Our world is changing. Now that’s very cliched, you may say. But if you look around a bit, then our way of information gathering to idea spreading has changed over time. Much due to the advent of internet. Internet is shaping our culture in way which we wanted to. Web 1.0 era is over as we have seen much discussion about it and the new world order of Web 2.0 is here. And with the introduction of Web 2.0, came the concept of Social Media. And this very revolution has changed a lot of things: For us and the business models of the world. You can frame it largely as we are in “SPECS Economy” i.e. Sharing, Peering, Engaging, Collaborating and Socializing culture.

In the world where we are using tools like Twitter, Facebook etc to connect people across the boundaries, so why can’t we use these mass collaboration tools to help each other prevent some of the worst feared catastrophes which have more often than not paralyzed the entire human race. On this regard, Google has taken a new initiative to save the world via the internet. They (Google.Org) are funding a non-profit group called “InSTEDD“. The idea is to alert citizens of the world against disease outbreaks & natural disasters and coordinate relief efforts in the event of disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and Tsunami etc.

Today is one of the glorious day in the history of Indian business. The much talked about Tata’s 1-lakh ($2700) car was launched today in the Auto Expo Show at New Delhi.

I won’t go much into the details of the car or the euphoria surrounding the launch, since it will be all over the media tomorrow. But I want to share some thoughts about the launch. Actually I came to know about the launch details from Twitter (thanks to Gaurav Mishra). He actually twittered the news while Mr. Tata was announcing it.

Few things happened while this development was taking place. First, Tata’s Nano featured among the top most search in Technorati on 10th Jan, 2008 i.e. the world was searching for more information about Tata’s Nano and secondly, the blogosphere was buzzing about Tata Nano.

It’s very rare to see such euphoria among people across the world for a product launch like this and that too Indian product. But here the product has the capability to be a standard by itself, both for customers as well as industry players across the world. Tata’s have made it possible to break the myth that cheap products are inferior in quality.

The launch of this small “Big” car (as much the hype) can be traced back to the corridors of Apple’s Steve Jobs launching iPhone. So when Steve Jobs comes with his keynote speech about iPhone’s launch and people across 130 odd countries watch it, then much of the PR, Branding and Marketing is being done there itself. So now Indians have something to boast about. So when Mr. Ratan Tata comes out with Nano’s launch speech, people around the world want to listen to what he has to say (Citation from technorati).

So from a marketer’s point of view, the job has been well done and an incredible story of hope & dream has been passed to the people. Now the “Idea-virus” has to spread. So Tata’s main task would be to do some good PR activities (not much in marketing) to keep it hot unless it faces some crucial issues relating to customer services due to the initial hype.

Still I’m happy that an Indian brand has nudged the expectations of world-wide public and Tata’s Nano will definitely put India in the limelight for much needed innovation in the Indian context.

Once in a while, people ask me this question i.e. How to build traffic to my blog? The other day a friend of mine popped this question to me. I was far from surprised since I’m not a SEO guru or a internet traffic wizard. But yeah, I have been pulling some decent (trying to be humble) amount of traffic to my blog. So here are my 50 small tidbits for those who are interested or in a mood to have some fun:

