Wednesday, January 9. 2008
For those of you who are not familiar with the term “avatar”, it is simply a graphic image of you that goes along with content that you post up online. Many of us who like to post stuff online enjoy having an avatar as part of the content we post, but right now I am thinking: is there more to avatars than just the fun factor? It goes without saying that visuals almost always enhance a piece of written content. Especially when you are talking about writing on the Internet, graphics can add a lot more color and life to your posts. Anonymity works both as a pro and a con on the Internet and an avatar is a perfect way of having a unique presence online without uploading your actual picture online. Many content writers use avatars with the intension of giving themselves a more real and human feel on the Internet. The “human” factor of adding an avatar to your blogs shouldn’t be entirely brushed aside. It gives an interesting image of the person whose work you are reading. And even if it probably is not an actual picture of who they are, it definitely adds to their identity. The other interesting point about avatars is that the blogger can decide exactly how they want to appear on the Internet so the image that you see of the blogger is actually the image of themselves that they choose to show to their readers. Let’s not forget that even if a photograph is used there are enough photo enhancement tools that are available these days. Many bloggers enjoy having nicknames for themselves and avatars are mostly an extension of that identity that one tries to build online. An avatar means that whatever you do put up as a representation of yourself contributes to how people react to you and your content online.
Friday, June 15. 2007
Recently, in a discussion forum, I came across a rather shocking fact. There is an increasing trends amongst website creators to do away with the ‘Home’ link. Most of us who were in that forum were against this seemingly rising trend, but there were some people supportive. Big names were cited as examples of this new convention. But that wasn’t enough of a reason to follow it. To be honest, there really isn’t a very strong reason why I am against the idea of taking the ‘Home’ button off. As a web designer, with years of experience handing the internet, I might not need the ‘Home’ button anymore but what about the user? On sites where the home page gives no relevant information this can be applied. Maybe we need to do some sort of a usability test, and get the opinion of users on this. But even with that I hardly think we would be able to get a representative sample. Even internet marketing professionals in my company were of the opinion that it was best to keep the ‘Home’ button because many a times there is information on that page which the users would like to go back and read. We in fact debated this between ourselves as we were creating the wire frames for a new site that we are working on. Needless to say, we chose to retain it. I can’t predict the future, but personally, I don’t see myself designing a webpage that doesn’t have the good old harmless ‘Home’ button in its navigation.
Monday, March 5. 2007
In my opinion the technology training session that took place a few days ago was quite a success. The reason the training session was initiated and implemented was because of the obvious gap in knowledge between the technology team and the content team. It was becoming clear as the content writers and the techies worked together that there was a lot that the techies took for granted and the writers were quite unaware of. Actually speaking, the fact that people from such different educational backgrounds are working together coherently is quite a feat. I am glad that the management also realized that it was their responsibility that the differences were gapped as soon as possible.
The training session started on a very interesting note. Our trainer, first of all, wanted to know how much the writers actually know, as opposed to how much we think we know. That exercise really brought out some information that we thought we understood but really didn’t. The point was to just clear out the new technologies that we were working with at the work place. There was another very interesting section where technology that we would most probably be using in the future was introduced to us briefly. This kind of information was included into the training session so that we are kept abreast, not only with the information we need at the moment, but also information pertaining to projects that are coming up in the future.
What I liked the most about the training session was the fact that information was not just presented to us as it is. That is to say, I felt that the trainers really took some time to make sure that the information was relevant and was also presented in such a way that it would make sense to the content team. It was also quite enjoyable to have the technology team join us and get their version of the information that was being shared with us.
All in all, I am feeling quite satisfied with the training session. I must admit I did have anxieties about the effectiveness of such a training session, but all my anxieties are put to rest now. I guess I can really say now that technology and hi-tech information is not as scary as I thought it was!
Wednesday, February 14. 2007
The growth of the outsourcing industry has been celebrated by many, and denounced by others. And plenty of them. There are theories and counter theories that have become a part of the popular conscience. And there are many people who are within the industry, are doing well but are not entirely pleased with this change.
I am not new to this industry. I have, as a matter of fact, only worked in the outsourcing industry and have been working as a Project Manager for several years now. Every now and then I take off from the job to update my knowledge about emerging tools and technologies. The benefits of updating myself have almost immediately manifested in the quality of work I produce vis-à-vis others in the same company.
Having said all that, I must confess there is one thing about the industry that bothers me. The fact that we are working for people we neither get to meet, nor see. Client interactions happen either through mail or chats (voice or otherwise).
