Facebook started off as a great social networking platform. Don’t get me wrong, even today it is a standard when it comes to social media and networking. The very concept of facebook was to bring people together. You could come closer to your friends and dear ones and share your feelings and literally anything you wanted. Now that is really an amazing invention because it was never done so convincingly in the past. The mid nineties saw an upsurge of mobile phones. You could talk with anyone in the world irrespective of where he or she was. During those days, it was really a phenomenal thing to do. In the early part of 21st century social networking began to pick up and mostly sites like Orkut started this uprising with the Nobel concept of getting in touch with people. The cell phone revolution had reached a stable state by then. Facebook provided a boost and rose up the ranks to take over Orkut. The concept of sharing everything on one’s wall was greatly appreciated. People could like a particular comment and post their views. It really began as a very interesting innovation.
How far have we reached?
From what started in Mark Zuckerberg’s computer lab is for all of us to see. Facebook gained a business dimension. It has become a prominent means of marketing your business. Almost everyone has a presence on facebook and that makes it a great marketing channel. You can grab people attention by the number of likes on your page and that probably inspired you. Oh really!! That’s what I get to hear from most facebook addicts. But for me, why should a like or a share inspire anyone. I really belong to the old school where I always thought that by you can be inspired only helping others. But maybe, this is the modern form of deriving inspiration.
With every innovation there are some good things and some bad things. What happened when Television came in every household? People literally flocked around their TV sets all day. Facebook has become more or less the same thing. People are glued to FB and they just love to post on some wall or the other. It’s sort of crazy when you come across the same people face to face. Their
Facebook posts are not really a true reflection of their persona. I have a strong feeling that Facebook provides a fake medium of presentation. People who are quite unaffected in their daily life put up messages which makes you think how much do they strongly feel about something. You won’t see even one bit of that feeling when you meet them personally.
The number of fake profiles on FB is probably more than half. I tried to do a search on a person’s name it brought around 400 results out of which nearly 300 resembled some TV model. So, what’s the whole deal about putting on your wall and trying to think that you are being admired? For me truth is reality and Facebook is far away from it.
Probably in a few years’ time, something else like FB would come up and it will show its own timeline.
http://expertscolumn.com/users/samprad78
All copyrights reserved by Sameer Devalekar
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Bring a smile on your wife's face
Have you ever been confused about what you need to do to bring a smile on your wife’s face? It’s not really that difficult. Isn’t it? My thinking for the last 5 years has been very simple. Every time I want my wife to be happy, I give her things that entice her. You might need to think about the consequences of giving her something. Sometimes that can backfire and most of the times it does when you are out of budget.
Not all wives are alike. But one thing is for sure. Most of the women are shopaholic. They are really crazy about shopping. Be it a lovely top or a beautiful bracelet they will just go for it. So how do you really put a smile on your beloved’s face?
If your wife loves Gold then just park your car besides a jeweller and get her one amazing golden necklace. You might be feeling distressed internally but you must show your happiness while doing this. Remember, gold has a lot of intrinsic value. You might find this precious metal at sky high prices in a few years’ time. So just go ahead and buy some gold for your spouse.
I do not have the greatest choice when it comes to buying a dress for my wife. So, I generally leave it to my wife. However, you can get your wife some beautiful dresses. Make sure that you know about her choice before diving into this stuff. Color and size are more important than anything. You just can’t buy a purple dress if your wife hates any shade of blue. So, go and get a red one for her. She will love your choice.
The next thing that you can do is to gift some classic cards. I bet you are on budget if you do this. Cards convey the feelings and emotions. If you just want to let her know how much you love her then just get here some well written cards. You can write in your own words as well but make sure that she understands what you write.
Take a day out, Give her a treat and make her feel special. You wife will surely love you for making it her day.
http://expertscolumn.com/users/samprad78
All copyrights reserved by Sameer Devalekar
Not all wives are alike. But one thing is for sure. Most of the women are shopaholic. They are really crazy about shopping. Be it a lovely top or a beautiful bracelet they will just go for it. So how do you really put a smile on your beloved’s face?
