Category Archives: News

In the News 2010

By Admin on January 3, 2010

NDTV Profit – All about Ad, 24 December 2011

Socially big

Mint – business daily, 18 November 2010

Getting Socially Active

Some of the key findings from India Social Media Report, Edition 2

exchange4media.com, 16 November 2010

Blogworks to handle Allen Solly’s social media strategy & engagement programme

Rajesh Lalwani, Founder & Principal, Blogworks – Strategic Social Media Solutions, added here, “Allen Solly identified the shift of power to the individual a long time ago, when it introduced colour to corporate dressing. Social Media will allow us to get closer to the consumer and co-create their brand, their way.”

exchange4media.com, 27 October 2010

Blogworks wins s.Oliver’s India social media strategy and engagement business

Rajesh Lalwani, Founder and Principal, Blogworks-Strategic Social Media Solutions, said, “We have a rich understanding of social media in the youth and lifestyle segments in India and believe s.Oliver’s brand DNA is a perfect fitment for real conversations, amongst real people on social digital channels. ”

Blogworks has, in the past, worked on several successful social media programmes, in youth and lifestyle segment, including Fastrack and Samsung Mobile amongst others.

Career 360, September 2010

You can now tweet for a living

“At the beginner level, we look at postgraduates in marketing communication with work experience or training in advertising, PR, online marketing or similar fields. At the same time, we are open to people from diverse backgrounds since certain verticals are best serviced by specialists in that niche,” says Amita Malhotra, Knowledge Manager at Blogworks.

impact Weekly, August 2010

3 year window

impact Weekly’s 6th Anniversary issue, released a few days ago, featured industry professionals’ 6/6 Vision for the Media.

On the monetisation side, large social networks are seriously working towards it. They have become far more aggressive in terms of reaching out to their partners, for advertisements or promotions or creating opportunities for monetisation. E-commerce is expected to take off.

American Marketing Association, 7 August 2010

Podcast with Rajesh Lalwani and BL Ochman

Toby Bloomberg’s experiment from last summer, Social Media Marketing GPS , positioned as the 1st business book written using Twitter, is going places. After being published as an eBook, the prestigious American Marketing Association has now launched a podcast series featuring the original contributors to the book.

The chapter on ‘Strategy First’ featuring BL Ochman and me, went live today.

Businessworld, 10 July 2010

How not to do it (cover story)

There are rich insights for businesses that care to listen to their customers on social media. Research that would cost a lot and yield very little qualitative information has some competition from the real-life learning that comes directly from customers. Rajesh Lalwani explains how directly useful social media is for the customer and the company. “Facebook and Twitter, for example, are great connection platforms. However, when a customer wants to make a purchase decision, blogs and forums.

often provide the answer. And it is easy enough for brand managers to scour relevant blogs and forums and see what customers are saying about them,” says Lalwani.

Hindu Business Line, 07 July 2010

Recruiters track online history.

Mr Rajesh Lalwani, Founder, Blogworks, a social media consulting firm, says that to be fair to candidates, employers must make a distinction between personality traits and character flaws. “If a person says he parties a lot, should that be used against him? Does this mean his character is flawed? These are decisions the company has to make with maturity.”

Assess leadership, knowledge

Companies should focus on assessing thought leadership and knowledge on these sites and ignore the frivolous aspects, he says, recommending blogs and Twitter to analyse candidates. Blogworks also recently hired a ‘knowledge executive’ by studying her blog and following her on Twitter. Such a search, according to CareerNet, averted what could have been a hiring disaster for it of a candidate almost shortlisted for a senior position in an MNC. “A search on the Web revealed that one of the candidates had a case filed against him. We withdrew the name from the list immediately,” the head-hunter said.

Though the practice is widely prevalent in the US with about 75 per cent of the companies there using social media to analyse the profile of candidates, it is only now picking up in India.

The Economic Times, 21 June 2010

Virtual connect: Surfers spend 2 hrs a day social networking, finds survey

Another survey conducted by Blogworks and Exchange 4 Media in December, 2008 and January, 2009, this time among working professionals, business executives and marketers, said, “81-85 % of respondents believe that Indian marketers and corporates have just cursory or no understanding of Social Media ; the need for education and learning continues to be high.” But 90% of the same set believed that social media platforms impact business.

Business Standard, 7 June 2010

Young turks latch on to social networking sites

Social networking sites like Facebook have become a tool for success for many young start-ups and entrepreneurs. While Facebook, Twitter or other such networking sites have been successfully deployed as marketing platforms by multinationals, it is the small-scale entrepreneurs who have begun to get the best out of networking websites — by using these to promote their business and services.

Hindu Business Line, 7 June 2010

Coming full circle

Technology changing lives sounds great but taking over lives?

