Information Architecture, User Experience, Leadership, and interesting light reads

My Idols

2008-05-19T20:59:00.002-04:00

I do not have any idols per se, but if you ask me about people who are close to my Heart and people I look upto, well, here is a part list: (Living and moved on)

Jesus (peace be upon him)
Noah (peace be upon him)
Abraham (peace be upon him)
Moses peace be upon him)
Lenoardo Da Vinci (am trying hard to catch up with him)
Rabindranath Tagore
Guy Kawasaki
Bill Gates
Adam Smith (the economics guy)
Abraham lincoln
JFK
The Gramin bank pioneer
Florence of Nightingale
Abdul kalaam
Peter Drucker
Tom peters
Jagdish Sheth
Yusuf (peace be upon him)
Muhammed (peace be upon him)

Want to Take your IA skills to the next level.Visit the MET

2008-05-07T01:50:00.004-04:00

Have spent 2 hours online at the MET
.What better exmaple of the scent of information, epxloratery information architecture and emotional stimuli. A must see for the masters and the students.

Who are the culprits? pray tell me. Will be a disciple,send a painting. Am amazed! There is so much I have to learn

Personal IA

2008-05-04T12:00:00.002-04:00

The Height of Geekdom:-)But there is no other way out. Have started deleting mails, tearning unwanted xeroxes, organizing files, labeling files, labeling number groups. This has been going on for one and a half month now and have found out that it has given me 2 hours of free time daily, which I am using for my 6 pack:-)

The other half of it is that I have been labeled The crazzy boy by my mum, wife and sis. That's ok!

BTW tarzan bo was one of our favorite songs in school, am going to cut the "tarzan" and put in crazzy there

cheers!

Am overjoyed: Yahoo is Free

2008-05-04T00:40:00.003-04:00

Finally. Am not anti- anti-anything but it is absolutely imperative that the google, yahoo, and Microsoft's of the world co-exist. It is a must for our future that diverse thoughts, diverse models, different philosophies exit. cause there is no greater evil than the absolute Power. To quote one of my favorite. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Now Mr Yang, celebrate, and go focus more on china. Please.

Teach Geography with Google Analytics

2008-05-03T11:41:00.002-04:00

Can you think of a better way to get your neice's interested in Geography? Well, google is now teaching names of cities my neices have not dreamt of and they are having fun. Hear this. " you know JIll, my mummu (=unlce) has people coming from here. Does your uncle know so many people. Priceless:-)

Beltsville
East Elmhurst
East York
Forfar
Groton
Hadley
Hayward
New London
Paris
Rockville
Rotterdam
Severn
Stockholm
Delhi
Hamburg
Ottawa
Nagpur
Hyderabad
Bangalore
New York
Allahabad
Alviso
Athens
Atlanta
Berlin
Boca Raton
Brighton
Brookline Village
Burton on Trent
Castro Valley
Cherry Hill
Claremont
Cochin
Des Moines
Didcot
East Orange
Englewood
Grand Rapids
Hertford
Jiddah
Kent
Kingston
La Jolla
Leek
Lilburn
Mahape
Monterey Park
Moraga
Philadelphia
Pleasant Hill
Seattle
Shibuya
Singapore
Stoke on Trent
Teddington
Westminster
Wipperfurth
Woerden
Ypsilanti

A must read interview for the Students of " The History of IA"

2008-05-01T07:30:00.002-04:00

http://since1968.com/article/16/louis-rosenfeld--peter-morville-interview
If you are even remotely interested in the History, the Future, and the third wave of information Architecture, please read this again, and again and again.

Why Now? 6 years late? It is relvant. history is not about time. it is about what you can do in the future.

Touched up a painting that I started in 2006

2008-04-26T01:47:00.004-04:00

Brand "you", the mask always slips off.

"Eye of the Tiger"

2008-04-25T06:39:00.003-04:00

My Favorite song. Was a time when I heard it 100 times a day. And ran, and did pushups with my cousin, did imaginary boxing moves in 42 degrees heat. Wow. Have started hearing it again.
In my opinion, there has never been a more inspiring piece of music than this in the history of music, Yup more than O Fortuna for Carmina Burrana, and Bethoven's symphonies. Why did I miss the philly steps and not do the run up there, when I was in US? I do not know. But what I know is that there is no regret, only a fierce determination to do it and soon. In the meantime, 350 steps in a nearby locale will do. Sushmita, you have lost the bet and will have to send me the nike' soon:-)
Live. Don't exist

cheers
masood

Increasing Online Advertising share in the Indian market

2008-04-20T11:58:00.003-04:00

India is languishing behind in the Internet advertising space. There is enough money to be made but people are not able to convince the decision makers. We limit ourselves to hits which is a useless number or segmentation which is a bad word, or has been made by our marketing jockeys. Well, " Dr" Masood has the magic Potion:-)

Well here is the deal. Over the next one week, I will write one post in 2 days about this topic. If you have any requests let me know

