Thursday, 29 January 2009
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
Saturday, 20 December 2008
bigAdda.mobi - belongs to whom?
I was just checking out Indian wap sites, when I got struck on BigAdda. BigAdda is Reliance's social networking portal. I went to bigadda.mobi and was astonished to see the page was full of mobile ads. See the screenshot below.
The actual mobile wap portal is available on http://wap.bigadda.com
I tried checking weather the domain is registered and to whom it's registered.
I checked via this: http://mtld.mobi/domain/whois?q=domain/whois
The results are pasted below. It doesn't look like it belongs to Reliance. Someone is just playing a spoof.
Domain ID:D4288625-MOBI
Domain Name:BIGADDA.MOBI
Created On:22-Aug-2008 14:51:48 UTC
Last Updated On:29-Nov-2008 12:56:01 UTC
Expiration Date:22-Aug-2009 14:51:48 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Directi Internet Solutions Pvt. Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com (303)
Created by Registrar:Directi Internet Solutions Pvt. Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com (303)
Last Updated by Registrar:Directi Internet Solutions Pvt. Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com (303)
Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT RENEW PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:FR-10eb2f8c13d2
Registrant Name:Domain Admin
Registrant Organization:PrivacyProtect.org
Registrant Street1:P.O. Box 97
Registrant Street2:Note - All Postal Mails Rejected, visit Privacyprotect.org
Registrant City:Moergestel
Registrant Postal Code:5066 ZH
Registrant Country:NL
Registrant Phone:+45.36946676
Registrant Email:contact@privacyprotect.org
Admin ID:FR-10eb2f8c13d2
Admin Name:Domain Admin
Admin Organization:PrivacyProtect.org
Admin Street1:P.O. Box 97
Admin Street2:Note - All Postal Mails Rejected, visit Privacyprotect.org
Admin City:Moergestel
Admin Postal Code:5066 ZH
Admin Country:NL
Admin Phone:+45.36946676
Admin Email:contact@privacyprotect.org
Tech ID:FR-10eb2f8c13d2
Tech Name:Domain Admin
Tech Organization:PrivacyProtect.org
Tech Street1:P.O. Box 97
Tech Street2:Note - All Postal Mails Rejected, visit Privacyprotect.org
Tech City:Moergestel
Tech Postal Code:5066 ZH
Tech Country:NL
Tech Phone:+45.36946676
Tech Email:contact@privacyprotect.org
Name Server:NS1.HOUSE4WEBHOST.COM
Name Server:NS2.HOUSE4WEBHOST.COM
The actual mobile wap portal is available on http://wap.bigadda.com
I tried checking weather the domain is registered and to whom it's registered.
I checked via this: http://mtld.mobi/domain/whois?q=domain/whois
The results are pasted below. It doesn't look like it belongs to Reliance. Someone is just playing a spoof.
Domain ID:D4288625-MOBI
Domain Name:BIGADDA.MOBI
Created On:22-Aug-2008 14:51:48 UTC
Last Updated On:29-Nov-2008 12:56:01 UTC
Expiration Date:22-Aug-2009 14:51:48 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Directi Internet Solutions Pvt. Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com (303)
Created by Registrar:Directi Internet Solutions Pvt. Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com (303)
Last Updated by Registrar:Directi Internet Solutions Pvt. Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com (303)
Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT RENEW PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:FR-10eb2f8c13d2
Registrant Name:Domain Admin
Registrant Organization:PrivacyProtect.org
Registrant Street1:P.O. Box 97
Registrant Street2:Note - All Postal Mails Rejected, visit Privacyprotect.org
Registrant City:Moergestel
Registrant Postal Code:5066 ZH
Registrant Country:NL
Registrant Phone:+45.36946676
Registrant Email:contact@privacyprotect.org
Admin ID:FR-10eb2f8c13d2
Admin Name:Domain Admin
Admin Organization:PrivacyProtect.org
Admin Street1:P.O. Box 97
Admin Street2:Note - All Postal Mails Rejected, visit Privacyprotect.org
Admin City:Moergestel
Admin Postal Code:5066 ZH
Admin Country:NL
Admin Phone:+45.36946676
Admin Email:contact@privacyprotect.org
Tech ID:FR-10eb2f8c13d2
Tech Name:Domain Admin
Tech Organization:PrivacyProtect.org
Tech Street1:P.O. Box 97
Tech Street2:Note - All Postal Mails Rejected, visit Privacyprotect.org
Tech City:Moergestel
Tech Postal Code:5066 ZH
Tech Country:NL
Tech Phone:+45.36946676
Tech Email:contact@privacyprotect.org
Name Server:NS1.HOUSE4WEBHOST.COM
Name Server:NS2.HOUSE4WEBHOST.COM
Monday, 1 December 2008
iPhone Tech Talk Delhi 2008
Last Thursday, I attended the Apple iPhone Tech Talk conference in Delhi. Inspite of the initial hassles due to tightened security at the venue (due to the attacks in Mumbai), the event was very insightful. One of the key points discussed during the conference was - "Usability". To build applications for iPhone, you have to first be an iPhone user. And I think this is a very valid point. It's been years for us at Wirkle developing mobile applications, and it's the usability that decides if your application will sell or be just thrown away. Software Usability should become a mandatory part of any college curriculum.This is the least understood subject by most of the software engineers.
