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A blog (a contraction of the term “Web log”) is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video’s. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. Everyone from politicians to film personalities to the common man is writing blogs today as it’s an excellent source to express one’s opinions and connect to the world in a personalized way. But what are the essentials to write a good blog? I’m not an expert but can suggest some ideas which might be helpful.

1. Give it a personal touch: Whatever you write just remember that people like blogs that are written by an individual and not corporations. Cite your personal examples to convey the message. Let others get a glimpse of your life through your blog. A personal touch creates a special bond between you and the person reading your blog. Write with passion so that the blog reflects your personality through the text.
2. Use links: I have personally enjoyed more if a blog has links to other web pages which are contextual to the post. This helps in better understanding and makes reading more fun.
3. Try to write smaller posts: You want the other person to read your blog and not snooze away. Keep it short and crisp so that the spice of the article is not lost. Blast your knowledge into the reader at the speed of sound as no one has a lot of time in this busy world.
4. Litter the post with Keywords: Think about what keywords people would use to search for your post and include them in the body text and headers. Make sure the keyword placement is natural and does not seem out of place.
5. Always makes headlines snappy: It’s rightly said that first impression is the last impression. So grab the attention of the reader by giving him a jolt of excitement. If the headline catches the reader’s attention, he would surely go through the text which follows with more attention and interest.
6. Edit your post: Good writing is in the editing. Before you hit the submit button, re-read your post and cut out the stuff that you don’t need.

Tags: Blog, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Post, Technology, Tips, Web Log

Web 2.0 becomes the need of today as there is emerging a new generation of potential employees and customers that are accustomed to a variety of technologies being available. These employees expect to see and use the technologies in the corporate world.

These technologies are not only interesting for personal use but they also help the corporate world to search better employees for them. Whether and how we deploy these technologies likely will have an impact on our ability to attract new talent to our companies and to find and retain customers. All these technologies fall into the loosely defined category of “Enterprise 2.0.”

Rather than dismissing these technologies right out of the gate, these techniques can be best use in the right way. If neglected, it can lead you to a competitive disadvantage.

Here’s a sampling of these technologies:

1) RSS (Really Simple Syndication): It automatically feeds you information you want. RSS can be used to push order-status information directly to a customer’s company intranet.

2) Social networks: Facebook and MySpace like networks help the employees to introduce themselves to the company. These can also be a resource to help employees find a potential car-pool mate, someone with a background in product design or specific experience on a product you are thinking about launching. It extends your network to a wider zone and can be helpful to reach your target place.

3) Quick Messaging technology, Twitter: A quick messaging technology, such as Twitter, provides a wider reach of the message (a “tweet”) as compared to e-mails. It lets people know what you are doing at an instant. For example, if someone putting out a Twitter message that says, “I’m updating the marketing plan; does anyone have any info on X?” The tweet may have a wider reach and generate a better response rather than sending out an e-mail that gets lost in everyone’s inbox. Twitter and FriendFeed are communication and collaboration tools. And when your research project is done, share it via FriendFeed.

4) Social networking: Social networking technologies such as FriendFeed can be used to share a variety of information. The technology lets users share Web pages, photos, videos and music with friends and family. This is an easy way to exchange the data.

5) Instant messaging: Instant messages are exchanged for quick replies.  E-mail is so “last decade.” Instant messengers are available to give a better solution. This technique not only provides a better way of communication but reduces the wastage of space in Inbox on the e-mail server.

6) Wikis, blogs and mash-ups to share, collect and edit information: Wikis and blogs can be used for training and collaboration on large projects while Mashups provide a good overview of the operations. It can bring together production and operations data from a variety of sources, allowing a production manager to get a good overview of the operations.

7) YouTube-style videos: These videos can be used for training or distributing important messages such as the CEO announcing a new product launch or Joe, the IT help desk guy, receiving an award. This technique is providing visual trainings which is much better than textual one.

Tags: Blog, Collect, Company, Edit, IM, Instant messaging, Internet, Messaging, RSS, Share, Social networking, Social networks, Technology, Twitter, Video, Web, Web 2.0, Wiki, Youtube

The very plain textual chat on Google is now going to be a fun by embodying a cartoon style online avatar and have text-based conversations with friends and other Internet users in virtual chat rooms. The company announced this new online tool on Tuesday.

Google unveiled the new product in a post on its official blog and can be reached at www.lively.com which is officially part of Google Labs, an area of the company’s site where it showcases projects that remain in the beta, or experimental, phase.

‘Lively’ will make the conversation more interactive and fun. You can create your own Chat rooms. These chat rooms can be added to any blog or Web site and are two-dimensional — they include text, and sometimes voice and video. Up to 20 people can occupy a room and chat with one another.

