The Rise and Popularity of Specialist Social Networks

Take a close look at the picture above and what do you see ? At the outer fringes you will find brands that are now so widely known that they are an intrinsic part of your lives (so I would assume if you are reading this post). Studies indicate that the first thing young women do in the morning is to check their Facebook accounts for updates (as reported by Mashable here). Not till long ago, taking a break from work to explore and travel the world was considered an adventure and an achievement. These days, shutting down your Facebook account and living without it for a month is considered to be a big deal (interesting read Facebook Refugee).

Coming to Twitter, the platform now has more than 75 million users with 50 million tweets being sent per day. People are using twitter as motivational tools to lose weight, run a marathon, quit smoking and what not (read here for more). We even came across an interesting tweet the other day, indicating how tweeting very frequently can be a bad habit:

RT @social_yogirl: Warning – For ur driver’s test. If the guy asks “what do you do at a red light?” ,don’t say… a little tweeting…

And then, foursquare recently reported to signing up 3 million members and LinkedIn too has close to 75 million members and is a highly important tool for job seekers, executive recruiters, MBA students and networking professionals.

But then, most of these are broad social networks which cater to everyone and thus have no specific segmentation amongst its users. Little wonder then, that the success of these networks would lead to other innovations catering to certain specific audiences such as mothers, people who like to travel, MBA students, students starting college and much more.

We like to call these networks “Specialist Social Networks” as they cater to an audience that satisfy a set of characteristics such as age, sex, occupation, future outlook etc. At last count this sheet indicated that their were close to 193 such networks on the Internet comprising of categories such as travel, education, beer, food, business, photography, cars, sports, dating, pets, arts, mothers and many more.

For instance, CafeMom is an online community where millions of moms meet each day to talk, share advice, make new friends and play games. The network employs 65 people in New York, gets millions of unique vistors every month and raised close to 12 million in capital in early 2008. So if you have a brand aimed at pregnant mothers or new mothers such as Babo Botanicals or Nutrabella then CafeMom is where you want your brand to be.

The NYtimes recently carried this article on another Specialist social network called URoomSurf. An excerpt:

Bright Eyes and Regina Spektor share the same bedtime (between 10 p.m. and midnight) and a high tolerance for clutter. They both eat vegetarian food, advocate for animal rights, play guitar and favor the same indie rock acts. They also recently agreed on a polka dot shower curtain.

This is not just great good luck — theirs was a match made on URoomSurf.com, a Web site that does for dormitory life what eHarmony and Match.com have long done for romance.

The article later goes on state that since the site started in February, more than 80,000 students from 700 colleges have signed up, paying $5 or $10 (depending on the level of access to information). Now that’s a pretty good Online Business for what could also be a Facebook group that connects people with similar interests looking to be room mates in college.

Finally, another such network based out of London runs a slightly different model and aims to bridge the gap between schools and students looking to study in those schools. BusinessBecause, is a London based startup that is a news & networking site for the b-school world. It provides interesting content and helps to connect people before, during and after business school. The network has pioneered a new concept of ‘community journalism‘ where its members who are essentially students studying in B-school or B-school alumni are encouraged to share stories of their school experience, favorite lectures, classmates etc.

The website also has its own Editorial team comprising of Journalists from the world’s leading Journalism schools such as Columbia who produces great quality content, conduct interviews with Business schools professors, thought leaders and much more. The website targets international, smart, web-savvy and well-connected individuals between the age of 22-32 interested in Business School education.

Well, these niche networks mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty more out there. So if you’re looking to connect with a group of people who share a similar interest as you, then just do some Internet research and its likely that you’ll find a “Specialist Social Network” catering to your particular interest.

DP Health And Wellness – The Art Of Listening

A DelhiPlanet Health And Wellness Exclusive, In Association With Queen Yogini Kristin McGee

In daily life there are many occasions where people just don’t know what to do in spite of receiving clear instructions. This happens because many a times we aren’t just listening and are occupied with other thoughts or are doing something else. Just like writing and speaking, listening is also a very essential component of effective communication. People can avoid many problems and communicate very effectively if they just listen well. In today’s article Kristin will share her knowledge on how important it is to listen effectively and how yoga can help enhance that.

Sometime back when I was teaching my 12:30 yoga class at Clay and I gave the instruction “step your left foot forward and drop your right heel to the ground, lift up to warrior 1“, many students looked around for someone to make the first move so they could follow. Some of the students stepped their right foot forward instead and the rest of them were still in dog pose daydreaming! It made me realize just how much we’ve lost the art of listening.

We’ve become such a visual society and become lazy as far as how we learn. I remember taking a trapeze class down on the West Side Highway with my niece when she came to visit from Idaho. I learned very quickly that if you don’t listen and do exactly what they tell you to do when they tell you to do it, you’re screwed! My 12-year-old niece was a pro at it — she just listened and followed instructions. I wonder if we start to doubt ourselves as we age or if we get complacent and believe that hearing things is enough to get by instead of listening closely and absorbing things with our whole being. I think a lot of miscommunication in relationships could be solved if people truly listened to each other.

