Mumbai suffered one of its worst terror nightmares these last 3 days when armed terrorists took over strategic spots in Mumbai, leading to a bloodshed yet unparalleled in its gruesomeness.

While the terror attacks received worldwide media coverage, it was no less covered extensively by citizen journalists and common people who used a host of digital mediums to add to the story. Internet, and new media tools, came on the forefront as reliable tools to track the terror drama.

A wikipedia page was constantly updated by vigilant users, providing a single point of reference.

Many twitter feeds contributed to real-time reporting & status update, which were utilzed heavily by the administration, media as well as citizens to get regular updates as well as channelize real-time help.

Twitter feed for Mumbai

Twitter-fed list of useful local numbers

Post the attacks, these feeds have become the buzz-ground for discussions, opinions and to plan next steps to solve the problem at its roots.

A google maps page also became a ready reference guide, especially for people outside India to get a real-life perspective of where and how things were happening.

Vinu’s photostream was picked up by Fox News & CNN as well as multiple channels to provide real-time updates on all that was happening.

Over 2000 videos have flooded youtube post the attacks.

The MumbaiHelp blog has updated lists of all relevant helpline numbers as well.

Thanks to Sean, I just caught this on youtube..

Goes on as an attempt to say what money can’t buy…but halfway through the video, just what all it can really!

Great work Bill. You wont be missed much, however.

We live in electrifying digital times. Events can be converged 360 degrees to involve the whole humanity simultaneously.  Add to that the fact that the internet is a great place to be an armchair activist. One can debate and interact about many issues with like minded people from around the world. With the world going digital and converging on the internet, it’s an exciting thing to take a stance and get involved.

Take the case of Pangea Day, a unique global event concept which aimed to bring the world together through film. It started at 18:00 GMT on May 10, 2008 in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro were linked for a live program of powerful films, live music, and visionary speakers. The entire program was broadcast – in seven languages – to millions of people worldwide through the internet, television, and mobile phones. Other than that there were happenings at movie theatres, parks, and other shared venues before the run up to the broadcasts.

The 24 short films were featured were selected from an international competition that generated more than 2,500 submissions from over one hundred countries. The films were chosen based on their ability to inspire, transform, and allow us see the world through another person’s eyes. They taked about issues from human rights to climate change.  Details on the Pangea Day films can be viewed here.

The program also included a number of exceptional speakers and musical performers: Queen Noor of Jordan, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, musician/activist Bob Geldof, and Iranian rock phenomena Hypernova. The event was widely publicized through social media sites like facebook, Youtube, MySpace.   

Today a wide array of such events can be conducted online. The best part about them is that they are interactive and global in nature. Pod casts, Webcasts and Online chats can be achieved quite simply and publicized through web. Issue based events gather a lot of buzz as internet can be an effective media for research and debate. Considering internet is the future, it definitely seems an ‘eventful’ one.

What is Lively?

Lively is a 3D virtual experience that is the newest addition to Google labs. It is available through a browser plugin for Firefox and Internet Explorer. It is Windows only for now. Lively does not feature one coherent world like Second Life but splits worlds up into different rooms. Lively was originally developed as a 20% project by Niniane Wang.

Google Lively is billed as a “chat experience” using avatars. Google says, “You’re about to embark on a chat experience in which you can communicate and express yourself using avatars in your very own space. Choose an avatar and use it to make friends and chat. Create rooms, decorate them to your liking, and make sure to invite your friends over.”
Choose a Google Lively room

What all does it offer
Lively runs completely in the browser and you use your Google account to log in and create your own avatars.

What all can you do on lively

Within the world, you can interact with other users, very much like you would do in Second Life. You can also watch YouTube clips on virtual TVs and share your own photos.

Users can choose from a number of preset animations for their characters, ranging from shaking hands with others, to applauding, crying, etc. By double clicking on certain items in the virtual world, users can also often activate some preset animations such as sitting down on a chair or jumping off a dive board.

Setting the plugin up and creating an avatar is a very simple process. Creating rooms, too, seems quite easy, as you can quickly import a number of templates to get started. Currently, all virtual items for Lively are for free, but chances are that Google will start charging for premium items in the future.

For now, the content in Lively is being created only by Google, though over time, they are planning to allow users to start creating their own content as well.

Rooms can be easily embedded into any webpage and worlds often launch with a basic skeleton of the room within just a few seconds.

Here’s how it works

Choose a Google Lively room

• From the Room List, click the title of the room you’d like to visit first.
• Use the tabs at the top of the page to sort rooms by most popular, most visitors, or newest.
• Once you’ve added friends or created a room, the My Rooms and Friends’ Rooms tabs will also be handy.

                     
Choose your Google Lively avatar

• Click My Avatar on the right sidebar.
• Click the avatar you like and choose Select Avatar (your avatar changes instantly).
• Once you’ve chosen the one you want, click the X to hide the menu.

Change your Google Lively avatar’s clothing

To change your outfit, check out the styles available in the wardrobe picker. Here’s how:

• Click My Wardrobe on the right sidebar to open your wardrobe.
• Browse or search the options in your wardrobe inventory and select items to wear. When you double-click an item, it’ll appear on your avatar instantly. You don’t have to close the window to find out if you like the look.

