Accountability to the world!

This post is about how I am accountable to the world as I consume resources.

Terminology:

Accountability is one of the best way to bring the efficiency into any system. For example, during my Mumbai life, I gave house key to my maid and no one else, and so, she was always accountable to all my household items.

Life is all about the kind of choices we make. We need to be very careful in each and every choice that we choose because those will set the directions.

Past one decade, I have been doing the following experiment (other experiments are here, here). I first publicly announce that I am going to do a particular task and the fear of embarrassment would always make me to be on right track of that task. For example, I announced 6-8 years ago that I never take ice-creams, chocolates, cold-drinks (aeriated soft drinks), etc. During first 2 years, it was very difficult to resist on occassions (like when I go along with close friends). But then, I could resist because I used to feel that someone would question me. However, now I don't have any interest on all of those items but that's a different story.

Standardisation of any activity makes much more efficient. For example, cardboard box or ship container has revolutionized the whole logistics sector. I am working on all of routine tasks to get some more standardized.

External Audit is the one of the best way to improve the processes. I have been doing this experiment for a while(other experiments are here, here). On every task that I do, I make sure that someone who is better at that job would provide their opinion on how I did. This has always resulted tremendous improvement in my thought process.

Blogs are usually opinions/experiences of individuals. In some sense, it is like a diary of an indiviudal/group of people.

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I strongly beleieve I consume much more resources of the world than most of the population in the world. I should be accountable in the sense that I use those resources in an optimal way and for the right use. In order to bring accountability to the world at large, from today I am going to note down what all I do on every day. I expect the readers to audit my actions.

What do I consume?

I consume a lot of intellectual resources such as ideas/results of all previous generations, access to infinite amount of knowledge on this Internet, computing power, etc. Similarly I consume a lot of physical resources such as land, water, air, etc.

What do I produce in return?

My own intellectual ideas.

Whom do I be accountable to?

I should be accountable to current & future generations.

What do I do now?

I will maintain a public diary of all my actions on every day from today (hour by hour format).

Benefits of this process?

At first, as I mentioned above, I announce things first then attempt to do them later. This process makes sure that I am in line with my plans. Secondly, I want to improve the way Ido things. This would be achieved by getting an audit of all my actions by any expert sitting anywhere in the world. This is just similar to the case that, your friend always suggests on your actions.

Goal of this process?

My broader goal is Rural Development. This is just one of the process wherein I want to be evaluated by world at large.

Comments, welcome!

Cash card transactions are much higher in India. Why?

There are two types of e-commerce transactions on Internet. First, the consumer who makes the transaction on his behalf or family or for a friend and secondly an agent (ICT kiosks, Internet Cafes, etc) who completes the transaction on behalf of his customer.

Indian e-commerce industry minus IRCTC is almost like we are still in infancy stage. So it is clear that insights from IRCTC would help us in understanding the e-commerce trends. Fortunately, every month, IRCTC publishes actual statistics on transactions with complete details on its website.

If you observe statistics of any month, first thing is that you would wonder that cash card transactions are like 1/3 rd of total transactions (rest are credit or debit or netbanking). And in fact, cash card transactions growth rate is much higher than all other modes of payment. Then you start feeling like you have never heard of them anyone using it, but how come such large number of transactions?

Being an insider in this industry I would like to you give you a detailed story behind this wonder. First, let us see the business model of a cash-card company:

Platform: It is two sided. Cash-card companies just tie-up with numerous merchants/service providers (like telecom or ticketing etc). And later they start acquiring agents to use their technology platform. Typically these agents are: ICT Kiosks owners or Cyber cafes or computer education centers or the latest PCO/STD 2.0 etc.

Target Audience: Who all can’t goto a website and/or can't pay through credit or debit card for remote payments. This means, those agents become the middlemen between the remote customer and the service provider.

Commission: Most times, cash-card companies get discount from the service providers (usually 3% to 5%), a portion of which would be passed to their agents (for example air ticketing works in this manner!). Otherwise, customer is charged (for example, IRCTC don't give any commission to cash-card guys and so, agents would charge customers on top of the ticket cost).

Other revenues: Of course there could be a small percentage of direct consumers who would use the cash-card on web. But that is not what makes significant cash-flow for a cash-card company.

