A New Idea for the New Year!

It’s a brand New Year and I am sure you all must have had a very enjoyable time! There are many who may even be still extending their holiday plans! This is the time one cherishes being with family and friends. I am sure it also brings back fond memories.

The other day, I was deciding upon enhancing the way social interaction happens online and I happened to go back to my school days. The endless sessions of lessons were a great time to connect with friends on the back bench! Those are the days which actually gave me an idea about something new and useful.

I remember the classroom sessions that often made us discuss things amongst each other rather than ask questions to the professor directly. In fact, I even remember that some of the most valid points were brought up in the midst of these discussions. The main point here I would like to bring attention to is the amount of valuable information that is generated through these discussions. We can observe the same scenario in a professional setup as well. There are many presentations and conferences that are conducted to impart/share knowledge with others. In this case, I have noticed that the amount of information and discussions that happen, during and after the presentation; is a valuable resource for both the presenter and audience. The feedback however may never reach others who are not a part of the discussion or have not attended the presentation, as most of it may be purely verbal or shared online at various places.

Sharing presentations online was one way to share the PPT file with others. However, this missed the most valuable discussions which happened during the session. To share this valuable information, currently, the trend of ‘twittering’ is very widespread and is visible amongst professionals and youngsters alike. I have often noticed users posting tweets about good inputs about a presentation or an interesting conference. This however, does not give other users a clue about the actual presentation and its content. The simple reason being, a person who is reading the tweet has never seen the presentation. Either the presentation is not shared at all or is shared on a third party site which is different from where the tweets appear.

Also, when people start tweeting about the presentation; others may not know the right hash tag or keyword to use as search terms to obtain all the tweets related to that presentation.

The point I am trying to make is all this information (discussions or comments among people and the tweets on the presentation) can be more useful when it is shared at one spot so that users can connect instantly and know feedback in a structured way. In this manner, professionals giving presentations and the audience can be well-informed about the latest updates and feedback.

The importance of Twitter definitely cannot be ignored. Many tweets can actually be a value addition for one’s professional work.

I am hoping to add more value to the way we interact online. Keeping this in mind, I would surely like to know any suggestions from your side for my new idea!

Surfing this Wave of Technology

We all know that collaboration is so important in today’s professional life in particular. A given task or assignment can be enriched further when you collaborate amongst others and utilize their inputs.This is an idea I have been supporting and propagating for quite some time! I feel interacting in one area on a web page helps to connect better for users. It surely enhances the way social interaction takes place online. TeemingPod is one medium I have been emphasizing upon for users to interact online. Through TeemingPod, one can collaborate better through the various activities such as Discussions, FAQs, Ideations, Polls, etc.

At times, new trends take time to catch on. However, I am not surprised to see that Google is also taking this trend ahead! This is when I begin to believe that finally, more and more people are using social interaction through various activities online! Google is extending this idea of on the spot collaboration through Google Wave - a tool for personal communication and for collaboration online. The beauty about Google Wave is the fine merger of our regular activities online such as e-mails, wikis, instant messaging and other forms of social networking. The purpose of Google Wave is to ensure people collaborate better and in a structured format.

With the advent of Google Wave people would be more receptive to the idea of "come together - collaborate - real time - anytime" concept which TeemingPod has been promoting till now.

The buzz about Google Wave has invited positive feedback as well as few brickbats. The concept of social interaction is catching on. We for once, had predicted it before! So, are you a part of this new wave?

The Much-Awaited Google Chrome OS

Slowly but surely, Google has crept into our lives on the web. It has always been having a steady grip on its users, to the extent of irking the competitors. Google has been dominating in many ways in terms of the Internet. This time around, there is an attempt to dominate a user’s desktop!

Last month, the world witnessed the release of Google’s open source project viz Chromium OS. Google’s idea behind building this OS is to essentially create a thin client operating system for consumers. Chrome OS is all about the web and web based apps. 

Let us look at few main highlights of this OS

• It will run with a Linux kernel as its base.
• It will boot directly into the Chrome Web browser
• Since it is web based, it will not be designed to have local storage; all data will be stored in the cloud.
• Web developers would be able to build web apps that can run on any standards-based browser as its open source.
• Google will release the software to the open source community before the end of 2009
• Hardware partners for Chrome OS announced till now: Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Toshiba.

The best thing about this concept is that all the applications are web based. One does not have to deal with installation or even updates about different programs. Google also boasts about the intensive security options. The speed is another factor users can look forward to!

