18 Apr 2010
by Shadab Wadiwala
in Health and Lifestyle, technology
Tags: Facebook, lifestyle, Orkut, social, socializing, Twitter
On the internet today, Social is a new Buzzword .
Facebook, Orkut, Twitter, Blogs, etc are the channels to socialize online on the internet .
A well known social media consultant says, “People start off with email and instant messaging, move on to Orkut and graduate to Facebook. If they’re really hooked, they make the leap to Twitter” .
Back in 2004, with the launch of Orkut, the entire social networking era came up in India.
Students and young professionals were seen hooked for hours on to this exciting socializing platform.
At that time there was no other major socializing platform available on the net.
I came in touch with Orkut during Feb ’06.
The power of Orkut’s social platform :- within just few months, I was able to establish contact with most my childhood school friends settled across the geographies for studies and other purposes, which otherwise could not have been possible.
I myself was studying my engineering at Ahmedabad ( a city in Gujarat, India ) , at that time.
I can say Orkut was really powerful in making me establish the contact with my friends.
Ok, so now coming back to the main question – distinction between online and offline social life ???
Today, there is very little distinction between online and offline worlds.
When you become really good friend with someone online, the most natural progression of that relationship is to take it offline.
So, today online and real worlds are NOT mutually exclusive.
This is because social networking sites facilitate real-world connections.
People use them to connect with other people, share thoughts, plan events and upload photos in a manner that is very much real – it just tends to be more efficient than writing letters or sending snaps.
Yesterday, while I was brushing up my Java skills, I was also following tweets being broadcast LIVE by the organizers of a Cloud Computing workshop at a hotel in Mumbai.
In between, I was asking queries to the speaker, and they were answered in real-time on twitter within few minutes itself.
I felt as if I was actively taking part in that Cloud Workshop just by following them LIVE on twitter.
So, in a way socializing online is good.
It helps you connect with thousands of people online ….
But, you need to be careful.
Can you trust strangers on the internet ? ??
That’s still a big problem prevailing today, although twitter uses a concept of Verified Account for celebrities at least !!!
Today, we are becoming increasingly social on the net with the advent of smart phones and the necessary infrastructure.
Millions of tweets come from the smart phone users on the move as online status or location updates !!!
So is this the future ? Have we arrived ? And if we have, then what is the road ahead ?
A few years ago, the focus was on how to get connected.
Now we are so densely connected that we are just a series of dots over the globe .
Some experts feels that going ahead, the internet is going to have an increasingly personal relevance.
Its all going to be about I, Me, Myself, about my interests, connections, contacts, photos, videos, communities .
Also privacy will be a big concern in the coming years as people become increasingly choosy about what to share online and with whom.
Today, We’re struggling to think of someone who is NOT on Facebook, Orkut or Twitter.
Today NOT having a Facebook or Twitter account is viewed like NOT having a cell phone connection !!!
Your comments are welcomed !!!
04 Apr 2010
by Shadab Wadiwala
in Health and Lifestyle, technology
Tags: addiction, Chat, Email, Facebook, internet, Orkut, smartphones, socializing, Twitter
My laptop indicates that temperature outside is 36 °C
Its cool to write a blog on this hot sunny afternoon here at Mumbai.
Internet !!!!!!!!!
Is internet taking on our lives ??
Lets think …
What people do online ….
They Email, Chat, Google search, Socialize, Read blogs, Watch youtubes, and download a variety of other stuffs on their desktops, laptops, netbooks, palmtops, tablets, smart phones.
Whether it is conducting some online bank transactions, paying monthly bills, booking travel and movie tickets or ordering digital photo prints and other purchases, The Net is playing a bigger and bigger role in our daily lives !!!
On the internet, SOCIAL today is the new buzzword !!
Statistics show that about 57 % of all internet users have joined a social network making it a leading platform for creating and sharing content.
The enablers of these are Email, Chat, Orkut, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and the list goes on and on and on !!!
Someone has rightly said that -
“ People start with Email and Messaging , Move on to Orkut and graduate to Facebook or Twitter or directly land up into the blogosphere !! ”
Lets examine the internet socializing scenario prevailing today .
To simply put into other words, lets examine the internet socializing addiction prevailing among todays generation
@breakfast
Morning coffee and Facebook notification on its auroma
A healthy breakfast is boiled eggs, sandwiches, or a low-cal salad with a dash of tweets thrown in .
If you are a smartphone user hooked to the web, I bet you associate the aroma of morning coffee with a facebook notification
@on the way
Socializing on the Way to Work
Living in a metro ? On your way to work in a subway or a bus or any other public transport ?
Take a look around you next time and I am sure you will find dozens of people hanging away on their facebooks via their blackberries, iPhone or any other smartphones !
They have one eye on twitter and one eye on the road !!!!!!!!
@ in the office
Smartphones in offices
Firewalls are smart .. but employees are much smarter.
Chats, orkuts, facebooks and personal emails blocked at work ?
No Problem – What are smarphones for ?
ADDICTED ??
- when i wake up in the morning, my first impulse is to reach for my phone/switch on my Computer.
- I switch on the computer intending to get some work done but instead end up spending hours socializing on the Net
- i find it comforting to get away from the world and go onto the internet to look at completely random things.
- I spend more than 5 hours a day online on non-work related activity
- when i am away from my phone or my computer longer than a day, i feel uneasy, irritated and get mood swings
If you answered Yes to 2 or more of the above statements, maybe it’s time you logged off for a bit.
Sit back, relax and throw open a window or two – there’s a whole world out there to enjoy and live !!
Its evening now !!
my lappy indicates that its evening time and temperature outside has dropped to 28 °C and the climate is windy.
Its Log Out time for me ..
Let me have a hot cup of coffee to freshen up my mind for a cool evening.
You can often find me at the various Cafes in mumbai working on my IBM Thinkpad along with a sip of coffee to survive !
Yes, I too agree that i am a little bit of internet addict !!
