Journalists see social media as instrument to advance reporting and not threat

A recently conducted international survey of 1149 journalists from 12 countries about their social media habits and preferences has found that they viewed social media as ‘complementary’ and not a threat.

It has been found that day-to-day journalists are undertaking background research, rapid information gathering and opinion mining using social media on a daily basis.

However, more interactive methods of social media such as crowd sourcing for research, asking interview questions and liaising with PRs featured much lower on the breakdown of their daily use. Of those surveyed 87 percent view social media as being complementary to traditional journalism as opposed to a threat.

Facebook dominated as the most popular social media platform for journalists internationally (86%), apart from in the UK where LinkedIn crept ahead. Twitter was voted the second most popular tool among journalists (61%), apart from in Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, where the younger platform Google+ was more popular.

However, the online tools journalists use for researching varied internationally. For instance, according to the report, in the UK (75%), UAE (93%), South Africa (68%) and Sweden (50%), Twitter came out on top, while in the Eastern European countries (Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary) Twitter’s popularity came second (25%) to Facebook (71%).

As for how social media is changing the way journalists interact with communications professionals – journalists in the UK placed less importance on personal contact and phone conversations (59%), with email cited as the most important source for their day-to-day job (80%), while social media featured very low (17%).

The top three most important sources for journalist across the globe were email (75%), search engines (68%) and personal contact (70%).

When it comes to the potential pitfalls of social media, journalists appear to be approaching it with care with over three quarters (77%) of those surveyed agreeing that the speed of social media and lack of control over sources will be a problem for quality standards in journalism.

Four in 10 journalists agreed that certain skills were needed to do research or write for social media. However, over three quarters of journalists surveyed stated that they have never been on any social media related training. Despite this, most journalists feel that their knowledge of and competency in using social media is average (55%), rather than very good (37%) or bad/non-existent (8%), the report said.

Lutz Cleffmann told Bizcommunity: “The survey shows clearly that social media has become an important channel of interaction with journalists, but the importance of channels varies very much from country to country. Therefore, local knowledge stays an indispensable prerequisite of success.”

Growing Social Media Usage - Triggers change

Growing Social Media usage in India has only triggered a change - a change that at least with the recent events only seems positive

A few days back, a  text message on the phone: “Video of brutal killings of two boys is of Pakistan, and not related to the Muzaffarnagar incident. Refrain from sharing or else criminal action will be taken.”

The sign off on the message said it was from the office of the DGP, UP Police (the highest-ranking police officer in the state of Uttar Pradesh). Muzaffarnagar, a town in the northern Indian state, recently witnessed communal violence in which 45 people died (according to the official death toll). A YouTube video, which officials sources are saying was either shot in Pakistan or Afghanistan, and uploaded on YouTube two years ago was circulated online, with some saying it was shot during the violence in Muzaffarnagar. Police claim the video incited greater violence, and are probing how it went viral.

The incident is another key demonstration of the role of social media in shaping events, politics and opinion in India – sometimes unwittingly. But even more, there is a sense in India that social media can positively shape politics, reform mind sets, and bring about change.

For example, a few months back a photograph of two young men making lewd gestures to female commuters in Bangalore were photographed by a male friend who was with the women. The young man uploaded the picture on the Facebook page of the Bangalore Police, and within days the post attracted thousands of likes and comments. It certainly got the attention of the Bangalore Police, who arrested the two men, and brought them in for interrogation.

That might seem like an isolated incident, but over the past few months mainstream, prime-time broadcast news programs seem to be heavily influenced by the conversations taking place on social media. Maybe this particular trend points to lazy journalism, but it also brings an issue into the mainstream. Namely, can a growing number of educated people who are getting online and lighting up the Twitter sphere herald more passionate debates? Can this growing collective voice force issues of development and social change into the national gaze?

In March 2013, a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) found that the number of social media users in urban India would reach 66 million by this June. The report also said that 74 percent of all active internet users in India use social media. This figure – which grew more than 30 percent from 56.3 million users in the previous year – makes India the world’s third-largest internet population.

Preeti Singh, editor of Igovernment.in, a website focussed on governance issues, doesn’t share this optimism. She tells The Diplomat, “How many people in India are on social media, in any case? Not enough people are on it to have reached inflexion, even now. Worse, I strongly believe that most people on social media don’t really want to make a difference, they just want to sound smart.”

She admits it’s a good medium to sensitize people to issues they otherwise might now be aware of. And of course, this can help trigger reform. But it’s important not to expect more from the medium than is reasonable. As Malcolm Gladwell wrote in The New Yorker a few years back, “The revolution will not be tweeted.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, dengue alerts on social media

The spurt in dengue cases has prompted the corporations to spread awareness through social networking sites.

Officials admit that heavy spending on advertising has not helped in preventing mosquito breeding in the city. "As everyone is active on the social media, dengue alerts should reach people. This can prove more effective and cheap," says Andrews Ganj councillor Abhishek Dutt.

 So far, corporations have been sticking to techniques like hoardings at government offices and distribution of pamphlets. "The pamphlets have been in circulation for three years now. People don't take such ads seriously. Checkers cannot scan every corner and residents have an important role in checking mosquito breeding," adds Dutt.

 The South corporation commissioner said they will start the campaign on their Facebook page. Farhad Suri, leader of the opposition, also feels that residents play a major role in spreading social awareness about the disease.

Sony Xperia Z1 – Simply Mindboggling

Sony has launched its latest flagship smart phone, the Xperia Z1, in India. The phone was unveiled at Berlin earlier this month.

