Open Letter To Mr Rajesh Jain

From:
Manish Somani Add to Address Book This is spam
To:rajeshjain@netcore.co.in
Subject: Mr. Jain - Please come clean
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:06:30 IST marketing@netcore.co.in,cleanmail@netcore.co.in,bhayasalkar@netcore.co.in,kalpit@netcore.co.in,amprasad@netcore.co.in

Dear Mr. Rajesh,
Satyam Infoway paid Rs 499 crore to acquire IndiaWorld, a compilation of portals with a turnover of paltry Rs 1.3 crore and you in turn became a pseudo techopreneur. The consideration amount paid by Satyam would have surprised many investors but the world was tech crazy then.

Frankly, as a shareholder of Satyam I was worried about its propensity to pay so much more when it could have paid far less for a dud site with 1.3 crore turnover outfit with 20 people. The price represented a multiple of 50 times IndiaWorld’s annual revenue of Rs10m and 2,000 times its net profit of Rs 250,000. Rediff-on-the-net attracts more eyeballs than Indiaworld at that time.

IndiaWorld’s high valuation was, in large part, due to the tremendous brand equity of its portals (khel.com, khoj.com and dhan.com, among others). But why value something that cannot be seen or felt at that price.
Some of the expert felt that the value of a company varied depending on the buyer. For example, a strategic buyer could be willing to pay a higher price for a company compared to a financial buyer. Analysts argued that the acquisition of IndiaWorld by Sify was made with a strategic objective. Now I suspect Raju had an ulterior strategic objective. The market suspects that you might have some clandestine dealing with him as well.

Acquisition by Satyam Infoway could mark the start of the company siphoning funds overseas under the pretext of acquiring companies. The purchase coincides with the eight-year period for which the data has been fudged. There are so many questions that the Indiaworld acquisition raises, which Raju can probably answer now. I think you need to make your dealings clear as well.

Please brief us about your point of view on this. Mr. Jain characters is much easier kept than recovered and remember to make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure there is one less rascal in the world.
Best,
Manish

Link of the post on http://emergic.org/2009/01/08/a-satyam/

CNN-IBN7 S##ks - Khabar Haar Kimaat Paar - Rightly So

Here are some letters I had sent to IBN7 management frustrated by the quality of the news coverage and media intellect

From: Manish Somani <chinacat@rediffmail.com> | Add to Address Book | This is spam

Subject: IBN7 S##ks - Please take care / Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2008 01:28:43 IST

Dear Sir,

I am Manish a regular viewer based in NOIDA. I do watch both the English version (CNN IBN) and Hindi (IBN7).

Let me tell you why are seeing this mail. I am so appalled by the pathetic levels of your journalism I get to see in your channel IBN7 these days. Have the channel forgotten what journalism is or common practice your rookie reporter to vomit the self interpretation of the news rather than objective journalism. The repetitive reporting for lack of ingenuity is totally disgusting. The new TV mantra seems to be, ’Crappier, the happier!’. What are the kinds of news which are reported I wish the bosses need to know.

Most Hindi TV channels have resorted to crappy presentations, which are packaged as 'news'. In its desperation for TRPs, I am sad to say even IBN-7 has joined the rat race. IBN7 showed heavenly eyes, cloud formations, which was encircled. It was shown for three hours, with the presenter half shouting at you, ’Aasmaan mey ankhey’. This channel, which was sensible till sometime back, has taken its viewers for granted? If not, why was this distasteful presentation pushed down our senses for some three hours? Has this channel too joined the TRP rat race?

You funnily pick some videos which we get as forwards in our mailboxes and delete them looking at the topic, now that gets prime time on your channel. You randomly pickup mundane news and broadcast them as breaking news and exclusive. Come on we are not d#*ks!

Come on! You were the good guy. You are not India Live or News24. You are guys who know journalism. It seems that when business considerations are higher (not nobler), desperation sets in. IBN7 seems to be a unique example of it. Luckily the malaise is yet to catch up with CNN IBN and still like it. I do have reservations but I don’t want to be sounding too demanding.

Hope this will be taken care.

