SOCIAL NETWORKING TODAY- MY TAKE

         SOCIAL NETWORKING TODAY- MY TAKE

          Here is a list of the top 7 most common social networking websites today. 

          At the end, is my take over the increasing use of them.

FACEBOOK: - Everybody is on Facebook these days. Form your Uncle to your Maid… Everybody. At such a point, it would be a social blunder if you aren't on Facebook till date! Many people come up with reasons such as “security”, “safety” & “no time” for either not using it or a very meager use of the social networking website. However, I guess you aren't a president to not get some time once a week to occasionally, yet regularly, be available on the social platform. & talking about security, Facebook provides you with great security options- you just need to understand how to use them! Gone are the days when Facebook was just for a few tech junkie teens- today it is literally your “face” “book” on the social platform! Also, no longer is it a networking site the only purpose of which is chatting, liking & sharing posts. It is a great social platform where you not only get to post your ideas, but also provide your support to certain social causes, not to mention it makes you adversant with many facts & tacts. Also, the next time you are asked why don’t you use Facebook, please spare us the “I believe in face-to-face networking” concept!

GOOGLE PLUS (ALSO, G MAIL):- Gone are the days when having an email Id on any one of the email-platforms was sufficient enough! Today, Google has captured the market to such an extent that you just NEED to have a G mail account. You won’t be able to do half the things on the Internet today of you do not have a Google account! & Google has definitely the best E-Mail server/ client, compared to any of its competitors. Rather, I would say, Google is already out of the competition league as it has the biggest user-clientele, ever!

WHATSAPP:- Your friends are on WhatsApp, your mom is on WhatsApp & So is your boss! WhatsApp is a lovely application designed for people who wish to use their data cards & allotted balances to the optimum. You not only get to chat with people as & when you wish, but you can also share pictures, videos, voice, contacts, locations- everything! Drawing the world closer & being highly “convers”ant you see! The moment anybody takes your contact details from you, the first question that will be thrown at you definitely would be “You are on WhatsApp?!”- Which is actually more like a statement than a question. WhatsApp has succeeded into getting itself a “must-have” for everybody. & no, like many people excuse themselves form WhatsApp by saying that they do not have “time” for it, well, people, you don’t really need to have “time” for that. Just like you would call up a person or drop a SMS, here instead you would WhatsApp him- & that’s all! Also, a lot more convenient for both of you!

TWITTER:- No longer is Twitter a platform where people just share “what’s on your mind”. Twitter has now turned a social follower’s site where you can follow N number of people & know what is happening around the world. You can follow your favorite actor, & you shall be updated about everything that he wishes to share with the public. Filling the boundaries & coming closer- as they say! Also, you can follow your favorite news websites & you will be up to date, rather, up to second about each & every tiny-huge thing that is happening in the world! Not to mention certain witty ones, which give you with some great amusement everyday with their punches!

INSTAGRAM:- A fast growing place, where you can keep uploading, checking & liking pictures! A truly perfect place for people who love clicking, getting clicked, & enjoying clicks! A small platform for the clicksties who love it, but wish to keep it low!

PINTEREST:- A newbie & slowly growing hub, where you can pin pictures & like pins form others. Not to mention following certain pinners! It provides you with a lot of pictures that are pretty, different, usable, helps, guidelines- everything! A great way to pin ‘beauty & aid’- of your interest!

LINKEDIN:- A place where the professionals connect! LinkedIn not only enhances your

professional contacts, but it also opens up opportunities for you as it has a lot of companies & employers posting updates, jobs, searches & so on! Professional version of Facebook, you say!

So, these are some of the highest used & fastest growing networking platforms, which one MUST have today! No harm in not having, but no harm in having them too!

Gone is the time where you would blame the social websites for spoiling the generation or making the world a less secure place! Being a net-savvy, I am often thrown nasty comments like “What’s the use of this?” or “It is a social hazard!” At times, people also come up saying that all these “technological stuffs” are risky as you are traceable every single second! They throw me dialogs’ like “People are connecting over Facebook, but disconnecting in their real lives!”

All I would wish to say is, it is the need of the hour. When the mobile phone was invented, people were really concerned with it, pronouncing it might rupture or it might give way to diseases- but today, everybody has accepted it & nobody can do without it. Did it really cause any hazard?

Secondly, though it sure poses the risk of being traceable every second, my question would be why would anybody keep a track of your every move? Not only that, most of the data that we share, is secure with the websites- which keep it confidential. Also, if you take the proper precautions, & know what to avoid sharing, the threat of the “technological hazard” just dies down!