 

Sony Xperia Z1 comes with 5-inch full-HD display and the power of a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, recently seen inside the blazing fast Sony Xperia Z Ultra (Review), alongside 2GB of RAM. The Xperia Z1 comes with 16GB of internal storage, that can be expanded by up to 64GB via a micro SD card. The phone runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with a 3,000mAh battery underneath.

One of the key highlights of the Sony Xperia Z1 is its amazing camera, with Sony's own G Lens with 27mm wide angle and f/2.0 aperture. The camera comes with a large 1/2.3-type CMOS 20-megapixel image sensor Exmor RS with BIONZ mobile image processing engine.

 

The camera comes with software enhancements like Social live, which enables you broadcast live to Facebook and get your friends' comments right on your screen. Info-eye is a visual search function that provides related information on landmarks and on items such as books or wine by capturing them with the camera. AR effect overlays a selection of customisable animations to create pictures using Sony's Smart AR augmented reality technology.

The Sony Xperia Z1 also comes with a time shift burst, that takes 61 images in 2 seconds, a second before and after pressing the shutter, so you can scroll back and forth to find the image you like.

In line with other recent Xperia devices, the Sony Xperia Z1 is dust resistant and waterproof, and comes with pre-loaded apps like Sony Music and Sony LIV, which offer access to Sony's catalogue of music and TV programming respectively.

 

Sony Xperia Z1 is compatible with a host of accessories including the Sony DSC-QX100 and DSC-QX10 lens cameras and Sony Smart Watch 2.

Sony Xperia Z1 key specifications

1.      5-inch full-HD display

2.      2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor

3.      2GB RAM

4.      16GB internal storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD card

5.      20.7-megapixel camera

6.      2-megapixel front-facing camera

7.      3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC and GPS

8.      Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Latest Mobiles in India

There is a boom of mobile phones in India. The consumer has a wide range of phones and companies to choose from encompassing a wide range of features at competitive prices. Few latest mobiles in India are

Smartphone Company HTC has unveiled two new smartphones in an attempt to bring newest and improved features to the mid-range and entry-level smartphones, the mid-range HTC Desire 601 and the entry-level HTC Desire 300.

HTC Desire 601 features the similar 4.5-inch size and 960×540 resolution screen but only has a single SIM slot. The specific dimensions are set at 134.5×66.7×9.88mm (5.3×2.63×0.39in) and it weighs 130 grams. This makes it slightly thicker than the Desire 600 but it has a much better 2100mAh battery as well as the improved Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset with dual-core 1.4GHz CPU part and Adreno 305 GPU paired up with 1GB of RAM.

The Desire 300 features LTE support and supports HTC Zoe and Video Highlights features, same one that were seen with the high-end HTC One series smartphones. It features 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, VGA front one, has 8GB of internal storage with 25GB of Dropbox storage which are expandable by a microSD card slot, 802.11bgn WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 for connectivity.

Micromax Bolt A26 is a dual-SIM phone that runs on Android ICS platform. It shelters a 1GHz dual core processor seconded by a 512MB RAM. The 4.5 inch capacitive touch display has 854x480p pixel resolution. The camera segment comprises of a 2MP back camera, backed up by an LED flash and a 0.3MP front camera. For connectivity, it has GPRS/EDGE, Wi-Fi, USB, and Bluetoth. The 1850 mAh battery gives ample talk time and standby time to users. Other features are FM radio, 3.5m audio jack, 1.2GB built-in & 32GB expandable memory.

The iPhone 5C will be powered by a dual-core CPU, and will have a 4-inch screen, just like the iPhone 5, with a resolution of 640×1136 pixels. The specs sheet reveals that the iPhone 5C will have 1GB of RAM, and will come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage variations. It will sport an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel front facing camera and run iOS 7 complete with Siri which would be obtainable in English, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Italian and Spanish, as per the tipster. The iPhone 5C will reportedly be 6 grams lighter than the iPhone 5 at 106 grams and will measure 124.2 x 58.4 x 7.6 mm. The iPhone 5 measures 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm.

Nokia Lumia 825 phabletia will be made public in New York next month. The phablet will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, clocked at 1.2 Ghz. A 5.2-inch display is mentioned, with a 1280×720 pixel resolution. Nokia’s phablet will almost certainly run Windows Phone 8.

Sony launched Xperia M smartphone in India which features the company’s novel one-touch functions and its signature first-class design parallel to that of Xperia Z. The company intends to sell both single SIM and dual SIM models of the phone. Key Features of Sony Xperia M include - Android v4.1 (Jelly Bean) OS, Great Entertainment Contents Offering through Sony Unique Application, 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Dual Core Processor, Expandable Storage Capacity of 32 GB, One-touch Functions with NFC, 0.3 MP Secondary Camera, Wi-Fi Enabled, 5 MP Primary Camera, 4-inch Hi-quality Display for Immersive Entertainment and Battery STAMINA Mode for Outstanding Battery Life.

Xolo Q1000S features a 5-inch HD IPS display with OGS display technology and boasts a resolution of 720×1280 pixels with 294ppi pixel density. It runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The gadget is powered by 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek 6589T processor paired with 1GB RAM. It also comes with 16GB of internal storage which is non-expandable and measures 6.98mm in thickness.

The Xolo Q1000S has a 13-megapixel rear camera with BSI 2 sensor with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The rear camera is capable of recording full-HD videos and also comes with image stabilization technology. Other features of camera are scene detection and tuning, high dynamic range (HDR), low-light improvement, face recognition, burst mode characteristic to capture up to 99 shots, Panorama and geo-tagging. The handset packs in a 2500 mAh battery that can give up to 327 hours of standby time and about 23 hours of talk time, as per the company. Connectivity options include GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 3G.

IPv6

If there is anything that can be placed after food, air, and water, it is Internet. The number of computers connected to the internet has become directly proportional to the services that are deployed over networks.

