Monthly Archives: August 2006

Google Should Diversify Its Strategy: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. BUSINESS & SOCIETY . , , , , , , , , ,

Google’s recent announcement to start offering an integrated basket of its existing services (Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, and Google Page Creator) for free is the next logical step in its strategy to challenge Microsoft in its traditional stronghold. With this move, Google is aiming to get small businesses, non profit organizations, and universities as clients.

Microsoft, in anticipation of this long awaited move, has started testing its Internet based service for small businesses called Office Live. Office Live Basics is being offered free by Microsoft and will continue to be free after the Beta period is over. However, Microsoft will start charging $29.95 a month for their premium services found in their “Office Live Collaboration” and “Office Live Essentials” services. These two are only free during the Beta period but not afterwards. Given the fact that Microsoft is entrenched in the desktop office space and its office products are already well integrated may give Microsoft more leverage to successfully offer premium Office Live services and charge for them.

Google needs to follow Microsoft’ s lead in offering its own premium services for a fee to add another dimension to its ad based revenue model. Google has indicated that it will indeed release a fee-based version of its service aimed at larger companies offering more data storage and technical support. Hey, but what about me Google? I am not a large company but I would like Google’s premium service and I would be willing to pay for it.

I have been wondering for a long time why Google does not offer premium services to its individual customers like Microsoft does. As soon as Google bought Blogger, they did away with the Blogger premium package and made it all free for everyone. Poof! No more premium Blogger. We don’t want your money loyal customers! What gives?

I have used the MSN paid premium service based on the MSN premium software which runs on top of my broadband service. It includes MSN mail and a number of other things for $9.95 a month. I am also a user of Google’s free services including Gmail, Picasa, Hello, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Blogger, Writely, …you name it and I have got it. I think Google free services are vastly superior to MSN paid premium services in every way. Gmail beats MSN mail in speed, functionality, and search any day of the week. Other than parental controls which come with the MSN premium software (which not everyone needs or wants), there is really nothing that MSN offers to justify charging $9.95 a month, except nice looking icons and colors.

Of course, Microsoft has known this for a long time which is why we have the introduction of Windows Live and a number of other initiatives being launched. As I have noted before, I am impressed with Microsoft’s recent moves. In particular, their desktop blogging application Windows Live Writer, squarely meets the demands of the blogging market and is in response to customers. So the way I see it, Microsoft is making amends and moving in the right direction. Maybe someday, I can say that my $9.95 a month for MSN premium are well spent. That day is not today. Basically by parting with my money monthly, I am investing in Microsoft’s future. I have my reasons for staying with MSN which I will go into some day. In part, I feel I have to use a product or a service before I can praise it or criticize it.

However, if I was paying $9.95 a month for an integrated package of Google services which included a well developed Writely that interfaced with the Google spreadsheet, a better Blogger, Google Page Creator with the ability to have my own domain name, extra storage for Gmail and all the other Google services, I would feel good. I would feel my money was well spent. So why is it that Google is not offering its premium services to loyal customers that want it? Why should Google’s premium service be only reserved for large enterprises? What would Google have to lose by having a two tiered structure of services like Microsoft does. Premium and Regular. They certainly would have a lot to gain. First, it is potentially another way to generate revenues independent of the ad based model. Second, having satisfied customers with increasing good will for Google is going to add to their future success.

My advice to Google. Start paying attention to your customers (Me!) and listen to what they want and need. Think outside the box.

Microsoft’s Counterpunch to Google: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. BUSINESS & SOCIETY . , , , , , ,

With the release of Windows Live Writer on August 11, 2006, Microsoft has delivered a winner for bloggers who want to use a desktop client.

I started experimenting with the Live Writer three days ago and was able to set it up easily to work with my WordPress blog. All the Live Writer needs is the user name and password and it automatically recognizes the type of blog you have and configures it self. Although Microsoft hopes that bloggers will use the Live Writer as a client for Windows Live Spaces, Microsoft has gone out of its way to make sure that it is compatible with other weblogs including Blogger, LiveJournal, TypePad, and WordPress. Frankly, given the history of Microsoft, I am pleasantly surprised and impressed with the Live Writer.

Prior to Live Writer, I was using Writely to blog my posts. Writely is the web based word processor that was bought by Google in March of 2006 and potentially poses a threat to Microsoft Word. However, Writley is very limited in that it can only be configured for one blog at a time. With Live Writer, one can maintain multiple blogs switching easily between them.