Future: So it is obvious that cash-card transactions would become much higher than credit or debit card transactions when cash card companies can acquire much more agents (in particular rural areas) along with more service providers (such as electricity/water distribution companies).

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Now comes the biggest disclosure: In fact, strength of any payment card system lies with the following three points.

1. They must tie up with as many merchants as possible.
2. Technology/process that makes the consumer to use the card for payment.
3. Card distribution should be efficient.
   

Now, how are the famous credit card companies (VISA or MasterCard) placed in the above points. Firstly they are accepted with innumerous merchants. Secondly consumer can use the card at merchant outlet or online or telephone or SMS or etc. Thirdly, Banks issue credit/debit cards to the consumers on behalf of VISA/Mastercard. Now coming to the costs of this ecosystem of digital payments is usually less than 5% of the value of the transactions (VISA, Banks, Merchants share this 5%). As the Mobile payments is getting matured, this value is getting closer to 3%.

Of course, companies involved in this payment ecosystem also have additional revenue through other value added services such as interest charged to the customer by providing them credit, etc.

Suggestions for Rediff, Sify, Indiatimes etc

For the past many years, I had some ideas regarding how to utilize e-mail service and offer various other services effectively. As I have weakness with my writing, I never put it down until last year. I wrote the following e-mail (November, 2007) to all top brass of Rediff.

I just would like to share few thoughts on Rediff's offerings to make it more competitive over other players like Google, Yahoo, Facebook etc.

The goal of any Internet company is make the users addicted to its services. Counting over 50 Million users, Rediff has great strategic advantage over its competitors having a specialized focus for Indian Internet users. Straight to the point, my observations are below:

1. Rediff should design a service similar to iGoogle where in, logged-in user would have all the offerings as widgets. This page should incorporate Web 2.0 features such as the following.

2. All widgets are available to the user on a single page(or multi-tabbed screens) and moreover he would have control over placing/ordering of those widgets.

3. When a user clicks on a widget for maximizing it, then the widget turns into a full-screened service (similar look of current offering). However on a specific corner, he would see more IMPORTANT STUFF of other services (I would explain this in the following notes).

4. By default, when a user logs into a particular service,say email, he would see the maximized screen of that particular widget (in the example scenario, it is email).

5. Each user would have a public profile and a private profile (this categorization can be increased to 3 or more, however let us stick to two types of profiles for the sake of explanation).

6. Public profile of an user contains all the widgets containing the services those he would like to share. This could be his personal photos, personal videos, Blogs, personal notes etc. Also remember, this includes the favorite stuff such as photos, videos, bookmarks, blogs etc all those but of others (content).

7. Common Private profile contains the stuff which the user would like to share exclusively with his personal friends.

8. Public profile content across all the services is searchable.

9. In any service, user has options to share with others. For example, while watching a video (ishare) he may would like to inform his friends as the video content is good and this should be through a "note from friend".

10. Also each widget can be customized by the user about its position/placing or other settings such as shared/unshared with a specific user.

11. On the usual e-mail screen, when the user moves the cursor over any email id (or on right click menu) he would be able to get many social network options such as "Add as my friend to profile, Scrap him, See his profile etc".

12. "Important stuff" which appear when the screen is maximized to a specific service are basically from the other services are: Scraps, Birthday Reminders, Updates on Friends private profiles, etc. "Notes from friends" could also be included here. This is the minimal line of
the total widgets page. Also these notes includes, chat applet and this could be a default option unless the user opts it out for a period.

13. Subscription to a particular service is by adding a widget. This procedure of addition is similar to iGoogle/Google Desktop gadgets.

14. Ads do appear in a particular fixed location of the screen.

15. When Rediff goes mobile, you can place the widgets as a linear list.

The goal of this is make all your services are interlinked with each other and the best, you would have at least 60 million user base for each of your offering. I believe that Google is having similar plans in mind in launching iGoogle. I came across a news that even yahoo has similar plans in this direction. However, specialized focus on Indian content would make Rediff to compete with global majors.

Surprisingly there was no reply from anyone of the top management at Rediff. Please wake up, don't be dumb!

