AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NUMBERS!

This amazing website contains everything you need to know about numbers - smallest perfect number, largest cube in the Fibonacci series, Kaprekar number, triangular number, Taxi cab number and on and on ...  View now!

INTERNET JOBS. PART 2 - AFFILIATE MARKETING (EARNING COMMISSION INCOME FROM ONLINE SALES)

This Internet Job has grown as a bye-product of the global rise of electronic-commerce (e-commerce). e-Commerce is flourishing on date and as a direct consequence, Affiliate Marketing is flourishing too. And, as e-commerce holds out the promise of sustained future growth, it can be expected that this job too has a long future.

The Internet provides an inexpensive means of communicating globally. When we take the perspective of e-commerce, we see that it has radically changed the nature of online selling by making e-commerce "marketplaces" directly accessible to global buyers and as a result, the huge opportunity for middlemen to advertise marketplace products & services and earn commissions from the sellers. 

What is most noteworthy of this model is that it connects marketplaces, sellers, buyers and advertisers seamlessly, regardless of where they are geographically located -  in other words, across national borders. All parties involved need not be present at the same time (i.e. "online" at the same time). As a result, each party is free to work independently and yet get the benefit of the work of others.

Sellers are always looking for ways and means to increase sales of their products & services. Since they have limited marketing staff,  any number of external (independent) advertisers willing to boost product sales is a proposition that is always welcome. Why? They get additional sales at no additional cost (employee wage or training cost) by using these independent persons to promote sales.

Those engaged in this occupation are called "affiliates" of the e-Commerce marketplace and the selling activity carried out by affiliates is called "Affiliate Marketing". NOTE: Affiliate in business means a "subordinate who has a limited relationship with a bigger organization in some way". Hence, if you sign up with Amazon India, for example, to promote products/ services sold on their website, you are an Amazon India affiliate. You may sell their products and earn commissions but are not like Amazon India employees who earn salaries from and have a stronger and tighter relationship with the company.

It is true that a lot of money can be earned thru Affiliate Marketing. Most probably, when "job peddlers" talk about Internet Jobs as highly lucrative, they have Affiliate Marketing in mind. However, the big catch is that this fabulous job it isn't at all that easy for newcomers and inexperienced folks like most of us to succeed in. Why it's difficult is explained in 'Prerequisites' below.

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Now, if you can do all of the above, needless to say, you are already a highly skilled person, so would you really need an Internet Job? Clearly no - it's just another way for the "peddlers" to make their money by selling one impossible dreams.

Having exposed this job as frankly impractical for the inexperienced and newbies, let me also explain how it works so that you can still try your luck if you wish to.

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Assuming that you fulfill the "Prerequisites" mentioned above, here's what you need to do:

Once the above is done, your advertising platform(s) will run the ads and provide you statistics that will help you manage your campaign and "tune" it for best results. When someone on the Internet views your ad (by clicking on it), you will be charged by your platform vendor a fee which is referred to as "Pay Per Click" (PPC). In case your ad was "clicked" upon and the reader's interest was roused sufficiently enough to visit the concerned "marketplace" (for instance Flipkart) and then finally buy the product/ service advertised too, the marketplace, will pay you the promised commission (as you would have noted in Step 3 above).

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You pay for the PPCs and earn commissions, so your profit = total commissions - total advertising expenses.

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Before concluding, let me illustrate the steps above with a live example: my own.

I am an Amazon India affiliate on the date of this Post. Hence, I'm treating Step 1 as "completed".

Instead of advertising thru Google Adwords (and similar paid services), I'm using this very page on the Internet i.e. my Blog's Post to reach out to the world. (NOTE: If you have a Blog or website of your own that's running on date, you can do the same too and avoid using Adwords.). So I'll treat Step 2 also as "completed".

I've done my homework and so am ready with my table of commissions (which is presented) below.