Few advantages of having such an OS:

• People can now access their emails instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot
• One can access data from wherever they are located
• No need to worry about backup files
• There is no requirement to configure computers with every new piece of hardware
• There is also no need to bother about constant software updates

Even though Google has promised many such things, experts opine about different issues. There have been several concerns such as the case of WiFi. A user may not be able to access it when out of range. Besides, the security is still a debatable issue. 

Few examples of things that would be difficult to do with Chrome OS

• To view a huge video which is present on the local drive, takes a fraction of a second to start the movie. This could become really problematic if the video needs to be viewed from cloud, especially for slow network connections. Also, one has to consider the time required to upload a video to Cloud.
• A user can have access to data on hard disk even without a network connection. However, Chrome OS uses Cloud based data storage, which means that an Internet connection is required to access the data. Also, a fast network connection might be required to be able to upload and download data.

For those who have tuned in a little late, click here to view link. Till then, we can only wait for the ultimate day!

In my opinion, Chrome OS will be a very specialized operating system which would be beneficial for many applications. But, it would not be a Microsoft Windows killer.

The Limitations of Online Social Interactions!

Social interaction and its presence on the web can be seen in terms of the popularity of this concept. Although many sites are yet to adopt this strategy, it goes without saying that it does lend a valuable contribution to websites.

Apart from social networking websites, interaction online is useful for professionals all around the globe. It helps a firm to collaborate and solve issues even if teams are located in different areas of the world.

The most common ways of interacting within a group is through online webinar sessions. Once the date and time is fixed, everyone can attend it from any area all over the world.

However, I am sure you must have faced some issues which have been my concerns as well. I have listed these below:

• You can attend the presentation or the online meeting only if you are present online at the given time.

• If you are unable to attend it, there is no other medium through which you can know details about the discussion.

• Even if you do try to gather inputs post the presentation, you may be able to connect only with the host and trying to get in touch with all the participants would be a tough task!

• You can probably interact or know about details through mail but it does not have the same effect as a live interaction with users online.

TeemingPod users however may have experienced that social interaction continues whether or not the person is online at the same time. A user is able to share presentations and connect with others at his/her leisure. A user can even refer to the FAQ or Ideation section to know about the kind of interaction that has been going on between others.

In fact, it’s online social interaction without the restrictions!

Top 5 Sticky Ideas for Your Website

The term sticky did seem odd to me first when I started having a closer connection with the web world! I thought, “What does the term sticky have to do with a website?” As I shrugged my shoulders, it was only a matter of a few days when I learnt the importance of this term. Look up on Word Web and one of the definitions would be, “Having the sticky properties of an adhesive.” Rightly so, there are elements that create the same effect for websites. For those who wish to know the other side of ‘stickiness for sites’, can read on for 5 sticky ideas for your websites!

Those who are still perplexed with this term: Stickiness for a website means the user is kept on the page for a longer time. The content and presentation should be embedded in the minds of the users!

Top 5 Sticky Ideas: Interaction is what you need

Many webmasters strive to add the stickiness factor to their websites. What you need here is social interaction on the page. A website that only contains graphics and content may attract users but may not make them return back to the websites. The need thus arises to create a kind of social interaction on the page. Here’s a look at some ideas that will help to bring about social interaction on websites.

Publish Authentic Content

Words and visuals go together. The content for the site should be authentic and appeal to all readers, precision and catchy headlines help!

For example: An article directory site that is interspersed with links is bound to drive away genuine readers. Articles that are published on many sites in one go also tend to put off readers, hence the requirement of authentic content.

Start a Forum

A forum is like a space where users can interact with each other. This peps up the overall look of a website.

For example: A product website that adds forums to its site will ensure that users interact with each other. In this manner, users can discuss the products, recommend stuff and perhaps even suggest areas for improvement.

Include a Poll

Another way to add to the stickiness of the website is to include a poll on the page. This increases the curiosity amongst the users to know what others users feel about the topic.

For example: If you have a news related website, you can highlight important points in the form of polls. By gathering opinions, users will actively participate and will always remain interested in the website.

Allow Special Users to Blog

A blog option helps to add to the stickiness factor. It keeps users on the page, besides, it even gives them the option to contribute and be active with the website.

For example: A fashion website can include a blog section wherein reputed names in the industry can contribute. This will add to the interest factor as fashionistas will enjoy returning back to the site to be up-to-date with the latest trends.

Resource Sharing

Provide a space for users to share, recommend links or share photographs. The idea of photo sharing or link sharing online will increase social interaction amongst users.

For example: A site dedicated to photography can include these options. Avid photographers can share their photographs with users and will spend more time on the web page.

These points listed in random order are only some of the many other points to add the stickiness factor to websites. Watch this space for more information!!