2020 Social: Because Business is Social

TOI Article on How Social Activists in India Are Using Social Networking Platforms

Posted on 26. Jan, 2010 by gaurav in Media

I was quoted recently in a TOI article on how activists are using social networking platforms.

I like how Indian social activists are using social networking platforms for fundraising, or creating awareness for their causes.

Isha Foundation’s $100K win in the Chase Community Giving Contest is a good example of non-profits using social platforms to get support for a cause for fundraising. A very persuasive lady from Isha Foundation even called me to ask me to write a post supporting their bid.

Forrester Report on Social Technographics in India

Posted on 23. Jan, 2010 by gaurav in Reports

Steven Noble from Forrester interviewed me some time back for Forrester’s Social Technographics in India report. Forrester released the report last week and sent me a copy.

The Social Technographics profile is based on in-person interviews with 353 SEC ABC online adult respondents in metropolitan India (including Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Chennai) between March and April 2009.

Using the top Indian website in each category (as per October ‘09 data from Vizisense) as a reference, it’s easy to see that these numbers cannot be right, especially for Joiners –

- Overall Internet Population: 42.9m

Global Post Article on Caste-Based Communities on Facebook and Orkut

Posted on 23. Jan, 2010 by gaurav in Media

I was quoted recently in a Global Post article on caste-based communities on social networking platforms in India.

I have earlier written about how caste-based communities on Facebook and Orkut reflects the realities of India’s splintered society.

The ancient Indian custom of caste has made its way into the modern world of social media.

Social networking site Orkut — the most popular social media platform in India — is not only a place where young, urban Indians can connect with friends like Americans do on Facebook. It’s also a platform where they can meet others in their caste… (and) engage in benign discussions and debates on various caste-related issues like marriage, religion and politics.

Agencyfaqs Story on How Real Time Search Is a Game Changer for Marketers and Content Creators

Posted on 23. Jan, 2010 by gaurav in Media

I was recently quoted in an Agencyfaqs story on how real time search is a game changer for marketers and content creators.

I believe that real-time search is indeed a game-changer of search. The real power of Twitter lies not in being able to send and receive 140 letter messages, but in being able to search for tweets about people, brands, locations and events in real-time. Twitter realizes this: that’s why it has put search at the center of its redesigned homepage. Facebook realizes this: that’s why they are moving strongly towards a public status message oriented design. Google and Microsoft/ Bing realize this too: that’s why they are working hard to integrate real time status messages in their search results.

Agencyfaqs Cover Story on Indian Newspapers and the Internet

Posted on 23. Jan, 2010 by gaurav in Media

I was quoted recently in an Agencyfaqs cover story on whether Indian newspapers are losing out on the web.

I have earlier written about noteworthy social media initiatives from Indian news and media companies. Here’s my take on why we haven’t seen more such initiatives so far and why I see it changing over the next 2-3 years.

Newspapers in the US are rushing to build business models for the web because the print business is in trouble. Newspaper readerships and advertising revenues continue to fall and more young people are reading news online than in print.

WSJ Story on SMS-Based Social Networking Platform SMSGupShup

Posted on 13. Jan, 2010 by gaurav in Media

I was quoted recently in a WSJ article on SMS-based social networking platform SMSGupShup. The article delved into the business model for SMS based social networking platforms in India and focused on the need to limit usage to control outgoing SMS costs –

Analysts say restricting the number of user exchanges is the only option SMS GupShup has to hold down costs. “If 1,000 people in a group can keep sending messages to everyone else, that cost quickly becomes unmanageable,” said Gaurav Mishra, CEO of 2020 Social, a social-networking media consultancy based in New Delhi.

Announcement: Kaushal Sarda Joins the 2020 Social Team

Posted on 09. Jan, 2010 by gaurav in Announcements

I’m delighted to announce that Kaushal Sarda has joined the 2020 Social team as a consultant.

Kaushal will head the Bangalore office for 2020 Social and focus on B2B, technology and startup clients. He will also work with Gautam to develop our collaboration/ innovation practice, where we connect employees and partners to help clients achieve their business objectives. Finally, he will work with Upasana to strengthen our “build” practice, where we build online communities using white label or open source platforms.

My NASSCOM Talk: Made in India, Made for the World

Posted on 09. Jan, 2010 by gaurav in Events

Yesterday, I gave a talk at the NASSCOM Emerge Friday 2.0 event about how the time is ripe for Indian startups to target the global market: ‘Made in India, Made for the World‘.

So far, Indian startups have focused on tweaks for the local market, not inventions or tweaks for the global market, partly because Indian VCs have tended to fund me-too startups with a business model focused on enabling transactions for the local market (book a air/ rail/ bus/ movie ticket).

Forbes India Nominates Facebook For 2010 Person of the Year

Posted on 02. Jan, 2010 by gaurav in Media, Trends

Forbes India named nominated Facebook for 2010 Person of the Year in its December 2010 issue and asked me why it should win.

In a recent post, I shared five reasons why Facebook is good for your soul, so my love for Facebook is no secret.

In the interview, however, I highlight the fact that Orkut, not Facebook, is the default social networking platform for Indians. Orkut introduced Indians to social networking, it’s still much bigger than Facebook in India, and with its recent redesign, it might have more staying power than most people give it credit for. Speaking for myself, I have started spending much more time on Orkut after the redesign than I have in the last year or so.

DNA Story on Nowism, Twitter and the Real Time Web

Posted on 02. Jan, 2010 by gaurav in Media

I was quoted recently in a DNA story on how the popularity of Twitter and the real-time web are a reflection of our desire to want everything now: a trend Malvika Tegta calls “nowism”.

In the email interview, I had mostly talked about how real-time web is changing the nature of content creation and content consumption, but “nowism” is an interesting idea indeed.

Here is the full text of the DNA story –

I want tomorrow yesterday

Malvika Tegta

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 23:06 IST