Makkad G's 10101: September 2007

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Makkad G's 10101 | 01.04 | Sep 16-30, 2007

Makkad G's 10101
1nformation 0n 1ndian 0nline 1ndustry
(Beta…, Beti, Bhai, Behen. Every1's invited!)
Version 01.04

Hello!

To start with, an interesting section covering the conference on Digital Marketing: Life after RoI (organized by Internet and Mobile Association of India on 14 September in New Delhi) waits your eyeballs! Talk Of The Town, LaunchPad!, and Nexus-Link.Un.Link stay put as usual covering most of the key events in the Indian online industry.

Choco Time! (Kellogg's) and Morph Yourself! bring the fun part in this issue!

And finally, do visit the blog at http://makkadgs10101.blogspot.com/ for previous issues, and post comments and suggestions.

Happy Weekend!

Makkad G

1. Talk of the Town

AskLaila.com gets $10 million from Lightspeed Venture, SVB, Matrix Partners
Bangalore-based Four Interactive, which owns a local information search site AskLaila.com, has received $10 million (Rs 40 crore) in its second round of funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners, SVB India Capital Partners and Matrix Partners India. Read More

Microsoft allows netizens to get customised domains for their email IDs
Microsoft India has launched CoolHotmail.com, a new service that allows users to choose customised domains for their email IDs, like rahul@underpaid.co.in or rekha@itsmychoice.in. Read More

Travelguru to provide customers tips on best place to stay in a city
Online travel portal Travelguru.com has launched a new service that allows travellers to call a specialist Travelguru employee, called Hotel Ka Guru, and seek information about hotel options available in a specific city. According to the company, the Hotel Ka Guru can also provide information about local activities, entertainment spots, eateries, must-see places, and the like. Read More

Zapak beats Google, Naukri to win award at Asia Brand Congress
Zapak Digital Entertainment Limited, which owns online gaming portal Zapak.com , has received an award, for its "excellent" work in brand building, under the Brand Leadership in internet business category at the Asia Brand Congress 2007, being held in Mumbai. Read More

Reffster.com to reward upto Rs 2,50,000 for successful job referral
Reffster.com, an online referral, reward-based recruitment service, is offering cash rewards of Rs 10,000 to Rs 2,50,000 to people if they use the site to successfully recommend a friend or colleague for a job. Reffster claims to list only premium mid and senior management openings. Read More

BigAdda.com claims to get 500,000 users
Reliance Entertainment, a part of the Reliance ADA group, has said its social networking site BigAdda.com has touched the user base of half a million users. Launched on August 13, 2007, BigAdda is targeting a user base of 10 million users by 2010. Read More

Video search engine SneakCast.com seeks VC funding
SneakCast Entertainment has launched a video search engine SneakCast.com. According to Utkarsh Sinha, founder and CTO, SneakCast, the search engine company is poised to take advantage of the booming streaming media market and the increasing broadband connections. Read More

Sabeer Bhatia thinks his new venture InstaColl has potential to be a Google
Sabeer Bhatia, the creator of Hotmail and president and CEO of the online travel company Arzoo.com, thinks his new venture InstaColl, which allows transfer of files of unlimited size from one computer to another, has the potential to be a Google. Read More

Indyarocks offers cash reward to its members for uploading videos
Social network Indyarocks.com has launched Social Money, a programme that offers cash rewards to the members whenever they send or receive an SMS through the social networking site and upload or view a video posted on the site. Read More

Google introduces Gadget Ads, AdSense for Mobile
Google has introduced two new ways — Google Gadget Ads and AdSense for Mobile — for advertisers to communicate with users. Google Gadget Ads provides non-traditional ad units with interactive, rich media capabilities that not only enable advertisers to target audiences in a flexible and timely manner via regular updates within the ad unit, but also allow users to engage with ad content in a way static ads haven't facilitated in the past. Read More

