…………………….

The Indian government has just announced additional largesse for babus and their ilk. With the rate of inflation at nearly its highest level for two decades, this is likely to further compound the situation. Most people do, however, unwillingly accept that if the salary hikes pay dividends they are worth it. The moot question is: will they?

If you go by accepted Western theory, the answer is clearly no. From the time of Frederick Herzberg and his two factors (motivators and hygiene), it has been acknowledged that salary isn’t really a key driver in the workplace. Other writers don’t accept that fully. They feel that if you are the bottom end of Maslov’s chain — when you have to satisfy your physiological needs — “salary” does matter. On the other hand, the very definition of a “workplace” in today’s world implies that you are not some sort of serf.

Assume, therefore, that our babus — even the lesser gods among them — never needed to worry about how to feed and clothe themselves and their families. Will the Sixth Pay Commission award and the topping that the government has added to it help improve performance? If past experience is any guide, this is unlikely.

The Indian bureaucracy has sometimes been likened to the biggest dole system in the world. And not without reason. Try getting anything done at a government office and you will find that files simply don’t move without your greasing the right elbow. It has, in fact, been institutionalised in the tatkal scheme in which you can get papers (your passport application, say) to move faster if you pay an official bribe. A Transparency International survey has found that even below-the-poverty-line families have to pay Rs 171 in bribes apiece to get their children into school. And politicians pontificate on what keeps the country in poverty.

What you need to look for, therefore, are other motivators besides money. Some business houses have recently started campaigns to instil a sense of social work and responsibility in young India. They may be marketing gimmicks, but they seem to be working in a limited way.

Forget for a moment the bureaucracy and the public sector. What motivators work in what supposedly has a better work culture — the private sector? Alexander Kjerulf, the author of several books and articles on motivation in the workplace, says that motivation must come from within. The job of the manager is to “help employees find their own intrinsic motivation”.

The manager or company can create the right environment. According to Kjerulf, the factors that enhance intrinsic motivation include: -

Challenge. Being able to challenge yourself and accomplish new tasks.

Control. Having a choice over what you do.

Co-operation. Being able to work with and help others.

Recognition. Getting meaningful, positive recognition for your work.

Happiness at work. People who like their job and their workplace are much more likely to find intrinsic motivation.

Trust. When you trust the people you work with, intrinsic motivation is much easier.

It is difficult to achieve all or part of this even in a healthy corporate environment. One problem is that most managers and HR professionals feel that they must be seen to be doing something. If they aren’t busy bees, how will they get noticed and move up the ladder?

Another problem is that the HR profession is only now maturing in India; for too long has it been associated with managing payrolls and attendance rosters. With growth will hopefully come a realisation of the right buttons to press.

As for the babus we spoke about in the beginning, there really is no solution in the current framework. Privatisation of everything possible is the only way out.

WORKERS’ PARADISE:-

India’s best employers:-

1 Aditya Birla Group

2 Satyam

3 Marriott Hotels

4 Eureka Forbes

5 Cisco Systems

6 Godrej Consumer

7 Agilent Tech

8 Scope International

9 Tata Consultancy Services

10 Kotak Mahindra

11 Wipro BPO

12 Covansys

13 Ajuba Solutions

14 Pantaloon

15 Text 100

16 Domino’s Pizza

17 Ford

18 Becton Dickinson

19 Hardcastle Restaurants

20 HCL Tech BPO

21 Dr Reddy’s

22 J&J Medical

23 GSK Consumer

24 HSBC

25 Monsanto

Source: Hewitt Associates, The Best Employers in Asia 2007

Established in 1960, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, is one of the premier institutes of India, having universal recognition and providing excellent opportunities for career growth. All the IITs spread across the country were declared “institutions of national importance”, when the Parliament passed the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961.

Initially when the foundation stone of the IIT was laid, it was the general notion that taking help from western countries might prove to be of help in emerging as a world-class technical institute. This resulted in the collaboration of IIT Kanpur with the US through a specially created programme — KIAP (Kanpur Indo-American Programme), said to be the largest ever academic assistance programme supported by America. IIT Kanpur has also been given the responsibility of monitoring the activities of the upcoming IIT Rajasthan.

