Internet revolves around concept and ideas. The person with better gets clicked. Most of the dotcoms who are going to survive in India are going to be the company with both virtual and real presence (In Internet terminology Brick and Mortar).
Just putting huge amount money is of no use. The amounts pumped in should be used in every aspect of the company whether it is the content , or advertising or customer service.
As I have the background of relationships and customer service, for me to a company to survive customer service is most important.
Every one remembers the front page of Advertisement in the Times of India by Microland supported and financed Indya.com. Could you believe that some one could come up with the idea like that? Imagine the amount of money charged by the money greedy TOI of that advertisement.
Indya.com is nothing different from any other portals like rediff or the TOI managed stupid site Indiatimes.com. Infact I couldn’t digest the front-page advertisement given by Indya.com. I still can’t figure out how did Indiatimes stop itself from keeping quiet. (They have to , TOI must have got a bomb of advertising money from that which could be used for Indiatimes)
“ So you can believe that put a huge amount of money in the table of TOI and they can do anything”
Jasubhai managed Zdnetindia.com (Zdnet.com or Ziff Davis) definitely must be taking money to give results of putting Roltanet as No 1 and putting Indiatimes and Indya as the leader.
“ GUYS NEVER TRUST SURVEYS OR POLLS LIKE THESE AS MOST OF THEM ARE RIGGED”
Indya.com doesn’t have anything to boast of, they have a very slow Email Service, Pathetic Chat rooms, so stupid sections like singles club etc. I doubt anyone would go to the site just for the sake of name. Customers have become really smart now days, they know were to go and what to do (Some extent thanks to sites like mouthshut.com). Indya and Indiatimes are the 2 sites whenever I go, get Http errors.
They are using google for doing the searches. The worst part is whenever you click any of the link , a separate window opens. Even for small things you will have a separate windows. That’s ridiculous.
Now comes my favourite part, Customer Service.
I had approached Indya.com and was interacting with one of the Senior Lady named Rajushree Shetty and I wanted to approach them for customer service and that lady made me call up at least 10 times and then some how I got appointment and when I reached Bl’ore from Mumbai, I got to know that she has gone to Delhi for some conference. That was the most pathetic display of an Unprofessional behaviour.
Then after 2 days, the little patience, which was left, I called her up again; I got to know that she left the organisation. Now..Now…when I had been to the office, they could have told me that, so I could have met the next person responsible. But as usual like most dotcoms , they failed miserably.
These companies may not survive for long, because just spending huge amount on advertising doesn’t help, they need to build the rapo with public and the customer.