1. Write which people will be interested in.
2. Don’t write about your ex-girlfriend or how your mom keeps pestering you.
3. Make love to Search Engines. Remember that Google is your new best friend.
4. Learn to be an expert in your field; At least try to be..
5. Be the first to break or announce news.
6. Long post sucks; believe in KISS (Keep it short & simple) philosophy.
7. Write timeless posts which can be read after one year even.
8. Bait inbound links by writing definite posts.
9. Being controversial helps.
10. Write about your sexy hot girlfriend. Give pictures if needed
11. Include bright and shiny widgets to grab attention.
12. Encourage comments by conversational posts i.e keep it open ended.
13. Give a free brownie to your commenter’s.
14. Tag your posts in Del.icio.us, Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Furl etc.
15. Have some influential bloggers talk about you. Period
16. Use images in your posts. Helps in assuming the idea of your article.
17. Work on the visual appeal. Yours is fine but more on the blog.
18. Include Categories, Most popular posts & Recent Posts.
19. Write about topics which are easy linkbaits for other bloggers like about gadgets, Google, Web 2.0 etc.
20. Have some influential friends who can help you spread your blog. Being Social is most important.
21. Use Twitter to perfection. Try to have followers/following ratio greater than 1.
22. Post on weekdays since there are more readers.
23. Post on weekends since there are less blog posts.
24. Use RSS and “Subscribe to Email” tab in your blog.
25. Keep a check on Technorati on top searches. Set Ping automatically or take help from someone smarter.
26. Don’t write about something which you will hate to read.
27. Learn SEO or buy “SEO for Dummies” for long term advantage.
28. Write in English or better write in Japanese.
29. Use third party way of driving traffic by posting in SlideShare.
30. Email friends about your new posts. Remember friends not foes.
31. Comments on other bloggers site, even though their posts suck sometimes.
32. Think I’m your pal..you know what to do!
33. Get back to your comments and give feedback.
34. Remember your blog’s url is your new name. So use it wherever possible. Try using it in your resume.
35. Sometimes not listening to other bloggers giving suggestion helps.
36. Create your own USP about your blog like Marketing, Social Media, Web 2.0, Technology blah blah.
37. Use Facebook to promote if you like Zuckerberg or use any SNS to let people know about your blog.
38. Increase your social circle..If not refer back to No 20.
39. Take ideas or get inspired by other people’s writing.
40. Stop being boring.
41. Surprise your readers. Write about Osama Bin Laden.
42. Create a niche for your blog through posts. Remember there is always someone interested.
43. Add some videos of Paris Hilton or some podcasts with J. Lo.
44. Create a buzz by publishing something newsworthy like Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was wrong or something like that. But it should be true and not a rumor.
45. Don’t over promote yourself at the expense of your reader’s attention.
46. Love blogging and have passion for it.
47. Look for new topics to write on from other people’s twitter conversations.
48. Don’t be vague in your posts.
49. Make a lot of online friends in different SNS & Bookmarking sites. Again refer to No 20.
50. Last but not least, be patient.

So here are my 50 advices to get traffic to your blog. So feel free to give your ideas (satirical, humor or relevant).

Neither 2007 nor 2008 are the Years of Wireless. They’re the transition years.

The significant events that shaped the U.S. wireless industry in 2007 will carry over to 2008 and most likely 2009 before the industry receives a long-time-in-coming, much-needed makeover that — hopefully — will benefit all the players: the carriers, the infrastructure providers, the handset manufacturers, the developers and, best of all, you, the consumer.

Looking back at last100’s coverage of the U.S. wireless industry, three significant themes emerged that, taken singularly, could have qualified 2007 as the Year of Wireless: Life Remotes (the introduction of the iPhone), Disruption (Google’s game-changing involvement in an industry outside its own), and Mobile Lifestyle (mobile apps).

Yet each of these are far from complete, or even fully developed, so to say 2007 is the Year of Wireless is premature. We examine some of the events of 2007 and look forward into what promises to be an active, topsy-turvy 2008.

Life Remotes: The iPhone leads the next wave of cell phone design

Kenny Hirschorn, a chief strategist for European telecommunication giant Orange, once told Howard Rheingold for his book “Smart Mobs” not to think of the telephone as a device to talk into but one evolving into a “remote control for your life.”

Hirschorn’s observation is coming true. The cellphone has evolved beyond voice communications and a tool used by businessmen to a can’t-live-without, multi-facetted device used by everyday people — young and old — to connect to family, friends, and their interests at home and on the go. Increasingly, the cell phone is evolving into an information device — a life remote — to help people manage their busy lives.

Just note the success of the BlackBerry Pearl and Apple’s much ballyhooed iPhone. Months before the iPhone release, Research in Motion launched the Pearl, a consumer-focused smartphone that extended RIM beyond its usual business/enterprise customer. RIM’s revenue doubled from a year ago. The reason? About 34 percent of new subscribers were consumers and small businesses.

The Pearl’s release, however, was buried in the hype over the impending iPhone launch, which came at the end of June. At the time, we asked if the iPhone wasn’t the most emotional product of all time, a somewhat lofty statement but one that’s held true to this day.

Why emotional? There was unprecedented interest in it, not just leading up to the release but ever since. It’s hailed by many as the Gadget of the Year, lauded for its design, user interface, ease of use, and how it’s changing the wireless industry. For the first time, a manufacturer chose a carrier, not the other way around — an early sign of things to come.

But what’s striking about the iPhone is its emotional impact. It’s creating a “halo effect”, introducing non-Apple users to other Apple products such as its desktop and laptop computers, iPods, and iTunes store. It’s getting people to look beyond their current phones to see the possibility of what the iPhone and similar phones represent — another sign of things to come.

In a recent article in InfoWorld, Elizabeth Montalbano wrote, “In my case, it [iPhone] has changed the way I live. . . . Four months later, I’m still smitten. Until iPhone, I never thought a mobile device could so drastically change my daily life.”