To those who argue that life was much easier when Apple and Blackberry were just fruits, this is what Rajesh Lalwani who makes a living out of social media has to say. Obsession with technology is part and parcel of new-age living, says Lalwani, Founder, Blogworks, a consulting firm delivering social media solutions to organisations.

Exchange4Media, 25 May 2010

Digital has an unavoidable role to play in reputation management

Commenting on the growing influence of Twitter, Rajesh Lalwani said, “I was listening to the radio the other day and during a news bulletin on Akashvani, the word ‘Twitter’ was mentioned and no other explanation was given along with it. That itself shows how mainstream Twitter has become that it doesn’t need an introduction or elaboration.”

He then spoke about how a headline was created these days as compared to the times when things weren’t that instant. “Today, for example, a young employee thinks aloud on FB, Twitter and this is lifted by his boss, who then blogs, which is read by some editor may be and makes next day’s headline. That’s the way we are moving,” he observed.

Hindu Business Line, 22 May 2010

Infosys uses social media widely to engage with Investors

Says Mr Rajesh Lalwani, Founder, Blogworks, a consulting firm delivering social media solutions to brands and organisations: “It is time companies recognise the immediate impact and influence of social media and start engaging with its stakeholders now, as building trust is a long-term process. With regards speculation, the only way to handle it is through participation and presentation of one’s point of view. And that can happen only if you are present on new-age channels like Twitter and Facebook which are open and transparent. Silence is not an option anymore.”

exchange4media, 09 March 2010

IDMA 2010: Jury meet concludes; winners to be unveiled on March 11

The jury meet for the Indian Digital Media Awards 2010 took place in Delhi on Monday, March 8, which lasted for nearly seven hours. There were sizzling debates on various issues during the entire evaluation process. Jury members explored each and every link on the sites nominated for the Awards in various categories – Can a work done by an Indian for an international client be considered for the Awards?

Financial Express, 7 March 2010

Net-Working

Thinking from where to start? Today, Facebook is the in-style platform with nearly 400 million users, 5 million in India. Twitter is catching up fast with two-million users in the country and growing. Not far behind is Linkedin, which connects around two lakh professionals in India alone. However, don’t forget blogging is with what entrepreneurs started branding themselves with and will always be their all-time favourite. Says Rajesh Lalwani, founder of Blogworks, a strategic social media solutions company, “In social networking what is new today will be old tomorrow. I don’t believe in the concept of ‘hot spot’ for this platform. It’s just when a new toy comes into the house, everybody wants to play with it.”

exchange4media, 26 February 2010

Indian Digital Media Awards 2010 Jury Announced, to be chaired by Mahendra Swarup

The first edition of India Digital Media Awards (IDMA) 2010, organised by the exchange4media Group, will be held on March 11 in Mumbai. The objective of IDMA is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the work being done in the ever-growing digital space, primarily in the Internet, mobile, gaming and social media.

The 19-member jury of top professionals in advertising, media and marketing, including the digital and mobile media, will be chaired by digital media veteran Mahendra Swarup, Chief Mentor, Smile Interactive Technologies Group. The judging will be conducted online and by way of jury meetings in Mumbai and Delhi. The deadline for receiving entries has been extended to 2 pm on Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

While there will be 23 awards in six categories, the entries have been invited for 19 awards, while the remaining four would be decided by the jury. There will be incentives for entrants sending multiple entries.

exchange4media, 23 February 2010

India B2B Media Summit 2010: Of building communities on the web

Carrying the discussions forward, the afternoon sessions at the India B2B Media Summit 2010 covered issues such as technology landscape, social media, and content evangelists, among others. The Summit concluded with a CEO Roundtable. The Summit was held in Mumbai on February 22.

The panel on ‘Technology Landscape’ was moderated by Rajesh Lalwani, Founder & Managing Director, Blogworks, while the panellists included Dinesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, Indiamart.com; Navneet Taori, Business Head, Pressmart Media Ltd; and Sreekant Khandekar, Editor-in-Chief & Director, Banyan Netfaqs.

Before commencing the discussions, Rajesh Lalwani made a short presentation, where he stressed on the essentiality of communication and gave key insights into the genesis of a community. He commented, “B2B, by way of its inherent nature, stands a chance for better monetisation. in every community, starting with the seed content, the cycle followed a user driven approach. Thus, the key to success is engaging the community in conversation and finding ‘content evangelists’. The cycle is so strong that once established, even if you wish to come in between, you would be thrown out by the community.”

Silicon India, 19 January 2010

Online privacy, is it still a necessity?

Another entrepreneur, Rajesh Lalwani, Founder of Blogworks.in and Pitchh.com feels that people belonging to the newer generation often share more of their personal details through these sites, while the older generation is still reluctant and prefer more privacy. “Today, as advanced communication devices and new sites are being launched, the youth is sharing more stuff online,” Lalwani says. He feels that people should also think about other’s privacy in order to have a better atmosphere for online sharing. “When we talk about our online privacy, we should also ask ourselves if we respect other’s privacy,” Lalwani adds.