( These posts are based on the research for my upcoming book " The synergy between online Marketing, User Experience, and Web Analytics... or in plain speak..make money on the web. Which BTW has stuff from the some of the most exciting professionals in the world. With a geographic spread one would kill to achieve)

Updated my Art Blog

2008-04-16T04:20:00.003-04:00

Please have a look at my latest paintings at www.artinthemake.blogspot.com

ShakeChilly Cricket Tournament: News (Sneak preview)

2008-04-15T13:28:00.007-04:00

The ShakeChilly team of Kazim, Venkat, and Ranga organised a six-a-side cricket tournament at the MCHground in Hyderabad on 13 April 2008 as part of the nation-wide launch plan of the portal. It was an unusual scene for the regular onlookers of proceedings at the MCH ground as there was a lot of colour and intensity this time. A total of 8 teams participated in the tournament and all 8 teams were given ShakeChilly T-shirts of different colours to wear. The winner of the tournament was awarded a cash prize and there were consolation prizes for the runner up
The response to the tournament was so good that Masood Nasser, the ShakeChilly founder, promised to make it a monthly feature. No sooner did he say that, enthusiasts began coming up with suggestions for improvement. One of the more important suggestions was to increase the number of players per team as that would make the matches more interesting. Masood showed appreciation for the suggestions but he must have surely considered that more players per team mean longer matches and a tournament that could stretch over a couple of days. However, ShakeChilly being what it is, a portal for the man on the street, as well as the suits in Manhattan, a longer event will be a winner.
The fitness-crazy Masood himself took part in the game in between shuttling to and fro from his painting exhibition, causing some spectacular saves and horrible misses as a keeper. The occasion was also made special by the participation of Mr hari, a very well respected name in Hyderabad cricket. A man who guided V.V.S laxman in his formative years. Venkat’s knock was the highlight of the tournament, a spectacular 42 in a failing cause that was a treat to watch.

If the idea of taking ShakeChilly to the grassroots was the intention then there is no doubt that this cricket tournament delivered the goods. It is also a trendsetter in the sense that a decision has already been taken about making the ShakeChilly cricket tournament a monthly feature. In fact Kazim, Masood, Venkat, and Abdul are so impressed with the outcome of the tournament that they are considering organising other backyard game tournaments as well. Update: A Gilli danda tournament in Charminar and a Mixed team cricket tournament at the Gymkhana have already been initiated.
The primary objective of arousing curiosity about ShakeChilly has been achieved quite satisfactorily. Already there are questions like "what is ShakeChilly all about?" and "what is the meaning of ShakeChilly?" Masood’s answer to the first query is that ShakeChilly is a site that the man on the street can earn from, and the suit in Manhattan can identify with. To the second query his answer was, anybody who knew the meaning of Google and Yahoo would invariably know the meaning of ShakeChilly. There were approving smiles of understanding from the knowledgeable participants comprising a wide age spectrum. From the 50+ sportsman to the 14 plus enthusiast

Das Kapital and Misery

2008-04-10T09:26:00.003-04:00

Spoke to one of my students after almost 8 years. A long time. A very very long time. What i have writtne now in stone is that intellegentsia and misery go hand in hand. You want to be happy. Be Naieve. Dont be an intellectual, be intelligent. see google.

DAs Kapital has ruined generations with it's crap.
Here goes:
Religion is the opium of the masses. ( Ego, arrogance, ignorance and stupidity is the basis of this statement

I can go on and on but why waste my mind-psace on something so negative and self defeating?

Be happy, live, give, pray, laugh, Change the world, Enjoy, make tons of money, give, read, visit america, ( god belss america, wait he has already blessed it) Sweden, travel with your family....

April fooled

2008-04-09T07:02:00.002-04:00

First Virgle and now Rashmi Sinha http://blog.slideshare.net/2008/04/01/tufte-joins-slideshare-board-of-advisors-no-more-bullet-points/. Have been fooled twice. But really did enjoy it.

Now my pals will frame it and keep reminding me when I try to give them pearls of wisdom:-)

cheers
masood

Google has been good to me. Very very good. Two donuts for you:-)

2008-04-08T20:35:00.002-04:00

Was checking google analytics. Type in "user experience leadership" in google. See what you get.:-)
Well, know at least 378 people who should be here before me in the "user experience leadership" results. Know do you know why google is good to me:-)
cheers
Masood

Ten Commandments for the brand "manager"

2008-04-08T20:11:00.003-04:00

started at 6.01 am

Thou shall not scream. Screaming is for the needy
Thou shall proliferate and evangelize
Thou shall be a fanatical user of your product. If not, please leave and seek greener pastures
Thou shall be as truthful as they get
Thou shall let your kids know what they do. Whaaat. they do..? you are good buddy
...........

Well, this is enough for now

cheers
Masood

complete at 6.03 am

Ten Commandments

Customer Experience: A loyal customer snaps all ties

2008-04-05T01:05:00.004-04:00

Customer experience is the deciding factor in a customer's decision to continue with a product or a service. Sadly, I have decided to discontinue my relationship with the bank that has served me over the last decade. Customer service is non existent, the user epxerience is archaic. What could I have done?