When a project is live you get reactions on documents that are marked with red underlines and comments that need to be interpreted. At the end of a project reactions come to your work are in the form of “client testimonials” that become quotes on the company website.
When I mentioned this to a colleague, he asked me how it mattered who was on the other side of the computer screen (read geographical boundaries). Maybe he is right. Yet, I do feel that the vacuum is always going to be there, and a process creative requires certain teamwork. I know on-site experiences are fun for that very reason, or those rare visits by clients themselves. Or maybe technology will create a solution to this problem too. While that happens, here I am trying to understand the nuances of a client’s tone in the mail he has sent me congratulating me on good work. Is he happy, or is he delighted? … Oh well!
Thursday, February 1. 2007
Web design is the design of web pages, websites and web applications using HTML, CSS, images, and other media.
Web design in India is a booming industry as most of the work from the developed countries is outsourced to India so as to take advantage of the skilled and low cost manpower available in India. Being based in New Delhi we at red: rain Solutions have harnessed this pool of skilled manpower to deliver high quality results to our customers.
Web designers in India either work for an organization or as freelancers. Demand for both categories of professionals is quite high in the market today. There are a lot of universities, colleges and private institutes imparting the training of web design for all those who are interested in learning the subject. There are a lot of seminars and conferences happening from time to time which enable the web designers to enhance their level of knowledge. These forums also help professionals to update themselves regarding the changes happening in the web every day.
I feel that this industry is bound to grow exponentially as private enterprise flourishes in India. These days it is almost mandatory for every company to have a web interface. Not having one is a big drawback. Huge volumes of monetary transactions happen through websites as customers have begun to trust the online media for online transactions. These developments are good news for an industry which is all set to experience exponential growth in the times to come. Not only will this increase the volume of work available to web design companies but also increase the average revenue per client as they will demand more functionalities from their existing websites.
We at red :rain Solutions have identified this latent need of the industry as a profitable business opportunity and
therefore hired very experienced and competent web designers who can design websites using an array of technologies like Photoshop, Corel Draw, Flash, Dream Weaver etc. Our team of programmers creates websites using programming languages like PHP, .NET, JAVA, VB.NET, ASP.NET etc. Both our programming and design teams work in perfect co-ordination with the content design to create effective websites that are both appealing and useful for visitors. Our aim is to provide websites to our customers that can be optimized easily and effectively so as to get a higher ranking in the search engines.
The web design team at red :rain Solutions works 24x7 to cater to our client base scattered across all time zones. Our team at red :rain Solutions has a proven track record of executing projects under strict deadlines as specified by our customers. It is this ability to complete projects under strict deadlines that gives red: rain Solutions an edge over its competitors.
Saturday, December 23. 2006
Last Friday saw another fun competition coming our way at Red Rain Solutions. It was decided that the last Friday of every month would be when the monthly Logo Competitions would be held.
There was a bit of initial anxiety about making individuals from different departments compete in an activity where the graphics chaps obviously had an upper hand. We reached a, what I think is a pretty fair, compromise on this count. It was decided that the graphics guy would actually have to draw their logos out by hand, while the others, of course, had the liberty to use the software of their choice.
The competition not only added fun to the workplace but also brought to the foreground some basic values that we shared as teammates and colleagues. What struck me most was the sense of sharing that prevailed after this competition was announced. Even though everyone (including me!) hoped to win the logo contest, most were more than happy to discuss some basic ideas and concepts. The comradeship amongst us was also apparent.
The point of the activity, apart from the fun factor, was to highlight that there are multiple things we are good at. As a writer, language might be my forte, but I realized that I have picked up many pointers about different jobs while working with the graphics and programming teams. This effective, but unobvious, flow of knowledge is quite actually quite exciting!
The competition went of well. The winner, Ayan Sengupta, is a programmer with quite an artistic flair. His winning logo was modern and original. Even to a novice it was clear that he had used colors and shapes interestingly and intelligently.
It was a very fun experience. I am looking forward to the next round of the Logo competition. I already have a few ideas and themes in mind. Let’s see what happens when I put them down on paper this time!
Sunday, December 3. 2006
I cannot say this is the first time this thought is coming to my mind. Ever since I became part of the outsourcing industry, I have noticed a few interesting points. I think caught up in the excitement of development and modernity, we often forget to look at the difficulties (challenges, if you will) that we face.
It is fascinating that people can work together very well even if they are sitting halfway across the world. While one side sleeps, the other party wakes and works. The timings are interesting. The adjustments, commendable.