Dataquest, 14 January 2010

Back to the future – ten trends that will drive social media in 2010

The year 2010 will be about social media coming of age, albeit in select ways. Some relevant trends:

Forbes India, 8 January 2010

Bitten by The Zuckerbug – the Facebook effect: Why a billion people like this.

Rohin Dharmakumar is wondering if there is anything or anyone that scares Google?

5 people like this.

Rajesh Lalwani Facebook? I think it’s the most significant threat to Google. Google represents the Internet of yesterday when we searched for information…information that had to be indexed first. With Facebook information finds you, right here and now.

What is happening to search? Earlier when you heard an announcement you went to Google and did a search, but now you see a video and share it on your Facebook page…and half a day later it’s on all of your friends’ profiles and everybody is talking about it. Put simply, earlier you sought news, now news finds you!

Tagged Blogworks, Business Line, Business Standard, exchange4media, Financial Express, Forbes, In the News, India, india today, Newsmakers, rajesh lalwani | Comments (0)

In the News 2009

By Admin on February 17, 2009

Mail Today, 16 August 2009

Blogosphere has changed their lives

The weblog, which turns 10…has given birth to a tribe of blogging superstars.

Mint, 14 August 2009

10 year of blog, part 4 – Tweet now, blog later

But while some bloggers feel that the blog and these social networking upstarts work in sync, symbiotically feeding off content generated in each other, others such as Rajesh Lalwani of Blogworks.in say that Twitter has already cannibalized blogs, turning potential bloggers and the blog-curious into serial 140-character texters.

“Twitter has hijacked blogs already. Why? Because if I have already shared something on Twitter, then typically I don’t end up going and articulating that same thing in much more detail on a blog,” Lalwani says. But this could act both ways. “Twitter can sometimes be a means by which I actually find a story for my blog, but on the other hand it does sometimes keep people away from blogging because it allows me to just articulate my content in fewer words, reach out to many more people faster and yet be seen as a thought leader—so then why bother writing a 1,000 word post?”

CNN IBN, 13 July 2009

Unhappy with your purchase? Gripe online.

The Hindu Business Line, 2 July 2009

Tapping the Social Web

Indian blogger Rajesh Lalwani describes the case of Cleartrip.com and ‘the Kiruba Incident.’ Cleartrip, by making use of social media channels like its own blog and Twitter, was able to quickly identify and respond to a customer who’d been inconvenienced by a relatively simple error, recounted fully in Cleartrip’s blog. To Cleartrip’s credit, the firm quickly reacted and apologised. This basic act goes a long way toward restoring faith: After all, mistakes happen. It’s what happens next that separates the great brands from everyone else, and in the case of Cleartrip they used their listening ability to identify and correct the errors that contributed to this incident. Over time, they will be rewarded for this (though admittedly that is sometimes hard to see!)

Using social media effectively and achieving ROI was discussed at length at the India Social Media Summit 2009. The Summit, held in Mumbai on March 27, was organised by exchange4media.com in association with Blogworks.in, and presented by BigAdda.com. The event saw industry experts discussing at length the growth, impact and emerging trends of social media in India.

Welcoming the delegates, Anurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, exchange4media, said, “This event is our offering to a community that is in the making in our country now.”

The keynote address was delivered by Suhel Seth, Managing Partner, Counselage. Rajesh Lawani, Founder & Director, Scenario Consulting Pvt Ltd – Pitchh.com; Blogworks presented the Social Media Survey 2009 Report.

exchange4media, 28 March 2009

e4m India Social Media Summit: ‘Social Media is like a tribe and one needs to be its tribal chief’

India Social Media Summit 2009, organised by exchange4media.com, in association with Blogworks.in, was held in Mumbai on March 27. The event saw industry experts discussing at length the growth, impact and emerging trends of social media in India. The Summit was presented by BigAdda.com.

Delivering the keynote session, Suhel Seth, Managing Partner, Counselage, spoke about the evolution of social media in India. Comparing the rise of the social media revolution in India, Seth cited examples from India’s freedom struggle and went on to say, “I am amazed we are having a discussion at this stage of our lives. The first person in India who had taken up social networking heavily for a greater cause was Mahatma Gandhi. Talking of the present situation, we are stressing more on technology than methodology. We should not forget that our freedom struggle was also the result of a great social networking.”

Commenting on social media advertising, Seth said, “Marketers make the same mistake every time a new medium is given to them. The consumer has moved on. The time to inform consumers is over. It is time to involve the consumers. Advertising on social networking sites (SNS) is not going to be the only solution. The first paradigm shift, therefore, is to move from information to involvement.”

exchange4media, 26 March 2009

exchange4media and Blogworks join hands for India Social Media Summit 2009

Social networking has caught on in a big way in India, and is now increasingly being tapped by marketers and advertisers, too, to connect with a growing ‘networking’ population. In order to understand social networking indepth, exchange4media.com and Blogworks.in have jointly initiated the India Social Media Summit 2009, which attempts to capture insights into the impact of this medium. The Summit, presented by BigAdda.com, will be held in Mumbai at the Taj Lands End on March 27, 2009. The sponsors for the Summit include July Systems, Encompass and Pitchh.com.

