Why Google needed the "+" to chase Facebook

Answer is simple. Because facebook is closing the gap with the empire king, and who knows, someday may cross Google in online advertisement.

So far the +1 resembles facebook like and the Google+ is more straightforward move to get a cut on facebook's share in social media. From Google's point of view, it was absolutely necessary to retain the crown.

I have some experience in running several ad campaign both on Google and Facebook over last couple of years. Based on the product and target perspective buyers, facebook can be an easy pick for many businesses. Google shows ads based on what someone is currently looking. So if you are looking for a new LCD TV, there is little chance that you see an advertisement of a restaurant. And even if you see the ad, there is little chance that your home is nearby the restaurant. On the other hand if you restaurant is situated near XYZ company head office or ABC university, you can just run a campaign targeting only the employees or students who regularly pass your shop. Its that simple. If you have a hiphop band, you can run a campaign to reach only those people who likes Eminem in your area. The more narrowed down target, the more return on your small money. Secondly, people spend lot of time in facebook. In my last trip to Thailand, I found at least 80 percent people in cyber cafes open facebook first before checking email. And with integration of facebook like and other social plugin, facebook has extended their mining field to many other websites. So the advantages of Facebook over Google in collecting user data are -

1. People are more regular, more page views, and some spend more time in facebook
2. Users are tracked through all their facebook activities and visits other sites with facebook social plugins
3. People are willing to provide more information to facebook about their location, job, likes, and family members

Still Google shines on running global campaigns and intelligently determining people's need. Reach to the people who need some products like the one you produce/serve right now. Those people will most likely buy for sure because they already set their mind. Google is in edge many places because -

1. Reach to those who need your product right now
2. Variety of ad options with size, graphics and ad on other websites
3. When reach is more global, expenses are likely to come down

But facebook is also building people's preference list with wide usage of different social plugins across the globe. They got enought data. Think what if facebook launches their own adsense! They can roll out right now only if they wish, I can tell you!!

Google's "+1" usage is not that widespread yet. And people moving to Google+ overnight isn't possible either. Even those who opened accounts in Google+ and loved the interface will have to maintain facebook for a long time until all their friends/family made the move. Thats also not going to happen anytime soon. So facebook need not to worry right now rather think about their future plan to retain users. By this time the data they collect through even little "+" usage is important for Google to keep their edge.

Invite others or get invited to Google+

I have received invitation almost as soon as Google made this public (from my university senior Arif bhai, who is working at Google). And I am quite enjoying after two days coz now I see lot of known people coming here at least to try out. Want to invite others but don't see invite option? You can easily send invitation to your friends with gmail accounts.

Try this

1. Write something to share. You can just write - Click on "Learn more about Google+" to join
2. Click on "+Add circles or poeple to share with..." and write down there Gmail addresses
3. Click "Share"

You may see a warning that people not already in Google+ will receive the post via email. Actually, thats what you want so no worries :)

Original post here. I tried to make the process simpler. Let me if anyone needs invitation!

Rails is getting Merb touch

Ruby on Rails is the most featurful and most popular MVC framework in Ruby for web application development. Merb is new, but attracts attention in Ruby community because of its focus on performance ahead of clever code, that Rails prefers in cost of performance. The basic Merb is just a small MVC core; modularity enables it to add features (Merb community chants an interesting slogan - "No code is faster than no code").

Now both camps agreed to merge. Its time to unite, rather divide, if you want to conquer. So, their combined effort will produce Rails 3.0 or Merb 2.0

So, what will be next realease? A Rails one or Merb one? It will have both options.

1. For existing Rails developer, you can still get the all-in-one package

2. For existing Merb developers, you can download only the core. Later you can add feature as module

3. Improved architecture, and thus performance, for both framework.

4. Users of both camp will able to enjoy smooth migration to the next version

Bangla blogging in last one year

Just a few days ago, I posted on my facebook that the three year old Bangla blog platform, বাঁধ ভাঙ্গার আওয়াজ alone sees a rise by 121% in usage. With the inception of two other promising platform Sachalayatan and Amarblog, the number may reach close to 200%. That is, Bangla blogging sees three times more visitors now than a year before. Quite promising that citizen voice is reaching out far.

These blog sites are little different from traditional popular blogging platforms around the world. All these three platforms are intended for community blog where a single front page shows posts from all the users, with almost equal importance to everyone (I am disregarding Bangla blogs hosted on blogspot or any other platform, that was not even possible (writing in Bangla) before two years).

