Of social wars, floods, and viral

Very recently I started working as a social media consultant, it’s a learning phase for me. So far I have been a UX and user research professional under the umbrella of e-learning and web world. And one of the key things that I feel in the world of social media is that compared to peers who are mostly in their mid 20s, I am somewhat experienced, or at least old enough to remember how things used to be before we were digitally tracked, consumed, and sliced to these social media platforms. I remember the times of the circular dial on a phone, the snail mails, the long queues to book rail tickets (forget air travel, that was an ultimate luxury), business relationships built through mutually-shared trust, and good will. The key was - The Human Touch. While I was in school there was no Facebook, Twitter, or Google.  There were no social floods, wars, or viral. We only learnt these terms as part of the course-curriculum. Wars were understood as armed conflict, flood was overflowing water that could wash away every possible form of life, and viral could kill thousands of people in a day when spread. You ask, what’s common?  It’s very serious because it involved blood, emotions, and life. School to College - As years passed by we got computers and that’s when I sent my first-email, the subject was ‘hello - test mail’, didn’t actually know whom to send a digital mail. Funny!  I graduated and got my first job in late 1990s, 1998 to be specific, and luckily it was an Australian company and hence they believed in technology to some extent. They started taking  orders, sales brochures, and customer service policies etc via a strange thing called ‘website’.  No doubt it was very efficient but I could have hardly realized it at the time that, we were creating a web between ourselves and our customers, and it would only become more tangled as layer upon layer of technology was wedged between the two. It was a one-way ticket! Yes, can’t ignore the fact that people dependencies reduced, error count went down, quality improved, it was faster and less time bound, was available at any time of day or night. Just like me, most people especially the youth was enjoying this speed, where accuracy reduced to computer keystrokes. Who could imagine that one day it will be a war which is bloodless, yet dense, and competitive. Coming back to the present, there were multiple posts all of yesterday, “Twitter renews war with Google over Google’s Search Plus Your World”. Multiple users wrote, “It's unfair to other services and it's unfair to people.” So, there is war, there is world, there are people, and yet it is bloodless, what’s missing is the soul. Doesn’t that seem ironic? Behind the Twitter avatars and Facebook updates, the text messages and the Skype conferences, people are the same.  They still want to be acknowledged. They want to be heard. They want to cut through that digital distance. They want to interact digitally to form a relationship. It is once again time that we as well as organizations come out of their shells, break the barrier and use the digital way to talk to the customers, listen to them, understand their concerns and respond and make them feel valued.  I believe those who will be the most successful will be those who can integrate technology into their interactions while maintaining the human touch. As I have immersed myself in this new “social media-professional” role, I’ve been noticing  some social media trends: Twitter: Among professionals, Twitter is becoming the holiest of holy. The exclusive and  elite. Its smart and creative. You can be witty,you can be cool, #YouCanComeUpWithCreativeTags. Twitter is the conversation. It is a world without the drama of Facebook and that’s where the juicy stuff lives. LinkedIn: Every day I receive new notifications from my classmates, and  ex-coworkers. It’s been a realization that we need LinkedIn while looking for our jobs, to network, and to stay connected without sharing personal life with fellow members. Facebook: No, we’re not leaving Facebook.  Whether we post updates or photos or not, it is a way to stay connected with all your old friends, neighbors, one evening strangers who become friends and you know you won’t get to meet them again. Too many photos, lame jokes, one liners, tags, names, events, birthdays… basically too much history together.  But we have also trudged through all of the constant change Facebook has put us through and frankly, it’s exhausting. But we still choose to continue posting our lives, and the trials on FB, after all it offers us a “family-friendly filter”. We love you Facebook! Google+ In one word, FAIL. Seriously Sad.  I don’t care about our  impact on SEO. I joined. Created “circles” and BAM no updates ever. Everything that is cool about Google+ can be found elsewhere. The new ‘Search Plus Your World’, hmmm.. too early to form an opinion if it’s time to board the Google+ train, or let it pass. As of now I’m happy without it. This is indeed a fascinating issue, and as much as I hate to admit it, I think, that to prepare for the new world, it means digital, digital, digital. Texting, Social Channels, Gaming, and Networking is not going to go away. Thanks to Mark Schaefer whose articles inspired me to write this post. And a big thank you to Shivnath (my supportive boss), Rajesh and Gaurav for helping me learn what I have learnt so far. Be Yourself, Stay Social, Stay Connected!