The Summit will address issues such as social media opportunities in India, how marketers can use social media and achieve ROI, whether there is a critical mass or whether social media is an elitist phenomenon, and whether media planners have understood and invested enough in social media. Apart from this, the event will also unveil the ‘Social Media Report’, which attempts to capture insights into what kind of impact people perceive this medium to hold, what kind of tools are favoured, whether people are willing to spend money, and tried to gain an insight into what kind of trends are emerging in this arena. Rajesh Lalwani, Founder & Director, Scenario Consulting Pvt Ltd – Pitchh.com; Blogworks will be presenting the study.

The Kamla Show, 27 March 2009

Social Media in India, what’s missing – Anurag Batra, e4m & Rajesh Lalwani, Blogworks

What is the social media landscape in India like? India has millions of users on Orkut, Facebook and other social media sites, but is there a disconnect between the users and corporations, marketing and media planning people?

Anurag Batra, CEO and editor-in-chief of Exchange4Media and Rajesh Lalwani of Blogworks discuss the landscape, challenges and future of social media in India.

Mint, 18 March 2009

Reds go online for votes…

However, analysts believe that political parties will be able to make only a limited appeal through the Internet.

“First of all, this entire campaigning on Web is driven by the fascination from the success of Obama’s net campaign. However, the difference is that in the US, the Internet is the primary tool for the youth which is not the case here. Two, political parties are used to television and print media as a medium where they only speak and don’t listen and even on the Internet, they seem to be focussing on such a one-way medium. Thus, while Internet is the way forward, political parties have to learn to engage with people more and listen to what they want,” said Rajesh Lalwani, founder, Blogworks, which provides strategic social media solutions to organizations.

Afaqs, 16 February 2009

The Virus called Facebook.

The offline buzz

How does the information created on Facebook cross over to the offline world? Rajesh Lalwani, founder of Blogworks, a social media agency, explains, “When Facebook.com started, only early adopters joined it. Later, the site attracted more users, younger and older people belonging to different types of professions, including a lot of influential people, which has now reached a critical mass.”

Among the latter group are traditional media journalists, who pick up relevant and newsworthy information they receive through their friends on Facebook and run it in their print publication or TV channel. So, a small movement of online conversation started becomes big and crosses over to the offline world.

It is believed that anything that impacts a large number of people will move to the offline world. For instance, issues related to the nation, politics and cricket could move beyond Facebook.com.

Is it for brands?
Lalwani says that people are interested in talking about their lives and lifestyles on social media sites such as Facebook.com, rather than discuss things related to brands. They don’t prefer to support brands that try to impose messages or sell products on Facebook.com.

He suggests “If brands effectively want to use this growing platform to their advantage, they should learn the art of integrating their brand messages in the lifestyle conversations of the members of Facebook.com.”

PC World India, 4 February 2009

Blog Tracker

Tagged In the News | Comments (0)

In the News – 2008

By Admin on April 8, 2008

Exchange4Media.com, 23 December 2008

exchange4media, Blogworks jointly present ‘India Social Media Survey, Brands & Corporates’

exchange4media.com and Blogworks.in have joined hands to present ‘India Social Media Survey, Brands & Corporates’ Edition 1. The survey attempts to capture insights and learnings of brands and corporates around the social media space in an attempt to make sense of what is really happening on the ground in India.

Across the globe, the blog and social media environment is evolving rapidly and India is no exception. Web2.0, Micro-Blogging, Social-Networking, Wikis, etc., have become the buzzwords today. India Social Media Survey will allow the industry to benefit from shared insights and make for educated decisions.

Business Standard, 11 December 2008

Blogging could even land you a job.

Can there be anything better than getting paid to write on your area of interest with you alone calling the shots? Indeed, professional blogging is a fast-catching trend in the country Although paid-for blogging is frowned upon in the blogosphere, individual bloggers are considering full time blogging as a career option. Companies too are looking forward to recruit them.

Professional bloggers focus on their niche area of expertise and for them it is an extension of their hobby. Rajesh Lalwani, founder, Blogworks, says: “for companies and entrepreneurs, it becomes a social marketing tool or a way to engage with their internal and external stakeholders.” Fastrack for example reached out to its target audience of fashion conscious youth, bikers etc through blogs and encouraged value co-creation by taking their feedback from the product design stage itself.

