Target Fundraising Amount: INR 25,000/-

Delhi Blog and New Media Society (DBNMS) is pleased to announce the Twestival Delhi Fundraiser 2009. Twestival is a global series of events organized by volunteers around the world which brings people offline for a great cause. Twestival is run 100% by volunteers with target fundraising amount.

At the fundraiser, you will meet people from twitter face to face and have the opportunity to network with them. We will be providing a drink and light food at the event.

This being a fundraiser event, we have a donation requirement with proceeds going to the charity. In addition, all the people who donate will be entered into a raffle to win goodies donated by the members for this purpose.

We also need your support on spreading the word about this event. Please blog/ tweet or shout about this event wherever you can .

Date:
Sept 12 2009

Time:
6:00 PM onwards

Venue:
Kunzum Gallery, T-49, Ground Floor, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi

Associated Charity:

Khushboo Welfare Society

Sector 10 A, (Near Lions Public School), Gurgaon

Mission: To be a professional organisation providing care facility and rehabilitation for disabled individuals as well as empowering and sensitizing one and all.

Minimum Donation:

Online (http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/Fundraiser): INR 1000/-

Please indicate in comments that this is towards the Twestival.

At venue: INR 1200/-

A representative from the charity will be available at the venue to issue receipts and tax exemption certificate.

Due to the limited size of the venue (40 pax), we will give priority entry to people who have made online donation before Sept 10 2009.

Logistics:

We have created a page where you can co-ordinate with other attendees for car pooling and networking. Also, you can mention the items you can donate for raffle at the event:
http://wiki.delhibloggers.in/delhi-bloggers-meets

We are excited to be meeting you in person at the Twestival Fundraiser.

For those who are not able to attend the event in person, we encourage you to donate online at:
http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/Fundraiser

In case you know of any individual/organisation who would like to make a donation to the cause, please put them in touch with us at:
abhishek@ibnms.com

Please follow @delhibloggers to stay abreast of the latest developments on Twestival. Also, let us know in case you would like to volunteer for this event by replying to @delhibloggers.

If you haven’t still joined the Delhi Bloggers (with over 400 bloggers) mailing list, you can do so at the Delhi Bloggers Mailing list.

Sponsors:

• Winner: Sudeep Nayak (http://sudeepnayak.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/seagate-freeagent-a-portable-multimedia-storage-solution/) gets a 1TB Seagate FreeAgent XTreme Drive
• Runners Up: Hrish Thota (http://www.dhempe.com/2009/03/20/seagate-freeagent-family-to-the-rescue/) gets a 1TB Seagate FreeAgent Desk Drive
• Second Runners Up: Mohamed Fasil (http://smashtech.blogspot.com/2009/03/things-to-do-with-seagate-freeagent.html) gets a 500GB Seagate FreeAgent Go Drive

All valid entries also get a FREE copy of Ajay Jain’s bestselling book, Peep Peep Don’t Sleep.

And there is gift for everyone who sends a valid entry!!

PRIZES TO BE WON

FIRST PRIZE: 1TB Seagate FreeAgent XTreme, with a retail value of USD 141
SECOND PRIZE: 1TB Seagate FreeAgent Desk, with a retail value of USD 105
THIRD PRIZE: 500GB Seagate FreeAgent Go, with a retail value of USD 119

Here is some great news for all participants: All those who send in a valid entry get a FREE copy of Ajay Jain’s bestselling book, Peep Peep Don’t Sleep, a collection of funny road signs in India. This book will be given to all those who have also already sent in their entries or or will do so before the deadline.

Contest Dates: The contest starts March 4, 2009 and closes March 21, 2009. Rush your entries in now!!

The Contest
You have to write a blog entry on the following topic: Seagate FreeAgent Family and I: What would be the most creative use I could put it to if I had one? And what would I expect from Seagate’s storage solutions that will enhance my content management experience?

It does not matter if you have used a Seagate FreeAgent portable drive or not. All the information is available if you click here. And then let your imagination fly – for a chance to win some real cool drives.

HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST
To enter, participants may submit their blog in one of the following manners listed below. The cost of submitting and maintaining the blog is the responsibility of the participant.