Yahoo India R&D brings Open Hack Day to Bangalore
Following the success of Open Hack Day in US and UK, Yahoo plans to hold another Open Hack Day in Bangalore on 5th and 6th October, 2007. Read More

dgm India hopes to break even before Mar 2008
Online advertising and marketing company dgm India, which launched its operations in June 2007, is looking at breaking even in the first quarter of 2008. Adrian Moss, founder and CEO of UK-based dgm Holdings, on a short visit to India, has said, "I went on a limb last time I was here, committing that we would break-even in India sometime early next year, and I am glad to report that before March 2008 we will indeed achieve that objective." Read More

2. IAMAI's Conference on Digital Marketing: Life after RoI

If internet has to grow rapidly, it should be marketed as a brand building medium
Internet and Mobile Association of India organised a conference on Digital Marketing: Life after RoI on 14 September in New Delhi. The first session of the conference, which discussed how to make decision makers take the internet more seriously as a medium of advertising, was moderated by R Sundar, president, Times Business Solution. Read More

Internet advertising is often at No. 10 priority for brand managers?
The second session of the IAMAI conference on Digital Marketing: Life after RoI, which discussed if there is room for creativity in the internet medium, was moderated by Adrian Moss, Group CEO, Deal Group Media. Read More

100 million broadband connections will make Internet the lead medium for brand building
The third session of the IAMAI conference on Digital Marketing: Life after RoI, which discussed the ways of building a brand through internet, was moderated by Jaspreet Bindra, country manager, online service business, Microsoft India. Read More

Digital media will always be small and inside?
The fourth session of the IAMAI conference on Digital Marketing: Life after RoI, which discussed what would it take to bring the digital medium to the forefront of media planning instead of relegating it to the "also ran" status, was moderated by Shashi Sinha, chief executive officer, Lodestar. Read More

SMBs should spend time on internet to understand the medium
The fifth and final session of the IAMAI conference on Digital Marketing: Life after RoI, which discussed how internet could help the marketing, brand building and promotional activities of SMBs, was moderated by Shailesh Rao, managing director, Google India. Read More

3. WebSight!-Spin the Web. Explore!

Stolen.in
J&K-based Say Technologies' stolen.in enables users in recovering their stolen vehicles. By registering the vehicle theft with them, the Website claims that they will put all the data pertaining to the stolen vehicle on the Internet which may help you find your lost love!

4. LaunchPad-Just Born Online (I just love the Betas!)

Government launches website to educate investors
Investor Education and Protection Fund (IFPF) has launched a website iepf.gov.in to promote awareness amongst investors and thus better prepare them to protect their interests.

OneIndia launches mobile version of its Indian language portals
OneIndia.in has launched .mobi sites in English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam to support mobile phone internet users. According to OneIndia, these WAP sites would offer news, classifieds, TV listing and theatre show timings in the four Indian languages, besides English.

Rediff launches online book shop Rediff Books
Rediff.com has launched an online book shop Rediff Books that allows users to search for books through its name, author's name and publications and buy them online. According to the company, Rediff Books would also carry reviews to help readers make their choice.

Dynamic Ads launched to enable marketers deliver customised messages
Technology-enabled media services company Exponential has launched Dynamic Ads, an advanced targeting service, through its Tribal Fusion ad network. According to the company, Dynamic Ads enables marketers to deliver customised, one-to-one marketing messages to consumers on a large scale.

Extramarks.com launched to help students score extra marks in exams
Noida-based start-up company Extramarks.com Education Pvt Ltd has launched Extramarks.com, an online educational support system that offers academic support to Indian students of classes VI to XII based on the NCERT syllabus.

Ericsson launches rural broadband project in Tamil Nadu
Ericsson has launched Gramjyoti Rural Broadband Project, an initiative to provide communities in rural India with high-speed internet services. The trial project, launched across 18 villages and 15 towns close to Chennai, will showcase the benefits of mobile broadband applications.