Best,

Manish

PS: My apologizes for sending this mail to you. Please forward this to the most relevant person who is responsible for content at IBN7

From: Manish Somani <chinacat@rediffmail.com> | Add to Address Book | This is spam

To: haresh.chawla@tv18online.com

Subject: Re: Re: IBN7 S##ks Again - Please take care / Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:49:23 IST

Dear Sir,

Hope you guys are doing good. I am just amazed that despite of two mails, the channel including the top management preferred to keep mum. And they say we listen to consumers.

I recently learned from the news papers that IBN-7 has earned I&B Ministry’s ire for a programme aired on June 27. An explanation has been sought as to why the channel was encouraging superstition by claiming that Lord Ram and Hanuman had appeared in the form of a ball of fire. The programme had shown that the two deities had appeared in a village called Nero, 200 km from Kuala Lumpur in Malay.

Lo and Behold, I told you so. You can’t continue doling that crap. Tabloidisation seems to be a short term strategy. I fear that compelled to drive viewership, IBN7 will soon begin to hire stand-up comedians, invite astrologers to the studio for viewer phone-ins and put up dance and music show or may be use assortment of Babas to forecast the future.

Anyways I don’t want to bother you guys. Write short email to that to me that you are looking into this issue. I will keep bothering you till then.

Ciao.

Manish

From: Manish Somani <chinacat@rediffmail.com> | Add to Address Book | This is spam

To: haresh.chawla@tv18online.com

Subject: Re: IBN7 S##ks Again - Please take care - The Experiment / Date:Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:31:03 IST

Respected Gentlemen,

I had just switched IBN7 and apparently since the date is 8.08.08, the channel is scaring me (saying Aath ka Ataank), prophesising that everything is unlucky...and all blah-blah.I hope to find some relief soon as you please take that crap off your channel.

What makes IBN7 focus on the palindromic perfection so much that it forgets that it is not a Jadu Tona wala channel?

I expect a reply from someone responsible.

Best,

Manish

Blogged Out of a Job - Blogging about your job can be precarious

The number of bloggers continues to grow, but the number of workplace policies explaining the company's rules on blogging remains feeble. And that can cause a lot of workplace anguish for both management and staff. Although there are no real figures on how many people have been sacked for something they wrote on their personal Web logs, we do keep hearing stories and its implication.

Very recently one of my friend’s acquaintances was asked to leave the company because the management believed that he divulged some sensitive information through his blog about the product development.

When the Internet came of age in the mid-1990s, the first problem employees encountered was with e-mail, when some workers who circulated messages with incriminating information were fired. Now blogging is a new source of employer-employee trouble. Typically blogs, short for "web logs," are opinionated and personal posts on the Internet. They can take on a diary-type form, and often feature frequent updates. Blogs can be about mundane topics, like the fact that a new vending machine popped up in the cafeteria. Or they can be explosive, containing nasty commentary about co-workers and sometimes even corporate secrets.

While not all of those blogs are work-related, many deal with workplace issues. And in an age where search engines such as Google pick up nearly everything and anything found on the web and can transmit it around the globe in a matter of seconds, there's good reason for companies to be concerned. Most companies are worried about being burned -- especially if employees post negative or confidential information about the company.

When employees and employers start thinking that blogs are all bad, they might want to reconsider. Blogging could be positive, if done in an appropriate way. Retailers who want to get the word out about a new style of suit might opt to blog. Filmmaker Michael Moore created a blog to promote Fahrenheit 9/11. Blogs can be used to get uncensored information out about a company.

There are many advantages if companies treat blogging as a useful tool. Employee blogs are a chance for companies and customers to have informal dialogues and build relationships. Danny Thorpe didn't just give a glimpse of what his team is working on: he started a conversation about how Borland talks to its developers. Blogs are also a great place for damage limitation, brand building and marketing. The experts on a product are usually the people who develop it, and blogs are one way they can share their expertise.

Corporate bloggers don't have to be star employees: reading hints and tips and everyday comments puts a friendly face on remote corporations. Many company bloggers put a disclaimer reminding readers they don't speak officially: rather than being off-putting, this can help break down barriers.

Anything people write in a blog is public information -- that is, after all, the whole point. Even if they write under a pseudonym or if they write a blog on their personal time, their bosses or co-workers can easily find their online musings. And many employers and potential employers do spend time trolling the Internet for mentions of their company or their own names, particularly in blogs. (Do you Google someone before a first date? I thought so.)

