Memoires of a social networkoholic

(Disclaimer: Following is a mere interpretation of what my stupid mind can come up with, and any incident mentioned below is not even remotely true.)



Around some forty years ago, when internet was born, nobody knew what it is for, what people are going to with it. At first it was considered to be a governmental move to control the lives of individuals. But now, all together, its a different story.

An inventor, whose name I don't even know and don't even bother to find out, has played such an important role in my life which he wished (at least i think so) to have played in the life of his own family.

So here goes the story...

As I walked in the corridor and mingled around with the seniors standing by -- everything before that in my life, not so important, so don't bother.

Ahan! I was asked that if I'm there on facebook. i was like "facebook who?" At first i thought of it to be a coaching centre for administration or some s*@#. Funny haan.

Then they told me later that facebook is a very big social network where you can keep in touch with school and college friends.

Eureka! came an idea to my mind; now I can track all the crushes that i had in my pre-mature life.

Getting registered was the easy part, finding people was actually difficult. I almost sent a friend request to any one with a picture (girls off course, i have enough male friends).

As I turned on my PC, very next day, I was amazed to see over 200 friends in my list and, guess what, more than half were female.

Social networking then became more of a daily routine than a habit, as the days went by and I kept venturing in to the delusional cyber world. Along the way i made many friends and a few special friends. (This piece will only cover the love story side of my social networking experience).

The story which started with the name Asma Ali -- my first online girlfriend. We met through friend suggestion (courtesy Facebook) and it was all my charm that took me through to the next stages. We liked each others statuses and even took those not so interesting quizes, only if the answer ended with our names. Commenting on each others every activity was a must do and yes she changed her broken heart to a complete heart.

Inboxing each other with messages -- can't be written here -- and continuing those threads on and on till one of us started another thread.

As time went on and our mutual friends started growing, we realised we wanted different groups and pages in life (just to put it in networking terms).

But my life was not done there and i had a different reason to move on. Reason was Areeba Faysal. The cubid struk on a page titled 10,000,000,000 people who love Pakistan. Where we started a friendship, with an argument on the point that these groups should not exist.

Short and cute was all that i wanted, at that time to replace tall and nosy :P.

And an important thing was that i never completed my heart -- my excuse i have my family in here too. The rest is the repetition of the above mentioned story but the new thing was the constant whining of Asma, "tum badal gaye ho" to be exact. But with my constant ignorance and steadfast attitude i overcame that.

As my short and cute story continued to grow I started to find out that there are too many option available, on friend suggestion, so i should not waste my time being with one.

On a late night after reading more than thirty message of smiley emoticons and deleting a lot of sentimental stuff from the 'past one', i decided to explore my option in the cyber land.

New option was Nimra Aijaz, at least the picture suggested it.

The attitude of the new prospect was what kept me motivated. To further define attitude; her turning down my friend request daily, ignoring all the stuff that i inboxed her. But she gave in with an answer 'tumhara masla kya hai'.

My time to shine, a two-page story copy pasted from a Google search result was my answer. Sufficient to strike a chord and act as a catalyst to fast forward us to 'me and Nimra Aijaz are now friends'.

During the following days I discovered through a quiz -- lover of the day -- that I have other options, as in Aneeta karim. A girl I randomly requested to be friends with and got a green signal. May be she was in the race to complete 10,000 friends.

Here I would like to mention Mr Umer Soni -- the guy who made my ventures of finding significant other easy. You ask How?

Just by being himself i.e if you are constantly bugged by a flu (Umer) you'll settele for a headache (me). By virtue of his nature he made a pass on very girl and they were made to asses their standards. Thats when I strike just to make them feel that they have high standards.

Enough of the background...

So as I carried on with Nimra and also continued to pursue Aneeta, I got more lured towards the spectacle wearing kind. I considered her to complete my intellectual side.

As I decided to settle done in cyber world with Aneeta Karim, I was disappointed to learn that she had deleted her profile with a message 'yours forever'.

Just as an added info, I was asked by three different people for my password -- no I m not stupid -- I replied in a simple no.

After two years of a networking havoc and thousands of hate messages on my profile by several different of my past exploits, I also decide to leave Facebook with a little dignity intact. So I did.

And ya now I tweet.

Unethical advertising in Pakistan

To understand what unethical advertising is all about we must first consider knowing the exact meaning of the words ethical and unethical.  By contrast both words are thought to be antonyms which are fairly true however there are very few people who know what they actually and even fewer who know where the line should be drawn. Ethical or Ethics means a defined code of conduct that is right in terms of one’s religious and cultural values and attitudes. Similarly the word Unethical is often used for the rebellion from this code of conduct, to do what is wrong as described by the ethical code of conduct. Now that we know the difference between Ethical and Unethical we can clearly draw the line; however it is seen in most ads today that they tend to promote certain unethical values in their viewers. To make my point crystal clear I am discussing certain examples that I came across during my research.

