Domain Sales Scam Story

Have you ever purchased a domain with an intention of selling it. I am sure whenever a domain is sold at a big, fat, obnoxious price we all think of buying a great domain name at cheap price and sell it. Being in the industry for more than 5 years has helped me understand the difference between scam and real time buyers.

I recently purchased a domain as soon as it was released after expiration. My idea was to flip the domain for a couple of hundred bucks. Within the next couple of days, I received an email from someone who called himself as DOMAIN LAWYER. Interestingly, the guy was ready to offer me $10,000 - $13,000 for a domain that I just registered.  

Approach Email: "I represent a private investor from Canada. He needs "*****.info" for his new project. The project will be launched in September. My client would be prepared to pay a sum between $11,000 and US$13,000 to secure this domain name. Time is of the essence as he needs to secure the domain name as soon as possible, so his Corporate Communications department can prepare the relevant logos and letterheads. I am available to discuss this transaction at your earliest convenience. I look forward to your reply. If you have more domain names for sale, please email me the list. I may help you to find buyers for them."

It was an offer too hard to ignore and I sent a response back confirming my interest in selling this domain. 

The Real Story Now:

Being in the industry for more than 5 years, I understood that there is a high probability of being submitting myself to a scam. The first check point that I did was to find more information about these domain lawyers. The good thing about Google is that it speaks truth and can expose anything. There were a lot of stories that confirmed my doubt on the email from being a scam artist.

Over the next few days, I this domain lawyer wanted me to get my domain validated by paying a fee. It was clever of him to offer help in getting the domain validation done asap. We kept haggling for days about this and in the end to play with him more.I confirmed with him that I paid the company of his choice. Then he responded to give me the transaction information and the URL where the payment was made. This went on for the next 5-7 days and then there was a last response.

My Final Response:

Needless to say that I was not interested in paying anything. My last email to him below and I never heard of him again.

Dear David,

By this time, you must have realized that just like the way you wanted to scam me. I wanted to poke some fun at you. It was great talking to you and I really hope that you are not that embarrassed for being duped in your own game. It was a good 10 day entertainment that you provided. Your desperation was so good that kept me going on and on to respond back to you and enjoy.  Now Smile sweet lad. 

There are a lot of scam artists out there. It is important to be careful and be sensible.

Movies of Tomorrow

I am not sure that I am qualified enough to write a blog on this topic but hey, a lot of inventions happened just by fluke and may be the thoughts in my head will be a reality some day.

It just came to my mind that a lot of movie are developed in 3D now a days and as humans we don't see it as the ultimate things and it isn't like that anything else won't come to take this over. Just like the colors took over the black and whites. Cinema itself will undergo a tremendous change or it may have been developed and will deliver altogether a different experience.

There is a great chances that movie theaters will be shut down and a new, more personal movie experience system will come into existence.

1. Revolving Movie Theater  - Right now it is just the stuff of dreams. As I see it, we will see a revolving movie theater with surreal experiences. You will see a 200-360 Degree screen which will revolve as if the onlooker will be experiencing the same angles as the actors. Just imagine your screen or your seat to revolve to see the next person. May be it is too difficult to think of it at this time but in 100 years of technology we have come in a long way and we will travel miles ahead in the times to come.

2. Just like Video Games - Playing a video game is a fun thing. How much fun it would be to be the hero of the movie that you are going to watch. You will see yourself in the middle, replacing the actors themselves. The watcher will become the actors. Sounds fun? How nice of it would be to allow us to boost ourselves by saving the world from aliens, saving the one we love from villans etc etc etc.

3. Holographic 3D Projection -  How nice it would be to see someone in person. In a concealed room where there are digital images of people(in super 3d). You will see yourself right in the middle again to experience the ultimate form of cinema. This is by far my best bet on the cinema of tomorrow. Just imagine a digital player that will bring out the person right out of the screen in front of yourself. You enjoying the Cinema as if it is happening in front of you.

No one knows for sure about this but hey there is a chance and if any of that happens it will be the next level of entertainment. At least, that is the way I think of it.

How long it will take for Facebook to die? http://bit.ly/Facebookdying
Candy Crush Saga - More Lives http://bit.ly/CandyCrushLives 

Why India can't succeed?

It is very important for us to understand that a great nation isn't built on ruins. It needs a fresh start and The PM of India has been trying to work his heart out to make a sketch a better India out of the ruined portrait in International eyes. But there is one thing that he is overlooking. Rather than bandaging the face. The hurt within the country is a major issue and that should be tended. There are various things that can't be done and there are a lot that can be. Here are some examples that won't let India succeed.

1. Discipline - No one is disciplined and I write this without blinking an eye. Simple things like standing in the queue is a great pain for people. All they want is to stand right next to the person who is first in line.

2. Respect - There is no respect for anything out here. People who were the proud owners of a scooter are now easily buying top of the line cars. That has filled everyone with an ego bigger than themselves. We all know what happens when it is done.

3. Disrespecting law - The reason why there is a law is to protect and everyone there is in a race to see how many they can break. A simple example of the same is the driving habits. Yellow light denotes that one should stand up on the accelerator to speed up and pass the traffic signal.

4. Ill-Educated Class -  While India keep on boasting about the Mangalyan. The country is still full of people who are ill-educated. Use of English is almost mandatory if you want to show yourself as decently educated. In reward, they just suppress the lesser educated. Arguing over resolving is the right step. Isn't it?.

5. Corruption - Nothing to say. It's is a catastrophe that has lost its charm and is normal for everyone. 

6. Inferiority Complex - It hurts me to say but to be honest. There is a growing sense of Inferiority that we are struggling within ourselves and the desire to match the western world standards. Everyone has an inferiority complex here. Whether communal or International. 

