October 12, 2011 – The United States has been revealed as India’s best friend in cyberspace, according to a unique new league table released by Western Union, one of the world’s most globally connected brands.

The league table has been created using data from Western Union’s Your World Facebook Application, which visualises each user’s Facebook connections around the globe and gives them a score for how globally connected they are.

Your World has enjoyed more than 250,000 hits worldwide since its launch in July this year, as individual users compete in the Western Union®Network Challenge: a hunt for the world’s most globally networked person on Facebook. On the 18^th of October Western Union will announce the winner – and reveal an opportunity for them to use their global network as a force for good.

With so much aggregate data being generated by Your World, Western Union has been able to build a bird’s eye view of how different countries connect to one another on Facebook. The data reveals India’s top ten best friends in cyberspace: those countries where Facebook users in India have the most Facebook connections.

The results show how social media is shrinking the world we live in – with some of the India’s closest friends in cyberspace based thousands of miles away in the real world:

1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. United Arab Emirates
4. Australia
5. Canada
6. Singapore
7. Saudi Arabia
8. Indonesia
9. Malaysia
10. Philippines

The Image depicting the cyber friendship:

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[1] Network data as of June 30, 2011 (inclusive of Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services).

Wait Wait Wait!! Its all about the new Viral campaign (Advertising Agency: Kraftworks, New York, USA) of Smart Water. The 3 minute video has Jennifer Aniston (spokesperson of Smart Water for a long time) talking about the elements to add to the video to make it Viral.

She says  - “I’m here to talk to you about Smart Water, But in this day and age, I can’t just do that, can I?

So she takes help of 3 Internet Boys and the elements to make video Viral. Puppies, a parrot, dancing CGI babies and a Double Rainbow guy clone. Also kicking a fan in private parts by saying – “Sorry, but that should be worth about 100,000 hits”!!!

Finally, Aniston suggestively drinks from a Smart Water bottle, getting her three “Internet boys” hot and heavy. The punchline? They decide to call the would-be viral video “Jen Aniston’s Sex Tape.”

It already has 6,775,172 hits in just 5 days!! Heres the video:

The “Heineken Huggers” were out on the streets hugging every Heineken drinking person, returning back the love, they gave with One Million likes on the Facebook Page. They shot a beautiful video , which already has 84,000 views in 2 weeks. The video also shows a person being denied of a hug because he’s not drinking Heineken!! Here’s the video -

A nice gesture to return the love to the Facebook fans. Generally brands give some goodies or incentives, but Heineken did a wonderful job by mixing the online and offline world. A BIG THUMBS UP!!!

Through this campaign Through this campaign, Heineken introduced new universal tag line ‘Open Your World’ with a host of ad campaigns: See here.

Which Indian brand do you think could send such Hug team or can take thanks gesture offline?

The tagline : Jai Ho!! and Ho Jaye fits aptly for the India and Indians.

Here’s the image(click on the image for full screen view):

Did it encourage you to visit the site day.in?

Few days ago I was invited for the Whats on india Team to discuss about their new Initiative “My Child’s TeeVee”. I was first wondering whats is this Whats On India, now wondering about My Child’s TeeVee.

A small google search search led me to ” What’s-On-India is India’s first and only Television Guidance Channel”. Impressive.

Well I was (along with some more bloggers) introduced to Mr. Atul Phadnis, who made us understand the concept and showed the way it works.

What’s On India is a free to air channel which is like a Index to the Channel, more of a channel guide. It looks somewhat like this:

The bottom half of the screen on this free-to-air satellite channel is an electronic programming guide (EPG), the top right partof the channel alternates between genre-wise suggestions and what’s scheduled in the next few minutes across channels. On days when channels replace regular programming with special shows, the channel will be a one-stop guide to the various shows.

