Of Orkut, of Big Adda and of ego

When I first came across Big Adda, I said to myself, hey, I've heard about this earlier...

Then I remembered, hey, I've written about this earlier...

And here's a part of a post written in October 2006 likening Orkut to addas.

I am on no Orkut group. I once got onto a Ryze group, but did nothing with it other than post a rudimentary profile.Orkut means nothing to me.

But it means a lot to my daughter.She’s part of a number of groups on Orkut, including one that discusses Osho chappals. I swear that’s true.

And she Orkuts (no reason why it shouldn’t be a capitalized verb, if one can be Bangalored) for an hour or so each evening.What she’s doing on the Internet is what another generation did outside of it. She’s catching up with like-minded people – not all of them anonymous and unknown. As time goes on, the group shrinks into grouplings and grouplets, tighter and tighter as the Orkuters find more and more common ground.

Objectors to Orkut should take a look at the Orkuts that we have had for years in the real world. Like the adda in Kolkata. Like the kitty parties anywhere in India. Like the Lion’s Club, like the Rotary, like chess clubs and carom clubs. Like the Laughter Clubs, like jazz societies and poetry readings and drama groups.

The power of blogging

Devangshu Dutta takes the Orkut conversation further in Business Standard, and Howard Rheingold reads a reference to a pigsandwings post which has been further discussed on confusedofcalcutta and sees more possibilities.
Could this have happened without opensource and blogging?
A monologue on a site which is based out of Mumbai, becomes a debate and discussion on a site based in the UK, and further discussed on a US blog.
And DD, a classmate of mine whom I rediscovered in cyberspace, mails to say he’s taken a thread out of the Orkut idea.
The posts just discussed possibilities of matching declared intentions. And I’m wondering about all the possibilities of blogging. More later.

Cancellation of Front Page Solus? Orkut Crush to the rescue

If you're a space seller, you know there's no nightmare worse than the cancellation of a premium position late in the schedule.
You scramble and inform your boss. Next, you and your colleagues start calling "friendly" advertisers, advertising agencies and media buying houses.
Finally, you manage to sell the space, at a discount -- and your yield goes for a six.
Imagine a solution that saved you all this pain.
And it's there for the asking.
It was in trying to understand my daughter's fascination with Orkut that forced me to understand Orkut better.
And in this quest, I stumbled upon Orkut Crush, which completely and totally fascinated me. Details here, in case you haven't read the previous post.
And then began a small debate on pigsandwings, and a richer, larger one on confusedofcalcutta.com that you can read here.
The concept is that media buyers or media departments give media houses blanket release orders for specified positions at "cancellation rates" (for want of a better phrase).
So the next time someone cancels the FPS for The Times of India at 7.00 PM, all that the scheduling department has to do is to pull out the first of the aforementioned blanket release orders -- which, for the sake of argument, CANNOT be cancelled. No making desperate calls, no embarrasment to the brand.
I can think of a number of media buyers who'll buy into this idea.
Any takers in media houses? I'll play Orkut in this game.

I have a crush on an account executive

What did you do when you had a crush and were unsure about the reciprocation? Checking with “mutual” friends was the basic step. If you were adventurous, you sent a note or a message through an intermediary and hoped for the best.
And, more often than not, you made an ass of yourself.
And Orkut, the wonderful Orkut that we love and hate and love to hate, figured out that this was a pain, and therefore, a balm was required.
And thus was born Orkut crush.
Here’s a question, from a list of FAQs on Orkut: What can orkut do for my love life?
And here’s an answer, from the Orkut site:
orkut can certainly help you connect with a hiking buddy. But, it's also designed to help you hunt for a soul mate.
For more, click here
The principle is very simple. You have a crush on someone (also on Orkut), you register the fact – and no one else can see it. If the someone that you have a crush on has a crush on you and has registered the fact on Orkut, Bingo! Orkut sends both of you a message confirming the interest.
Nice. I wish Orkut was around when I was 12 ½.
So what is a crush doing on a blog on media and advertising?
Stealing an idea.
What happens if Company “A” has a crush on Professional “B” and posted the interest on a job search equivalent of Orkut?
And what happens if Professional “B” could not know of the crush till he (or she) posted an interest in Company “A” on the site?
Saves a lot of companies a lot of embarrassment.
Also saves you a fortune on head hunting fees.
I live. I learn.

Orkut puts pigsandwings in the news

Pleasant surprise. A post from this blogsite finds mention in a story in Business Standard. Read the whole story on how Orkut perplexes Jai Arjun Singh.