Now regarding what products/ services I should select to promote, I sit down and consider the following:

When I've thought a bit, I write down the answers, which I have to admit is purely "guess work" + some judgment applied to it. In my opinion:

NOTE: Blogger takes care of the first two bulleted points in this section viz. ensuring device compatibility, regardless of device type. In future, if a new device appears in the market, I can expect Blogger to build compatibility to the new device too! Translation is also looked after by Blogger. So, if you chose Blogger, like me, for writing your Blogs, you'll only need to focus on the advertising!!

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Using tools provided by Amazon India, I create the ads and display them. Here's what the result looks like!

Browse/ buy ebooks on Internet jobs  
Browse/ buy books on Internet jobs
Find/ buy a humorous movie
Browse/ buy a humourous book or ebook

 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN INDIA (1950-1969)

I have been working in the Indian Information & Communications Technology (ICT) industry since 1981, when I joined Tata Engineering & Locomotive Company Ltd. (TELCO, now Tata Motors Ltd.) as a "Programmer/ Analyst".

This post is from the knowledge of the ICT industry in India that I gathered over the years since then.

Computers found major use in the world first during World War II and at that time, solely for military purposes. Use for scientific and commercial purposes started only after World War II. 

As per NIC^[1], India was among the first countries in the world to use computers for purposes of education, R&D, Planning and National development! 

It all began in 1950 when Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata installed India's first analog computer and later followed it up with another first - installation of India’s first digital computer at ISI, a U.K. made HEC-2M, in 1954. And since then, commercial, R&D, and educational institutions followed suit, using computers in growing numbers, notable on the timeline being ESSO Standard Eastern Inc., Mumbai (now Hindustan Petroleum), which was the first private firm to install and use computers in India, starting in 1961. 


No discussion on Information Technology can ever be complete without the mention of IBM^[2] at some point of time or the other. And so with Indian IT, the IBM relationship dates back to 1963 when IIT^[3], Kanpur installed the first IBM computer in India (an IBM 1620). This was followed by several IBM 1401 installations until the Govt. of India, in a bid to humble large multinationals (particularly American computer companies that were willing to sell only knocked-down versions of their latest computers to India) got rid of IBM (alongwith other MNCs like Coca-Cola) in 1977.

Indigenous manufacture of computers in India was started through Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL), which was set up in 1967 under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). ECIL is to be credited for its TDC range of computers which were widely used by several Govt. Depts. and organizations, universities & educational institutions as their primary computers till around the early 1980s. In the latter half of the same decade, when the import and use of American computers was restricted by the Govt. of India, ECIL, in collaboration with Norsk Data A/S of Norway (one of the then leading manufacturers of scientific computers in the world) produced the Norsk Data ND-500 range of super-mini computers in India. This super-mini, seen as the best substitute to the VAX range of scientific computers manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) of USA was effectively used by a large number of scientific establishments in India on account of its ability to match the processing abilities of DEC’s VAX range on an almost equal footing, on all fronts, in the realm of scientific computing. ECIL, therefore, deserves credit again for helping Indian R&D & scientific institutions to tide over the period of hi-tech crisis created by the exit of US computer firms from India in 1977.

Developments in the private sector were pioneered primarily by Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS) with other firms like Datamatics & Patni joining-in in the 1980s. TCS was set up in 1968 and as of 1970 had just 2 IBM 1401 and one ICL^[4] 1903 computers. TCS’ first project was for sister Tata concern TISCO^[5]. This was followed by some other IT projects in India. Unable to get the kind of experience required to do international projects from domestic projects alone, TCS, in 1973, with the help of Burroughs Corporation, Michigan, USA^[6] made its first international appearance by bagging a major maintenance contract from US firm Institutional Group & Information Corp. (IGIC), a data centre for 10 banks and 2 million US customers. Later it was followed by a collaboration agreement being entered into between Burroughs Corp. and TCS. Under this agreement, TCS first developed a Hospital Mgmt. System for Burroughs Corp., based on the then latest B1700 computer. TCS then confidently entered the international market by importing two Burroughs computers (a B-1728 in 1974 and a B-6748 in 1976) despite considerable cost, and also despite having to undertake with the Govt. of India to export software twice the CIF^[7] value of the imported machines over a 5-year period. TCS though a small company at that time, accepted the challenge and made it by sheer hard work and perseverance!! And with a nearly 50-year history behind it, TCS today is still the first in the private sector although there are now several other big players on the Indian IT landscape like Infosys, Wipro, Tech Mahindra (formerly Satyam) and HCL to name just a few.

