My Musings on Life and Other Things

Social Media Influencers

2011-05-24T00:06:00.002+05:30

An interesting article on social media influencers discusses what are the forces that drive businesses and decision-making . A team of Economists and Scientific researchers carried out a clinical study on what factors influence people’s behavior in the decision making process. They reached the conclusion that though people understand the vagaries of their nature, they are unable to predict what motivates them to take a decision.
The article further elaborates on what constitutes common sense and how it helps people in making practical day-to-day decisions. It however does not help them in dealing with complex situations. For instance, they can’t design a marketing campaign on plain common sense.
Another interesting point made in the article concerns, what kind of people influence social media and consumer decision. An earlier hypothesis claimed that extraordinary people with great social connections and clout, are the ones who influence mass behavior. The writer of the article however begs to differ. He says what influences people today is not that easy to gauge. What makes ideas go viral and what makes people accept your suggestion, often relates to how receptive your target audience is.
The study offered an interesting conclusion; though social media influencers do impact their network, what really influences a group is-- people who influence, are networking with those who are easily influenced, and are working with them too. In other words, if you want to influence people, you have to nurture your network.
A case study of Twitter users also offered an interesting suggestion. While, well-connected people who have massive fan following, do get retweeted; the maximum retweets were based on the subject, the timing and topic of the tweet.
Are you active on social media? Do you consider yourself as an influencer in your network and what according to you makes people repost your status updates or retweet your tweets?

How to use Online Business Networking to improve your Business Prospects?

2011-05-17T02:03:00.006+05:30

Online networking may not have the reach of traditional media in terms of promoting or advertising your business however it manages to reach customers who are well-educated and are able to make independent decisions. If such customers like your products or services, they will not just promote you but will come back for more. Online business networking also is a great medium to conduct market research and most views you get will be pretty honest.
Here are some methods by which you can do online business networking to market your products or services.
Firstly online business networking is a great means to research your prospective market. When you participate in online business networking communities you not just connect with others but also learn about other people’s views on things and you get to know customer needs and demands.
If your marketing strategy involves that you prove your expertise in your field then social business networking sites are a great medium to execute this. Participate in discussions, answer questions where your expertise is displayed or write blogs with your tips. Appreciate opinions expressed by others and add your views too.
Build your brand image and use the online medium to reinforce it. Every contact online is a chance to build your brand image.
Volunteer for a non-profit organization. People see you in a positive light when you associate with a non-profit cause.
Create word of mouth publicity. If you have launched a new company or product then satisfied customers who promote your product are a much better way to increase sales than any advertising campaign.
People often deal with the online medium like the traditional marketing medium but online business networking does not appreciate any kind of aggressive marketing campaigns. Here if you want to promote your products you should be adding value to your community in the form of participation in social groups, showing expertise in your chosen field by helping people and building communities. So, don’t just use people to promote your products, nurture your network.

How Twitter can Help you?

2011-05-16T21:20:00.005+05:30

Twitter as a social media tool has several advantages. It limits you to 140 characters—as a writer it expects you to be as succinct as possible and gives you access to a wealth of information. An essential requirement of good writing. It also matches the temperament of the modern web surfer who does not want to spend much time reading long messages.
Once you connect to a reasonable number of people you can use it to direct people to your business or service or article. The informal way in which Twitter allows people to connect makes it a perfect tool for promoting your business. There is no compulsion to follow all the people who are following you. It offers you the choice of following those you want to. Which essentially cuts out the process of formal introductions.
The multiple options that Twitter offers to its users has made it the latest media buzz. Today open any periodical or watch a news show and they offer you the option of voting on Twitter.

Who follows Twitter?

With over 60,000 million registered users, Twitter’s potential to reach out to people is limitless. If you are looking for a job or if you are searching for information. Twitter comes to your aid. All the latest news updates come from twitter and even seasoned media professionals gather information from Twitter.

Most people who are Twitter addicts go there either to gather information or to share information. They are usually looking for new ideas, services, offers, and opportunities. Make sure you make your business a part of this exchange. This gives you a chance to grow your business as well as improve it.
Why do businesses use Twitter?
Businesses use Twitter for different purposes. Some use it as a marketing tool while others use it for customer service. Even news is disseminated via Twitter. Mid-sized or small businesses are also using Twitter to reach out to their target customers. Twitter may not directly bring readers to your website but it may help in communication. You may learn what is missing in your website. Why is the traffic elsewhere or what is the hottest topic being discussed.

How can you use Twitter to further your business?

1) You can directly promote your business through your tweets.
2) Follow influential people in your industry who post information or links to useful resources.
3) Ask for help and offer help to establish your credibility.
4) Post links to your website or blog. Do this occasionally.
5) Keep up with the latest trends in your industry.
6) Network with fellow professionals as well as like-minded people. Offer value to business prospects, to get noticed.

How should you tweet to gain the maximum advantage?

Be knowledgeable about your subject or business. Just sending out links doesn’t engage people. Unless you can explain to people what you are talking about in a simple manner, you are unlikely to strike a chord with them.
Be a good listener. Careful listening will help you in gauging what people seek and then you can pitch in your information accordingly.
The standard case of Ashton Kutcher landing a role for Two and Half Men, is now known to all. His strong social media presence helped him land that role.
Like all other social media, building a relationship on Twitter helps. Offer them something so that they think you are worth following.

Clients and Clients

2011-01-17T12:25:00.001+05:30

In my line of work I meet all kinds of clients. Some are very professional, they know what exactly they want; they know how much they will pay, and they give you good feedback. And then there are those who know a lot; teach you a few things while you are working with them and they appreciate you when you do good work. Give you feedback when something is wrong and are not averse to paying a bonus if they like the work.
But in this post I want to discuss those wonderful clients, who have no clear idea of what they seek from the writer. They will ask you for samples and then again ask you to write a sample copy. They will haggle over price. Some even offer $1 or $2 for a 500 word article. I wish these wonderful clients would understand that even in third world countries people do not survive on air, water and mud. This kind of money converts into nothing in Rupees.
The third kind of clients are the most interesting. They will ask for your chat id. And then will begin a chat session and start flirting with you. Ask your name, age, and if by-any-chance they have seen your photograph and irrespective of whether you look geeky to all your friends. They will start complimenting your looks. They will send you a few files and have no clear idea of what exactly they want. I once had one such client. I was so thrilled that I had an actual American client. However this person told me little about the work. He had started a new business and I was hoping he would explain it to me; so that I could translate his vision into words. However, he never did that. Instead after a few days I was introduced to his wife on the same business networking site. I do wonder about such professionals and also their family members. Do they think that people are on business networking sites to look for clients of the opposite sex? And the moment they see a client of the opposite sex they are ready to pounce on him/her. Irrespective of the fact that the person is socially and culturally from a totally different background. Lives thousands of miles away and is married and has kids. Finally once I was introduced to the client’s wife, I didn’t get the work. Do all my fellow writers come across such professionals? I request my fellow writers to write in and share their experiences and advise me on how they deal with such people.

Do you always play safe?

2011-01-08T19:50:00.001+05:30

A recent newsletter in my mailbox inspired this post. In fact I can safely say that I’m very often guilty of this. I try to play safe and say things that please people or if I totally disagree with somebody or something I just keep quiet.
According to the writer of this newsletter, one might as well be dead; because she says whatever stand you take on an issue there will be an equal or double the number of people who will take an opposite stand and three times the number of that, who just don’t care about the issue.
She however makes a very valid point; she says if you don’t want to infuriate anybodyor hurt anybody's sentiments, you can do so only after your death. The dead do not bother anybody.
I think when we continuously play safe we stop our growth as the rough edges that we have in our personality get polished when we are exposed to an alternate point of view. We may agree or disagree, but we learn to explain things better. As a writer if I just sit on the fence, I’m very likely to bore my readers, on the other hand if I take a stand or express a point-of-view, it is quite likely that the reader will think , argue and perhaps give a feedback, which helps me as a writer.
I think as a story-teller if I create a conflict and try and create a resolution or leave it open to the reader to take a stand, I have all the likelihood of engaging my reader and he may like to know what I want to say in my story or what point-of-view I want to express in my story.
With this said, my new year’s resolution is to take a stand on things and not just try and please everybody…

Change in perspective

2010-12-01T21:43:00.002+05:30

It is surprising how a slight change in routine, can loosen you up and completely change your perspective. I experienced this change recently. Some urgent personal work required me to travel to another town and back to Pune and then again I had to travel. I can’t say that I experienced a lot of change in my personal lifestyle, yet it was about moving to a new place, meeting new people and adjusting to new surroundings.
I almost forgot things that worried me earlier. Suddenly I felt lighter and felt that a great burden had been lifted from my shoulders. I think any kind of movement, change of lifestyle or even a new place, helps us in changing our perspective. It helps us in viewing things through new eyes. I’m glad I could observe new things and met a new set of people.

