All Posts by Himanshu Sheth

|In: Blogging|Last Updated: | 1 Comment

Source : www.tech2.com

A recent research for Windows Live Spaces revealed that blogging is a very important activity for Asians online. Nearly half of the Asians online have a blog of their own, out of which, 41percent spend more than three hours a week blogging.

The survey also showed that Indian men were more active bloggers, as opposed to the rest of Asia, where youngsters and women take the lead. While more than 50 percent Asian bloggers believe blog content to be as trustworthy as traditional media, 74 percent of Asians online, find blogs by friends and family to be most interesting.

Alex Stewart, Director of Microsoft’s Online Services Business, Asia Pacific “User created content and community based online services are really propelling the Internet in Asia right now. With the introduction of easy to use services such as Windows Live Spaces, blogging has moved into the mainstream and become a popular way for people to stay in touch with family and friends. Today, instead of sending out mass emails or holiday letters, people are using their blogs to express themselves”.

Blogs are also gaining popularity as a means for obtaining updated news on the Net. While websites take time to catch on, news blogs are the first to provide up-to-date information, even though it may not always be accurate.

The research shows that blogging is a social phenomenon with Asians and that blogging is seen a means to maintain and build social connections and self expression. Blogging as a corporate or business tool is still at a nascent stage in the Asian market, with little interest from consumers in blogs from business or political leaders.

|In: BarCamp Bangalore2.0|Last Updated:

Speaker : Kavita , MingleBox

The young people spend more time on the internet rather than watching 9:00 soaps!!!Minglebox was launched 3 months back.People feel that MingleBox is more safer and Indian as compared to Orkut.

Competitors:

  1. Orkut –> Have a large audience but it has a colorless application oriented platform
  2. MySpace
  3. Hi5
  4. Yaari
  5. Jhoom
  6. Fropper

There is a group on MigleBox called “Bangalore” where people party,go for movies etc.The intented audience is college going guyz(and this is very difficult to answer).The answer is not how different is but “Is there an intented audience?”.

Technology and UI are one of the main focus areas so that “Improvement in small steps would lead to a big improvement over a period of time”.Currently,a 25 member team and looking out for more.Live demo on “Scrambled Scrapping” which enables Private Scrapping.

|In: BarCamp Bangalore2.0|Last Updated:

Speaker : Deven Tolia,Thoughtworks

There was a small demo about a dance where a small mistake happened.Deven tried to co-relate this with work.In case of dance,it is very important that you have a smile on your face.Same is the case with working in a company since,no one likes a person who comes to the office with a dull face.

Also,the other part is that “We should learn from our mistakes”.In case of dance,synchronization is very important.Hence,if is a slight mismatch in the dance than people have to cover it up so that all the dancers are in sync.Same is the case with work since,if one person is not in sync with the team than there would be a delay in the delieverables to the customer.Since “CUSTOMER IS GOD!!!” (or should I say “Treat the customer like God”

|In: BarCamp Bangalore2.0|Last Updated: | 3 Comments

Speaker : Srinivas Yelandur

Some new terminologies to me!!!!Still would try to list down something.

Web 2.0 is a broad set of concepts that can be broken down into three anchor points.It is a web oriented architecture.Future is Office 2.0!!!It is same as Web 1.0 but the only difference is that it has a collective intelligence.

Attributes of Web 2.0:

  • User Centered – Wkipedia , Delicious , Google Maps , Google
  • Open – Open services , Open technology foundation , Open IP , Open business packets
  • Simple and Lightweight – Simplicity in design , Lightweight protocols , Lightweight UI technology , Lightweight development process
  • Decentralized, Distributed and Participatory : Content is distributed as RSS and Atom.

|In: BarCamp Bangalore2.0|Last Updated:

Speaker : Kiruba Shankar

(Create,Collabarate and Innovate)

This talk was about Proto.in

It is a place where 30 Startups would be chosen,they should be having a working prototype(Hence,called as Proto) along with 25 VCs.”

Spoke about MeraVideo which just has one shell script(which can be downloaded from the net) but hey, it will soon get VC funding.

This event is also meant for the wanna be entrepreneurs.

“Imagine your product crashes when you showing a demo.”

Sun microsystems offers 40% to the start ups.

|In: BarCamp Bangalore2.0|Last Updated: | 2 Comments

While having lunch met a Project Manager from Thoughtworks Marco Jansen.An iteresting conversation went on between us.

I was amazed to hear from him about the culture that they follow in Thoughtworks.I just came to know from him that there are no cubicles in Thoughtworks!!!The reason for doing this only better communication betwen the team members.

And the best part is
“EVEN THE HEAD OF THE COMPANY DOES NOT HAVE CUBICLE OF HIS OWN”…..Does this sound realistic?

|In: BarCamp Bangalore2.0|Last Updated:

Speaker : Aditya Mishra,TCS

I had met him at Blog Camp in Mumbai.This guy knows about the business very well.

He spoke about some of the innovation at the TCS Innovation Labs.

How can be innovate at a Services Based Company

  1. Add new features
  2. Innovation on the delivery model
  3. Enhance offerings->New technologies
  4. Innovation in 3 areas a. Cost b. Flexibility c. Revenue
  5. Simplify the existing stuff.Question the things that are proven and check to see if you can improve on that front

Some inputs from the audience:

Disruptive Innovation:CDs over video tapes

Question unanswered : SHOULD SERVICES BE CALLED AS
“OUTSOURCED SOFTWARE MANUFACTURER”


If you get an answer to this question,do leave your comment.

I am heading for lunch since there are very interesting talks after lunch.

|In: BarCamp Bangalore2.0|Last Updated: | 2 Comments

Session by Rohit Agarwal , the CEO of TechTribe

Author of “How Innovators Connect” along with Patricia Brown.The Book contains the story of Entrepreneurs and story about them.People cannot learn more from books but by interacting with different people.To be innovative , you can also be Imitator(Shaadi.com is an imitation of match.com).”Ideas dont mean anything”.

His saying : “Every Indian is an Innovator”.”Every Entrepreneur connect with themselves”.Connect with themselves : Jan Baan and Manoj Saxena.

Connect with

  1. Themselves (Jan Baan and Manoj Saxena).When do you when you are ready top start.
  2. Fear (Rajiv Samant and MR Rangaswami).Get over the fear of failure
  3. Failure (Desh Deshpande and Dan Harden).Failure is a learning curve.Failure is in our heads.Desh Deshpande sold his first company for $26.This is when he had put all his savings and he had two kids.But soon after that,he started his next venture.
  4. Environment (Ganesh Natarajan and Tom Erickson)
  5. Team (Manoj Saxena and Tom Erickson).No Silicon Valley venture was started by a single person!!! “Dont Hire people search for Co-Founders”
  6. Customers (Mark Hoffman andd Phaneesh Murthy).Accept crticism from people and improve from those comments
  7. Money (David Skok and Mark Hoffman).There is immense for VC money in India.Do you have passion and do you have drive,than the VC money will be easy
  8. Ego – I cannot have my ego takeover

When you start a company,go with your gut and listen to the universe.Environment is always correct

Immitation is the best form of Innovation
Ideas never get stolen–>Implementation of idea is important.Share ideas with people whom you trust
Can I convince two people to put money in your venture(which is not so simple,as you think)
Take negative feedback and improve that feedback
Every idea starts with “No” says