What is IP Address?
Like every element in this universe, every computer has a unique identity. And the identity of every computer is determined by a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to it. The version of IP that was widely deployed was IPv4; the 4^th version in the development of IP. It is usually referred to as the backbone of modern Internet.

IPv4 has exhausted!

The use of Internet for computers, sensors, telephones, kitchen appliances, remote medical assistance, education, transportation, etc., has been growing exponentially. And this very factor has marked the exhaustion of the IPv4 IPs.

An announcement by the Number Resource Organization (NRO), on 3rd February 2011, clarified that the free pool of available IPv4 addresses has fully depleted. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) allocated the remaining IANA pool equally between the five RIRs (Regional Internet Registries). Although the complete extinction of IPv4 has not yet occurred, adaptation of IPv6 is vital for all Internet stakeholders.

What is IPv6?

IPv6 is the latest version of the Internet Protocol that has been designed as a replacement for IPv4. IPv6 is usually known as the Internet’s next-generation protocol.

How is IPv6 Better than IPv4?

IPv6 betters IPv4 in the following respects:

Large Address Space

With the growing number of mobile phones, PDAs, laptops, handheld devices, etc., additional blocks of IP addresses need to be created. And IPv4 cannot carry out this job. This is where IPv6 comes as a relief.

IPv6 increases the IP address size from 32 bits to 128 bits, thereby increasing the number of globally routable IP addresses, from approximately 4.29×10⁹ = 4.2 billion to 3.4×10³⁸ = 340 trillion trillion trillion addresses. Theoretically, IPv6 can provide 3.4×10³⁸ / 7×10⁹ (i.e. population on earth) = 4.86×10²⁸ IP addresses per person on earth.

Security
Unlike devices with IPv4, those with IPv6 can establish a secure pipeline between them without user intervention. This is possible because IPv6 has a built in IPSec support which can negotiate security parameters dynamically.

Mobility
The Mobile IPv6 (MIPv6) offers roaming capabilities for mobile nodes in IPv6 network. This allows mobile devices, such as PDAs and smart phones, to change the wireless networks without breaking their connections.

The MIPv6 allows devices to move geographically without changing the IPv6 address assigned to it.

Simplified network configuration (Auto-configuration)

Similar to IPv4, IPv6 supports stateful auto-configuration to assign IP address to a computer using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol for IPv6 (DHCPv6).

To make the network configuration more simplified, IPv6 supports stateless auto-configuration. In this, no server is required to obtain configuration information, and router advertisements are used to create addresses. This creates a “plug-and-play” environment thus, simplifying management and administration.

IPv6 also allows automatic address configuration and reconfiguration, and administrators do not require access to the clients to renumber network addresses.

QoS (Quality of Service)

IPv6 ensures improved quality of service because it helps in identifying traffic and defines how it should be handled. This is ensured by the Flow Label field in the IPv6 header. Packets that belong to this flow are easily identified by routers and are specially handled.

Extensibility
IPv6 is designed to have an optional header separate from the main IPv6 header. This allows the protocol to be extensible in the future which offers optimized support for new features without redesigning the IPv6 protocol.

 More Efficient Routing
IPv6 is better than its predecessor IPv4 in that it makes routing more efficient and hierarchical. This is done by shrinking the size of routing tables. Internet Service Providers assign prefixes to their customers’ network. With the help of IPv6, they can aggregate all such prefixes into a single prefix, and announce the same to the Internet Protocol.

End-to-end transparency

Thanks to the vast address space, a computer with IPv6 can stay in peer-to-peer connection with another computer. This very feature helps enabling new and valuable services. Services like VoIP and QoS will become more robust, as they are easier to create and maintain.

The only question that remains is – When and how to manage the migration from IPv4 to IPv6 without affecting existing services?

The transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is currently happening but with a gradual pace. There is also a degree of uncertainty over the adoption of IPv6 standards and implementation. Although the transition will not be effortless, formulating plans by Internet stakeholders, engineers, and government bodies will boost the migration.

 

Five noteworthy features of the Samsung Galaxy Note III

The next generation of the Samsung Galaxy Note series is finally out, we list some of the attractive features that makes the Note III exclusive in our books.

Samsung ultimately lifted the veil off its much-awaited Galaxy Note III and the device is all that we hoped it would be. The phablet is an upgrade to the Galaxy Note II and brings with it a few exclusive and appealing features. Here is a quick look at what you can expect the device to do for you, once you get your hands on it.

USB 3.0

The Samsung Galaxy Note III is the first device to boast of USB 3.0 capabilities and that is a big deal. To start with, USB 3.0 on the Note III will ensure faster data transfer speeds from your PC to the device (provided you have the USB 3.0 cable and a USB 3.0 port on your system). Another benefit of USB 3.0 is that you will be able to charge your device faster when it is connected to a PC or Mac. USB 3.0 is 80 percent faster than USB 2.0.

4K video in the palm of your hand

The Note III is the second apparatus to show off of 4K video recording capabilities from the 13MP rear camera (the first device to support 4K video recoding is the Acer Liquid S2 smartphone).

More power under the hood including 3GB RAM

Just like Samsung did with the S4, the Note III will be available with two chipset options in the market - Snapdragon 800 and the Exynos Octa-core SoC. If you pick up the Snapdragon 800 variant you will get a CPU clocked at 2.3GHz where as the Exynos Octa-core SoC has the CPU clocked at 1.9GHz. The RAM on both the variants will be 3GB, which is an upgrade from the 2GB found on the Note II. With a powerful processor and 3GB of RAM, you can expect to pull off some impressive multi-tasking on the smartphone, although we are reserving that judgment for when we get our hands on the Note III.

