News publishing and social media

Exciting to see so many news publishers active on social media sites. The power of community building and the instant feedback it provides offers a new tool to product managers and editors. But, the publishers must put a face to name and respond to the feedback.

Citizen journalism is exciting and social media has made it fast and cheap to disseminate CJ news but, as I always say, can you trust CJ news -- especially a big breaking news?

Any thoughts?

unified via imified, a journo's dream

Experimenting with bots via imified and think there is a huge potential here. Need to spend some time to crack this.

August 15 – aazaadi shopping ki

Every August 15 you are reminded of the significance of the date. Reminded by the day's visual manifestation and the holiday you enjoy.

The unfurling of the flag, the national anthem, Prime Minister's speech on TV, the plastic flags my mother puts up in our front courtyard and the huge adverts in newspapers and supplements announcing the special sale on the occasion of our Independence day.

Unfortunately with most, including yours truly, it is these ads that return more value than the sum total in raddi value of either the news or the news print.

So this August 15 we had MTNL announcing a cut in its broadband tariff, Shoppers Stop had an up to 51 pct discount sale and many other such wonderful schemes which promised you savings on average spends of Rs 15000 or more. Ingenious I say for you save more when you spend more. Brilliant.

So till a few years back, before the dawn of 7/12 malls, August 15 meant reading, watching TV or visiting friends and family for it was a holiday for all – barring the emergency service staff – and so all shops were closed and little means available to spend your money.

This August 15, I had the freedom to choose. Choose which mall to go to spend my money for all were open and most had a sale.

I chose the Select City Walk mall for my retail therapy and to spend some serious money.

Ahh!!! August 15 -- the joy and spirit of freedom, the true feeling of independence, the power to decide any mall, multiplex or food court.

What great power we have. What feeling of total freedom. Jai Hind!

Serial bombings in India and Intelligence failure?

24 blasts in two days and India was left asking the usual question -- Intelligence failure?

The series of serial bombings in the last few months surely involved a lot of planning. Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad had many similarities. Even the same group claiming responsibility for two of the serial blasts.

So what ails our security apparatus and why is India so vulnerable? Are we a weak nation when it comes to responding to terror? Or are we simply not bothered, worried more about our yo-yoing markets and the political climate?

Think the answer lies within. Within us all. Intelligence is all about gathering information, ideally prior information, on anything around us which can have a bearing on our lives.

Information culled the routine way, by-the-way or even, any-which-way.

And that calls for human interaction. Conversations with the chaiwallah, postman, dhobi. Cultivating sources, talking, listening, having conversations -- gathering information intelligently.

But over the years, our Intelligence agencies have been forced to fall back on technology rather than human bodies for intelligence gathering. The reasons could be many and I am not an expert to comment but wise enough to understand this – HUMINT is the best way to gather intelligence -- still.

Technology will assist but cannot become the primary source of gathering intelligence. Penetration at the lowest level and cultivating sources cannot be ignored, a cost we pay now.

But then why blame our Intelligence agencies for ignoring the bare basic? Do we ourselves not rely on technology to gather news or information we need? Leave alone conversations, do we even remember the face of our postman, dhobi or our chowkidar? People, who generally have all the dope. So reliable, that within days of a Stork delivery, Eunuchs are at your door to bless the new born.

Intelligence gathering can be simple and yet be effective. Intelligence gathering need not be the domain of the agencies only. We all can chip in. How?

Know our immediate network well, socialise beyond our Facebook and Orkut friends or contacts -- and know our neighbors too.

It helps.

UPA 275, Sensex 838

So the UPA government scored 275 not out in a closely contested limited hours match.

Opposition cried foul alleging match fixing, UPA carried on playing in spite of bad light.

And in the end, the biggest gainer was India's markets which gave a resounding welcome to the final score. The benchmark BSE Sensex gained 838 points yesterday which many experts say is based on the belief that with the Left out, the government will be able to push through economic reforms.

But, even as I write this (11.55 am), the market is trading in negative territory having opened up over one percent.

Sliding markets was playing havoc with investor sentiments. It was said that political uncertainty was robbing the markets of all its past glory.

Was it?

Purists say invest based on the valuations of a company and the health of their balance sheets. Purists also said that this was a bear market and the question is no longer to hold long or short. The question is -- Is it the right time to invest in markets?

Some experts are still questioning yesterday's surge, looking for an overnight change in valuations and balance sheets.

So is our market overbought on sentiments than fundamentals?

Think the answer lies in a colleague's Facebook post -- "The markets behave in their own mast ways."

Can 123 lead to 272 for the UPA government?

Will the government survive? Is the nuclear deal so worth it? What is the nuclear deal actually?

I have been asked these questions so many times in the past few days that I feel like keeping a boilerplate ready, hitting the play button the moment I am asked a question linked to the above subject of the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal and the trust vote.

For all such questions and often some related supplementaries like "Will Mayawati be the next Prime Minister?” -- I have always replied asking a question, how would I know? I am neither a rent-a-quote-politician, nor an analyst. So how do I qualify to answer your question?

The usual response to my reply -- "you are a journalist; it is your business to know all."

I confess that I am a journalist, but NO, I am not in the "business to know all."

Sorry to disappoint, but I am not an expert in reading tea leaves to be able to predict the fall or survival of any government and definitely not an expert on anything to do with the nuclear deal.

Yes, I am aware that the government needs to reach the figure of 272 votes to survive (if every lawmaker votes) and that the Hyde Act and the 123 agreement are key aspects of the nuclear deal.

But how would I know if the UPA or the opposition will manage to get to 272? And in the same way, how do I know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the nuclear deal when the government has never explained it in detail?

The only 123 agreement that I understand fully is between me and myself seeking inner peace. I count 1… 2… 3… ever so slowly whenever I get angry. Works like magic.

And, after the first day’s debate in parliament on the vote of confidence, I am not too sure that our lawmakers know much either about the deal or even the outcome of the vote. But from the number game being played outside parliament, they do seem to know their 1-2-3s well.

So, I admit that I am a journalist who is still struggling to understand the nuclear deal. Some analysts say it is good for the country, the left parties certainly don't and I still say -- how the hell do I know?

As for the question "Will the government survive?" -- I cannot tell and time will not too for only our lawmakers can and will in parliament.