India Today – Simply Delhi, 10 October 2008

Playing at Work

In the sea of the Internet, Rajesh Lalwani is at the centre of a whirlpool of activity. He is the founder of two websites—pitchh.com, a platform for brands and agencies to connect, and blogworks.in, which offers strategic social media solutions. In effect, he provides solutions in two key fields of our time—Internet and marketing.

Blogworks, started in December 2006, does what Lalwani calls conversational marketing, reaching out to customers through online tools. “At the time there was fascination about the concept. Marketers were so used to traditional methods that they were reluctant to try something new,” says Lalwani. That fear has reduced over time, but Lalwani says that most clients are willing to try the concept only on a piecemeal basis, and are not interested in long-term solutions.

But, despite this, the fact that Lalwani runs two successful enterprises points to big changes in the work environment. “It is far more dynamic and vibrant now. Boundaries have come down and the impact has to be quick. People are more experimental,” he says. And that’s why, he says ‘It’s no longer enough to keep pace. You need to stay ahead.

The Internet has contributed in large parts to this. “Technology enables seamless work. You don’t need a physical office. You can have virtual engagement with clients everywhere,” he explains. With respect to Internet habits as well, there have been changes. “Internet used to be mostly about work but people are using it for much more now. It is more to do with life and people now.” Of course, this is not always a good thing; as the numbers show, the average Delhi employee spends five hours a week on personal web surfing costing companies huge losses. And what about blogging, that 21st century tool for freedom of expression. Lalwani, who blogs himself, says, “This is the time for meaningful blogging. People who are thought leaders are putting their content online. It is far more democratic; there are hierarchies, but these are based on content. Not on who you know.”

India Today, 29 September 2008

Are you body snarking?

If only. To Internet trend-spotters, however, they were doing much more. They were unwittingly engaging in an emerging public sport, ‘bodysnarking’, a word that stands for the everyday sarcasm-laced jibes directed at women, mostly by women—especially on the Net.

Business Standard, 17 September 2008

Indian CEOs take up Twittering

Twitter is a micro-blogging tool that forces you to be concise. Unlike blogging where you are free to write however long you want, Twitter only allows 140 characters. That’s around 25 words. Two sentences.

Many say that this could be the secret of its success. Because messages have to be short, it makes it that much more easier for people to write. Short messages means you don’t have to worry about crafting long posts. Helps you post your message instantly with more frequency. It has gained good traction and the corporate world has been quick at leveraging the tool for business benefits.

Mint, 03 August 2008

Companies heed the online message

Indian companies are increasingly using online social platforms to connect a dispersed workforce as well as to reach out to elusive customers in multiple markets. While information technology (IT) firms are in the lead, mainly to foster internal communications, consumer product makers are discovering the potential of social networking sites as brand promotion tools.

Fastrack—Titan Industries Ltd’s line of watches and eyewear targeted at youth—supports a host of fan communities on social networking sites such as Facebook and Orkut. Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) promotes its Sunsilk range of haircare products through its interactive website www.sunsilkgangofgirls.com, hosted by Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra.

For instance, Titan seeks feedback through exclusive communities on social networking sites that are dedicated to Fastrack. Online interaction is used to tweak brand positioning and sometimes even pricing. A sneak peek—preview of products—is offered to select Fastrack fans on online communities ahead of the market launch. “And if a Fastrack fan asks us why a watch is priced at Rs1,400 when something similar can be picked up for Rs200 on the streets, we listen carefully,” says Simeran Bhasin, marketing head, Fastrack and new brands, Titan. Bhasin feels the reach of social media cannot be measured through cost per contact as it is qualitative feedback that cannot be quantified.

Agrees Rajesh Lalwani, founder, Blogworks, a strategic consultancy for social media outreach: “It is important for companies to identify a need first and then set up a social media programme. In India, the focus is too much on the tool and not the need.”

Mint, 17 June 2008

Managing online reputation finally catching on in India

A leading private bank was recently in the eye of the storm because of its high-handedness with some of its customers. While it put its customer care, public relations and corporate communications team in action to address public concerns at large, it found itself unable to manage the problem online.“ There were numerous negative entries (on the issue) across diverse blogs, discussion fora, websites, online journals and social networking sites. Some people even launched hate websites in its name,” recalls a person who was part of the team that the bank then set up to manage its “online reputation”

In addition to image management, such efforts “can also help in pushing sales”, says Rajesh Lalwani, founder, Blogworks, a communications and marketing solutions company.

“Earlier, there weren’t too many sources to gather information on a brand. Today, consumers first go to the Net to gain some intelligence on the product and brand they want to buy before making a final purchase decision,” he added.

Hindustan Times, Delhi and Mumbai Editions, 7 May 2008

Contributory Piece: Micro-blogging, anyone?

“Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the most viral of them all?” I asked.

“Twitter, O dear sir!” answered the magic mirror without doubt.

http://twitter.com is the service that lets you stay connected with friends, colleagues and family through exchange of short message updates, sharing “what are you doing right now?” has achieved almost cult following among its users, many of whom are celebrity bloggers and Internet influencers from across the globe.