Quite a while ago Hilal, a renowned candy company in Pakistan, distributed an ad to promote its bubble gum by the name of Fresh Up. In my opinion this ad is highly unethical it promotes certain values that are not only forbidden by our religion but are also disliked culturally. The very first thing the ad opens with a guy riding a heavy bike he as suggested bumps into a girl by mistake however saves her from falling to the ground by which the girl is impressed, in the second sequence a secretary is shown eating fresh up before entering her boss’ room, in this sequence it is seen that to get things done women take advantage of their looks etc which is highly unethical and fairly false as well. In the third scene a girl pops a bubble in public and seemingly grabs the attention of all those around her which may not be considered unethical but is ill mannerism. The fourth scene promotes dating as a vital function of opposite sex relationships whereas the fifth and last sequence is the most disturbing; it actually promotes smoking and lying. In this last sequence the same boy (first sequence) is shown heading home smoking, however when he reaches the door of his house he kills the cigarette and eats fresh up to hide bad breath from his mom. Now let us consider a child watching this ad what would be his impression? Obviously he will think that these values are right and he should inculcate them as well.

Similarly every day we see ads of fairness creams popping up on our television screens. To be very honest these TVCs are highly unethical in most of these commercials women with dark skins are ridiculed. They are made to believe that with dark skins they cannot achieve anything in life. Here the corporate giant Unilever can be targeted with its Fair & Lovely ad campaigns running all over the world. In most of their ads girls with dark skins are ridiculed and it is clearly shown that without a fair skin tone they will not be able to live their dreams. Nowadays boys have also been dragged into this menace. Here I’m talking about the infamous Fair Menz cream ad; in this particular one friend is getting married and the other friend who is to attend the wedding is advised to use the product so as to look good and woo girls. In the second part of the ad the bride’s friend seemingly seduces the groom’s friend and they end up getting engaged with each other.

Other than these, the ads of cellular service providers are growing to become highly unethical. Most services have started openly criticizing each other (refer to Jazz Ghanta Offer) which is considered unethical in the world of advertising, similar to this is the ad of Ufone’s Uth Package. In this context I will also like to discuss the new Telenor Djuice ad; in the opening sequence the young boy is in conversation on his cell phone when the door bell rings, his irritated father asks to answer the call however he in turn tells his father to do the same, which is unethical in terms of our cultural values. Similarly towards the end of the ad his girlfriends are also given a referral. Here many people may argue that it is a religious right to marry of one’s choice, this is true however that does not at all mean that one can go on talking to their girlfriends or boyfriends throughout the day as well as he night thanks to the numerous night packages introduced by these same cellular services.

By far we have discussed what unethical advertising is all about and I have also given some examples of the same. This menace of unethical advertising is not restricted to Pakistan in fact it dates back to the very beginning of advertising. Even during the Edo Era of advertising most traders indulged in false advertising. Similarly in later periods advertisements showed half truths and some even mislead customers. One very popular case of unethical advertising is that of McDonald’s in which the company was sued for not providing the right amount of information to its customers which in turn was becoming a major cause health risks for them. Similarly they were also accused of keeping big portion sizes on their menu, promoting bad eating habits in children. The company suffered some losses; however it soon recovered and introduced a healthy menu with fresh salads and smaller portion sizes.

Apparently all companies whether big or small, international or local have all indulged in some sort of unethical advertising; nevertheless not each one of them were taken to court neither were their cases brought to light. This menace of unethical advertising still reigns today due to the silence of us viewers. The question that many will raise here is “What can we do?” There are a number of things I am suggesting in the following lines. First and foremost we must be aware of our rights. Racial discrimination whether in any form is prohibited and has been named a serious offence by United Nations Human Rights Commission, thus we should raise our voices against Fair and Lovely and the likes. Similarly we must also raise our voice against ads like those of Fresh up bubble gum, as they are promoting smoking, dating etc. through their ads. Similarly the cellular services are also to be questioned as due to their youth packages the youth are indulging in a number of wrong doings, starting from simple innocent jokes extending to cheating in exams and even sexual abuse. As if these SMS bundles and youth packages were not enough the introduction of the various late night call packages serve as the topping on the cake. These call packages adversely affect the health and studies of our youngsters. Luckily the in Lahore the Su Moto action of the high court has resulted in a ban on the late night packages however this is just not enough because not all courts will take such actions. To protect our rights and to make advertisers show us what is right we have to take the stance. We have to curb this menace by raising our voices; I am not saying that we charge the roads or indulge in violent protests instead we should arrange for ourselves forums to talk our hearts out and also to discuss these very sensitive and important issues. Now is the correct time to act; as change has arrived and many good judgments are being made. Let us all vow to ourselves that the next time we see such an ad we will surely record our protest at least with the media authorities; as only this can help to curb the menace of unethical advertising.