Online Money Making Solutions

2010-10-05T11:16:00.004+05:30

The market savvy amongst us make fast moves. When they see a business opportunity they quickly grab it. This is what happened with internet marketing which is a rich source of revenue for some while others are still trying to grasp the mantra behind it. If you are also one of those who want to make money online, there are a plethora of options available to you, but how you deal with them is what matters.
Take Affiliate marketing for instance, there are so many logged onto this band wagon that it is not easy to make money this way unless you have some great and interesting content on your website. If you think of picking up some PLR articles, remember the quality of writing would leave a lot to be desired which will be directly proportional to the quality and quantity of traffic that comes to your website. So how do you manage to get good content for your website? Think of topics that interest people, what these topics are is of course for you to figure out. It’s not always the most common or ‘in topic’ that drives traffic nor is it the obscure or esoteric content that interests people. Try thinking of a topic you are passionate about, people generally feel your passion and if you have something interesting to say, or have in-depth knowledge on the subject they make like to hear you.
Let’s take the instance of gaming which is such a favorite with the younger generation, besides having a list of latest games, perhaps you could have some interesting trivia about games, also try to include some information for those who do not know much about gaming but want to venture into it, for any reason, maybe because their husbands or children love it or they just decided to cultivate a hobby.

Let’s take some time to list ways in which your desire for, ‘I want to make money online could be satisfied’:
1. Affiliate Marketing- This is a popular method, but, how you make money by this method is important. The trick is to drive traffic to your website. How you do it is totally up to you, either by having some interesting content or offer something to the visitor which could be free downloads of software or e-books.
2. Write- You could share your wisdom with the whole world. Whether it is about e-marketing or writing articles on any other topic. This option could fetch you some quick bucks as the need for good writers is growing in leaps and bounds, so you could pick up a few good gigs and start jotting down your thoughts. Some gigs would pay you $50 per article or more. Look for job postings on Craigslist and several other freelancing websites. You could telecommute or work as a complete freelancer at your convenience and watch the dollars flow in.
3. Marketing Guru- If you are a marketing wizard then you could sell your services like giving tips as to how people could market their products better. Make e-books and sell them
4. Data entry work- is another great way of making money online. It is very popular and pays well. You can work at your convenience and choose the number of hours you want to devote to your work.
5. New Schemes-You could even create your own get-rich-quick scheme and market it on the internet.
6. Selling products online- Selling your product over the internet is another way of earning online. You could try using Google ad revenue. This way you make money by selling products plus when people click on other ads then also you make money.
7. Consultancy: You could also become a consultant or a negotiator who hires a team of writers or data entry professionals and takes on bulk assignments, initially you may make small amounts in commissions but later you will be earning good money.

Chance Meetings

2010-09-27T23:04:00.001+05:30

We all live our lives by routine. We religiously pursue our day-to-day goals and become so engrossed in our mundane routines that we completely forget our dreams and desires. We forget to enjoy nature or the small little things that once made us happy. We never seem to have time to stand and stare.
In our present life, we so often take refuge in shopping as some kind of a release from our daily stress. Each time I’m at a mall Shania Twain’s song, “Ka Ching,” keeps ringing in my head. We all read articles on breaking away from the daily routine, and going to a spa to relax oneself, so you spend more time in office to earn those extra bucks to pay for the spa.
What happens when in this day-to-day existence you meet somebody who reminds you of happy carefree days. Promises you a bright and happy future and you suddenly feel life would be fun. Gently reminds you of happy things and happy moments. Suddenly the new year has a great ring to it. Life seems worth living and almost perfect.
I think in such a situation one just doesn’t want to get out of that dream like state. While one continues to perform the daily duties as usual, there is a renewed vigor in you and you keep living in the happy past and promise of a happy future. Life suddenly seems worth living. It looks like dreams do come true and happiness is for everyone and you never know when good things will happen to you.

Some great quotes for all times

2010-09-17T20:20:00.001+05:30

I have always valued great quotes as they not just inspire you but, at times when you are completely at your wit’s end, they actually might provide a solution to problems. I found some great quotes on the Secret fan page and some other sources. I thought I would share them with you. Please feel free to share these thoughts or this post wherever you like.

Focus on the positive. Laugh often. Life is a gift.

Faith makes all things possible.Love makes them easy.

Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, really believe, your mind will find the ways to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to solution.

Don’t worry so much about where you are right now… Focus on where you want to be ~ the Goal is to move forward on to bigger and better… Be better than you used to be….

A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes;
A philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs;
An optimist doesn't see the clouds at all - He's walking on them

make a clear vision of what you are trying to achieve and assure yourself that you are ready to work on the process. Wait for clues and then it is your turn to act. Just believe.

If you can read this? Thank a teacher.

The Law of Attraction is always working - so keep your mind focused on what is really important to you. We all deserve to be happy, loved, healthy & wealthy. Be very grateful for what you have right now and watch your thoughts become things.

When you become aware of your thoughts, you can become aware of what you are claiming to be true for you.I am tired,I am lost,I am sick and tired...Is this really what you want to claim as your reality? Decide what you want to claim as your reality and then start telling yourself that...I am a leader, I am an author,I am wealthy.

Dreams are like stars...you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny.

If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves." –Thomas Edison

Finally, one more thought and I shall post some more like this later:

Most people are prepared for failure,what do you do if you achieve success?

How to Find a Writing Job Online

2010-09-17T20:04:00.003+05:30

Have you recently quit your job? Are you looking to start work from home? Before you begin you need to decide how much do you expect to earn? You should have some writing samples ready.

SEO Writing

A good way of generating writing samples is to take up SEO writing though the pay is very low but you can generate lot of samples as the topics on which SEO writing is done are of a very wide range.
Search engine
Do a Google search and look for freelance writing jobs. You could volunteer. Create a profile in a social networking site like Linked in or Facebook. Even Twitter offers lot of writer job links. Just stay active on these sites. Create your blog. This gives you good writing practice and also serves as a writing sample. I would suggest that you start your blog on a niche you have knowledge of and are comfortable writing about.

References

Whatever work you do, ask the client to write a small testimonial for you. Try to get a link to all the ghostwriting assignments you do, or assignments that do not give you a byline.

Deadlines

Meeting deadlines is an essential part of freelance writing. Most clients who ask you to write articles for them, want them in a short span of time. While I would suggest you to avoid clients who ask for 5-6 articles in a day, or want you to spin articles for them, if you are hard pressed for money, you could also attempt those. Avoid clients who pay $4-7 per article though. It does nothing for your portfolio or self-esteem either.

Persistence

Please remember nobody makes a name or earns a good income overnight, patience and perseverance is the key. Patiently build your portfolio and contacts. After you have built a good client base, you can happily bid that day job goodbye.
Last word on this Good Luck!

Watch out for e-mail scams

2010-09-04T15:26:00.001+05:30

E-mail scams have been around since the internet spread its wings. I still receive e-mails from some people who claim to be nationals of some African country and ask for my bank account number and other details. I have even received these messages on my cell phone.
Another kind of scam doing the rounds is mails claiming that you have won the British national lottery. The latest scam doing the rounds however is a lot more sophisticated, it arrives from Microsoft or Yahoo, stating you have won a lottery. The mail comes with a file attachment and if you check the web address it takes you to a site that issues discount coupons.
I once received a message from one of my banks that my internet password was incorrect, what confused me was the fact that I had never registered for internet banking for that particular account, the reason for that was, it was an old account which I just used as a savings account and never did any transactions through it.
I have even received mails from PayPal stating that my account has a problem, but the e-mail id used was incorrect.
Fake friend requests from popular social networking sites is another common kind of scam. Facebook, Linked in, my space are some of the most vulnerable social networking sites. Some people create fake accounts just to gather e-mail addresses and gain access to important personal details. Most people on sites like Linked in actually put in lot of personal details on their profile.
Messages from site administration stating that your account has a problem or that you need to log in update some information are one of the most sophisticated scams and you have to be very watchful. If you have not encountered any problem logging into your account do not click on the links provided.
Have you come across sites that promise to offer you freebies like e-books and then when you click on the link it takes you to a page which asks for your paypal password, remember never ever give out your password, you may make a payment from your account but do not give out your password.
I have also received bogus e-cards from unknown people, the reason I clicked on some of them is because the addresser referred to my school and I thought may be a friend I have forgotten has sent the card. My computer did not get hacked because I opened these e-cards from a terminal at my office.
Avoid opening mails from unknown recipients to escape any kind of scam and do not give in to panic when you see any kind of threatening message, as in my case when the mail came from the bank stating that my account was hacked whereas I had not even registered for net banking I just ignored the mail.
If you are a little vigilant you can be sure that none of these scams are going to affect you and remember, you can’t win a lottery unless you bought or applied for one.

