Want to earn in Internet?

It is not one of those "work from home and make money" posts. So, if you were looking for that, sorry for disappointing you.

We come across many these days who want to work for the internet industry. The interest could be of several reasons; some like to chat & facebook and think internet is an extended version of these, others may think it is going to be an easy task to sit in front of the computer and make money. On serious, there are actually some of you who want to make a career in internet but are a little clueless on how to beg

The beauty of internet is that it does not require a special qualification. But this is also a drawback as you do not get books or degrees to learn internet fundas.

I will try and explain what all different profiles internet industry has apart from the technical development guys.

SEO - search engine optimizateion. It is basically about driving free traffic to the website which is achieved by ensuring that for any related search on google, the website appears on top (on first page atleast). Involves deep understanding of google search algorithms. Also, requires a lot of manual work in terms of updating the meta information of the website (information that google reads).

Here is an example of a fairly senior SEO guy i know - http://in.linkedin.com/in/dasanirban

And an example of a job -
http://jobsearch.naukri.com/job-listings-Senior-SEO-Neotericuk-Ltd--Gurgaon-3-to-6-291111001678


SEM - search engine marketing, also known as PPC. It is about getting paid traffic to the website. The key task here is that traffic acquisition should be done at minimal price and the visitors acquired should be most beneficial to the website. Also involves email marketing, affiliates marketing. Requires fair amount of operational work, good analytical skills and sharp vision.

Example of a senior SEM guy - http://in.linkedin.com/in/vinaysharmaindia

Example of a job -
http://jobsearch.naukri.com/job-listings-SEM-Associate-Focus-Circle-Brands-Pvt-Ltd-Delhi-1-to-3-181012900444


Branding - This is a pure marketing job. Involves running various campaigns for the website online as well as offline. Right from banners, emailers, hoardings, TVCs, radio etc. It is probably the most glamorous job in the internet industry. Disadvantage is that in a company there will not be the need of more than one or 2 brand managers. Advantage is cross-industry jump (from internet to fmcg to durables etc)

Example of a brand guy - http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sumit-bedi/a/909/264

Example of a job -
http://jobsearch.naukri.com/job-listings-Brand-Manager-Noida-Spectrum-Talent-Management-Noida-5-to-10-301012003181


Product Management - this is my personal favorite. Engineering or technical acumen is a must. It is about understanding the needs of the business, visualizing how the website should be, creating requirements and then making sure the final product comes out as desired. Plus it needs strong leadership skills. No one really reports into you, but you have to get work done from each one of them. Disadvantage is that it is a high coordination job and almost thankless. Advantage is that it gives maximum understanding of the business and a close view of all the functions.

Example of a product manager i am fond of - http://in.linkedin.com/in/satyajeetsingh
You might also want to go through my profile as an example :-) - http://in.linkedin.com/in/errichasharma

Example of a job -
http://jobsearch.naukri.com/job-listings-Product-Manager-People-Interactive-I-Pvt-Ltd--Gurgaon-2-to-7-060812003434


Go through these. You will find more literature on web using these keywords. Ask questions whenever you have. It is good to have interest in something, but before you make it your career, be sure of what you are getting into.

Hope it helps!

Photo Credits: singlegrain.com

High in a corner

There is a corner in my new office, on 11th floor. It is bright and isolated and has a full view of the highway.
I love standing quiet in this corner. It gives me perspective, energy and encouragement; makes me think of all the distance we must travel to reach the goal.
-------------------------
Yes, it's a new job. Yes, it is still all about product management. Yes, i am excited n uncertain.

Win or WIN

In a competition where you can play on your strengths or play on your opponent's weaknesses; do the former. 

You might not win, but you will definitely enjoy the game!

Photo Credits: sitepoint.com

It is as simple as that!

Work as if u own the company. 

You do things because it is better, more efficient, exciting. Because it is possible. Because you want to.

If you have it, you shall get the money, the designation, the work, the authority, the acclaim, everywhere. But the satisfaction and rush will only come when you will be doing it all for yourself.

Do not just go to office. Come back and sleep with a rewarded smile every night!

Three in one

So we are product managers. And what makes us different from rest of the people at work :|
Just that we cannot live life of a single person.

To be a product manager, we must know three people too well and be each one of them almost all the times.

Person 1 - The customer.
No matter what, it's the customer that drives all the features. And must. The mere thought of whether a feature is required, how it should look, what should it do... all these answers are only with the customer. So keep close to your customer; stalk him through analytics, get in person through customer care, read forums, blogs, surveys etc etc. Also, once I heard in one of those fancy conferences - do follow your competition's customers along with yours. Their rants can tell you what the others are missing on, and what you can build as the differentiating/ appeasing product.

Person 2 - The businessman.
Yes the customer is always right. and yes the customer is the god. But the truth is that business goals are also to be considered and almost equally. This is the most difficult role, especially if you love product management, are too passionate towards your work and making money does not top your priority list. Because business goals might ask you to compromise a bit on the shape and size of the product. Striking a right balance between "men in the cabin" and "men on the keyboards" is a skillful art.
I have experienced a lot of confusion in this role in the last 5 years. But I will have to agree that mastering this will make me a better PM.

Person 3 - The You.
So you think of a feature being the customer and then conceptualize it considering the technological logic and feasibility and then get it developed/market/sell it being the businessman. In all of this, what about you? Never think, you are a mere executioner, or just a communicator/ translator or a document writer. If you constrict yourself to this, you are no better than an errand runner. Be the end user and also think of earning money and keep the engineering aspects in mind too. But always put the salt as per your taste.Argue, question, reason and make sure you are convinced when you compile the final product design.
And in some cases, where it isn't what you exactly want, yet you still have to do it; make sure you know it clearly what would you have done differently given a free hand. And believe in it. Trust me, you will get a chance to do it one day.

Happy living the life of (x)(cube)

-image courtesy : illusionspoint.com-

If you aint a mark, can you make a mark?

Its not only a physician's job to ask questions.
In fact, a physician might believe in a lot of illusions and work his way through finding the truths in the myths.

But if you are a product manager, the only way you can justify your pay is by asking questions and as much. What I mean to say is, never just say "Yes" to everything you are told. Ask a lot of why(s) and what(s). Reason, if you do not agree and something feels wrong. Reason, even if everything seems totally right to make sure it actually is. Think of something and then put it in on the thrashing bench. Keep asking what if(s) for every thought that comes in your head before you put it on paper.

As someone has beautifully put it:

The #1 trait I look for in people who would make good Product Managers is an extreme sense of curiosity. Curious people are wonderful – they ask the most powerful question in the World: “why?” Curious people read a lot and tend to self-teach valuable skills. Most importantly, curious people aren’t satisfied with what people tell them, they stay awake at night wondering what they’re missing and love the process of discovery. Some skills can be taught; curiosity is a character trait.

So be a question mark and always be ready with many but one, next time you are asked to build a new feature.

The one you must never ask is, a "how". Because answering that, is your Job!

-image courtesy : investorsareidiots.com-