The Pew Internet Project report released last week throws up some compelling statistics about Mobile Usage. You may have yourself used your mobile phone for most of these activities – if not all of them.

41% of cell phone owners used their phone in the previous 30 days to coordinate a meeting or get-together.
35% used their phone to solve an unexpected problem they or someone else had encountered in the previous 30 days.
30% used their phone in the previous 30 days to decide whether to visit a business, such as a restaurant
27% used their phone in the previous 30 days to get information to help settle an argument they were having.
23% used their phone in the previous 30 days to look up a score of a sporting event.
20% used their phone in the previous 30 days for up-to-the-minute traffic or public transit information to find the fastest way to get somewhere.
19% used their phone to get help in an emergency situation.

Mobile usage is also reflective of our changing attitude towards learning and consuming information. This reflects a trend of how technology is modifying behavior.

If all this sounds familiar to you, then let me ask you if you have used your phone for taking a class or upgrading your skills in some way. That is where the number drops. The users of smartphones use their phones to get information just in time to solve a problem. Learning seems to have all of a sudden assumed a utilitarian perspective. I will look up what is necessary, when it is necessary and however it may be necessary to do so.

It is a bit like getting directions. You know how to get to your friends house, the shops, movie halls etc. Even in your own city or neighborhood when you may have to locate an address that you are not familiar with.

When you go on vacation you may need to navigate your way around a new town. Learning today is becoming a lot more like navigating your way around a new town – every day. That basically means we need to know how to get learning on the go. So the value of using mobile devices as a way of supplementing traditional forms of learning throws open huge possibilities of reaching a wider range of learners.

Learning is not just about looking up information. While the mobile device can do that quite well, the real value of education is make sure every learner is ready to tinker, create & take initiative. That is why the mobile is such a powerful device. It is personal, people are practically welded to it and are already using it to meet multiple needs. This makes the mobile device an easy one for all of us to use.

So what are we waiting for? Create content for the mobile that can be used to

1. Increase engagement of the learners before the classroom with the subject.

2. Post class-room follow up

3. Teach values and ethics using games and badges

4. Information that is customized according to the user profile and usage pattern.

5. Mobile library or mobile laboratory

You can add more ideas to this list.

ESLtoGo is an effort to teach English to refugees and immigrants. Refugees find it hard to clear driving tests. So they cannot drive and reach the traditional classrooms. Not to mention the cost of buying any form of transport. This in turn delays their integration into their adopted environment.

This interpretation of mobile ie taking the classroom in a bus to the location of the refugees or learners is to my mind dated. The real opportunity lies in using technology. The smartphone.

But in order to make learning mobile and effective, one has to leverage an analytics engine with the service provider who can track details about when the user accessed which content; how long did they study the content; did they see the entire content or did they see just a portion of it. This information can be used to fine tune content.

What about those people in rural areas who do not use smartphones? At the World Mobile Congress in March 2012, Sunil Mittal spoke about creating smartphones that cost less than $50. I am sure that in 2-3 years smartphones will be the equivalent of today’s calculators. Let us not wait for that to happen before we adopt mobile device based learning. Prices will drop and content will become cool and innovative. Let us start using it now and add more students and classrooms to the smartphones.

Mobile learning provides countries like India the opportunity to solve some of their most pressing problems of education and health. This is truly an opportunity to make learning happen in a www mode: Whenever, Wherever, Whoever.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Someone is paying for it.” When it comes to the Internet, we don’t ever sit up and ask who is paying for all the free stuff that we take for granted. Don’t be in a rush to find out the answer. It is you. You are paying for the ‘free’ webmail, the ‘free’ site where you store documents – especially the important ones or the free apps that you can download for your device. The maps that you use to navigate to your friend’s party are really not ‘free’. You are paying for it by sharing your personal data.

The free services are all paid for by advertising. The more targeted the message is to you, the more effective it is. That is what market research always did. For every product, you need to understand the demographics of the customer i.e. name, age, income level, education level, etc. As research methodology became more sophisticated, the consumers were profiled on the basis of psychographics. Psychographics profile the consumer on the basis of their interests, activities, and opinions. Then, there are behavioral variables such as usage rate or loyalty. All these data points can help to target a specific product or service ad towards the customer. The more we know about a person, the more successfully we can target the messages. We are voluntarily helping the companies build this database about us in exchange for free email or storage or videos.