The table below summarizes the growth of computerization in India on the 1950-69 timeline by milestone/installation.

1950	First Analog Computer installed at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata
1954	India's first digital computer – HEC-2M developed by A.D. Booth at Birbeek College, London acquired by ISI.
1955	HEC-2M operational at ISI in August
1958	URAL from the Soviet Union through the United Nation’s Technical Assistance for ISI.
1961	First commercial computer installed by ESSO Standard Eastern Inc., Mumbai
1962-1964	14 computers in R&D organisations across the country
1963	IBM 1620 in IIT, Kanpur
1964	IBM 1401 by IBM for ISI
1965	CDC 3600 acquired by TIFR[8], Mumbai
1965-1966	30 commercial installations across India
1966	IBM 7044 installed at IIT, Kanpur
1967	10 Honeywell Computers installed by Department of Statistics, Cabinet Secretariat
1968	IBM 1401 acquired by IIT, Kanpur
1969	IBM computer at Planning Commission under a grant of Ford Foundation

Source: National Informatics Centre, India (http://www.nic.in),

Indian Statistical Institute (http://www.isical.ac.in) & Others

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[1] National Informatics Centre (http://www.nic.in)

[2] International Business Machines Corp., USA

[3] Indian Institute of Technology

[4] International Computers Ltd., U.K.

[5] The Tata Iron and Steel Company Ltd.

[6] Burroughs is now Unisys Corp., having merged with UNIVAC in 1990. It was the second largest computer manufacturer in the world in 1973, after IBM

[7] CIF - Cost Insurance and Freight

[8] Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai

E-COMMERCE EXPLAINED ...

E-commerce (alternately "Ecommerce" or "e-Commerce"), is the practice of trading products and services using the Internet and allied electronic tools and services.

e-Commerce has proved itself to be much superior to traditional commerce all over the world. It vastly reduces overheads involved in traditional commerce resulting in genuine savings and consequently lower prices for the buyer.

A powerful feature of e-Commerce is its wide, global reach. Sitting in Bangalore, for example, one can compare products from different parts of the world and based on what suits you best, you can order one product on your shopping list (say) from China and another from Mumbai, with ease. The stores that you buy from are usually open 24x7 and the time it takes to place an accurate order on the China store is just the same as what you would require for the Mumbai store.

Order tracking, cancellation, refund on returns etc. are also efficiently and accurately managed.

Another great feature about e-Commerce is that money is transferred very safely. Except for  "Cash on Delivery" option and possible fraudulent use of payment cards, payments/ refunds are always made thru bank (buyer to seller and vice versa). As money is not used in physical form, pick-pocketing/ theft during the period between withdrawal and actual payment at the seller's premises is avoided, 100%. What a relief, therefore, if the amount involved is in ten thousands or lakhs!

The above are some of the key reasons why e-commerce is unbeatable compared to traditional commerce.

And surely, just as it has many pluses, e-commerce has its disadvantages too! 

In e-commerce, you have to make your purchase decision after merely viewing one, or just a few photographs of the product. That's not really enough, because pictures can hide details and be misleading about quality, size and colour. In quite some cases, buyers have been disappointed by what they actually received and had to return their purchases. E-commerce is also not suitable when you necessarily have to try out a product on yourself before buying e.g. spectacle frames/ power glasses. Next, e-Commerce is not all "clean" , giving you genuine, good-quality products. There are handfuls of fraudulent sites that try to cheat you just like bad brick-and-mortar shops in your neighbourhood. Then, if you use Credit/ Debit cards to make payments, you are exposed to misuse by fraudsters. 