Bigger display, good for entertainment

The Note II has a large screen, 5.5-inch display with a 1280x760 pixel resolution. The Note III takes this a step further and shows off a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a 1920x1080 pixel resolution giving the device a pixel density of 386 ppi, higher than the previous Note devices. The phablet also has stereo speakers if you are one who doesn’t like to plug-in headphones all the time.

Better build

If you are someone who refrained from picking up a Samsung device because you thought it was too plastic in nature, you may want to take a look at the Galaxy Note III. Even though the front of the phablet has the traditional Samsung design, it is the back that has a leather finish giving it a premium feel. Samsung has also said that there will be a variety of back panel options for those that aren’t impressed with what’s available in the box.

5 Questions Authors Need to Ask about Social Media Design

Getting your social media in order starts with visual appeal. I brought in an expert this week to ask a few questions about why design is important for authors and social media

Why is design important for authors with their social media?

As an author, you want people to read your books and for them to sell, so you are an entrepreneur as well. That means not only writing the book but promoting it too — so design becomes a key supporter.

Design will assist in developing a strong brand image for the book as well as a personal brand for the author, which is vital for getting recognition and increasing influence online. This is as essential for authors with publishing contracts as it is for those who are self-published, as publishers anticipate their authors to play a role in marketing their books too. But if you self-publish, you are also accountable for the design of the book — inside and out.

Design brings all these elements together — branding, marketing and book design — into an attractive total.

Why should a writer use a professional designer?

Professional, custom design will not only get you a striking cover that is on target for your subject matter and market, but will also help institute your personal brand so significant for a robust marketing effort when promoting your book. A holistic approach becomes predominantly imperative when you try to maintain a constant presence throughout all the assorted social media and online channels, including your website.

A good, well-rounded designer will consult with authors on the overall marketing plan and design beyond just the book cover, bringing their entire presence together into an efficient parcel. That’s why I think it is imperative to hire a designer who does more than just book covers — someone who looks at the big picture and advises on things along the way you may not have thought of.

What is the downside to using services like Fiverr?

You mean services that offer designs “starting at $5?” The trouble with things like that is they leave the most imperative feature of doing good quality work out of the equation — the relationship between designer and client and overall design procedure. Good design is accomplished by partnering with a designer you trust. That’s the only way to create efficient design that pleases the author certainly, but just as important, design that pleases the audience for which the book was intended. 

 Good design is not produced in a void where the designer goes off to his creative dungeon only to surface days later with the perfect design. That may create an attractive product that is agreeable to the eye, but one which doesn’t essentially support the content or the market being targeted. Design should be more than just mere surface adornment — good design is about encapsulating and visually communicating the gist of an idea (your book!) in a simple, powerful, compelling way that gets people to take notice and act. 

 What are the most common mistakes you see with social media design?

People who are otherwise very smart and well-respected with dazzling credentials often present themselves online in a way that kills their reputations. I find that mind-boggling.

Everywhere you look there are blurry, low resolution images, bad logos that look muddy when small, and run-of-the-mill or worse — busy, cluttered, indecipherable page designs. I think it’s mostly the result of someone opening a new Facebook or Twitter page one evening, perhaps with well-meaning intentions to make it better someday, but then that day never comes. As an author selling a book, you can’t afford to let that sit — you need to begin establishing yourself and increasing your presence now — as you’re writing the book if not earlier. And it needs to be buttoned-up to be effective.

You did a fantastic job on my social media design work. Can you explain how you chose the colours and style for my social media design and blog?

I usually lean to focus more on the on the whole design and typography more than I do colour, which is most likely one of the more subjective things you can engage in. Colour decisions are typically arrived at during the overall design process and working through an assortment of components.

Colour should be a factor of what is suitable for the project, the audience, and sensible deliberations such as what will be most decipherable or reproduce better when printed. It is less about what someone’s personal preferences are. For personal branding, however, colour does become as much a purpose of who the person is and what they are comfortable with as it is what makes sense from a business viewpoint.

A tricky balance for sure, but based on all the positive feedback you received and what you’ve accomplished, I think we achieved that! And yes, we also used your favourite colour.

Why is it important for design to be at the front of the branding process and not an afterthought?

Since design is a primary constituent of the brand policy, it should be involved at the earliest stages. If it is tagged on at the end, then it’s just a layer of adornment on top of an approach that may not be sound or well thought through. Although the policy informs the design, design is also essential to the procedure as it is being shaped.

Oftentimes when design is brought in late, issues occur that should have been corrected much earlier, leading to costly fixes or worse, a flawed plan left as is because it’s so late in the game.

What other design tips do you think are important for authors to build their social media platform?

Most people tend to think of designers as decorators who make stuff look first-class. But good designers take a much broader approach and if you want to achieve your business objectives, design is so much more than that.

My single most significant piece of advice is to think of designers more as business and marketing strategists, and less as artists. Design is surely an art, but professional designers are as savvy at business, psychology and communications as they are at being imaginative. Good designers know how to ask the right questions and distill your messaging down to its core, setting the groundwork for a graceful design explanation that will meet all your different marketing and communications needs — only then do we also make it look great!

If you don’t know where to begin, I propose hiring someone you belief and listening to them as they direct you through the design process. A good designer will listen to you and support in defining your objectives to get you where you need to go.

If you don’t know any designers, the social channels also offer the tools you require to find them and the social proof to back it up. Ask around — check and see what they’ve have done, how much experience they have, how they engage with people online, how responsible they appear and what they’re recommendations are like. It all adds up to a pretty solid picture of what your experience with them will be like too.

Congress anticipates that a new window of communication for the party will open through the social media platform Khidki

Indian Congress Party has initiated with a social media platform Khidki to talk about and establish their perspective on various current issues and to exchange ideas on government policies and economic affairs.

