Mahendra Singh Dhoni ...The Rise and Fall .

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In 2004 Dhoni the long haired wicket keeper batsmen from Jharkand the first to represent India from the region arrived as a hard hitting flamboyant batsmen with his trademark helicopter shot which never existed before,who wasn't afraid to take a risk and was a gambler by nature.When thrusted with captaincy of young indian side for world twenty 20 in South Africa he trusted his guts and wasn't afraid to gamble.Opening the bowling with Yusuf Pathan or asking Joginder Sharma to bowl the last over when your most experienced bowler had an over left and when world cup is at stake was a brave move which paid off for him and made him the poster boy of indian cricket .Not many can ask Rahul Dravid to move down the order ,he did and promoted Pujara against Australia which led way to a famous india win .

Who can forget Dhoni walking out in middle ahead of inform Yuvraj Singh in world cup final.Again he knew what was at risk and the nation would have crucified him if it had gone wrong for him ,but here was Dhoni unfazed by the situation and what was at stake .He delivered once again with a match winning knock.Here was a small town boy who wasn't shy on taking responsibilities .Here was a captain who was doing the opposite what others might have .He was ready to gamble because till then playing safe was never in his mindset.Whatever he touched turned into gold and he played the most significant role in India rise to no 1 in test and wining the world cup after 28 years .

And thats where the fairytale ended.It started off with when he agreed to call the match off when India needed 86 to win of last 15 overs with 7 wickets in hand , easily achievable in 20-20 days and make a statement of being the no 1 test side in the world .He dint display the heart of Worlds best test side.The tour down under later in the year he played the same eleven which starred in Melbourne to Adelaide although india had already lost the series 3-0 prior to Adelaide .In the ODI series that followed Manoj tiwary remained on the sidelines when Raina and Rohit were falling miserably ,Dhoni was becoming the rigid captain who was afraid to gamble and make a change or two.

In the recently concluded world twenty 20 after dropping sehwag against australia to play five bowlers it was baffling to see the part timers bowl 4 overs when australia crushed india in 15 overs with India's front line bowlers having 4 overs to spare .Some may argue that the front line bowlers were getting hammered around but they were the best chance of taking a wicket .Against south africa when Dhoni knew he had to restrict South Africa to under 121 it was ridiculous to see Rohit bowl before Ashiwn and when South Africa reached the target of 121, he had three overs left from his front line bowlers his approach after the world cup 2011 of hope watch and sit back was taking India towards elimination from yet another world twenty-20 .Even the selection for the match was baffling after watching Pakistan and Australia match to pick three seamers against the team which is traditionally poor players of spin was an awkward selection.

Dhoni terming the performance of india in the tournament as satisfactory sounded hallow, on papers they won four of five which is indeed satisfactory but they had everything in their favor in the tournament .India was the only side to play all its game on one venue and the venue that suited their style of cricket Premadasa.

Bowling has never been India's strenght but in this tournament, India bowled out its opposition four out of five times but it was the batting which let India down which is it's strength .Asking Pathan to open when all the other sides wanted their best three to face as many balls as possible and put a defendable score ,Dhoni the world's best one day batsmen was not ready to move up the order and watch the others scratch around and wait for the late flourish which never arrived.

Dhonis style of play at start was more about his calmness and attitude then skills .His rise was because he was ready to do the unthinkable ,take the risk and gamble he was the aderaline team India needed.. a team which was too over dependent on ageing seniors.In sports you punt, win or lose, or play it safe and lose more often than not .In Dhonis case he's losing more often then winning now.

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10 Top Mobile Marketing Facts and Statistics in 2012.