Steps Involved in Creating Your Own Blog

2010-09-04T14:11:00.001+05:30

The cyberspace today has more writers than it can handle. There are lots of voices in the cyber world expressing their thoughts and opinions on any and every subject. You too can join the bandwagon and have your say.
Do not assume that starting a blog is only for seasoned writers, if you feel passionately about something and you have an opinion on the subject, go right ahead, start your blog and express yourself. The internet is crammed with blogs and websites, yet, if your writing has quality, or you have a voice that stands out, go ahead, shout and there will be lots of listeners.
Select a topic--
To start your blog begin by choosing a topic, you are passionate about. Do not worry if all the niches are taken and you already find hundreds of blogs on the same topic, start your own and if you have something unique to say or you say things differently, you will find takers.

Pick a blog service provider--
There are lots of blog service providers, depends which one you choose. One thing to bear in mind when choosing a blog service provider is its accessibility, how user friendly it is and does it allow you to export data if you plan to move your blogging services in future.
Here is a list of some prominent blog service providers-
1. Blogger.com -- is one of the most popular blogging platforms. It is user friendly and allows you to move data
2. Word Press.com- This is another blogging platform that is extremely popular. This platform is not just the choice of personalized bloggers but also who use their blogs at a commercial level.
These two remain two of the most popular blogging platforms though there are several others in the running.
Design your blog
Once you have signed up for your blog and decided on a name and topic, choose a template. Each service provider has several pre-designed templates. They also allow you to import your own, especially if you are a designer or have a web designer friend, you can even use your own templates.

The internet has many sites that offer free templates for Word Press. You can do a quick search to find the one you like. Another option is if you visit a blog and you like their template, scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the name of the designer and then click on their link.

Once you have chosen a look for your blog, you can start adding widgets or gadgets to your blog. This could be something as links to your social media profile. Widgets that allow visitors to leave comments or subscribe to your blog via email or RSS play around and gradually you will get the hang of it. Blogger even provides online tutorials on how to configure your blog.
After you have set your blog start by promoting your blog, create a social media profile that offers links to your blogs. Try doing a guest post in some of the established blogs to get a link back to your blog.
You can update your blogs via email and even your mobile phone and most of the blog service providers already provide the facility.
With all these tools at hand all you have to do is use your Google account or sign up with Word Press and start blogging.

Strange Occurrences

2010-09-02T07:57:00.001+05:30

This incident occurred when I was 9 years of age.We used to live in a small town in the state of Maharashtra, in India. The town was an old Cantonment township and had many old houses of British times. These houses were mostly owned by members of the Parsi community. Some were even owned by Catholics. This town also had many Sanatoriums. One road was lined with Sanatoriums, rest houses and boarding houses. Most probably were owned by members of the Parsi community, who generally lived in Bombay and had appointed caretakers to look after the houses. I used to commute to my school with my father on his scooter. My school used to get over earlier than my sister’s. One day I told my father, I will go to my friend’s place from school and then I’ll walk home. He asked me, “will you be able to do so ?” Our house was quite far from school and actually too much distance for a 9 year old to cover. I was adventurous in spirit from childhood, so, I confidently told my father, “Yes, I can.” He said, “ fine.” I left school with my friend and went to her place. Sat there for some time and then left for my house. My house was actually about 6 kilometers away from her house, so I had lot of distance to cover.
Suddenly it started raining heavily and as I had no raincoat or umbrella, I started getting drenched. The distance was long and in-between there was a nallah that had started overflowing and water was coming on to the road. I was terribly scared and also had no money in my pocket to catch a bus, nor did I know anything about the bus routes, so, I started crying. This way I was walking on the road, sobbing and shivering. I passed by a house where three ladies were sitting in their verandah watching the rain.They looked like Christians, because they were wearing A-line frocks, but, were not fair, rather had a darkish skin tone, so, they probably were not Parsis as most of them have a fair skin tone. They saw me and called out to me. They asked me, “ What is a small girl like you doing all alone on the road?” I said, “I’m walking home.” They asked me, “where are your parents?” I said, “my father is in school and I have to reach home before he reaches.” They asked, “do you know where your house is—tell us where it is?” I replied,“ I can’t tell you where it is, but, I know where it is.” They told me, “sit here',” and dried my hair with a towel, then went inside and told me, “don’t go anywhere, we’ll get you something to eat.” I waited in their verandah for some time. I looked around and saw the next door house was a plant nursery. These were actually small cottages with a small garden in front and some open space all around the house. I had heard stories of people who steal children by giving them good food to eat. I was suspicious. So, when nobody came out of the house for quite some time, I quietly slipped out and as it had stopped raining, I walked home.
We used to pass that route everyday on the way to school, but, for some days I didn’t look in that direction. Later, I searched for that house, but could never find that house. I lived in that town for some 9 years and grew from 81/2 to 17 years of age, and I kept searching for that house, and somehow could never find it. There was no cottage next to the nursery. Just one kutcha road that lead to an old double-storeyed house and a plant nursery next to it.

Stirring the Muse

2010-08-23T22:22:00.004+05:30

The other day I read Kathleen’s blog. She had mentioned that city life inspires the writer in her, in her case it was Chicago. I completely agree with her. While nature will definitely inspire the poet in you, if you want to write a story, I think city life or life in a small town affords lot of inspiration.
While reminiscing about childhood, I recalled that two boys in our town were murdered. One was a student of our school. Even at that time, nobody knew what was the cause and I doubt anybody ever found out as some said it was suicide, some said a murder. The boy in question was hardly the kind who would have committed suicide.
These kinds of incidents and experiences abound in small town life, where everybody seems to know everybody else and life does not change at all. Life offers very little in terms of entertainment except for social interactions. I recall one girl in our neighborhood succumbed to consumption. This girl was tall, very beautiful and just 18 years of age. Her last wish was that she should be dressed as a bride, so her body was covered in bridal finery when her dead body was carried away by her grieving father. I was 9 years old at that time, but, I vividly recall seeing her when she was alive as she was always kept in confinement and she stayed in a small room, later I recall seeing her pale body being taken away by her grieving parents. The sad sight is clearly etched in my memory.
One can actually build a complete story trying to figure out what she must have gone through when she first came to know of her illness and what must she have felt when she knew she was going to die.
I think stories are happening all around us , all we need is an observant eye, a sensitive receptive heart and the ability to translate these impressions into words.

Listen to Your Heart it Tells You What You Want

2010-07-11T12:01:00.001+05:30

I recently watched a Hindi movie called '3 Idiots'-- the chief protagonist-- a guy called Rancho, makes a remark that was funny, yet, thought provoking-- he says, "our heart is weak and it tends to panic when faced with difficulties, so keep telling it, 'all is well,’ and you will have the strength to live through problems."

Amusing! yet, so true. If we do not panic in difficult situations, we can find a solution to our problems. I have often found that, if we listen to our inner voice, we not only find out what we want but are also happier because we listened to our heart.

As human beings we constantly carry on an inner conversation with ourselves, every incidence in life evokes an inner response from us. Every day we come across situations that evoke myriad of emotions in us—happiness, sadness, frustration, tears. We can't control what happens outside, what we can do however is, control how we respond to these situations. Our response to these life events makes our personality.
Loss of job, heartbreak are situations that are not easy to cope with. You can end up blaming yourself or others—but, is that the right way to cope with the loss? The answer is an emphatic, NO! It's not. You should try and think what you learnt from the experience and also think-- well, I get a chance to explore more options now. I had a nice friend who had a very interesting way of coping with heartbreaks, he used to say, "only if she leaves a new one will come." He essentially meant that do not cry over spilt milk.
When I fell sick last year, my initial reaction was, "oh God! Why me?" I was worried about pending bills, me never recovering from the illness, today, I am fit and fine and have found an avenue of work that fulfills me and the best part is I no longer have to rush to an office I hated.
If you want to succeed you have to focus on success and not on failures. Long back I read a book called, "The Power of your Subconscious mind" by Dr Joseph Murphy, the book clearly states how you can program your mind to think positive. During my illness thinking positive and believing, something good is about to happen, helped me cope and move on.

Coping positively with failures is one way to do that. Life is full of ups and downs and we do not always come across people who are nice to us. Life is a rat race and if you get bogged down by the challenges it offers-- you can't enjoy the pleasure of living.

It is important to know that people around you can be jealous of your success-- we all know this, yet, when we come across manifestations of jealousy-- we either fail to recognize it or let the negativity pull us down. It is important that you recognize these signs and cope with it accordingly.
As human beings we are highly sensitive to criticism, when somebody criticizes us, we tend to get upset, we may show it outwardly or bottle it inside us. The best way to cope with criticism is either to take it as constructive criticism, if you feel you need to change, otherwise think that the other person is different from you.

At times our intuition tells us not to go for things, it stops us from day-dreaming, should you listen to this negative niggling voice, my answer is yes, this is not a negative voice, it is preparing you for possible failure. Never ignore your body's defense mechanism. It's like you want to participate in a beauty pageant, you are aware that the competition is going to be tough, but does that mean, you never participate? You should participate and give it your best shot. You will feel a deep sense of satisfaction because you tried, tell yourself, the winner was better than you.