For this there was also a two-day media conclave in Delhi, with about 200 Congress representatives from different parts of the country where they talked about the constantly transforming political communication picture in relations to the Congress Party.

G Suriya one of the members of the congress party stated that as of now it’s an internal platform. It has been in exercise for 2 years already. The rationale behind this moment is to internally sort out and stir out perspectives in relation to contemporary topics. Most of the younger organizations like the Youth Congress have already been employing it. Though lately they have modernised and enhanced few points of it.

He further said that this platform mainly will be employed to advertise all the other platforms of the party. There are preparations of making the platform public where the “Aam Aadmi” or the common man will be able to blog on it.

Priyanka Chaturvedi another Congress Party member added India is a country with numerous languages yet social platforms like Twitter are mainly in English. The Khidki has been created to be an inclusive platform. The party intends to consist of every single Indian voice and unite the exceedingly large Congress Party. It is also being designed so that people can even link with Khidki using a simple SMS. For instance a person sitting in Maharashtra might want to unearth what’s going on in another state or a concept that has worked well in one state can be employed in another state. This can all be made possible through Khidki.

She further stated that this social platform is not intended for sharing photos and videos, but for the trade of ideas concerning government policies and economics.

Chaturvedi also was present at the current media council held in Delhi. This conclave was a sort of a workshop to direct them on how things are transforming in the political scenario. They were guided on how to communicate with people and connect with them. There are lots of positive ideas that the UPA intends to address to the people but there is a lot of negativity on digital platforms.

Sathish Isaac, a social media consultant stated that the Khidki will not be successful as Congress is not very pro-active to connect with their supporters on any social media platform. The party’s only focal point in all social networks is to publicize their party information, which will not be helpful as people are more focused on an "authentic" online conversation.

The solution, Isaac added is to revamp their online status and reach out to online audience to do viral marketing of their message.

First wireless traffic controller system launched in India – WiTraC

Solar power is being utilized as the medium to run the first wireless road traffic technology in India. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has developed this technology and it will aid in checking and regulating the traffic conditions.

WiTraC' has been created and designed in a way that its for pole mounting and does not need digging of roads. The system of installation runs on the solar panels which are really efficient and give it 72 hours of power back up. Telecom Minister, Mr Kapil Sibal has handed this project to private players for production and the cost of developing this system is approx INR 14.75 crore

WiTraC system gets the signal of lamps through wireless signals. It is a system created that can be operated independently and as well as a component of synchronized chain of controllers. The system also facilitates remote monitoring and management of signal plans, GPS or server based distributed time sync and has a pole mountable structure. It also can provide for camera to check traffic conditions which can be checked and monitored from a centralized control room.

WiTraC has been created under Intelligent Transportation System Endeavour (InTranSe) and has been intended specifically for Indian cities & traffic conditions. The venture been financed by the Department of Electronics & IT (DEITY) and Ministry of Communications & IT of India. According to specialists, the indigenous arrangement has been created at one-third the price as in comparison to its imported counterpart.

Trafitronics - the company in charge for marketing of the item has already set up the structure in Pune and it is likely to be launched pan India soon.

Journalism has been redefined through social media

Mobile apps, Facebook and other types of social media tools are being able to cater to a far wider audience than print media could in terms of News

First Thought discussion at the 35th annual Galway Arts Festival that wanted to look at where the journalism was taking its course in today’s age of digital revolution, the first thought that came up for discussion was – How will the readers access this article; whether through printed pages or via Facebook, Twitter and Google+

The name for the discussion Life in the Old Dog Yet was taken from the editorial printed in The Irish Times earlier in the year as a reaction to declaration made by the Morning Ireland asserting that print media is a dying industry as explained by Dave O’Connell group editor of the Connacht Tribune and one of the panel chair.

The first question to the panel was: “Are newspapers going the way of the dodo?” Ranelagh native and Dublin City University-educated Observer editor John Mulholland stated that everyone knows that the newspaper circulation is receding across the globe.

He further talked how the people in the industry need to make a distinction between news in print media and journalism of today. A lot of news and journalism doesn’t even feature in print of the Guardian/Observer, it goes live via blogs or audios or videos or interactive and data journalism.

Maggie O’Kane established journalist and documentary maker who is currently editorial director of Guardian Films further went on to say that the main point is the content being delivered and it really is of no consequence what means of delivery is being utilized.

Mulholland added that while the economic model for newspapers is incredibly challenged, the model for news journalism isn’t broken because the news is now reaching far more people via Facebook, mobile apps and other tools of social media.

Mark Little, chief executive of social news agency Storyful at the same time explained how they exercise various technologies to identify, verify and monetise what is known as User Generated Content or UGC from social media platforms like YouTube and Twitter.

According to Little the journalism and newspaper industry might require a shift in its perspective and may require to redefine the role of journalism because in the past the journalists have acted as the diggers and hacks who provided information to passive audiences but in present day they are administrators of a plethora of information. Almost a hundred hours of YouTube video is produced every single minute.

Dr Bahareh Heravi, project lead at the Digital Humanities and Journalism (HuJo) working group inside the SFI Research Centre INSIGHT@NUIGalway which has recently done the first ever national survey to investigate and find out how Irish journalists are using social media as part of their job. She stated that social media tools like Facebook and Twitter have entirely transformed the concept of breaking news because today anyone using a mobile phone can capture a story which is unfolding and report it directly to the world. There is no time lag in covering the story and it reaching the media office and being printed.

Studies have been carried out in the UK, Europe and across the globe. A 2011 report from research group Cision established that 97 per cent of UK journalists are utilizing social media tools frequently for their work.