(a) Participants may enter the contest by writing and posting their submission on their own blog or on any other blog where they have authorised access, and sending a trackback to http://ibnms.com/2009/03/03/seagate-contest/. Alternatively, you can add the URL of your blog post in the comments part of the contest page at http://ibnms.com/2009/03/03/seagate-contest/.
(b) Participants who do not have their own blog may enter the contest by writing and emailing their submission to ajay@ibnms.com. The submission will be posted on TechGazing.com under the participant’s name. A submission posted on TechGazing.com will be sent to the competition page as a trackback.

PLEASE READ THE RULES OF THE COMPETITION AND TIPS FOR WRITING AS GIVEN BELOW BEFORE YOU SEND IN YOUR ENTRIES:

OFFICIAL RULES

1. PROMOTER: The Promoter for this competition is Seagate Singapore International Headquarters Pte. Ltd., 7000 Ang Mo Kio Avenue, Singapore 569877.
   
2. PARTICIPANT ELIGIBILITY: This contest is open only to residents of India, who are age 18 years or older when this contest begins. This contest begins on March 3, 2009 at 9:00 am Indian Standard Time and closes on March 21, 2009 at 5:00 pm Indian Standard Time. Employees, directors, officers, and agents of the Promoter, and its affiliated companies, sales representatives, advertising, and promotion agencies involved in this contest (collectively, the “Promoter Parties”), together with the members of their immediate families and households are prohibited from entering this contest. This contest is void where prohibited.
   
3. THE SUBMISSION: Participants are invited to write and submit an original blog on the topic: “Seagate FreeAgent Family and I: What would be the most creative use I could put it to if I had one? And what would I expect from Seagate’s storage solutions that will enhance my content management experience?” All submissions must be in English, must have a title that includes the word “Seagate.” All submissions must be tagged with the words “IBNMS competition” and “Seagate.” There is no word limit. All submissions must be received between the date/time the contest begins and the date/time the contest closes. Only one submission per participant will be accepted. Participants and all submissions must comply with these Official Rules.
   