Building a strong defense mechanism will not only help you in coping with stress, but also help you in coping with the stress associated with failures when you dare to live up to your dreams. Always have an intelligent and honest conversation with yourself that helps you grow as an individual.

Meeting-up with old friends

2010-06-11T21:54:00.001+05:30

The social media has proved to be a great boon to the modern society. Whether it is Twitter for updates, Linked in for professional networking or Facebook for social or personal networking.
On Twitter you can get the latest updates on anything, whether it is your friend’s visit to the Mall or the latest buzz in the political world. Linked in is for the serious and business minded lot. You could promote your business or you could interact with the corporate world or look for a job. Facebook is a great tool for personal and social networking. Many use it to promote their business too.
I liked Facebook because it gave me the chance to interact with people, with whom I had lost contact some 20+ years ago. The joy of meeting up with old schoolmates can’t be described in words.
I recently came across a girl who was with me in the 5th and 6th grade. We didn’t know each other well as we were in different sections of the same class and as so many years had elapsed in between, it was hard to recall things.
After meeting her, I felt very happy, because she is a very nice person. I wished I had known her well in school. She is a brilliant scientist, a great human being and the way she writes her blog shows her clarity of thought and expression.
I was also impressed by the way she had described her visit to New York City, and WTC site. The graphic details presented showed that she had a fine eye for detail and could not just observe details, but could put them well on paper or in this case her blog.
For all those who want to now check out her blog here’s a link http://lipikazuo.blogspot.com/
Please view the blog and the pictures and also see how well she describes not just New York City but the food she had. I was very impressed, I hope you are too.

Expressing one’s thoughts

2010-03-12T00:54:00.001+05:30

Today somebody wrote to me, and asked, for how long I had been freelancing. While the answer to that may not provide an answer to how long I have been writing, because I might have started off as a freelancer just recently but I began writing long ago.

For people who completed their education some 20 years ago, writing meant writing exceptionally well. Unless one expressed one’s thoughts like the great literary masters and used ostentatious language with difficult words, one dare not think of writing.

I recall I wrote a short story after my 12 std exam, but I tore the paper after I finished the story as I thought it wouldn’t be approved by anybody, as the language I had used was far from what is considered perfect English. It was more my emotional outburst.

I often used to write down things I couldn’t verbally express as I felt that way I could let out my feelings. I later wrote another story and also used to pen down everything that bothered me.

I would also form short poems and then tear of the book or diary. So I feel for people like me, the online medium is a blessing. Every time something bothers me I come here and rave and rant :) I’m not bothered if somebody reads or not. At least I have expressed my thoughts.

For people who do not like the new medium where everybody expresses their thoughts I don’t have much to say, but for people who want to express themselves I would say, use this medium, it helps in venting out your thoughts.

Use it like your easel and paint with your words and surely you will find some takers.

Blog Versus Website.

2010-03-11T18:14:00.001+05:30

Today I read Victoria Meyer’s blog, interesting content. Her blog reads like a personal diary. Which is what I thought blogs were till I came across blogs that have professional content.

Technically speaking, do blogs differ from Websites in any way? I mean there are sites that allow you free web-hosting and even blogs can have paid domains, then what is the difference between the two? Even blog sites allow you to customize and many blogs actually look like websites.

While the critics of blog writing, who think one should not write personal details and expect people to read it, do not like the concept of blog writing. I for one love it. There was a time when I would pen down all the thoughts crowding my mind and then tear off the page. Today my blog allows me to happily rave and rant and some people actually like that and want to share their views and as always they also give their perspective on things which often sheds new light on any particular issue.

I think the first blog that I read was Amitabh Bachchan’s blog, that is what made me think that a blog is like a personal diary and even the format actually has the nature of a personal diary, but then I do not mind how people use their blog. It basically is their own and they could even have professional content or any kind of tips they would like to offer to the reader. Even if you want to share your favorite recipes or you pet peeves.

If one is focused on making money out of the blog then it is a different thing and wants traffic to the blog, I guess one has to focus on what others want to read and maybe stuff their blog with keywords. Either way it is fine.

Let me know what you think about the concept of blog writing? Do you think people should put personal details or thoughts in their blogs and should they be criticized because their aren’t enough takers for their content?

Can Charisma be cultivated?

2010-02-15T12:39:00.001+05:30

This post is a spin-off from Michael Maynard’s blog post. Excuse me Michael! :) I could say, I’m just extending your discussion on my blog. Let me link it to your blog, so that others can read it too.
His post discusses how charisma can be your key to success. He begins his article by discussing what is charisma, and says that most people tend to like charismatic people. I would agree with him on this one-- but-- would also like to add that charismatic people often tend to invite envy from those around them.
I completely agree with him that integrity and values could add to the charisma that a person exudes.He goes on to argue that we behave in a certain way that makes people like us. While this is true to some extent-- I feel if this is a cultivated quality, it may make the person a bit superficial; which wouldn’t in any way add to his charisma. It is almost like, if people say, “you look good in blue,” you start wearing it everyday. Suddenly people start getting bored with you. So does it mean one shouldn’t have the qualities he has mentioned? I would say, one should have, but, they should be ingrained in your personality, so much so that people say— “it’s you.” This could be true of integrity or righteousness.
Let me explain my point further; if you are righteous it shouldn’t be because you got rave reviews, but, because you just can’t be any other way. It means that you are uncomfortable without those values. This brings us to having a certain consistency of character.I can say that as a person I really like people who show consistency of character; would stand by what they think is right under all circumstances, yet, are not averse to admitting that they are wrong; if proved otherwise.
Michael also mentions some pointers to developing a charismatic personality, I do agree with some, like being hygienic, being decently dressed and of course not being coarse in one’s mannerisms.
He also feels that to make one’s conversation interesting and funny, which according to him should include, “double entendres, innuendos,” I’m not sure I agree on this one unless your idea of being funny means free rides. :) Let’s consider President Obama, for instance, he sure exudes charisma—almost everybody would agree with me on this one-- why is that? Is it his conversation, his speeches or the fact that he seems to have a deep conviction in whatever he says and does. I believe a person if he deeply believes in whatever he does exudes oodles of charisma, as against a person, who does things either to get rave reviews or to spite somebody else.
According to the OALD( Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary) Charisma is,
“the powerful personal quality that some people have to attract and impress other people.”
Which essentially means that this is a personal quality and has a lot to do with having a personality. I would say being oneself, having good values, being funny without being rude and having an open and flexible attitude in life would go a long way in adding to your charisma.
Please let me know what you think is charismatic? More Musings later…

The beauty of Twitter

2010-02-10T14:14:00.001+05:30

Let me be honest when I first heard of Twitter, I wasn’t actually looking forward to it. I would keep reading about Twitter on online discussion forums and occasionally thought of checking it out, but then decided against it. One day I decided to sign up for Twitter; the moment I signed up, I found some bot like profiles following me. I was disappointed; went and blocked them.
I had just one or two followers and I was following about 4-5. I didn’t like what I saw there and decided not to get very active on Twitter. One day I saw a discussion on Women 2.0 a group on Linked in, about Twitter. I decided to check it. Thanks to Angie Chang, who initiated the discussion, I suddenly discovered the beauty of Twitter. She asked people to introduce themselves and their Twitter profile. Suddenly I was following many and also found many following me.
I would compare Twitter to a big marketplace( don’t know if you like the analogy) where fine goods are on array, just pick and choose what you like, you can also sample some. The number of interesting links and thoughts that people tweet also the interesting conversation that goes on is a lot of fun.
One can also compare it to a big party where you can interact with many and move on. There is no obligation to follow somebody or interact with people you do not wish to. In fact you can follow people who are not following you and vice-versa.
I would also recommend Tweetdeck as one of the coolest applications to use for Twitter. Some more Twitter tips include, retweeting other people’s tweets that you like and sharing your thoughts. I also recently learnt the use of the #hashtag. It is used to search for a particular thing. Enter #hashtag followed by that particular word, for instance, use #writer and do a Twitter search you will find all tweets on that topic. You can also communicate with people following that hashtag. You can reply to anybody even those who are not following you. Follow famous news readers to follow the latest news. You also have a chance of expressing your opinions. I would suggest that you have fun with Twitter more than anything else.