Once you step into the world of outsourcing, you are in a different place. Here things do not work the way they do outside. And I do not mean that in a bad way. Things here are noticeably different. One of the most obvious factors is the cultural difference. We are working for and with people, who come from a different background, speak a different language and have different attitudes to work and work culture. These factors are taken into consideration when we work.
There are lots of things that a new player in the market has to keep in mind. For those who are used to it, this “long distance relationship” might not only seem easy, but also natural. Because, after all, we have come way beyond constraints of geographical borders and these things, really, are just walls in our minds.
Behind all these decisions is a great deal of trust and expectations from both sides. The initial stages of setting up must really be something, I imagine. Coming to an agreement about timings, pricing, and quality is a big step. After that both sides trust that the other would work sincerely and diligently towards the joint goal.
If we think about it, actually this whole thing is rather fascinating: people sitting in opposite sides of the world, with unconnected lives and minds working towards the same goal.
Yes… I suppose, there is something romantic about outsourcing after all 
Saturday, November 4. 2006
Relationship between IT and Web Development IT industry is the most flourishing industry in today's world. The sudden boom in IT is much more than any model could predict. The growth rate of business investment was more during 1990s and 2000.The most predictable reason for this growth in IT is the fall in IT goods during late 1990s which had attributed to more investment in this sector. Another reason for the increased rate of investment was high expectation form IT especially from Telecommunication and Dot net sector. But the question that arises sometimes in my mind is that is there any relationship between IT and Web Development. It is very well said that IT is mainly concerned with the reliability, stability and effectiveness of serving a website. Web development is just like putting soul in a body designed by a web designer. Until developers understand and connect with the message and goals the soul will be lacking.The web developer should identify the target audience and primary goals for the site. He/she should be educated on the browsing habits of the audience, and also on the technical ways to achieve these goals. One way to visualize things is that we have a circle development with IT being an overlapping circle on one side and Design being the other overlapping circle on the opposite side.
Wednesday, August 23. 2006
We would be open to having our business processes and delivery methods be examined by any US based universities who is willing to look at the challenges and benefits of outsourcing to India. The research could focus on mitigating the challenges, the steps recommended - we could implement those ideas internally and see how far we get. The results would be open to the public domai. All inquiries should go to research@redrainsolutions.com
Thursday, August 10. 2006
There are many user-friendly products available on the Internet to create and update information on your website. These products have revolutionised Internet content development in such a way that even an average IT literate can maintain a website without having much knowledge of web programming and designing. The credit for this transformation goes to the latest innovations in content management systems Web designing and development companies are frequently using Content Management Systems (CMS), mostly available for free on the Internet (GPL Softwares), to develop simple websites with basic applications like product management tools, shopping carts etc. PHP is the most commonly used language for these sites. Users can easily manage their portals when CMS is applied on site, and can engage in as many applications they want like introducing a new page, updating content of existing pages, uploading photographs and, banners, and so on. CMS vendors have been successful at setting the agenda for fine tuning the requirements of content management systems. They have dominated the debate on these systems among its practitioners. And even though there are enough negative perceptions about many aspects of CMS, ultimately, all publicity that comes ends as good publicity. There clearly is more to content management than CMS technologies. Content managers need to work on all kinds of non-technical things, such as adapting to and modifying content workflow and publishing processes, metadata development, content integration, marketing and acceptance and so on. Generally, these issues cannot be addressed by CMS technologies. These require human expertise and a high degree of local customization. But there seems to be no common venue for sharing the expertise, techniques, and good ideas. This is because content management is not a community or a field, but an industry. And it is an industry with vendors dominating the agenda and unintentionally squashes the wisdom that only a community can accumulate. But there are some issues that remain untouched in such products which might be crucial for individual sites. Watch out for more in the subsequent entries
Tuesday, August 8. 2006
A client plays a critical role in project management. Let it be a content creation, web design, sales and marketing, search engine optimization or more, we have always considered our clients as part of our team, which in turn result into a fruitful relationship. From our initiation red:rain has covered a long journey with lots of happy customers and multiple projects in various industries. Our secret to satisfied customers is that our customer-centric management focuses on competitive rates, meeting timelines, quality assurance, and ensuring that we exceed client requirements. We are often informed from potential customers that they seek local presence. I personally feel that we are at par with the level of customer service that is offered in comparison to a US-based marketing and technology consultancy. It is often a matter of educating the potential client that we are now in a global virtual world that doesn't take into account seas or borders. In fact, it is often in the interest of the organization to make use of our services to attain that competitive edge before their competitor does.
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