Bureaucracy

To get down to basics, the dictionary meaning of bureaucracy is the body of officials and administrators, especially of a government or government department.

But, the point is, that what the word bureaucracy means, what actually the system really stands for, is a whole new story.

Although, it’s not the bureaucracy which makes the policies and laws (as what we are told), but their job is to enact them. The policy makers are the leadership, and the orders originated by them have to be carried out or implemented by the bureaucracy.

After reading several concepts and theories by different scholars, we can come up with many conclusions. However, the matter of fact, how much understanding and insight we have gained about this topic.

Superficially, the concept of bureaucracy seems to be something very clear and concise but if we go profound, we encounter several perplexing and entangling ideas. But the fact remains untouched, that……
“Bureaucracy is a covert form of aristocracy in a hierarchic fashion in the societies where these government officials are sovereign, where as this same bureaucracy is a puppet where these officials are checked and balanced.”   


(Don't mind this, it is just that I have studied too much of public administration already and wanted to just let it out :))

Cheap advertising

Advertising doesn't have to be expensive to be effective. It can make or break your business...but it doesn't have to break your bank account in the process. Even though good business ideas are difficult to discover, there's plenty around if you care to look. But what really matters is turning ideas into practice, theory into reality! But question is this at what cost? Commonly quoted figures for a budget marketing method are around 10% of turnover for a large business & around 20% for smaller businesses. Remember, marketing and advertising is an investment not a cost.

To be effective, advertising must be interruptive—that is, it must make you stop thumbing through the newspaper or thinking about your day long enough to read or hear the ad. Advertising must also be credible, unique, and memorable in order to work. Before making an advertise you must check an advertise through this list, of course, there are no ready formula for beating bull’s eye design, creative solutions, however, look at the basic strategies for successful advertising ;

·         To have success, must offer the advertising a consumer benefit or a problem to solve.

·         The fact that the benefit or solution must be obtained by consumers.

·         The product or service offered should be directly linked to the benefits or the solution.

·         The benefit or solution must be clearly communicated through media advertising. In other words, be clear, forget the brilliance of advertising and ensure that the message is not lost on the ad.

In Pakistan there are many small firms working or entering the market, their products are good enough to compete with MNC‘s product, but they cannot compete them in advertising and publicizing their product, because MNC’s spend a huge amount of their revenue every year on advertising and marketing that is the reason why many small local firms in Pakistan do not make a lot of business because they lack the resources to compete. Unfortunately in Pakistan there is not much concept of low budget advertising, these firms can concentrate on low budget advertising techniques that can help these companies to compete with these MNC’s while remaining in their budget.

Some low budget marketing ideas help you to achieve a constant flow of new customers into your business by using simple, low budget marketing methods. They can be of great help if someone starting a new business... or losing customers... or want to boost profits... or all of the above.

·         Place your ads on free time or in unusual places at discounted prices. This will help in containing costs. Often, you can still reach your target audience with these points.

·         Instead of a welcome sign of a great time, consistent with frequent small ads that continue to remind customers of their present work.

·         Consider advertising in regional issues of national magazines. The costs are lower, and you can reach your target audience. TV Guide is also a good option.

·         Sponsor a community event, if you can, as a fun run, cricket tournament or other event that are well known in the community.

·         Use the media to choose the maximum. If your message is verbal, does not need television. With radio, posters and newspapers as possible.

·         Rent an advertising design agency that is not on top of the stack, but can be creative and offer specializing in interactive campaigns for creative design solutions.

·         Send classified ads through weekly newspapers, metropolitan dailies, and national magazines. Readers in these areas may not be looking for your product, but your ad will be seen by individuals who are looking for specific information. On that note, classified ads need to be written in a clear and simple manner. Only feature one product/service per ad. If you offer more than one product, consider running a separate ad for each product you want featured.

·         Coupon Mailers contain cards advertising several different companies and their products. These are also known as "card decks" and reduce the cost of mailing.

·         Distribute handbills on the street; you can hire a high school or college student to do the grunt work for you. There are even distribution services you can hire at a low cost to pass these handbills out.

·         Print attractive and informative business cards that include your logo and hand them out everywhere, consistently! If you use letterhead stationery in your business, have it match your business card. Keep your identity as consistent as possible.

·         Print up some gift certificates. These let your customers introduce you to new customers. Since you get paid up front for the product or service, they are good for your cash flow.

·         Brochures let you provide a lot of detail about your product or service.

