SocialMention.com is a recently launched social media search engine. It searches user-generated content such as blogs, comments, bookmarks, events, news, videos, and microblogging services. It allows you to easily track what people are saying about you, your company, a new product, or any topic across the web’s social media landscape in real-time.

I recently introduced a quiz feature on workosaur.com. This has been done by populating business quiz questions on MightyQuiz.com and plugging the same on workosaur using a piece of code. As part of the quiz, I also have some promotional questions that inform users about my site. One user came down heavily on this tactic and criticized workosaur for exploiting such free marketing techniques and proclaimed that workosaur has no money to promote itself. Well, is it a crime to use marketing tactics which cost no money? I’d think it’s smart to leverage every free opportunity that one gets to market themselves. As for the proclamation that workosaur has no money, I accept that. But its by choice. I believe that when you have money, you stop innovating and start advertising. So as long as I can run the show without raising monies, I’d like to keep it that way.

I’d like to appeal to Shaadi.com, BharatMatrimony.com, JeevanSathi.com and SimplyMarry.com to introduce an Anti-dowry Badge which users can sport on their profile. I would also wish they ask their users to do it for the cause rather than promote it as a way to draw greater response to their profiles. November 26 is World Anti-dowry Day and I think they can build out this badge by then. Simultaneously, they must join hands and create an Anti-dowry Cause using the Causes app on Facebook and tie it to a relevant non-profit organization. If you work at one of these three companies or know someone working there and are reading this, please take the initiative to forward this appeal.

TED Talk by Chris Anderson (Wired): Technology’s Long Tail (Feb 2004)

And if you haven’t yet read the book, do check these links:
Wired article on The Long Tail (Oct 2004)
Chris Anderson’s Blog – The Long Tail

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a conference that brings the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes). The TED Site makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free. I assume that is a compelling enough description to prompt anyone to have a look. Awesome site to spend your time on.

I am a web worker but I don’t use the Internet for music and movie downloads. I was using MTNL 2 MBPS (Rs. 199 upto 400 MB and Re. 1 per MB thereafter) but my monthly bill has shot up to Rs. 8990. This means I consume 9 GB each month through normal Internet usage. And that hurts my pocket. Unfortunately, there’s no unlimited consumption package for the 2 MBPS line. So I have, today, downgraded to an unlimited 256 MBPS package. Goodbye Speed. I need you but I can’t afford you.

• They don’t really end up getting you multiple loan/insurance offers as they promise. Most of them sell the leads to banks on an exclusivity basis and erase the very purpose of their existence.
• They don’t focus on organic traffic and rely heavily on getting traffic through Google Adwords and ad networks. And thus are functioning as arbitrage businesses. With the kind of volumes online, the arbitrage model can not be justified.
• The consumer side of the product is just a bunch of forms. So absolutely anyone and everyone tries to get into this business relying on Google Adwords to get their leads. Try running a search for Personal+Loan+Mumbai and see the number of advertisers vying for presence. I saw 17 of them. This means that the already thin volumes get further distributed. What it also means is that the bidding for keywords is high, hiking up the cost per acquisition.
• The quality of leads is pathetic. Most people who fill forms on these sites are those who have already tried and failed to get one through other channels.

• The CD/DVD Player Simulation used for the Music Player at The Raghu Dixit Project Site.
• Ability to design your own shoes on the NIKEiD Store.
• Airfare Graphs and Airfare Alerts on Cleartrip.
• Everything about burrp! Local – design/UI, content, search & discover features (through user-generated lists and proximity), burrpers Choice Awards, site-wide highlight given to contributors.
• SMS Reminders on burrp! TV.

Be nice to people on your way up because you’ll need them on your way down.
- W. Migner

I was reading some of the stuff by Y Combinator (a VC firm that has been spot on in picking the right early stage startups to fund). Fabulous stuff. But then I came across the article on The Equity Equation. I suggest you read the article. Here’s a part of it:

Question:
An investor wants to give you money for a certain percentage of your startup. Should you take it?

Answer:
1/(1 – n)
Whenever you’re trading stock in your company for anything, whether it’s money or an employee or a deal with another company, the test for whether to do it is the same. You should give up n% of your company if what you trade it for improves your average outcome enough that the (100 – n)% you have left is worth more than the whole company was before.

I disagree with this equation for early stage companies. You are selling out for too less. While it may sound rational and common-sensical, you are discounting your dreams in the process. The article tries to justify selling 2-10% of your company for under USD 20,000. Unfair.