Zipazap.com launched to help users keep track of TV programmes
Mumbai-based Media E2E has launched Zipazap.com, a television and radio programming guide that allows users to keep track of programmes across TV and radio channels.

Google launches competition for computer science students in India
Google has launched Product Prodigy, a competition that allows teams of computer science students in India to build products that can be deployed for internet users globally.

Komli launches "innovative" advertising solution Search RePlay
Online ad network Komli has launched Search RePlay, an "innovative" solution that retargets users with the advertisers' ads on Komli's display network once the user has already clicked on the advertiser's search ad.

Rediff.com introduces web-messenger in Rediffmail
Rediff.com has integrated web messenger into Rediffmail. The integration will allow Rediffmail users to chat in real-time with not only their Rediff Bol (instant messenger) friends but with all their Rediffmail contacts stored in the web mail.

Zee Network's DMCL launches Page3flicks.com
Zee Network's Digital Media Convergence Limited has launched a page 3 format website Page3flicks.com that will have gossips and photographs from the most happening parties in town. "Our focus will be on uploading pictures from parties as early as 20 minutes from the time that they get over," Satyabrata Das of DMCL has said.

5. Nexus-Link.Un.Link

99acres.com announces strategic partnership with Properazzi.com
Real estate portal 99acres.com has announced a traffic partnership with Properazzi.com, a property search engine and a leading property portal in Europe that hosts 4 million properties, of 49 countries, in 32 languages.

AOL portal, toolbar and search to come preloaded on HP PCs
AOL has signed an agreement with HP to offer co-branded, localized versions of its portal, toolbar and search on HP desktop and notebook PCs sold worldwide. Under the agreement, the co-branded portal will be set as the default homepage, and the co-branded toolbar and search will be default settings in various countries worldwide.

Cleartrip to make its travel products available on EMIs
Online travel company Cleartrip.com has joined hands with the Kishore Biyani promoted Future Money, a non-banking finance company, to provide finance on an equated monthly installment (EMIs) basis to people wanting to buy its travel products, including air tickets, hotel bookings and tour packages.

HT Media's mobile head Manav Khosla joins Reuters India
Manav Khosla has joined Reuters India as the mobile lead for consumer media. Prior to joining Reuters India, Khosla was business head, HT Mobile at HT Media Ltd.

6. WOW-Worth 'O' Watch!

Choco Time!

Morph Yourself!

That's all for now folks!

Makkad–busy morphing myself-G
http://makkadgs10101.blogspot.com/

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Makkad G's 10101 | 01.03 | Sep 01-15, 2007

Makkad G's 10101
1nformation 0n 1ndian 0nline 1ndustry
(Beta…, Beti, Bhai, Behen. Every1's invited!)
Version 01.03

Hello!

Keeping it short, here's your third issue with the usual Talk Of The Town and LaunchPad!

This issue's Nexus-Link.Un.Link gives you some of the key movements of the people in the industry, especially at NDTV Convergence. Further, WebSight! talks about eArbitration.net, a Web platform helping consumers resolve their disputes with companies.

And this time, everything in WOW-Worth 'O' Watch! is brought to you by bcwebwise! Kudos to their work!

Do visit the new blog at http://makkadgs10101.blogspot.com/ for previous issues, comments and suggestions.

Happy Weekend!

-
Zaeem 'Makkad G' Mirza

01. Talk Of The Town

CBI urges Interpol to set up global organisation for cyber safety
India 's Central Bureau of Investigation has urged the Interpol member countries to set up an international organisation for cyber safety. "There is a need for an international organisation for safety in cyber space on the lines of ICAO and ITU - agencies in civil aviation and telecommunications sectors to deal with cyber crimes," CBI has said. Read More

HomeShop18 ties up with SBI Card to reach 35 lakh card holders
HomeShop18, a Network18 Group company that offers products to its customers through TV, e-commerce and catalogues, has partnered with SBI Card, the second largest credit card company in India. Under the deal, 35 lakh SBI Card holders would receive HomeShop18 catalogues with their monthly credit card statement. Read More