Thirdly, talking about connecting with people, I would really want to quote here that, if you have strong relationships, they won’t break down like that. It is not about connecting over Facebook- it is about HOW MUCH you connect over Facebook. There is certainly no harm in being friends with 100’s of people & keeping in touch with all of them. You should just know where to put the dot. If you draw proper boundaries for yourself – divide considerable time between the tech-friends & the in-person-friends, you relationships will not definitely not suffer!

All in all, technology is a blessing- it all depends upon how you utilize it that might turn it to a curse.

Walk with the advancements; otherwise you shall be left behind! No use hiding behind the veils of your excuses!

(Clarifications:- 1. The post only deals with people who either don’t use stuffs for lame reasons like “time” & “uselessness of it” & throw you nasty looks or comments for being net-savvy.

2. This post ignores the people who do not use these social networking websites for the reason that they “do not like it”. As everybody has the right to like or hate things & do as per their wishes, people who genuinely dislike it are hence overlooked.

3. Also, people who cannot afford the same are also excluded from the post.

4. The Post basically concentrates on people in the age groups of 18-30.

5. The Post talks about websites used on a greater platform by all kinds of common people. Hence, Blog Websites have been excluded!) )

Opinions are highly recommended! ;)

                                           

NOKIA LUMIA 520- TO BUY, OR NOT TO BUY!

NOKIA LUMIA 520- TO BUY, OR NOT TO BUY!

My birthday was just 15 days away. My mom-dad had asked me what would I like as my birthday gift. My phone (Nokia 5233), (which I had been using since the last 4 years), I really badly wanted a new one.What better time to buy a new phone than on a birthday! My parents obviously agreed & told me to start looking for phones & decide on any one.

So, there began my search for the best of the mobile phones. Keeping in mind the budget that had been allowed to me, I looked for a lot of Nokia, Samsung, Karbon & such other phones; HTC or Experia being far away from my list of even dreaming about them (if you know what I mean).

I saw many phones. Lovely, classy, sleek phones. However, being an ardent Nokia user, I was inclined towards buying a Nokia phone. Everybody in my family had always used a Nokia phone. My mom’s, my dad’s, my first phone & my second phone as well. All had been Nokia. & all had worked so very well. There was never a need to change any phone, as they never ever stopped working. The only reason for changing the previous phone was, getting bored! Literally getting bored of it & hence changing it, because it just did not stop working!

As I said, I was inclined towards Nokia & my experience with Nokia phones had been really good, always, I decided to go with a Nokia this time as well, placing a high level of confidence over the company.

I settled for Nokia Lumia 520. White color. It looked just so good! Slender, smooth, classy. Just as I wanted.

On my birthday, we went & purchased it from one of our trusted dealer. Perfect birthday gift, ever.

The whole day was spent exploring my new phone, looking at its features, downloading applications & so on. The day passed too quickly.

The next day as I woke up & checked my brand new phone, I could only see the “Windows Phone” logo in Blue. I tried to switch off the phone, but that did not happen. Hence, I removed the battery, fit it back again & restarted it. Thankfully, it switched on.

Hush! I left a sigh of relief. However, that relief was a short-lived one, & my breath was stuck in my throat when I saw that the phone had again freezed at the same “Windows Phone” logo.

I went to the dealer from where I had purchased the phone. He was sweet enough to understand my nervousness & desperation, & immediately exchanged the piece & gave me another.

I happily got back home. However, the entire day, the phone kept re-booting itself in between. It used to switch off & switch on back again, all by itself.  I did not know what to do. I kept using it the same way, fearing that now if I go to the store, he will definitely keep my phone for a few days to repair it. & I could not even think of parting with my phone.

However, after a two or three day, the phone’s erratic behavior started getting on my nerves. Whenever I was busy chatting with my friends, it would suddenly switch off. Alternatively, freeze. Or switch off as soon as I connected a call.

Being annoyed to my wits end, I visited the dealer & told him my problem. & as expected, he told me to keep the phone with him so that he could repair it.

I got back the phone after a whole 1 week.

Yes! ONE WHOLE WEEK!!!!

However, now, it was working just fine & was not re-booting like before.

That was enough to make me happy & forget all the before-felt angst towards Nokia doing my “Vishwaas ghaat”.

Few days passed & I started realizing the phones N number of shortcomings. Shortcomings, which I had never read in the reviews. Yes, I had read about the phone’s re-booting problem. But not the in-built shortcomings.

Therefore, I would like to list them out here, so that anybody reading this blog, with a wish to purchase the Nokia Lumia 520, will re-consider his wish of buying the same.

      So, here is the list of the Short-Comings:

1) VOLUME SETTINGS: The phone does not have distinct volume settings. You cannot keep the volume of a song that you are playing, distinct from the volume of your ringtone.