·         Flyers can be created very inexpensively on your computer, or by a local print shop.

·         Door hangers are very effective and widely used by fast food and home delivery and service businesses. If you choose this medium, use heavy stock so it won't blow off doorknobs and litter the neighborhood.

·         Paper or plastic bags and packaging make economical billboards. Print your name, logo, and message on anything you can, on all sides.

·         On the Internet there are many low budget advertising alternatives and methods to promote a website of your own and these are considered the best for reaching a targeted audience and low cost advertisements which can be implemented in many online ways. To create a website is one way of advertising, because what you do is to place your website link on different websites and if you have optimized your website properly, then your website will rank accordingly in the search engines and the more good strong and relevant backlinks you have for your website. Having an online space is cheaper than other advertising alternatives as the webhosting is very inexpensive with monthly fees and domain name charges are yearly. The main cost that you will have is the time to promote and market your website as this takes up a large percentage of your time.

·         An auto responder is a low cost way particularly if you rely solely on email advertising to build up your sites credibility through email communication and they can be very useful by providing updates to your products or your affiliate products, but also by building trust and providing quality information for your subscribers. But if you're a smart advertiser you will learn to combine many different advertising methods into a full force advertising campaign that reaches people on many levels.

·         Yellow pages is the obvious other way of advertising your business, although many might argue that the Yellow pages is becoming obsolete because of the Internet, but no as the Yellow pages is online too, so this adds to the power of the Yellow Pages advertising as people can find your business, website or phone number and contact your directly.

·         If you are a whizz with PowerPoint or an overhead projector and an drive home the point of your business, then you could include your presentation as part of a potential sales pitch where you would apply the presentation to a group of targeted people who just might purchase your product or help promote your business if you give them enough incentives to do so.

·         A newsletter is a vital update t new and existing client and can be sent through email or direct mail if your budget allows. I'd go with an email newsletter as this is far cheaper, but a photocopied newsletter sometimes can work wonders depending on your market.

·         One last thing about low cost advertising, one of the best forms of advertising is simply just talking about it. If you can relay the enthusiasm for something like your business and do it in a memorable way, then others will remember it and mention it to someone who they think would benefit from it, this is the age old Word Of Mouth and you cannot beat it, for its viral marketing capacity can be just as good as any other method, of course it's who you know and not necessarily what you know sometimes that can create some business for you.

• Whatever your business is whether a salon, a boutique, a surf shop, a restaurant or a store that sells widget or any other small business…. The lesson to be learned here is... If you have more time than you have money to advertise your business, don't stand around waiting for people to hopefully walk through your door-- Get out there and pound the pavement and do whatever it takes to bring customers to your business!

A romantic movie :P

Notebook

"The Notebook," the movie version of Nicholas Sparks' 1996 bestseller, may be corny, but it's also absorbing, sweet and powerfully acted. It's a film about falling in love and looking back on it, and it avoids many of the genre's syrupy dangers.
This picture, beautifully shaped and shot, filled with fine actors doing moving work, is based on Sparks' debut novel, a "Bridges of Madison County" sort of piece that unfolds in both the past and the present. In the past, two youngsters from different classes, Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton (Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams), fall madly in love. In the present, in a nursing home, an elderly man (James Garner) reads story from a notebook to an elderly woman (Gena Rowlands) who doesn't remember him.
The director, Nick Cassavetes, is Rowlands' son. He handles his mother, and the other actors, with tenderness and humanity--and that's the secret strength of the movie, along with the tension and poignancy of the parallel stories.
As we watch past and present juxtaposed, one love blossoms and the other seems to fade, but both have to fight to survive. As the movie, with epic range and generosity, covers a six-year span in the 1940s, from Noah and Allie's first teenage meeting to a postwar resolution, we get swept up in their longing and passion.

Best Animated Movie

Ice Age

Only in the unique cosmology of animation do we find a world where animals can talk… and humans cannot.
Ice Age is in many ways the archetypal animated flick -- updated for the computer era, of course. It’s a road trip populated by quirky and mismatched characters, all on an unlikely quest that they’ll never complete unless they somehow manage to work together.
Ray Romano voices a burly mammoth named Manfred, who stumbles upon a lost human baby (well, homo erectus at least) shortly after rescuing a useless sloth (John Leguizamo). Manfred is content to leave the thing alone, but along comes a saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary) intent on taking the baby back to his pack as vengeance for his brethren killed by human hunters.
It can also be considered as a buddy/road trip movie, the plot is surprisingly straightforward, a straight shot (and a mere 74 minutes until the credits roll) from introducing a gaggle of uncooperative species to the point where we are left with a scrappy little gang walking into the sunset (…of their species’ existence).
Altogether the movie’s not that dull and is certainly made for everyone above the age of adolesence.