The Cision survey established that journalists who are employing social media tools consider that they are more engaged with their audience even though most used them as alternate publishing platform rather than a way to resource or validate news.

Cars get Geeky

Exciting technologies and characteristics were the exclusive fiefdom of luxurious cars. The hatchbacks and sedans that the common man could buy were given the “affordable” management, which intended they were fundamental, uninteresting and virtually to the point. Nevertheless, things have altered significantly over the last year or so, for the reason that some quite geeky things are now coming preloaded on reasonable hatchbacks and sedans.

This is slightly unbelievable, but to prove the point here are few examples:

Ford EcoSport Petrol range starts at Rs 5,59,000 (ex-showroom Delhi)

At present the geekiest car on the lower side of Rs 10 lakhs, the Ford Ecosport will astonish to the degree that you will question about the price tag, again and again.

To begin with the SYNC feature. Since this is a technology website primarily, let us start with the things that matter to us - this is powered by an Intel Atom processor, and runs on the Windows Embedded Automotive Platform 7. This characteristic is separated into four parts - phone calls, text messages, music and accident assistance. For the first two, you need to pair your phone via Bluetooth to the SYNC feature, and then make calls using the voice assistant. So, the next time you need to call and tell your boss you are stuck in a traffic jam, simply say “call Boss” and SYNC will make the call for you, which you will hear via the audio system’s speakers. SYNC downloads the phone’s contact list on to the on-board memory, to help out with the voice dialling characteristic. The second feature also helps with safe driving - SMS read outs. If you are one of those creatures who cannot stay away from an SMS that just arrived in the inbox, and have the compulsive urge to read it, you can now ask SYNC to read it out for you. The third is music which syncs to the on board memory or you can add music to this memory and hear your favourite tune while you’re on the go. The fourth is the Emergency Assist feature, which will send an alert with the car’s GPS coordinates to the emergency services, permitting occupants to speak with the operator for assistance. In worst case scenarios, if the occupants are not able to speak, the GPS coordinates will be helpful in locating the car, and getting aid there swiftly.

Hyundai i20 Petrol range starts at Rs 4,85,409 (ex-showroom Delhi)

The principal aspect, when you see an i20 driving towards you during the hours of daylight, would be the Daytime Running Lights. These are the LED strips framing each redesigned fog-lamps on two sides. This attribute is very uncommon in cars under Rs 20lakh, and till currently were exclusively seen on the European comfort sedans.

i20 also comes with the automatic headlamps characteristic. The instant the ambient light goes below acceptable levels, the headlamps automatically switch on. For example, you go in an underground parking during the day, and the minute the car senses the alteration in lighting, the change is triggered automatically.

Rain sensing wipers is an additional security feature, apart from being one that you can boast to friends. If there is a abrupt splash of water on the windscreen, even when it's not raining, the wipers get into action straight away, and stay put on for the period depending on the amount of water. The speed of the wipers also changes depending on the quantity of water and the speed at which it is falling.

A crucial protection trait is the Smart Pedal, which is also extra in the Hyundai i20. When the system senses heavy and emergency braking, the acceleration pedal is instantly overwritten, for the period the brake pedal is pressed.

VW Polo GT TSI Petrol version from Rs 7,99,000 (ex-showroom Delhi)

Direkt-Schalt-Getriebe (Direct Shift Gearbox) is basically two gearboxes in one, working alternatively - two clutches, two shafts and the ECU that runs gear shift depending on speed and throttle position. Mainly standard automatic transmissions carry all gears on one shaft, but DSG runs gears 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th on one shaft, while gears 2nd, 4th and 6th run on the second shaft. What the double clutch setup gives is faster shifting because the inactive clutch guesstimates the movement speed and throttles input and is prepared to engage the gear next in line. There is a lesser amount of lag between gear shifts, as compared to a single shaft setup where the clutch has to disengage one gear, pick the next gear and re-engage.

FIAT Punto and FIAT Linea Punto petrol range starts at Rs 5,03,710 (ex-showroom Delhi)

FIAT has had something on the similar lines in the Punto and Linea cars for quite some time now like the Ford’s SYNC. It is called the Blue & Me, and is the voice instruct characteristic for receiving and making calls, having the text messages read out and shifting the tracks playing back on the audio system. This aspect also works on the Windows Embedded Automotive platform, just like Ford’s SYNC.

Honda City Petrol range starts at Rs 7,29,000 (ex-showroom Delhi)

While Honda City cars have been quite cut and dry in terms of their contributions, the updated City has extra flappy paddle gearbox to the mix. Cruise Control has been around since the earlier generation, and in accord, both characteristics make this car stand out in the segment. And both are very classy features, intended for the astute driver.

Cruise Control is only believed to be used on a straight road to continue the identical speed without having to keep your foot on the throttle. When the driver gives the order for Cruise Control, the system comprehends the throttle position and the speed at that time, and that is sustained as long as the brake pedal isn’t pressed.

The flappy paddle gearbox is a rather efficient thing to have, if you like the stress-free form of driving or you are someone who desires to drive an automatic car anyway. The five speed manual transmission can be controlled via these two paddles available from either side of the steering wheel.

Chevrolet Beat (Diesel) Diesel range starts at Rs 4,72,816 (ex-showroom Delhi)

This little pocket rocket might in fact present good performance at reasonable prices, but does not do so while being monotonous. The latest Beat update brings in some rather high-end features, making driving an enhanced incident.

The Intelligent Launch Support System is planned to kick in when the starting conditions aren’t most favourable (like on a slope, or on a surface that doesn’t provide adequate traction.), and brings into play the team of Insta-Torque Boost and the Electronic Throttle to differ the amount of torque the car needs to move forward. Not quite traction control or Hill Assist, but this is positively a trait that stands out in this price segment.

