Case study: Distorted interpretation of social media

I was recently been alerted to a Facebook wall where something interesting just took place.

Interesting? I initially thought that it must be just another set of raunchy photos of some skimpily clad ladies or something similar to that. This is what Facebook is famous for after all... or am I wrong?

So the page loaded and yeah, I was definitely wrong. A quick glimpse on the header showed nothing interesting; it was just an announcement by OffGamers which served to advertise one of their many products...


... except the fact that there were way too many comments for such an ordinary announcement.

Reading through all the comments, I finally managed to figure out what the fuss was all about. Apparently, OffGamers' competitor - MOL - decided to make a not-so-smart-decision by invading and humiliating OffGamers for being a smaller company as compared to MOL.


It's pretty understandable if this Ganesh Kumar Bangah is a stupid new intern in MOL but no, this is the CEO himself WTF?!

As if the courtesy reply from OffGamers was not good enough, MOL's Sales Executive decided to join into the fray.


The more the merrier?

Pretty soon, it was almost like an onslaught, with so-called satisfied MOL customers filling the comments about their bad experience with OffGamers and how everything went oh-so-smooth with MOL.


Both accounts were newly created right after OffGamers's announcement.

Even my illiterate grandmother can easily identify these as dupes... err, if I translate them into Hokkien, of course!

In most circumstances, this kind of situation tend to turn ugly with name-callings and vulgarities thrown here and there but surprisingly, this was not the case here. In fact, there were a few funny comments that were exchanged which almost got me bursting out in laughter.


Gate-crashing = embracing social media HAHAHA~


Someone seriously need to enrol herself (or himself?) into a How-To-Create-Fake-Facebook-Account-101 class.


Let's see if Ija Mohan is as accurate as Paul?

At the time of writing, the amount of comments stand at 104 and I'm not sure if I'll be pursuing it any further after this. Nevertheless, even though I'm not in the position to judge on who is the culprit and who is the victim, kudos to OffGamers for displaying such a respectable level of professionalism in handling this particular awkward scenario.

MOL, you got to troll harder and better in the future.

-sigh-

P.S. You'll have to click on the photos to enlarge them for better reading. :)

Busy-ness

Phew~ I'm starting to think that 24 hours a day is not enough for me these days. There are so many things to do but so little time... or maybe I'm just a damn good procrastinator after all. :D Anyway, I'm not going to go about on what I did everyday; I'm not writing a daily activity report here.

Do you play MMORPG? Have you played one before? I used to spend quite some time on a number of them since they were free to play. I still remember vividly that I was a Level 25 Rogue in MapleStory when I paid my first visit to the Free Market to get my Stinger. Woah, the amount of stalls being set up by players were overwhelmingly a lot! While browsing in and out of each stalls looking for my desired item, I finally found a Stinger that was way cheaper than the other stalls and immediately seize it. It didn't take me long to figure out that there are always sellers that tagged their items very much lower than market price and from that moment on, I logged into MapleStory just to hunt for bargain items and trade, not to level up. Ahh... the thrills of taking risk in buying an item that may or may not get sold is so succulently sweet but nothing really defeats the satisfaction when you managed to sell items at higher price with the buyers still under the impression that they've scored a big-discounted purchase. Win-win!

Of course, good things don't last forever. Once I realize that all the profit I gained in the game can't be used in the real world, I gave up on MapleStory a few months later.

-sigh-

If you've guessed it, congratulations and yes, in this entry I'll be writing about - for the lack of better term - trading but rest assured that I'm not trying to advertise my products or service here. This is not your Facebook, is it?

I'm pretty sure that it's not just me but these days, I've been tagged here and there by my Facebook friends for all kind of products that range from babies attire to some sexy see through nightgowns WTF?! All these advertisements by my very own friends really got me thinking.

Is this something to be expected when you reach late 20s when out of sudden, all your friends become business-minded enthusiasts?

Or does this has something to do with the fact that the Internet penetration in our country has reached the level where online business is fast picking up as a new business trend?

What about you? If you have yet to start one, what is the factor that is holding you back? Not enough time - like me? Insufficient capital to begin with? Too troublesome and meddlesome? Do allow me to prove you wrong for the Internet is truly an enabler with many potentials as long as you're looking at the right direction.

Gone are the days where you need to look for a suitable shop lot, apply for license, complete the renovation, spend 12 hours daily cooped up inside your little shop - even during days when business is slow - and last but not least, pay taxes. Is this reason good enough to convince you otherwise? Maybe not since the descriptions above are meant for full-time business but I hope that you do realize the differences doing an online business can be compared to this old business model.

Take me for example. I'm currently doing a very small service business helping students or those without credit card to buy their favourite computer games online. In case you don't know, computer games no longer come in CD / DVD form only these days. You can also buy them from digital distribution portals - such as Steam and many others - and once registered to your account, you can download these games on the spot into as many computers as you want as long as you fulfill the EULA. Most of these portals also come along with the gift function, which is extremely (ab)useful to people like me.

