Monthly Archives: September 2015

News- Is it useful and how we might fix it

Everyone watches news channels or read about news in the paper or in social media. Without news one might not be aware of certain events that are happening around them. News basically ranges from different topics and you can find news about sports, politics, world, nation, local, etc. You can find news everywhere in papers, television and online. With a country as diverse as ours, you can find news in various languages too.

Arriving at the main question of the topic – is news useful? I would say it really is, but it depends upon your resources. In today’s age with everything going digital one does not really have to wait for the news to tell what’s going on, people find the topics themselves before it becomes anything major. The only problem is that it may not be relevant or authentic and at times that’s what most people will perceive as the original version.

Even though it being a problem, it is something that cannot easily be fixed unless more people know about it. If it were up to me, this is how I would do it:

Educate

The more people know about the difference between satire news articles and the original news the easier it becomes for them to trust the news. There are also many other news publishing sites which many don’t know but at times post many helpful news articles. It will be better if more people are aware of such news sites.

Post my own take of the news

If I write about the news the way I perceived it, it will help people understand what the news was about rather than make their own assumptions. Plus this will encourage more and more people to write their own take of the news, thereby making people aware of what’s happening around them without referring to news articles.

Use social media

With social media it becomes easier to connect with more people and spread the news faster than any other medium. The audience in these sites is mostly youngsters and exposing them to what’s happening around them along with asking their opinion of the current news is a great way to educate them.

Surely, we all read the news and follow it from time to time be it in the news channels or online but one thing that many agree on is that it is useful.

Community and How You Can Engage It

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Communities are formed so that people can come together and interact with each other. It’s normally in the form of events or activities that take place within these communities. However, not many people are aware about other effective ways to engage their communities. In this blog we take a look at ways to engage one’s community.

Newsletters and Articles

Weekly newsletters can help in updating your community about the events happening around them. Articles about recent events and stories can also be published in the newsletters. Other posts like weekly contests, quizzes, puzzles, etc. can be held in the newsletters to encourage and engage your community members.

Community events / Meetings

Events during religious festivals can be held in one common place where the community members can gather and celebrate with everyone. Meetings and discussions can be held from time to time to hear any grievances from the community members and resolve any disputes within the community members.

Online Engagement

With the advent of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, people have become closer and formed their own groups and online forums. Your community can use such sites to promote themselves by creating their own group and adding people who belong in that community. Even online forums can be used to address issues regarding the community members and other similar issues.

Awareness Programs

Awareness drives like medical check-ups and blood donation drive can be conducted in the community for the members. This is a great way to promote goodwill in the community and spread awareness amongst the members. Such activities can be done once in a month or bi-weekly.

With these tips you can help in engaging your community and even use your own unique methods to do so. Most times engaging your community can’t be done without the co-operation of the community members. But if done right, you will get to be a part of one large and engaging community.

Could I Quit My Day Job?

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Day jobs are something that everyone is expected to do once they have decided on their career path. Many adapt to it once they get the hang of things, but it doesn’t hold the same for everyone. There comes a point of time in our lives when we ask ourselves the question, ‘Is this what I am meant to do for the rest of my life?’, and that’s when some of us take the most important decision of our lives ever – quit our job.

Quitting a job is not an easy decision and some even reconsider, but before you quit do consider the following points:

Am I financially stable to look after myself even without a job?
Have I planned out what to do once I quit my job?
My decision to quit the job is final and I won’t back out.

Once you’ve quit your job you’ll ask yourself the next important question, ‘what next?’ Unless you haven’t figured it out, you don’t have to worry, because you’ve got plenty of time until you find something worth doing. Till then you can try out one of these things:

Travel:

Visit places that you haven’t been to in a long while, if you don’t have a list of places that you want to visit, make one and check them off once you do.

Blogging:

If you love to write, then you can start your own blog and you can also make some money off of it. This way you’ll have a hobby that will also pay you.

Reading:

Have some books that you want to read but didn’t have the time to? Well now is as good a time as any to start reading.

Exercise:

Did those years of work put you out of shape? Then you need to start exercising. It’s not necessary to hit the gym, some jogging and long walks work better than spending hours lifting weights.

Hobby:

Pick up an old hobby that you had quit or even better start a new one. You’d get to learn something new and you won’t get bored also.

In conclusion, the way I see it, quitting your day job to pursue your dream takes more than just an effort. But when you do achieve your goals after having quit your job is worth all the hard work and effort that you put towards it.

Tips on writing a great corporate blog

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Many organizations have been grappling with blogging for years, i.e. whether blogging is actually beneficial for their organizations and whether it can help them or not. However, writing a corporate blog has its benefits and can actually help your organization create its own impression on readers and target audiences. However, a corporate blog has to be written skillfully in order to create the right kind of impact. Blogging is not public relations and marketing in the conventional sense but there are several aspects towards successfully creating content that is compelling and noteworthy. You should always start off your post with a compelling content piece and fragment that captures the attention of your readers. This content fragment will definitely spur the interest of your readers and will get your target audience to read the entire piece. Journalists use this strategy to great effect and you should consider reading the first few sentences and approaches presented in newspaper articles and pieces.

You should also think of breaking up text into specific numbered lists and bullet points in order to make articles more readable for your target audiences. Readers will find it easier to run through your blog post and will also get an idea of what it actually talks about. You should also make use of keywords for writing your blog as search engine optimization or SEO helps your blog generate traffic and reach out to more and more audiences. You should do your research on generating keywords and you can even use Google Ad Words for this purpose. You should never stray off the beaten track when it comes to a corporate blog. Stick to what you know best and try and unleash your expertise through your blog. You should write about what you know best and what you are passionate about.