My love for cooking

There is something beautiful about cooking, picking fresh, crispy, bright looking vegetables from a local store. They actually talk to me and hence I can’t resist picking them up. I know it sounds crazy but since my childhood I have loved going to vegetable markets and get surrounded with greens leaves, red and yellow bell pepper, the white mushrooms, tomatoes are an absolute delight, actually irresistible. Its been a while that I find my mind begins to note down the flavors, color, and the presentation style at all these places where I occasionally go for lunch or dinners. This lead to an attempt growing, and drying herbs myself. The result is amazing, you get pure and divine aroma that makes a dish unique! While reading newspapers and magazines I am easily drawn to the food sections and the customary description of cool treats that usually appear during weekends. So, most of the times I take them as just guidelines and then experiment with healthy ways of cooking. Less oil, no overcooking, no artificial color or flavor, and so far results have been promising. Haha a pat on my back… have tried making butter mushroom with black sesame-seed, pasta, risotto, Thai coffee, ginger tea, coconut milkshake, fresh parsley with blanched broccoli, well done cheese omelette, apple crumble, soups, salads, sandwiches, sorbets, pickles, jams and much more… No, no, no… I'm not claiming to be any great gourmet chef but thanks to my mom, I grew up in a family where everybody loves to eat and almost everybody loves home food. May be because in early 80s and until 90s the concept of ordering food, and eating out was not as prominent as it is today. Every block has options and three out of every six places deliver food when ordered over phone. We as a family enjoyed Saturday evenings dinners which were at one particular restaurant or else we had family friends dropping by. There were occasions when 20 plus people have come home at very short notice and mum flawlessly served them with awesome food on the table (Phew! I have never dared having cooked for more than five people). As a kid I use to see mum cook three-four times a day. I would ask her why not cook one big meal for a day instead of cooking two to three small meals. I also remember asking her why she would cook meals differently. And you know what she said? She said that she likes to cook, she loves what she was doing, so it doesn’t matter to her. Her kids and her husband love it. She also said that if they like what she prepares for the table, then she will be very happy. And that’s all that matters.  I started cooking when I moved away from my parents for a job in Hyderabad. Was use to eating good home food and hence could not live with the cafeteria food for long. That forced me to bring my own food instead of buying lunch. Since I get bored of the same food easily, I started experimenting with spices and their combinations. This turned out to be a good idea because I found out it was great way to relax too and also fairly satisfying. My Technique: I learnt how to employ a knife and cut up vegetables, herbs, etc.... realized that sometimes sautéing means let it sit, cook, and caramelize, or at other times it needs to be stirred frequently. It is not being limited by the particular recipe, but being able to alter those recipes, and come up with something that suits you and your "guests" fancy. I guess anyone can cook from a recipe book.....it's the subtle changes that make the difference. To my enlightenment, yes, if you haven’t cooked for somebody else yet, you wouldn’t know how satisfying it is if they say that the food is great and they wanted some more. So, one fine day I decided to invite some friends from overseas to drop by for dinner. They happily agreed and we had a great evening.  In retrospect, I think, I love to cook because it is not a compulsion, or been imposed, it is natural, it makes him happy. I do it more when I know that somebody is going to appreciate what I am doing. I am not afraid to try different recipes. In fact, I am very adventurous. I only fear that what if the portion I serve is not enough… Yes, it takes time to become perfect. I have been a vegetarian all my life and recently when I made some garlic pepper sausages for the most important person in my life and he told me that he wants me to cook it again, I felt so happy with my new discovery. He liked it, and that’s all that mattered. And again, the moment I see the plate has no leftovers, for any and every cook, that’s all that matters. Now, I will excuse myself and go make some yummilicious food for myself. May be some day I will be a restaurateur and have you all as my guest… Until then Stay healthy, stay happy, and keep smiling!