nobody has dared to change that. After all, they “left” India for greener pastures. Why let them vote ? Really, there is no explanation that anyone can give to justify this right being unavailable to NRIs.

The amount of control that the politicians have over us is just too vast, and they’re bad for us. The Mumbai voter turnout was about 42% if I’m not mistaken. So that means, that the party with 22% of the votes will rule Mumbai, whereas they were only elected by as many people. Imagine that would you ? Almost 80% of Mumbai will be governed by someone they didn’t want, care about or give a damn about. Is this democracy ? I say No. And don’t be quick to blame it on the people for the voter turnout. We all know who is responsible for this.

I have always come to believe that the system of democracy would not work. Ever since I was introduced to this concept in school, I kept wondering as to how the people of the country can actually have so much power. I asked my teachers, and they assured me about being proud to be an Indian.

But, I am not proud to be an Indian. My sincere belief is that one can be only proud of his/her achievements in life, and not by virtue of being born in a country. I mean, wasn’t it just a matter of probablility that I ended up in India ? I could’ve been lying in the slums of Africa, or probably in a coffee shop in Neterlands. Who knows ? So what gives me the right to be proud of being born in this place ? It’s differen to be happy. Yes, I am happy to be an Indian. Not proud.

Another thing that really concerns me about India is the indifference towards the majority. Really, come to think of it, nobody cares about the rights of Hindus. They’re a majority. Yes, so what ? Are they just supposed to take anything you inflict onto them ? India is one of the few countries in which extra rights are provided to minorities, rather than the majority. I think this is something that has always caused a problem in India.
Just look at some other countries that are so successful right now. Eg : The Gulf. If you’re not a Muslim/national then your rights drop by a huge fraction. And you just have to deal with it. ( I’ve always believed monarchy to be a superior form of government than democracy.)

Anyways, I guess that’s enough complaints about India for one blog post. I’ll probably be lectured by a few “patriots“ (that’s what they call themselves. So Lame ! Get a life ! ) but I love criticism and love answering to it too ! I just like to think differently from what we are told by our media, our politicians and our government. The government. I do not trust a single thing the government says. No. of deaths in Godhra riots. Bull ! Amount of taxes spent on us. Bull ! I like doing my own research and formulating my own opinions of things, people, and especially the government. I mean, just give me one good reason to trust anything that they say. Are they officially affiliated to Harishchandra ? No.. They’re humans. And they lie. They’re politicans. And they lie even more. So please, do everyone a favor, and do not believe anything that the government tells you.

Ask questions and demand answers. That’s the only way out of this mess created by these 80 year old good-for-nothings.

Mobile Operators Horror Stories

My experience with mobile operators in India has been very bitter, as I’m sure it must’ve been for so many people. If I had a Rupee for every time I abused them, I indeed would be rich. You don’t need to be a detective to realize the hegemony of the mobile operators here in India.

(Please Note all these examples are pertaining to Tamil Nadu as I currently reside here.)

Firstly, the immoral messages being sent to Customers. Yes, believe it or not. My friends have often received such messages:

“Hi I am Julie. I am alone and lonely and need someone to talk to. Call me back at this number. “

Who sent this message? The mobile operator! Such messages are only sent to male customers and it shows how the companies are going to such extreme measures to make money out of people.
(And yet people sit and talk about “WESTERN INFLUENCES” affecting the youth of today. *Scoff* )

Secondly, the highly audacious schemes of overcharging on festivals ( Diwali, Holi, V-Day and so on.. ) shows how money-hungry these operators are. I mean, just look at their nerves to do such a thing. They just use these occasions to put their dirty hands in people’s pockets and grab out the money. Come on just look around : EVERYONE reduces prices during festival times. I really think the government should force Mobile Operators to remove this clause from the agreement (if at all it is there.) This is an outright violation of Consumer Rights. They promised me a calling rate when I purchase the SIM card and that gives them no rights to hike the prices on some days of the year.

Thirdly, the helpline services. TERRIBLE. I am on Vodafone and when I dial the helpline number I am greeted with numerous offers, but not a single instruction on which number key to press so as to talk to the ridiculously unhelpful call center employees.

Fourthly, all mobile operators employ unfair means to overcharge customers. For eg: A song service. They say “Set the caller tune for free.” But little does the customer know he is being charger per minute for the call he made to set the caller tune. Was that informed? No!

This is not the end. Everyone has their own share of such horror stories to share. Such unfair, immoral and unnecessary actions have to be dealt with severely. The mobile operators have already made way too much money and it’s time such things be put to an end.

Beautiful, Beautiful India

Some things just bug the hell out of you unless you go out and actually find out whether everyone else thinks the same thing. And it turns out that they are still in the mindset they were drilled in at school.

