Content—web or otherwise— was and stays well ensconced in the proverbial throne with no likelihood of a coup or a case for abdication. According to an April 2010 study by Online Publishers Association, people spend close to 40% of their Internet activity time with some sort of content. People love CONTENT—whether it is a B2B portal or a direct B2C online interaction.

Let's suppose you have a B2C website selling a service (gifts, beauty treatments, travel deals, PC repair etc.). Many of us begin with a wish to make money online through setting up a website (meant for lead generation) or an e-store (meant for online selling). While we all spend considerable amount of time to get the design and marketing (SEO, social media, tele-calling, online ads etc.) right, however, on almost ten out of ten occasions, we give a casual eye tothe website content. Either we look up to Elance and Freelancer sites or hire a nondescript copywriting company forgetting that the so-called 'pro' may be there just to make a dime or two after half-nodding to your brief.

I agree these outsourcing networks do have few very talented content developers, who are more than a 'presence' and know the trade in all its nuances, yet the majority of them are out there to earn a second income or their first break to make a nickel. 'Butchers' or 'hangmen' content writers may be good for webmasters in need of cloned or spinned content but hardly ever for somebody nurturing a dream for making it big online—a business or an entrepreneur.

The scenario of B2B website content is no less challenging where the key performance indicators are search engine rankings, regular traffic and lead generation amongst other things.

Writing fresh online content that's keyword-rich, addresses certain customer expectations (product/service benefits, good pricing), or auditing existing content for gaps in syntax, value proposition or updates are some of the prime areas which handled in a shoddy manner can damage

Letting the cost factor come in the way of acquiring relevant, useful, precise and original web content is a direct route to nipping your business ambitions in the bud. Even before you have any online traffic, you have speed-breakers and barbed wires and fences in the form of poorly done content to keep them forever at bay.

The Chinese wisdom was never truer than it is today for website content:"Words are the keys to the heart." If the key is ill-formed or not forged well, the doors to success can never be unlocked. So if YOU want to see your website, newsletter, blog or tweet to do really well online and engage prospects and visitors, ensure that you get a content professional (freelancer or a company-hire) who know his stuff. Check out the person or agency's content portfolio, interact to feel their pulse, research on what makes a good content before actually placing a content request.

There is good and distinctive line that sets apart a butcher from a plumber and a marksman from a hangman! Stick to the Guru within next time you're out to shop for content—print or online!

                                                                                                                            Guest Blogger: Sanjay Joshi

Eric Schmidt almost hit the bull's eye when he declared, "[Google] can more or less know what you're thinking about." Ever since we had Google stick in front of 'dot-com,' the humanity has never ceased to reap the dividends of its mind-altering technology. The advent of Google was the big switch after the invention of press by Gutenberg. Its intricately developed and artificial intelligence powered search infrastructure has made it a Know-it-All one-stop destination for all the information hungry masses worldwide. The efficient search technology of Google has an answer for everything in less than a second, rendering those bulky tomes of encyclopedias and almanacs quite obsolete. Professionals and amateurs, housewives and kids all can just 'Google' any query that stirs their imagination or whips up their anxiety. Reliable and fast searches coupled with spell check, dictionary, and calculator as the omnipresent-assistants-without-pay, now finding and mining information on almost any topic has become a breeze! From images, to articles to scientific papers and government documents, Google has it all!



Ken Auletta was prophetic when he exclaimed in his fantastic book, Googled: The End of the World as We Know It, "We do not search for information, we 'Google' it. Let your computer do the walking! The quintessential search tool has become almost synonymous with the term 'search.' An intellectual revolution of sorts has been let loose by Google making Tom Friedman's (The World is Flat) conviction become a vibrant reality. Google is our best companion today in finding information and knowledge that is free, credible and swiftly available on a multitude of subjects.

The world of media and advertising in particular, has been totally transformed by the online ad-brokering capabilities of Google. The Google AdWords program backed by hard-nosed efficiencies and profound research has emerged as 'the' most effectual advertising mechanism available for small, medium and large-scale businesses today. The Gmail and Google Talk with phone-out utility is something that we use without even a thought for our messaging needs while Google Docs is like a safe vault for all our documentation and collaborative sharing requirements—all in the 'Cloud'! The Google Apps veritably have galvanized the way organization today communicate externally and internally. Corporate and entrepreneurs alike are increasingly migrating their contacts, calendar and email from Microsoft Exchange to Gmail Apps. All this has bettered our strategic interactions and regulated the costs of software upgrades in companies.

There are a number of cutting-edge products by Google like the Google Blogger, Google Chrome, Google Plus, Google Scholar, Google Webmaster Tools, and Google Adsense etc. which leverage our efficiencies in the online space these days. Though, currently Google is busy preparing itself for a mighty battle with Facebook to capitalize the social space and make it a basis for revenue collections in course of time, one thing is certain: Google is here to stay and the Web is really a place to get stuck!

Happy Googling to all of us!

It doesn't happen every day but yesterday was different. For the first time in a decade, I had ended up watching a few classic flicks by the legendary Bollywood comic, Mehmood late into the night. Did I forget to tell you I was on an unplanned trip to Manali for a day to collect some copies of land deeds from the Municipal office. With no intention to splurge on a good hotel, I crashed into the house of an old friend of Dad and that's where it all began. My benign tryst with comedy flicks! I don't know when I dozed off watching those antics of Mehmood and sailed into a distant dreamer's paradise.

Here I was in a medieval, luxuriously done palatial mansions of King George IV, and guess what, in such motley clothes that it was a tad difficult to know if I was a state prisoner or a half-baboon pulled out from the exotic East! However, very soon my inner chaos ended and I knew I was not alone in the proximity of the King himself. Besides, the royal guard, there were two more of my ilk doing funny things in the middle of the court. Very soon I realized I belonged to the elite club of King's Jesters!

With the existential anxiety well settled, a long, quick, probing gaze confirmed that the day was a special one with few foreign dignitaries in court. The day was all set for some unusually entertaining performances. From hula dancers to magician acts to acrobatic performances, the mood was one of excitement and fun. The air was getting thick with song and merry-making voices. I knew, I too had to roll out an act, and, it had to be something big!

While the celebrations were on, suddenly I let out a loud shriek claiming that I have been poisoned by the queen mother herself using her hair pin to inject the venom.  Feigning to cry and clutching my belly, I landed on the ground with a loud thud, crushing my fake scepter and my brightly colored gown in the act. And guess what happened next! Before anyone could take a breath, I saw the King himself descend from the throne, rushing my way to see if the hair pin indeed belonged to his Ma! Before he could come nigh, I rose on my nimble feet and lunged for the royal throne, placing my thick frame into its rich upholstery.  It was time to declare, "Hail the new King!" while holding my master's staff in the air. Everybody was in splits and I carried the day remarkably well! Upon seeing my master, I alighted from the throne and was moonstruck when I got a bear hug from him!

I woke up next morning with a start when I found my old host snatching the TV's remote from me. It was time for the 8:00 am news!

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