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In Our Mobile Planet: United States, Understanding the Mobile Consumer, Google points out the following on smartphone penetration/usage and mobile behavior:

1. There are about four billion mobile phones in use. Of those, 27% (1.08 billion) are smartphones. (HubSpot)


2. 50% of all smartphone users use their devices to search the web, and 49% use them for social networking. (HubSpot)

3. 8% of web hits worldwide are from mobile phones. In the US, 25% of mobile Web users are mobile-only. Further, 80% of this traffic will leave if your website isn’t optimized for mobile–a good case for having a mobile-friendly website. (Heidi Cohen)

4. Do some research and consider carefully before investing in design and creation of a mobile app for your business. A quarter of all mobile apps are used only once. (Heidi Cohen)

5. 74% of Americans are unfamiliar with the concept of checking in to a location via mobile device, and only 3% have ever checked in. (Convince & Convert)

6. One in four employees use personal smartphones at work. (Earnest B2B)

7. Almost 40% of social media users access social media content from their mobile phone at least occasionally. (MediaPost)

8. Mobile and video are the two hottest growth areas in marketing. 17% of marketers say they’ve been using mobile marketing for less than a year, while another 17% plan to start using it in the coming year. 
The figures are 14% and 10%, respectively, for video marketing. (eMarketer)

9. In a July 2012 survey, 26% of respondents said they were interested in the iPhone5, while 74% said they were “over it”–just not that intrigued by another new Apple device  (SodaHead)

10.Smart phone market reached 50% market share compared to 30% in 2011.

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Some facts about US Mobile consumer behavior in 2012

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In Our Mobile Planet: United States, Understanding the Mobile Consumer, Google points out the following on smartphone penetration/usage and mobile behavior : 

1. 44% of the U.S. population use smartphones, an increase from 31% in Q1 2011.
2. 62% of respondents said they had used their smartphone every day over the past 7 days.
3. 80% of smartphone users don’t leave home without their device.
4. 97% use smartphones at home, 83% while on the go, and 78% while in brick and mortar stores. 
5. 66% access the internet at least once daily from their smartphone; 73% do so to use email and 62% to use search engines.  

How Mobile Devices Have Changed U.S. Consumer Behavior ?

1. 50% use their smartphone to look up restaurants/bars, and 31% to research or book travel.
2. What do users want to do with their smartphones? To be entertained (88%), Communicate (83%), and Stay Informed (53%).
3. The average American has 28 apps installed on their phone (6 of those are paid apps) and has used 11 apps in the last 30 days.
4. 76% watch video on their device; 25% do so every day.
5. 80% use their mobile device to visit social networks; 55% visit at least once a day.
6. While using their smartphone, U.S. mobile users are also watching TV (52%), listening to music (51%), using the internet (43%), playing video games (28%), or reading newspapers or magazines (16%).

Smartphones and Local Businesses in the United States

1. 94% of respondents had used their smartphone to look for local information and 90% of those had taken action as a result. Of those, 70% connected with the business, 66% actually visited the business, and 36% made a purchase.
2. 58% look for local information weekly while 27% do so daily.
3. After finding local business information on their mobile, 15% of respondents said they had read or written a review, while 13% recommended the business to someone else.

Mobile Search and Commerce in the US.

1. 58% of U.S. consumers seeking product information are searching from home, 43% while on the go, and 31% while they are in-store.
2. An overwhelming majority of respondents (96%) had searched for product information from their mobile device.
3. 35% intentionally carry their smartphone while shopping so they can comparison shop. 32% said they had changed their mind about purchasing in-store based on information found online while shopping.
4. Mobile contributes to cross-channel purchasing: 37% researched a product online, then bought in-store, while 32% then purchased online via their computer.
5. 35% of American smartphone users have purchased through their mobile device, 68% of those within the last month.  However, 65% still prefer to purchase while on their computer.
6. Among barriers to mobile commerce, respondents reported they don’t feel secure (38%), it’s too complicated (12%), the payment features they wanted were not available (6%), or payment was too complex (5%)
7. 66% of Americans have performed a search on their mobile after seeing an offline ad (newspaper, television, magazine, etc.).
8. 61% will only look at the first page of search results when seeking information on their smartphone.
9. 98% of U.S. smartphone users notice mobile ads; 48% while in an app, 46% while on a website, 40% while using a search engine, and 27% while watching a video.

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IPL Vs India ?