Rediff iLand enables users to blog in Hindi using English keyboard
Rediff.com has added eight new languages — Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali and Gujarati — to its blogging and social networking platform Rediff iLand. Read More

Reliance Anil Ambani Group in talks to acquire Seventymm.com?
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group is negotiating a buyout of India's largest online movie rental company Seventymm.com, which delivers VCDs and DVDs to homes of around 25,000 customers, reports Mint. Reliance Entertainment, part of ADAG, is already into movie rental business under the brand name BigFlicks. Read More

Sulekha.com classifieds listing available on R World mobile platform
Sulekha.com has partnered with Reliance Communications to offer information from its Yellow pages section on the Reliance Mobile World (R World) platform. Reliance Mobile customers currently have access to real estates, automobiles, local jobs, used items and matrimonial classifieds listed on Sulekha.com. Read More

Zapak to launch 250 gaming cafés across India by March 08
Zapak Digital Entertainment Limited, an online gaming company owned by the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, plans to rollout 250 Zapak online gaming cafés, called Gameplexes, across India by the end of March 2008. To begin with, the company will open its Gameplexes in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chandigarh. Read More

Times of India group acquires stake in TravelMasti.com
Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd, which owns The Times of India, has acquired stake in TravelMasti.com, a travel portal that offers hotel reservations and information on various hotels and resorts. Read More

One in 28 emails received in India has virus: Study
According to a study by the messaging security and management services provider, MessageLabs, one in every 27.8 emails received in India in August 2007 was infected with a virus. However, during the same period, spam attacks (or unsolicited bulk emails), accounted for only 29.5 per cent of the total emails received, MessageLabs has said. Read More

LastMinuteInventory.com expected to go live in September
Dentsu Media, the Indian arm of Japan-based Dentsu group, is preparing to launch LastMinuteInventory.com, an online platform that will facilitate auction of unsold ad inventory across media, including TV spots, print space, outdoor sites and even an online ad inventory. The website is expected to go live in September. Read More

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VCs disappointed with opportunities available in Internet, Mobile VAS
According to Venture Intelligence, a research service focused on private equity and venture capital activity, internet and mobile VAS (value-added services) companies in India have accounted for only 13 per cent of the venture capital (VC) investments (by value) in the first eight months of 2007 as against 38 per cent during the same period in 2006. Read More

UP govt launches 33 departmental websites
The government of Uttar Pradesh has launched 33 websites of different departments and refurbished the websites of 13 departments. The state government had earlier launched websites of 35 departments. The government also plans to launch websites of field level offices and other organisations under its jurisdiction. Read More

Kingfisher Airlines plans to offer in-flight internet service
Kingfisher Airlines has selected OnAir, jointly owned by Airbus and SITA, to offer its long-haul passengers in-flight internet service, as well as enable them to send and receive emails and instant messages and make and receive phone calls. Kingfisher plans to start offering these services in 2008. Read More

BharatMatrimony CEO: Social networks cannot replace classifieds sites
In an interview with Agencyfaqs, J Murugavel, CEO, BharatMatrimony.com, has explained why he doesn't think social networking will take on the functionality of classifieds. "All the major portals have classifieds sections, but at the end of the day, people go to exclusive portals for a particular need — matrimony or jobs. That happens. People are also on chat, but that doesn't mean chat will take over BharatMatrimony. People may find a match on a social networking site, but it cannot replace the main function of a matrimony site. So, verticals will continue to rule," Murugavel has said. Read More

02. WebSight!- Spin the Web. Explore!

eArbitration.net launched to help consumers resolve disputes with companies
Legal Vistas, a law firm, has launched a website eArbitration.net which aims to help consumers resolve their disputes with companies, especially in the retail and FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) segment.