Many call the trend micro-blogging, as, unlike conventional blogs, it does not inovolve long entries made from a desktop computer.

Twitter is a micro-blogging platform (messages can contain a maximum of 140 characters) and a social networking site (connect with and friends and make new ones). I could also say that it is blogging on the go and lets you disseminate and receive messages using the Web interface, an Internet messenger/ desktop client or your mobile phone. All of these are correct.

However, it is better think of it as a café.

CXO Today.com, 21 April 2008

Beyond Blogging

So far as it’s utility is concerned, founder of Blogworks, Rajesh Lalwani, says about twitter, “It keeps a community linked or connected closely, and multiple people can communicate with others through low cost sms. And twitter has a multiple interface that offers a multi point delivery system.”

Lalwani’s firm provides strategic social media solutions for corporate blogging.

“Large corporates and enterprises can use it for communicating with its employees within an organization in a secure way. It offers a new means of promoting products and services, in the form of micro ads to customers,” he adds.

CXO Today.com, 16 April 2008

More than just blogging.

However, the practice of corporate blogging is not highly popular in India. “Corporate blogging is still at the nascent stage here. It will take some more years to grow. Because of the immaturity, there are no standard guidelines followed yet, and so companies undertake their own set of rules for blogging,” Lalwani says.

Financial Express, 30 March, 2008

A different blogosphere in India.

In my previous column I highlighted the evolution of corporate blogging in the USA, but what I did not mention is that currently a little over 10% of Fortune 500 companies have corporate blogs and that number is growing. There is an increasing realisation that corporate blogging can help bridge the gap between companies and their stakeholders like their employees, customers or investors. As Rajesh Lalwani of Blogworks points out, “Corporate blogging allows a faceless entity to become real and allows companies to build trust through transparent conversations.” The key words to focus on are: transforming a faceless entity into a real, live and breathing entity and that I believe can only come from sharing and having conversations. That transformation of a faceless entity comes from unlocking and opening that black box called ‘corporation’. Are corporations ready for this? So far it appears to be a mixed bag.

NDTV, We the People, January, 2008

IMPACT Weekly – 14 – 20 January, 2008

Blogworks – Blog the Talk – Edition 5, Part 2, Page 1.pdf
Blogworks – Blog the Talk – Edition 5, Part 2, Page 2.pdf

IMPACT Weekly – 07 – 13 January, 2008

Blogworks – Blog the Talk – Edition 5, Part 1, Page 1.pdf
Blogworks – Blog the Talk – Edition 5, Part 1, Page 2.pdf

Tagged Blogworks, Impact, In the News, Media Coverage, NDTV, rajesh lalwani, Scenario Communication Partners, Scenario Consulting | Comments (0)

In the News – 2007

By Admin on January 4, 2007

Mint, 31 December 2007

Contributory Piece on Internet Trends in 2008

Each year, a few trends gain momentum and reach tipping point. The mobile phone is one such change of recent times. Will 2008 be the year of the Internet? It promises to be an interesting year as a lot of the hype around blogs, consumer-generated media, Web 2.0 settles down; as the lines between the mobile and the Internet blur; as technology seems less overwhelming to the masses. The great thing that 2007 did was take away the fear of technology from many. Thanks to networking websites such as Orkut, people who would never venture beyond their email boxes are “poking” each other on Facebook. So, what to expect in 2008? Here’s my list:

Internet marries the mobile: Affordable handsets allowing EDGE and WLAN connectivity, combined with huge penetration of mobiles, would likely ensure that more and more people are consuming the Internet on the go.

Exchange4Media, 28 December, 2007

Fastrack unveils Dynamic Media Room for greater connect with youth TG

Fastrack, the youth accessories sub-brand from Titan, has launched a ‘Dynamic Media Room’. The online initiative, media.fastrack.in, intends to be a one-stop online destination for media professionals as well as others who follow the brand to get updates on the brand’s latest activities. The website, conceptualised by blogworks, features press releases in text, video and picture embeds, along with other corporate and product information.

Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition, 12 December, 2007

Contributory Piece: So, where are you going?

So, where are you going?
A few day ago, I was chatting on the phone with someone from Mumbai, who had called to discuss ‘use of blogs and social media tools for internal knowledge management by organisations’ and the talk swerved “Is a blog is better than a forum or vice-versa?”.
I was reminded of times when – very young – my younger sister and I would often gather available pillows to create a square/ rectangle, which was our ‘car’ and using an imaginary steering wheel, made appropriate driving noises. Only, obviously our car shell was going nowhere, for, it didn’t have wheels or an engine for that matter.