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Is our indian cricket team following the english football team ,if you look at EPL its probably the biggest and best managed football league in the world with english players as legends of the game already still playing.Yet english football has yet to achieve any silverware since 1966.Why is that the same legends when playing together cant even get to business end of a major tournament (rings any bells world twenty20).If you look at UEFA champions league for the last five year one of the major english team is in finals or semi finals more often then not.Yet when it comes to representing the country the players don't seem to gel together is it maybe they are so used to playing against each other week after week the coordination (so important n any team sports) is just not there.

Now put this in respect to our Indian twenty 20 team,You have Viru,Gauti,Kohli,Raina,Yuvi,Dhoni,Rohit (highly overrated),Ashwin legends of twenty 20 if not world cricket but have failed to get into business round of the tournament since their triumph at inaugural edition in 2007 but then the IPL was still a dream.After its inaugural year I perhaps thought indian twenty 20 team will do wonders at world stage of 20-20.But isit the perfect example of the players so used to playing against each other over the period of IPL that they just cant gel together anymore.You see our indian twenty 20 team on field together they seem to be playing against each other then with each other.The only ones to do slightly better are the youngsters who just wanna play a game of cricket.You have Viru Vs Dhoni,Gauti Vs Dhoni ,Gauti's Captaincy ambition,Dhonis favoritism for his chennai teammates and these are just few things which you can see them carry on the field.Imagine Viru sharing Gautis weakness in daredevils dressing room with Morkel the same guy who will plan his downfall next year when india travels to south africa.

In the past you had Sachin, Kumble, Saurav, Dravid who understood really early in their careers that you don't have to the best of friends off the field to win a cricket match but be best of buddies on the field cause representing the game and nation is far bigger then their personal ego.There is an old saying in cricket what happens on the field stays on the field.The past cricketers often said after the game they used to hang out for a drink or two and talk abt the game but those were the times of long tours with not much to do around .I have never been inside any dressing room but i doubt todays players go to each other after the game for a beer of two (The Kevin Pietersen saga is still fresh ) Seeing them on field lately I doubt dhoni and sehwag having dinner together after the game.Seeing the champions league indian players seem to be much more at ease when playing for their franchise then when they are represting india in shorter form of the game (In Test you still have Sachin around who with him brings a certain calmness in the team and drives the team forward for a common goal.)

Ask any player they will say Test cricket is the ultimate thing then why is ICC worried about test cricket dyeing??.Ask any player country comes first then why do players carry a injury or delay their operations ,players speaking against the board just to play a domestic league.I as layman do understand athletes have short period of time to accumulate as much wealth as possible then compared to other professionals and they have every right to do so who doesn't want to be rich life is all about abundance.But not Indian players cause cricket here is a religion and the playing eleven are not mere mortals but are GOD.And if GODs cant pull their act together the world of Indian cricket will be a mess.These are worrying signs and if the BCCI,players,team management don't get their act together , I see indian team struggling in the shorter version for years to come,Then again I am just a fan who stays glued to television at wee hours late night just to watch an india win.This is the game which pulls india together .So for the sake of one billion die hard fans I hope the officials and players get their act together cause the joy and the blessings they get when they win is far getter then their franchises owners joy or the money that comes with those owners.. IPL has become so competitive that it might be difficult for sachin to cheer on Viru for example? Or dhoni to encourage sachin?I don't know is it about the money or playing against each other,team mates sharing their weakness with fellow franchise mates all i know is the Indian twenty 20 team is at crossroads and IPL is one of the main reasons for it if not the only one .Lets just pray that this could be a case of me making something out of nothing, but I am really keen that the playing 11 once again BLEED BLUE.

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51 Social Media Marketing facts and statistics in 2012.

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1. Social media accounts for only 16% of customer engagement today, but is expected to increase to 57%—the second-most used channel, behind only face to face interaction—within five years. (Marketing Pilgrim).