More than anything else, we don't want to succeed as we are just focusing on trying too hard to stand up to be acclaimed rather than making a world that respects them for their innovation and grit to fight their issues.

The facebook Search Engine - Google Beware

Further to my blog piece speculating on how long will it take for Facebook to die.

There was a time when Yahoo was big until Google outgrew them and eventually like many others in the past, Yahoo was destined to be nothing more than a parasite. Google's simplicity was so appealing that more than half the world understands the Internet by the word Google.

In order to survive. Google moved ahead from Orkut and started Google+. Since, it's inception 3 years back. It has made a small little space in this universe of the Internet. Now, it is time for ThinkTank of Facebook to look beyond the social media experience and create another way to go beyond the uncharted territory of life after Google.

I am pretty sure that Facebook is in the process of developing a search engine which will hook everyone on the internet in a way that they stop going to other search engines and bring all the social media and search functionality under one roof. Facebook will no longer be Facebook. It will become the only word that the next generation will understand. Who knows they may team up with the no longer functioning search engine CUIL for data(if it isn't already sold). After all, they had the claimed to have the largest number of indexed pages.

Some people are speculating the age of Facebook to be between 2-5 years. If this theory goes right. We are looking at an unprecedented world where there wouldn't be anything except them.

Facebook will eventually become the Internet.

Candy Crush Saga - More Lives

Do you play Candy Crush Saga and ran out of lives?

Are you tired of sending facebook requests to friends who won't respond.?

Do you want to go to try more ......?

All you need is a time portal to go into the furture. Don't have one. Don't worry. Android has already made one for you.

Each time you run out of lives. Just adjust the device clock by +0230 hrs and you will see the full 5 lives again.

Now smile and don't bother the non-playing folks :)

How long it will take for Facebook to die?

Facebook, it needs no introductions. I don't see anyone who isn't connected to it in the online world. It has become such a rage that it has swept the entire generation from the play grounds and addicted them to be online. People used to plan and meet, call to know about their wellbeing or just to have a quick chat, texted each other to talk. Everything has been taken from the real world and the experience is digitized. You still talk, message and see each other but in an alternate universe, The INTERNET.

Charles Darwin once said “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

Till Now, there is one thing that Facebook is doing successfully. They have been constantly adapting to the new challenges that the Internet is throwing at them for survival. The total number of companies is about 46. The first thing that they did was their IPO. With a huge amount of funds at disposal they have been acquiring companies. They make offers that are hard to turn down. Take for example whatsapp, $19 billion is a staggering number to pay for a mobile application service. Similarly, Instagram and there are several others which is making Facebook a fig fat happy family. Seemingly indestructible too.

Now, to the important questions:

Would there be a day that Facebook takes a false step and that will mark the downfall of its popularity.

If you play a game the outcome of it will be decided on the moves that you make. There was a big question on facebook’s  survival when they started to amend the security features.  A couple more in quick succession will surely mark down its likability.

Time and again there are occasions when you see fake profiles and that is a big turn off. One of the major factors that will lead to 

How long they can survive with their marketing strategies and financial planning?

 The IPO is already out and there will be a day when the popularity will decrease and lesser people will invest. At that point, will they have enough to propel another purchase of $billion+. Till when they expect the funds to pour in via advertisements.

And most importantly when will it Die?

Life is a chance but death is sure. Some die as an infant and some make records of longevity. Recently, Orkut has died and similarly, there are others on the way down and it will also go down. It remains to be seen when it will happen. There would be another growing platform taking Facebook to the cleaners.

Having blabbed all this. We are still in the present and we are possessed by the Likes, comments and the color Blue. 

Unforgiving Social Media

More than anything else, there is one thing more important for companies is to maintain their social status.

No matter what the cause of the dissatisfaction or lack of service. If they do it right on the Social Media Platform. They can be sure that they are safe. One would not know the flaws or the shortcomings of a company without using it. Existing customer's testimony is about 80 percent exaggeration. So that doesn't count but for a potential customer base, it may damage their perception forever.

Now, coming to my case. I ported a number from the ever pathetic Reliance to Airtel. I am an iphone user for which I need a MicroSIM instead of the regular SIM for the old phones.

Since, the SIM card I got from the dealer gave me the normal SIM card. I decided to be the engineer and chopped it fit into the SIM card cabin. All well, not quite though. As soon as I restarted my phone. It said INVALID SIM. I tried again and again but with no results. Then I decided to go to the nearest Airtel office. To add to my despair. They asked me to go to the another branch office and get a new SIM for myself. The one good thing that they did was helping me activate my number.

Went to the other store and gave them the docs along with the SIM replacement fee. I was told that it would be done in about 4 hours. The next morning has arrived but there are no signals. It was just like the Big American Dream which almost ends in heartbreak for most of the immigrants.

Coming to social media, I am actively participating on twitter and I tweeted Airtel about it and there was a response within 10 minutes asking me to send a direct message to them with an alternate number. Impressive. I sent the message and got another reply within 10 mins.

Well my time was not over. Nothing happened after another tweet and a plausible auto reply of getting back at me.

I had to go to the same store back again and come back with a resolution.

It doesn't matter that I had to go to the store for a resolution. I am totally fine with it. My concern is why AirTel would promise on a resolution and back out again and again on Social Media. Was it just to show that they are active and working hard to resolve the customer's issues. Plainly, they aren't.

Not the kind of service that I hoped for but you gotta live with it. Airtel left me disappointed.