The list of disadvantages (above) can be continued, but comparison of advantages and disadvantages of e-Commerce with traditional commerce reveals that e-Commerce clearly wins, hands-down.

I've inserted two pics below to explain how e-Commerce reduces end-prices of products that we buy. To sum it up in one sentence,  savings comes from eliminating price markups (or apportioned costs) that occur in the distribution process between manufacturer/ importer and buyer - warehouse overheads (insurance against theft, fire & damage, warehouse employee salaries, security staff wages etc.), freight and so on. 

In the fictitious example above, the customer saves ₹500/= (ie. 1800-1300) when he buys from an online store instead of from a nearby mall.

Hence, we can conclude that savings claimed on goods bought online (i.e. purchased from online stores like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal etc.) are GENUINE. As a result, we can also conclude that it is advantageous to buy from online stores as prices will be significantly lower.  

The bottom line? e-Commerce is GOOD FOR INDIA!

GET THAT MISSING MANUAL NOW FROM "THE ULTIMATE MANUALS LIBRARY"!

You have one of the following but not the manual!

• A 1980's CASIO scientific calculator that you want to keep for your whole lifetime
• A popular old smartphone (e.g. a Nokia 5233) that you purchased as a special gift for for an elderly parent

                             OR

• Some other antique device that's precious to you, personally, for some reason

Then, it's very likely you've lost or don't have the manual and are desperately looking for one to be able to set that rare option ... or operate a complex function! No problem, just check out this website that is well-stocked with manuals of several kinds for devices old and new:

Manualslib

As of the date of this Post, Manualslib claims to have more than 2614526 manuals from more than 51133 brands!

AN IDEA FOR INDIA THAT'S GONE BEGGING TILL NOW

I visited the United Kingdom (UK) in 1998 and lived there for a short while. To keep myself entertained at home, I purchased a micro-music system (UK made). While examining it's features, I happened to open it's plug and look inside.  In addition to the wires, there was a small fuse fitted inside (see the pic below). Quite obviously, the fuse was meant to protect the device from abnormally high current that could be drawn in case of high input voltage (and other causes).

Image credit: shutterstock

I was highly impressed by this simple, low-cost method of protecting home appliances and strongly felt it was just the solution we need in India given the unstable, fluctuating, erratic electricity supply in most Indian states that wreak havoc upon our electrical appliances. Rather than buy multiple power-strips & stabilizers to protect our home appliances, fused plugs would be ideal due to their vastly lower prices (a fuse costs around ₹10/= or less while power strips start possibly at ₹150/= and stabilizers at ₹500/=).

                                                                                                          Image credit: shutterstock

I spread the word among some of my friends & juniors in India after my return - students, engineers interested in setting up their own enterprises as well as among family and relatives. They all remarked that it was an excellent idea - but sadly, that was the end of it. No one ever took it forward and in India, it is yet to see the light of day! I thought of telling the Govt of India but shrank back because of indifference and apathy experienced earlier, in a different context.

What do you think of this idea? Brilliant, low-cost & easy to incorporate for plugs? Will help alleviate the troubles of homes across our country suffering the vagaries of bad electricity supply and increasing repair bills + electrical waste disposal issues? Or, just another 'good-to-have' option?

I would like to gift this idea (borrowed, of course!) to the whole of India. Are you an entrepreneur looking for a bright idea? Or do you work for/ are a decision maker in an Indian company that manufactures electrical accessories like plugs? 

Then, the above may just be for YOU, to act upon and do something good for India. TODAY!