2. 30% of the world’s entire population is now online, and social networking is the most popular and time consuming online activity—with users spending more than one fifth (22%) of their time engaging on social media channels. This means that more than 250 million tweets and 800 million Facebook status updates are now published every single day. (MindJumpers)

3. Brazilians have the highest number of online friends of any country, averaging 481 friends per user, while the Japanese average only 29 friends. (MindJumpers).

4. 56% of Americans have a profile on at least one social networking site. And it’s not just millenials; 55% of those aged 45-54 have at least one social network profile. (Convince & Convert).

5. Social networks and blogs In the U.S reach nearly 80% of active U.S. Internet users and represent the majority of Americans’ time online. (MediaPost).

6.60% of people who use three or more digital means of research for product purchases learned about a specific brand or retailer from a social networking site. 48% of these consumers responded to a retailer’s offer posted on Facebook or Twitter. (MediaPost)

7. 90% of marketers now use social networks in their marketing efforts, but growth has plateaued; the figure was 89% in 2011. (eMarketer).

8. Half of all social media users are between 25 and 44 years old, but the age distribution varies widely across social networks. Reddit and Tumblr are among the “youngest” networks, with half or more of users under 35 years old. Twitter is about in the middle (55% of users age 35 or older) while 65% of Facebook users are over 35 (didn’t this start with college students?) and LinkedIn is the “oldest” network, with 79% of users age 35 and older. (Pingdom).

9. Women tend to be somewhat more present and active on social media than men, though the shares vary widely by site. Men tend to dominate on technical sites (e.g., Slashdot is almost 90% guys); LinkedIn is close to a 50-50 split; Twitter and Facebook are both about 40% male / 60% female; and women account for almost 90% of Pinterest users. (Pingdom)

10. 10. Social media and blogs reach 80% of all U.S. Internet users. 91% of experienced social marketers see improved website traffic due to social media and 79% are generating more quality leads. (Business2Community).

11. 11. 90% of companies with 100 or more employees use social media in their marketing mix. 83% use Facebook and 53% are on Twitter, though that gap is expected to narrow by 2014 due to rapid growth in Twitter use. (eMarketer).

12. 12. Just 23% of Fortune 500 companies maintain an active blog, vs. 37% of Inc. 500 firms. (V3 Integrated Marketing).

13. 35% of the top 100 Fortune 500 companies have a corporate blog compared to 14 percent of those Fortune 500 companies in the bottom 300-500 of the category, i.e., top companies devote more attention to their corporate blogs than those in the bottom of the pack. (V3 Integrated Marketing).

14. 62% of Fortune 500 companies have an active Twitter account, while 58% maintain a corporate Facebook page. (V3 Integrated Marketing).

15. Looking at five leading social networks (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest), Fortune 100 company names are mentioned more than 10 million times per month. (Digital Buzz Blog).

16. The average Fortune 100 company is mentioned nearly 56,000 times per month On Twitter. (Digital Buzz Blog)

17. 87 of the Fortune 100 companies are now active on at least one social network. 82 use Twitter, 75 have a Facebook page, 50 are on Google+ and 25% use Pinterest. (Digital Buzz Blog).

18. To accommodate different product lines, business units and geographies, the average Fortune 100 company now maintains 10 official corporate Twitter accounts, 10 Facebook pages and eight YouTube channels. (Digital Buzz Blog).

19. Fortune 500 companies tend to be antisocial. Less than half of Fortune 500 businesses provide a link to their Facebook profile or Twitter handle on the Contact Us page of their Web sites. About 27% of consumer-facing Fortune 500 corporations do not list social media channels on their Web site home page, 89% do not list an e-mail address on their site, and 13% don’t list a phone number on their Contact Us page. (MediaPost).