Yoga once again to the rescue. It is one of the few places where the teacher doesn’t do any demonstrating, but instead speaks the class through the poses and allows the students to experience the process. It is a wonderful way to redevelop all of our senses, especially our ears and truly listen. Once we give into listening we automatically are present and can no longer predict what will come next or get lost in what already happened. That is why music can make us feel so good — it puts us immediately in the moment and allows us to listen and experience things on a whole new level.

Note: The above has been published by DelhiPlanet in association with and with explicit permission from Kristin Mcgee and originally published by Kristin on findyourdetour.com. Any reproduction without proper approval and acknowledgment is prohibited.

DP Health And Wellness : The Power Of Meditation, Part 2

A DelhiPlanet Health And Wellness Exclusive, In Association With Queen Yogini

Following up on the first part of this series(read here) we are back with the last part, where Kristin will share a really simple and effective method on how to practice meditation, which is one of the best ways to achieve a balanced mind.

Here is a how-to guide to meditation that I read recently in Positive Thinking magazine (a little-known but great publication!). I like to breathe in and out through my nose only when I meditate but do what works best for you.

Meditation 101

1. Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted. Wear loose-fitting clothing and sit cross-legged on a chair or cushion, or on the floor. If you have time constraints, set an alarm to ring softly.
2. Keep your back, neck and head straight. Leave your eyes unfocused and half open (I like to close mine completely). Get comfortable and relaxed and minimize movement.
3. Breathe from your belly, not your chest. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Try to become aware of your breathing, fixing your attention on the inhalation and exhalation, how the air feels entering and exiting your body.
4. The goal of meditation is to become fully aware of the present moment. As you breathe, watch your thoughts come and go. Don’t fixate on any idea, thought or memory. Simply take note of them and let them fade. If you get distracted, retrain your focus on your breathing.
5. Keep breathing and refocusing for as long as you need. Gradually open your eyes, look around you and slowly stand up — refreshed!

I’ve learned that I don’t have to get up at 5 a.m. to mediate; I can meditate any time, any place and it’s truly making a difference in my life. I hope you give it a try.

Note: The above has been published by DelhiPlanet in association with and with explicit permission from Kristin Mcgee and originally published by Kristin on findyourdetour.com. Any reproduction without proper approval and acknowledgment is prohibited.

DP Health And Wellness: The Power Of Meditation, Part 1

A DelhiPlanet Health And Wellness Exclusive, In Association With Queen Yogini Kristin McGee

“I Don’t need to meditate, I have a good life.“, “Nah, Meditation is for losers. I like to pump it up“. Try talking to a teenager or a young adult in his 20′s about the benefits of meditation and it’s wondrous effects and you’ll probably end up hearing a response like that. Well, the whole purpose of doing meditation is to become more aware and alert, so that one can always live in the moment. Kids and teenagers are already like that and so they see no reason to learn this art. However as we progress in life, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay focused and that’s where the power of meditation comes into the picture.

Let’s hear more about the the Power of Meditation from Queen Yogini Kristin McGee who has mastered this art over many years.

Every night I go to bed with the thought that I’ll walk up at the crack of dawn and meditate for 30 minutes to start off my day. Why haven’t I made this a reality yet? Well, for one thing, I’m already up at 5:30 most mornings. But I really, really, really want to have a consistent meditation practice.

There are so many benefits to having a meditation practice. Especially now in our over-stimulated society, where crackberries and instant messaging is the norm, it is even more important to rein in the senses and quiet the mind. The physical asana practice of yoga is only one step in getting to a state of real genuine internal peace and happiness. Physical asana practice actually falls right before meditation in Patanjali’s eightfold path to enlightenment, making meditation even more important than the physical postures. Physical yoga as we know it is really just a way to open the body enough so we can sit still comfortably and focus on the breath and bring ourselves into a state of meditative awareness.

Meditation isn’t about zoning out or getting rid of all of our thoughts, it is actually being completely awake and aware to the present moment. We sit and witness our thoughts, then let them go and come back to our breath, which is happening in the here and now. It is what happens when you are completely involved in something and you lose track of time. Most children are moving meditations, i.e., they do what they feel like in the immediate moment. As adults we are constantly monitoring ourselves and thinking about the past or the future. Meditation teaches us to be still and be in the present, which is the greatest gift we can give ourselves.

No wonder meditation is said to help people perform better on tests of alertness and reaction time or lower blood pressure and increase life span. Who doesn’t want to live longer when they are truly enjoying each moment of their life!

Next week, we’ll be back with Part 2 of this series where Kristin will share her knowledge on how one should practice meditation. So stay tuned to this space.

Note: The above has been published by DelhiPlanet in association with and with explicit permission from Kristin Mcgee and originally published by Kristin on findyourdetour.com. Any reproduction without proper approval and acknowledgment is prohibited.

DelhiPlanet Weekends : The Beauty Of Money – 2

We’re back with Part -2 of our special feature on the Beauty and Artwork involved in the design and creation of different currencies. If you missed part 1, then you can catch it here.