One of the proud moments for Wirkle was, when the apple guys asked from the audience, if there are developers amongst the audience who had developed applications for iPhone and put it on the app store. And all the hands raised were from Wirkle guys. We were the only company at the conference in Delhi that had developed applications for iPhone and put it on the AppStore. I am sure there would be other companies and developers who have developed but were not present in the conference. But overall I felt quite jubilant.
One of the proud moments for Wirkle was, when the apple guys asked from the audience, if there are developers amongst the audience who had developed applications for iPhone and put it on the app store. And all the hands raised were from Wirkle guys. We were the only company at the conference in Delhi that had developed applications for iPhone and put it on the AppStore. I am sure there would be other companies and developers who have developed but were not present in the conference. But overall I felt quite jubilant.
Sunday, 16 November 2008
Recruiters and Property Dealers - Are they Alike?
Dealing with Property Dealers is normally a very tedious job especially with the value that they bring to the table, at times you just despise them.
In case one is looking to buy or sell property, property dealers take 1-2% of the deal. So in a one crore deal, they would get a cool 1-2 lakhs. The situation is much worse for rented properties.
Consider a case, if you are looking for a commercial office space on Rent. If you are looking to get 1000 sq feet office on rent, and the price is around Rs 100 per sq feet, a property dealer would want to get a cool Rs 1,00,000/- (considering the fact that they normally take 1 month rent as their fees). Most of the property dealers in India are uneducated, don't even are aware of the legal contracts - just want to close the deal as fast as possible.
Similar is the case with Recruiters in IT industry.
I have dealt with number of recruiters, but none of them has ever tried to understand the recruitment process of an organization. Most of them will have an account with a portal like Naukri, Monster etc. and will send in resumes. Every organization puts in tremendous effort and already has accounts with such portals. If the recruiters are not able to give a significant advantage in terms of success rate (25% success rate), their is no advantage of using a recruiter versus hunting yourself.
A recruiter normally takes 8.33% of an annual salary for 0-3 years, and then this factor can increase up to 15-20% or even more for mid to senior levels. The actual headhunting might be even more expensive. Recruiting one Software Engineer with an annual package of 5 lakhs can take a cool Rs 50,000/ including taxes on a company's pocket.
In case a recruiter is just sending resumes on a trial and error basis assuming someone will get selected, their is no value add.
Recruiters might be more educated than an average property dealer but their professionalism in providing value addition is of the same nature.
I think the IT industry should all come together and define policies and rates to make the recruiting industry more organized. I think 8.33% is just too huge. Even if few companies come together and make a commitment, this industry would start falling in place.
In case one is looking to buy or sell property, property dealers take 1-2% of the deal. So in a one crore deal, they would get a cool 1-2 lakhs. The situation is much worse for rented properties.
Consider a case, if you are looking for a commercial office space on Rent. If you are looking to get 1000 sq feet office on rent, and the price is around Rs 100 per sq feet, a property dealer would want to get a cool Rs 1,00,000/- (considering the fact that they normally take 1 month rent as their fees). Most of the property dealers in India are uneducated, don't even are aware of the legal contracts - just want to close the deal as fast as possible.
Similar is the case with Recruiters in IT industry.
I have dealt with number of recruiters, but none of them has ever tried to understand the recruitment process of an organization. Most of them will have an account with a portal like Naukri, Monster etc. and will send in resumes. Every organization puts in tremendous effort and already has accounts with such portals. If the recruiters are not able to give a significant advantage in terms of success rate (25% success rate), their is no advantage of using a recruiter versus hunting yourself.
A recruiter normally takes 8.33% of an annual salary for 0-3 years, and then this factor can increase up to 15-20% or even more for mid to senior levels. The actual headhunting might be even more expensive. Recruiting one Software Engineer with an annual package of 5 lakhs can take a cool Rs 50,000/ including taxes on a company's pocket.
In case a recruiter is just sending resumes on a trial and error basis assuming someone will get selected, their is no value add.
Recruiters might be more educated than an average property dealer but their professionalism in providing value addition is of the same nature.
I think the IT industry should all come together and define policies and rates to make the recruiting industry more organized. I think 8.33% is just too huge. Even if few companies come together and make a commitment, this industry would start falling in place.
Muskaan - Spread a Smile
At times, I am tremendously impressed by the enthusiasm of Wirklites. This Friday on Children's day,14th November, the philanthropy group at Wirkle organized an event at an evening school in Bijwasan (outskirts of Gurgaon).
From last few months, Wirkle had partnered with Literacy India and has been organizing fun events where we play fun games and bring smiles on the faces. As a part of the program, few of the Wirklites have also been taking Internet and Communication Skill classes and teaching them on a weekly basis.
This program has been very successful. On children's day, we organized a website and a poster competition. We all had been amazed by the results. Some of the posters were just too brilliant.
I strongly believe, you need to start things when you are small. If you wait to be big or wait for the right time to come in future, one will never reach there. So start NOW!!
Sunday, 2 November 2008
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