I saw this note from Indexed yesterday and couldn’t help but piggyback on it for a more elaborate post. All of us know that journalists play an integral role in keeping people accountable. In bringing to the fore stories that would most readily be swept under the rug. In highlighting the unsung heroes. And...
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For two and half years I have lived and breathed on Facebook. From uploading photos and following Obama’s inauguration to harvesting crops on Farm Town and “liking” Chocolate Brownies, I have done it all. I used to be the most vocal advocate for Facebook — getting a number of colleagues and friends to sign...
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Woe begone to the day when your online friend circle determines your life. Last week’s episode of South Park, “You have 0 Friends,” did a good job of distilling the ethos of our online existence — at least the one we have on Facebook. Parents nagging you to add them as your friend. Grandma...
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Facebook is more popular than Google. At least it was in the week ending March 13. Even though it was a miniscule 0.4 percent increase over visits to the Internet search giant, it got a lot of tongues wagging. From being a platform where people raise virtual animals and open up their lives, Facebook...
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What is the first thing you do when you wake up? Stretch a little, drink a glass of water? Rub your eyes and will your body into leaving the warmth of the bed? That used to be me, a couple of years ago. I’d lie curled under my Jaipuri quilt, gazing out the window...
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What does blogging do for you? Is it a forum for tips? A place where you reflect and have conversations with yourself? A safe haven; an escape? A commentary on social, political, economic issues of our times? A minute-by-minute record of your personal life? A journal that was meant to be personal, but really...
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Everywhere a buzz buzz! Yes, I am talking about Google Buzz. Who isn’t? Hyped as the next big thing after Twitter, Buzz is supposed to seamlessly integrate all the interesting conversations you have with folks online with your Gmail interface. People in my network are trying it out in various ways: having real-time multi-user...
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Yesterday the European Union celebrated Safer Internet Day with the theme Think B4 U Post. Although the message was aimed at teenagers, there’s a lot that adults can learn from it. I see Facebook status updates from friends and acquaintances detailing the contents of their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They talk about their daily...
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Found this in my e-mail archives. I’d written this opinion piece nine years ago — while I was still in India — and it still rings true, especially because of the rise of social media and our need to be acknowledged online by a mix of real-life friends and complete strangers. We’re more involved...
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As I was reading The Way We Live Now - The Overextended Family, my thoughts kept wandering back to 2001. The year when my husband and I “met.” What started as a random e-mail conversation connecting us through the intertubes halfway across the world, turned into a “virtual” courtship that resulted in an online...
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