Livedoor, Softbank, Fon to Offer Free Wi-Fi after the Quake

On March 12th, some Wi-Fi providers in Japan started offering free connection after the devastating earthquake that hit northeast Japan on Friday afternoon.

Sofbank Mobile

Sofbank Mobile announced that they are completely opening up their public wireless LAN service “Softbank Wi-Fi Spot” for free. The connection is available for anyone who is in the service area, not limited to current Softbank customers. Softbank Wi-Fi Spot provides 54Mbps connectivity in select public locations such as restaurants, cafes, hotels and shops. Look for the WiFi Available sticker or BB Mobile Point sticker on storefronts.

To use, select “FON” network on any wireless LAN supported devices in one of their service locations.

Livedoor Wireless

Livedoor Wireless is also offering free Wi-Fi on March 12th and 13th. You can check the coverage area with their map.

The SSID for the open network is “free-online-ld” (no password required).
They also provide optional login IDs (01@free@lw / 03@free@lw / 03@free@lw) and password (livedoor) in case authentication is required by the device.

FON Japan

FON Japan also announced their effort to offer their network for free to support those who affected by the earthquake and their friends and families.

FON_FREE_INTERNET and other FON spots are entirely free until March 13th. For updates and possible extension of the dates, follow @fonjapan Twitter account.

See Also:

• Softbank Mobile press release [J]
• Livedoor Wireless blog post [J]
• FON Japan press release [J]

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The Future of Personal Storage

I got really excited when I saw this announcement over on the Google Enterprise blog last week.  It’s yet another validation of my belief that the computing world is going full circle, from thin-client (room-sized servers in the old days) to thick-client computing (PC revolution), and back to the thinner-but-smarter client again (cloud, tablets, mobile). [...] Related posts:

1. Post-TC50 chat with Ming Yong of Socialwok
2. Of Universal & Singtel’s AMPed, and the bleak future for Mobile Operators
3. 1st SG-Google Tech User Group Meeting

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Events For The Week – 12-19 Mar

For a one-stop to all events related to or concerning entrepreneurship, certain industry-meets-business forums and seminars in Singapore, check out our Calendar. If not, you can also follow our bite-size updated posts for upcoming events for the week.

Events range from simple get-togethers to full-blown conferences. Get to meet fellow developers, entrepreneurs, startup CEOs & founders, and meet & learn from CEOs of established companies who have seen it all.

Our aim here at SGE is to make it easy for you to pick & choose from the event buffet. Enjoy.

Here are the events for this week. Events are mostly in Singapore (generally 30 minutes drive from anywhere), but we also include key events from around Southeast Asia and beyond.

Sun, 13th Mar:

(1) GOOD Stories • Chapter One: Pursuing Passion

Wed-Thurs, 16-17th Mar:

(1) Grameen Creative Lab Lecture and Boot Camp

Thurs, 17th Mar:

(1) Founders’ Drinks

If you’re looking for a real-time Q&A solution for your event, check out PigeonHole Live. The team at PigeonHole has kindly agreed to allow event organisers who quote SGEntrepreneurs to get to use their solution for free till end June 2011.

Image courtesy of joyosity.

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Perspectives on the SEA Tech Ecosystem

I started on this journey of mine way back in July 2007 when I joined the team at Infocomm Investments (IIPL).  I was excited to be part of a skunkworks project to attempt to do the impossible – jumpstart the tech startup ecosystem in Singapore, by attracting and anchoring 100 R&D teams by VC-funded startups [...] Related posts:

1. Why NRF’s TIS may be the Fix that Singapore’s Tech Ecosystem needs
2. Early-stage Capital Crunch: Chicken or the Egg?
3. Thoughts on McAfee’s acquisition of tenCube

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Groupon Japan Sets A Special Offer To Raise Money For Japan Earthquake

Groupon Japan starts a special offer for collecting donations from users. If you purchase an offer costing 200 yen, Groupon Japan will donate 400 yen to the group helping the recovery for earthquake hit east coast of Japan (“Japan Red Cross is planned”, the page says).

Groupon’s Call to Donate for Japan earthquake[J]

More than 9600 users has joined to this campaign, and the sum of donation to be made by Groupon is  now exceeding 3.8 million yen.

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We Are Hiring [Join PI Team]

We are hiring and are looking to expand our editorial team. Pluggd.in is currently hiring full-time writers in following segments:

• Startups/Entrepreneurship/Investment.
• Gadgets/Tech toys.
• Telecom/VAS/Mobile/Internet Space.
• Enterprise Software/SAAS etc.
• Sales team.

