Staying logged in to Facebook

Here's the newest facebook sensation, facebook chat. I think they launched it sometime this week. I saw this just today. A little status bar at the bottom of your facebook page displays your friends online, number of notifications and your chat status. It's almost un-noticeable until people start messaging you. It also keeps all your message windows minimized, in one neat little row. There are a few words about the whole chat thing on TechCrunch.

So here's a brand new way to keep you logged in to facebook even if you have nothing to do on the site. I guess this is neat cause it allows everyone who doesn't have Google Talk to chat with their friends. Also, since everyone, including the hardcore facebookers are getting tired of fighting each other, adding applications to their profile page, super poking and super walling people and inviting other people to add some stupid application or the other, this is the newest way to keep all these Web 2.0 enthusiasts logged in to facebook. Woe be on unto them should all the facebookers get tired of it and hit ibibo or something...

Imagine Cup: Sri Lanka Finals

I decided to take the invite and drop in for the Microsoft Imagine Cup Sri Lanka finals for software design. I entered the Photography and Short Film competitions but didn't have time to work on the photography but did create a story board for the short film. We didn't get enough votes to make it to the global top 30 hence no chance of France '08.

The event was supposed to start at 1400hrs but it started around 1515hrs, in true Sri Lankan style. Of all the software design submissions in Sri Lanka a panel of judges chose six that they deemed to be the best. The theme for this year's competition was Technology for a Sustainable Environment. A tough topic but the six who were chosen had designed and developed a few applications. I had high hopes for this competition because it was a global event and in past years some of the contestants produced a few stunning apps. Sitting through the presentations it was one disappointment after another. Some of the apps were practical and quite user friendly, but they couldn't present for toffee. The basic principle of a viable and practical solution was also ignored in some cases. Some of the colleges/institutes/universities that made it to the Sri Lanka finals included Colombo and Moratuwa Universities and SLIIT.

This is a clear reminder of the standard and quality of education in our country. True, these two universities are the best we have and the graduates are proper genius', but the problem of a relevant and rounded education still seems a far cry. It's great that you can develop an idea but it also needs to be relevant, current and your ability to convey your idea and the benefits that it brings to the world is equally important. I am not saying that the apps presented were trash. I am just saying that they were below the expected quality for an event of this scale.

The event itself wasn't up to Microsoft standards. In all honesty had I managed this event I would have done several things differently; for an instance wasting time setting up the contestants laptops, props and other gear. A total waste of time. Sound. The entertainment acts, except for the Santhush and crew act. Food however was decent and the iced coffee was good.

I went for the event expecting our talent to shock me. Unfortunately it didn't happen. Perhaps its because I've got enough time to sit and watch too much Discovery and History channel. Whatever the reason, when it comes to representing Sri Lanka in a global competition we need to put more effort, planning and ideas in to it. On the positive side its a great way expose some of the great minds in this country. Its an awesome way of getting these guys out of their little caves so that the world can see what we can do. Its also one of the emerging ways of marketing that most Sri Lankan's aren't trying out i.e. every single person who decided to enter the competition here and overseas used Microsoft products and learned and figured out what they can do with these tools. Some would have never thought that it could be done. I know I discovered a few neat tricks that are possible with .NET that I never thought possible with Microsoft.

In conclusion, this is the way of the future, bring the talent out, tell the universities what the real world needs and help them to produce it. Bigger picture wise it's a good thing.

Random stuff

Was taking a break and going through a few sites hoping to learn something while enjoying the unhealthy smoke from a cigarette. Here's a few that may make you wanna waste some time too.

• Cool Photoshop tutorials - There are plenty that you can try out and waste time on.
• Firefox shortcuts - Some Firefox shortcuts that may turn out to be absolutely useless and you may never use. But it makes you go aaaah! and nod your head in front of the computer.
• Speaking of keyboards take a look at this Godaay! shit.... Would you really?
  

Plenty of issues have been running through my head, especially just before going to sleep. I know what you are thinking keep a pen and piece of paper by your bed man! I do. But I just can't be bothered turning the light on and writing things. Thinking is easier. You also forget in the morning and don't have to write a blog post about it. Some of the things that have hung around include equality (men, women, gay, straight, race whatever), the rising cost of living (which is bloody insane isn't it?) and the lack of fucking entertainment. How much of Sugar and RnB can you take?

Nuff rubbish. Later with a proper post that would piss a few people off...

Advertising... an art? an industry?

Most of the drunken conversations these days seem to revolve around advertising. Talking politics has suddenly taken a back seat to advertising. Why? I think everyone is just sick and tired of talking about the pathetic situation here. We needed something new to talk about. Ads. As I briefly mentioned in my last post, the ads people blame the brand managers and the brand managers blame the ads people. So whose fault is it?

Let’s take the brand managers’ point of view first. The ads people seem to have developed a little world of their own it seems, that they think of themselves as artists, rather than a business organization. It’s given that the creative guys are artists in a way, but not so much that they can develop what they want and expect the client to accept it. Art on the other hand is something you create because you want to and there will always be a sect who will admire and appreciate it. Unfortunately, within the ad industry, this isn’t going to work because at the end of the day it is a business. Brand guys spend a lot of time and money researching the habits, tastes and appeal of their target audience. It’s their product/brand and they know best. At least most of the competent, good brand managers are experts about their product and the people who want to buy it. I can totally understand it when the ads people come up with a campaign that is not going to appeal to the target audience. To the brand manager, creativity and awesomeness of the ad is second to how his market will respond to the ad. Thus, most creative ads would be thrown in the bin due the fact that either target market wouldn’t understand it or they would just not like it.

Now, for the ads peoples’ side. Ads people put a lot of hard work in to creating the ads and the creative dudes who are passionate about their profession sometimes come up with a few stunners. Some of the ads that are really good get thrown in the bin because the brand manager doesn’t like it or doesn’t get it. This apparently happens regardless of whether the ad is appealing to the target market or not. I can understand the frustration and annoyance this will cause because of a tasteless brand manager. The ads people at the end of the day are the experts in their industry, or they should be. Managers should be humble enough to take a minute to listen to their reasoning and logic as well, without trashing a campaign because they can’t understand it. Good brand managers are a dying breed and I’d have to agree with that. I know only a handful of brands people and even they agree to this fact.

So what can be done? I think it’s high time the brands dudes and the ads dudes got together and worked things out. The ads dudes are good at what they do and the brands dudes are good at what they do; or so should the ideal situation be. However nothing is ideal and some aren’t good at anything. The brand guys need to get off their pedestals and listen to what the ads guys have to say. At the same time the ads guys need to realize that they aren’t always right. This also comes down to a bit of corporate blah blah. Ad agencies need to reinforce the fact that they are a business first and then whatever second. Thus the client is ultra important and whatever happens isn’t really personal. The corporate side of the brands should start treating the ads guys as suppliers and ensure that they are streamlined and if needed some tutorials and training so that the people working on those products are basically brand managers themselves.

What I’ve learned within the arguments that we’ve had that this is not something that is going to get better or get solved. If you are lucky you get a client or supplier who thinks like you, works like you and doesn’t take things personally. If you are lucky you tell him/her to fuck off and it’ll just be business. But I really don’t see that happening in Sri Lanka any time soon. Lots need to grow up and look at business as business. Until then...