Now another good news. The most popular and probably most influential Daily, Daily Prothom Alo is going to launch another such platform on the occasion of their 10th Anniversary. Upto now, all the initiatives are either personal or by small companies like somewhere in.... And with little or no promotioe by these initiatives, visitor number is still not satisfactory comparing to our total population. Though some are skeptical about a big media's intervention, I want to see this positively. Because many of the people here little or no idea about blogging, let alone thinking to blogging in Bangla. Prothom Alo, with its greater rich, will at least introduce blogging to general citizen. Though they may mantain little restrictive free voice definition than the existing ones, still users always have the freedom to choose the platform later once they introduced to blogging.

Waiting to see more free voice - বাংলা ব্লগিং শতফুলে ফুটুক

Tarapada Roy is no longer among us

Famous Bangla poet, especially known for his satirical sense of humour, Tarapada Roy is no longer among us. After suffering from kidney ailments for several months, he left us this (25th August,2007) evening.

He was so passionate about poems and literature that he named his only son after the literature magazine "Krittibas", which he once used to run.

I may not be able count how many times I heard the recitation of his famous poem "Daridra Rekha" in different different occasions.

দারিদ্র্য রেখা // তারাপদ রায়

আমি নিতান্ত গরীব ছিলাম, খুবই গরীব।
আমার ক্ষুধার অন্ন ছিল না,
আমার লজ্জা নিবারণের কাপড় ছিল না,
আমার মাথার উপরে আচ্ছাদন ছিল না।
অসীম দয়ার শরীর আপনার,
আপনি এসে আমাকে বললেন,
না, গরীব কথাটা খুব খারাপ,
ওতে মানুষের মর্যাদা হানি হয়,
তুমি আসলে দরিদ্র।

অপরিসীম দারিদ্র্যের মধ্যে আমার কষ্টের দিন,
আমার কষ্টের দিন, দিনের পর দিন আর শেষ হয় না,
আমি আরো জীর্ণ আরো ক্লিষ্ট হয়ে গেলাম।
হঠাৎ আপনি আবার এলেন, এসে বললেন,
দ্যাখো, বিবেচনা করে দেখলাম,
দরিদ্র শব্দটিও ভালো নয়, তুমি হলে নিঃস্ব।

দীর্ঘ নিঃস্বতায় আমার দিন রাত্রি,
গনগনে গরমে ধুঁকতে ধুঁকতে,
শীতের রাতের ঠাণ্ডায় কাঁপতে কাঁপতে,
বর্ষার জলে ভিজতে ভিজতে,
আমি নিঃস্ব থেকে নিঃস্বতর হয়ে গেলাম।
আপনার কিন্তু ক্লান্তি নেই,
আপনি আবার এলেন, আপনি বললেন,
তোমার নিঃস্বতার কোনো মানে হয় না,
তুমি নিঃস্ব হবে কেন,
তোমাকে চিরকাল শুধু বঞ্চনা করা হয়েছে,
তুমি বঞ্চিত, তুমি চিরবঞ্চিত।

আমার বঞ্চনার অবসান নেই,
বছরের পর বছর আধপেটা খেয়ে,
উদোম আকাশের নিচে রাস্তায় শুয়ে,
কঙ্কালসার আমার বেঁচে থাকা।
কিন্তু আপনি আমাকে ভোলেননি,
এবার আপনার মুষ্টিবদ্ধ হাত,
আপনি এসে উদাত্ত কণ্ঠে ডাক দিলেন,
জাগো, জাগো সর্বহারা।

তখন আর আমার জাগবার ক্ষমতা নেই,
ক্ষুধায় অনাহারে আমি শেষ হয়ে এসেছি,
আমার বুকের পাঁজর হাঁপরের মতো ওঠানামা করছে,
আপনার উৎসাহ ও উদ্দীপনার সঙ্গে
আমি তাল মেলাতে পারছি না।

ইতিমধ্যে আরো বহুদিন গিয়েছে,
আপনি এখন আরো বুদ্ধিমান,
আরো চৌকস হয়েছেন।
এবার আপনি একটি ব্ল্যাকবোর্ড নিয়ে এসেছেন,
সেখানে চকখড়ি দিয়ে যত্ন করে
একটা ঝকঝকে লম্বা লাইন টেনে দিয়েছেন।
এবার বড় পরিশ্রম হয়েছে আপনার,
কপালের ঘাম মুছে আমাকে বলেছেন,
এই যে রেখা দেখছো, এর নিচে,
অনেক নিচে তুমি রয়েছো।