If your wife loves Gold then just park your car besides a jeweller and get her one amazing golden necklace. You might be feeling distressed internally but you must show your happiness while doing this. Remember, gold has a lot of intrinsic value. You might find this precious metal at sky high prices in a few years’ time. So just go ahead and buy some gold for your spouse.
I do not have the greatest choice when it comes to buying a dress for my wife. So, I generally leave it to my wife. However, you can get your wife some beautiful dresses. Make sure that you know about her choice before diving into this stuff. Color and size are more important than anything. You just can’t buy a purple dress if your wife hates any shade of blue. So, go and get a red one for her. She will love your choice.
The next thing that you can do is to gift some classic cards. I bet you are on budget if you do this. Cards convey the feelings and emotions. If you just want to let her know how much you love her then just get here some well written cards. You can write in your own words as well but make sure that she understands what you write.
Take a day out, Give her a treat and make her feel special. You wife will surely love you for making it her day.
http://expertscolumn.com/users/samprad78
All copyrights reserved by Sameer Devalekar
Discovering another planet that has life
How often have we heard that NASA is on a mission to discover a new planet that has life? Yes, technology has advanced and we are really thinking about more space to live. There have been a number of attempts to discover something within our own solar system. However, most of these attempts have failed. Nothing has really clicked well in this expedition.
Now the foremost question that we really need to ponder upon is whether we really need another planet. The world is expanding enormously. With every addition to the population there is going to be a space crunch. Unless we discover more optimum ways of doing things our natural resources are definitely going to go out of stock. Finding a new earth is probably one of the alternatives that we have. But is it really worth it? I really doubt.
Are we really in a situation that we need to think of places beyond earth? Population can be curbed by effective planning. It can’t grow exponentially if all governments enforced certain laws. New places to live on earth can be discovered. Technology innovations can take new heights. But do we have enough resources to do that?
My perception is that we are spending too much money on something that is completely unknown. Definitely we are progressing but spending billions of dollars on such expeditions is highly insane. We can utilise the same money for satisfying the needs of the poor and needy. It is all fine to say we want to explore technological boundaries. But we must be aware that our own economies are struggling today. If this struggle continues for a longer period then we are definitely in for a major economic crisis. The value of money would degrade to an extent that it will be impossible to regain its original zeal.
This mission for exploring a new planet is nothing but a means to boast about our technological capabilities. In reality we should try to do things better within our own rights. The only way we can do this is by thinking about how to make our own earth a better place to stay.
http://expertscolumn.com/users/samprad78
All copyrights reserved by Sameer Devalekar
Now the foremost question that we really need to ponder upon is whether we really need another planet. The world is expanding enormously. With every addition to the population there is going to be a space crunch. Unless we discover more optimum ways of doing things our natural resources are definitely going to go out of stock. Finding a new earth is probably one of the alternatives that we have. But is it really worth it? I really doubt.
Are we really in a situation that we need to think of places beyond earth? Population can be curbed by effective planning. It can’t grow exponentially if all governments enforced certain laws. New places to live on earth can be discovered. Technology innovations can take new heights. But do we have enough resources to do that?
My perception is that we are spending too much money on something that is completely unknown. Definitely we are progressing but spending billions of dollars on such expeditions is highly insane. We can utilise the same money for satisfying the needs of the poor and needy. It is all fine to say we want to explore technological boundaries. But we must be aware that our own economies are struggling today. If this struggle continues for a longer period then we are definitely in for a major economic crisis. The value of money would degrade to an extent that it will be impossible to regain its original zeal.
This mission for exploring a new planet is nothing but a means to boast about our technological capabilities. In reality we should try to do things better within our own rights. The only way we can do this is by thinking about how to make our own earth a better place to stay.
http://expertscolumn.com/users/samprad78
All copyrights reserved by Sameer Devalekar
How to revive sports in India?
