OLD DEBATE. In new forums.

That MSN India is using the cyber cafe route to enlist more users speaks volumes for Microsoft?s marketing, writes Deepak Mankar.

That MSN India is using the cyber cafe route to enlist more users speaks volumes for Microsoft's marketing savvy.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/04/16/stories/2005041601700500.htm. "The MSN India site draws 25 million Indian users," writes Nirmal D. Menon ('MSN India maps out new marketing plans').

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Does that figure include Indians like me (and, I'm sure, I'm not the only one) who never log on to MSN India but use Hotmail and MSN Messenger directly? According to the European Travel Commission's New Media Review http://www.etcnewmedia.com/review/default.asp?SectionID=11&CountryID=61 India had 36.97 million Internet users at the end of 2004 (roughly 3.5 per cent of her population - and 3.96% of the total number of internet users worldwide at that time).

A more recent Internet World Stats estimate (updated on 23 March 2005) http://www.internetworldstats.com/top20.htm suggests that India had 39.90 million Internet users (3.6 per cent of her population - 4.4 % of the total number of internet users worldwide at that time). I mention these estimates just to put the MSN India initiative in perspective. Krishna Prasad, Head of Programming, MSN India, explained the MSN India marketing logic as follows: "Around 40 per cent of user access happens through cyber cafés. The idea is that since we train the cafe owners, they can easily merchandise MSN products to people frequenting the cafes." His company has joined hands with EMI Virgin Music to release two versions of MSN Messenger Groove music CDs. These are already being given free in 200 cyber cafes in Bangalore to reward new sign-ups. Plans are afoot to take this programme to 1,000 cyber cafés across top five cities - a part of its category expansion initiatives.

The second thrust of the new marketing initiative is to sell advertising space on MSN Messenger and its free blogging service (MSN Spaces). On offer are several advertising options (personalised pages at MSN Today or a free blogspot service such as MSN Spaces). Also, the theme pack for the latest version of MSN Messenger presents several branding opportunities: for instance, in the background of a conversation window, an image that a user can select for their personal user tile and themed emoticons. Smart thinking overall, don't you think? P.S.: The earlier QuiteATake.com coverage of MSN Spaces and MSN Messenger can be read here: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1325988,00030007.htm ('BOOM TIME. MSN Spaces and MSN Messenger.')

OLD DEBATE. In two new forums.

Around mid-March, I had written about an e-mail opinion survey of five prominent journalist from around the globe. http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1276852,00030007.htm ('WHAT'S A BLOG? Journalism not as lecture but a conversation.') Looks like the old debate about whether blogging is journalism is never going to be abandoned. Recently, at The National Press Club, about 60 people attended a discussion on the question, 'Who is a professional journalist?' It was on C-Span. The panel had three Web loggers, two traditional journalists and one former White House briefing attendee, Jeff Gannon. Many in the audience identified themselves as 'journalists' and about an equal number raised their hands as 'bloggers'. "It's a boring question," opined Ana Marie Cox, aka Wonkette. "The only time it is relevant is when there is a legal question or it's a matter of how much space is available" for the media to work. John Stanton, a reporter with Congress Daily, found the exercise irrelevant, if not futile.

However, he said: "Every blog post is to advance an agenda," he said. "People would not accept that from a real reporter." Cox and Julie Davis, the White House correspondent for the Baltimore Sun, agreed that questions about credentialing may be raised out of the self-interest of traditional journalists - in other words, "when professional monopolies are threatened," as Cox phrased it. Davis made this rather significant point: "Traditionally, journalism was a trade. Now you can get a degree in journalism … but there is no litmus test as there is with a doctor or a law lawyer about who is not in that profession." The Reuters Group in New York too hosted a similar discussion recently. Details can be found at http://halleyscomment.blogspot.com/2005/04/about-reuters-panel-graff.html.

SEARCH-SAVVY COUSINS. Brits versus Yanks.

When it comes to search savvy, the British leaves their cousins across the Atlantic far, far behind. A new research commissioned by Switzerland- based online marketing specialist Agence Virtuelle (1150 respondents) shows that nine out of ten (93%) UK Web users know the difference between sponsored and organic search results as against just 38% of Americans. Apparently, "British consumers are most responsive to natural search engine results and only a few regularly click on sponsored links. Google remains a clear favourite among 70% of UK consumers and many are turning to price comparison web sites rather than use (sic!) alternative, newer search engines," writes Robin Langford ('Brits search smarter than Yanks'). In the popularity stakes, AskJeeves trails second (14%) followed by Yahoo! (8%) and MSN (3%).
http://www.netimperative.com/2005/02/28/UK_searchers/view. What do the cousins across the Atlantic have to say to these damning findings? Here's one instance. Andy Beal, VP, Search Marketing for WebSourced, Inc. writes: "The company that conducted the UK survey, did not conduct the US survey. From my school days, even I can see that it is unlikely that the conditions or questions asked in the two surveys are likely to be the same. Also, all of my family are still back in ol' Blighty, and they sure don't know the difference...I would imagine that more than 7% can't tell either." http://www.searchnewz.com/searchnewz-12-20050228BritishSearchEngineUsersMoreSavvy.html. How does he know about the ol' Blighty branch of his family? He doesn't say, folks.

WINDOWS. The road ahead.

What exactly will the next reincarnaion of Windows be like? As of now, there seems to be confusion galore. To learn the latest on 'Longhorn', the code name for the 'road ahead' version, read Ina Fried's 'An early peek at Longhorn'. http://techrepublic.com.com/5102-10590-5671586.html. In brief, the take-away is: "Advanced search and file-organization features reflect the shift in computing since XP's debut in 2001."

TWO-WAY STREET. Make newspaper sites reader-friendly.

Speaking at the American Society of Newspaper Editors conference in Washington, Rupert Murdoch, News Corp's chairman, underlined the need to "need to encourage readers to think of the Web as the place to go to engage our reporters and editors in more extended discussions about the way a particular story was reported or researched or presented". One of his rather radical suggestion was that newspapers should "experiment" with putting bloggers' comments and reporting on newspapers' Web sites "to supplement our daily coverage of news on the Net, so long as our readers understand the distinction between bloggers and our journalists." Don't fight technology. Enlist its help and support. That, in essence, was the gist of his message. Referring to the shrinking circulation and classified advertising revenues, he recommended that newspapers "refashion [their] Web presence ... to offer compelling and relevant content: deep, deep local news, commentary and debate, gossip and humor." http://www.newscorp.com/news/news_247.html.

That's all for now though there's plenty more out there. Join me again next week, same place.

Copyright (c) 2001- 2005 by Deepak Mankar. All rights reserved. Deepak Mankar, an advertising practitioner on the creative side since 1965, is also intensely passionate about the web and web content creation. Read his online articles at http://www.asiaondemand.com/.
Website: http://www.addgandhi.com/original/.
You may e-mail him at dmankar@bom8.vsnl.net.in.

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