The new year is coming on us and as we say good bye to 2009, which for most industries was a challenging year, we need to keep our eyes on the future. By far, 2010, will be the year when social media marketing is going to get really SERIOUS. You may ask, what does that mean?

For most part, like every maturing industry, here is what we can expect:

1. Consolidation: All the companies that support features and functions for Twitter and Facebook will see some consolidation.

2. Metrics Matter: For those managing marketing budgets, will start to put practices and metrics in place that will help them analyze social media spend and ROI.

3. More Adaptation: The MarketingSherpa report also notes U.S. marketers plan to increase budgets, cites eMarketer. Retail and e-commerce marketers are more likely to increase social media marketing budgets next year, 79%, followed by publishing and media at 63% and computer hardware and software companies at 55%.

Here is a small twist: It is true that 2010 will make ’social media’ more serious and that brings us back to SOCIAL in social media.

Continue Reading on my column at Active Garage: Social media in 2010: Relationships matter more than ever before

With 2009 almost over, we are now embarking on a new year. Even though 2009 was challenging for a few, we have to let bygones be bygones and put our focus on the times to come. There is a power in planning and we have to plan for the coming year, keeping in mind, what will bring us close to living our dreams.

“Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.” – Lao Tzu

In the midst of a recession, it is an opportunity for us to cultivate an environment where our dreams come to fruition.

Here are few things that can increase the inertia of your dreams:

1. Talk to dreamers: Every person who was able to live his dream made a decision one day to give his best to live up to his dream. It is great to talk to some of these people and learn from their stories.

2. Fear is a recipe of failure: Though it is natural to have fear when you start something. It is important to remember that your thoughts of fear and doubt only feed on your confidence. It is important to train your mind to heed no attention to these thoughts.

3. Do OR DIE: If you want your dream to come true, the only thing between you and the dream is you willingness to ACT. Lack of action will only kill those dreams. So, JUST DO IT.

Live it up and build the inertia of your dreams to LIVE the life you DREAM of.

Happy New Year!

Global citizens experience cultural freedom—they draw from their home culture but they also absorb experiences from many cultures and backgrounds. They are not cultural tourists who just travel the world and go shopping. They embrace discomfort and immerse themselves in different cultures. The journey to become a global citizen often includes personal sacrifice and pain. They look beyond stereotypes, and they don’t talk about diversity. Instead, they manifest the change they want to appear within the world.

Here is a slideshow with “Eight attributes of Global citizens”

Here are some attributes of Global citizens.

1. Curiosity—a global citizen is always curious about learning about different people, places, and cultures. She wants to discover new things and is willing to take a risk to do so.

2. Adventurous—a global citizen is comfortable with unfamiliar people She strives to experience her world fully—whether meeting people in her neighborhood or moving to a different country.

3. Rebel—she challenges the norms and dogma of our cultures. She moves past outdated rituals, prejudices, or historical events that commonly divide people.

4. Change Catalyst—she projects the changes she wants to see in the world. There is no single way for her to experience the world.

5. Weird—global citizens don’t fit into a cookie-cutter version of “normal.” She feels uncomfortable when she is asked to serve as a representative of her race, culture, or religion. She carries elements of many backgrounds within her—that it feels uncomfortable to stand as a representative for just one.

6. Endurance—she is willing to go the extra mile to create a new normal.

7. Courageous—she has the courage to challenge the mindsets she was born with. She loves people who are not her family members and cares about issues which are not directly hurting her.

8. Trust – she is able to build trust with people with no prior familiarity. She does so by extending trust first. This helps her build relationships which is a unique competitive advantage in the new global econom

Technology is the only field in which FLEXIBILITY means 24×7 availability. I spoke at Paypal to their Women in Technology group to give them a talk on Work Life Balance. I emphasized on seeing work as part of life. It constitutes a struggle when we see WORK and LIFE as two different and competing entities.

Moreover, women in technology need to have a new relationship with word ‘AMBITION’.

We need to understand that ‘Ambition is NOT a DIRTY Word’.

Watch the video below as I take this ON.

I was recently in China and got to see the majestic ‘Great Wall of China‘ and the magnificent ‘Forbidden city‘. I took a lot of pictures and when I returned to my hotel, I went online to share my pictures with my family and friends – and suddenly I was surprised that I was not able to access Facebook.

For some time, I thought that it was my internet connection and kept kicking my laptop for poor wireless connectivity. While I was fretting over this, I realized that I was able to access some sites like Google and Yahoo! but was not able to Facebook and Twitter.

Continue Reading my column on social media at ActiveGarage: No Access – still 92% of internet users use Social Media

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism.

When I began my journey about twelve years ago, I had no clue what was in store for me. Leaving my family and friends to build a life in America, I simply packed a suitcase, a camera and off I was on my way…

I met with Helen Lerner at a conference in New York and during our conversation I started to share my story. She was intently listening and was kind to invite me to share it with WomenWorking.com community.

Leaving my home and moving to a new country brought forth new challenges and opportunities…

Here is my story under DARING section namely “American Dreamer”

Deepika Bajaj’s first year living in America was a rocky one. After only three months in the United States, her workday was interrupted by a call from her husband; they had been robbed. She thought he was playing a joke until she arrived home to find their computer, her wedding jewelry, and even their important papers and passports were all gone. “For a second, I couldn’t grip the situation”, Deepika recalls. “Suddenly, we had no official proof of our identities. We couldn’t leave the country, and we had to work upside down to get our papers back in place.”