Favorite Songs and motivational quotes

2010-02-08T16:50:00.001+05:30

Recently I saw a discussion on Linked in, asking people about their favorite songs or their favorite motivational quotes. One of my most favorite motivational quotes of course forms the descriptive heading of this blog.
I intend to share some others with you today. I also intend to post some interesting quotes from the discussion. So here goes, after the quotes I’ll list my favorite songs .
To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself

"We are all lying in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." -Oscar Wilde
Stop All Criticism
Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.
Louise Hay

When life deals you lemons, you make lemonade
If you think you are beaten, you are,
if you think you dare not, you don't,
If you like to win, but you think you can't,
It is almost certain you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will -
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
you can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
to the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!
Think and grow rich - Napoleon Hill
An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. Benjamin Franklin
Never place a period where God has placed a comma. Gracie Allen
Independence is happiness. Susan B. Anthony
Now to go to the list of my favorite songs. One of course is by ABBA, I have a dream( don’t know who sang the original, I have the one by ABBA), The other is by Carpenters, I’m on the top of the world. The next is also a great favorite of my brother and mine too, Carpenters again, Hurting each other.
Another favorite is by AQUA, If only I could turn back time…..many others…please share your favorite songs here…maybe I’ll link a youtube video of some of my other favorite songs.
Please share your favorite songs and quotes here…

Does a near death experience transform you?

2010-02-07T22:36:00.002+05:30

A difficult question to answer, as most of us have been in moments when we had near death experiences. A serious illness or maybe a serious accident that was averted. Do these events in any way change the way we look at life?
It is often said that if a person is too passive, make them walk the edge, does it always affect them?
From my near death experiences, I can’t say I have changed a bit. I also know that people around me too changed for a short while, after some time everything became the way it was.
So why do people say that a near death experience or a brush with death changes you? Do people suddenly expect you to start eating only healthy food, exercise regularly. Become nice to mean people. Start loving what you hate or saying that you love it even though you hate it?
What do people expect from you? How do they expect you to change? I would love it if somebody were to explain, why is near death experience so important.
While I do understand that many people develop the attitude of catching the bull by the horn, when it comes to dealing with life after they have a brush with death. I doubt if it is true about everybody.
What do you think? Do you feel it changes you or it changes you only for some time and afterwards everything becomes the same? Please keep the comments rolling in…more musings later….

The tradition of leaving comments or writing letters to the editor

2010-01-30T15:37:00.001+05:30

Letters to the editor have been a long-standing tradition with magazine or newspaper writing. There was a time magazines would offer prizes for the best three letters to the editor( I think most of them still do). The letters, not just established the magazines popularity, but also, the writer’s credibility if the article evoked any kind of response. While some people like blatant praise, for me the ideal response is when the reader either shares his/her experiences or comments on something that was said in the article.

The tradition of writing letters to the editor has extended itself to the online medium in the form of comments on articles or blog posts. The dynamics of internet marketing demands that one leaves comments, along with the website or blog url to get back links. So , this exercise in a way self-serves. If, this is the primary reason for commenting, you will eventually find that you are just commenting to get links. I prefer to comment on something that interests me or evokes a reaction or response in me. I think commenting has a lot to do with being passionate about a subject or life in general.

What do you think? Should you react or not? Do you feel like sharing your views with others? Do you leave comments and why do you leave comments? Do you read comments made by other people? Do you feel passionate about sharing your views with others? More musings later………

Life and color

2010-01-23T11:50:00.001+05:30

Everybody’s life could do with a little or lot of color. Colors add spice to life-- I mean literally and figuratively. Today, I want to explore what color means to each one of us, besides, the obvious one that it adds a little spice to life.

Most women’s and feature magazines carry articles on the significance of color and the content often is centered on, statements like, blue stands for moods and red for energy.
As a child I was obsessed with the color red. Whenever I had a red colored dress I used to wear it all the time so much so, that people would begin to notice it and even comment on it. The little rebel in me refused to conform to what people wanted me to do and I continued wearing red all the time.
However this is not what this post is about. I want to explore whether one’s liking for a particular color has something to do with inherent tendencies? Is there a deeper psychological significance to the use of color. I had once read a book( I have forgotten the name) which had a set of cards in 7 colors with the book. You were asked to pick the cards and the order in which you picked the cards revealed certain aspects of your personality.
I do not know how accurate the analysis was, because, when I first looked at the cards, I didn’t like any card in particular, as all the cards had a slightly dull shade of that particular color. It comprised of a dull red, dull blue, green was bright and so on. It honestly was hard to pick one or actually decide whether the book gave an accurate explanation. The whole exercise was however quite thrilling, similar to getting one’s palm read or one’s handwriting analysed.
Do colors have a meaning beyond the obvious? I wish many people comment on this post so that I could get a wide spectrum of views to derive a conclusion. Please feel free to comment on what color means to you and why you choose a particular color? Do you feel colors have a deeper psychological significance?

Writer Scams

2010-01-10T11:51:00.002+05:30

Have you come across writer scams? I do not mean fake projects posted on content mill sites, but fake clients, who buy your article at low rates, as low as $1 for a 500 word article, then they slap their name on to the article and pose as writers and sell that article at higher rates to other clients. This is honestly not even ghostwriting. Some even use your samples to win projects and then do not give you work.
Many content farms are thronged by such people. Their project description reads something like this: “ I’m looking for a writer to write good quality 500 word articles on various niches. I’ll pay $1 per 500 word article, or $3 per 500 word article. Rates are not negotiable, please do not bid for the project if you do not agree with the price. Only native English speakers please. You must meet the deadlines. Article should be 100% copyscape free, no grammatical error, no plagiarism will be tolerated.”
After all this when you bid for the project, one person will ask for your gmail/msn id. Will begin chatting with you, completely ignore the bid amount even ask you to lower the bid amount, one wonders why are such people allowed to post. They should not be allowed to contact the service provider other than through their system. This not just gives a bad name to the site but to the people who are posting projects there. There are several good clients too. I also came across a client who asked everybody to do a free sample and I’m sure he gave different topics to each writer. He said only if I like your sample I’ll pay for it. I did not send him the whole article. I just sent him 3 paragraphs and told him if he likes the tone, I’ll continue, he later wrote to me that the project was closed because he had sent a sample of another writer to his client who had rejected it. This way he might have got some 20 samples without paying. I’m already wise about such clients so I just sent an excerpt, but many sent the whole article ( especially newbies). I appeal to all freelance bidding sites to watch out for such people who have great reviews but do not write on their own.
They are responsible for the low quality articles found in article directories.
I request all writers to watch out for such scams.

Customizing Wordpress Blog

2009-12-24T22:25:00.001+05:30

For those people, who are self learners of the online medium , that is-- the computer and the internet, figuring out things like CSS, JAVA, HTML can be the biggest nightmare of their lives. It took me 4 months to configure blogger!
I managed to do it after I watched a video on youtube( that site is such a blessing!) I even learnt how to zip and unzip files from there. I now want to set up an online portfolio and custom design my WordPress blog. I checked youtube( it provides the best online tutorials) and found, Word Press blogging tutorial by Chris Abrahams, the tutorial is good, yet, it does not answer all my questions. I’m still looking for a good solution, to put all the relevant tabs on the blog. I might finally move over to blogger as I know how to configure blogger now.
You won’t believe it, but, I learnt to copy and paste HTML codes from all these banner ad sites, some of them are so good, they even tell you where exactly to place the HTML code.
In fact, I have configured this blog all by myself( isn’t that something to be proud of?) considering the fact, that, every time I hear the word technical I go blank. I still wish, I could find an easy solution for my Word Press online portfolio. It doesn’t even allow me to configure the header free of cost. I couldn’t find a place that would allow me to customize the fonts.
Any good Samaritan, who is reading this entry, please feel free to contact me, if you can guide me by either leaving some tips or leaving a link to some good online tutorial. I really love those articles with hyperlinks, you don’t have to type on the address bar( This computer is making us all so lazy!!) Anyways, more musings later, my quest for a WordPress tutorial is still on....

How to build your network on Linked in

2009-12-22T18:12:00.001+05:30

Linked in, is a powerful tool, in the world of social networking sites. The reason for this could be the way it functions. It seems to be, a fine blend of seriousness and fun. While other networking sites have the risk of unwanted elements forming social groups, the same is not true about Linked in.

It has some strict rules in place about networking. It encourages you to connect with people you know and of course friends of friends, which is a great way of building your network, but, online networking is also about building your network and your business by connecting with unknown business prospects.

How do you ensure that you build a great network without connecting with unwanted people? By this, I mean, the negative kind of people who spend time, breaking down other people’s network. I’d suggest that you join groups that are based on principles of open networking , yet they do not force you to connect with people you do not wish to connect to. Join groups like Top Linked and Open Networkers or Linked In Open Networkers. They have discussions that allow you to introduce yourself to the community, and yet you do not force yourself on people. In your invitation you write, “if you choose not to connect please archive, do not IDK” this ensures that you connect with people who want to connect with you.

One of the super-connected on Linked in, Steven Burda( he has some 34,000 connections in his network) has some great networking tips to offer. I’m using his tips on networking for the benefit of all with his permission.

He says, the purpose of networking is to establish mutually beneficial relationships. The reason is it will lead to better opportunities, increased revenue and of course stronger and better friendships. If this comes from the guru of networking one should just follow his tips blindly.

He further advises that one should dig one’s well before one is thirsty. One of the best ways to be prepared.He further advises you to communicate and participate within the Linked in community and give all your support and be ready to share your knowledge.

