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Friend – Bro, I need your help with my SOP.

Me – Your what?

Friend – SOP!

Me – Supplier Of Pigs?

Friend – F*** You! Statement of Purpose mahn…

Me – Ah yes, yes. That… Sure

So if you haven’t been living under a rock like me and are much smarter than what I claim to be, you’d definitely know what an SOP is, what it stands for and why is it needed. For the lousy ones like me, answers as follows:

  • SOP stands for Statement of Purpose.
  • It is usually a 2-3 page document about you, submitted during your Masters/Doctoral Application abroad, explaining why the concerned University should accept your application and why you’re the right candidate.

Years before, it was considered a hot-shot deal to be able to study abroad. But not now. The costs have come down, the possibilities of Educational Loans have gone up and it has become one of those “Indian Dreams”. More than just a fad, its the norm now to actually pursue Masters and/or Doctoral study abroad after the basic schooling and graduation has been done in India.

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With the advent of Social Media, the public has moved from being menial content consumers to holding a strong role as content creators. Bloggers are making an impact in the world, Tweeps decide the very fate of a marketing campaign and Facebook “Superstars” play a major role in spreading news like wildfire. And not to mention YouTube Directors who rival their Bollywood counterparts.

The concept of Citizen Journalism has existed for quite sometime. But, with Social Media gaining momentum and technology easing out newer platforms to help content creators, Citizen Journalism too, has see tremendous growth.

It’s not just the specific individuals, who take it upon them to don the role of a “Citizen Journalist”, who are making waves on the web. Common day bloggers, through their share of voice, are making themselves heard – be it on niche topics or on day-to-day matters of concern. And in due course, what has to be accepted is that, power is returning to the Common Man.Continue reading

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social commerce 2015

With the eCommerce market value to reach $6.7 Trillion by 2020, lot many eye-balls have been turning in the direction for quite sometime now. With the Indian eCommerce market alone to be valued at $20 Billion at the end of 2015 ($2 Trillion globally), the stakes are high as never before.

The dynamics of Social Commerce (eCommerce and Social Media) are ever changing. Some of the trends of 2014 would be carried over to 2015 whereas some have been archived due to their saturation.

Following is my presentation and a short write-up on it from my session at KMM College of Management Studies, as part of their “National Seminar on Emerging Trends in eCommerce”.

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Over the past few years, questions have been asked about the penetration of Internet in the Indian population (which as of now is around 13%), awareness about internet and its development, user’s perception on necessity of Internet as a medium and understanding the value it adds to their life.

While generation gap, as a statistic, plays a good role in highlighting the difference between the age group that is internet literate and the age group that is not, its not just age that plays the defining role. Status of living, availability of internet connectivity, financial dependency, exposure towards “wordly” happenings etc, also mould the answers to the question of internet awareness.

In line with understanding the need for internet awareness for the present day parents, and pointers for students on how to surf the web wisely, I was recently invited by Kottayam Yuvajana Yogakshemam Samithi to take a session on internet awareness, internet privacy and pointers to keep in mind to surf the web safely, for an audience of about 60 families. The presentation from the session is as below –

 

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you 2.0 - personal branding

In the present day world where peer-to-peer competition is nothing short of being cut-throat, it means a lot to stand out. Building a personal brand is not just about having presence on Social Media Channels. Its about how you influence others.

A personal brand is similar to a “Company Brand”. You need to be associated on an emotional level. More than just a name, you have to become an icon!Continue reading