So where's the opportunity, you ask? It's easy, I charge my customers RM5 per transaction. Due to the fact that these portals only deal in USD and the bank exchange rate is constantly fluctuating, I have to include a multiplier that is slightly higher than the highest exchange rate for the past few weeks. For example, Mr. A would like to purchase a copy of Plants vs. Zombies ($9.99) and Left 4 Dead 2 ($29.99) each. At the time of writing, the bank exchange rate is 3.23 and I've fixed my service exchange rate at 3.35.

Price to charge Mr. A = [(9.99 + 29.99) * 3.35) + 5 = RM139
My credit card charge = (9.99 + 29.99) * 3.23 = RM129.14
Profit = RM139 - RM129.14 = RM9.86

Even though I only render this service out as a hobby and with the complete awareness that this is not something I can do full-time, keep in mind that I need neither shop lot nor license to start this business. I also don't get taxed for the profit earned and in fact, the risk is very minimal since I don't need to stock up on these games at all. Someone need the games? I just click, click, click in front of my computer and once customers confirmed receipt of requested games, KA CHING! Customers are happy, I am happy, another win-win scenario achieved!

Another online business example that I can give is selling PayPal funds. To make it easier to understand, just imagine PayPal as a virtual debit card that is widely accepted in most websites. Let's take Mr. B as someone who doesn't own a credit card but he would like to buy something that cost him $500 from a US website. Pause here! Rewind back to 6 months ago when the exchange rate was 3.07 and you credited your PayPal account with $500 from your credit card. Back to our current time with bank exchange rate of 3.23, you agreed to sell the $500 PayPal funds to Mr. B.

Price to charge Mr. B = 500 * 3.23 = RM1615
My credit card 6 months ago = 500 * 3.07 = RM1535
Profit = RM1615 - RM1535 = RM80

Again, this is another scenario of you sitting in front of your computer without the need for shop lot, license and tax. This example definitely pose a certain higher level of risk compared to the first since it's almost equivalent to speculating currency rates but hey, it's still something that can bring in extra cash if done right.

Both examples above are not something new but they serve as good mediums to get my message across to you. Whether you're doing it as a hobby - like me - or to pocket yourselves side-income, I think that this will make a good experience and who knows, perhaps it might become a stepping stone to something much bigger in the near future?!

My only request is that you don't spam my Facebook walls with weird advertisements like tiger costumes or pole dancing classes please.

Now in case my customers are reading this entry of mine, I need to write something to dispel the notion that I'm serving them mainly for profit. As narrated above, I got acquainted with trading in a MMORPG and fell in love with the ability to please both my customers and myself in each transaction. It's akin to being an alchemist; armed with passion, I get to transmute a pebble into gold for you. As such, if you find the need to do so, you may compare myself to the other resellers and decide if they'll be able to value you as a customer better than I do. :)

Why am I writing this? Well, good things are meant to be shared, no? :) Moreover, it's not like I'm the one that came up with all these business models in the first place. I'm just a copycat after all.

Come to think of it, maybe it's time I start looking for vacancies for buyer. :D

Thailand 2009: Day # 2

I almost forgot about the remaining days that I've yet to write on for my Thailand trip until the recent events where we saw Bangkok city being literally transformed into a mini war zone. I'm an outsider hence I won't go into details on which side is the culprit or victim.

One thing that caught my attention though is how they've renovated the Democracy Monument...


... from this...


... to this.

Day 2 saw Chaiwat joining us on our tour. In fact, he reached our hotel pretty late the night before and bunked in Samarn's room. Since he would only be around until evening, we more or less elected him as our unofficial tour guide of the day.


Our first destination was the Golden Mount, a pagoda on top of a hill.

I guess it must be an auspicious day or something special since there were a large number of tourists - comprised mostly of locals - joining us up there as well.


Rows of bells along the way to the top, each clanks signifying a wish comes true... I think so.


Once on top, I noticed that they were holding a donation campaign where devotees get to scribe down their well wishes on a red cloth which will be draped onto the pagoda.

Apart from the donation drive, there were also Buddhist relics on display in the pagoda which might explain the crowds.


The hill itself wasn't very high, but with the addition of a pagoda on top, it was tall enough to afford a scenic panorama over the city.


A mini-replica of the Golden Mount with the aforementioned red cloth.

Since Chaiwat had a timer ticking down, we wasted no time in getting to our second destination, the Vimanmek Mansion Dusit Palace.


Mansion or palace? Make up your mind!

I'm not sure if it has something to do with the latitude of Bangkok city but the weather here was so much sunnier compared back home. :(


Why has the cloud forsaken us?!


With this kind of temperature, we had no choice but to hop onto an idle tuk-tuk to get here.

There was nothing much to see here as we have to pay in order to enter a certain building. Of course, it was pretty normal to charge tourists entrance fees but to forbid us from bringing in our cameras was totally unacceptable.

