§ The Designer cum Surfer §

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 "I do not export, Websites are not for me," says a businessman in Mumbai. The net is largely perceived in India as something "imported."

 

The local buying public, the ones who have supported and grown the said businessman to his position of strength, are and will, continue to be largely ignored. Customer Service and immediate assistance get a backseat. A person living in Delhi will have to wait for the day he can shop in a Mumbai store.

 

VSNL's greatest victory lies in mass educating the public about the benifits of the web. Advertising and marketing of the TCP/IP and shell accounts need a greater thrust. A quick look at the marketing policies of America On Line, Prodigy, Compuserve etc. would reveal that they all belive in hooking the customer first before obtaining his commitment on their services. It would be a good start if VSNL or some of it's resellers get into joint marketing agreements with modem manufactureers to give a one week free trial on the net. As customers begin to enjoy, the more the liklyhood of them taking onto the net in a big way.

 

Schemes like member-get a-member, discounts on large usages, free homepages etc. need to be implemented. Why not give colleges discounts on leased line usages. Let's hope for the best.

 

Once on the net the possibilities are endless. A chance to explore the world through the creative minds of the various web page designers. As I burn my precious 500 TCP/IP hours, the sights and sounds from the net excite me. This article is a translation of my excitement.

 

Corporate Site of the Week - Macromedia Inc

The developes of Authorware and Director have created a site that uses a very enchanting layout. Using shockwave throught the site has increased the presentation angle. The shockwave gallery too is a goodplace to visit. As more sites begin to use shockwave, are enjoyment through the net will defiantely increase.The macromedia sites also has images that are small in file size making navigation through the site very quick.

 

Plug-In of the Week - RealAudio + Video 4.0

Want to listen to radio stations and tune in to foreign television channels all in realtime, then this one is for you. The greatest benefit of the plug-in is it's ability to deliver cd-quality audio and video in streaming real time. With the real audio encoder one can create real audio sites with ease. Get the plug-in and enjoy your own station "All India Radio" like you have never before.

 

Indian Film Star Site (Unofficial Site) :- Amitabh Bachchan

This unofficial site (created by a fan, not directly approed by aby) is one of the best resources to find ourt more about the Indian superstar. The site lacks the use of audio or video, but it truly potrays the love of the fan. The entry to the site, using the meta refresh tool generates a fair amount of hype, so important for capturing a surfer. It would not be long before an official site is created by Mr. Bachachan, but till then this site get my vote.

Friendly advice of the week - Webpersonals

The WebPersonals offers a variety of free dating and interacting services to the Internet Community. They maintain a database of thousands of people from all over the world and enable you to get in touch with them. They have a nightly scouting report, called Love Hound that will automatically mail you the new profiles posted that meet the criteria you prefer to meet. They also offer anonymous mailings, for the people who are a little shy. Express yourself.

 

Resource of Week - Desktop Publishing

The large number of of DTP firms in India will greatly benifit from the free tips and goodies they get on this site. The site is very exhaustive and covers all major topics pertaining to the subject area. They even select a cool site in terms of desigining skills. The site also is brilliantly designed

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Ultracool Choice - Giorgio Armani

Cool in terms of images, animation, layout, the works. Very lively and captivating. Interesting biography of the designer is also put up. It definately 90's and oh so fashionable. The site uses gif images to display text, but the images load extremely quickly. The models as well as the photogrphy will keep every surfer spellbound. Will our desi designers take a cue?

 

Download of the week - Excite Direct

Tired of going back to the search engine with every query you may have? Try excite direct. It sits on your browser allowing you to access the excite search engines from anywhere on the web. Use this and you will definately thank the author for saving you precious time on the net.

 

The journey continues into the next week. Hope to meet you on my Voyages.

 

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