According to Sanjay Govind Dhande, director of the institute, “IIT Kanpur is not governed by the demand and supply of engineers. Instead, our aim is to train an individual, and hone his skill for research and teaching. The main focus of the institute is on design and analysis so that the analytical skill of the students is developed.”

Speaking about some of the ambitious projects taken up at IIT Kanpur, Dhande says the institute is attempting to develop a pilot-less helicopter which can be monitored through mobile communication. It is also involved in carrying out extensive work for the railways. Dhande says with new technological development, the speed, latitude and longitude of a running train can be now calculated.

Students at IIT Kanpur have the option to choose from a vast array of courses. At the bachelor level, a student can enrol for BTech programmes in aerospace, biological science and bioengineering, chemical, civil, computer science, electrical, metallurgy and mechanical engineering. The institute also offers integrated MSc programmes in physics, chemistry, mathematics and statistics. From July 2005, an integrated MSc in economics has been introduced. Students are selected through the joint entrance examination (IIT-JEE).

There are also programmes for an integrated MSc in physics, chemistry, mathematics and statistics. Students with BSc (honours) background are given preference and chosen through an all-India examination known as JAM.

The institute also offers MTech programmes in several branches of engineering. Along with this, there are MTech programmes in interdisciplinary areas such as nuclear engineering, biological sciences and bioengineering, laser technology, environmental engineering, materials science, and industrial and management engineering.

IIT Kanpur has also started a dual degree (BTech-MTech) programme. Students are expected to complete the MTech programme in five years. After the completion of the programme, the students are awarded both BTech and MTech degrees. Entrance to MBA and MDes is possible through JMET (Joint Management Entrance Test) and CEED (Common Entrance Examination for Design) respectively. Apart from this, various PhD programmes are offered at IIT Kanpur.

A.K. Singhal, who is doing his research at IIT Kanpur, speaks highly of the institute. Presently pursuing his research under J. Ramkumar, Singhal says the faculty members are always eager to help the students.

The course fee at IIT Kanpur varies for different programmes. According to Dhande, there is a provision for scholarships at IIT Kanpur. Undergraduate students can avail of national scholarships. There is also a merit-cum-means scholarship. Donations given by the IIT Kanpur alumni are used for this purpose. IIT Kanpur boasts of good infrastructure. It has well-equipped laboratories, an extensive library, hostels and a horde of amenities for research and development. The institute has its own airstrip and six instrumental crafters and three gliders.

The institute has a very active placement cell that tries to ensure that all students find employment. According to Dhande, almost 150 companies recruit students from IIT Kanpur every year. The institute also has MOUs and collaborations with leading companies for technology development and research, which is an additional advantage when it comes to placements.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

Common touch: Science communicators also organise exhibitions

Do you like to explain arcane scientific topics to the man on the street, in a language that he can understand? Do you find it exciting to explore the link between the early flowering of mango trees, or disappearance of a species of fish, with global warming? Do you have the patience to leaf through hundreds of dry scientific journals to fish out that one exciting story, say about a promising cure for AIDS or a new silicon-like material that can make computing ultra fast? Then, science communication may be a career option for you.

Science communication is the art of communicating the intricacies of science and the amazing discoveries of scientists to a layperson in a language that he or she can understand. A person who specialises in science communication can get a job as a science reporter in national and regional newspapers and magazines or as a producer of science programmes on radio or television. He or she can also choose to become a popular science writer in specialised science magazines, or a science communication officer in national or regional science laboratories.

The practice of science communication is both exciting and challenging. For instance, a science reporter working for a newspaper may have to write about the discovery of water on Mars one day, a new genetic manipulation technique the second day or file a story on the latest archaeological find the third day.

A reporter gets to cover a wide range of subjects and the opportunity to meet a large number of people working in diverse fields of science and technology. The field is certainly challenging, as one needs to develop a minimum understanding of the subjects that one is covering.

Apart from reporting or editing science, technology, and health stories for newspapers and television, those with a background in science communication can also become popular science writers who may find jobs in specialised science magazines, a number of which are slowly coming to India, like the Scientific American or Geo. Popular science writers get to specialise in one or a few areas in science but they need to develop a much deeper understanding of their subject than, say, science reporters working for a newspaper or a current affairs magazine.

At least a handful of television channels, including the stated-owned Doordarshan, have shown interest in having dedicated science programmes. The demand for those who can handle science or technology as content can only go up in the future.