Basic rules of engagement:

• Bring passion/insights to the table. You should be the curious soul, hungry to prove yourself (again and again).
• If not for expertise on a topic, you should be following a certain topic (like telecom, mobile, Internet in India etc) very closely and can cover them on the site.
• You can write and can write regularly. In the past, we have received more than 100 applications, out of which very few individuals could actually write regularly [you can always contribute as guest authors otherwise].
• Location is no big-deal. You can be in any part of the world as long as you have Internet connectivity.
• These are paid positions and will be driven by commitment. Like we said earlier, writing regularly out of passion for a  particular segment/topic is very important.
• You need not be from journalism background. It’s alright with us.

In order to apply, send us an email (along with a sample article, interest areas) to ashish at pluggd.in ASAP.

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Social Commerce is Simple. Here is how you solve it in 24 hours!

Have been hearing & participating in some awesome conversations lately about Social Commerce. Someone explained me this – Transactional eCommerce is Big. Social media is where all users are today, it is already very Big.

So, Social + eCommerce = Social Commerce = Very very big!

Hence there is lot of interest today in products and platforms that are trying to bridge the gap. Analysts are predicting that it’s the next big thing and stating it is reaching its inflection point.

Completely agree with all that. But Social Commerce is simple, here is how you solve it.

Social commerce is Simple

View more presentations from P J.

Oooops, btw did I tell you that more than $50 Million has been invested till date to solve this Social Commerce problem that merchants can do it themselves in less than 24 hours!

Some key insights for players in Social Commerce:

Existing ecosystem of eCommerce and Social Media is sufficient for building a Social Commerce without intermediation of players who do not add any value.

It will be difficult for a:

• Existing social player to exploit potential of social commerce by introducing a new ecommerce service (Facebook or Twitter trying to build a Amazon)
• Existing ecommerce player to exploit potential of social commerce by introducing a new social service. (Amazon trying to build a Facebook or Twitter)

Current players who are trying to build solutions are concentrating on building their own ecosystem of users & products – which is not impossible but extremely challenging. Reason being – such players do not own the products or the users (users that have more tight social connections as on Facebook & Twitter)

Unless a third situation happens – i.e. someone builds a valuable middle layer that provides affinity to both – social & commerce. As an platform in this case you need to provide enough value to users (either users from Social Media or users from eCommerce). One such promising player is FourSquare. They add a new value of – “checking in” to its users that are socially connected. Their current efforts are concentrated on getting these Social Connections to checkin to venues – which is demonstrated by its 7Mn+ users.

For purpose of this presentation I have kept other Social Models out -

• Foursquare: Because its reach is still 1% compared to Facebook’s 600 Million users.
• Groupon: It is a commerce player, but not social player. Groupon is not user engagement – view Fred Wilson’s comments here: http://t.co/p78buu0

What’s your opinion on Social Commerce?

[Guest article by PJ. Reproduced from his blog]

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Japan Earthquake On The Web

[Update] Asiajin authors in Tokyo are okay.

Our main writer Serkan Toto was at New Tokyo International Airport. People evacuated outside.

Serkan had to stay at Narita and seeking flight for SXSW.

Another author Dominic Ken Gallello shot when the earthquake broke out at his office in Tokyo.

Magnitude 8.4 earthquake hit Miyagi and east Japan, around 14:51 March 11th.

Phone/cellphone network mostly stopped in east Japan. Twitter and Skype are okay. Yahoo! Japan top page was always dependable to get the news and alerts.

Twitter users are retweeting emergency phone services which do not consume person-to-person connection ability.

One is dial 171, on which you can leave a message at the phone center (family and friends can listen the message by phone number). English instruction is here.

Cellphone carriers provide bulletin board services. From your i-mode/ezweb/Yahoo! Ketai, you may post that you are safe (or other info) to your family and friends. To check it from PC, here is for Docomo, KDDI au and Softbank Mobile. (details [J])

People’s photos from Twitter timeline.

Hamacho, Nihonbashi, Tokyo

Crack in the ground (location unknown)

Odaiba (waterfront) Tokyo

roof-tiles break down from Japanese-style houses. Nakano, Tokyo

An insider of Japan’s public TV NHK’s twitter account(@NHK_PR) had approved an ustream user re-broadcast NHK’s earthquake news report via the user’s webcam by ‘his/her own decision’, redistribution of land TV program is not allowed usually. It was welcomed by net users. Later it seemed to be approved by the organization (as it is under emergency). [Update] NHK officially starts Ustream simulcasting on earthquake news (by our @masaruikeda)

Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system did not work on the main earthquake this time. It worked when an after quake occurred around 19:39 at the same night though.

JR East and most of private railways in Kanto area stopped all trains, and likely not to resume today. Only train restart around Tokyo is Tokaido Shinkansen by JR Tokai to westbound to Osaka. Government announcement recommends office workers in central Tokyo not to try to return to their home, if their current place are safe. But many people starts walking from center to suburb along the main streets.