‘My Child’s TeeVee’ , India’s first show on Parental TV Guidance - Talking about the What’s on India Initiative My Child’s TeeVee, Mr. Atul Phadnis told us giving the examples, how the children are addicted to TV. A suprising fact, which Atul shared was that around 70% children watch “Pavitra Rishta” regularly, which is a soap based on good and bad relations.

My Child’s TeeVee is a 7 minutes’ show. It is an step to create awareness amongst the young parents about the adverse effects of excessive television viewing on their kids. The show will be having eminent child specialists talking about the same.

These doctors will discuss and give insights on the adverse effects of excessive television on child’s psychology and the emerging need for parental guidance in television. The show will also highlight some must watch shows for kids, and provide expert ideas on how to handle kids of various age groups.

This seems to be an innovative and concerned step towards children.

]]> http://blog.umennet.com/i-like-it/Sud/2010/07/my-childs-teevee-a-whats-on-india-initiative/feed 0 http://blog.umennet.com/i-like-it/Sud/2010/06/like-comment http://blog.umennet.com/i-like-it/Sud/2010/06/like-comment#comments Thu, 17 Jun 2010 07:09:30 +0000 Sud http://blog.umennet.com/?p=1154 Starting from today, Facebook has added a like button for the comments also! So now Even you dont like a post, but like a comment init, you can like the comment.

It seems like Facebook is on a ‘Like’ Spree. Introducing ‘like’ in 2009, then giving the like as a Facebook Social Plugin, used across the globe in many Websites and blogs (I have one above, I am sure you want to click that!), and now this Like the comment.

As one of my friends Deepak posted -

Facebook Comments Getting a “Like” Button – bas like pe like karte raho

But, Now i think people got bored of the simple, minimalistic, while layout. Then Bing was launched with Background Images. I had a thought once about Google having a Background pic.

But, Today when I opened Google.com, I found a small link on the left hand bottom corner, which said – Sign in to see your background Image. When Signed up – It gives option of selecting Images from: Computer, Picasa, Public Gallery and Editor’s pick. Also they have awarning which says – only use pictures that you have licence to use. (how many people will use licenced pictures?) I Opted for Public gallery and chose this.

Still its a nice gesture to personalise the world favourite Search Engine.

Whats your Background image for the google Search Engine??

I suddenly started singing the song and whole day I was humming it. I had heard it many years ago and still remember its tune, Bhupen Hazarika’s voice and video. So, when I returned back first thing I did was Youtubing (when there’s googling, why not youtubing ). I found the song:

The Lyrics made me listen the song 3-4 times and the lyrics really is awesome! I did some Googling and found that the lyrics are written by Gulzar. Though I doubt cos, Gulzar, as far as I know, hasnt written such Vishudhh Hindi Lyrics before. But if he has, which he can, He’s done a marvellous job, very few people know of! Here are the lyrics:

LYRICS: GANGA BEHTI HO KYUN? (Bhupen Hazarika)

Bisterno parorey, afankhya janore, hahakar sunio nisabdth nirovey,
Bhural hui tumhi, bhural hui bura ki aur……….

After reading, listening again, made me more curious about the song. And then I found this 1939′s video named -” Ol’ Man River” (music by Jerome Kern, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstien II)

This song, which has the same tune as ‘Ganga Behti ho kyun‘ has a great history behind it. This is a song in the 1927 musical Show Boat, that contrasts African American hardship and struggles of the time with the endless, uncaring flow of the Mississippi River, from the view of a dock worker on a showboat.

The song is notable for several aspects: the lyrical pentatonic-scale melody, the subjects of toil and social class & metaphor to the Mississippi.

The most famous rendition of it, one that is still noted today, was sung by Paul Robeson in James Whale’s 1936 film version of Show Boat.

The song also has versions in the Indian languages Hindi, Bengali and Assamese sung by Bhupen Hazarika, who met Robeson while studying at Columbia University. The Assamese song is called Bistirno Parore, the Bengali version is Bistirno Dupare. The Hindi composition is known as “Ganga Behti Ho Kyon.” Instead of the Mississippi, the song is dedicated to the Brahmaputra river in the Assamese version and the Ganges river in the Bengali and Hindi versions. Whatever it may be, Ganga or Mississipi, the song delivers the message very well.