4. PRODUCT DETAILS: Participants may access more information about the Seagate FreeAgent Family from http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/.
5. HOW TO ENTER: To enter, participants may submit their blog in one of the following manners listed below. The cost of submitting and maintaining the blog is the responsibility of the participant.
   (a) Participants may enter the contest by writing and posting their submission on their own blog or on any other blog where they have authorised access, and sending a trackback to http://ibnms.com/2009/03/03/seagate-contest/. Alternately, you can add the URL of your blog post in the comments part of the contest page at http://ibnms.com/2009/03/03/seagate-contest/.
   (b) Participants who do not have their own blog may enter the contest by writing and emailing their submission to ajay@ibnms.com. The submission will be posted on TechGazing.com under the participant’s name. A submission posted on TechGazing.com will be sent to the competition page as a trackback.
6. JUDGING: All eligible submissions will be evaluated by a panel of qualified judges selected by Promoter. The best three submissions will be awarded prizes. The submissions will be judged on a combination of factors including quality of content, language and style of writing, use of images, use of supporting information and links, leaving a “WOW” impression, and other blogger responses to the submission. The judges’ decisions on all matters pertaining to this contest are final. This is a contest of skill; chance plays no part in determining the winners.
7. PRIZE DETAILS: The first prize is a 1TB Seagate FreeAgent XTreme, with a retail value of USD 141. The second prize is a 1TB Seagate FreeAgent Desk, with a retail value of USD 105. The third prize is a 500GB Seagate FreeAgent Go, with a retail value of USD 119. In the event that the Promoter is unable to supply the prize, the promoter reserves the right to supply an alternative prize of similar monetary value. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for any tax implications arising from the award of any prize. Prizes are not exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash.
8. WINNER VERIFICATION: The winning participants will be notified by mail or e-mail, and their names will be posted on IBNMS.com and TechGazing.com on April 4, 2009 at 5:00 pm (Indian Standard Time). If the prize notification is returned as undeliverable, or any prize documentation is not completed as required by the Promoter, then the prize will be forfeited. The prizes will be dispatched to the winners as soon as practicable following the announcement of the winners. Competition winners will need to provide proof of identity to receive the prizes.
9. SUBMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS: By submitting a blog entry, each participant represents that the blog submitted is entirely original and has never been published, that the participant has the right to submit the blog without violating the rights of any third party, and that the use of the blog does not infringe any third party rights. The submissions must not defame or invade publicity rights or privacy rights of any person, living or deceased. The submissions must not infringe upon any person’s personal or proprietary rights. Entries not complying with all rules will be subject to disqualification at the Promoter’s discretion. The Promoter will not enter into correspondence with participants regarding individual submissions.
10. DISQUALIFIED SUBMISSIONS: The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify any blog which does not comply with these Official Rules, or which the Promoter believes is offensive or in breach of any defamation, copyright, privacy, or other laws in India. The participant will be informed of the decision and may submit an alternative submission in its place, so long as the alternative submission complies with these Official Rules and is received before the competition closes.
11. USE OF SUBMISSIONS. Participants grant to the Promoter and its agents a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, right, and royalty-free licence to make use of the submission and any copyright material contained in the submission, including the right to copy, duplicate, alter, and modify the submission in whole or in part, in any media whatsoever. Additionally, as a condition of acceptance of a prize, except where prohibited by law, the winning participants will be required to grant the Promoter the right to use the participant’s name, image, likeness, biographical materials for advertising, publicity, and promotional purposes in any media whatsoever, and without additional compensation.
12. DISCLAIMERS: The Promoter Parties will not be liable for any loss or damage arising out of participation in this competition or receiving any prize, except for any liability that cannot be excluded by law. The Promoter Parties are not responsible for late submissions or submissions that are not received. The Promoter Parties are not responsible for interrupted or unavailable network, Internet, or email connections, failed communications, website inaccessibility or unavailability, or other errors of any kind, including the incomplete or incorrect capture of submission information. The Promoter reserves the right to cancel, suspend, or modify the Contest if it cannot be conducted as originally planned due to occurrences beyond the Promoter’s control.
13. GENERAL CONDITIONS: By participating in this contest, participants agree to abide by and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges. Participants are responsible for all taxes, costs, or other liability, which might arise from receiving the awarding, receipt or use of any prize. By participating in this contest, participants agree to release the Promoter Parties from any and all liability arising from or in connection with participation in this Contest, or the awarding, receipt, or use of any prize. By participating in this contest, participants further agree that all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules, participant’s rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Promoter Parties in connection with this contest will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of India, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules. By entering, participants submit to the jurisdiction and venue of the courts located in India.

TIPS FOR PARTICIPANTS

All participants are advised to keep the following in mind when submitting their entries. This will ensure readers find the posts useful and easy to read and will also help in securing higher marks from judges.

Quality of Content
Have you come up with any great ideas? Are they out of the box? Do they sound original? Does it convey a sense that you have gone to great lengths to understand the product before writing?

Language
Is the entry well written? Has it been proof-read properly? Does the composition and style make it easy to read and comprehend on the web? Have key points been highlighted properly? Have you used as many as required or made it too long?

Use of Images, Links and Supporting Information
Did you make suitable use of images and illustrations to make the entry more impactful? Were relevant links and supporting information provided for the benefit of the reader?

WOW Factor + Reader Response
Was there at least one point you mentioned that would make the judges sit up and take notice? Will they get impressed? Will the contents draw quantitative and positive comments from other online users?

What is New Media & Blog Camp?
The event is an unconference where a relevant audience comes together to talk about/ discuss/ rant/ brainstorm/ share opinions on all possible subjects related to new media and blogging. BarCamp style, these are open events where anyone may sign up to attend and choose to speak on a topic of common interest.

This is the second edition of the event in Delhi and the first in Bangalore. These events do not follow any schedules, and may occur once a year or every few months depending on when volunteers come together and take the initiative.

PRINCIPAL SPONSOR

Who is organizing the event
The event is being organized by the Indian Blog and New Media Society (www.ibnms.com), the umbrella body for this space in India.