The Sao Tame And Principe Dobras

Sao Tome and Principe, officially the Democratic Republic of Sao Toma and Principe, is an island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Africa. It consists of two islands: Sao Tome and Principe. It is the second-smallest African country in terms of population. It is also the smallest country in the world that is not a former British overseas territory, a former United States trusteeship, or one of the European microstates and is also the smallest Portuguese-speaking country.

Well, there’s nothing great about the currency note of this place except that it’s one of the least valued currencies in the world with $1 = 14,395 STD (the abbreviation used for this currency). The only two other countries with lower valued currencies are the Vietnam Dong and the Zimbabwean Dollar which has an eye-popping conversion rate, $1 = 236,706,849.48 Zimbabwean Dollars.

The French Pacific Territories Franc

The French Pacific Territories better known as French Polynesia consist broadly of French-administered territories outside of Europe. Known mostly for their paradise like islands such as Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora etc, these territories probably have the most beautiful currency( known as the CFP Franc) in the world.

Try to think about any one world currency that has beautiful females adorning the back and front. Well, if you are still thinking chances are that you have never seen one. There are infact very few world currencies that have faces of women on them. The Comorian Franc is one of them and the CFP Franc is another.

The introduction of the Euro has surely taken away the fun of collecting currencies and although it would be a great idea to have a single currency for the whole world or single currencies for each continent, it would rob the pleasure of “showing off” your currency collection and ofcourse you would have no instant proof that you ever visited a particular place.

DelhiPlanet Weekends : The Beauty Of Money – 1

Imagine what the currency of Italy(Lira) would have looked like, had the great Leonardo Da Vinci made the design. What if the Indian Government hired the country’s best painter to re-design the Indian Currency notes, how do you imagine they would turn out to be(Seems like a great idea for an Independence Day contest, is someone from the Times Group reading this).

Well, it is a well known fact that money talks and rules this planet and there are very few experiences and desires that cannot be fulfilled by the power of money. However that is the only aspect of money or currency that is appreciated, it’s ability to purchase. It is only the coin and currency collectors who appreciate the beauty and history associated in the design of money/currency.

But whether you like to spend, save or just collect the fact is that everyone is always eager to see what the currency of another nation looks like, even if the value in terms of your currency is very low. Money sometimes can also be very beautiful and creating it is an art, whether it’s the engraving that makes up the bills or the bas-relief sculpture on the coins. There are long histories in both as art mediums.

This week we’ve decided to give you a glimpse of 4 of the most beautiful and intriguing currencies of the world, starting with 2 in the first part of this article. So sit back, relax and enjoy the beauty of money.

The Hong Kong Dollar

This particular $10 note is quite different from other currencies of the world. Issued in 2007 to mark the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to it’s motherland, these notes are plastic notes which have been printed on polymer material instead of paper, have better security features and are more durable lasting about four times as long as paper notes.

Such unique plastic banknotes are issued only by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government. So the beauty of this note lies in it’s futuristic design and well, the artwork isn’t that bad either.

The Cook Islands Dollar

The Cook Islands are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. The fifteen small islands in this South Pacific Ocean country have a total land area of 240 square kilometres. The Cook Island Dollar is pegged at par with the New Zealand Dollar (which is about Rs. 33.6).

So although India is a country with a population of more than 1 billion people, a unit of it’s currency is just 0.03 times the Cook Island Dollar. That’s some fact isn’t it, although these days you’ll rarely find these notes in circulation as the islands mostly use the New Zealand dollar now. The Cook Island currency notes are quite beautiful with each note depicting different aspects of their community. For example this note illustrates the rich and varied sea life of the islands.

(Note: Catch the next part of this series next week. )

Art Lives In Their Genes – Anjolie Ela Menon & Family

Delhi Planet Exclusive Coverage

Menongitis-Three Generations Of Art

Begins:Saturday,24 Feb 2007, 7 p.m

Ends:Thursday,8 March 2007, 9 p.m

Location:Dhoomimal Gallery, 8-A, Connanught Place,New Delhi-110001

A female artist, A female painter. What is it that first strikes your mind when your hear these three words put together ? Unless you are an art scholar, there is only one name that you would think of, Anjolie Ela Menon one of the greatest Indian contemporary artists.For the past few decades she has captivated art lovers from across the world with her fine and exquisite pieces of art and it seems like her magic is gradually spreading. The great William Wordsworth once said “The child is the father of man”.Well in today’s world of gender equality it would be a sin not to have a female version of the same quote and so Anjolie now has competition from her very own grand daughters.

Delhi Planet was there to capture it all at the inaugration of Anjolie’s latest Art Exhibition Menongitis which is a celebration of 3 generations of art within the Menon Family, namely Anjolie, her son RajaRaja and granddaughters Indeera and Madhavi.

For all you art lovers out there Menongitis is a must see and for the rest, there’s a whole new world that awaits you, so head out and catch the great works of the menon family.

Links:Menongitis@Dhoomimal art Gallery