03. LaunchPad-Just Born Online (I just love the Betas!)

Reuters India launches ad-supported website Reuters.co.in
News agency Reuters India has launched Reuters.co.in, an ad-supported website that will feature breaking local Indian and international news as well as Reuters' business and financial information from across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

UniGuru.com launched to help students looking for courses abroad
Hotcourses, a UK-based publisher of guides to education, has launched UniGuru.com for Indian students looking for courses in higher education institutes abroad.

HomeShop18.com to deliver products to 1600 cities
HomeShop18, a nationally televised home shopping service and part of the TV18 Group, has launched its e-commerce portal HomeShop18.com.

Burrp launches social review site for Pune
Burrp.com, a social lifestyle listings portal, has launched its Pune portal Pune.Burrp.com. According to the company, Pune's growing popularity amongst the student and young working communities makes it an important city for Burrp.

ZoomIn to offer photo sharing, printing service in India, US
Technology entrepreneur Sunny Balijepalli has launched Zoom.in that offers photo sharing and printing service to its users in India and US. The company also plans to start a new service that would enable users to send gifts such as T-shirts and mugs bearing prints of photographs to their friends and families.

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ABC News Network launches community news portal CitizenXpress.com
Delhi-based ABC News Network has launched CitizenXpress.com, a community news portal which allows users to upload and publish information, news, photos and videos in real time without any gate keeping.

IndiaMart releases Apparel Sourcing Guide for global buyers
IndiaMart.com, an online B2B marketplace, has released its Apparel Sourcing Guide in North America's largest apparel and fabric sourcing event, 'Sourcing at Magic'. The sourcing guide is aimed at assisting global buyers find reliable suppliers from the apparel industry in India.

iMom.in launched to provide answers to motherhood related questions
Delhi-based e-learning companybuildingBlocks has launched iMom.in, an interactive portal for working mothers who would like to know answers to motherhood related questions, like which school to get their child admitted to, or which brand of baby food is good for their kids.

Games2win launches online game to 'save' Black Bucks
Online gaming portal Games2win.com has launched Bollywood Buckwaas, a first person shooting game that allows wannabe amateur hunters to take their shot at shooting game inside a jungle but avoid shooting the soon becoming extinct Black Bucks.

Bates Asia launches online marketing agency '1010'
141Sercon, a full service communications agency and part of Bates Asia (WPP), has launched its digital marketing agency called 1010, which will provide online services including online branding, email marketing, digital CRM, corporate website consulting and development, search engine marketing, and media tool development and deployment.

Rediff, anEcho enable young artists to showcase their talent online
Rediff.com, in partnership with anEcho — a young outfit dedicated to promote non-commercial artists, has launched anEcho.Rediff.com to allow young and budding non-commercial artists showcase their talent online.

04. Nexus-Link.Un.Link

Salil Kumar joins NDTV Convergence as COO-Business
NDTV Convergence, which manages all the dotcom and mobile properties of the NDTV Group, has appointed Salil Kumar as COO-Business. Before joining NDTV Convergence, Kumar was general manager, strategic alliances and business development, at Bharti Airtel.

Niren Shah joins NVP India as Managing Director
Norwest Venture Partners has appointed Niren Shah as managing director of NVP India. Prior to joining NVP India, Niren Shah was senior director of strategy and ventures at eBay Inc. He has also worked as chief financial officer at Bazee.com.

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HT Media's internet head Piyush Shah puts in his papers
Piyush Shah, head of internet, mobile strategy and technology, HT Media, has reportedly quit the company after being there for about eight months. According to exchange4media, Shah may start his own internet venture or take up bigger opportunities in an internet company.

Rajesh Kumar joins NDTV Convergence as Head of Syndication
NDTV Convergence, which manages all the dotcom and mobile properties of the NDTV Group, has appointed Rajesh Kumar to head its Syndication activities. Prior to joining NDTV Convergence, Kumar was with the Hungama Group, where he used to manage the syndication and digital sales business for North India as head sales.

05. WOW-Worth 'O' Watch!

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