Exchange4Media, 30 November, 2007

FMCC & Cross Border Media Conference

Media, advertising and journalism institute Futuristix Media Communication Centre (FMCC), and Cross Border Media (CBM)’s conference on ‘Monetising your new media platforms’ had its post-lunch session on ‘The Internet becoming the locus around which all media converge, and the growing role of search engines’. The session was moderated by Rajesh Lalwani, Founder, Blogworks, while the toehr speakers were Sanjay Trehan, CEO, NDTV Convergence; Rahul Nanda, CEO, Webchutney; and Parminder Singh, Business Head-Technology, Google India.

Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition, 21 November, 2007

Contributory Piece: CEO’s guide to blogging!

How often does a new recruit in a company share transparent feedback with a CEO and get away with it? Well, if the CEO writes a blog, potentially everyday! For, transparency and conversations are the foremost values enshrined in a blog.

Engage, youngsters first!
In fact, depending on whether they are amongst the audience you want reach, you would be urged to actively engage the younger readers first. Talk to them through the blog, address their issues and encourage them to participate.
It has been my experience that youngsters, who traditionally haven’t had direct access to the top leadership, may sometimes find it a bit daunting to open up to a CEO (or a senior business leader). On the other hand, it is they who are exposed to blogs, social networks and the digital medium most. If you can get them to open up, chances are so will the rest.

Tell me some stories…
Keep your audience engaged – weave a story; embed your message therein. Your blog should reflect you, keep the personal touch. Today’s internet technology allows easy embeds of pictures, audio and video. Embedding a Podcast isn’t very difficult and makes the content even more interesting- Bill Marriott’s blog at features many of them because he, admittedly, doesn’t know how to use a computer and prefers to talk into a dictaphone.

Mint, 20 October, 2007

The 4 Ps of Blog Marketing
PDF File

“Start by asking why you are writing a blog. This will bring clarity on who you are writing for, and this in turn will help you determine what you are writing,” says Rajesh Lalwani, founder of Blogworks, a strategic consulting firm helping brands and corporates with their blog and social media strategy.

Hindustan Times, Mumbai – 18 September, 2007

UR Hired

-The comment should really have read “no one wants update on your company
policy and that ongoing conversations showcase your company culture.” or
something on those lines. Telecons can sometime result in confusion .

Agencyfaqs.com – 13 September, 2007

Comscore sets up new measure of blog audience

Internet data firm ComScore, in collaboration with Federated Media Publishing in the US, has recently announced that it will track and measure the online behaviour of audiences of blog sites on a worldwide scale. This means that the behaviour of netizens who do not own blogs, but read or comment on various blogging sites, will be monitored and measured. The measure will help marketers know their audience preferences, such as what topics they read and the type of blog sites they visit.

Digit Magazine – September, 2007

Cheapest Trumpet – Page 104

i.t mag – July, 2007
Made in India – The Desi Web.pdf

IMPACT Weekly – 23 – 29 July, 2007
Blog the Talk Edition 4 – Excerpts-Page Cover.pdf
Blog the Talk Edition 4 – Excerpts- Page 1.pdf
Blog the Talk Edition 4 – Excerpts-Page 2.pdf

IMPACT Weekly – 16 – 22 July, 2007
Blog the Talk Edition 3 – Excerpts-Page 1.pdf
Blog the Talk Edition 3 – Excerpts-Page 2.pdf

Mint, 11 July, 2007
Now share videos, music on Rediff’s iShare.

Agencyfaqs, 27 June, 2007
DigiDebate – Have corporate blogs caught on?

The Financial Express, 19 June, 2007
Get a Life (story on online avatars etc.)

Exchange4Media.com
Announcing Brandate 2007 on 30 June, Bangalore

BenefIT Magazine, June, 2007
BenefIT-Blogs-June2007.pdf

Indian Businesses Are Busy Blogging Away to Success: Are You?

Hindustan Times, Delhi- 25 May, 2007
Contributory piece in Tech 4 U – ‘Blogging 101′

By now of course all of us know about blogs – that they are diaries on the web; that they are easy to write and manage; that thanks to thousands of free templates you will never need a designer (only partly correct ? ); that they are the Internet live and ticking; also that they are big and are seemingly here to stay.

IMPACT Weekly – 14-20 May, 2007
BlogtheTalk – Edition 2, Part 2, Page 1.pdf
BlogtheTalk – Edition 2, Part 2, Page 2.pdf

IMPACT Weekly – 7-13 May, 2007
BlogtheTalk – Edition 2, Part 1, Page 1.pdf
BlogtheTalk – Edition 2, Part 1, Page 2.pdf
BlogtheTalk – Edition 2, Part 1, Page 3.pdf
Asia Times Online, 25 April, 2007
Indian firms enter the blogosphere.

“The response to blogging and the use of social media among marketers has started to take off, and they are beginning to understand the need to track what is being said about their companies,” Rajesh Lalwani, a New Delhi-based marketing professional who operates BlogWorks, told Asia Times Online.