Continue Reading my story: American Dreamer on WomenWorking.com.

We all agree that social media is really effective in discovering people who have similar passions. Still, being in sites like Linkedin and Facebook, where people are connecting randomly it is hard to understand the value of these relationships you are building. It is possible, there isn’t any… But we will never be able to build deep relationships without one on one interaction or meetings in person… So, here are some steps to take virtual social interactions into real world:

1) Be present in community networks

Meet people in community forums that share your common interests. This way you can build relationships with people who live close to you and so you have access to them… In case of social media, these relationships can be in different parts of the world and not be as meaningful for your work or personal interests…

2) Take your business cards to these events

Don’t underestimate the value of business cards…it is great to have blogs, twitter accounts – but there is just a simple problem – to find you in cyberspace, one needs to know your full name….what if they got the wrong spellings or wrong name. With a business card, one can always Google your name…

3) Build Relationships

Yes, you can ReTweet posts and help other elevate their profiles…Still, there is value in sharing other gifts than RTs. Try calling some people you haven’t spoken in a while…you will be surprised how much more pleasure it is to talk to people than to DM or Email.

Continue Reading my post on Active Garage: Rules of Engagement -Relationships enabled by Social media BUT powered by personal meetings

This is that time of the year when we get a chance to reflect back on the year and be grateful for things in our lives.

When I started my Diversity and Advancement Of Women journey in 2007, I was clueless of how things will shape out. I knew I loved this work and this was my “calling”. My desire to dabble in this work tested me out as I faced many challenges. And then, I found many people along the way who believed in me and enriched my life with their guidance.

So, today I am taking the opportunity to Thank these people who accompanied me and guided me.

1.
Seth Godin Live in Silicon Valley: I was in my MBA program when I first came across Seth’s name. I read his book “Purple Cow” and became a huge fan. In 2007, he visited Bay Area sponsored by “Invincibelle” and “Edithyeung.com“. It meant a lot to me. Thanks to Rajesh Setty, Edith Yeung and SETH himself.

2. Steve Piazzale invited me to his “You’re Hired” TV show: I was invited to speak about what vision I had to empower women in the workforce. Thanks to Steve Piazzale for sharing my vision with his viewers.

3.
Trust Workshop for Working Mother Media: I was invited to speak about “Trust” by Working Mother Media in Houston and Washington. I was inspired by Dr. Flores thoughts to develop this talk. Thanks to Carol Evans for the opportunity to share it with participants of Working Mother Media events.

4. PWC Diversity Leadership Forum: At this event, I was representing the “New voice of Diversity” and later heard Malcolm Gladwell and Condeleeza Rice on topics relevant to Diversity. Thanks to Laura Swapp, Jennifer Allyn, Carol Evans, Ilene Lang, Ted Childs, Malcolm Gladwell and Condoleezza Rice.

5. Global Advancement of Conference in India: I had the opportunity to talk to many professional women in India about the issues they face in the workforce. I believe India will lead the way for Work Life integration for women in the workforce in the coming years. I was excited to work on this project in identifying the burning issues for women in India…it was like home coming. Thanks to Carol Evans, Jackie Glen, Rohini Anand and Tracy Ann Curtis for their leadership in shaping this event.

6. DiversityTweet: Embracing growing Diversity in our world - my first book. This was possible because of relentless efforts of Rajesh Setty, Bill Sherman, Mitchell Levy. Thanks to Carol, Evans, Aida Sabo, Rosalyn O’Neale Taylor, Dr. Rita Boags, Tracy Ann Curtis, Capt. Ken Barett and Rohini Anand for endorsing the book.

7. eBay Work Life Integration talk: I was invited to speak to speak to women in technology about work life issues. Thanks to eBay WIT organization.

8. Women of Personality Project: Rohit Bhargava invited me to be part of this fascinating project. In this I shared a story that is very close to my heart. Thanks Rohit.

9. Friends and Family: Thanks for your constant support. You make life FUN and JOYOUS.

10. Building Trust across Race, culture and Ethnicity: I was invited my to Women’s Inter-Cultural Exchange to keynote the Talk on “Building Trust across cultures, business and relationships”. The day before the event, Dr. Carter opened the Smith house to host a reception. He warmed everyone’s hearts with his hospitality. I was thrilled to be part of the Reception. Next day, we had the Basketball court, turned into a packed hall where people gathered to hear my talk. Thanks to to to Women’s Inter-Cultural Exchange founders and organizers.

As a columnist on Activegarage, I am doing a series of posts on Social Media. I took an edgy topic for my current post: Sex Appeal in social Media…

Marketers have long used sex appeal to market their products. There’s no denying that visual cues have been used for many successful advertising campaigns.

Take a look at these two videos, first one produced by Apple. You’ve probably already seen it on TV.

Continue reading the post: Sex Appeal in Social Media

Many companies are struggling to leverage social media for retaining and recruiting talent. And then there are companies which believe social media sites and interactions distract the employees and lead to loss of productivity.
CURRENT SITUATION

A recent study found that, in the United States, 77% of employees with Facebook accounts check in with the community from the office. And, the amount of time they’re spending in this part of the online world is growing. In the United Kingdom, another study found that 57% log in regularly from work, costing their employers 40 minutes a day.

Since, engaging in these activities is not limited over lunch time and requires individuals to spend time on these sites many times a day, it is estimated that it translates to lost productivity of $2.25 billion a year.
Continue Reading my post on CONFLICTING PERSPECTIVE and CATCH 22 at Active Garage