When Google bought Blogger in February 2003, it showed incredible foresight into the future of blogging and where the Internet was headed. However, Google appears to have squandered valuable time and the opportunity it had to improve the Blogger. It is only now that Blogger is getting a major upgrade from Google which will give it some of the features that WordPress has had for a while.

Microsoft, with the introduction of the Live Writer has delivered a strong counter punch to Google. First, like many Google products, Microsoft is offering the Live Writer for free. So people are going to try it! Most will like Live Writer because it is very user friendly. Second, for those individuals who were using Writely to blog, the Live Writer is a far superior choice. Third, by assuring that the Live Writer is compatible with Blogger, Typepad, LiveJournal, WordPress, and other formats, Microsoft is creating some good will among users which it needs very badly given its history.

Let’s face it. Whether you love or hate Microsoft, it has a record of coming from behind and catching up and even surpassing competitors. Google, however, is no Netscape. Although Google will remain the search king for the foreseeable future, it needs a very clear focus and a strategy to compete with Microsoft on other Internet fronts. Upgrading Blogger is a good move, although it could have been done much earlier. Google should not let Writely stagnate like that for years and ideally develop it as comprehensive blogging tool. That is where the future of the Internet is going.

The Magic Pull: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. ART & POETRY . , , , , , , ,

The Magic Pull

Once there was this mystery
set in the dense fog of life
nothing appeared clearly
and thorn bushes on all sides.
Being tired I stopped along the road
and lay down to rest my back a while
a pure spring gushed forth suddenly
flooded the ground and made me smile.

Too many body aches to move
how with miseries we are wed
as hopes played their endless melodies
a welcome stillness led
once more to a forgotten place.
For naked lovers with no rent to give
earth serves as the final bed
and peaceful sleep comes easily
to a tired, worn out heart.

That day upon awakening
even the air was wet
but no ceilings now
to keep out the light.
The building puddles
might have drowned me still
but I had had my fill
of sights and wonders
or so I thought when
by chance our eyes met.

A perfect face of such radiance
who can resist this innocence
and having given up everything,
it made no sense at all
to hold back just my heart.
The pull, this magic pull,
on my decaying orbit,
takes away the choice
of ever being untrue.

What voice can speak now
and say I loved
and lost myself in you
and then saw that You were Me.
Silence stole us from ourselves
for all Eternity.

Self-Inquiry or Atma Vichara: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. Advaita and Yoga, INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS . , , , , , , , , ,

Self-Inquiry, also known as Atma Vichara in Sanskrit, is based on a philosophy that has its origins in the ancient teachings of Advaita Vedanta. Advaita is based on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and is found in a number of other scriptures that are considered sacred by the Hindus. Advaita means nonduality, the ultimate Oneness that pervades or underlies everything.

Essentially Advaita implies that even though there is a diversity of phenomena, it has its origins in God and that ultimately everything not only exists in God but also resolves itself into God. According to Advaitic sages, the nature of God is Sat-Chit-Ananda. Sat means Existence. It is the nature of God to Exist. Chit means Knowledge. It is the nature of God to Know. Ananda means spontaneous Joy. The nature of God is Bliss or Joy. Continue reading →

True Love, Divine Love: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. ART & POETRY, INSPIRATIONAL . , , , , , , , , , ,

I fell in love
I fell in a well
I fell in a well of love.

I splashed all about
trying to get out
out of the well of love.

Terror seized me
came this thought;
All is lost!

Tried to swim out
heard myself shout
Help!

A drowning man
gasped for breath
close seemed death.

I wildly thrashed around
in the well of love
and in time got out
safe and sound.

Cold and shaken
lost in thought
dripping from head to toe;
was not sure
if the battle fought
had been with a friend or foe.

Still, shivering body
sought no shelter
with no other place to go
stood quietly into the night
until the sunrise
brought its warmth and glow.

Then I missed love
and circled
the well of love.

Looked inside
but could not tell
how deep it was.

I felt its call
the well of love
thus grew my sorrow and pain.

I could not help it
so I jumped in
the well of love again.

Now, water water everywhere
all thought has ceased to be
and everywhere I stare
my love’s face is what I see.

Yes, water water everywhere
not a single sound is made
I did drown in the well of love
and only love remained.