Generic methodology for recruitment

I used to hire software engineers, test engineers, documentation specialists, etc for my previous company, ControlCase India. I have followed the methodology mentioned below for all the new hires in that company.

Must:

1. Understanding of concepts: Check the candidate whether he could understand well-enough which he claims to have been.
2. Explanation skill: Can he explain the things which he understood?
3. Problem solving through construction: If he does not know a concept, can he pick-up things when given hints?
4. Drive for quest: Does he wait for hints when stuck-up or he has passion for do-it-self?
5. Suitatability to Job profile: Does he have sufficient skills for the job that he applied?
6. Matching candidate aspirations: Does ControlCase match his aspirations of learning new technologies?
7. Suitability of pay-out: Is the candidate worth of his expectations monetarily?
8. Ethics: Does he follow ethics?

Desirable:

1. Passion for experimenting: Does he have interest in experimenting new things?
2. Helping tendency in non-core: Can he help us in things which his job profile does not require?
3. Timing flexibility: Is he available as and when need arises?
4. Friendly nature: Is he interested in collaborative environment?
5. Adjustable mentality: Can he adjust with our facilities if we can't provide of his choice?
6. Minimal dependency: Can he take initiatives way-forward or waits for assistance?
7. Long-sighted philosophy: Does he want to collaborate with ControlCase for short-term or long-term?

You may then like to ask me how I should check all these in such short interviews/tests. For more details in this regard, you may contact me (my contact details are mentioned on the top of the side-bar of this blog).

How to find number of blog subscriptions via Google Reader?

Today, I came to know that this blog is not subscribed by single person via Google Reader :( . However, my Rural India blog has 31 readers (Via Google Reader). You may wonder how do I get these numbers!

First have a Google id, wherein Google Reader subscriptions are lesser than 40. Goto Google Reader website and click on Trends on right menu. They you find "Subscription trends" for the last 30 days. Under this, most obscure tab provides you the number of subscribers. And finally click on 40 tab to view more.

Update: I observed it can also be seen directly after subscription by clicking "Show Details" on right corner.

Broadband Blues and possible solutions

In India, it is difficult to get a broadband connection with speed (good enough to download large videos) and also cheap. There are many people who have taken a limited-data connection, and so will not be able to download large files. In case of downloading such large video/audio files, the cheapest cost could be 1Re per MB for a limited-data connection. If somebody would like to download TV programs such as this, http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/video/video.htm, will have spend at least 100/- for each file (assuming size of the file is 100MB). Now if the user would like to download all the programs mentioned in the website, then the process becomes very much expensive. Now this problem can be solved in two ways.

1. Let us call the Third Party service provider who solves this problem as TP. When a user makes a request of the file by submitting its URL, TP submits to one of its associates. Note that an associate could be anyone who is registered with TP and having a unlimited broadband connection. The associate would then download the file, records it in a CD/DVD and inform TP. Then TP makes sure that the CD/DVD would be delivered to the customer by courier.

50 percent of the revenue from the customer could be shared with the Associates. Charge to the customer could be 60 Rs for the first 200MB (or less) and 20 Rs for every additional 100MB. Ensuring the quality processes on associates would be the key. Delivery time should never cross more than 3 days.

Expenses to the TP: 1. Marketing cost of the service. 2. Courier 3. Chargebacks if delivery is not made 4. Selection of Associates and one-time cost of training to them 5.Cost and maintenance of the Automated Interactions with the customer, associates and the courier 5. Settlements and disputes with customers, associates and also maintenance of a specific customer service for this purpose.

Expenses to Associates: 1. Monthly broadband connection fee 2. One-time cost of computer with a DVD/CD writer 3. CD 4. Electricity 5. Informing that download is completed 6. Time that one spends for initiation of the download, regular monitoring of the transfer and recording the data when completed. 7. Time for selection and training 8. Necessary softwares for the downloading the data.

Note1. To improve the quality processes, TP may submit the download request to 2 or more associates. Among those associates depending on who informs first, about the completion of the download of the file, is paid.
Note2. If size of a file is larger than 300MB then the task could be divided between two associates (such software exist?) so that the delivery time could then be minimized. In which case, cost of such software design and merging costs during the service would add-up to the TP.