Each time you register for a website, think of the information you are voluntarily sharing. You give them your name, age (or worse still, your date of birth), gender, languages known, etc. That is just for starters. Then there are sites like Facebook that ask you if you are currently in a relationship, the books the music, the languages you speak, your school/college names, etc. As you start using the site, you are putting up photos of family members, sharing your moments of joy and sorrow that are useful for targeting products that you specifically ask for by clicking on them.

There is constant research done by companies to tailor the ads to target the individual. This is where analytics works for the marketing department. The retailer Target was in the news recently when they shared how they can tell whether someone is pregnant based on their shopping habits and then start to send them coupons for baby products and diapers.
Predictive models tell advertisers about the hot buttons they can press to trigger certain behaviors in individuals.The predictive software also has the ability to start persuading you to buy products that you have not thought of buying. Product managers at Google have tested shades of color with users and found they were more likely to click on the toolbar if it was painted a certain shade of blue. If two people search for the same term on Google at the same time, their search results will be different. The information is filtered based on the prediction of the person’s profile, the location, the laptop or hardware a person is using, etc.

At several online shopping sites you will get ‘recommendations’ based on your purchase history or even what your friends have bought. Social persuasion is a powerful way for people to be nudged in a certain direction. Experiments have shown that when restaurants put a ‘suggested’ amount for a tip, people are more likely to tip higher amounts when they settle the bill.

Nobody would object to the convenience of getting information that helps people do comparison shopping. Where that line gets blurred is when the ads get you to buy things you do not need or worse still, buy things you cannot afford, just because the marketeer knows your vulnerabilities. What is worse is that you have no one to blame, because you volunteered all the personal details in exchange for free stuff. Think about it.

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First Published in People Matters Magazine May 2012. Read it here <click>

Do You Know:

Many popular Facebook apps are obtaining sensitive information about users—and users’ friends—so don’t be surprised if details about your religious, political and even sexual preferences start popping up in unexpected places.  Read more at http://on.wsj.com/JaagNj

Vicky (Ayushmann Khurana) is the unemployed happy go lucky son of Dolly – of Dolly Beauty Parlor in middle class neighborhood of Delhi. Dolly’s mother in law “Biji” (played admirably by Kamlesh Gill) dreams of getting a 42″ flat screen TV and iPhone in her cramped room. Dr Baldev Chaddha (Annu Kapoor) runs a clinic where infertile couples come to him to see if they can get the sperm of cricket players and film stars.

Dr Chaddha spots the “pure Aryan blood” in Vicky and tries to convince him to be a professional sperm donor. When Vicky marries his love interest, Ashima Roy, a Bengali girl, played by the pretty Yami Gautam, his wife cannot accept that her husband has been doing this for a living.

Vicky Donor is not director Shoojit Sircar’s debut film. He made Yahaan in 2005 that sank without a trace probably because the lead roles were played by Jimmy Shergill & Minnisha Lamba. It has taken Shoojit (he spells his name that way, honest) seven years to get over that shock. Vicky Donor will be different. This time he has resonated with the audience.

Ayushmann is a natural. That he is actually a Punjabi speaking guy from Chandigarh in real life helped to build authenticity in the character. But that is also because of Ayushmann’s experience in hosting popular TV shows like MTV Rock On and India’s Got Talent on Colors and of course the dance-based reality show Just Dance. Ayushmann fits the character effortlessly and I would be surprised if he is not the next big thing after Ranbir Kapoor.

For the female lead Yami Gautam, this is her debut film – in Hindi. She played the  lead role in the Kannada film Ullasa Utsaha.You will recognize her as  the Fair & Lovely gal. She too has faced the camera for the small screen in the serial Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam.