Many scientific institutions are also slowly becoming open to the idea of appointing science communication officers. For instance, a senior official of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, told Careergraph that they have been on the lookout for a competent person to look after the institute’s science communication needs.

Unlike in the West, where almost all newspapers and television channels have dedicated science desks and universities have in-house science writers, there was very little demand for science communicators in India till not very long ago.

However, that is slowly changing. Under an initiative of the National Council for Science and Technology Communication, which is part of the Union department of science and technology, several universities have introduced courses in science communication. While many universities like Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore, Lucknow University and Anna University, Chennai, are offering an MSc course in science communication, there are also several postgraduate diploma courses on offer. Almost all MSc students are given a monthly stipend of Rs 1,000.

There are other institutions, like the Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University for Journalism and Communication in Bhopal, which also offer residential postgraduate diploma programmes in science communication. A stipend is available to those who enrol for such courses.

Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya and the Lucknow-based Indian Science Communication Society (ISCOS) also offer distance education courses in science communication. Such courses are more suitable for those who are already working in a scientific institution or a media organisation. “Though fresh graduates can also apply, it would be more beneficial for those who are working as it can be used for skill enhancement,” says V.P. Singh of ISCOS.

Institutes that conduct science communication courses say that more and more students are applying for them. “Every year, we get nearly 1,000 applications for 100 seats,” says Singh of ISCOS.

The job prospect is good. “We have been able to place nearly 80 per cent of those who successfully complete the course each year,” says Vijay Baboo Gupta, course director at Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, which conducts the oldest science communication course in the country.

For those interested in a job as a science reporter in the mainstream print or audiovisual media, the courses offered by the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media (IIJNM), Bangalore, and the Centre for Development for Imaging Technology (C-DIT), Thiruvananthapuram, will be of help.

IIJNM — which has science journalism as an elective in its one-year course — focuses on making students do at least one science story a week for the entire semester. “More than the theory, we focus on teaching students the craft of science journalism,” says Kanchan Kaur, vice-president, IIJNM.

The C-DIT course, on the other hand, specialises in science and technology communication in the electronic media.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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Originally known as the University of Cochin, the institute that later came to be known as the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) came into being in 1971. The university has three separate campuses, two in Cochin and one at Pulinkunnoo, about 65 km south of Cochin.

CUSAT has nine faculties — engineering, environmental studies, humanities, law, marine sciences, medical science and technology, science, social science and technology. It has 29 departments of study and research, offering postgraduate programmes across a wide spectrum of disciplines in the areas of engineering, science, technology, humanities, law and management. During the last three decades of its existence, CUSAT has also built up academic links and exchange programmes with renowned institutions across the globe.

CUSAT offers BTech in civil engineering, computer science and engineering, electronics and communication engineering, electrical and electronics engineering, information technology, mechanical engineering, safety and fire engineering, instrumentation, naval architecture and ship building, polymer science and rubber technology and a five-year integrated MSc in photonics.

UGC set up a centre of excellence in lasers and optoelectronic science here in 2002, with the aim of producing and sustaining superior quality education and research.

CUSAT has a placement centre for engineering students that makes available information about employment opportunities and higher education. Placement talks and campus interviews are also arranged. The centre has been able to secure coveted jobs in multinational companies and government agencies for a large number of students.

The notification is issued in February and application forms can be obtained from selected post offices on payment of Rs 750 (Rs 400 for SC / ST applicants). Candidates can also register online. They have to then send a demand draft worth Rs 750 (from any State Bank of India branch or its allied banks) drawn in favour of the registrar, CUSAT and payable at Ernakulam. The draft should have the candidate’s name and registration number (obtained at the time of online registration) on the reverse. A printout of the confirmation page should also be sent along with the draft to the director, IRAA unit, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin University PO, Cochin-682022.

Eligibility

Applicants should have completed the higher secondary exam with mathematics, physics and chemistry as subjects, or any other equivalent exam, securing a minimum of 50 per cent in mathematics and 50 per cent marks in mathematics, physics and chemistry combined.

Entrance exam

Admission to BTech courses is through an all India common admission test that is conducted by the Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, Kerala, in June at centres all over the country .

Pattern of exam

The test has two papers, one in mathematics and another in physics and chemistry. Each paper consists of 125 objective-type questions, in the ratio of 5:3:2 among the three subjects.