Then, if something unseemly comes up, that person might not get a job. Is that legal? Absolutely. For the most part, unless a company is practicing discrimination based on race, sex, gender or national origin, that company can pretty much fire -- or not hire -- anyone for any reason. Even for items posted on a personal blog.

But, of course, not all blogging is a potential problem. Companies should not write a "draconian policy that prohibits" blogging. Those powers can be used for good, after all. This is evidenced by the fact a growing number of companies host space on the company Web site for company bloggers. The thought is these people are interested in the company and its products, and unless they reveal secrets, their blogs can be great marketing tools.

Some practices reflect an unsettled period in the Internet's development. Blogging is just one way for organizations to harness the Web's huge potential, discovering pitfalls mostly by falling into them.

Lego: Rebuild it

Ambipur

Playboy: Playmate of the Year

Ariel- Dont be afraid

Amnesty

Nestle

C

Colgate

Veja magazine - Get Both Sides

Mercedes Airbags

Heineken- Don't Drink and Drive

Hanes - The tagless comfort

Duracell

Durex

Goldsgym

Eatalica

BMW - -The ultimate attraction

Fevicols

youthaids.org

Johnnie Walker

Arati Aurvedik Chikitsa

Kukiwon School of Martial Arts

Burger King

Samsung Camera Phone

Sony Music

Cancer Patients Aid Association

Wrigley's Orbit Ice White

Kalidas Music Festival

Kalidas Music Festival

Kalidas Music Festival

Wrigleys

Parachute

Hush Puppies

Tabsco Pepper Sauce

Lays

Heinz Hot Ketchup

Sedal

Brand: Australia Post
Body Copy: If you really want to touch someone, send them a letter.

Brand: Smirnoff

Body Copy: Old Story. New Twist

The Organizational Chart

The Organizational Chart explains quitewell “Why its better to be the boss!”. It gets worse if one or more of your boss’es fly away and someone new comes in.

Please Note:Any resemblance to any corporate hierarchy is purely coincidental

Vint Cerf @ Googled Bangalore

Vint Cerf is one of the founders of internet; co-inventor of TCP/IP protocols and basic architecture and currently Chief Internet Evangelist & VP, Google was in Bangalore on February 21st 2007 for a lecture on the past, present, and future of the Internet at the Dr. Ambedkar Bhavan Memorial Trust. The invitation-only event was sponsored by Google as the kickoff for an ongoing technical speaker’s series.

I was in two minds to go or not however a little goggling helped. The Google threw up some 4 lacs hits of his name and while I was also amused by his eccentric title. Circumspect, I decided to go.

The thing that struck me when I was there in the upper level of the crowded theatre and this 63-year-old was going on about packet radio network, Trojan horses, network neutrality, and TCP/IP, spam while I hadn’t ever talked technically about the Internet with anyone older than their twenties. That was the first of many reasons that I enjoyed the talk by this authority of the Internet who is still working on new and ubercool projects. One of the highlights of the evening was his discussion of design of network protocols to support an “InterPlanNet” or IPN as a sort of “deep space” backbone for transmission of data from spacecraft and planetary probes.

Here are some interesting facts and thoughts he shared:

1. Internet has touched just one billion of the world’s population and there are 5.5 billion to go.
2. The falling prices of devices, which access the internet, would provide the much-needed momentum to augment the number of users. There are around 2.5 billion devices, which are accessing the internet providing numerous interfaces likes payment, navigation systems, SMS etc. These include mobile phones, laptops and other handheld devices.
3. In 1997, there were about 22.5 million internet users and today it has crossed one billion with Asia having the highest number of users. This democratic access to world’s information is bringing in newer trends.
4. Spam is a side effect of free service.
5. Of traffic on the Internet: http is 45%; streaming video is 36%, streaming audio is 5%. YouTube is 20% of all http and is nearly 10% of all Internet traffic
6. The internet is just a mirror of the population and is beyond political control referring to the proliferation of fraud, social abuse, and other online crimes
7. Google recently bought a company that placed advertising in virtual environments