Here are some of his dos for networkers

Do connect with “real world” friends, colleagues.

Do keep your profile current/updated.

Meet new & exciting people = be an opportunist!

Be likable, friendly & approachable.

Have confidence; not arrogance.

Be an optimist; not a pessimist.

Follow-up, introduce others, facilitate discussions.

Brand yourself – get known, be heard, & recognized!

Personalize your requests & approaches!

Do have fun doing it!!

Here is a list of his don'ts for professional networkers

Don’t presume anything while meeting new people.

Don’t assume people have to help/owe you.

Don’t be a salesman, even if you are!

Don’t think “ME!” but “them!”

Don’t ramble or go-off track.

Don’t spam or bother your network!

Don’t abuse your network; Don’t ignore others!

Don’t give up!

Don’t do it just because you have to!

These could be some of the best tips for connecting, specially as they come from somebody who has figured in the list of super connected for the month of Sept’2009. One sad thing though is he is no longer allowed to form any more new connections. This means that only few people can benefit from his knowledge of networking and not everyone. Let’s hope Linked in removes the cap on his profile and allows him to connect with as many people as possible so that all benefit from his wisdom on networking.

Degrees and Life

2009-12-18T18:50:00.002+05:30

Today’s post is inspired by a fellow scribe’s written work, where, she stated that though we do not realize it, but, somewhere we use the knowledge we gained as a student pursuing our degree throughout life.
The passionate manner in which she expressed her thought, made me realize, that, what she said made perfect sense. The years spent pursuing a degree, or working in an office, mould our personality, in other words, set the trend for the future.
It is often said that our formative years often set the design for years to come. I know many of my friends will disagree with me and say, "this is totally wrong, 'I never studied but see how well I’m doing now”, or “I come from a poor family and see how rich I’m today", what they completely miss is the fact that those years when you did whatever you actually did, in a way set the design for your future. A person who has seen a lot of hardship due to one reason or the other actually has an ambition or a burning desire to change things.
They may choose different alternatives, or do things differently to succeed, because they so passionately want to get away from the past. A person who did not complete his/her education, realizes that he or she has a handicap so they go out of their way to succeed, similarly, those who have a degree in any subject will definitely be using it at some level-- directly or indirectly-- whether they agree or not.
Let me know what you think. Please keep the comments rolling in...

Article on Buzzle

2009-12-17T08:49:00.001+05:30

How to avoid IDK on Linked in

2009-12-14T12:00:00.002+05:30

Social or business media is a powerful tool for people who want to expand their business online. Imagine you have built a nice network on Linked in and one fine day you discover that your account is suspended. Panic may set in and you may wonder what to do.
Firstly let me explain what IDK is and how your could account be suspended. Linked in has certain policies in place that the user has to follow and one of them is not to connect with people you do not know. If one followed this in principle, one would have very few people in one’s network unless you are one of those who are super social or super connected, so what is the way out?
Charity begins at home-
The first principle to follow is if you want others to be nice then be nice to others. This does not in any way mean that you accept every invite that comes your way, certainly not, use your discretion, but if you do not wish to connect just archive that invitation instead of hitting the ‘I do not know this user button.’
If you have accidentally ‘IDK’d’ somebody make amends, go to the list of invites you have blocked and accept the invitation and if still do not wish to connect remove the connection later on. So this way you will ensure that you have a reputation of being a nice person.
The next and most important point you can follow is send a mail prior to sending an invite, asking may I connect with you? This way you are not sending unsolicited invitations and you will have only people who want to connect with you or people you want to connect with in your list.
Each social or business media platform offers you the option of limiting or expanding your network. Even on Twitter you can choose to block a person or add the person to your list of friends.
So build your network sensibly and make the most of the best social and business media tool the internet has to offer.

Paid Freelance Writing Gigs

2009-12-13T19:32:00.001+05:30

During my six months tenure as a freelance writer to find paid freelance writing gigs has been one of my pre-occupations. In my quest to find a few paid freelance writing gigs I came across quite a few and I even registered for them. Please check the list of writing gigs that I have found for you.

The best part about most of these article directories or freelance writing job sites is that they do not expect you to be an established writer. As long as you have knowledge of the English language and can express your thoughts, you are in. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Let me start by listing some of the most common ones, that are known to most people. One is of course http://www.associatedcontent.com/, this site pays upfront as well as shared revenue but to be paid up front you need to be a resident of the United States. Payment is by PayPal

Another one that I have a heard a lot about is, http://www.hubpages.com/they also pay on shared revenue basis and a PayPal account is required.

The next writing gig that pays upfront but wants you to qualify by submitting a sample article is http://www.brighthub.com/ . They pay upfront as well as on a shared revenue basis. Payment is by PayPal.

If you are a resident of The United states then http://www.helium.com/ is also a well respected writing site and they have a writers market that is growing in popularity day by day.

http://www.bukisa.com/ is another upcoming writer’s site that pays on a shared revenue basis. The payment is made through PayPal.

Register with,http://www.constant-content.com/ as they allow you to sell your articles at a price you want. They have lot of orders in queue. Clients even get paid more than $75 per article. You have to however submit one article as sample which has to be approved by the editorial team. Payment is by PayPal.

Keep watching this space I’ll provide you more useful information about freelance writing

Relationships

2009-12-08T12:03:00.002+05:30

Popular wisdom on relationships says that men change or turn away after sex. I believe this notion stems from grandma’s wisdom that men are only after one thing( the much maligned men). Is this really a fact? I’m not a psychologist, nor have I done any kind of research on the topic, this is a notion prevalent in India and I believe elsewhere too.
The popular idea that the girl is too easy or the girl is too cold or frigid? Does it all stem from the fact that both the sexes are just seeking self centered goals or self gratification in a relationship, though they claim to be in a relationship which is all about caring and sharing? I’m not offering a critique on society or men or women for that matter, I’m just trying to figure out the dynamics in this case? Is it really about fitting men or women into certain prototypes or is there more to it? Are people genuinely trying to figure out what is the cause of a person’s behavior in a certain manner or situation?
I once knew a person who told me that men like you more after sex because they feel accepted. Her statement I’m sure came from her experience as she had been married for many years. How far is this true? Very few married women actually make this kind of a statement, so do people just repeat what the other person has said or they try to analyze things?
I would love to hear what your take on this is.Please feel free to leave your comments. It's okay to leave your comments anonymously if you are not comfortable disclosing your identity.

Zodiac Signs and Personality Traits

2009-12-07T14:57:00.001+05:30

I'm sure everybody has read one or the other book on the occult sciences. I do not wish to dispute the veracity of these sciences but I do wish to know how relevant are they? Every time I have attempted to question somebody who has a vast knowledge on the subject or those who practice or follow, the sciences, I have either found people who try to confuse you when they don't have an answer or try to exploit the fear factor.

Is it really possible to divide the vast humanity into twelve signs? Are there just twelve types of people? Just think about the zillions of people who inhabit this planet, are there just twelve characteristic types? Let us imagine for the sake of argument that they are just permutations and combinations of the sun sign/moon sign and ascendant. But what about animals even one cat behaves differently from the other and yet they are same in some ways.

I recall reading George Bernard Shaw's statement where he had written that all human beings are almost 90% the same and just about 10% different and it is this 10% that they focus on and assume that they are different from the rest.

I recently saw a movie called What's your Rashi( Zodiac Sign) where a boy is looking for a bride based on the twelve zodiac signs, does he marry based on that, the answer is no, he does not. He finally marries the girl who appeals to him.

Please write about your observations and experiences on this topic as the traditional Indian wisdom is very much based on that, but it exploits the fear factor and as usual can't answer intelligent questions.

Putting yourself in the other person's shoes

2009-12-01T01:17:00.000+05:30

Hi,
I guess this is an often repeated phrase, please put yourself in the other person's shoes and see if they pinch then it probably hurts the other person too. Well said! But to be honest how many people actually practice that? Most people rarely bother to put themselves in the other person's shoes and more often than not they just don't care.
Let us discuss interviews for instance, now most interviews that I have attended, start with the question, "tell me something about yourself?" The next question that follows is why BPO's? Now what do they expect as an answer, it is the best job in the world! Or I love staying awake through the nights?

I do recall attending an interview where the handsome interviewer( that is the only thing I recall about him! his questions spoke nothing about his knowledge) asked me, why have you applied when I advertised for MBA's ? I replied, Sir, you had already seen my CV, my qualifications and work experince and this is the second round, why have you called me?
I never got any reply to that!!
I would love to ask all the HR's of this world what do they have in mind when they are hiring?
If a person is exceptionally qualified chances are he/ she got selected in the campus interviews itself and perhaps is drawing a fat salary from day one, for the rest of us mere mortals, we have to keep answering the same question 500 times, tell me something about yourself!!
More musings some later, I have to brush up my interview skills...

