Dengue Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Dengue Symptoms Causes and Treatment.

Heart Attack. Emergency Procedure

Heart Attack. Emergency Procedure

Gangnam The new trend

I was rather surprised to see this name Gangnam  crop up on social media and even more so, to learn that this was a  Korean rapper dance style. Anyway this is the video that is now breaking records and is likely to make it to the Guiness Book of Records as one of the most liked videos on Youtube. It reminded me of  Macarena which was a dance hit with its own trademark dance style  and the success of the South Indian music hit Kolaveri Dee. Gangnam is simple, childish has no particular meaning other than being a carefree happy go lucky song and certainly will appeal to teenagers with the kind energy that the song has and the humor that the visuals and horse back dance style that it spins out.. :)

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 Being a planner by trade I had to dig deeper and look to understand why this video appealed to people and viola, came across this video which provides you with some qualitative research to interpret this meme :)

 A related link on this song.Gangnam Style Explained.

Top Ten Gangsters of the World.

 Probably the title for this post should read Top Ten Gangsters of the Underworld, but then geographically these are people who walk the same ground and breathe the same air as us. There are many who are intrigued by these people, who seem to operate a parallel system and this article provides an overview if nothing else.
 TIME Specials: The 10 top gangsters of the world

World's Top Universities

World's Top 20 Universities. 

Demystifying Social Media

Most of us in our forties  still are a little confounded by the growing importance of “digital media” and “social media”. We still feel reassured, only  when the brands we work on, appear on TV , in our daily newspapers and  billboards. Especially, when the last mentioned is  near airports and on roads our colleagues and superiors travel in. :)

To those of us who try to keep pace with what is happening around us, social media probably means this  :)

 We are therefore, really not convinced, as to  why we need to join the herd of people who seem to somehow want to make a "showcase of their lives" or a  "Truman Show" , if you will.

 I am  attaching two visuals  which I found during my adventures on Face Book, which illustrates to us as  how this medium can be used to the benefit of a brand.

This visual appeared in a page called  I love Ghana and in an album titled "people's choice".
Link to this site   
The intent is to share a funny moment, but what it subtly does, is to underscore the aspirational value of the Apple Brand and its pervasive strength in markets in Africa.

This visual has nearly 68,633 shares and 11,128 people clicking like button.To an old world planner like me, these indicate the reach and cut through of this particular post. It does not however stop here, this visual could be getting similar viewings and likes across the pages where it is posted. The reach figure therefore, grows in geometric proportions. The charm is that this publicity and favorable "buzz" comes free of cost to Apple. With a dedicated digital agency, visuals like these could be "planted" in social media. The key however, is to get the "content right" and to have it placed in the right places.:) Sounds like familiar advice, yes, the rules of the  mainline media game remain :)

This visual above was published around the time litigation was ongoing between Samsung and Apple. It appeared in a page which focused on innovation and technology.Link to this picture

Here too, there is a great valence for Apple, in that it clearly establishes its technological high ground and makes Samsung a "copy cat " brand. The dig at Nokia is hilarious and damaging to the brand to the same extent. While this could be dismissed as a joke, the fact remains that these visuals have great viral value and plant images subliminally. in millions of minds. It does for the brand, what  more than a dozen print campaigns on technological superiority could have done  or  millions spent on PR. This visual in this niche group ended up with 3867 likes and  11, 331 shares. The point to be noted is that these groups include mavens and opinion leaders for the category.

There are many such examples that one comes across.

In Mumbai, India, there was a seismic shift in public opinion after the terrorist attacks in November 2008 and it was the social media that provided a platform for the public to vent their anger and to organize themselves into groups. The movement then spilled onto the streets and forced the dispensation to react.

Campaigns that one may have missed in the regular media pop up on our newsfeeds and when shared by people whose opinion we respect it ends up being looked at carefully. A flash mob effort done by T Mobile in Liverpool was shared by millions and became an internet sensation. This osmosis from activations, events, and mainline to the social networks has made social media very pertinent and an increasingly important tool for brand building.

Yes, the digital age is upon us and in a Darwinian sense, those who do not adapt, will not survive.

Vinod Natesan

P.S. To practice what you have learned, you could start by liking this article and sharing it :) LOL

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Great Speeches : Bill Clinton for Barack Obama

The Clinton Speech for Barack Obama at the National Democratic Convention of September 2012

 

One of the finest speeches I have come across in recent times.

As an Indian citizen, it is not really of immediate concern to me as to who finally becomes the American President, though in a removed sense, it does make a difference, since American policy does affect the Indian Republic in more ways than one.  Keeping the impact on my country aside, my interest and appreciation for this piece of oratory was purely professional. To me, it was an example of excellence in thought, in presentation of ideas and finally, convincing a heterogeneous mix of people from all walks of life about a very crucial decision.

Clinton simplified public administration and finance, macro economics and political history into a rousing 50 minute speech without any visual aids and made his point. 

It was also a classy speech and had dignity written all over it. Concepts like cooperation, ethics in public life and politics, health care reforms, debt restructuring were all dealt with, with candor and conviction. 

He never stooped to mud slinging and irrelevant dribble. The pacing was perfect, the body language was sincere and he “engaged” the crowd for almost an hour!

I don’t particularly poke my nose into what people do with their private lives and for sexual relief and therefore my respect for this man went up manifold. True that he may have lied about an extra- marital affair ( there are few married men I can think of, who have been totally faithful to their spouses in word and deed!!) but that does not take away anything from his mental faculties and his ability as a communicator and as a  thinker.

The 50 minutes I spent reading this gave me an excellent pencil sketch of the current issues facing the US of A and a very good reference point to understand the elections that are scheduled.