2. An Internet Service Provider can provide this service a bit cheaper than the third party (TP). ISP can offer a complimentary service to its existing services as the following: When a user makes a request of the file by submitting its URL, the ISP downloads it and keeps the downloaded file available in the local network. A local URL would be delivered to the customer as soon as it is available. Customer can download it on LAN speeds. So this service can be charged on the basis of Data on demand, say 10Rs for 100MB.

Social Networking opportunity

MySpace, Facebook, Orkut are not the end of Social Networking websites. You can still win.

Try to create a Social Networking website exclusively for residential societies, Companies, Institutions in collaboration with those organizations. This definitely makes sense as people who meet each other regularly may like to share more information than with strangers.

Click-everywhere : solving video piracy problem

These days many movie producers are loosing their business just because pirated video CD of a movie gets into black market within a week of its release.

Powerful business model to solve this problem: Producer himself releases the official video CD of the movie along with its regular release. That too, at the cost of a pirate CD.

But then, how can a producer make money out of it: when people watch the official video CD on computers, on the screen every item comes on the movie is a clickable item. For example, if the viewer clicks on a shirt that Amitabh wears or Sharukh's pant or Rajani's bidi or Chiranjeevi's lungi then it straightaway takes to a website of the item where it is auctionable (same item) or salable (similar item). This does not just remain with cloths or accessories. Every item which goes on movie screen can make a great appeal to the audience and in turn to the marketer.

This was an idea which informally came out among students of a top US university and I think it may soon get patented. But then, can you generate similar ideas for Indian businesses?

How to bypass the "subscription" services of Online Newspapers & Magazines

Usually many news articles are available just for subscriber alone. But then, in most cases you can get those articles if they are of high value.

How??

I assume, you have preview content of the article that you wish to read. Take a sentence out of that (keep this sentence in quotes) and search in blogsearch engines (for example, http://blogsearch.google.com/). Got it ??!!

(Note : This is a small piece of my book on Google Search (specific to Indian context). For more detailed explanation, on same topic or otherwise, you will have to wait for my book!)

Googling for someone : a routine activity in life??

Last year I wrote on life partner selection that depends on "googling". Here is an another article that employers google their prospects. Today when I am discussing with N. Nagaraj of Business Line, he mentioned that googling of a person whom you are going to meet is also a common. Now I want to have a more closer look.

Whom are you googling for:

1. for Celebrities
2. When new friend introduced (likely thro online)
3. person whom you are about to meet/talk
4. Employers for potential hires
5. Police searching for criminals
6. for old classmates/pals
7. Ego-surfing or Self-Googling
8. Matrimonial/dating Search
9. for professionals (like architects, doctors, etc)

But then you must be careful, if not, you may get mistaken with the same/similar names. In this large world, there may be many people with same names/nicknames who confuse while you are researching.

Where to look for?
websites, blogs, comments in blogs, comments in web-news, comments in websites, guest-books, orkut or Myspace or ryze type of communities, blogeverywhere comments etc

Are there clues to search?
Ofcourse there are .. but then, you need to wait for my book.

Online Exam organising : Wonderful business opportunity

As you all may be aware that, in future, most exams will be conducted online because of cost & time factors and (most importantly) effective reach. If one conducts exams online similar to Brainbench in India, that would be a great hit. Slowly they can take up the opportunity of conducting online exams for recruitments, admissions, online courses, distance education etc by renting "ready infrastructure" at Rs. 8000 a month (for a single computer). You can even reach to small villages through rural kiosks.

Wish to take-up?

Watch telugu/hindi/tamil movies online or even download them!

These days I came across innumerous links to downloading Telugu/Tamil/Hindi movies websites. Basically they are mentioned in certain blog-sites pointing to heavy-storage websites where the files are being uploaded. I could get almost every movie released (2006) in Telugu/Hindi/Tamil. I could get even some of the alltime-classics. Most of them can be downloaded (size could be anywhere between 150MB-300MB) and few of them could be watched online. Considering the penetration of broadband, I dont think this is a problem.

How to get?
Search for movie titles in http://blogsearch.google.com/ or http://video.qooqle.jp/ or http://video.google.com/. While searching for titles, be careful about spelling. For example, pyar could be written as pyaar and kiya can be written kiyaa. So while searching for titles, also try all possible combinations like pyaar kiya, pyar kiyaa, pyaar kiyaa, pyar kiya.

