#VOTEFORINDIA with social mobile apps

The following post is for a contest organized by WeChat and Indiblogger.in. The topic- How would you inspire and mobilize India's youth to vote in the Indian General Elections 2014 using social mobile apps?

Before I start off, I’d like to take my hat off to WeChat, not only for organizing such a thought provoking contest but also for generalizing the implementation of these ideas into all social mobile apps and not WeChat alone. Truly deserves confidence in themselves to do that. As a mark of appreciation, I’d like to keep this post ‘WeChat specific’ even though I’ve started writing this much after the change of rules had been announced.

The elections, and politics in general, is a tricky thing. For one, taking up anything to do with politics is akin to walking a tightrope. Take news channels for example, try as they might, after a point of time even their news reports seem biased. So how do you call upon the general public to come forward and vote without falling into the bias trap.

courtesy:http://stupidusmaximus.wordpress.com/

The answer is actually quite simple. And no, it does not involve giving free video players and sunny leone DVDs. Statistics suggest that the national average voter turnout during the last general elections was roughly 60%. Assuming 5% of the population did not want to vote because they were fed up with the system, that still leaves a whooping 35%. So why do you think this many people don’t turn up to vote? My theory is that there wasn’t enough awareness created- awareness about the dates and the people contesting in each constituency in a particular area.

So here’s how WeChat can chip in; on the Home screen under Discover, WeChat can add something like this:

Clicking on the ‘Indian General Elections’ tab will take you to another screen which will give you information on the polling dates, the candidates in each constituency and a brief description about them and what they have achieved so far (as applicable). This information will change from state to state based on the number being used. The reason I am suggesting this approach rather than using ads is because seriously, no one likes ads running at the top of your screen shoving politics down your throat.

As far as elections are concerned, the most sensible way social mobile apps can contribute is by creating awareness. It is the most one can and one HAS to do. And if even this fails, well, Sunny Leone is always there.

Until next time,

Keep smiling,

Adios!

Truly a BETTER WAY!

Getting through engineering college is tough. It involves hard work, skill and a LOT of last minute exam preparations. Ask any engineer when he studies the most and the reply would surely be the half hour before the start of the exam. At India’s No 1 Private University, things are no different. The morning of the exam, the canteen and the stairs are filled with people trying to memorise that one extra formula or that one particular diagram that is sure to come. Or like in my case sometimes, try and squeeze in one whole chapter!

The memorizing part is comparatively easy; it is getting those particular notes during that half hour that is tough. At SRM most of the notes were digitized. Sometimes it would be powerpoint slides but most of the time it would just be snapshots of the books. No we weren’t essentially technologically advanced, we were just too lazy to do any actual studying during class. Laptops, I realized from personal use, was a good option but not essentially the best. Yes, you could read comfortably if you got a good seat but most of the time you wouldn’t and then it would be like one of these game shows here. That is when I realized the importance of a tab. Slender, sleek, easy to hold and everything else an ideal laptop would wish to be.

Thinking back, I guess the Lenovo yoga tab could have come in handy during my four years now. To all the engineers out there, especially the ones at SRM who have to deal with digital notes every now and then, here’s some free advice- Go for a tab+basic phone combo instead of a smart phone; same price, better efficiency.

Ideally, I would have recommended the more famous Apple iPads or the Samsung Galaxy tabs but one look at the features of the Lenovo yoga tab and I was blown away. Equipped with top of the group technology at such a price makes this tab impressive but what makes it really stand out are the three modes of use. *author recommendation: click on the link and prepare to have your minds blown off!*

For all you selfie addicts on Facebook and Instagram, presenting to you the HOLD MODE. The hinge design enables you to flip open the side bar and snap away to your heart’s content. Never will you have to waste time mastering the art of selfies, Lenovo just made it easier for you.

Now for the STAND MODE. On a long duration video call with your loved ones? Hands cramp up after the first 10 mins? Never fear because the yoga tab is here, flip open the side bar, place the tab on a table and chat away for 18 hrs straight. Yes, you heard that right, 18 hrs is how long this tab can last. Phenomenal right!

And for all those addictive gamers or book lovers, there’s the TILT MODE. Flip the side bar to 45 degrees, place the tab on a table (for gamers) or a bed/sofa( for people like me who prefer lying down to read) and let time fly by! As for things to improve on this already phenomenal design, it would be to perhaps add a remote( something like a laser pen, sleek like a stylus) to say flip between pages or activate the play/pause options in the video player when the tab is in STAND MODE and you are at a distance. But even that is asking too much from an already game changing model!

If you have any more suggestions, feel free to contribute in the comments section; the people at Lenovo will be looking into it. If you are on facebook (stupid question,who isn’t!)  like the Lenovo page to send your suggestions. And if you are a fellow blogger, send in your entries here. Contest closes on 18^th December 2013 so hurry up!

Until next time, hopefully from my new yoga tab,

Keep smiling and

ADIOS!