The Smart Engine defence mode keeps the RPM in check, to avert harm to the engine. At no point during launch from a stationary position is the RPM allowed to exceed 3000, and even throughout the standard driving modes, this number is managed in accord with the coolant temperature and engine oil pressure sensor readings. This is purely to avert overload on the engine, leading to breakdown.

What to do with old gadgets

Smartphones, laptops, cameras, tablets and more are launching at an alarming rate. Here are few things you could do with your old gadgets once you decide to pick up a new one.

Donate

If you’re someone for whom price doesn’t matter much, then the best thing for you to do with your gadget is to donate it. If it is a computer that works decently or an old laptop, you could donate it to your local institute, school or college where the economically challenged can gain knowledge of it and get access to a gadget they may never have seen.

There are online portals such as DonateYourPC.in that have tie ups with NGOs and helps you get in touch with the concerned people.

Sell it

This is what generally people do with their old gadgets – sell it. Selling your old gadget will facilitate you get some cash for your next purchase. Online portals in India such as ebay.in, Olx.in, gadgetsguru.com, intencity.in and more help you not only sell your old gadgets, but also to purchase a recently launched barely used device on the cheap.

Extend warranty

Manufacturers provide warranty on their products for a very limited period of time. Some manufacturers offer extended warranty on their devices. But if they don’t, you have access to services such as eTechies.in “Extended Warranty Care Pack”.

Manufacturer schemes

Apple and Samsung have been at loggerheads with each other offering users buyback of old smartphones; trade in discounts and EMI schemes making their expensive devices more attractive and cheaper to purchase from the get-go. If a Samsung or Apple smartphone is what you are gunning for, then this is the perfect time for you to purchase it.

Recycle

Manufacturers like Samsung, Nokia and Apple have their own recycling units. Although recycling smart phones hasn’t really taken off in India, manufacturers do support it as a part of their green Initiative.

Refurbish

If your smart phone is still in good shape, you can give it a refurbishing firm who will clean, test and update it, then return it to certain retailers who will resell the device. GreenDust is one such company in India.

Pass it

Passing your gadgets to your parents or grandparents can be a nice gesture as it can be of real value for them as technology, which might be old for you, may be workable for them.

 

Apple 5s already in production

Apple was expected to start production of the iPhone 5S this month and maybe has already started manufacturing low-cost iPhones. Peter Misek, an analyst from Jefferies claims that Apple will start production of the iPhone 5S by the end of July, and will initiate the phone either in September or October. Misek has also asserted that low-cost iPhones are already being created and ought to cost around $300-$400 (Rs. 17,800 - Rs. 23,750 approx.) without carrier subsidies.

At the price that Misek claims,  the low-cost iPhones won't exactly be budget phones but will instead battle with mid-range phones like the Nokia Lumia 720, the Nexus 4 and the Samsung Galaxy S3. Misek has also stated that Apple will order around 50 million iPhones in the last quarter of 2013, an order that will include 25 million units of the iPhone 5S, 20 million units of the low-cost iPhone and 5 million units of the iPhone 4S.

Given that the yearly iPhone launch occurrence is just around the corner, as expected, the iPhone 5S has been the centre of loads of tales in the last couple of months. In May, images of what was declared to be the iPhone 5S' motherboard hit the Internet. The images implied at an updated camera element on the iPhone 5S with both the flash and the camera moulded to form one piece as an alternative of two separate pieces. The gossip that the iPhone 5S was by now under creation had begun as early as March of this year with a Japanese tech blog declaring that Foxconn had started 'partial assembly of the iPhone 5S.

Potter mania can now be now explored at Diagon Alley in Google Street View

Potter mania added on Google Street View as Warner Bros. Studio's unfolds Diagon Alley for Harry Potter fans on it. Potter fans just need click on their computer screens to get 360 degree view of the legendary street and visit the alley.

Now Harry Potter fans will get to look at the well-known alley in J.K. Rowling's legendary Harry Potter series where wizards and witches get their magic supplies in Street View. Visitors will get 360-degree images of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes joke shop, Ollivander’s Wand Shop and Mr. Mulpepper’s Apothecary.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour says that Diagon Alley set took more than three months to build, and it took six months to make the 20,000 products that were planted on the shops' shelves. The company stated that it would be an honour to showcase the alley for Harry Potter Fans. Google assured that this is the first time the elaborate set has been photographed.

Potter fans who can't go to the studio in London in person can just click on their computer screens to visit the alley.

 

However, this is not the first time Google has done similar Street View projects. It has done it for for Battleship Island, the Japanese destination in the latest James Bond movie 'Skyfall'. Google had also worked together with NFL’s Indianapolis Colts to get thorough images of 'Lucas Oil Stadium'.

This is Google's first addition to Google Maps after it proclaimed that it will be rolling out a new edition for desktop at its I/O developer conference. Google has also of late begun its new Maps pilot program where it lets third party associations employ the Street View Trekker camera and add imagery to the service.

Google is functioning hard to disclose places of importance that the majority people desire to visit, but can't. It has captured exceptional places like university campuses, UNESCO World Heritage sites, world landmarks, and even the Grand Canyon.

Yahoo continues to buy out companies- Xobni contact management company

Yahoo carries on buying high profile companies, this time it acquired "smart" email service Xobni for $30 million.

Yahoo Inc purchased email and address book management app Xobni, this is the third acquisition of the Internet Company in many days as it looks to refurbish its online products and enhance its Web traffic.

Yahoo stated that it will incorporate Xobni’s technology into its communications products, together with the mobile and PC versions of its email and instant messaging services.