CEO's please spend time out of the office and in the hot-seats. You are losing too many customers.

I do not believe in taking names, the wise know:-)

The future of web businesses

2008-03-31T11:32:00.001-04:00

The future of web businesses
Warning: nothing new for the wise

Marketing is dead. Long live marketing
Enough has been done and said about marketing campaigns and TV spots et al. Money, and tons of it is being spent in the wrong direction. We do not need to entice or woo users, or attract. That is so 2002. We need to go where they are. They are on Google, face book, my space,
and tons of other sites. Why are we creating barriers to entry? Why not go where they already are? Why spend money on advertising when we can do something for the community. plant trees, save the girl child?

Products are dead. Long live Products
It is very simple actually. The focus should be on your products. They should be designed by your customers. CEO's ,Designers, marketeers, get out of office. Play, live, and let the thoughts flow. And do not design products, read Adaptive path, please

Social networking is dead. long live social networking
Why compete. Competition is for the needy. Collaboration is for the wise. Think about it. The who's who of the social networking world collaborate.

Watch this space for a detailed paper on the The future of web businesses

The Apples of my eyes:-)

2008-03-30T09:30:00.002-04:00

The angel and the Prince. Have just got back from a highly satisfying game of cricket. Immensly enjoyable. Play, run, enjoy, live:-)

cheers

Why does one blog

2008-03-29T23:35:00.003-04:00

The reasons that I blog are unlike the reason many do it for ( there..:-my english professor is already angry:-))

Clarity
overcoming inertia
get going
letting a 100 flowers bloom (read art of the start by guy Kawasiki)

So, when are you starting?

Cheers

A Lesson In Humility

2008-03-29T02:49:00.000-04:00

Have been working on Information Architecture before the Polar bear book. But after reading the book, it struck me that this is what I could call my self, and do, for a very very long time. Have worked on probably every aspect of IA exept for perhaps ESP:-). Have a lot to learn. Have a lot to grow. Have had the pleasure of "teaching" some of the most brilliant Indian minds in IA. This goes a bit to your head:-) They say I am "down to earth"Visited the avenue Razor Fish Redux in New York. Lou, left his conversation with chris fahey et al, knowing that I did not know anyone out there. He spent about half an hour with me to make me feel comfortable, ask about my favorite books, discuss my upcoming book, asking me about satyam, telling me we saw an opportunity. Then I knew how much I had to fall, how much I had to bow, how much I had to call, how much I had to plough:-)Thanks Lou, forever indebted.cheers God bless, and god speed

How Linkedin is changing the world

2008-03-28T07:45:00.001-04:00

How Linkedin is changing the world

Once upon a time in the not too distant past when monsters were rampant, dices rolled, jobs were ahead and naukris were scarce, the world was a very different place.
this was a world were the seeker hid his work from the wise ones. The seekers were so afraid that it actually became difficult to get the right wisdom.
paranoia ruled and secrecy made tons of gold.
Then came the knight in shining armor, sir linked; upon the steed he came and then a Kawasaki. All hell broke lose. The council gathered, discussed, and then it was decided that
sir transparency is the order of the day. Well, they are working on it:-)
The person to give the best comment will get a painting from me, which is something that will give you immense joy and add to your networth (albeit in a small wayfor now)
cheers
Masood

An amazing artist

2008-03-27T04:52:00.002-04:00

Tomma is an amazing artist, so much like me, but so different: but I have so much to learn form her, so much to ( I daresay) teach (omygod) her. So much to work with her. Where can I find her? Help me help myseld.You will get a free painting. Grab it before my exhibition on april 12th .....Gesundeit.. I so want to learn German now. Max muller here I come.
Cheers
Masood

"New" "Rules" for Enrepreneurs

2008-03-25T21:15:00.003-04:00

Be a little Paranoid. Very Paranoid is bad
Start with no money. Zilch, refuse money from your Friends. I did:-) at least for now
get the best to work for you free, they will
Have fun, work over sweet corn soup,boneless chicken, in a decent restaurant nearby
Do your usability testing free in the restaurant
get a Off ice space and projector for free. Your friends should pay for this
start presenting,instigation, motivation
Talk to people who call you crazy, impractical, foolish, idiotic, and an a**hole
Work till 3.00 am in the night or if you are lucky, work on a hilltop

Marketing Communications "guidelines"

2008-03-24T13:55:00.001-04:00

Less is more
No "concepts" please
Do it already!
Meditate
Read this blog
Hang out with a usability "guru"
Read don't make me think" by Steve Krug
Don't sell.........
Reach out, don't advise
Don't create emotional guilt, make them happy

Marketing "Mantra's"

2008-03-24T13:47:00.002-04:00

Spend less time on marketing. Improve your product. It's a no brainer \
Get out of your office. Now. Please:-) Visit Ramu makhija, Ray jones....
Stop smoking
Print less, pitch more
Internalize Guy Kawasaki and Jagdish Sheth
Write more and work less. Blog.
Join Linked. What, you haven't?
Comment Here:-)