20. 71% of consumers say that CEO participation in social media leads to improved brand image. (41 Stories)

21. Only 3.2% of Fortune 500 (largest companies) CEOs have a Twitter account compared with 17% of Inc. 500 (fastest-growing companies) CEOs. (41 Stories)

22. 52% of CEOs who are active in social media say that it helps their companies rise in search rankings, and 48% say that social media has generated qualified sales leads. (41 Stories)

23. Though 94% of corporations use social media in some way and 58% of executives acknowledge that social media is useful for lead generation and developing brand loyalty, 70% of CEOs have no presence on any social network. 26% are on LinkedIn, 8% have a Facebook page and just 4% use Twitter. (Business Insider)

24. This is the case even though 82% of buyers say they are more likely to trust a company whose top executive is active on social media, and 81% of employees believe that social CEOs are better leaders. (Business Insider)

25. 40% of organizations have a formal social media policy, and 56% of those policies include a statement regarding the organization’s right to monitor social media usage. More than a third (39%) of companies monitor their employees social media use on company-owned computers and handheld devices. (Resume Bear)

26. 92% of recruiters use social media to find new candidates, up from 82% in 2010. And 73% now say they have successfully hired through social media, up significantly from just 58% two years ago. (Ragan.com)

27. Not surprisingly, LinkedIn is the most popular social network among recruiters, with 93% using it. 66% use Facebook while 54% utilize Twitter. More dramatically, 89% of recruiters say that LinkedIn has produced at least one successful hire for them, compared to 25% who say the same of Facebook and just 15% who’ve had recruiting success with Twitter. (Ragan.com)

28. 20% of all pageviews on the web are on Facebook. (Jeff Bullas)

29. Half of all Facebook users use it on mobile devices, at least occasionally. (Jeff Bullas)

30. More than 500 million people log in to Facebook each day, and they collectively post 3.2 billion likes and comments. (Jeff Bullas)

31. Social media fatigue? Though 20% of Facebook users say they check in on the social network once or twice per day, 52% plan to spend less time there in the future. (SodaHead)

32. 73% of users believe that another social network will eclipse Facebook. (SodaHead)

33. Twitter attracts one million new users per day. (Jeff Bullas)

34. Of Twitter’s 165 million users, half access Twitter on mobile devices at least occasionally. (HubSpot)

35. 53% of Twitter users have been a member for less than a year, compared to just 19% for Facebook. (Convince & Convert)

36. 76% of Twitter users are active tweeters, up from 47% in 2010. (Convince & Convert)

37. Want to get retweeted more often? Research shows that keywords which increase the likelihood of retweeting include “please,” “thank you,” “Twitter,” “social media” and “you.” Words to avoid include “lol,” gonna,” “hey,” “tired,” “work” and “bored.” (iMedia Connection)

38. Twitter users now post 340 million tweets per day, or roughly a billion tweets every three days. (Digital Buzz Blog)

39. Two news users join LinkedIn every second. (Jeff Bullas)

40. 75 of the Fortune 100 companies use LinkedIn in their corporate hiring process. (HubSpot)

41. YouTube is the third-most-visited site on the web, with two billion views per day. (Jeff Bullas)

42. YouTube use accounts for 10% of all traffic on the Internet. (Jeff Bullas)

43. 76% of marketers said they planned to increase use of video and YouTube in 2012. (HubSpot)

44. There are 1.5 million business-related searches on YouTube each day, and 75% of senior executives say they watch work-related videos at least weekly. (Earnest B2B)

45. Companies that blog have 434% more indexed pages. And companies with more indexed pages generate far more leads from search. (Search Engine Journal)

46. The very first blogs appeared in 1998, and Blogger.com was launched in 1999. By 2006, there were more than 50 million blogs in existence. (HubSpot)

47. Today, there are more than 158 million blogs (though only about 70 million are active). (Spin Sucks)

48. B2C companies who blog regularly see an 88% increase in median monthly leads and B2B companies who blog see a 67% increase in leads. (V3 Integrated Marketing)

49. Roughly 60% of business blogs are updated at least twice per week. (Marketing Charts)

50. Another study found that while 60% of businesses have a blog, only 35% of those (i.e., 21% of all businesses) actively maintain them. (New Media Expo Blog)

51. The two most popular blogging platforms are WordPress (used for 43% of all blogs) and Blogger (35%). Surprised it’s that close. (New Media Expo Blog)

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