Retinoblastoma week – is your child safe?

In todays post, I am deviating from our usual marketing thoughts. This week is the Retinoblastoma week and my friend at the Cankids foundation is doing their work with children suffering from eye cancer. Here is a small video about it.

Microsoft to buy Skype for $8.5 billion

It looks like that fuss over skype is over. As I have discussed in my earlier blog that Google and Apple are in race to buy Skype. Now it has turned out something different. Now Microsoft has apparently finalized a buyout – for $8.5 billion.

There is question that will it be like another good service, like hotmail once was, will now rot in MS possession? Well, the time will answer this question.

At a value close to $8 billion, the Skype deal would rank as the biggest acquisition in the 36-year history of Microsoft. Beofore that, in 2007, Microsoft paid approximately $6 billion to acquire online advertising firm aQuantive Inc.

Skype uses a technology called voice over Internet protocol, known as VOIP, which treats calls as data like email messages and routes them over the Internet, rather than a traditional phone network. Skype’s software, which can be downloaded free, allows users to call other Skype users on computers or certain cellphones for free. Skype users can also call land lines for a fee and conduct video calls.

Hope that Skype will grow into a much bigger brand in the coming time.

OBL death video spreads virally on the Internet

Yesterday, President Obama confirmed that he is not going to release post death photo of Osama Bin Laden. However already many scams/malware are doing rounds on the internet clamining the censored video or picture of Osama. Facebook and emails are the active platform for spreading these malwares.

In this viral video scam on Facebook users getting a link which claims to be footage of Osama bin Laden’s killing. Users are receiving messages from friends telling them to click a link in order to watch the video from bin Laden’s death. However there has been no report of malware, or virus software, received by users after clicking on the link.

In some cases the scammers are using the name of the Wikileaks, to make people think that the video is genuine. However, the video is a scam. Clicking on the link will take you to a fan page, which is being liked by more than 45000 people, and ask you to complete a new 5 second security check before you can watch the video.

As I suggested in my earlier posts also, beware of these malware links and don’t click on them unless you are sure about the third party applications.

Now Osama malware scam (virus)

Computer security experts warned that online scammers may seek to exploit the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to spread malware. May be because of this since mornign I have received many emails suggesting me not to open any email attachment named as “BLACK MUSLIM IN THE WHITE HOUSE”. They are suggesting it is a malware and can harm the comupters. The email says:

In the coming days, DO NOT open any message with an attachment called: BLACK MUSLIM IN THE WHITE HOUSE , regardless of who sent it to you. It is a virus that opens an Olympics torch that burns the whole hard disk C of your computer. This virus EVEN IF IT comes from a known person who you have in your list.

However this is just a hoax mail. There is no virus named as ‘BLACK MUSLIM IN THE WHITE HOUSE’. Mcafee has updated about this hoax emai viurs on their website. As per Mcafee:

This email message is just a HOAX. It contains no malicious scripts or malware. McAfee Avert Labs has not received any report of a user’s hard drive being erased from opening the email.

You can read more about this on Mcafee website.

Osama Bin Laden’s death and social media

Just with in the hours after Obama’s official statement on the death of Osama Bin Laden, the topic is taking over the conversation on the social media, both
Twitter and Facebook. Everyone on the social media talking about it and expressing their views and comments.

Twitter
Here you can see the top two trending topics are #osama and #obl (which is an acronym for Osama Bin Laden). This is the trending topic both as worldwide and regional.

Facebook
Facebook status updates is doing the round like anything. It has been estimated that probably 60 million people, which is around 10% of the total Facebook
users, have updated their status discussing about Osama.

For every minute a new page is coming up celebrating the death in one way or the other. Screenshot of one of the page which has more than 2 lacs fans.

The Royal Wedding

The Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is a trending topic on twitter. In fact, every social media, print media, electonics media, every friend, colleague is talking about this Royal wedding. Youtube is showing live streaming of the wedding. You can watch it here on youtube

On twitter there are mixed reaction of the people. Some are enjoying by discussing the dress, guest, food, decoration etc. Some are asking the question that will it successful unlike other royal weddings. Some are cracking jokes on speculating about their honeymoon or asking about royal kids after royal wedding. Some people are iritated with so much of hype of this royal wedding.

The wedding is expected to be watched by around 2 billion people across the world. Are you one of them?

Google goes Gaga

Last month I discussed about Lady Gaga (Gaga over Lady Gaga). I discussed how  Lady Gaga is known for her quirkiness, unpredictability and outrageous choice of clothes. I mentioned how Lady Gaga is fast becoming a case study for all marketing professionals around the world.

Now Google has also interviewed her. And more than a million people have already seen this one hour interview with in six days.

The youth icons has been able to identify the desire of their target audience and she is doing everything to fulfill those desires through a perfectly crafted, staged, managed and sustained image.

I personally believe that she does not only inspire people to “be who they are” but she inspires people to never give up.

Here is her interview with google.

Japans disaster recovery management

As we talked about, Japans’s situation and how effectively they are handling it in our earlier post, Japan’s economic slowdown and the spirit of humanity.

This post talks about some revitalizing examples as how strong they are responding to this calamity. We all can learn from their enthusiasm, energy and high spirit. There are many things which we can learn from the people of Japan. Some of them:

Duty: We can’t forget the small battalion of 50 nuclear workers who refused to go off from their duty. They were staying at the heavily damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Complex, keeping alive a hope to prevent a nuclear catastrophe by cooling it down.

Calmness: Though many lives lost. Still we did not see any wild grief or sorrow. They are focusing on the life ahead.

Dignity: As we mentioned in our last post too, the dignity of Japan people. There are no security guards outside departmental stores. People are queing up for their daily goods, even picking up the fallen goods in the stores and assembling them neatly in their shelves.

Responsible Media: The reporting was revolving around the helping of people. Media was sensible and calm and not sensationalise.

Grace: People did not create any havoc. They did not create any rumours, they did not buy excessive commodities. So that everyone could get something.

Visionary architect : There were many building who remain unaffedcted in this high intensity of earthquake. It tells about the strong and visionary architect of Japan.

Assistance: People were practicing the basic concept of humanity. They were helping each other. They were sharing their food, resources with someone who need it most.

Government’s Commitment: The government’s approach was commendable. Roads were rebuilt in just 3 days. They were reaching to every remote area with aid.

Japan has shown that they are not only at the top of technology, but they are at the top of humanity also!

Social media and politics

Well ,well, well this is the news I was guessing for a long time now. Social media and politics. I hope that would make a potent combination.

This morning, I read that Michael Birch, founder of  Bebo, has created a new online space/social network for politics. The network is called jolitics.com.
He said, “Applying a social media to politics could radically improve the way that MPs engage with their constituents”. That soulds like an idea. I believe that idea behind creating these kind of ‘space’ is establishing a link between people and politician.

The issues/problems/suggestions related to particular constituency can be posted on this website(Not applicable in India. However in India the website like this is already available – askyourmp.org). And based on public votes the same can be escalated to the concered authority.

I believe this idea is going to work. Almost everyone is on social network and if they can report issues/problems of their constituency online and get it resolved, it would be good for them. On the other hand if MP’s see thousands of votes on a particular issue/problem in their area then they surely will address to those number of people.

Let’s see how well this is going to work!!

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