How to prepare

Some of the books you can refer to are Mathematics by S.L. Loni, I.A. Maron, Abhijit Guha and R.D. Sharma, Physics by I.E. Irodov, H.C. Verma and Lodiwala and Chemistry by Krishna and Arihant publishers as well as Physical Chemistry by R.C. Mukherji. Make sure your concepts are clear.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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A few Tips for Your Health, Wealth, & Career Success:-

Optimism is the hidden key to your personal and business success. Optimists possess a clear vision of an exciting life, confidently work on goals to achieve their vision, and take self-responsibility. In contrast, pessimists have no clear vision of a fantastic life, and they love to complain, blame, and moan. How can you become more optimistic?

we will try to divulge five little-known “secrets” to help you immediately feel upbeat, confident, and optimistic.

Research: Why Optimism Is Good for You

Tons of research prove that optimists do vastly better than pessimists in their 1. Health 2. Wealth 3. Career success

Health.
A growing body of “psychoneuroimmunology” medical research links how a person’s emotions affect his or her health. Some intriguing findings: Optimistic people are less likely to get sick than pessimistic or depressed people. This includes illnesses ranging from common colds to cancer. Optimistic people also get well faster than pessimists.

Wealth.
A fascinating study found that self-made millionaires worry much less than people who earn as much money but have not achieved millionaire status. What is the connection between being optimistic and making yourself into a millionaire? Optimists are much more likely than pessimists to make a goal of achieving millionaire status. They also keep plugging away at being frugal, investing wisely and working hard to turn financial dreams into reality. In contrast, pessimists are less likely to set net-worth goals or consistently take actions to become millionaires.

Career Success.
Many companies use firm’s Abilities & Behavior Forecaster™ pre-employment tests when choosing applicants. To start, a company has high-achievers take the test. Also, underachievers may take the test. Then, it is identify how the high-achievers score, so the company can prefer hiring applicants who score like its profitable, productive employees. Intriguing finding: One of the Forecaster™ test’s 18 scales is Optimism. Typically, high-achievers typically score high on the Optimism test scale, while underachievers score moderate or low on Optimism. This repeated finding verifies that optimists achieve greater career success than pessimists.

So, how can you boost your optimism to achieve greater health, wealth, and career success? Here are five immediately useful techniques. Each takes only one minute to do, so you can start fast and get results today.

1st Technique: Straight Posture & Big Steps:

Optimistic people use straight posture, walk fast, and take big steps. Pessimistic people slouch, walk slowly, and use small steps. Imagine seeing someone walking with his or her head held high, shoulders back, walking fairly fast with big steps. That person exudes confidence. In contrast, a person whose head and shoulders slouch and walks with slow, small steps reeks a gloomy mood.

Why is a straight posture crucial? Because before you can straighten out your head, you first need to straighten up your body!

2nd Technique: Cheerful Voice:

A lightning quick way to feel upbeat is to use a cheerful voice. Think of a time when you felt annoyed. Then, your phone rang. You answered it, and your caller was someone you wanted to impress. I bet you spoke in a cheerful voice so you would impress your caller. Result: You immediately started feeling your mood lift.

Why is a cheerful voice an incredibly powerful optimism tool? Psychological research proved that a person emotionally feels the emotion he or she is acting at the moment. So, if you act cheerful, you feel cheerful. And a cheerful voice is the fastest way to act optimistic.

3rd Technique: Use Upbeat Words:

You can use types of words: upsetting and upbeat. Pessimists relish using upsetting words, while optimists excel at using upbeat words. Examples:

Upsetting Words

Problem

Tired

Depressed

Upbeat Words

Opportunity

Recharging

Bumming

For example, a pessimist says, “I have a problem.” In contrast, an optimist would say, “I have an opportunity to do better next time!”

4th Technique: Use Upbeat Attitudes:

I find the chief way to become an optimist simply is to focus on solutions – and not focus on problems. Every time a difficulty pops up, immediately create solutions and put them into action. Examples:

Upsetting Attitudes

Focus on problems

Dwelling on weaknesses

Thinking about financial woes

Upbeat Attitudes

Focus on solutions

Dwelling on strengths

Thinking about achieving prosperity

Why is a solution-focus ultra-important? Because you can only have one thought in your head at a time. So, if you focus on solutions, you cannot wallow in problems, complaining, blaming, or moaning.