Now, as 2008 begins, the Apple love-fest known as Macworld is just weeks away and iPhone speculation begins anew. The iPhone was a surprisingly stout first-generation product, but it still had many flaws, the least of which was using AT&T’s slow Edge network and the choice of going with Web-based applications over user-installed third-party apps.

These rough edges are due to change with the second generation iPhone, which is expected to be compatible in the U.S. with the faster 3G networks open to third-party developers when the software developer’s kit is released in February. Expect a second-gen iPhone to be available in the spring, no later than its June anniversary.

Also expect some counter-punching from feisty, long-established handset manufacturers with proven track records — LG (already released the Voyager), BlackBerry (new touch-screen Pearls are rumored on the way), Nokia (the world’s leading cell phone maker), Motorola, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson.

What we’ve learned from 2007 is that design, user interfaces, and a pleasurable user experience are important innovation points and differentiators in a crowded, staid market that’s about to be turned upside-down.

Disruption: An outsider takes aim on wireless

Back in March, Google announced its interest in bidding on the 700 MHz spectrum that will be auctioned off by the U.S. government at the end of this month. The usual maelstrom followed in the tech world: What is Google up to? Why is Google bidding? What will a wireless industry be without the biggies AT&T and Verizon telling consumers what phones we can buy and what applications we can use on their networks?

As it turned out, Google got half of what it wanted when the FCC voted at the end of July to approve the rules governing the auction, which undoubtedly will change the U.S. wireless industry landscape. The commission decided to give consumers more choice and freedom, mandating that one-third of the spectrum auctioned must be “open” to any phone and application for use on any network. That was a big victory for Google and, theoretically, consumers.

That got us thinking. What would a Google phone look like? What would be its specs? Would it be an actual phone produced by or for Google or a Google-powered phone for others to develop and deploy on different carriers? It didn’t really matter. Google’s involvement was sure to rewrite the rules.

As it turned out, Google isn’t developing a separate Gphone, per se, but thousands of them through a Google-powered open-source operating system known as Android. The effort also has the backing of a diverse set of companies, which formed a special interest group known as the Open Handset Alliance (OHA).

There is no guarantee that Android or the OHA will succeed, but Google’s leadership and involvement is largely seen as a good thing as it shakes up a lumbering industry and reshuffles power structures and business models. In fact, it already has.

Among early OHA members were the carriers Sprint and T-Mobile, indicating they would open up their networks. Verizon, the No. 2 carrier in the U.S., has been dead-set against opening its network to any phones and applications it does not sanction. AT&T, the No. 1 carrier, has a somewhat open network (based on GSM standards) but didn’t flaunt that fact to customers.

When Google officially said it will bid on the 700 MHz spectrum, Verizon soon announced it was supporting Android and open networks and AT&T, oddly, said its network was already open, they just didn’t tell their customers about it.

Open networks, Google’s involvement in wireless, Android, the OHA, the upcoming spectrum bid, and let’s not forget the iPhone all began in 2007 and all will continue impacting the wireless industry through 2008. Exactly what happens will be fun to watch.

Mobile Lifestyle: mobile apps are the way to go

Consumers are going to need something to do with improved hardware and open networks, and 2007 introduced huge advancements in mobile applications — again, a sign of where things are headed. But like hardware and networks, innovation and development for mobile apps are no where near maturity.

During 2007 we saw advancements in the mobile Web, mobile applications, mobile gaming, mobile TV and video, mobile music, location-based services, mobile social networks, user-generated mobile content, and sharing, among others.

We think the mobile Web remains illusive until the hardware and networks are improved. We question why we need to watch a complete football game or TV shows on a mobile phone but understand its popularity overseas and where it might be headed in the States.

Mobile application developers understand the limitations of tiny cell phones and displays and are designing for mobile, not just porting desktop apps to the mobile platform.

Developers realize that word processing and spreadsheets on a phone attract a niche audience and only were marginally successful on PDAs. Instead, developers are pursuing the concept of “snippets” and widgets — smaller, scaled-down applications built for mobile that allow people to view and interact with their information in basic ways, stripping out the complexity and program overkill.

Examples are everywhere: Apple’s Calendar, Mail, Notes, and Photos on the iPhone. Google Maps. Mobile YouTube. Weather widgets. Mobile Facebook. Mobile versions of Google applications: search, Gcal, Gmail, Reader, Docs, Notebook, and others for use with the iPhone and Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Linux platforms.

The concept of “snippets” and cell phone-appropriate programs is reaching into mobile gaming (short attention games), location-based services, e-commerce and micro payments (quick transactions), and mobile social networks (specific interfaces for Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn), among many others.

And these are based on what was introduced in 2007. Telecom backbone infrastructure providers say they hav