INTERNET JOBS - MYTH vs. REALITY. PART - 1: PAID SURVEYS

In the first place, is there really any such thing as an "Internet Job"? Legally valid, trustworthy, following established business models and recognized by Governments and statutory bodies? The answer is Yes. The main categories at the time of writing this Post are: PAID SURVEYS, AFFILIATE MARKETING (EARNING COMMISSION INCOME FROM ONLINE SALES), ARTICLE WRITING, FOREX TRADING & ONLINE STOCK TRADING.  Unfortunately, in the Internet jungle, they are mixed up with a lot of fake jobs that pose to be genuine. You need to learn how to make out the genuine jobs from the fake ones.  

There are some myths about Internet jobs too that have become popular these days that need to be busted so that job seekers can proceed with goals that they can really expect to achieve while escaping the pitfalls.

I've personally tried my hands at various Internet jobs for quite some time in the past and here's what I learned:

Internet jobs have some unique advantages. One big advantage is that in several cases, you can start with ZERO investment. Another advantage is that you can start immediately. TODAY if you wish! The minimum requirement is a computer or mobile phone with access to the Internet.  You also need to be fluent in one or more languages (English is preferable but NOT A MUST), an adult (over the age of 18) and have basic educational qualifications (I would say, a +2 pass or higher).  You will also need an email account.

Myths about Internet jobs are discussed below:

1.   Getting rich overnight is a HUGE MYTH.

2.  Expecting to earn immediately is also a DEEPLY DISAPPOINTING MYTH - it takes a lead-time of 1-6 months after joining an "Internet Job" before you can expect to receive your first 'pay'.

3.    Expecting fabulous incomes like ₹30,000/= per month and above is a third GLOSSY BUT SENSELESS MYTH - I think it would be fair to expect ₹2000/= - 3000/= per month if you work hard (there are serious skill and other requirements to be met before one can expect to earn higher incomes). 

But there are people out there on the Internet and other media that would have you believe quite the opposite. They tell you that they know hidden secrets and will show you how to unlock your way into overnight riches. Give them a ear and they'll tell you even more alluring things and personal "testimonies" - How Mrs. Sharmila Rajan, for example, started earning ₹50,000/= a month, after joining them, doing just 2 hours data-entry work from her home PC! Or how Dilip Pawar, a jobless, highly frustrated engineer from Delhi, on the brink of financial breakdown saw their ad, joined them and hey presto! two months later is earning ₹80,000/= per month. He is into online selling, earning handsome commissions and the sky is the limit as regards his future income. He simply can't believe the miracle that has happened to him! He is so pleased with his present position that he scorns the idea of looking for a 'job' - because jobs give you just a measly, fixed income and you can't ever become rich by doing any job, particularly if you are in India.

All this and more, accompanied by smiling photos of these 'successful' folks, photocopies of their bank passbooks, pics of their office rooms and so on as 'proof'.

Quite plainly, these ads are false and misleading. Those who insert them target the gullible, those new to high-tech, Internet and computers and in particular, educated, unemployed people (both fresh college graduates as well as those who have lost jobs) whom they well know, being a highly frustrated and troubled lot will fall for anything that looks possible. Once they have made you dream enough into your future success, and you believe you are 'convinced', you are hooked! You click the ACCEPT button and in exchange for a 'small', one-time fee (typically around ₹500/=, which they make it very easy for you to pay online!) they begin to share their 'secrets' with you. But wait, it's only after you also sign an online legal disclaimer that frees them from all later consequences!

Proceed on the chartered path and you'll soon meet the grim face of reality. Sure, your benefactors have introduced you to valid income earning opportunities. But you'll discover that it isn't really a stairway to heaven that they just sold you. It's a paltry 'dal-and-roti' kind of deal that they've left you with. You cannot expect a daily or regular income. Your first 'pay' comes months later and when you get it, it looks like the pocket money you got from your parents during your student days!

So be wise and save yourself the mental torture as well as your precious money!

The bottom line?