5th Technique: Be a Magnificent Role Model

Remember a time you were a role model for someone. As you helped that person, you also helped yourself. As the proverb goes: “What goes around, comes around.” If you are a delightfully optimistic role model for employees, co-workers, family and friends, then you simultaneously make yourself optimistic.

How do you do this? Make sure people see you using straight posture, taking big steps, speaking in a cheerful voice, using upbeat words and focusing on solutions.

Anyone can become an optimist. When people use these five techniques, they invariably tell me they feel heavy burdens lift off their shoulders. They feel positive, upbeat, and confident. You only need a few minutes to put these tips into action. They can be your key to enhanced health, wealth, and career success.

Sources:Help taken from Sloveyourproblem.com

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Ranjana Jha loved to get lost in the pages of history but when it came to choosing a subject for graduation, she opted for English, the safe option. “I did not want to be stuck in a dry-as-dust teaching job,” is the explanation this freelance writer gives. “In those days that was the only option for a history student, apart from research of course.”

Fortunately, that is no more the case. It may be a little too late for Jha, but those who now choose to graduate in history have an array of options. “A graduate in history can be anything from a civil servant to a curator to a heritage manager. He or she can also become a numismatist or a librarian,” says Delhi-based career counsellor Pervin Malhotra. And of course, you can go on to do a postgraduation in archaeology or art history.

To become an art historian, apart from a love of history, you will need an eye for art, says Calcutta-based art historian Pranab Ranjan Ray. All art historians need to have a knowledge of history and Ray, who had no formal training in the subject, says, “I regret not taking up history”. He later read up on the subject in his own interest. Ray believes that to really appreciate art, you need to know the context that shaped it.

You can do a postgraduate course in art history from any of the art colleges or from the National Institute Museum in New Delhi, which also offers a course on conservation. Apart from becoming restorers, art historians can also curate art exhibitions or, if they have a way with words, become art critics.

History students can, obviously, become museologists. “Nothing can beat the satisfaction of taking good care of artifacts which are a little bit of history themselves. In fact, it is these things of daily use that give a proper perspective of the times that have gone by,” says Neelima Sen, former curator of the Asiatic Society who did her PhD in history from Calcutta University. If you have the spirit of adventure, you can also take up archaeology. Most universities offer the course (MA or MSc in archaeology) though if you want to go on digs you’ll have to do a doctorate. “To get a real feel for the subject, students should work on at least one excavation,” says R.K. Chattopadhyay, who teaches archaeology at Calcutta University.

If you have the knack, you can also take up heritage management. The Delhi Institute of Heritage Research and Management, New Delhi, affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh University, offers a two-year masters degree in archaeology and heritage management and another one in conservation, preservation and heritage management. “Heritage managers take care of buildings, or even whole neighbourhoods, that are special because of their age. They can also be in charge of archaeological sites, whether open to the public or otherwise,” says Malhotra.

These options have at least a connection with history but history can give you a leg up for at least two other career options, though there is no direct connection. A lot of people who want to sit for the civil services exam opt for history as it covers the syllabus for the prelims as well as the mains and is reputed to be a subject where it is possible to score marks. Malhotra, however, advises that IAS aspirants should graduate in history only if they are ready to make a career in the subject if they fail to make the cut. And if you do manage to crack the exam, history will still be of help. “Those in the administrative service need to be aware of the past to successfully handle present problems,” says Mohua Sarkar, head of the department of history at Jadavpur University, Calcutta.

Bhabatosh Ganguly, a retired government servant who formerly worked for the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB), believes that being a student of history helped him work effectively. “If you have historic perspective, you can analyse a situation better. In fact I learnt to think analytically in my history classes in college,” he says. If you want to follow in Ganguly’s footsteps and spy for the state, keep your eyes on Employment News, which advertises for divisional officers (for the SIB or IB) from time to time. If you manage to become an IPS officer, the intelligence bureau will itself get in touch with you if it thinks you will be a worthy recruit.

Another category of sleuths also get an edge if they know the past. “I can think of at least three people off the top of my head who were recruited by reputed newspapers during campus placement,” says Sarkar. And does the study of history really help journalists? “You cannot really analyse the present if you do not know the past,” says a senior journalist who graduated in history. “Our teaching methodology helps history students to gather and sort through information quickly,” adds Sarkar.