You should also think of referring to several articles and blogs written by industry experts on your preferred subject. You should look to integrate backlinks and give credit to people when you use quotes and other phrases. This will get more people interested in your blog and will get you industry attention as well. You should also integrate things that you find interesting yourself. You should always follow up on topics related to your industry and find interesting and valuable information. This will help you structure your ideas and find topics more easily for your blog.

10 guilty pleasures we all enjoy in Life

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When it comes to guilty pleasures, we all have some stocked away in a tiny closet of your minds that is indulged every now and then even though we do not really prefer talking about the same. According to several dictionaries and meanings, guilty pleasures are those which are enjoyed by people and considered pleasurable at the same time. The guilt associated to these pleasures is often related with embarrassment rather than moral guilt.

Sleeping and lazing around-

One of our biggest guilty pleasures, we end up sleeping and lazing around a lot more than we actually should though we never admit it. We often make thousands of excuses just to hit the sack or snooze button depending on our state of mind and mood

Online gossip columns and websites-

This is another guilty pleasure that we rarely admit to. There are thousands of film and television industry gossip columns that we secretly end up reading even though we cringe when someone finds us out. We always love finding out more information on our favorite stars, celebrities, businessmen and other leading lights across the globe.

Following people on social networks-

Sometimes it is so relaxing and cathartic to follow people around on social networks and glean information on their lives. We can literally do this for hours at a stretch while browsing social networks though we will never really admit it!

Junk Food-

One of the biggest guilty pleasures on earth, junk food is something we simply cannot stop binging on! We will always declare our love for health food and maybe even stick to a routine but this is one guilty pleasure that often surfaces when we’re stressed or simply looking for something to beat life’s monotony.

Drawing pictures in magazines-

Let’s face it; we’ve all done this and never owned up!

Reality Shows-

Though we never admit to watching the same, we all secretly get our dose of the same!

Stealing good ideas and topics-

Though this does not qualify as stealing in the technical sense, we do love browsing the web for ideas that can be tapped or used later.

Smoking-

We also conceal our smoking habit at times and it works as a guilty pleasure whenever we’re stressed.

Cake, chocolates and ice cream-

Another of our guilty pleasures, we simply love gorging on these though we never admit to the same.

10.Social networking-

No matter how much we talk about controlling our urge to be online, we end up doing exactly that with even the invisible option used at times.

What do average Indians spend their money on?

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Consumer spending in India has increased rapidly in recent times and stands at approximately INR 159628.06 billion in the second quarter of the year 2015 according to market observations and studies. Consumer spending has always stood at around INR 9136.68 billion all throughout 2004 to 2015. These are statistics obtained from official and governmental sources. The high consumer spending figures indicate that Indians are still bullish about the market and economy. Consumer confidence is at an all time high and there is a sense of certainty over the inception of the new government. India has been topping consumer confidence indexes with a score of 126 as per Nielsen’s survey published some time back. The index of confidence is steadily growing though some of the euphoria surrounding the advent of the new government has dropped or faded in recent times.

Yet, consumption has still been rampant in basic categories as job security has always been a major concern for Indian citizens. Yet, urban Indians continue to be really optimistic about professional prospects in the country. Approximately 66% of Indian citizens are said to be sorted with their personal finances and have a willingness to purchase products in sectors like electronics, exotic food and beverages, real estate, automobiles, education and other consumer products. Housing and automobiles are the biggest consumables in the country though electronics and other consumer products report the highest volumes in overall consumption. India is now the third largest economy in Asia and is witnessing huge growth volumes in terms of overall consumption. The stable government will now lead to greater consumerism during festivals like Diwali and Rakhi. These are times when consumer spending peaks in sectors like apparel, food and beverages, appliances, automobiles and the like.

Even the biggest consumer products companies in the country have reported an increase in profits to the tune of 8-10% on a yearly basis. Consumer products have seen skyrocketing growth in the country with more and more multinational and international companies are coming to the country. Even food and beverage companies are reporting increases in profits owing to fast paced consumption. The best fashion and lifestyle brands have also set up shop in the country and people now spend up to 20% of their income on accessories, apparel and gadgets annually. With greater discounts and offers provided by manufacturers and retailers, consumerism has increased even in income segments where actual cash in hand figures have not increased to a large extent.

How schools could use Social Media?

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How could schools use social media

Social media over the years has changed the way people use internet. With social media people’s interaction with one another has increased which has led to people visiting these sites more often. Though most people see social media as a place to hangout it can also be used as a productive tool. And schools are a place that will benefit from its use. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Pinterest, etc. can be used to increase the interaction between teachers, students and parents. It can also keep the parents in the loop about what their children do in school.

Here is how social media can be used in classrooms:

Facebook

By creating a Facebook page for the classroom, the teachers can post homework and assignments which can be seen by the students and their parents. This way, even the parents will be aware of what’s going on in the class. The teachers can also share stories, post reminders and any changes in the lesson on Facebook.

Pinterest

Students can post their class work/projects on Pinterest for the teachers and parents to see. This can let students to see what their peers have done and get tips on how to improve their project.

Twitter

Students can do quizzes on Twitter. For e.g. teachers can give students quiz questions and ask them to tweet their answers. The teacher can display the answers on the screen in real time. The teachers can also ask their students to give a lesson recap on twitter using 140 or less characters.

Blogger

Blogging is a great way to encourage students to improve their writing skills. Teachers can give out writing assignments to students in blogger. There can also be an essay writing competition between students of different class at Blogger and the best essay can be published in the school’s own private blog. With this the students will feel motivated and start their own blog which can be monitored and guided by the teachers.

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Monthly Archives: September 2015