As a result, we just strolled around the compound and took a few photos here and there, especially on the ridiculous number of different transports that were on display there.


In one corner, we have the Cinderella-style horse carriage.


If you don't like Cinderella, no problem! There are many more types that you can choose from.


No horse? OK, then how about a purple-coloured tuk-tuk.


Purple again? Are these vehicles sponsored by Cadbury or something?


One of the 2 interesting buildings that we can find here was this large greenhouse across the river with no admittance allowed.

The other interesting building would be the air-conditioned toilet.


In such hot weather, it was definitely heaven on earth!

If you were to ask me, I sincerely think that stopping by this world's largest golden teakwood mansion was a waste of time since there was nothing much to see from the perspective of a tourist. No offense intended.

I'm not sure what actually transpired once we exit the gate but we ended up having to walk a few kilometers just to catch a bus to bring us to our next stop. Bad thing was the hellish heat. Good thing was that along the way, we got to pass by a few interesting landmarks.


The smelly Dusit Zoo.


A post to commemorate the water level this area was under in the past.


The King Rama V Equestrian Statue. Till these days, people still pay homage to this late king even after his demise in 1910.


Compared to the one in Penang, the Bangkok plant-watering vehicle looks so much high-tech. :P

It didn't take me long to realize that I've got my expectation wrong as the bus that came for us was of such an old age that even the flooring was made out of wood.


I suddenly found myself back in the Penang 90s' Yellow Bus. :D

After a short lunch where we had the Bangkok's version of chicken rice, we crossed a few roads and CentralWorld - the largest shopping complex in Thailand - stood majestically in front of us. Now, perhaps this is just culture shock to me, but I can't help being peculiar on how Bangkokians - not sure if this is also applicable to the entire Thailand as well - are able to integrate superstitions into their daily life especially with the erection of 2 Hindu shrines in the least expected location - just right in front of CentralWorld.


Pray to Ganesha for career success...


... and Trimurti to bless you with true love.

If you are a girl reading this, I need you to calm down. Bangkok is a shopping heaven, there is no denying that but unfortunately, we didn't really have much chance and time to do so. :(

I thought I've seen it all when I visited the Langkawi Underwater World but apparently Siam Ocean World decided to prove me wrong. Tucked away in the basement levels of Siam Paragon, the Siam Ocean World is so much bigger and allows you to get much closer to the fishes.


An ocean under a shopping complex? O.o"

I'm not going to show you much fishes here since I can't allow them to have much more screentime than me. This is my blog after all. :P


Aquarium that is even deeper than the tallest of us 3.


OK, this was where my confusion set in. They were trying to tell me this freaking dinosaur is a Jurassic fish?


How to tackle complaints on insufficient variety of fishes on display? Get humans to cosplay gigantic fishes!

In the Siam Ocean World, there were a section where they have aquariums made out of normal everyday appliances. I guess it was an attempt to raise awareness on recycling or something similar to that.


Chevrolet Optra that has been filled to the brim with water and has fishes as passengers.


Fancy having a microwaved goldfish as dinner?

Now, before any of you go yapping about animal abuse, these fishes didn't work here for nothing. One of the few benefits that were documented in their contracts was dental care. Let's take this shark as example:


On its first day of inception into Siam Ocean World; misaligned and protruding teeth.


Now; a much more handsome shark!

Hahaha... good joke eh? No?

-sigh-

Fine, let's move on. The Siam Ocean World also boast Thailand's first 4D theatre, though I would advise you to exclude this feature from the entrance package if possible as it was just so-so.


OK OK, I admit that I don't recommend the 4D theatre because they won't let me keep this funky looking 3D glasses. :P

As we came to the end of the Siam Ocean World tour, Chaiwat was running late to catch his trip home so we had to call it a day. Moreover, Bangkok's sky gets dark pretty early due to the different time zone hence we just jumped onto a taxi and nothing much occurred for the rest of the night.

Please remove me

I'm not sure if this is a trend that only exists within my company or if it's the same elsewhere. Basically, the scenario started when a lost soul forwarded an escalation email to a group mailbox that consists of many unrelated parties. Within a few minutes, all hell broke loose!

Common sense dictates that all you have to do is ignore and delete these unrelated emails since you're aware of the fact that you're not the intended recipient. Easy, right?


Please remove me! Me too! Me three!

But no! This is the very opportunity to make your presence known to all the employees within the company so you MUST reply to all and request that your email address is removed from the list of recipients!

What began as a single email that got itself sent to the wrong mailbox soon became a flurry of spam emails and before you knew it - congratulations - you now have 157 unread emails with the exact same subject line appearing out of nowhere like a virus outbreak.


It doesn't matter what the person below wrote.

Once in a while, a smart alec will take it a step further by replying to all with some small changes to the subject line like Don't reply to all! which ironically does not help the situation even the slightest bit since it's going to get ignored and thanks, that's an extra spam email in my mailbox.

-sigh-


To make this kind of joke when the recipient list includes directors and managers, this guy sure got balls!

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