End of Blogging?

With Indian government’s move to regulate the contents on the blogs it seems the blogosphere is going to go down. Even though it has led to criticisms from many bloggers regarding governments restriction on free speech, governments official seem adamant and are going to hit hard at the blogging community.

The issue lies in 2008’s Indian IT act amendment leading to changes in legal position of intermediaries or those who provide web-hosting services, internet service providers and online auction sites. The term intermediaries was broadened to include blogs, though they neither provide the same kind of services like the ISPs nor have large-scale commercial interests. Companies like Amazon , cyber-cafes, payment sites like Paypal , online auction sites, internet service providers like BSNL, Airtel etc fall in this category as networked service providers. This law demands blogs to not display, modify, upload or publish information that is ‘harmful’, ‘threatening’, ‘abusive’, ‘harassing’, ‘blasphemous’, ‘objectionable’, ‘defamatory’, ‘vulgar’, ‘obscene’, ‘pornographic’, ‘pedophilic’, ‘libelous’, ‘invasive of another’s privacy’, ‘hateful’, ‘disparaging’, ‘racially , ethnically or otherwise objectionable, ‘relating to money laundering or gambling’.

This is a serious move for small bloggers and for those who has zeroed in on blogging as their occupation. With this act in place, bloggers feel government will use this to charge writers for just about anything. Twitter saw bloggers expressing their disagreement to this act.

If I want to express my views about a product, I may only write the good things as if it is proved harmful to the brand then I may have to face legal obligations. It will curb responses of the general public who want to express their views and also share with others. Blogging had provided any effective medium for some experts to earn their livelihood as well, who will have to change their strategy and will have to try and find an effective way to overcome this. It becomes necessary in some cases when people try to damage the brand by writing abusive stuff. Does it justify to stop blogging freely?

Is it the end of blogging? We will have to wait and see….

For more information:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/bloggers-call-content-regulation-a-gag-on-freedom/articleshow/7659593.cms

Test

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Advertising

The American Marketing Association defines as" Advertising is defined as any paid form of non-personal communication about an organization, product, service, or idea by an identified sponsor."

Advertising - An ingredient of marketing

The primary and the most important question which always used to be at the back of my mind (I hope many of you also have the same doubt) as to whether a company can avoid advertisement and instead pass on the benefits to the consumers?

After series of discussion with my professors, friends, colleagues etc, I have come to the following conclusions. I have learned that the best way of learning is to have healthy discussion with others and try and evaluate each point and increase your understanding on the same.

Yes, a company would like to pass on the price advantage to its consumers but it does not solve the company's problem. Every company wants to enhance its customer base, inorder to increase it people should be aware that a XYZ company does exist. If the new consumers don't know about the company, it becomes irrelevant for the company to provide such a cut as it is loosing money which it could have charged otherwise to its loyal customers.

'Human Psychology' or Consumer Behaviour in marketing jargon plays a crucial role. When a company reduces it prices some think that the quality of the company might be degrading which can be detrimental to the health of the company. On the other hand, a company increasing its prices might deflunct some customers but they are mostly assured about the quality of the product.

A Customer is the most important visitor on our  premises.He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him.He is not an interruption on our work.He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider on our  business. He is the part of it.We are not doing him a favour by serving him.He is doing us a favour by  giving us an opportunity to do so.

-Mahatma Gandhi

Also, even though the ultimte aim of the company is to increase sales, an Ad may not be prepared having sales as the primary motive. e.g. If tomorrow XYZ wants to enter the market of consumer goods then it has to first make the consumers aware that there exists an XYZ Organisation in the consuer goods category. Sales may show an improvement after a year because it is difficult to quantify the time required from converting a advertisement into sales for the company.

The company might want to be in the mind of the consumers or what we call as a recall in marketing jargons, this is mainly done by FMCG goods company which show their ads repetitively till it gets registered in the mind of the consumers.

All said, the amount a company invests depend upon the field in which it operates, its competitors, the shelf life of the product etc.

 

Make Ads. as if no wants to read them; because no one does. People put protective shield around themselves and advertising.

To break through, make one point as strong, forceful, penetrating as possible.

The fakirs of India can fall asleep on a bed of nails with many points. Make ads. with many points and none will penetrate. Make one point and watch it penetrate.

-Stavros Cosmolulos