Users can design their own virtual environments, hanging on the walls videos from YouTube and photos from Picasa, Google’s photo service, as if they were pieces of art.

The new product was headed by Niniane Wang, an engineering manager. Students at the University of Arizona have been testing ‘Lively’ for several months.

Ms. Wang wrote in the blog post that she developed ‘Lively’ as a “20 percent project,” referring to Google’s philosophy that employees should spend one day a week working on projects outside of their day-to-day responsibilities.

Tags: Blog, Chat, Conversations, Google, Google Lab, Gtalk, Internet, Lively, Picasa, Youtube

After remaining in news for entering the blog world on internet, the very chirpy and famous Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav got space in mango market by his brand named mangoes. Yes! The news is a bit amazing but Railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has become Brand Lalu.

Now vendors can be seen selling mangoes (Rs 35/kg) with his name on it which is attracting the attention of public. “Lalu Mango” is actually the good old Digha mango with a new name, but the brand is doing wonders for mango sellers in Bihar.

Some bulk traders have renamed the sweet Digha mango variety after Railway Minister and former chief minister Lalu Prasad, and it is a marketing strategy that has paid off deliciously.

Lalu is the person who put the railways back on track, gave B-school students in Singapore management gyan, has been a contestant on a TV game show and starred in a Bollywood movie.

Not only mangoes but many items are named after him to increase the sale. There are now “Lalu Mangoes” after Lalu dolls, Lalu chocolates, Lalu fodder and Lalu cosmetics.

Earlier Lalu crackers were also available during Diwali while Lalu water spray guns were sold during Holi besides other items, made their way to the market.  Lalu rakhis have been proved a big hit during the season.

Last month he appeared in an episode of the TV show Paanchvi Pass. The minister who jumped into bollywood movies by his comic role in the movie Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav said to Shah Rukh Khan that “whenever he is producing a film and needs anyone to do the role of a politician, I am always there.”

Lalu always remain in front page for one or the other surprising news. The name really does a magic to the vendors. So take a try to these branded mangoes!

Tags: Blog, Khan, Lalu, Lalu Manho, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mango, Shahrukh Khan

With lots of public figures entering into the blog world, the Union Railway Minister and the former Chief Minister of Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav has also jumped into the same pool by his blog at http://www.mypopkorn.com/blogs/celebrityblog.html. Read our views on the same topic (Stop politics of castes!).

www.mypopkorn.com is run by Essel group’s Digital Media Convergence (DMCL).

Lalu, the blogger has joined the race with the icons like Barack Obama, Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan who turned bloggers recently. Lalu has posted his first blog on May 30 in which he shares his personal views about the Gujjar agitation at in which he says the agitation “has lost its direction”.

Blaming the Rajsthan chief minister for the protest, he said in his first blog, “Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje is the root cause behind the spread of agitation by Gujjars. She promised reservation in the election manifesto and now she is not keeping her word… No amendments can be made in the Constitution to confer special status to some individuals….”

Lalu is very upset over the damage caused to the railways by agitating Gujjars.

“Accepting the demands of the community for scheduled tribe status would trigger similar demands from others, which would lead to a constitutional crisis,” he says.

All this crisis of Gujjar agitation is due to the Politics of caste which must be abolished for fair judgement. Reservation is making the system a foul. Check http://www.inewsindia.com/2008/05/30/stop-politics-of-castes/

Lalu has confirmed his blogging by saying in his typical Bihari language, “Haan main apne vichar blog ke liye de rahan hoon. Ek de chuka hoon, doosra bhi denewala hoon . Wo log mujhse mere vichar chahte the. (Yes, I am giving my views to the website for the blog. I have already given one and the next will come soon. They had been approaching me and I agreed),”

Although, his views are posted in English but his comments can be listened in Hindi by clicking the link ‘Listen’.

The next blog from Lalu is expected to be on how he has turned the Railways around and become a ‘management guru’,” said a DMCL official.

The Lalu blog is already making waves. RJD MP from Patna Ramkripal Yadav said he had heard of the blog but was “yet to speak to Laluji on the issue”. Popularity of the minister and the number of readers of his posts can imagined by 2 lakh visitors a day of the website since the blog has started. Lots of viewers posted their comments and share their views with the minister. The readers can now directly address their grievances and reactions to him. No doubt, Lalu’s blog is going to rock in the cyberspace.

Tags: Blog, Blog of Lalu, Blogger, Blogging, Lalu

One after another, Bollywood icons are entering into the internet world through their blogs and websites. After Aamir Khan, Big B and Salman Khan came to blogs, now its turn to ’Big Brother’ fame Shilpa Shetty to launch her official website - http://www.shilpashettylive.com.