Attendees
These events are attended by many kinds of people, each with their own interest in this space. These include, besides others:

• Users, content creators and publishers of new media and blogs
• Individuals and companies providing services in this space
• VCs, Angel Funds and other investors
• Techies
• Journalists looking to or already using new media as an outlet for their work
• Consumers and readers of new media and blog
• PR, Advertising and Communications industry
• Social Media practitioners and users

There is no restriction on anyone participating nor is there an entry fee. Total audience size is expected to be 300, an optimum number to allow for quality discussions.

Schedule
Delhi: March 7
Bangalore: March 14 (and March 15 too probably)

Sessions run from around 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily. The schedule is drawn up at the last minute as speakers come and pick up an available slot.

Venues
Still being explored

Possible Topics to be Covered
The following are some of the broad categories under which speakers will address the audience. This list is not exhaustive, nor restrictive in any way. Speakers are welcome to come forward and select any relevant topic:

• Investment & Monetising New Media & Blog Properties (covering VCs, revenue streams etc.)
• Multimedia
  • Photoblogging including Photo Sharing on sites like Flickr, Snapfish and PhotoFlock
  • Podcasting
  • Vlogging a.k.a. Video Blogging including Video Sharing on sites like YouTube
• Blogging & Platforms
  • WordPress, Blogspot, Live Journal
  • User Generated Sites like TripAdvisor, OkTataByeBye, HolidayIQ, WAYN etc.
  • Regional Language Blogging
  • Moblogging
  • Blogging via mobile
  • Photoblogging & Vlogging via Mobile
  • Tips & Tricks regarding different blog platforms
  • WordPress Plugins
  • Microblogging (Tumblr, Twitter etc.)
• PR and Advertising 2.0
• New Media vs Old Media, Citizen Journalism
• Demo: Come and demonstrate a new product or application
• Social Media
• Basics of New Media and Blogging
• Hardware and Software for the above

An Opportunity for Companies
The event offers an opportunity for companies to talk about their products and services to this audience by signing up to take sessions. There is no fee to do so. However, in the spirit of such events, it is recommended the discussion not be very sales oriented (although implicitly this is the purpose) but more along the lines of what the offering means and the trends it is setting or following. Such presentations may be marketing led, but they add value by informing participants and allowing for a healthy debate about the merits and demerits of a product.

It is also a great opportunity to demo any new developments at your end.

Subject to availability, companies can take up a 20-30 minute slot.

Sponsorship Options
Seagate is the principal sponsor of the event. Should companies want greater visibility at the event, they can take up a co-sponsorship of the same. Options may be discussed with the organizers.

Would you like to speak or attend the event?
You are welcome to speak at the event or attend the same in your individual capacity. It is a great way to network with and understand this space. Follow the links to the wikis given below to register.

Links
We have created event wikis for each of the two camps where all updated info including list of speakers and attendees will be available. You can also use these to register:

Delhi Event Wiki: http://wiki.ibnms.com/BlogCampDelhi2
Bangalore Event Wiki: http://wiki.ibnms.com/BlogCampBengaluru

Official IBNMS Blog: http://ibnms.com

We at IBNMS wish everyone a very Happy New Year 2009 & wish that all your blogs will continue to bloom & prosper in this year.

More power to blogging!

Image Credit: stock.xchng

Ms. Myers was awarded with a cash prize of $1000 for her insightful observations and remarks on the online market place posted on the LimeExchange website. The contest was the first in a series of such contests that LimeExchange is running in association with The Indian Blog and New Media Society (IBNMS). The blog contest was judged by a team of leading industry experts and analysts.

Congratulating the winner, Ms. Felicia Myers, Mr. Pawan Agarwal, Head of Operations, Lime Spot India said: “The online market place has immense potential for commercial proliferation especially for freelancers and small enterprises. Growth to its full potential is increasingly dependent on the level of awareness about the opportunities that the medium offers as well as on exchange of ideas. To encourage such knowledge-sharing, we have decided to launch these series of blog contests and we are extremely satisfied with the initial response that we have received”.

Mr. Ajay Jain, President, IBNMS said: “We are delighted that a member of IBNMS has won the blog contest hosted by LimeExchange. On behalf of IBNMS, I would like to congratulate Ms. Felicia for winning this contest. Her win should be a motivation to other IBNMS members to actively participate in similar contests in the future and come out as winners.”

