Why I haven’t bought an iPad yet

When I already have an iPod Touch and also an iPhone (iTouch which can make calls), why should I get an oversized iPod Touch, with a few traces of the Mac? - This is probably the question that arises in most of our minds – I mean those of us who haven’t bought an iPad yet. Apart from being yet another gadget that doesn’t mind slipping into your uber-luxurious Gucci handbag, what does the iPad have? Somewhere between notebooks and mobile phones, there exists a category called tablets. They are definitely more than an eBook reader, a bigger music companion and of course a much attractive gaming gadget.

Gadget designers and whole lot of technology researchers have been suggesting that 2010 would be the year of the Tablet, and a huge number of consumer tech players are either making their own or already out with what they call “the iPad rival.” You would be surprised to know that Steve Jobs actually started work on the iPad much before he launched the iPhone itself. He dreamt of something big and ended up giving us a shrunk version of it three years ago. Probably he attempted to judge your response on a small scale before he could throw up the big surprise.

When we ‘Google’d definitions of the iPad, we thought we would much-rather agree with what Cnet had to say about it: “It’s simply a fun way to surf the net, look at photos and videos and check email with a push!” Saying this, the review actually says you don’t need one actually, but if you can justify, it can be tons of fun. Truth well said. The iPad doesn’t offer the flexibility of a netbook, it doesn’t intend to either. And I am sure those who buy it don’t expect it to.

We didn’t demand for a computer before it was invented. We didn’t know we want a notebook before someone shrunk the personal desktop computer. We didn’t even know it could be shrunk further before a netbook came into the market. Gadget makers strongly believed the way forward is to go smaller, and we consumers have agreed that miniature is the name of the game. In the world of consumer technology, things work differently. Products create demands, here.

When we just thought the iPad was a little early for its times, we were proved wrong. Two months and over two million iPads have been sold so far. And over a dozen more iPad-like gadgets have entered the fray! Will these dozen odd look-alikes create another million dozen demands? Followers might not be capable of dethroning Apple’s leadership. Now that doesn’t mean they can’t come out with better stuff.

With more than a dozen odd tablets on the way from the gadget machines, I think it is better to be a late adopter.

The making of Tech(know)logic

First up, thanks for all the positive response to the earlier post on freelancing.

I have managed to take my first step in my branding exercise and have created my own Technology blog site - Tech(know)logic

I had plans of starting a gadgets website of my own (back in India), where I wanted to pen down my independent reviews and analysis and all that I always wanted to talk about my favourite gadgets - and be the hi-fi reviewer that I have always wanted to be! Even before I stepped into London, I was hoping to see and play with a lot of gadgets. I have finally made a start here with this blog.

So, go on and give me your suggestions. There are a whole lot of gadget sites - reputed, experienced, not-so-great, and of all kinds. I definitely don’t want to be missed in the crowd. I definitely might be writing about the same gadgets that everyone else is, but sure want to make a difference with the way it has been written.

Just tell me what you want to read at Tech(know)logic! Also comments (positive and negative) on the website is welcome.

Freelance - to do or not to do

After taking a sneak peak of the Screenmedia expo today, I rushed back from the Earls Court exhibition centre to participate in the live chat on new jobs in journalism. It was a chat about the murkier media world – where we discussed how lean the UK job market is, currently. The chat predominantly revolved around how to freelance, what courses one should take, Is NCTJ the thing to do and about what exactly budding journalists need to do about building their own brands. Rightly placed under this blog ‘Brand Janani’ let me recall what Professor Roy Greenslade said in the Guardian article on building one’s own brand (which initiated this discussion), and then followed by the actual discussion itself – the panel which included Laura Oliver, editor of journalism.co.uk (a site I visit at least twice daily to check for new jobs, understand the job market, know what journalists are up to, and find out how I can improve myself), Joanne Mallon, media and career coach (the website of which I have subscribed to, hoping to gain career advice) and Carrie Dunn, a freelance journalist (supposedly an expert freelancer, whom I have never come across so far).

First things first – after carefully studying the blog on what journalists – young and old – should do as editorial jobs vanish, here’s what I conclude. (This blog was written after glancing through a rough draft: an outline for a lecture on entrepreneurial journalism). Let me deal with the original posting which triggered this Guardian blog.

So, he says one needs to “Sell content to an audience” (for which I am sure you got to first build an audience), and then sell eyeballs to advertisers, and then fix a price for what you write depending upon the eyeballs. So does he mean that journalists need to first create blogs, create followers, sell themselves, and actually prove their worth to be able to find an entry into the editorial of a publishing house? Seems like I’ve got it right, as he goes on saying how participation for a blog can be created through social networking, twittering, facebooking, and it all. But, you also need to be doing some targeted advertising to your blog – by putting up on linked-in, professional networking sites and the like. The next important step he says is to build the brand, have conversations with the right crowd, and oops did you just realize YOU ARE NOT A JOURNALIST ANYMORE!!! You have to sell, market, consult, network and do all that to create space for yourself. IT IS only about your ABILITY to create audience for yourself (the bigger the number of followers your posts have, the higher you will be rated by your employer)! And, you shouldn’t stop there – extract data from your audience (try and understand your reader), repackage your blogs, devise new applications and sell and manage your content in a clever manner! Journalists are becoming marketers in SIMPLE terms.

Getting to the subject matter now - Is FREELANCING the way to go?

Here’s what Carrie had to tell me in the chat!
"Going freelance isn't the right thing for everyone. Personally, I LOVE it, but then I like being able to manage my own workload - I know lots of people would hate the insecurity and intermittent income, so consider it carefully before you do. I don't think you'd need an NCTJ qualification if you wanted to do freelance features writing, but it might give you an edge if you wanted to do in-house shifts - then having said that, you already have loads of experience, it's probably just a question of tailoring that to the jobs you're seeking. Maybe one of the other experts will have more definitive answers for you...I'm sorry that wasn't more help!"