“History is normally considered dynastic history,” says Ray “But it is actually not so. Apart from art history, we also have the history of science. Unfortunately it is not the historians but the scientists who have taken the trouble to maintain it.”

Indian universities do not have many unusual courses. Boria Majumdar, possibly the best known sports historian in the country, had to go all the way to England to do his doctorate in the history of cricket. But things are changing.

“Jadavpur University offers a course in environmental history,” says Sarkar. “The students of this course normally go on to work with environmental NGOs.”

So no matter what you aim to be, a blast from the past can actually brighten your future.

Money matters:-

Art historian:

Freshers start at anything from Rs 10,000 (Calcutta) to Rs 18,000 (Delhi), depending on the city. Established names can earn around Rs 25,000 per exhibition they mount.

Curator:

Most curators are employed by government bodies and get paid in the government scale, starting at Rs 10,000 (plus perks) and going up as high as Rs 50,000 for the top posts.

Heritage manager:

Heritage managers start at Rs 20,000-25,000.

Civil servant:

Officers start at Rs 8,000-275-13,500 and can go up to Rs 30,000 (plus a whole lot of perks)

Journalist:

Start at Rs 10,000 (at a reputed newspaper).

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

…………………….

There are various reasons for blogging about your job. You may want to brag about your accomplishments, crib about your cheese-moving coworkers or sociopathic boss, reveal whom you caught with whom on the floor of the server closet or simply recount the day’s events as a way of destressing.

Whatever the reasons, if you blog, you take on all the liability and employment security risks that come with publishing to a potential readership of a billion people — even though the actual size of your audience may be just a handful of people or no one.

Perilous path :-

How is blogging different from just putting up a personal website? “The difference is that the easy-to-use tools available for blogging take away the barriers to getting online,” says Rebecca Jeschke, a spokeswoman for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a civil liberties advocacy group.

The danger to blogging about your job comes when you allow no-brainer publishing technology — together with a mistaken sense of anonymity — to embolden you to record observations more appropriate for a private, paper-based journal than a global electronic network.

“People need to think long and hard about whether they’re comfortable blogging about work in an unprotected way,” Jeschke says.

One workplace blogger puts it even more plainly: “When you start a blog, you have to assume you’re going to be found out,” says the anonymous author of Waiter Rant, which chronicles the trials and tribulations of a restaurant server.

Being fired for blogging really happens — and when it does, it often gets lots of news coverage. Delta Air Lines, Google, Ladies Home Journal and Wells Fargo are among the employers that have reportedly terminated workers over their blogs.

Still, only three per cent of companies surveyed by the Society for Human Resource Management said they had sanctioned bloggers, and none had fired them, according to a CNET report. According to a recent Monster poll, when asked if they ever blog about work, 58 percent of respondents answered, “what are blogs?”

Work watch :-

As with many other forms of publishing, work-related blogging carries an array of legal perils, including libel and defamation; infringement of intellectual property rights such as trademark, patent and copyright; and breach of company confidentiality and other restrictions in a worker’s terms of employment.

Where should a wannabe blogger begin? “If the company has a policy on blogging, that’s the first thing that workers should check,” says Stephen Lichtenstein, a law professor at Bentley College. Most workers shouldn’t blog under the illusion that free-speech rights will protect them from their employers.

Still, special forms of speech may be somewhat protected. “If you blog about unionising, you may get more protection than you would otherwise,” Jeschke says. Whistle-blowing, airing political opinions and reporting the goings-on in a federal workplace may also be protected, depending on state law, according to EFF.

EFF has published a safe-blogging guide that covers how to blog anonymously as well as the defenses you might mount against an employer who attempts to retaliate against you for blogging.

Identity check :-

Many bloggers seek to write anonymously by changing names and other identifying details. “Being anonymous is very important, because it allows me to say what I want to say,” says the Waiter Rant blogger, who has achieved some notoriety in the blogosphere.

But bloggers shouldn’t assume that their attempts at anonymity will be successful. One slip — or a betrayal by a former confidant — could land a blogger in big trouble with his employer or the law.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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“It’s virtually low or no cost for entry,” explains Adam Schwam of Long Island-based Sandwire, an information technology consultancy. “It allows individuals to post information about themselves, others and their business to a wider audience than they would normally meet in person.”