Mint, 3 April, 2007
Firms discover the power of you.

Reebok India’s managing director Subhinder Singh was convinced he wanted his company’s commercial, created for the cricket World Cup, up on YouTube. The video-sharing site allows users to upload or view videos, and gets around 12 million viewers a month—from all over the world, but at least a few hundred thousands of that number could originate in India.

The thing about YouTube is that if an advertisement is really good, or has some striking visuals, it will, sooner or later, show up on YouTube, courtesy a viewer who liked the ad enough to grab it and upload it, or the company or any of its representatives.

Exchange 4 Media, 26 March, 2007

Blogworks Social Media Workshop with FMCC & Exchange4Media.com

At a seminar organisd by FMCC and exchange4media, Rajesh Lalwani, Founder, BlogWorks Consulting, spoke on ‘Social Media Concepts and Blogs’. ‘Glimpse into Social Media Technology and Platforms’ was discussed by Kishore Bhargava, CEO, Linkaxis Technologies. The topic on ‘Global Internet Trends’ was analysed by Anurag Batra, Editor-in-chief of exchange4media group.

According to Lalwani, “The blogging trend is catching up fast in India. Unlike in the US, people in India want to know about each other’s family and they love to exchange pictures. In a web log blog, the entries are kept in typically reverse chronological order. There is a commentary on news and other subjects. The web log blog is typically conversational in tone, which is frequently updated.”

Exchange 4 Media
20 March – Blogworks Social Media Workshop

Blogworks Consulting, a specialist communication offering that delivers strategic social media know-how to brands and corporates, is going to conduct its first Social Media Workshop in the Capital on March 23.

Designed for corporate executives, professionals from public relations and advertising agencies, brand managers and HR professionals, the daylong collaborative workshop will facilitate the understanding and impact of blogs and other social media concepts and tools. The workshop is aimed at providing clarity on Web 2.0, blogs, Wikis, podcasts, content communities, social and business networks.

The workshop is being organised in association with Futuristix Media Communication Centre, an advertising, media and communication institute.

Rajesh Lalwani, Founder, BlogWorks said, “No longer is the individual dependent on just the media to be heard. He speaks for himself through blogs and other social media tools. Corporates and brands need not listen solely to what the individual is saying, but also participate in these conversations. It is therefore crucial that we understand these social media concepts and tools to use them to our advantage.”

The Times of India
18 March, 2007 – Blogging hits corporate world.

Contributors include Infosys board members, unit heads and executives. A company spokesperson says, “In this forum, we share our perspectives with our clients and other business professionals. The blog enables us to have a dialogue, instead of simply publishing our perspectives to clients.”

Says Rajesh Lalwani, founder, Blogworks,”Increasingly, corporations too are keeping track of blogs as they want to know what is being said about their company online.” That’s because online search and word of mouth (for product reviews) is becoming the norm every day. “Users wanting to know more about a company need not rely on the company website alone. There are other online sources as well,” explains Lalwani. His company provides strategic solutions to brands and corporations wanting to use this medium effectively.

MSN India
06 March – Personal Media: The next big thing.

NDTV.com & India Clicks – NDTV 24 x7
04 March 2007- New Media Grows in Popularity

Exchange4Media.com
21 Feb 2007 – Panel Discussion Moderation at Gold Sift Launch.

IMPACT Weekly 1-7 Jan 2007 – Blogworks–Blog the Talk Edition 1, Part 2
Edition1, Part 2, Page 1.pdf
Edition1, Part 2, Page 2.pdf
Edition1, Part 2, Page 3.pdf

IMPACT Weekly 25-31 Dec 2006 – Blogworks–Blog the Talk Edition 1, Part 1
Edition1, Part 1, Page 1.pdf
Edition1, Part 1, Page 2.pdf

Exchange4Media.com
16 Oct 2006 – FMCC Talk on ‘Blogs for Marketing’

Speaking on business application of blogs, Rajesh Lalwani, an independent consultant, said, “Blogs could be used for conversatioinal marketing. Many CEOs like Jonathan Schwartz, President, Sun Microsystems, have taken up writing blogs to engage with their stakeholders and others, like Microsoft, have even used their employees’ blogs to give it a human face and soften its image.”

Emphasising on the need of blogs in today’s world for marketing purposes, Lalwani said, “Advertising will continue to drive sales, media relations will drive visibility, however, Blogs bring transparency, a first-hand perspective based on participation both from the company and the consumer.”

Aloo Techie
16 Oct 2006 – Blogs for Marketing

Tagged blog, blog advice, Blog marketing, blog monitoring, blog strategy, blog tracking, blog workshop, brand identity, brand positioning, Brand Strategy, Branding, business blog, business blogging, India, KPO, marketing blog, messaging, outsourcing, public relations, rajesh lalwani, social media marketing, social media training | Comments Off

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