চমৎকার!
আপনাকে ধন্যবাদ, বহু ধন্যবাদ!
আমার গরীবপনার জন্যে আপনাকে ধন্যবাদ,
আমার দারিদ্র্যের জন্যে আপনাকে ধন্যবাদ,
আমার নিঃস্বতার জন্যে আপনাকে ধন্যবাদ,
আমার বঞ্চনার জন্যে আপনাকে ধন্যবাদ,
আমার সর্বহারাত্বের জন্যে আপনাকে ধন্যবাদ,
আর সবশেষে ওই ঝকঝকে লম্বা রেখাটি,
ওই উজ্জ্বল উপহারটির জন্যে আপনাকে ধন্যবাদ।

কিন্তু,
ক্রমশ,
আমার ক্ষুধার অন্ন এখন আরো কমে গেছে,
আমার লজ্জা নিবারণের কাপড় এখন আরো ছিঁড়ে গেছে,
আমার মাথার ওপরের আচ্ছাদন আরো সরে গেছে।
কিন্তু ধন্যবাদ,
হে প্রগাঢ় হিতৈষী, আপনাকে বহু ধন্যবাদ!



Probably this was his last published poem (published in bi-weekly literature magazine Desh - August 2, 2007)

পুরনো শহরতলিতে // তারাপদ রায়

আবার ফিরে এলাম,
আর একটু খোঁজ নিয়ে এলেই ভাল হত।

বাড়ির সামনের দিকে
একটা কয়লার দোকান ছিল
কাঠ, কয়লা, কেরোসিন - খুচরো কেনা বেচা,
কেউ চিনতে পারল না

দু'জন রাস্তার লোক বলল,
'এদিকে কোনো কয়লার দোকান নেই
গলির এপারে রাধানাথ দত্তের গ্যাসের দোকান
সেখানে খোঁজখবর নিয়ে দেখুন।'
মনে আছে কয়লার দোকানের পিছনে ছিল বড় উঠোন,
কয়েকটা আম কাঁঠাল গাছ, ভাঙা বারান্দা, ঘর দোর।
এখন তো কিছুই নেই,
শুধু একটা নেমপ্লেট, 'নাগরিক'।
চারতলা বাড়ি, ষোলটা ফ্ল্যাট,
এরই মধ্যে কোনওটায় আমি ফিরে এসেছি।
কিন্তু কয়তলায়, কাদের ফ্ল্যাট?
স্বর্গীয় রূপকবাবুর পদবিটা যেন কী ছিল,
তাঁদের নতুন বাসাবাড়িতে এখন কে থাকে -
কোনও খোঁজখবর রাখি না,
শুধু মনে আছে তাঁর ভাইঝি টুলটুলি।
না। সেই বাড়িটা জগৎসংসারে আর নেই,
টুলটুলিকে কেউ চেনে না।
পুরনো শহরতলির নতুন পাড়ায় বোকার মতো ঘুরি।

Arrest of a prominent journalist sparks world media, except Bangladesh

Tasneem Khalil is a renowned Bangladeshi journalist, a famous blogger, currently works for a leading daily The Daily Star. Yesterday night he was arrested from his residence by joint forces (currently backing caretaker government in Bangladesh) without showing any proper warrant document. This sparked the world media, but unfortunately doesn't touched his Bangladeshi friends.

CNN coverage
International Herald Tribune story

The influential newspaper The Washington Post interviewed him last month where he was critical about current army backed caretaker government - which may lead the arrest someone suspects. Another article, influenced by his writing, published in Amnesty International website just yesterday.

Picled politics, a south Asians' forum, is going to arrange a demonstration in front of Bangladeshi High Commission, London, if he isn't released by Sunday.

btw, only a few moments ago, BDNEWS24 shows little responsibility. May be the 24 in their name means news may come after 24 hours!!!

I, like most other here, welcomed the government when they took power. But it doesn't mean we support their all steps, especially when they deny people's right to know. Hope the situation won't get any more worsen...

Prottutponnomotitto - Bangla's new album

After delayed for several times at last the album officially released on April 14th, on Bangla New Year’s day. But it took another week to appear at store shelves.

All the tracks are Lalon Giti. Lalon was a famous Baul (a kind of Bangla folk songs) writer. I had no idea that he was actually against religion: not only against religious extremism, but also against all kinds of our traditional religious belief. Some tracks preceded and followed by comments by Baul artists, also against religion.

A big daring step by Bangla to promote such songs. Though our leaders are kept on saying that we are moderate Islamic country, we all know still some extremists are still operating. We are waiting to see how they react.