Conclusions:
-->> Intermittent income and security - if these were my concern,I don't think I can find something worthwhile to do - at least in the current job scenario.
-->> Great! She's sensible enough to say I needn't take up NCTJ.
-->> And, finally she agrees that I have oodles of experience, so let me just tailor (read market) myself better so that my next employer can NEVER SAY NO.


So, yes! Freelancing is the way out, now!

Retracing memories

#1 Its good to revisit articles to understand readers better

Another day of silence. Silence in my job search. I decided to take a journey backwards and recall what I had done so far. To my pleasant surprise, I landed on some interesting comments my articles got. Sab kuch dhiktha hai! The last piece I wrote when I was there. If I recall right, I got the idea of writing about transparent technology long before I actually wrote it. Many times that's what happens when you are a reporter with restrictions. Not any story qualifies for an article without all or at least a decent amount of inputs about the subject. The challenge however is how you bring together all you know about the subject, while not getting across as a white paper (read boring) on the subject. And for another, at the end of it all, or after a couple of revisits to the article, you realise that you had not really covered all angles to the subject.

#2 Revisiting articles can be motivating sometimes

Full HD vs. HD Ready Isn't that a subject discussed everywhere? Why would my editor want me to write this, when there are so many other subjects, especially in an issue that talks about the future of HD viewing, including a sneak peak into 3D viewing? If I had thought this way when I wrote the piece, I would have never known what good research I was capable of. Reading the article after a long time, I am quite amazed how a simple topic, though being spoken about a lot, is still interesting to read all over again, especially when weaved with a lot of new inputs.

#3 It's quite rare an uninteresting phone gets an interesting review

Swap to the new, honey What a catchy headline that was. Read further and you'll land on a simple gadget being reviewed interestingly, and even hyped to a level where the onlooker might want to wonder if its worth giving a second look. That was another challenge I was put across, where I was in a position to review gadgets - both interesting and otherwise - and also make them interesting features to read. A simple gadget many times don't qualify for a lot of talk, but the little it be spoken about, you might as well have everything catchy said about it.

#4 Headlines need to be catchy - they don't have to talk about the subject itself

Expecto Patronum I'm pretty sure Harry Potter fans would relate to the headline first. But what happens when you start writing about a topic as interesting or even more interesting as Harry Potter. What if it was a charm - in the gadget world - similar to the Patronus Charm in HP? NFC was yet another subject I always wanted to write about and finally got my pen in action. When you sometimes review your article - a moment as this - you realise that you actually wrote a lead to justify your headline!

#5 Its about chasing a trend than actually piling up similar gadgets

Wire-free, yet powerful Often times, it is a Chicken and Egg story. You tend to write a trend piece as you notice a lot of players working around similar technologies. There are seldom sometimes you hunt for similar such gadgets to create a trend out of it. But the challenge still exists as the reader should be put in a position where he doesn't realise what exactly was in the mind of the person who wrote the piece!

#6 Its a great feeling to do it before NYT!

Yes, my article on NFC (Near Field Communication) seems to have spoken about cashless transactions before NYT did. That's the best deal about writing future tech. That was one thing I loved doing. Finding out trends even before it can happen. The sense of satisfaction is amazing. It almost feels like you've actually invented it yourself. But the thing about writing future tech is that it can't be something too futuristic, isn't it? People are after all interested only in the near future!

Blast from the past...

Two years back, April 16, 2008.

That was when we started Smartbuy; its mix of subjects was chosen to endow the magazine with uniqueness. Though I was initially busy getting the gadget pages of the magazine ready, I was also involved in designing the pages and making them print-ready. It was quite something to be responsible to edit, rewrite copy and ensure the magazine runs to schedule, apart from contributing my own stories.

Even though I was primarily responsible for Smartbuy, I liberally contributed feature articles and news stories to other supplements of the financial daily such as eWorld, BrandLine and Life. Keenly observing and reporting technology trends, I was sought after in the financial daily. While being responsible for the technology section, I have also significantly contributed to the lifestyle section, in terms of Fashion and collectibles.

As a gadget reviewer at Smartbuy, I developed strong organizational skills while coordinating equipment loans for reviews. With an ability to establish good relationships with a large number of PR contacts within the industry, I ensured that we have access to the latest review kit, interviews and exclusives.

Stay tuned...

How it all started

I was thinking about it for a long while and decided to take the stride as I didn’t want to rot anymore. I decided to push myself out of my cocoon and there came out the freelancer in me.

Simply put, I’d call myself that blind girl who’s learning to see, presented with random patterns – yes, of the publishing business in the UK.

I often introduce myself as Janani Krishnaswamy, previously employed with The Hindu Business Line, a reputed business daily from India. As an editorial team member of Smartbuy, Business Line’s lifestyle magazine, that covered high-end luxury (Automobiles, fashion etc) and technology, I was primarily responsible for developing content for the 'Gadgets & Gizmo' section of the magazine, while also actively involved in subbing copy for the other sections of Smartbuy. I was also involved in designing the pages and making them print-ready.

Even though I was primarily responsible for Smartbuy, I liberally contributed feature articles and news stories to other supplements of the financial daily such as eWorld, BrandLine and Life. As a gadget reviewer at Smartbuy, I also developed strong organizational skills while coordinating equipment loans for reviews. But why haven’t I put all that to use?

My career took a different turn after marriage, with the change in geography. After spending two full months hunting for jobs, I have decided to be my own master!