You can use these sites to connect with potential new customers, post jobs, find strategic partners and investors and build brand awareness, say experts.

“It increases word-of-mouth marketing and buzz,” notes Ross Johnston, vice- president of business development at Vancouver, Washington-based Dotster Inc., an Internet business services provider that can create customised social networking platforms for individual companies.

In essence, these sites allow you to build an online network of friends and associates. Most enable you to post your profile, work history, interests, education and other information that might help people find you. They also allow you to participate in groups and forums, as well as post and answer questions. You can either sign up directly or be invited by a friend or colleague. Most sites are free, but some may charge nominal fees for enhanced services.

You build your network by sending out virtual invites to friends and associates. Once you’re connected with an individual, you’re able to see a list of contacts within their network and they’d be able to do the same with yours. “You really only want to connect with people you know and trust,” advises Kay Luo of Mountain View, California-based LinkedIn, a business social networking site. “The strength of your network really comes from relationships you have with the people you’re connected to.”

Otherwise, you risk drawing unwanted solicitations. “You don’t want salesmen hitting up every person in your network,” says Rich Kruse, a consultant for the New York Islanders and president of ExecuLeaders, a business networking association, who belongs to LinkedIn and Facebook. Kruse gets invited to new social networking sites regularly but chose the two he found most of his friends and colleagues participating in. He has used them to generate interest for ExecuLeaders as well as new business opportunities.

When picking sites, select those that best match your goals and audience, suggests Johnston. “If you want mass market, you probably want to be in portals like MySpace and Facebook,” he notes.

MySpace had 114.5 million unique visitors in May alone, while Facebook had 123.8 million for the same month, according to comScore Inc. in Reston, Virginia. Start with one popular site and get your feet wet, suggests Schwam.

That’s what Steve Schwimmer, Long Island regional sales and relationship manager for Renaissance Merchant Services in Bohemia, has done. He joined LinkedIn about six months ago and says he has been slowly building his network and exploring the site.

Like Schwimmer, you need to take the time to familiarise yourself with a network, says Schwam. “Get involved in community and focus groups and participate in discussions,” he advises, noting that an online networking environment isn’t much different from a physical one.

The bottom line is you get what you put into it.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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Have you been using your office computer to email love notes to your significant other? There is a chance that it might end up on your boss’s table. The company’s official email reader — who has access to whatever you do on your computer, even if it be through a personal email ID — has been mandated to stop all such misuse.

It’s rampant. In the US, where email in offices has been around for much longer than in India, companies have been getting tough. Over half the companies surveyed by the American Management Association and the ePolicy Institute say they fire people for email and Internet abuse. More relevant from the employee point of view is that 43 per cent of companies monitor workers’ email. Of this, 40 per cent have a human watchdog going through the mail.

A recent msnbc.com survey on email usage in the workplace revealed that 14 per cent of office workers send or receive personal emails constantly. Another 31 per cent do so very often. More than 50 per cent selected “sometimes” or “occasionally”. The principled abstainers amounted to just 9.3 per cent.

Another survey by email marketing company edesigns .co.uk studied the “bad email habits” of men and women. The survey discovered that most office romances start from emails. Over a third of all men surveyed admitted to spending more than 40 minutes of each working day flirting or gossiping via email. Their female counterparts are more circumspect; only 13 per cent of women used email to flirt with colleagues.

It’s not just the waste of time and money. Emails sometimes get out of confinement and traverse the world. A famous saucy email was that sent by Claire Swire to boyfriend Bradley Chait, a lawyer. The subject line read: “Yours was yum” and the contents, however you want to interpret that, are best left to the imagination. Chait forwarded it to six of his colleagues. In a very short time it was around the world. Did Swire, who became the butt of lewd jokes internationally, realise that she was blowing it by emailing Chait?

Another disaster story —also saucy — is that of Richard Phillips, a London solicitor earning £100,000 a year, who sent an email to his secretary demanding £4 to dry clean his trousers. The secretary had apparently dropped tomato sauce on them. There was a subsequent email complaining that the money had not been paid.

What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. The secretary — 50 plus Jenny Amner — finally responded, but with a copy to 250 people working in the office. “With reference to the email below, I must apologise for not getting back to you straight away but due to my mother’s sudden illness, death and funeral I have had more pressing issues than your £4. I apologise again for accidentally getting a few splashes of ketchup on your trousers. Obviously your financial need as a senior associate is greater than mine as a mere secretary.” That email, with humourous additions by people it passed through, made it to Net infamy. Phillips later resigned.