If you don’t like how something looks on your avatar, go back to your wardrobe, left-click on the item, and choose Remove Item.

If you want more wardrobe options, add new stuff to your inventory by o quickly change your entire outfit, click my avatar and choose I’m Feeling Lucky. You’ll see the new duds on your avatar instantly.

                        
Create your own Google Lively room

• Click new room and choose Create New Room to start the process.
• Look over each tab and choose what you want your room to look like, the permissions you want to grant visitors, and whether you’d like to play music in your room.

Conclusion

Lively lets you have the world available where you want it, rather than forcing you to go to a certain space. Or, as Google puts it: “It’s integrated with the Internet. It’s not an alternate destination. Our intention is to add to your existing life.”

Resources
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/lively_google_launches_virtual.php

http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/003432.html
www.lively.com

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/be-who-you-want-on-web-pages-you-visit.html

http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/080708-181651

We created a short music video to showcase the India team at the Digitas Global Meet in Paris last month. The video titled “ Right Now @ Solutions Digitas”, is a inspired by Van Halen’s 1991 hit “Right Now”.
You can view it right here!

Concept, Script, Visualization, Direction & Presentation by: Nikhil Sarup (Squintedeye Media!).

If you haven’t seen the original video, watch it here:

So we all thought that social media was strictly a B2C medium…at least from a marketer’s perspective. While the same is more or less accurate if you look at the numbers and the "consumer" propensity towards youtube, myspace, facebook et al, it may be worthwhile to note certain social inroads into the B2B space, that are getting bigger by the day…

Good reasons for us to keep an eye out on these considering our huge IT client line-up!

LinkedIn offers a pretty basic but comprehensive opportunity: a company puts up a profile and connects with LinkedIn members, then it can promote and supplement profiles with targeted display ads, dedicated e-mails, and sponsorships of the "Answers" category. For instance, if you are a B2B technology company, you might want to sponsor the IT category. This way you reach people who are actively seeking information about your product/industry, and you get to engage with them in a community setting.

ITtoolbox also offers great ad opportunities for enterprise IT companies. You can set up a vendor profile; have a variety of ad units, text links, dedicated e-mails, and newsletter sponsorships; and even help with lead generation through Webcast promotions and white paper programs.

TechRepublic where you can tap into a huge professional IT community is my personal favourite!

Minyanville Exchange (a financial social networking site)

Designer Pages (for architecture and design)

And let’s not forget YouTube. Some B2B companies might dismiss YouTube as simply a youth-oriented, amateur-video site, but it is far from that. YouTube has turned into such a powerful and relevant social media tool that anyone can leverage its reach and viral effectiveness. There are thousands of education, science and technology, news, and how-to videos about and produced by various B2B brands and companies. For example, a quick search for "software as a service" on YouTube generated 1,220 videos. One video has been viewed more than 38,000 times!

This one apparently is a school project, and DHL isn’t involved. But considering its viral potential, they should happily endorse it!

While there is an intense cyber-debate regarding it’s authenticity and the unrealistic task (too many loopholes – did he fly over Iraq or drove thru it? etc), and DHL continues to deny participation, the most I can ask of you is to appreciate the idea!

It was one of those days when I had an acute fit of “the nothing new syndrome” when I got this mail from my boss, telling me about this site called slideshare.Believe you me when I say that I slipped right off my chair looking at the site. It’s like a Youtube for slides! From marketing to photography it’s all out there. It’s a platform where individuals and organizations upload presentations to share ideas, connect with others and generate leads for their businesses.

You can get some amazing insights on things there. And when I say things I don’t just mean work, you can get a whole lot of insights and ideas on any topic of your interest. Heres a bunch of things you can do on slideshare:-

Ø Embed slideshows into your own blog or website.

Ø Share slideshows publicly or privately. There are several ways to share privately.

Ø Synch audio to your slides.

Ø Market your event on slideshare.

Ø Join groups to connect with Slideshare members who share your interests

Ø Download the original PowerPoint / PDF file (if available)

Apart from the usual stuff you can use slideshare in new and interesting ways, all you need to do is get your innovative gears in order and take off! Heres a bunch of some really interesting slides I came across.

[slideshare id=28886&doc=the-brand-gap-14630&w=425]

[slideshare id=415548&doc=brainrulespzreview-1211213300619507-9&w=425]

[slideshare id=85551&doc=death-by-powerpoint4344&w=425]

[slideshare id=280884&doc=the-unstoppable-power-of-leaderless-organisations-1203948729749866-3&w=425]

[slideshare id=83488&doc=cool-amazing-impressive-advertisements4283&w=425]

[slideshare id=419872&doc=7habitsversie5-1211384232341228-8&w=425]

You thought agencies were obsessed with awards? Think again!

Fallon is moving offices and melting down its many awards to create a “We Are Fallon” “metal mural,” as Agency Spy puts it.

Now it’s getting its YouTube on with the “Pat Fallon’s Goodbye Speech” video posted above where he’s bidding farewell to the trophies on their way to the smelter. For all who wish to contribute, there’s a Web site where one can donate that spare Clio that’s lying around. So far, 89 people have contributed, including Pat Fallon himself.

Pat Fallon’s Goodbye Speech