US/ Uk Native Writers

2009-11-07T02:05:00.000+05:30

Hi,
Today I blog about something that I come across everyday in my line of work, mind you, I'm not an established writer, no degree in journalism or some great assignments to my credit but I manage to make two ends meet and that is enough for me at this point in time. I keep seeing threads posted in forums where either the buyer says US/ UK native writers only? Or service providers post a thread stating we are a team of US/ UK native writers. What I wish to ask from these buyers is, why do they seek native writers? Would an American write an article for $1? How much would it mean to him or her? I had even asked a lady who claimed to be a native of CA and was haggling over $15, how far would $15 go? She did not reply to my question, instead she counter-questioned me, " have you ever been to USA?" I replied," No." but All I want to know is how far would $15 go in America?
If the job posters are genuinely Americans or Britishers then, I want to ask why do they ask for US/UK native writers? Is it because they feel an Indian or any other third world country citizen would not know the local idiom? I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this US/UK writer thing no hard feelings for those posing as US/UK natives, I guess they think this is the best way out. For writers who claim to be US/UK native I want to know they are a native of which country THE USA or THE UK? I guess enough for today ...more musings later.

Copywriting and testimonials

2009-11-05T11:24:00.000+05:30

Hi,
Today I'll talk about something that hits us everyday and for somebody like me I wonder do such people get any returns. Now, before you hit me with Laya what are you talking about, what hits us everyday and who are these people? Just hang on...here goes, as a kid or teenager who grew in a small town, Pune to be precise, I used to watch all these infomercials on TV and wonder wow! all the good things are sold in America, then started the phenomena of the internet and we again found similar advertisements that say, things like, I'm going to present to you, an extremely successful formula to get rid of that fat from your belly, now we all have that secret desire to lose fat and have a flat belly that resembles those models we admire, and many of us get hooked on but after trying some methods and realizing that none of them work, do people still go for these programs?
Take the example of anti-aging creams, now all women young or old have that secret desire for a luminous, healthy skin but do any of the creams deliver it? Especially the ones sold in those infomercials with all those testimonials..I can say that it is extremely entertaining to watch those ads but we already know that such super-successful formulas have not been devised then why do these people keep making similar copy-ads? Are they successful? Do they get enough returns or they just do what somebody else has done and hope to imitate their success. If anybody is listening I'd like to hear from you.....

Making People Wait

2009-10-24T19:23:00.000+05:30

We all hate to wait, more so, when we know we are being made to wait. I have been to a number of offices and often have found that the person incharge is never at his desk they are either on the mobile or chatting with friends or smoking, are people hired to do all this and wouldn't it be nice if these people were subjected to the same treatment, the moment they were at the receiving end. What if the bank employee the moment he steps out of office is made to wait by the parking lot attendent, while he talks on his mobile.
What if they found that their account had problems just because the other employee was careless and they have to fight a losing battle.
It is said that charity begins at home, do these people ever think this way?
Have you ever been to those interviews where you know that the person interviewing you knows nothing and if the questions he is asking the candidate in front of him were asked to him he would fumble and become as nervous or maybe more nervous than the candidate in front of him.
Often you are made to wait for 1-2 hours before the receptionist lets you in and then, how long does your interview last, maybe just about 10-15 minutes! Isn't it high time companies changed their practices and start believing that not just their time but the time of others is precious too and it is not always about acting important but often about hiring the right person for the job, who is not a person who verbalises a long agenda of what he will do for the company but actually puts that agenda into action.

Dilemma

2009-10-08T02:13:00.000+05:30

Do you distinguish between dilemma and confusion? Is dilemma the same as confusion? As per the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, dilemma is a situation which makes problems, often one in which you have to make a difficult choice between things of equal importance. So, is it the same as confusion? One can be confused about anything, life, choices, relationships but are we also in a dilemma at the same time? I think dilemma can arise out of confusion. Confusion can result from unclear thinking , maybe one is thinking about something else and has not paid attention to what is at hand.
A friend of mine stated that Hamlet was doomed because he was confused, I personally felt that he was in a dilemma because his near and dear ones were involved and he did not want to take an action without proof. He was doomed is another story maybe because he failed to take action when required and even when he saw the reality he did not face it. How often have you been confused or faced a dilemma? Life offers us choices at every juncture, is it always difficult to make a choice or does the dilemma arise because we want only perfection? We may know our decision but we know that every decision has some risk attached to it and maybe we want to avoid the risk? Enough musings for now ......

Reaching out to Indians

2009-09-22T11:54:00.001+05:30

How many of you watch the show Zayka India ka on NDTV India. Vinod Dua takes us all around the country and introduces us to the local flavours of India. I watch even the re-runs of the show. I love the little local flovours of the show. He does not focus on the five star hotels rather always eats at the roadside restaurants, it could be the local dhaba or the chai ki dukaan( tea vendor) or in Chennai he had hot sambhar and wada and hot sambhar and idli (yummy!) the best part was it was raining outside.
These are Indian flavours. Does anybody recall having those special concoctions like Horlicks biryani, fried Maggi noodles, hot masala dosa etc. I recall having masala dosa in my college canteen and though it was oily, it was cheap and those of us who were from families where our needs were fulfilled but our wants were not catered to, can very easily undersatnd that eating at such places was fun. At a time when you have more choices and less money to pick one, these kind of eating joints provided their own unique flavour.
I recall once I was travelling with my brother, he stopped the car at a roadside chinese stall where we had Hakka noodles and Chinese Fried Rice, it was one of the tastiest Chinese meals I had ever had.
If you travel to India then you may stay at a five star hotel but try checking out these local flavours because often they are unique, the cook is not trained to cook low fat food but manages to impart a unique flavour to the food.
Bon Appetit!

Reading is it still trendy?

2009-09-10T16:56:00.000+05:30

As a youngster I used to read a lot. I can say that by the time I had crossed the 10th grade (high school). I had read several literary classics and luckily literature for us never meant just English, Hindi, Russian or any particular kind of literature. I read literature from all parts of the world. Most works were of course translations but it still provided a perspective to a different socio-cultural pattern of life. Like all good literature they represented some universal values.
I recall reading Pride and prejudice when I was in the ninth grade and I could understand and relate to the characters whose way of life was totally alien to mine.
I even recall reading Chitralekha, a Hindi novel by Bhagwati Charan Verma, which questioned the line between love and lust and by means of its principal protagonists managed to convey that the line between good and bad is thin and at anytime one can cross it.
I think reading these kind of books gave me a broader perspective on life. I wonder if this kind of love of reading still exists with the current generation. Even when I was in school I can't say that I had many of my classmates showing the same love for books as I had. But yes I did have some friends who had this kind of love for reading.
Among the present generation I don't find even one person who has the same love for books! I recall communicating with a youngster who stated that he would throw all books in the dust-bin; he seemed to have forgotten that without books he wouldn't be in a position to even express those thoughts. Through books we learn our basics. Please respond if you are a book lover it is quite pleasant to come across a like minded person.

SEO content for websites !

2009-09-01T17:54:00.001+05:30

Its been a long time since I updated my post. Let me write about my life as it is now.
As a content writer I'm constantly faced with job assignments where the client asks me to write articles that are keyword rich. I can say not very difficult. Keyword density required can be 2-2.5%. What is difficult is they want it to flow naturally with the content. At times this can be done at times it is difficult. Content should be full of information and all this for a payment of $1.
To add insult to injury(unsure whether I have used the most appropriate phrase!) they want it within specified time on topics which you know nothing about! The article should be original, it should not be plagiarised! Nobody specifies how are you supposed to write on gift items available in the USA, when you know nothing of their culture. You will have to borrow ideas. Even Shakespeare borrowed plot.
You have to do all this in 1 hour. Phew!
But I guess this is the case with any profession. Do this and that and that and I'll pay you peanuts and those peanuts I'll delay for as long as possible.
Well enough cynicism for today........More musings later.

Which animal do you identify with and why?

2009-08-24T13:55:00.000+05:30

Have you ever wondered which animal do you identify with and why do you identify with that particular animal? This question was put forward in a group discussion once and each member who was participating gave one example. One guy stated that he identified with a dog as it is loyal and faithful, always eager to learn and a great companion. One gentleman said that he identified with an elephant because of its size and the fact that it looked majestic. One person said he identified with a lion and he would like to tame it and keep it as a pet.
One of the participant's even stated that she identified with a cat as she was a female and the cat is a feline creature, she further added that a cat is clean , elegant and graceful just like a female and the cat nurtures and lets go again like a female. Interesting answers! have you ever wondered why there is this trend to liken human behaviour to animal traits?
Recently I read this article about how one can attract all kinds of readers to one's blog. There too readers were grouped into animal types. It made for interesting reading and I'll try and summarize what I read. The writer had divided readers into four types:
The first type was of people who always look for what they can get out of reading that article. More like what is in it for me? this kind was called the cat type.
The second type was of the kind who learn by practice, trial and error; such people would thrive on their being activities for them to do. This type was called the dog type.
The third type was the analytical type, so for them there should be illustrations and examples, for this class of readers you should sound like an expert so that they can repeatedly come to you. This type was likened to rats.
The last type was the monkey type of readers who ripped the writers work and made it their own. This kind of readers according to the writer were always interested and would always leave interesting comments.
The writer summed up his article stating that no reader was predominantly one animal type most had the traits of all types. The best way to attract readers is to have general discussions leave a few loose ends for others to comment on.........