[Update] Tokyo Metro resumes to run Ginza-line only at 20:30. Toei buses are in service. Tokyo Toei Subways are/will be in service.

This person wrote, “I am going to walk back to home, as public transportation stopped.”

Movie showing people walking down Shinjyuku street by @asaeda,

Under the Twitter hashtag #hinanbasho (避難場所 = evacuation spots), temporary shelters information are gathering. Campuses of Hosei, Meiji, Jochi, Nihon, Seishin, Bunka-Fukushoku, Aoyama-Gakuin, Tokyo, Yokohama-city, Shuto-Daigaku Tokyo are opened to people.

Evacuation places in Tokyo mapped on Google Maps,

Show Evacuation Spots in Tokyo in large

Rice balls and sandwich are all sold out at convenience store in Taito-ward, Tokyo. Too many people who are supposed to go home at night can not move out of Tokyo.

(keep updating earthquake related news from Japanese web. Regular news and photos/videos of Tohoku area should be checked on TV and big news media)

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March Founders Drinks with Meng Wong

Founders Drinks is back for its March edition.

This time, we have two interesting companies presenting:

Pandamian – The easiest way to publish a book online.

NewsAnchorMac - An RSS reader that actually reads the news to you.

Because we didn’t have time to put the pitches up to a vote this month, we will also have an open mic for five-minute pitches. If you’re keen on pitching, bring your slides in a thumb drive on the event day.

Our special guest for the event is a well-known figure in the Singapore startup community – Meng Weng Wong. Wong is an active angel investor and a member of the board of directors of the Business Angel Network of South-East Asia. Wong is a principal at JFDI, an incubator that is part of the TechStars Network, he is also one of the directors at Hackerspace SG. Wong is also the co-founder of Pobox and Karmasphere.

RSVP Now at FlickEvents

Date: March  17

Time: 7 – 9 pm

Venue: *Scape, 4th Floor

This edition of Founders Drinks is supported by Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), the nice people at Hackerspace SG and SmartSpace.

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Flash Your BubbleCard To Get Discounts At A Local Shop – Loyalty Card Startup

While there is a growing craze of discounts and deals for offline retail on the web mostly around group buying sites, there are some startups trying the offline model to promote offline retailers. BubbleCards is one such startup based out of Pune.

Bubble Card is a discount card that can be flashed at an affiliate retailer to get 5-25% discount. Bubble Card is currently available in Pune and can be bought from partner retailers at Rs.50 for a 6 month validity. There are about 150 retailers accepting Bubble card now and about 500 cards have been sold till date. Each retailer is offered Rs.5 as commission for selling the card.

The best thing about Bubble Cards is that there is no hassle of swiping, collecting points etc. With most loyalty cards programs by the time one reaches redemption levels he is probably going to gift it to grandchildren or the returns are so negligible that one wouldn’t take the pain of carrying the card every time. Though the problem of not tracking / no accountability may actually become a pain for them to get organized retailers to buy into the idea.

Here’s an interview with the 23yr old founder Ashutosh Mahajan who did all this fresh out of college as a sole member in the team.

1. How much time did you take to sign up these 15o retailers?
I just passed out of engineering from Pune in 2010. But I have been working on the idea from a long time, the R&D part. I started working full time the day my college ended. At starting, I had convinced the retailers with just a sample card. I got some 100 shops in about 45 days, with others who intended to join after I launch it. But now with all the printed material/website/Facebook, the conversion ratio is 95%, which was earlier around 60-70%.

2. What revenue model are you looking at?
I charge the customer Rs.50, as an introductory price right now, which may be raised upto Rs.100-200 soon, though people say it should be >=Rs.300.

Signing up for retailer is free. I also provide certain value added services like bulk SMS, Email, promotional activities in college events, ads on print material, website, Facebook, Twitter etc.

3. Do you think 5-20% discount is good enough to attract people?
Bubble Card can be used any number of times.The card is transferable, anybody can use it. These are the key advantages. If one gets 5-20% discount every time he visits the store, on everything he spends for, his investment is covered in 1-2 deals only.

4. What if the retailer refuses to accept the card?
Till now, I have got not more than 2-3 cases of refusal, the only reason being, some new staff who was unfortunately not aware of Bubble card. For that I have put up Sodexho like stickers at every shop, which show the Bubble card discount. Also danglers, flexes, boards, posters to increase visibility.

5. How does Bubble Card really add value to the ecosystem? Retailers could give the discount even otherwise.
Retailers do give discounts, but to regular customers only, or who bargains. Bubble Card creates a platform for retailers to promote their offer. Best eg. CCD Gang Card, total failure, the only reason was they could not promote it. Signing up for Bubble Card network is always easier than investing in their own loyalty program.