Just for the record, I have nothing against India. I may not call myself “proud” of India, because I go by the belief that we can only be proud of the things that we have achieved, and not by the virtue of being born in a country.

Every single time I have met or heard a foreigner touring India, I hear countless rants about how “beautiful” India is. And then begins the lecture about how “interesting” they find India, and it’s lifestyle (translate to third world). And then I see my fellow Indians light up in pride, almost like a light-bulb, and swell up with whatever hormones their glands secrete..

It’s just that I find this mentality so disturbing, people becoming so proud because some white fellow commented on India, for the following reasons:

A) Interesting is the word used as a “way-out” when you cannot say things that offend other people.

B) They really see the India that the tour guides show them. And even if they see a glimpse of the dirty underbelly (that Amitabh Bacchhan so famously blogged about Slumdog Millionaire) , the “interesting” and “Awwwww”s come out.

C) They usually say India is the best country they’ve seen. Well, next time you hear that, just ask them to start living in India, just see the reactions you get..

I don’t blame them for not wanting to stay in India. Most guys in my college are looking for a way out of India asap, for which “the elders” in India complain about the so-outdated phenomenon of BRAIN_DRAIN.

Again, who’s to blame the NRIs. I wouldn’t want half my salary for going to taxes, when nobody can account for where all the money is going. I don’t want to live in the midst of a billion people not knowing what I wanted in life, what I achieved, and what I want to achieve. But again, there are more important things to be dealt with in India currently, and that keeps me from thinking about working outside India.

It’s not the patriotism that wants to keep me here, but it’s just that there are too many unfortunate people in India that could really use some help.. But then again there’s Darfur and so many other places that could use some help.

India has got a real job of convincing to do, if it wants to keep people from abandoning it and going for the very green pastures on the other side of the fence. Because the ideal of patriotism, like many other institutions, was created by some random guy some time ago. And I for one am not going to believe in it just because my school teachers told me to.

Now, some tourists just love to speak their mind out. So for a pretty disturbing account of a foreigner’s visit to India, check out his blog post India : Dirt, Diarrhea and Death

This guy got blasted by so many Indians on his blog.. One thing’s sure : He’s never gracing India again.

Where Is The Love ?

I keep asking myself the same question over and over again, pretty much what The Black Eyed Peas intended to ask, and apparently they haven’t received an answer yet. The lyrics of that song ( “Where is the love?” in case you didn’t get it ) are so apt to culture and society today.

Here at NIT Trichy, NITTFEST, our inter department festival is going on and yesterday was the short movie making contest. Out of the 11 movies, 10 were either about crime, murder, revenge or a similar genre. The 11th was about a dying man reminiscing his past. Every movie got a similar reaction, hoots and whistles anytime there was a girl on screen. This is the youth of today.

Not a single person could come up with a movie that appealed positively to the audience. There were people conned, murdered, hit by vehicles. But no love anywhere to be found. And by love I don’t mean “I Love You” love, that’s just for couples. If you don’t know what love I’m talking about, you’re better off not reading this article.

This attitude of the people keeps haunting me. I keep wondering what’s going to happen to all these people with such negative attitudes. Are they going to become the Vajpayees and Advanis of tomorrow ? I hate to imagine a day like that. I’d rather not know such people. Will such sadists shape the entertainment industry of tomorrow ? I hate to generalize but we have people from every single state in India here in NIT Trichy, and we’re pretty much the same. Has the institute done this to us? I cannot say.

Were all the people with the good ideas sitting in the audience? Well then I say it’s no different from today. Apparently all the people with smart ideas for this country are just armchair critics. Apparently it’s true. The country is run by these negative minded people who believe they know everything. I say there’s no harm in believing something. But nobody else should be hurt by what you believe in.

When are these armchair critics going to do something about the way the system runs? Does Rang De Basanti come to mind? As inspiring as it was, it’s hard to imagine something like that will shake up the country. I’ll not say it’s not happening, because I do not know. I can’t assert that nothing will change this system. It’s only over 60 years we’ve been free. Maybe we’ll have our own revolutionaries who’re just too timid to come out now. Maybe it’ll be me. Maybe it’ll be you. ( If you feel it’s you just drop me a line)

You’ll find this post full of unanswered questions. You may ask why I posted this in the first place. But look again and you’ll see that is why I posted it. I like questions. I like to get answers from everyone. I like to be questioned too!

According to me, the “?” is the most important punctuation mark/symbol known to mankind.

Use it wisely.

PS : It’s ironic I posted about this topic complaining about people unable to think positively. But well, that was the only way I knew to convey my message!