Why are Birthdays special?

2009-08-22T14:29:00.000+05:30

Have you ever wondered why birthdays are so special? We all worry about aging, whether we say, "I'm young at heart"or pretend to be immune to the ravages of time. One sentence or the other in our conversation always belies the truth. Inspite of all this I have yet to see a person who doesn't feel a wee bit excited on his or her birthday. We all wish that there was somebody who remembered and somebody who would make this day special for us.

One can perhaps say that as we love ourselves and life, birthdays are perhaps a celebration of being born on this earth. They are a celebration of the life force. Well that is true indeed but there are so many other things that celebrate the life force. Why is it that our birthday is that special to us?
I have always tried to figure out this mystery. When people are so scared of the aging process why do we celebrate birthdays with such elan?Perhaps it is one of our impulses that loves a contradiction. This to me seems to be the only reason. I know that the most age conscious amongst us remember their birthdays and celebrate it in great style. Some people would say that it is the child in us, well I'm not too sure about what it is that makes us celebrate birthdays and yet worry about aging and it is not always the fear of imminent death that makes us scared of aging. I guess this will always remain a mystery like all other things in life. More musings later...

Does Connecting on Social Networking Sites Help Professionally?

2009-08-21T17:55:00.000+05:30

Recently I started a discussion on Linked in to gauge whether connecting on Social networking sites like Linked in or Facebook or Twitter etc did really help them professionally. I got a lot of response from people. I'm going to put all their comments here and then we shall salute such sites for making serious work possible and lifting networking from the realm of meaningless dating sites.
Me: The link between jobs and connections on Linked in. A fellow networker Monique Fritz found a job on Linked in. Has anybody else found a job on Linked in? How does Linked in or networking help in getting jobs and is there anybody who has got more business through contacts or through networking groups?
Roger Toennis: My two prior jobs one employment and one contract were found through Linked in.
Mathew Keanne : I have had several good leads come from jobs on Linked in which is good, for my personal search I use the jobs here and on several other sites/ services. Try indeed.com for an aggregated search service across all the main job sites.
Jackie Ernette Z Athey: I received a small contract through Linked in. I had lost touch with a previous client and found him through Linked in. By Serendipity, right after I contacted him, I received the OK for the contract and contacted me.
Well lucky for you Jackie and she has tips for us too.
Jackie Ernette Z Athey: You still have to be active though and not think that because you are connected to x number of people you can just sit back and wait. This is true of any networking group.

The next comment by Allison Simmons will definitely tell you that all is not hunky dory as far as networking sites are concerned and you have to be circumspect like with all things in life.
Allison Simmons: So far I have not received any leads through Linked in, although I have received some good feedback on my resume as well as some good ideas. I remain optimistic, but have also found that there are a LOT of network marketers here (and I wish them all the best of luck and good fortune as well as a LOT of links to jobsites and fictitious jobs that are posted by affiliate marketers. Unfortunately, this group has found the unemployed a great target and are sending us by the droves to their websites and even jobs that are not legit........
The nest one is a self employed professional just like me, lets see what she has to say,
Marianne Weidleinn: I'm self employed and live in a small rural community that cannot even support my minimal income needs. Therefore I need Linked in...........
I have been active on Linked in for two months and I have two new clients and some are interested. I have connected with many old friends..........
You need to be clear about your intention with Linked in, determine specific goals and how to use Linked in features to further those goals............
Rick Peterson: I have found several partners for our project To Bring Back the American Dream http://www.bringbacktheamericandream.com/

I had several other inputs but most did find networking helpful and I think this should drive home the fact that when you set out your mind to do something and have a clear plan of action you find several helping hands along the way. More on my musings later please keep those comments coming...

Overland, A Love Story with the Russia-Afghanistan Conflict as a Background

2009-08-20T14:08:00.000+05:30

Afghanistan has been hitting the world headlines for almost three decades now, to examine where it all began we will have to move back in time-lets examine some historical facts. As per Wikipedia, The Soviet War in Afghanistan was a ten year long conflict, which involved the Soviet Union armed forces in support of the Marxist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, at their request and against the Islamist Mujhaideen Resistance. The PDPA government was also supported by India. The cause of the Mujhaideen found support from various sources like USA, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and some Islamic forces. In fact the situation in Afghanistan at that time perfectly symbolised the Cold War.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan lasted for ten years, starting from 1979 to 1989. On December 24, 1979 Russian Para-troopers landed in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The country was already gripped by a civil war like situation. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan Dr. Najibbullah Ahmadzai was placed as the head of KHAD. He was a member of the Parcham faction of the PDPA. He was made President of Afghanistan in 1986. Later he was killed by the Taliban forces.
Those were days when the world was clearly divided into the capitalist nations USA, UK and the Communist governments USSR, plus the smaller nations that were part of the Non-Alligned movement. Some of the nations indulged in proxy war and Afghanistan was a perfect example of this.
An interesting love story written in the wake of the Soviet- Afghanistan conflict called ,Overland is available at http://www.amazon.com/ this book is the work of an upcoming author Mark Stephen Levy. Read more about this in my blog later...
To link directly click here to Amazon in UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Overland-Mark-Stephen-Levy/dp/143899625X/ref=sr_1_2?ieUTF8&s=books&qid=1250772198&sr=8-2
For Amazon US please click: http://www.amazon.com/OVERLAND-Mark-Stephen-Levy/dp/143899625X/ref=books&qid=1250772118&sr=8-1

Thoughts

2009-08-19T17:03:00.000+05:30

On days when you are feeling low, disheartened and perhaps feel that nothing will work out right for you, has it happened that a sudden event or a quote that you happen to read has suddenly brightened your day and filled you with renewed vigour for life, even if the thought is as commonplace as, Winners never Quit and Quitters never Win."
I recall an incident that happened several years ago I was working in the sales field and the job was high pressure with daily targets that had to be met, the moment you entered the office the boss would ask, did you get any cheque? How much is the amount? On one such day when I went from office to office and couldn't get a single payment, I had become totally disheartened and was wondering did I complete my education for this kind of work? I went to an office where I was asked to wait at the reception and there on the receptionist desk was this thought....that ended with Winners never Quit and Quitters never Win , at the risk of sounding cliched I can say that suddenly I was filled with hope and when I went in to meet the company boss, I presented my product with renewed enthusiasm and definitely got better results.

Often in life when you are just about to give up this sudden moment comes that pulls you back right in, it could be a friend you meet, a stranger who gives you advice or even just a child who smiled at you.
More on life and times later....

Reminisces

2009-08-18T14:39:00.000+05:30

I was communicating with a famous American novelist, Mr Stephen Levy and he mentioned that he had visited India way back in 1985, that remark sent me on a trip down the memory lane. I recalled how relatively simple life was then. The communication media had not made a major breakthrough. The world was not a global village and media like television had just begun to make a social impact.
Life was comparatively peaceful and maybe a bit dull as well. Evenings were all about hanging around with friends. With no cell phones and even few landline connections, people communicated more on a one to one basis. The interactions were more humane. Celebrities were venerated as they made rare television appearances unlike today where you bump into them everywhere either in person or on one of the numerous television channels. Today people communicate with the western world on a regular basis, back then, it was limited to the odd visit to some foreign countries or if some professional would visit India to impart technical know how. Enough reminiscence for today more later.

Introduction

2009-08-17T14:14:00.000+05:30

Let me begin my blog by briefly introducing myself and the reasons why I forayed into the field of creative writing.
I have worked in diverse fields, starting from teaching, sales, the BPO industry and finally I have begun Content Writing. Most of my jobs happened by chance, that is, I was looking for something else and had to take up these jobs due to financial needs. Well I'm sure the cynic in everybody would say, "A rolling stone gathers no moss", I certainly won't refute that, but, it has certainly given me some enriching experiences. It enabled me to meet people from diverse backgrounds, understand them their views and most importantly the reflection of their background in their views. When I was teaching, I found people I was working with to be conservative, set in their way of life and they had fixed beliefs. It was a world of old people. You were always old, irrespective of your age as you were handling children.

Sales was of course about hardcore sales, aggressive marketing strategies and payments that took a long time to come through. As far as the BPO industry is concerned it is a young industry. Everybody is young, irrespective of their age. It is night shifts and hectic routines, high target pressure, FM in cabs, hearts breaks and love stories told and retold.To sum it up I can say that these experiences prepared me for the future.
I think my foray into the field of content writing is sure to enrich me further with more experiences. I hope to make my mark in this world and create a niche for myself.
This is just a beginning so see you folks around.