ITV

Tag: Orkut

  • Farewell, MSN Messenger

    Farewell, MSN Messenger

    MUMBAI: It was in the month of June when Google announced that it will shut Orkut down at the end of September 2014.

     

    And now, Microsoft’s Windows Live Messenger aka MSN Messenger will be switched off in China in October, marking an end to the 15-year-old service.

     

    The instant messenger was launched in 1999 as a simple text chat service and as a rival to AOL’s AIM service and ICQ. Till 2006, Microsoft released seven major versions and added features such as photo delivery, video calls and games as the technology developed.

     

    At its peak, MSN Messenger had 330 million users worldwide, as per reports.

     

    However, when the company purchased Skype for $8.5 billion in 2012 it spelled the beginning of the end for the MSN service. It was in 2012 end that Microsoft announced that Messenger and Skype services would merge in the first quarter of 2013, with users of Messenger client software moving to Skype.

     

    In January 2013, Microsoft had emailed Messenger users and informed them that with the exception of mainland China, the Messenger service would stop working on 15 March 2013 and users would not be able to sign in.

     

    Gigaom reports that the Tencent-owned company has over 200 million users in China. Following the rise of rival messenger platform QQ, MSN Messenger and Skype hopes to increase the competition in the country.

     

    After 31 October Chinese Messenger users too will need to use Skype, ending their relationship with the Messenger.

     

    Farewell, MSN Messenger.

  • Last word for Orkut before it retires!

    Last word for Orkut before it retires!

    MUMBAI: It was in 2004 when internet got one of its first social media network – Orkut. Google, the online media giant that had launched Orkut, picked up its business from then. With competitiveness creeping in the online space, the popularity of Orkut gradually fell. Thanks to Facebook and Twitter that has grabbed the attention of netizens during the course of time.

    After a decade, Google has decided to shut down the social networking site which got its user base from countries like India and Brazil. The company took the decision so that it could focus on its other social businesses such as Google+ and YouTube. Internet users will not be able to log on to their Orkut account post 30 September 2014.

    Indiantelevision.com goes down the memory lane with digital professionals and notes few things that will be missed about Orkut.

    Scraps, communities and profile views will always be remembered!

    Messages in the Orkut era were called scraps. Like-minded people could create communities. One could even see who all viewed his/her profile. The number of testimonials defined the popularity quotient.  

    Mindshift Interactive founder & CEO Zafar Rais recalls scrapping as a fun tool to interact with friends and the profile visits as a great way to know who’s keeping a check on your profile; a feature that is consistently famous on social networks, till date. 

    For ibs managing director Sabyasachi Mitter the site was our introduction to social media. “The funniest memory I have of Orkut is to login every day and see who has viewed my profile. And, then go across and see who they were. Some new friends were made that way. Also, to count the number of scraps and compare this with friends was something I remembering doing. The numerous discussions in groups and the sheer volume of conversations were fond memories,” he recalls. 

    Similarly, FoxyMoron creative head – north Kumar Abhishek who also belongs to the Orkut generation that looked forward to know who viewed his profile. “It was always exciting and fun to find a girl I may have liked or had a crush on in the list of those who viewed my profile,” he mentions.  

    According to BBDO Proximity India Digital creative leader Dinesh Swamy when Orkut began, it was one of its kind experiences. “It was ‘cool’ to be there. One memory which I can recall is that we created a group only for family members, just for gossiping.  We enjoyed that phase,  but by the time brands started leveraging, people lost interest in it and moved on to other social networking sites. I don’t remember when was the last time I scrapped,” says Swamy.

    Advertising wish list!

    There were a few brands that partnered with the social networking site for display ads. However, it can be noted that Google had pulled all AdSense ads from Orkut in 2007.

    If given a chance to endorse a brand on Orkut, Rais would have endorsed brands with a larger mass and youth appeal so anything within the FMCG to retail sector would have done exceptionally well. 

    “The one brand would have loved to have seen on Orkut is Oreo,” said Mitter. “If I had the chance to endorse a brand on Orkut, it would be Foster’s as a ‘daaaamn cold’ beer is best enjoyed with friends only,” adds Abhishek.

    Having said this, Orkut will always remain special for early Internet users!

    We will miss you Orkut.

     

  • Social networking sites cater more to career aspirations: Genius

    Social networking sites cater more to career aspirations: Genius

    Kolkata: Social media, which connects friends, has become a professional networking place, which can be leveraged to find and be found by prospective employers.

     

    Kolkata-based Genius Consultants which conducted a survey on the hiring scenario of the current fiscal 2014-15, reveals that 55 per cent of the 575 companies surveyed among different sectors said new jobs will be created in the current fiscal.

     

    “Social networking sites are being used more for enhancing career opportunities than anything else. For candidates sourcing avenues, around 11 per cent would be done from social media and 12 per cent form advertising,” said Genius Consultants CMD RP Yadav, a Rs 450 crore company, on the sidelines of releasing ‘Hiring & Attrition Trend Survey 2014-15 in Kolkata on Thursday.

     

    Around 50 per cent of the users, at present, create an account on platforms like Facebook, Orkut, Twitter and YouTube with professional motives, he added. Social media, especially LinkedIn, plays a major role in mid-level jobs.

     

    Experts said around 75 per cent of LinkedIn users are graduates and postgraduates, with 15 per cent belonging to senior management levels. LinkedIn charges companies to search profiles and to place recruitment advertisements. Apart from being a means to headhunting, it gives recruiters visibility as users visit LinkedIn very often.

