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With increasing popularity of local languages on net and Broadband allowing the use of rich media –audio and video files, Internet can play an additional role in helping preserving local language and culture.

Rich media formats can capture pronunciation and physical movements associated with the languages in details and document the same. For instance, the Tlingit language of the Inuit people in southeast Alaska has been preserved in an online database used by schoolchildren in Glacier Bay.

More places would be seeing the development of indigenous language projects and databases online Though till now English is world’s lingua franca and with world becoming a global village, there was a threat of English becoming so indispensable in communicating that it would displace other languages.

Though until translation technology is perfected and pervasive, people will have to find other ways to communicate as effectively as they can across cultures, but as Thomas Keller, a member of the Registrars Constituency of ICANN rightly says “The net of the future will very likely evolve more into a big assembly of micro webs serving micro communities and their languages.”

Labels: Internet marketing, social media, Social network

Imagine a scenario where people would be using “aggregators” to know about updates and latest happening/posts in “social networks”. With mushrooming online communities and networks, it’s becoming difficult for individuals to keep track of them.

We might see new kind of mashups which would combine favourites/ selected genres and personal profiles across various social networking sites.. depending on whether social networking sites would agree to such collaboration and syndication.

Labels: social media, Social network

Many organizations are doing study on the effectiveness of advertising on UGC. I was going through a study done by blue Lithum Labs and ITToolbox.

The most important question that comes to mind while planning on such UGC sites (Social networking and user generated content sites) is how ethical it is to put “sponsored” content on sites which are meant to share opinions, insights, experiences, and perspectives with each other.

I faced the same challenges while planning the campaign on blogs and other social networking sites for the first time.

Campaign performance (gauge by visits of companies on my website by clicking on the banner/link.) on publisher content sites was higher than on UGC. Though in money terms, lower cost of UGC media scored over publisher content site resulting in lower cost per visit.

To my mind, both the channels are imp - content sites for generating more visits from relevant target audience (depending on who they are; for me this works! J) and Blogs and networking sites for not just visits, but “word of mouth” and “buzz” about newer concepts.

Labels: advertising on blogs, Blogs, online advertising, online marketing, ROI, social media, Social network

I was reading an interesting article in Forbes - “Can you hear me now” by Sherry Turkle. I was quite moved with the way article went about saying how people have now started sticking to their personal network so much that they have lost the art and enthusiasm of meeting in person.

What the article missed talking about was the opportunity provided by these networks to “meet” , “form friends” and “grow” – both in intellectual and personal space.

With every new technology, there are both benefits and flaws. I agree that life without cellphone/internet/blackberry seems dead, and yes with so much of exposure and media availability, contemporary world has a spilt and reduced attention span.

This brings a challenge and opportunity. Challenge to manage time, to give quality time to things which are important, automate things which are mundane/routine and find time to “think and do what is important” and “urgent”. Opportunity to know much much more in same time, to become faster in grasping things and super than super computer!

“Network effect is expanding the collective intelligence of the human race” (Its All in your Head by Robert M. Metcalfe)

I feel with more media, there is an opportunity of viewing/hearing/watching/reading/creating more information and challenge of choosing and segregate relevant piece from junk.

These are teething problems and this would invariably help us all Evolve, become smarter and most important to remain “connected” with information and world!

Labels: online marketing, Online PR, social media, Social network

I came across Alain Thys's post on Social Media - Social Media Participation is Not Optional for Brands (http://www.mpdailyfix.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/8149)

Am sure very few people would disagree with this since we do not have a choice, but to agree! have seen the way it impacts product reviews; creates or tarnishes brand image and more importantly helps in giving business concept a much needed critical mass.

Take a look at - People Ready Business from Microsoft, Human Network from Cisco and Search for Better Search from Hakia. The approach is interesting and involving!

Labels: B2B, social media, Social network