Hi there. I should have probably titled the blog as Down Memory Lane with the Google Guy. 'Cuz that’s what first came to my mind. Not that he doesn't have a name or an identity of his own, it’s just that to me, he'll always be what I perceive Google to be.
It was a Sunday when I first met him, or didn't meet him rather. We were the few unfortunate souls who reached class 5 minutes late. It was a Sunday...breakfast was good...who gets up this early in the morn...I know...excuses...excuses...but hey, that’s a typical student for you. Anyways, moving on...we were late. And we weren't allowed in. Surprised? We sure were. It'd been so long since someone had kicked us outta class that it actually felt kinda cool. So we cribbed for a while...loitered around...and then just went back to our rooms hoping for some much needed shut-eye.
We were soo not gonna get that. We were woken up in less than an hour by the lucky 4 who had crossed the threshold before 9.30. We get a second chance...we had to be in class by ten mins. We rush and go...you must be wondering why we were so desperate to attend class on a Sunday...I mean..whats the big deal..right? Well a) Our attendance was screwed up b) Our attendance was screwed up. Cmon..what did ya think?
So we rush to class...and we are stopped outside. We meet this bearded guy in a kurta..all casual n' cool...asking us why we were late. Cmon..are we back to that again? So he wanted a whacky excuse. Before we could actually use our muddled brains, some kind soul spoke up for us and requested him to let us in. And voila! In we were. And then he tells us we get no attendance. Are you kidding me? Apparently not...you can guess who the object of our murderous thoughts was...
He starts the class...all friendly and chilled out. Might I say..he wasn't that bad at all...I mean...except for the attendance thing..he was actually great. Plus he had a Mac Book Pro..(For those who are new..I own a Mac and am a lunatic when it comes to Macbooks. Mac Book=Fun. You get that?)
So he asks our names..and surprise..surprise..he actually remembers them. Now that won us over already. He was fun..had a sense of humour..and to top it all..actually talked sense.
He was from Google..so obviously..he was there to discuss Digital. We started off with the Evolution of the Internet. Right from the US Army story. How it was first developed as Arpanet in 1969..how it was an extremely closed network..with classified information. Compare it to the Internet of today..wide open for anyone, in any part of the world. Today's Internet is driven by information and open access of it to all.
We then moved on to discuss social networking sites - the current rage. How the social network now governs our life. Be it marketing or just networking..almost everyone is on the web now...this is indeed the new society. You don't really have to attend parties or weddings to stay connected to the homo sapien community...you just have to be on Facebook...amazing isn't it? Who'd have thought of this during the era of Jane Austen or Margaret Mitchell? They'll be dazed...if at all anyone could indeed surprise them that is.
Moving on. We discussed contextual advertising in quite some detail. We took a simple example :"c u @ 7 @ ruby tuesday. luv ya" We then went on to analyze the consumer profile, how a marketer could use it and so much more. It was fun, it was challenging and it was new. We hadn't done productive thinking in quite some time. Contextual advertising led us to explore mobile advertising...the pros and cons of consumer privacy being invaded and so on..it sure was a revelation. We watched fun videos on You tube...its all about content...and I never knew content management is such a profitable business...Whoever came up with You tube was a genius indeed.
Oh, you know what else was cool? We actually got to have Pizza and Coke in class...I mean...the guy is great, isn't he? The attendance deal is long forgotten...cmon..what are you even talking about? So we call it a day after a lot of fun interaction..didn't feel like a torturous class at all...more like a fun discussion...I always liked Google..I now love it :)
The next day was all practical work..we explored all about Google ad words...Creating ads on Linked In and other Social Networking portals...it was all so new...but it was fun learning...we had so much to learn..so much to understand..I loved it...Did you know that the ads which come on top are actually the ones that have to pay the least? That was a stunner...I had no idea that search engines paid so much attention to the quality of the content on a portal..they are not there just for the money..they actually deliver too..that was such a delight to know...
The last session was about Google Analytics and how useful a tool it is for a marketer..how it enables them to actually tabulate how profitable any venture is - in terms of visits, views, and so on. I missed this last part..but I read up about it online. It sure is an amazing tool. Imagine a tool that finally tracks down which ads are performing, and which are not!
I did my last internship on the same subject - Digital. It sure was fun attending the sessions, especially since I knew how relevant it was to my future, and to the industry in general. Digital is traceable and it costs way too less compared to traditional media. It is the future, and as Darwin says, its survival of the fittest. It really doesn't matter how old or good you are - you have to be the one who is most adaptable to change. And digital is the new way to live, in fact, it is the only way open in today's world of digital junkies and real time living.
So thats all for you..yes I did talk about digital myself..but thats cuz I'd been told to write a bit about it too..but mainly this is an ode to Google..and to Mr. Zaeem Mirza aka the Google Guy who taught me a lot of stuff about Digital that I'd had absolutely no idea about. Whatever I perceive about Google is now all because of his interaction with us. So yeah, Google is fun, helpful, chilled-out, and yes, finally made me use my burned-out grey cells to write a productive piece (I hope) that I wouldn't have ever, otherwise.
Heil Digital! Heil Google! And Cheers to you if you actually made it till here :)
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| Zaeem's Symbol P.S. Notice how he has spelt out his name in the intricate design...makes one think...right? :) In case anyone is actually dumb enough to copy and use this design...kindly notice that it is someone else's brain...and someone else's name... |