     

    By way of tracking candidates through the social media, recruiters can unify all the resumes in their database and standardise hiring processes.

     

    Online job sites, which ate into the share of newspapers in the last decade, now have to face up to social media, added Yadav.

     

    Talking about the media industry, he said that though the industry is growing, in the long term small media companies would be phased out.

     

    For the survey, the consultancy firm sent mailers to 3000 companies, out of which 824 companies participated and around 575 companies answered all the questions.

     

    Yadav further said organizations plan to give increments to their employees in 2014-15. Around 40 per cent companies said that the range of increments will be between 10 to15 per cent, while 33 per cent companies expect it to be in between 5 to 10 per cent range. 

     

    On the other hand 13 per cent companies expected it to be in between 15 to 20 per cent and 10 per cent companies expected the increments to be less than 5 per cent.

  • MTV tells youth to play safe on the net

    MTV tells youth to play safe on the net

    MUMBAI: Six years ago, the sensational case of a sixteen-year-old who ended up being murdered by two teenagers he had befriended on the then popular website Orkut sent shock waves through the country.

    Today, instances of cyber crime have grown multi-fold, permeating our everyday lives; be it something as serious as child pornography or abuse or just someone having been taken for a ride on the internet.

    In a world where danger may be lurking just a click away, MTV, through its pro-social platform, MTV Act, has taken upon itself the task of teaching the youth how to protect themselves from being victims of cyber crime.

    MTV Act will be starting a new series called MTV Webbed, which attempts to explain how every Like, Share, Comment or Tweet can have a Domino effect. With fictional representations of real-life incidents that youngsters have encountered on the Web, the ten-part series, airing on Saturday, 14 September at 7:00 pm, targets the age group between 15 and 24 years.

    To be able to stay as true to what is happening online, MTV has associated with the NGO – Cyber Crime Awareness Society (CCAS), apart from some intensive research on the subject.

    Dos and donts while surfing

    * Don’t share your pictures and other personal details on social networking websites.
    * Don’t add strangers on social networking sites, and other android applications.
    * Use https only when you are net banking websites.
    * Don’t use pirated software and operating systems.
    * Use genuine anti-virus and operating systems.
    * Keep your anti-virus and windows updated.
    * Don’t give your laptops, mobiles phones, credit/debit cards to your friends.
    * Use WPA/PSK or higher encryptions for your WI-FI connections.
    * Don’t sign in into your net banking accounts while using public internet
    * Don’t give your credit card number(s) & CVV online unless the site is secured and reputable.
    * Don’t leave your credit card around that tempts children to use it.
    * Be careful while downloading any free software or screensaver etc.
    * Don’t reveal if you’re going out of town or details of your location
    * Choose strong passwords for your accounts to keep them safe. (Use special characters, etc)
    * Always type the website address yourself in the browser rather than clicking on a link provided in an email or   in a chat by your friend.
    * Keep a questioning attitude, if you receive any big amount of lottery through the internet even without   participating in it.
    * Use a variety of passwords, not the same for all of your accounts.
    * Disconnect from the internet when not in use, while using computers or mobiles.
    * Check your online account frequently and make sure all listed transactions are valid.
    * Always delete spam emails immediately and empty the trash box to prevent accidentally clicking on the same link.

    MTV Webbed will be hosted by celebrities such as Jay Bhanushali, Siddharth Shukla, Karan Vir Bohra, Ritwick Dhanjani, choreographer Salman Khan, Pratyusha Banerjee, Sana Syed, Priya Wal and singer Chang. The emphasis will be on how more often than not, youngsters let curiosity and natural instincts take precedence while surfing the net, only to regret their actions later.

    Says MTV India EVP and business head Aditya Swamy: “We have realised that today, the youth is online and they don’t realise that though internet has its advantages, every advantage comes with associated risks. So, we want to tell people how they can protect themselves from being victims.”

    What about the umpteen reality shows that already cater to this subject? “Cyber crime has become so prevalent today that it needs that much more of coverage and awareness to be created. Since we have a good digital presence and we want our TG to be there, it is also our responsibility to make sure they are safe,” replies Swamy.
    The promos, created by an in-house team with the tagline ‘Think before you click’, are already on air.

    There was also a debate on the topic on CNN IBN with Sagarika Ghose on 12 September.

    Also, MTV has tied-up with various colleges to create help lines that one can contact in times of distress.
    While MTV is gung-ho about the new series, media analysts too feel it might do well, what with parents watching it as well just to increase their awareness about what happens online.
     

  • Delhi Court stays proceedings against 13 websites accused of undermining national integrity

    Delhi Court stays proceedings against 13 websites accused of undermining national integrity

    NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has stayed the proceedings against 13 websites, including Facebook and Google, on a complaint which accused them of promoting “class enmity” and “undermining national integrity”.

     

    Citing denial of assistance from the American authorities, Metropolitan Magistrate Jay Thareja stayed the proceedings against the websites, including Orkut, YouTube, Yahoo and Microsoft.

     

    The court said: “The proceedings qua accused (13 accused websites)… Have already been stayed due to denial of assistance by the US department of justice,” the court said.

     

    The court said recording of pre-charge evidence against other accused websites would commence from 28 September.

     

    The complaint was filed against the websites by transparency activist Vinay Rai for allegedly committing offences like selling obscene materials to the youth and hatching criminal conspiracy.

     

    The central government earlier told the court that the US authorities were unable to execute the request for assistance in serving summons on these US-based websites.