Evolving Ideas - When you 'really want to sell' your old gadgets..

If I found a tech team on the ready and 6 months worth funding, i would defiantly build out a "web' product of the below idea!

Why web? When the world is going mobile? Well, the younger generation is, they are smarter, they take risks, but even they believe that when things have to be done seriously, one needs to pull out a laptop or a desktop to get to work. And of course, the 25+ are usually at work and have more access to web via their work stations than through their mobiles..

TG for the product; 
MF - 25 +
All metro cities first.
Web friendly.

This idea is expansion and combination of the existing 4 modules of; 
1. Price discovery for old gadgets such as those available on rebloge.in, sahivalue.com, attero bay.
2. E-commerce efforts and deals for gadget refresh cycles, i.e.: apple, snapdeal.com, flipkart.com
3. Editorial reviews and crown sourced reviews carting to audience like 'rotten tomatoes' is to movies.
4. Price aggregation sites such as junglee.com

Envisioning the UI;  
To cater to both young and old the entire UI will have to be very visual, making or keeping all options as visual heavy and text light as not to over whelm the user.


Future possibilities; 
1. To function as an independent website and tool, review site and editorial platform that ''does not lie'.
2. Pluggable tool for eCommerce websites, bank services, wallets.
3. Scorecard plugin for editorial websites, wallets, e-commerce websites.
4. Insights tool for electronic giants for betterment of their products.

Disclaimer: If Amazon, Google, Times or the likes chose to explore it further, I'd simply ask to be part of the project. 

Idea for Google as a content publisher, agitator, advertise and analyser

For a while now i have kept this blog hidden as there are some ideas that i feel have a lot of scope for future development.

Who is this for?;

- Facebook is creating a eco system where without fresh content users cannot get great value out of their accounts. Worse they ask users to now pay for advisability as a small business or brand.

- While users may have the capacity to pay, they might not always have the capacity to create original content.  

- While Google hasn't succeeded in launching G+ i feel it forgets that Google search is a much more valuable digital ecosystem that it has created. Where the user is always logged in and not sharing but searching for the correct content. hmm..i wonder what the obsession with a 'social media' account really is? 

- Ok maybe i have this point wrong. But everyone wants to serve content similar to serving correct ads to their various audience sets. Only difference being, while message can be customized and pre fed, content needs to be refreshed and often. (even daily)

Below is a skeleton to a content aggregating tool that Google can quickly make given it already has independent parts that exist today; 

How tool will work?;

- User feeds in their website URL

- As output gets the keywords based on site scan / crawl

- Basis crawl out put keywords gets TG definition for media (audience break up)

- Asks to input negative keywords that the brand doesn't want to be associated with.

- Asks for validation by liking to Google analytic for audience profiling and tracking for revalidation/re-targeting.

- Asks to input genre’s preferred by user.

- Throws latest content from around the web relevant to different TG’s for social media posting as per defined genres.

Revenue?;

- Each link thrown up as result has a cost of 10 – 50 rupees per identifies link.

- Advantage is that the user can be a layman and still sever content that his/her audience would like to engage with on social media accounts.

- Second advantage being shortened link doesn't expire as it has been paid for.

- Fixed retainer account version lets the user also sees GDN ads in this content which can be the users brand / company ads. 

- These ads are easily customizable with branding specs which can be uploaded from back end using another Google ad words tool/ ad sense tools etc.

- Anyone viewing this link through a certain social media account / medium it’s posted through will see the brand ads.

- PV from the article go to the actual website article basis which they are allowed to get access to a special dashboard that lets the publisher see which brands are using what content and better equip its sales force for inventory selling. 

TBD basis interest... I wish I have the money to make this…or the tech capabilities.. While all I have is an idea. 

Disclaimer: If Google chose to explore it further, I'd simply ask to be part of the project. 

Product idea 3: What next for Gaana.com

Without quoting numbers here, lets me being first by showcasing some observations.

Smart phones are on the rise.
So is cloud computing.
Lower segment phones with comparatively lower in built memory but additional service to store data in a cloud account is the 'new in thing'.
Not only does a brand get to capture user data, it now helps services like Google, Hotmail or Yahoo really find out who you are, how active you are and what your interests are more  actively.

Hey, it doesn't end there, mobile operators also accumulate your data, are you a smart phone or a feature phone user? How much bandwidth you consume, where you consume it, fortunately enough; i cant really comment much on coordinated efforts between the mobile company, mobile operators and mobile platform builders. And thank god to that! Or thank god at least for now.

With players like e-commerce giant Flipkart launching its very own Mp3 buy and download app and Times Internet investing and creating its very own music streaming platform, one can safely assume that two things:

1. People are quickly adapting to 'technology on the go'.
2. We're consuming and growing more and more dependent on the internet services than our phone capabilities.