India is not really known for its sports culture. The only sport that prevails on a large scale is Cricket. It is a cricket fanatic country and you can find people really crazy about the game. The same enthusiasm doesn’t prevail when it comes to other sports. I am still unable to digest the fact that a country with such a huge population and really talented people just fails to impress in sports.
So what can India do to bring about a strong awareness of different sports and not just cricket? They really need to build a solid foundation for their sports system. How can they do that? They just need to work the same way as China. The education system is something that needs to pave the path for the sports culture. Today, Indian education primarily deals with a curriculum focussed primarily on Science, history, geography and technology. Sports never got any real attention as a vital element of education. However, with the recent success in Olympics and common wealth games, things are changing.
Schools really need to give significant weightage to sports. They can provide multiple choices to choose from. For instance, an education system needs to have at least 10% coverage of sports. A student can choose one game from different options like Athletics, Soccer, Gymnastics, Basketball, volleyball and a lot more. This has to be absorbed into the education system right from the kinder garden stage.
Strong emphasis needs to be given on the having ample sporting space for each school with good quality sporting equipment. I think the government needs to take a stance of making it obligatory for schools to respect the sporting needs. They might also provide grants so that schools have the required infrastructure to create quality athletes. The moment this gets enforced you would start seeing the results.
Today, parents are reluctant in accepting a sporting career for their children. If sports are mandated in schools then the mentality of parents is bound to change. This will usher in a new sporting revolution in India.
It’s just a matter of strong planning and infrastructure. India can become a sports powerhouse if they really do simple things better.
http://expertscolumn.com/users/samprad78
All copyrights reserved by Sameer Devalekar
So what can India do to bring about a strong awareness of different sports and not just cricket? They really need to build a solid foundation for their sports system. How can they do that? They just need to work the same way as China. The education system is something that needs to pave the path for the sports culture. Today, Indian education primarily deals with a curriculum focussed primarily on Science, history, geography and technology. Sports never got any real attention as a vital element of education. However, with the recent success in Olympics and common wealth games, things are changing.
Schools really need to give significant weightage to sports. They can provide multiple choices to choose from. For instance, an education system needs to have at least 10% coverage of sports. A student can choose one game from different options like Athletics, Soccer, Gymnastics, Basketball, volleyball and a lot more. This has to be absorbed into the education system right from the kinder garden stage.
Strong emphasis needs to be given on the having ample sporting space for each school with good quality sporting equipment. I think the government needs to take a stance of making it obligatory for schools to respect the sporting needs. They might also provide grants so that schools have the required infrastructure to create quality athletes. The moment this gets enforced you would start seeing the results.
Today, parents are reluctant in accepting a sporting career for their children. If sports are mandated in schools then the mentality of parents is bound to change. This will usher in a new sporting revolution in India.
It’s just a matter of strong planning and infrastructure. India can become a sports powerhouse if they really do simple things better.
http://expertscolumn.com/users/samprad78
All copyrights reserved by Sameer Devalekar
Top 10 Don'ts of any Business
One of the most common questions that I have been asked is ‘How to do business?’ My answer has always been ‘I will tell you how not to do business.’ I think that’s the best way to explain because people tend to recollect the don’ts much faster.
Here are the top 10 don’ts of any business:
1. Don’t blindly dive into any business just for the heck of it. Don’t go by what people say. If someone tells you that affiliate marketing is the best business for you then first think if it is really meant for you. Something that works for one person might not work for you.
2. Never do something that you don’t believe in. Also, never hijack any idea without knowing the constraints and risks. Also, if you don’t have conviction in executing your business idea there is no point in doing it.
3. Never have unrealistic dreams. Start with the achievable targets and then improve your goals.
4. Never dive into something if your funding is going to be insecure and unstable. First find a stable means of finance and then only plunge deeper.
5. Never build a product for yourself. Build it for your customer. Get the requirements from your clients and then only work towards it.
6. Never give half-baked solutions to your client and never compromise on quality. You will not only lose the faith of your existing customers but you will also lose your market credibility.