When the entire Bollywood is getting techno-savvy then how the world wide famous Shilpa Shetty can remain untouched. The official site will not used for blogging but for promoting brand Shilpa in general. Shilpa’s website, however, allows her fans to write directly to her.

The welcome note of the site is like this:

“This website is a way to keep in touch with my fans around the world. Warm wishes to all of you who have supported me over the years and helped me become who I am today as an actor and a person. Love to all of you.”

Shilpa is a distinct Bollywood actress who is famous worldwide. She has more foreign fans than Indians. Her stint in the reality show ’Big Brother’ gave Shilpa an international appeal and she is thereafter known as an international celebrity.

Her infamous Richard Gere kiss episode on the stage gives her a high international popularity graph line.

The site will capture products, pictures, news and videos. But there is no idea of converting it into a blog yet hence the only thing missing are the gossips and scandals associated with Shilpa.

Tags: Blog, Blogger, Bollywood, Shilpa Shetty, Website

With the start of a new blog of Super star Amitabh Bachchan, a hot debate between him and Shatrughan Sinha is started. (Also see Amitabh targets Shatrughan Sinha in his blog!)

Replying to the recent statements of Big B regarding the IIFA awards in his blog, Shatrughan said, “I don’t know why Bachchan is taking these things personally.”

Recently Sinha has said that the nominations list of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards was fixed and Amitabh talk about it in his blog taking this comment on him.

While talking to a channel Sinha said, “I am not talking about fixing of IIFA awards only but I am saying about every award.”

He blamed that there is no fairness in any award because it is emphasized to any particular person or organization or politics.

Sinha said that it is conflict of interest because Amitabh is brand Ambassador of IIFA. Hence it is natural that he will favor IIFA awards.

Amitabh said that IIFA awards are based on voting and computerization.

Replying to this statement Sinha said,” Amitabh is bigger than me in film industry and he knows the truth. I am in film industry for last 35 years and I don’t have to tell how the awards are given.”

He also questioned that Aamir Khan’s movie ‘Taare Zameen Par’ is highly appreciated by the public but why it was not nominated for awards? It is done to benefit some special persons. Sinha tells Big B’s comment unimportant.

Sinah said, “Amitabh is my good friend and I have done many hit films with him. But I couldn’t understand Amitabh’s rage. I didn’t specify any name. I only said that IIFA awards are only the function of a Bollywood family. Bollywood includes Khan family, Kapoor and Roshan family too but how Amitabh thought that I am talking about his family.”

However Amitabh said, “I believe that these types of gossips are trying to make the public think that there is some fixing in IIFA awards. There is only one family which is pointed for this and it is not hard to guess it.”

IIFA will be held in Bangkok this year from June 6-8.

Tags: Amitabh, Amitabh Bachchan, Bachchan, Blog, Bollywood, Entertainment, Shatrughan Sinha

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has also entered the world of blogs with bigadda.com, a youth networking site, to connect with his fans worldwide. He wrote his first blog on Friday and described his blogging experience as an overwhelming revelation.

Bachchan started his blog to find response and inputs from others and that he was committed to respond to them.

“It seems like a new life altogether,” he told.

Bachchan explained that prints in newspaper don’t incorporate all he says. Blog will provide the platform to say everything he wants to share with his fans and other people. It will provide the true picture of him and an opportunity to interact readily with the people.

Bachchan said, bigb.bigadda.com allows me to express myself, share and reflect my emotions, thoughts, opinions and listen to what people have to say to me and show them the ‘real’ side to my larger than life image that they see through media. It’s a platform which I control and share my own drama without anyone editing or interpreting my thoughts.”

“What’s most important for me is that I can now share consequential replies to the inconsequential gossip that do the rounds. I have always wanted a platform where I can speak, for truth is always stranger than fiction. People will now get an unedited version of my views, ideas and thoughts, straight from me,” he said.

Amitabh has also posted his views on his upcoming film Bhootnath.

The actor added, ”My adda (http://bigb.bigadda.com) will be the single point destination where I will openly state my views and also discuss the same with all.”

“There are many who need a personal answer because of the nature of their queries or comments. I am going to start doing that while I work on my set, in between shots,” he said.

Bigadda.com has gained a user base of 1.6 million, where 40 per cent users are from tier II cities like Tuticorin, Bhilai, Amritsar, Guwahati, Surat and Nashik.

The site gets almost 10 per cent of users from countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and from Indians from Dubai, United States and United Kingdom.

Tags: Amitabh Bachchan, Bachchan, Big B, Blog, Blogs