Both Chait and Phillips couldn’t keep their pants on, albeit for different reasons.

To avoid such problems companies need an email use policy. Writing in PersonnelToday.com, Malcolm Etchells outlines what companies need do.

• Never look for an employee doing wrong, look for wrong and then investigate suspect employees.

• If you have acceptable policies in place regarding email, you must have email monitoring.

• Ensure employees are informed of acceptable usage policies, and that these are enforced.

• Proactively monitor email by searching random emails for key phrases or words to highlight suspicious or non-productive activity.

• Ensure users use external email (for example, Hotmail) outside working hours and use corporate email during working hours.

Indian companies are only now waking up to the email menace. They should. The email of the species is more dangerous than both mail and female.

What your inbox says about you:

The Perfectionist: You have a Pavlovian attachment to your inbox. Every time the computer trumpets the arrival of a new email, the Perfectionist stops to check on it, immediately responding to the message, then archiving or deleting it. While you are likely to be highly organised, responsible and responsive, you are always interrupting yourself to check email and constantly break your workflow.

The Procrastinator: You know who you are. You have no system of inbox organisation and probably feel a sense of dread or guilt (or both) whenever you open your email. You frequently misplace messages and waste a lot of time searching for them. Surprisingly, many Procrastinators suffer from over-politeness. They feel they need to respond at length to each email.

Source: Clea Badion, Robert Half International

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Do you want to bring old properties to life? Would you like to restore historic buildings? If you have a genuine interest in historic buildings and are passionate about their conservation and preservation, then conservation studies could be the right career choice for you.

…………………………….

Conserving the past is important to protect our future. Building conservationists use traditional skills and materials and offer professional advice to restore listed buildings in an appropriate manner.

They employ state-of-the-art technologies in addition to traditional forms of study and techniques. Material science and basic chemistry is applied to the practical examination of materials found in historic objects and materials used in conservation. Building conservationists also use skills such as cleaning, using adhesives, gap filling and packing fragile objects. They work on a range of materials and treatments, including mosaics, wall paintings and plastics.

• What do I have to do?

Building conservationists specialise in the preservation of historic buildings, monuments, bridges, and other cultural resources. They are professionally trained architectural conservators who provide in-depth investigative and assessment services, both in the laboratory and on-site. Great care is taken to design treatment options for clients that provide for maintenance as well as conservation.

Some of their responsibilities include:

• Repairs and maintenance of listed / historic buildings

• Repairs to timber / wooden frames

• Lime rendering, including lathes

• Brick repairs and pointing in lime mortar

• Purpose made joinery, including box sashes, door, window and sash repairs.

Conservation professionals recognise, evaluate and document style within the context of its historical and artistic relevance. They also analyse historic constructions, materials and technology; discover sensitive and practical approaches to repair; find appropriate solutions for new design in existing structures; and communicate their intentions and standards to owners and the public. All conservation work is documented photographically.

• What should I study?

For the postgraduate course in conservation studies, you should have a degree in architecture. Students study studio art techniques and art history theories, while also getting laboratory-intensive experience in various methods of restoration and conservation used throughout the world on different artistic mediums.

• What next?

Building programmes today are, to a large extent, carried out within existing structures. The trend towards repair and, if necessary, change of use rather than demolition and rebuilding will gain momentum in the future, with an estimated two to three of all future building projects conforming to the trend. The underlying rationale is evinced by the actions of state conservationists supported by the public desire to preserve the historic environment, in the knowledge that the land and associated resources are finite and should be treated accordingly.

It is undoubtedly in the public interest that professional competence in this field is promoted, which has the added benefit of opening up new job opportunities. However, to treat old structures adequately, knowledge and skills are required which exceed those normally acquired by training as an architect or a civil engineer. Even though restoration takes place at selected places (museums, private architectural firms), the need for skilled restorers is desperately felt.

There is scope in architectural firms, heritage management organisations like INTACH, museums which preserve national heritage as well as historic parks and gardens. INTACH offers a fellowship for heritage conservation, urban renewal of heritage / historic zones which has been instituted by its Delhi chapter.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)