Bubble Card comes in a pack like sim cards, with the logos of my affiliates on it. Along with the card, I provide a directory of member shops with their address & numbers. It’s easier for customers to locate the shops. And a customer acquisition form for database, which is another valuable source of revenue.

6. For an organized retail how is the discount accounted in the books? What is the tracking mechanism?
I have not put up any tracking mechanism yet. Once the card is sold, I have done my business. But the card has an ID, which the retailers note down for accounting, crude method. But later on, barcode is the solution.

I have got Subway, CCD giving 15% off and some multiplexes in Pune as well, which are on hold due the same problem.

Final words :
Right now I am badly stuck, totally out of funds, overloaded, demoralized by most of the people, but still it’s the belief in the idea that is driving me.You know, a typical crunch period for a startup.

So what do you think of the startup and the founder? If you are in Pune do let us know how easy/difficult it is to get a Bubble card and use it.

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Of Social Media, Branding and Why Content is ‘Feed’ for Thought!

An appropriate content strategy is the critical success factor which decides the failure or success of a brand’s social media journey. The congruence of expectations between brand and community members decides the fate of a brand’s social media exposure. Some key aspects if dealt adequately can differentiate a brand’s social media campaign. This article draws an analogy of a ‘feed’ to content that is shared with the user on a social networking channel like Twitter or Facebook.

Timing

When a kid should be fed depends on factors like waking hours of the kid, time availability of the parent, preparation time for the food and the time of the day. When an adult needs to feed oneself depends on factors like health consciousness, stress at work and exercise schedule. Likewise, in social media the timing of making a post on Facebook / LinkedIn or tweeting on Twitter, makes a lot of difference. The brands need to consider the timeline in which their target audience exists ensuring their right frame of mind to receive and absorb the message that brand wants to convey. Factors like the time required by brand to organize that content are critical. For instance, a message targeted to adults being broadcasted in rush hour may not be a good idea. The brands need to schedule their content generation tasks in backward manner, so that the right content is available for disposal at the right time.

Content Mix

Adults are self-aware or well-guided by doctors or elders in the family about the nutritious food that should be fed to the kids. As a kid grows up, his /her likings emerge and change at a different rate through stages of growth. It’s likely to change at a very fast pace in teens and possibly much slower during 40s. With the innovation in food products, the choice of food available varies extensively now, but the underlying ‘ideal’ objective remains the same, i.e. consumption of nutritious food for healthy development. Similarly, the community built around a brand needs to be provided with rich content that primarily aids the members to

• remain engaged with the community and have a ‘sense of belonging’
• become more knowledgeable about the products/services

Though, on a larger scale one might consider all community members around a brand to be uniform in nature, at micro level there exist, some subtle differences, strong enough to create a difference in expectations. The brand should recognize these differences and plan its content mix in such a manner that it satisfies majority of them, if not every individual. Though people may not be sure about what they love to be fed but almost every time you are aware of what you hate. The brands should prepare informative, helpful content for its community members, and not just adopt selling approach.

Storytelling

Most of us may remember our parents building stories around stars, moon etc and sometimes fear factor too to cajole us for eating when we were kids. As we grow up the food outlets/brands capitalize on our temptations by the way they advertise. The community members also need a convincing reason to assimilate the content bombarded at them. The brands need to acknowledge that the content they publish on their wall, does invade the News Feed (in Facebook) and Timeline (in Twitter) of the community members. Though brands might take a stand that they didn’t invite people to join the brand community, they must refrain from cluttering the community member’s territory with uninteresting content and annoy members. The storytelling approach can be followed to make a case about the content being shared by the brand. The length of the story is a crucial factor considering the diminishing attention span syndrome. Emphasis needs to be laid on message length and its tone.

Content Quantity

The quantity of food to be fed is dependent on the nutritional requirement. In order to remain healthy both over-eating and under nutrition has to be avoided. Likewise, brands should recognize that they can’t expect their community members to respond and engage with each and every post. Though brands might be successful enough to create content, it should be kept in mind how adaptive their receivers are. This may require ‘hits and trials’ and significant changes as the community evolves.

The above factors do not constitute a ‘comprehensive list’ for an effective content strategy but they are surely critical to success.

What’s your opinion?

About the Authors:

Vijayendra Haryal & Anandan Pillai are authors of the first comprehensive book on Social Media in the Indian Context titled “Social Media Simplified: Twitter, Facebook – Beyond Casual Networking”. This is listed amongst Top 10 New Releases by Odyssey [Facebook page, Twitter handle: @smsbeyond].

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