I am still looking for the Lyricist (if not Gulzar), & music director. Do you have any idea?

]]> http://blog.umennet.com/i-like-it/Sud/2010/05/ganga-behti-ho-kyun-mississipi-behti-ho-kyun/feed 6 http://blog.umennet.com/i-like-it/Sud/2010/02/harishchandrachi-factory http://blog.umennet.com/i-like-it/Sud/2010/02/harishchandrachi-factory#comments Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:31:14 +0000 Sud http://blog.umennet.com/?p=1084 You must have seen the making of  Movie, Album, Documentary etc . .   Have you ever wondered how the first movie was made? Just imagine when no one knew anything about the movie. When Movie (Moving pictures) was a new thing. When people were scared of moving pictures. Can you dare to do something which is unimaginable in your time? Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Dada Saheb Phalke) did. He made the first full length motion picture.

Yeah yeah, you know all this. This post is not another review of Harishchandrachi Factory. (although you can read a nice review here) Its about what we can learn from the movie ( Dada Saheb Phalke, to be precise).

1. Don’t do the work you are not interested in: Phalke was a Photographer then Printing Business then Magician then a film maker. Just because he was restless with his job and its constraints.

2. There is no age constraint to find your interest/skill: Phalke made his first film at the age of 42!!!

3. Believe in yourself: People used to laugh at Phalke, used to call him mad, still he stuck to his dreams and rest is history.

4. Knowledge, research, training & Practice is must:

Knowledge of Motion Pictures by watching it many times

Research by reading books, asking help from the guys involved in it (The man in the projector room)

Training from the professionals (Going England to get trained and buy essential equipments) &

Practising by making movies(family, growing plant)

5. Having a clear goal: Phalke had a clear vision of starting a new industry of Motion Pictures in India. that lasted even when he was asked to make movies in Foreign countries

6. Hard work, perseverance: All the above are a waste if you don’t add hard work in to that. Phalke involved himself completely to make the movie

Going England by selling House, Jewellery

Searching for the actors to act in the movie (got the musician who was  a road performer)

Going to extents such as asking sex-workers to act for the leading role, Giving training to the actors

Working even when his son was ill

7. Leadership, Having a good team: You may start alone but after some time you will need a team. Team makes your work easier by sharing the tasks.

Hard working Team members – Phalke’s Wife Saraswatibai, who helped him with developing, printing and camera

Skilled member – Phalke’s friend, getting his friend Tryambak Telang who knew photography very well, Phalke himself using tactic to make lord shiva appear magically in the frame

Team Management – When a actor complained that people laughed at him, suggesting, calling the movie as a factory, Convincing a actors father to let him shave his moustache, Convincing the Police that they are not decoits

Fun at work – Phalke always smiled & kept a light mood, which makes work less stressful

8. Analysis, Awareness, Marketing & Expansion: When for the first few days, film didn’t work well, Phalke analysed and-

Awareness : People were not aware of the Movie and thus awareness had to be developed

Marketing: He started spreading the word by distributing pamphlets of Raja Harishchandra, doing road shows

Expansion: Once the film was a stupendous hit, he took the film to have shows in Foreign countries thus getting ready to produce more movies

9. Sticking to the roots: However innovative you maybe, sticking to the roots is necessary

Selecting a story which the audience will like

When offered by foreigners to make movies there and for them, Phalke refused and said he wanted to make it a big industry in India

Besides these, the movie gave a big message to today’s Film makers too -

1. Select a story which Audience likes
2. It should reflect/relate/based on our culture (Indian thoughts, behaviour)

I made my best efforts to collate all the possible, if I missed out, some thing, or you noticed which I didn’t, do let me know.

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