Which brings me to my subject of the next evolution of Gaana.com.

Hey, personally i love that app. A bit annoying at times when you are looking for certain songs and they haven't managed to procure the licenses for hosting and playing the same. But the buffering speed? Phenomenal. (yes i use a Nexus and I'd rather use my storage space to download something else, even if it means in app songs download to listen on the go. Cause du-hu. Stop defeating my purpose of using you in the first place.)

At this point thanks to non song availability i would like to talk about another app i am heavily dependent on; YouTube. Yes I don't mind the usage of data for buffering an entire video when its the song I'm really interested in. (i don't get why they cant just make that version of the existing app, i really really would like the segregation. Especially since its one of the largest co-created depositories for music as well.)

Now when it comes to good Internet connections, which we have plenty of today, with network reach and towers even in the remotest corners of the city, state and country, combine with my heavy mobile consumption habits, especially in regards to Music, it brings me to sincerely acknowledge one last type of app. Yes if you've guessed it by now, you've guessed correctly - SoundHound or Shazam's of the world. Ok frankly they are the only two i know. Hehe.

But arguably, my life depended on all three of these apps! What binds them is Internet usage. And mediums being available in app formats across all mobile platforms. All smart phone mobile platforms anyway.

But i don't get why, just why we aren't seeing a collaborative amongst a music streaming and music discovery platform. Or at least a realistically EASY one?

Sound hound pairs up with YouTube and Google particularly to throw back simultaneous search results for other versions of a song you find on the go as well as the the option of looking up the lyrics using the in app browser. (not even going to discuss its e-commerce platform integration at the moment which allows users to buy and download songs they like on the go)

Gaana and Youtube independently as apps on the other hand give you the ability to bookmark favorite tracks as well as sort them in various play lists. Preferably customized by longtail searches.. Ok well Gaana does an additional piece of creating playlists for its users of popular songs and genres of music to smoothen out the hassle of having to go to a platform and looking for what you want to listen to -- in turn reducing app consumption. And also at the same time building user habit of mindlessly just playing one of the playlists and slightly disfiguring ones own music preference.

But heck, its convenient.

While users may flirt constantly with the idea of downloading a Savan, Gaana, Hungama Music app or plain YouTube.

One thing they always keep on their phone and preferably on the first screen of their phone is either a Shazam or a SoundHound. (as per personal learning, Shazam is better for Hindi songs while SoundHound is better for English)

I firstly feel that - being on the first screen should be the new bench mark for apps. Being able to be as important to users, which in turn of course already means better recall and higher consumption. (which also means - why are people making so many bad apps to begin with? Those that don't only not make it to the last scroll of a users phone but hardly ever get downloaded at all either)

OK OK. to my final take already.

Gaana should look at capturing 'long tail' music searches, based on specific user interest, based searches by integrating or collaborating with a partner like Shazam or SoundHound.

Further to this as soon as a person has identified a song he/she likes (assumably on the go), they should have the option of adding it to their playlists (instantly). This gives Gaana an all rounded approach of actively engaging its users and aiming for the first screen placement on mobile phones.

Further to adding to designated play lists they should collaborate with a music streaming engine like YouTube if they cannot license all the songs to their banner. This solves the classic problem faced by SoundHound and Shazam at a certain level where users tend to use them as music finders ONLY. (and who the heck is purchasing songs off them anyway? Their financial model should solely be revolving around new innovation integration and thinking in the direction like they did for the end title track for the Superman movie earlier this year.. Or was it last?)

All in all, this should be an extension app to the classic Gaana app. Preferably a 'Mobile Only' version to being with. Since there are always music adopters and music evangelists. Same goes for people who are new technology adopters and evangelists. If this is not possible, the same should be integrated to the first screen and then on second scroll the playlists should appear. Hence pushing down the current layout by 1 screen for all scrolls.

Similarity between - Product Management and the Jetsons cartoon

So at one end there was the Flintstones. And the other the Jetsons. One based way back into the dinosaur era and other way ahead into the future.

If you ever saw both the cartoons as a child, you'd see or even feel that its our current era that holds on to too much clutter.

This I can animatedly conclude from the fact, that if we take the following in perspective and consider it our actual past and future - The Flintstones era didn't have quite as many inventions as we do and the Jetsons era was always depicted as or anticipated as clean, compressed and as being minimalists.

When we look at the symbiotic relationship of global news industry and the internet. We quite see the same in transition.

We started with news dissemination via papers. Now we have papers, TV, radio and a growing majority that uses internet for the purpose of finding and reading news. Too much clutter. or we can say, the current ear is in transition. It is the only era where everything can coexist. We haven't really short listed the one medium we will become dependent in the future on.

