People in my office would understand what I am talking about :).
- Bing: 50 Bulls**t jobs
I noticed in a link posted today in a Slashdot article that the browser information is being passed in the Google query. Now, the browser gives out its information in the header anyway, then why are the Google guys passing it again? Quickly realized that the search bar of the browser is the culprit!
Some quick research online revealed that there has been some discussions on this already [1] [2] and it looks like there is probably some monetary gain in it for the browser developers for doing it. Then to my surprise found out that Mozilla is both a for-profit Corporation and non-profit Foundation - Mozilla Corporation is a taxable entity under Mozilla Foundation.
Firstly, how can I be in the dark about this for so long!! Still trying to think what the long term implication of this are going to be. Here are a few thought starters...
- Daniel Glazman: Mozilla corp in 12 simple items
- e-week: End of innocence
Chanced on two posts on brands/brand value today almost at the same time...
- Seth Godin: The brand formula
- Brand = [Prediction of what to expect] times [emotional power of that expectation].
- Millward Brown, FT Study: Google becomes the world's most valuable brand
- Google Brand Value = $ 66,434 Million .
I don't think anyone will think of Google as the best way to "organize their information". The Google brand stands for an offset of that mission. The first thing that comes to mind (my mind at least!) and what the brand stands for is of a search engine, so simple and so brilliantly efficient that you know you can always trust it to quickly give you the information you are looking for.
Don't know the specifics of the 'brand definition' based on which Millward Brown did its valuation. But if you think of it, Google has been branching into too many things thereby diluting its equity. Sure Search, Desktop, Gmail, Books, Directory etc., organize information and add to the expectation from Google. But there are so many other Google products that don't fit the bill!
So far Google managed to be a valuable brand because it stands for so few things with most people. If you look at this survey results, you will understand what I mean.
To cut a long story short, borrowing a few things from Seth and adding my own... Google may value whatever it has been valued at as of now, but if 'they do so many different things and because the value of what they create has little emotional resonance' they might be eroding their brand!!
'Significance' is the most abused term in Marketing! Whenever I hear some one use that word, I always wonder if that was said in the statistical sense. Coming to think of it, most statistical terms are abused by us Marketers!!
Anyways, have decided to add OmniNerd to the list of sites I subscribe to. Here are two brilliantly simple articles that apply statistics to real life questions!
I am a marketeer (at least, as of now!) and most part of my day is spent in -- meetings. Ah! that dreaded word that sucks up your time!!
In 90% of the cases, I come out of a meeting and think, "what an absolute waste of time". So, when Seth Godin in his note on meetings says, "Despite the time spent, most people don't seem particularly happy with the results the meetings create" I found myself nodding in resonance.
In general, I have noticed that Indian's are the worst when it comes to meeting's . Here are some laws that I could readily think of, that were applicable to most of my meetings...
- At least one important attendee shall come in late
- If a meeting begins on time, then it shall never end on time and vice versa
- When a critical function is being discussed, that function bearer shall have gone out of the meeting
- The middle of the meetings, are the place, when ones gadgets (black berry's, cell phones etc.,) shall be shown off
- In the middle of the meeting, at least one person shall ask his neighbor, what the meeting was about
- At least one person shall give his opinion on/commit on behalf of a function not his own
- Book meetings for the time necessary - Most organizers (outlook etc.,) don't have the end time just like that! Have an end time along with the start time and adhere to it. Make sure everyone knows about it at the beginning of the meeting. It will cut unnecessary sidetracks between the meetings.
- Get only the relevant people in - Sure, you would want alignment from other functions as well. But, if a person is not going to have a task at the end of the meeting against his name, he might as well not be there!
- Follow up meetings are a must - Book the next meetings' time and date as the last thing at the end.
- Minutes and task list - Clearly state what you did, what's going to happen and who's going to do what next.
- Categorize your meeting review them - A very good trick I learnt was to take some time out, once a month and review the meetings. You will know what works, and what doesn't work for you
This is the first post, so what better post than to describe the title of this Blog. A few clarifications first, I am not a philosopher nor a scientist nor a programmer to love such a title. Ideally, I would have wanted this blog to be named ravindra.blogspot.com or something on those lines. But half an hour and lot of permutations and combinations later I settled on this name (in fact I am surprised that this title is not already taken ).
So, I am not going to post things of relevance to the title in this blog. What this blog will have (hopefully) is what a blog is meant to have - my thoughts on any topic! Sometime in future, I will integrate it into my website.
Incidentally had a small website, r4v1.lycos.com and homepages.iimcal.ac.in/~ravindra/, both disappeared and the backups I had were lost.
Posts