7. Never pester your customers by asking for unnecessary information. You might just frighten them away.
8. Never lose your good employees. They are really the drivers for your success. Try all possible ways to retain them.
9. Don’t get out of the business if you make loss in the first 2-3 quarters. You can never be profitable in a business all the time. Especially when you have just started you need some time to establish yourself and make a name. There will be some initial hiccups. You will succeed only if you have appetite to digest loss.
10. Don’t be emotional in any business. You just can’t afford to run business this way.
http://expertscolumn.com/users/samprad78
All copyrights reserved by Sameer Devalekar
Here are the top 10 don’ts of any business:
1. Don’t blindly dive into any business just for the heck of it. Don’t go by what people say. If someone tells you that affiliate marketing is the best business for you then first think if it is really meant for you. Something that works for one person might not work for you.
2. Never do something that you don’t believe in. Also, never hijack any idea without knowing the constraints and risks. Also, if you don’t have conviction in executing your business idea there is no point in doing it.
3. Never have unrealistic dreams. Start with the achievable targets and then improve your goals.
4. Never dive into something if your funding is going to be insecure and unstable. First find a stable means of finance and then only plunge deeper.
5. Never build a product for yourself. Build it for your customer. Get the requirements from your clients and then only work towards it.
6. Never give half-baked solutions to your client and never compromise on quality. You will not only lose the faith of your existing customers but you will also lose your market credibility.
7. Never pester your customers by asking for unnecessary information. You might just frighten them away.
8. Never lose your good employees. They are really the drivers for your success. Try all possible ways to retain them.
9. Don’t get out of the business if you make loss in the first 2-3 quarters. You can never be profitable in a business all the time. Especially when you have just started you need some time to establish yourself and make a name. There will be some initial hiccups. You will succeed only if you have appetite to digest loss.
10. Don’t be emotional in any business. You just can’t afford to run business this way.
http://expertscolumn.com/users/samprad78
All copyrights reserved by Sameer Devalekar
What is your Mantra of Life?
Every individual has something that energises his life. What are things that motivate you in life? Routine activities add a lot of dullness to your life. If you really need to live your life to the fullest you need to remove this monotony. Life without any incentive is extremely colourless. You would need to add some liveliness to your life. How to do you go about adding some radiance? Please pour in your thoughts. I would like this column to be a bit interactive.
How do you remove the dullness from the life of a daily wage labourer?
A daily wage labourer is stuck up in his job all day and his primary motive is to service the needs of his family. He just goes out for work, toils all day and comes back home tired and sleeps. He follows the same routine every day. There is no room for any thrill. How can he add some newness to his life? He really needs to do something new. What are the new things that he can do? One of the things he can really do is to pursue his hobbies. If he loves singing then he must find some time to learn some music. If he loves writing then he can just start by writing a few lines on a daily basis. This will not only excite him but also add a new dimension to his life.
Let’s imagine that you are a businessman who is stuck up in business day in and out. How do you add spice to your life? Making money is not everything. What is the use of money if you don’t know how to use it? You really need to utilise your money the best way you can. If improving your own lifestyle makes you feel happy then just go ahead and do that. If helping the poor makes you happy then no one stops you from doing it. Don’t think much. If you can’t decide how to use your money then there is no meaning of money.
Remember that you have only one life and the mantra of your life must be to live it to the fullest. Go all ends out. Just do things that you craved for but could not do due to certain circumstances. Follow this mantra for a really successful life.
http://expertscolumn.com/users/samprad78
All copyrights reserved by Sameer Devalekar
How do you remove the dullness from the life of a daily wage labourer?
A daily wage labourer is stuck up in his job all day and his primary motive is to service the needs of his family. He just goes out for work, toils all day and comes back home tired and sleeps. He follows the same routine every day. There is no room for any thrill. How can he add some newness to his life? He really needs to do something new. What are the new things that he can do? One of the things he can really do is to pursue his hobbies. If he loves singing then he must find some time to learn some music. If he loves writing then he can just start by writing a few lines on a daily basis. This will not only excite him but also add a new dimension to his life.