LimeExchange will soon announce the launch of the second contest in this Blog contest series.

You can read Ms. Felicia Myers’ winning blog entry on the topic ‘PPO & Online Services Marketplace’.

More information is available on the company’s website: http://www.LimeExchange.com.

All sessions will be highly interactive, allowing participants to raise specific queries and also to try their hand at what is being discussed (you will need to carry a laptop and datacard for this).

Schedule: The sessions will take place in the Gulmohar Hall, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi from 6.30 – 8.30 pm on the dates given along with sessions below:

Session I, Saturday, June 28
Blogging Technology: How To Set Up And Manage A Blog

What is a blog? How to set it up on platforms like Blogger, Wordpress etc? How do you get your own domain like www.myname.com? Hosting on your own server. Custom options. Adding photos and videos. Adding subscriber sign up boxes. Using tools like LiveWriter. And more…

Session II, Sunday, June 29
Marketing Your Blog

How do you make your blog more visible? How do you generate greater traffic? How do you get comments on your blog? What is SEO? How do you generate advertising for your blog?

Session III, Monday, June 30
Benefits Of Blogging For Executives, Businesses And Professionals; How To Make Money As A Blogger

Using blogs for personal and corporate branding. Engaging with stakeholders through blogs. Using blogs as a PR and communication tool.

HOW TO REGISTER
There is no attendance or registration fee. You can register on the spot, or in advance by sending a mail to ibnms.in@gmail.com. You may attend one or more sessions.

WANT TO VOLUNTEER / SPEAK?
If you would like to speak at any of the sessions above, do let us know and we will be happy to consider you for the same. And we are always looking for volunteers – call us if you can spare some time.

And do help us by spreading the word around.

CONTACT US
You may contact the following for any queries, clarifications etc:

Ajay Jain, President, +91.99100 44476, ajay at ibnms.com
Abhishek Kant, General Secretary, +91.9899115375, abhishek at ibnms.com
Ashish Chopra, Director (Communication & PR), +91.9891977333, ashish at ibnms.com
Amit Gupta, Director (Technology), +91.9868445814, amit at ibnms.com

UPDATE: Slides from the 3 day workshop available here.

IBNMS & LimeExchange share the mission of promoting Indian Bloggers globally as not just aware, creative & talented but also as Subject Matter Experts.

For the same, LimeExchange is proud to assist you with your individual initiative to raise the level of visibility & the way global community sees bloggers in India.

If you think you have a need for any of the following to help market your blog or your individual online presence:

1. Any UI design needs – Logo, Theme changes, Widget creations, Flash or any attractive content creation.
2. Any special web programming (blog plugins, scripts) needs for you to monitor, track, manage your blog in your own customized way.
3. Any content specific needs – special writing / translation needs.
4. Any SEO/SEM needs to monetize your blog better.
5. Any Print Designs, Graphic Design, 3D modelling, Animation, Games etc. needs.

Then, please follow the following steps:

1. Register (this is free) on LimeExchange (please click here to register, so that your registration can be tracked and you can be awarded a free $50 promotional code), as a Service Provider & Buyer.
2. Send an email to support@limeexchange.com, with your contact details for LimeExchange customer support team to contact you and help you with the process, inform you of the promotional code, understand & help you post the project and get the same executed quickly.

Please do not hesitate at any time to contact LimeExchange guys at support@limeexchange.com if you have any queries; they are pretty good folks and will ensure that LimeExchange can help you in every way possible.

• BLOGCAMP DELHI: Saturday, May 24, 2008 in New Delhi. Click here to view the wiki and to sign up as an attendee or speaker. Sessions covered will include marketing your blog, technical elements of setting up your blog including various platforms available, avenues to make money from your blog, why businesses need to blog and more.
• BLOG & NEW MEDIA WORKSHOP: June 28-30, Gulmohar Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, 6.30-8.30 pm daily. A 3-part workshop to cover the technical elements of setting up your blog, marketing your blog and exploring new media like photo and video blogging, video sharing, photo sharing, podcasting and more. Details will be available soon.

To make sure you can participate in and be informed in advance about these and upcoming programs, make sure you sign on to be a free member of IBNMS. Click here to apply.