So, if you want to hear a song at a volume of 30, but want to keep the volume of your ringtone to 10, you cannot do that. You either have to minimize one or maximize the other; or set the ringing volume to silent or vibration.

2) VIBRATION FOR WHATSAPP: You cannot switch off the vibration for WhatsApp messages. Even if your phone is on a non-vibration mode, WhatsApp will still work on vibration.

However, this needs to be further specified. If you aren’t using WhatsApp for the moment & a new message arrives, the phone will not vibrate. However, if you are online on WhatsApp & at that very time, you receive any message, the phone will vibrate.

There is no way to switch off that vibration.

3) STORE: The store has very very less applications & games as compared to an Android Store. I knew this fact way before, but I still bought it as I am not an app-addict, neither do I really love playing games on cell-phone. But for all of you who want the maximum applications & games, this phone is definitely not for you.

4) ALARM: You cannot change the snooze time of the alarm. It has been internally set & there is no way to change the snooze minutes.

5) RINGTONES: You have to choose your ringtone only form the ringtones provided by Lumia 520, & you cannot chose a song from your playlist as your ringtone.

I had heard you can do so by downloading an application. I tried that too. Downloaded that application & did as it was instructed. However, I got the notification that this feature wasn’t supported on Lumia 520.

So, you have no option left, than to set your phone’s ringtone only from the ones provided by the company.

6) FACEBOOK: Facebook for Windows is really bad. I would prefer saying Pathetic. Almost 75% of the times it will show you the message of “Trouble Getting Data”, even if you are using a 3G connection or a Wi-Fi.

7) WHATSAPP: WhatsApp for Windows Phone is the worst possible thing I can name. it sucks to the core.

WhatsApp for Windows has a whole list of problems. They are:

i) You cannot upload a music file. Yes, I know that sounds dumb, but that is the reality of the windows phone. You do not have the option of uploading a music file from your playlist. You can only record & send.

        

ii) It keeps crashing at certain intervals. If you try to load previous messages beyond a certain limit, the application just crashes.

         

iii) It closes up on its own in between. You will be busy chatting, & suddenly, Wham! The application closes & you are thrown at the front screen of the Mobile.

         

iv)  As already mentioned above, the vibration.

         

v) You cannot delete multiple messages at the same time.

         

vi) You cannot off the Toast Notifications. There is no option to change the settings & disable the toast notifications. They will just keep popping at the above space.

         

8) THEMES: It has very limited theme-editing options. You have to treat your eyes only with the limited themes, which only includes changing the colors of the tiles.

However, there are various theme applications available in the store, but the free ones are good for nothing.

9) SWTICH OFF MODE: You cannot keep your phone switched off while it is charging. If you switch off the phone & connect the charger, the phone will switch on & you will get all the messages & the calls.

10) RADIO: There is no Radio. Yes, there in no in-built radio in Lumia 520. Neither can you download one.

I tried a few Radio applications, but none of them supports Lumia 520.

11) PHONE UPDATES: It keeps suggesting you to download the updates, which cannot be downloaded except on a WiFi, & when you connect to a WiFi, it does not tell you about any updates.

12) LINE: Many social networking applications lag behind on WP.

For example, Line. Many of the Line features are not  supported on WP. You have a small sticker store, with minimum availability of stickers.

13) SMS: If you receive an SMS, you open it & that very moment your phone switches off, forget that message then. It is gone by the time you start your phone again. It just disappears completely.

14) IN-BUILT FEATURES: The overall in-built features are quite boring. There are no themes, no calendar beautification options, and no fonts available, nothing at all.

15) RE-BOOTING: The phone has a re-booting problem. It switches of & on, all on its own. 

Besides, there is some product-shortcoming, which disconnects a call many times, by the phone getting switched off.

However, this is reported by 40% of the users, while 60% of the users’ do not face this difficulty. So, you can use your speculation skills over this point.

So, this was the whole list of the short falls of a Nokia Lumia 520.

      The GOOD things about Lumia 520 are:

1)  TOUCH: It has a super smooth, perfect touch. “Glove Touch” as it says.

2) APPEREANCE: It looks classy.

3) BATTERY: The battery life of the WP is really good. It lasts a lot longer than any Android phone.

4) PRICE: When I Bought it, it just cost me around about 9,000 (if you buy online, it is even more less).

5) CAMERA: The camera of WP is really awesome. Even at 5MP, it works as good as a 10 MP camera.

However, as you can clearly see that the short falls out weigh the good things about it, there shouldn't be a problem to decide upon buying it or leaving it.

While I am writing this post, my Lumia 520 just switched off for the 5^th time!!!