This is a film that could have easily slipped into being crude and vulgar given the subject but the screenplay always manages to tread that fine line. The humor is spot on. But after Boman Irani immortalized the property shark character in Khosla Ka Ghosla it is this film the typical Punju character from “The Dalhi” has been done to perfection. This time by Annu Kapoor. But the character who leaves a mark even in a small bit role is Kamlesh Gill as the whisky drinking non traditional granny.

The one song that I loved is Paani Da Rang. There are two versions of the song. One of which is sung by Ayushmann – yes he also sings. But the version I like more is the one sung by Sukanya Purkayastha. I love her voice in the title song of the TV serial  ‘Kuch Toh Log Kahenge’. The song is Saiyyan Nainon Ki Bhaasha Samjhe Naa. On the odd occasion she does tend to get a bit nasal.

Bollywood has not had a long list of humorous films that it can boast of. There is always the slapstick version that border on crude and vulgar. And then you come up with a list of movies like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron or Kamal Haasan’s silent movie Pushpak and in more recent times like Khosla Ka Ghosla that tickled our ribs. This film can certainly be added to the list. Then there is the Bong dad who is horrified at his daughter marrying a “Panjaabi” fellow with a name like “bhicky” (Vicky) who lacks “kaalchaar” and does Balle Balle. The script takes good natured digs at the mutual apprehension of Bongs and Punjus about the other. I suspect some of the humor will be lost if you don’t understand the language.

I just liked that one song Pani Da Rang Vekh Ke – a song composed by Ayushmann during his college days. Yeah this guy is talented. He acts, sings and composes. Does all three fairly well. I am hoping he will get more films to showcase his talent. But the heavy use of Punjabi will limit the audience that the film can appeal to. For instance, the lyrics talk of

Ankhaan daa noor vekh ke
Ankhiyan jo anju rul de

I am not sure how many people would understand what that means. I mean you can always deduce it from the context and all but will people understand it right away? I would say not always. Over the last few years Bollywood is getting increasingly comfortable with a lot of Punjabi words that show up in songs and dialog. It is the same process that has introduced the audience to Urdu. May that’s a good thing to happen.

I really wish to rate the two halves of the film to do justice. On a five point scale I would rate the first half of the movie as a 4 out of 5. The second half would be a 3 out of 5. Mathematically speaking the film would end up as a 3.5 on an absolute scale. But when I compare the simplicity of the plot and the narration it feels like a 4. But for that one song the rest of the songs do not register.

Go see the movie.

If John Lennon had to rewrite the lyrics of Imagine, my suggestion would be to start it as, “Imagine there’s no appraisal…” He could write the rest of the lyrics but just imagine the delight so many employees around the world would experience if there are no forms to be filled that pass judgment on the year gone by.

People worry about these things, you know. I don’t know of a single human being who does not stress about rating their own annual heap of work. If they rate their performance lower than what the boss would have, they would have committed the corporate equivalent of suicide.If they rate their performance higher than the boss does, they risk getting deflated anyway. Not to mention the feeling of having provided the boss the opportunity to smirk silently as he evaluates how hard to guillotine your performance rating.The bosses do not like it either. You may think they love playing the hangman, but they don’t. Most of them dread the discussion that follows – not to mention the drudgery of filling up elaborate forms that companies like to have. Instead of gratitude towards their manager for filling up these forms, the employees get battle-ready when they step in for a discussion.

This is where it gets tough for a manager too. Having to disappoint someone by telling them that their performance was not good enough makes most managers squirm. So performance appraisals cause a lot of angst regardless of where someone is in the food chain.

Recently, software maker Adobe created a stir by announcing that they were doing away with appraisals. The social media world was flooded with people dropping broad hints to their employers to follow suit. A lot of people view the appraisal as an evil ritual that needs to be exorcised.

I believe that the form, the rating scale etc are the unimportant elements of the process that takes up most of the airtime. The only element of consequence is the appraiser’s ability to differentiate shades of quality in the output and to use that data to help the appraisee improve.

Many employees hate the process of differentiation based on performance. That is because we are often poor judges of our own performance. Research shows that an overwhelming majority of employees rate themselves as “above average” in skill and overrate their contributions. Since this is statistically impossible, it is not surprising that appraisals are disappointing for most people. Hence the skill of the person giving the feedback matters even more.