Let’s imagine that you are a businessman who is stuck up in business day in and out. How do you add spice to your life? Making money is not everything. What is the use of money if you don’t know how to use it? You really need to utilise your money the best way you can. If improving your own lifestyle makes you feel happy then just go ahead and do that. If helping the poor makes you happy then no one stops you from doing it. Don’t think much. If you can’t decide how to use your money then there is no meaning of money.
Remember that you have only one life and the mantra of your life must be to live it to the fullest. Go all ends out. Just do things that you craved for but could not do due to certain circumstances. Follow this mantra for a really successful life.
http://expertscolumn.com/users/samprad78
All copyrights reserved by Sameer Devalekar
Should you invest in Penny Stocks?
People find the word Penny quite interesting. Anything that you get in pennies will particularly attract a huge chunk of people. Now when it comes to stocks, most people get fascinated towards penny stocks. They like the idea that they would own a part of the company and that too at such a cheap rate. Now that’s where the real misconception creeps in. Penny stocks might literally kill you and take you on a dooms ride.
You don’t agree? Well here is one real life incidence that I encountered with a penny stock that I bought 7 years ago.
I had my eye set on a particular manufacturing stock that had gone all the way down from $10 to $3. Now that I felt was really a bad phase for the stock and this specifically attracted me towards it. My friends also told me that this was probably the right price and right time to buy it as it might shoot back to $10 or even higher levels. When anything like this happens you just need to do some analysis and then trust your instincts rather than trusting anyone else. I was blindly in love with this stock at that price and there was the catch.
I bought 10000 stocks at $2.65 hoping that it would shoot up in a few days. The very thought that even if it goes to $5 I could make up nearly twice the money was really my motivator. Every quarter, results were announced and the stock plunged even further. In 9 months the stock was down to $1.8. I thought it needed one upsurge and it could go to my anticipated levels.
The problem however was that I didn’t realise that when a stock reaches those levels it becomes highly manipulative. Traders extract everything out of it and it completely loses its value. The first thing I really should have considered was the fundamental value of the company I was investing into.
Had I invested the same amount in a strong company I would have made up significant gains. But the thirst of making some fast money brought me into this never ending death trap. Also, I didn’t have any stoploss in place and that backfired like anything.
In 2 years the stock had gone to sub-dollar levels. I repented my decision to invest in a penny stock. A good lesson learnt. The desire to earn fast money is not bad. But you must never invest in a stock that has fallen to penny level.
http://expertscolumn.com/users/samprad78
All copyrights reserved by Sameer Devalekar
You don’t agree? Well here is one real life incidence that I encountered with a penny stock that I bought 7 years ago.
I had my eye set on a particular manufacturing stock that had gone all the way down from $10 to $3. Now that I felt was really a bad phase for the stock and this specifically attracted me towards it. My friends also told me that this was probably the right price and right time to buy it as it might shoot back to $10 or even higher levels. When anything like this happens you just need to do some analysis and then trust your instincts rather than trusting anyone else. I was blindly in love with this stock at that price and there was the catch.
I bought 10000 stocks at $2.65 hoping that it would shoot up in a few days. The very thought that even if it goes to $5 I could make up nearly twice the money was really my motivator. Every quarter, results were announced and the stock plunged even further. In 9 months the stock was down to $1.8. I thought it needed one upsurge and it could go to my anticipated levels.
The problem however was that I didn’t realise that when a stock reaches those levels it becomes highly manipulative. Traders extract everything out of it and it completely loses its value. The first thing I really should have considered was the fundamental value of the company I was investing into.
Had I invested the same amount in a strong company I would have made up significant gains. But the thirst of making some fast money brought me into this never ending death trap. Also, I didn’t have any stoploss in place and that backfired like anything.
In 2 years the stock had gone to sub-dollar levels. I repented my decision to invest in a penny stock. A good lesson learnt. The desire to earn fast money is not bad. But you must never invest in a stock that has fallen to penny level.
http://expertscolumn.com/users/samprad78
All copyrights reserved by Sameer Devalekar
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