The Jetsons did use TV and Radio as prime means of communication. Or we can attribute that to the fact that maybe the emergence of the internet was not nearly well portrayed or was secluded to keep the cartoon series focused and simple?

What ever the case, if we draw 2 curves one for innovation and another for adoption and improvement, they probably meet at the point between the flint stones and Jetsons where our current rate or innovation in technology is being driven my minimalism.

Hence the arrival of the product managers to businesses. And the growing relevance to cutting the clutter.

The jetsons might have chosen Tivo or Radio. But when we make our clean minimalist future, rite now as we evolve from the flintstones era and evolve steadily - we might short list on mediums of technology and mediums of dissemination as key areas for reduction.

Want for the words "less is more" evolving from fashion to technology making a steady rise.

Busines Idea 1: Traveller cafe and not just namesake!

This concept is Delhi, IN centirc. 

1. For whom: Travel company / independent hospitality industry person looking for a new venture / cafe concept. 

1.1 Will need three key people - a travel partner, a cafe partern, a marketing / digital partner. 

2. Catering to whom: anyone keen on traveling to India / various parts of india 

2.1 Primary audience - foreigners 

2.2 Secondary audience - local travel / photography / food junkies. 

3. Name: Traveller's Cafe 

3.1 Ironically this name is vacant, at least in Delhi NCR scenario!? Checked Zomato / googled 

4. Business model: to create an secondary opportunity/market to organize and cater to forgein clients and travelers for a travel company but thought a more legitimate approach while simultaneously also earning revenue from a cafe business. 

5. Cafe positioning: Location! location! location!: Pahardganj

5.1 To catch the market where they feel most comfortable.  

5.2 Also giving them a feeling of being self initiated rather than being duped by being dragged directly from airports and railway stations by traver agency 'cutters'.

6. Why: most travelers coming to Delhi read the lonely planet guide which specifically tells them about the places to stay (Pahardganj) and what to expect for cheap travel (cost) and how to bargain etc. 

6.1 Hence opportunity of creating a non hostile environment for capturing travel leads as the positioning is of a cafe. 

6.2 Agent can take them there rather than bring them to the travel shop from airports / railway stations to 'freshen-up'.

6.3 Also travelers who go stay there are otherwise smart / difficult to cater to or capture. 

6.4 As large traveling groups the over all cost of the trip also goes down which can again be shown as a 'USP' of the cafe.

7. Cafe concept: to cater to:

7.1 basic finger food from all over india i.e.: chats and snacks - conversation starters. 

7.2 Secondary menu to be world cuisine based (pricing according to Paharganj market pricing). 

7.3 Cheap alcohol. 

8. Back up model: even if the cafe fails as a travel company, it is an independent business model which can sustain itself to the catered market in that area.

9. Marketing model: For testimonial based reinforcement - that others have done this and come back alive!

9.1 Interiors to have walls on contributions from group travels of visitors + comments.

9.2 Polaroid photo shots for all paying customers with comments on how their visit to India has been so far. 

9.3 To hold small relics from all the visits with dates of visit / journey. 

10. Social page: Can work on 'powered by' model. 

10.1 Front end to be called: Traveller's Cafe on Facebook, Tumbler, Pinterest, Blogger and Zomato. 

10.2 In details / about section of the pages the same can be called 'powered by _ _ _ _ travel company. 

10.3 All articles and photos to be back linked to the travel partner site pages. Help with site traffic flow / building. 

11. Trip models: 

11.1 To host group travels for locals as well as forging groups. 

11.2 To make customized journey's - crowd sources destinations. 

11.3 Invite photo walk groups, adventure sports enthusiasts and related audiance for monthly, quarterly, half yearly trips.

12. Major marketing spend: 

12.1 Online: Zomato / bookmyshow / FB ads / google ad words / seo / mailer's /social media intern / depending on chosen rout/partners. Can use step by step or in phases expansion model. 

12.2 On ground: newspaper brochures and mats with updated upcoming travel plans to be put under class of the table or as mats. (to act as news letter's.)

13. Business model suited for: Travel company, someone enthusiastic about food and beverage industry.

14. Challenges :

14.1 Finding rent-able real estate in Pahardganj on long term lease. 

14.2 Ways of not letting other travel agents and brokers enter the cafe or breaking away client. 

14.3 Licensing - would it need only food and beverage or also travel company permits? 

14.4 Cracking MyBar concept for cheap booze and liquor!?  

14.5 Other unforeseen challenge from investors point of view. 

(i.e.: - will he be comfortable disclosing it as his own business to partners? (If any) 

- Will new partners be chosen for this venture? 

- Tie ups for further business to near by hotels and guest houses will he earn or travel company?) 

I guess i'm just a enthusiastic traveler? This should work! Comments / Suggestions anyone? :)