1. Be wary about Internet Job advertisements and invitations. Do not join if you have to pay any kind of fee, even if it is in the form of postage stamps or International Reply Coupons (IRCs).
2. If they dangle 'freebies' before you, while you're taking a look at their offerings, look the other way! They may not be worth anything at all.
3. Don't expect to soar to riches doing Internet jobs. Rather look at earning about ₹2000/= per month and that too, after a lead-time of 1-6 months ie. after starting on a job, allow for 1-6 months before expecting your first 'pay'.

I'll now discuss the Internet Jobs that I mentioned above, one by one viz. PAID SURVEYS, - AFFILIATE MARKETING (EARNING COMMISSION INCOME FROM ONLINE SALES), ARTICLE WRITING, FOREX TRADING & ONLINE STOCK TRADING. If you look carefully, you will find that these are the very ones that Internet Job advertisers remix, call by other names etc. and sell to you. As it's going to be too huge to fit all into one single Blogger Post, I will be creating several posts - one each for each job category! Please read each one, based on your interests. The remaining part of this Post deals with Paid Surveys only.

PAID SURVEYS

Internet surveys are conducted by Market Research (MR) companies, who in turn, are hired by manufacturers of products and services from all over the globe. These companies hire MR firms to obtain various kinds of market information in order to give suitable names, prices, incentives etc. to new products/services OR to boost sales of existing ones.

This is a legally valid, honest Internet job (not one, for example, that engages in gambling and cheating to earn revenues) and you can expect to be paid for your work, provided the MR Company you sign up with is trustworthy.

Let me make it clear at this point that one’s background is no restriction or limitation, whatever, to being eligible to take survey jobs. You just need to be thorough or passionate about some area in life to be a good survey respondent. To explain, take the case of the modest housewife. Her opinions are of the highest value to companies conducting surveys related to household gadgets (washing machines, grinders, juicers, mixers, coffee filters, sewing machines etc.) kitchen appliances (electric chimneys, pressure cookers, rice cookers, non-stick cookware, crockery, cutlery etc.) household items such as detergents, bathing and washing soaps, first-aid medicines, food items, milk, dairy products, vegetables, fish, meat etc.

TRIED & TESTED

Here are some MR companies that I have been a panelist with at some point of time. They have actually paid out cash to me or a family member and I therefore recommend them as trustworthy:

1.   Global Test Market                                                           
2.  Technology Advisory Board (for IT professionals)
3. Brand Institute (for Health care professionals). Brand Institute pays $5-15 per survey. They pay soon after successful completion of a survey. According to my experience, among Survey companies, they pay the fastest!

 NO ASSURANCE, BUT WORTH TRYING

And here's another list of MR companies that you can try. However, I cannot assure you about their trustworthiness as I have signed up with only a few. And where I've signed up, I haven't been a panelist long enough to be due for a payment or reward!

1. Zippy Opinion
2. Opinion World 
3. Toluna 
4. Valued Opinions
5. IndiaSpeaks
6. iPanelonline
7. AIP Surveys
8. American Consumer Opinion  
9. Opinion Square
10. Permission Research   (Caution: This MR company may collect your private data. DO NOT join if this is not acceptable to you)
11. The Socratic Forum
12. Executive Advisory Board

In order to get a steady income from surveys, it is advisable that you sign up with the maximum number of Survey sites possible. I would personally recommended signing up with a minimum of 10-20 sites to earn an income of around ₹2,000/= per month. Of these, it is essential that at least 5 are reliable, steady and verified as in the "TRIED & TESTED" list above.

NOTE: 

1. Different MR companies follow different rewards practices. Some will pay you money (thro' PayTM, PayPal, cheque, direct transfer to your Bank Account etc.). Others reward you popular gift vouchers like those of Amazon & Flipkart. A third category will offer you both options and you can chose between cash or gift voucher.
2. For every survey you complete successfully, money or "points" are added to your Account. You must reach a minimum balance before you can withdraw or redeem for gift voucher(s). This results in the 1-6 month lead-time mentioned earlier.

TIP: You can find more MR companies by searching the Internet for (say) "Top survey sites in India" from time to time.