Getting feedback about one’s work is the biggest value one could get from the appraisal process. More frequent feedback has the ability to motivate an employee far more than an annual conversation. We all know that highly motivated individuals perform better. Many parents have the ability to help their children reinvent themselves after experiencing failure. A skilled manager’s feedback can help turn failure into success.

The popular game Angry Birds was the software maker Rovio’s 52nd attempt. Failure can be the trigger for success.

How energized and confident an appraisee feels after a discussion about performance is a direct reflection on the manager’s skill. Ban the annual appraisal if you must – but only after all the people managers have learnt to have meaningful weekly conversations about performance with every team member. Would you trade places? Think about it.

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Read the original article written for The Economic Times <here>

Appraisals are tough for bosses too! – The Times of India http://bit.ly/JzBcar

It is hard for me not to be awestruck and star struck while talking about Satyajit Ray. It is hard to find someone who understood the art, craft and science of film making so completely. Satyajit Ray (1921-1992), is one of the great masters of world cinema. He was born on 2nd May 1921 in Calcutta and died on 23rd April 1992. Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Composer, Writer, Graphic Designer, Satyajit Ray is perhaps best known across the world for his Apu Trilogy. I have loved so may of his films like Jalsaghar, Charulata, Seemabaddha … and not to forget Sonar Kella, Jai Baba Felunath. Ray created only four Roman fonts (Ray Roman, Ray Bizarre, Daphnis and Holiday Script), while he created numerous new fonts in Bengali. Anyone who has seen the posters of his films will remember the posters he made for each of his films and the scores of short stories featuring “Feluda” the detective and his sidekick “Topshey” and of course the humor of Lalmohan Ganguly aka “Jataayu”.

The book Manikda is the photographer Nemai Ghosh’s view of “Manik da” as Ray was affectionately called by his friends and family. Chances are that if you see a black and white photo of Satyajit Ray at work, it has been shot by Nemai Ghosh. The association of the photographer and Ray, goes back to the late sixties. This book narrates the transition of Nemai Ghosh from his first love – theater to becoming a celebrated photographer. He “bought” his first camera when his friend brought him a fixed lens camera someone had left behind in a cab. Nemai Ghosh bought it off the friend and waived off the sum of Rs240/- (approx $5) that his friend owed him.

The poverty stricken and unemployed Nemai Ghosh continued to click photos of an oblivious Ray for a long time until one day he blurted out to Ray that he should be paid at least a token one Rupee so that he could shake off the amateur label and call himself a “professional photographer”. The book is fan’s view of God. It follows a narrative that describes someone who chased his dreams simply because he wanted to capture every single moment of Ray’s life.

Nemai went on to work with the filmmaker for most of the films that Ray made like ‘Aranyer Dinratri’, ‘Pratidwani’, ‘Seemabaddha’, ‘Asanti Sanket’, ‘Shantranj Ke Khiladi’ and ‘Ghare Baire’. The book is the journey of an amateur photographer who learnt the craft from the subject of his best known photographs – Ray. The greatest endorsement of his craft came from Henri Cartier-Bresson who wrote a foreword to a picture book on Satyajit Ray.

“When I asked him, he would explain, like a teacher, instructing a student, why those were not good in all respects. Some shots might have been good but the background was not proper. This is how I learnt the art of perfect photography from him.”

The narrative is like Nemai Ghosh is explaining to you the anecdotes and trivia behind each photograph as he shares his chosen few black and white photographs of Ray. The narrative is unpretentious and at times even a bit too syrupy for my taste (even though I am a Ray worshipper myself) – but the honesty of the narration makes it an enjoyable read. The poetry lies in the photographs. Never once has Nemai used a flash. Each plate is shot in pristine black and white. The B&W photographs capture the play of light making each shot look magical.They capture the mystique behind the 6’2″ frame of the auteur in his may moods and moments.

Highly recommended for every photography enthusiast. If you are a fan of Satyajit Ray, then you have to add this book to your collection – like I did.