If number of results are very high, then use quotes as in "pyar kiya". You may also use (download OR watch OR part) along with the title to cut down the results (however this logic holds now but cannot be guaranteed forever because spammers may use these words so that their sites get visited if they come across this blog).

Being away from my native for 11 years, I wanted to watch few recent good movies in Telugu such as Arya (I strongly recommend it even for non-natives), Anand, Show etc. You would love to see the largest collection of links to Telugu movies (currently there are about 250 movies).

My views on industry: After watching few movies of telugu and tamil, I could clearly understand that nowadays some good movies are coming-up in telugu (at the same time tamil movies are becoming worse like of telugu movies in 1996-2003).

Future of Matrimonial search process

Past few months, whenever I start to think of my marriage, I had to think about how will I get a girl of my choice (that is, rural development minded, however my requirement is irrelevant here). I have started to understand the merits and demerits of current system. First I will discuss how things are happening right now and later we will see how there will be a paradigm shift from the current scenario.

Indian traditional system surely not applicable in this IT age because these days people do stay away from their parents (far distant locations). Telecon, Chatting, e-mails will be of little help in continuing this centuries old system. So why ..

There is a phenomenal rise of Matrimonial sites in India (they were even successful during dot-com bust). They are just a replica of Indian traditional system of marriage brokers in this electronic arena. Important thing to note here is, they are just helpful to dig out a girl based on age, caste, religion, education, profession. However observe that this is only initial elimination process.

Actual process starts when communication happens. Demerit of this is that one cant decide a life partner just by asking some questions or qualifications or expertise over telecon or chatting. To have a lifetime relationship, critical thing is to understand the background (history) of the partner in regards of interests, relations, interactions, beliefs, etc.

So now the question is that, what is the media that allows a person to get the background of another, before making the crucial decision of ones own life. Yes, you must have understood by now. This blog-site of mine covers a very restricted domain. This particular blog also fits into it, very perfectly. It is "Googling" of that person. It really helps us get to know the more closer details. Future of matrimonial process is in googling (or researching) the partner.

One can understand the other persons feelings by reading his/her blogs. Then next is to check for comments that (s)he makes in communities such as orkut or gazzag. However, one should not fall by profile information. Profiles are usually to express positive things of a person but never reveals negative aspect of a person. This is crucial when in building a relation without a break (be aware that gone are the days, when divorces are so rare).

One must evaluate from the discussion point of view how well (s)he truly represent her/his profile. In this regard, blogs, comments in blogs, comments in web-news, comments in websites, issues raised in orkut type of communities, the kind of social network, etc are to be analysed in comparison with profiles in business networking sites, personal website, social networking websites, etc.

and then, if everything goes well, after getting married, I personally believe that they must exchange their mail ids (reveal the passwords) to let each other know more closer.

However there is a negative shade of this. Before being googled by the other, one can do auto-googling and eliminate/ modify any controversial topics discussed by him/her. But then, not all can be deleted. This is where the searcher has to put his brain at work.

Although I vaguely expressed my view points here, but I will discuss in detail some other point of time. Probably when I am successful in my own search, I will disclose all of my strategies that I have applied :-) .

Raja
OSP India Information Security Private Limited

Are you wishing to avoid spam?

• When one create an e-mail, it is likely that one wishes to have by his name. However it is better not to have by name. Because it straightly attracts huge amount of spam.

• One can always know by looking at subject whether it is spam or intended message, if one keeps e-mail ids such as some english words (eg. blueeye, blacklooks, visit.me, interested etc) . Because those sapmmers use their programs to send message by referring sender by his e-mail id. Whereas human does never.

• Another thing is never subscribe to services to such as free greetings, free namesdatabase, etc. Instead you maintain one mail id which only attracts spam. However you can give your mail id to established organizations such as Google, Yahoo, MSN etc.
• Crucial thing is : always let your friends know what is your fwd (greetings) mails id and personal mail id (wherein just personal communications happens).
  

To be contd..

Raja
OSP India Information Security Private Limited (OSP Global, LLC)