Yahoo did not divulge the financial terms of the deal, which the technology blog AllThingsD pegged at $30 million to $40 million. Yahoo stated that 31 Xobni employees will be joining Yahoo, together with Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bonforte, who formerly worked at Yahoo.

The deal is the most recent in series of acquirements by Yahoo since Marissa Mayer became chief executive a year ago, promising to increase traffic to Yahoo’s online services and to refurbish the company’s sluggish profit growths.

Yahoo, who has approximately 11,000 employees, has obtained more than a dozen small, Web start ups through the past year, focusing predominantly on adding technology and services planned for smart phones and tablets.

 

Twitter launches targeted ads using Cookies

Twitter has begun to employ cookies to get information about where the user is logging in from, as well as on details regarding what other sites they have visited lately. This similar modus operandi has by now been used by other social media Giants like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Twitter is the last to join the advertising spree. Twitter values at around $10 billion, and has evidently increased its advertising capabilities in face of an anticipated preliminary public offering in 2014.

Twitter will let retailers to attach unidentified versions of their customers email addresses, called hashes, to Twitter's advertising engine so that it can separately target the customer base. Twitter's latest element is expected to elevate advertising rates and revenues for the company.

The mini-blogging site assured in a blog post that its application of cookies is parallel to that of other companies and it didn't give advertisers any extra user information.

Twitter also stated that it will permit users the choice of immobilizing cookies by enabling a "Do Not Track" selection in their browser like Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. Twitter users can select out of ads by identifying in their account settings. The company also assured that these ads are for its U.S based customers only for now.

In current years there has been an amplified debate on the subject of internet security and users privacy. European Union as well as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has looked into the point of tracking equipments on Facebook, etc. Last year, European authorities have requested websites to notify visitors that cookies have been placed on their computers.

 

A bug that affects 99% android phone, discovered by researchers

Bluebox Labs discovers four year old Android bug that can be employed by malware to duplicate established apps.

Security researchers from Bluebox Labs have declared that they have found a four year old Android bug that could be exploited by malware to camouflage themselves as established apps and take over a user’s gadget. The researchers assert that the bug lets malevolent software to alter the code of an APK file without leaving proof, this means that all that a user will need to do to be affected is set up the app on a gadget.

The Bluebox team states that the bug has survived since Android 1.6 (Donut). Nevertheless, a hacker can’t issue the tailored app through Google Play as the app store has been patched to authenticate the contents of all apps downloaded. It still emerges to be a grave crisis since installing apps from third-party sources, where security measures can be sloppy, is fairly fashionable among Android users. In fact, in the recent history, Facebook tested with serving updates straight to Android devices without employing the Play Store. Also, Android devices that haven’t been updated are at danger from this liability. Once the malware is installed using the bug, a hacker could take over the user’s device, steal personal data or use the gadget as part of a bot net attack.

As The Verge states, this appears to be of particularly larger worry for Android users whose handsets have stopped acceptance of authorized updates. Jeff Forristal of Bluebox Labs has said that Google was well-versed anout the bug in February of this year but closing the security hole would be up to the manufacturers of individual Android handsets, “99%” of which might be affected. Forristal has exposed that the Samsung Galaxy S4 has by now been patched but the Nexus devices have yet to obtain the concerned security update.

If you have an Android handset make sure you the most recent arrangements and Play Store updates installed and also make sure that you only install apps from reliable sources.

 

Technology can be used as a Powerful Freelance Tool

As people like me are trying to create opportunities that are for freelancing and work from home options, people are seeing this as a viable alternative in direction to make their living. Simultaneously, the position of technology is also growing at a rapid pace in our lives. This means that there should be technological options for freelancers to use in order to further their careers and make more money. 

Online Work

Freelancing as an option has been present in one guise or another for many years, but the internet offers enormous opportunities for freelancers to be more successful. The development of sites like Elance, skillpages only illustrates that freelancers don’t have to go looking for work door to door in the way they used to. Yes, they still have to pitch and promote themselves, but technology has permitted for an intense marketplace that makes it simple to thrive when you’re offering quality products or services.

Social Media

Options like web design, SEO, copywriting, or similar have great opportunity and a person can present what they are doing instantly.

The website that a person has designed or article that they written can be shared with their followers instantaneously as soon as it goes live. People can see it, love it, and suddenly the freelance business is a success as people ask for you to create something similar for them.

People will also be proficient to connect with more people who can either assist them with their expertise or give people additional opportunities to develop theirr business.

Apps for Project Management

The utilization of desktop and mobile applications alike – time and again in combination with each other – means that freelancers can administer their own projects in a simpler manner than ever earlier, while they also facilitate to smoothen communication channels and this guarantees jobs can be accomplished more competently.

These are few illustrations of how apps can be employed:

• Customer management and calendar incorporation apps are exceptional for workload arrangement and also knowing when to require to go after the clients. These are particularly useful if you’re fresh to freelancing and are toiling to steady an escalating workload.
• Apps like Dropbox are exceptional for sharing and uploading documents rapidly and effortlessly, as well as for getting feedback from clients.

• If you’ve outsourced any work, options such as Podio are sparkling for working in partnership with your team and also working towards project achievement as a group.

Global Business Prospective

In terms of looking for work, technology’s principal asset is the style in which it makes the world a much littler place. Even as lately as ten years ago, there was no possibility of sitting in your home office or kitchen in London, for instance, and linking with someone in Sydney who you could possiblly make available a service for.

If you’re freelancing, particularly online, you ought to look at throwing your net as far away and as wide as achievable.

Technology is a Must

It is a must whether you work on paper or online as freelancers even offliners will require to utilize the internet to market their services, while those working online will clearly use technology to an even larger level.

 

So for people like me technology and its adept use is a must