Akshay A Shah

Relationship between Introverts and Internet

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:25:07 -0800

Introverts are traditionally people who are not comfortable talking in front of a group. Most of the introverts are shy because of the platform. They are not shy on every platform. Internet as a platform serves well for Introverts. Being one myself, here is how I was able to leverage this very beautiful platform called the Internet to share my ideas.

Everybody likes to share their ideas. Ideas live only if shared or executed. If you tell your friend about it and if she likes it then you gain points from their approval. These points when accumulated build your confidence but for gaining these points you have to communicate. For communicating and connecting with people all you need to do is talk to them and share your ideas. Some people may be extremely comfortable doing this face-to-face but for others, there is always another option.

Facebook is an excellent platform to share information with your friends. For your friends to know something about you, you need to talk about it. If you are passionate about something then you need to share it. Facebook as a medium allows you to share stuff with your friends. If any of your friend checks out your profile or your wall, they will get an idea about your interests. If the same thing is consistently present throughout then they would get a feeling that you know what you are talking about. The next time she needs some information about that particular topic, the first thing that would come to her mind would be “I saw this stuff on his wall. He seems to know about it. Let me ask him about it”. And from there on, its just a matter of really being passionate about what you already know. If you help her then she will inform her friends and similarly the trend follows. It’s like word of mouth publicity only online. Honesty is the key here, share what you believe in and do what you believe in. For example: I am an Apple fanboy and really interested in the company’s culture and philosophy, so I started sharing my thoughts and whatever I liked about Apple. I kept doing this consistently without the intention of influencing anyone. I did it for myself and after sometime people started noticing it.

Twitter is great as a collaboration tool. I realized this when I used to follow the CS193P course by Alan Cannistraro and Evan Doll on Stanford (which by the way is the best way to start learning iPhone development). I was interested in learning iPhone application development and this seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. I would normally be hesitant to stand up in the class and ask questions in a class of 60 people but I was extremely comfortable asking questions on Twitter. We used the hash tag #CS193p to communicate and I talked with students across the globe from US to Netherlands. We also helped each other whenever we got stuck with the course assignments.

One fine afternoon, I was reading news feeds online and I stumbled upon this interesting idea on Photojojo called “Project 365”. Project 365 is about taking a photo everyday and publishing it online so that you get better at this skill. I was interested in Photography and had just bought a new D-SLR, so I started posting pictures on Flickr. Everyday I would think think of new ideas and try to capture them in a photograph. Often, my friends would have interesting ideas of their own that they would share with me. If I missed to take a photo for a day, they would remind me about it. And these were not just my close friends, they were people on Flickr, who used to share their pictures in the Project 365 Flickr group. Since you post everything online and you are part of a bigger community, everyone will push you to do your best. I failed to continue doing it for a year but that’s a topic for a different post altogether. Frankly, I cannot imagine this little idea gaining momentum without the help of my friends both online and offline.

As an introvert, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed by innumerable opinions in a predominantly extrovert world but it’s important to always ship and to get your ideas out there. It’s important to see how everyone reacts to it. If you are passionate about something, just put it out there. Use the distribution power of the Internet. Slowly, this relationship will blossom and you will fall in love with the Internet all over again.

P.S. : I wanted to share my experience and so it exists here as a blog post.

"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square..."

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 21:43:32 -0700

““Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” — Apple Commercial, 1997 (via Debbie Stier)”

- swissmiss | Here’s to the crazy ones.

Daring Fireball Linked List: MG Siegler on Android's Openness

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:05:29 -0700

Daring Fireball Linked List: MG Siegler on Android's Openness:

MG Siegler:

In the post, I posed a question: if it’s not the iPhone/AT&T deal, why do you choose Android? Nearly 1,000 people responded, and a large percentage focused on the same idea: the idea of “openness.”

You’ll forgive me, but I have to say it: what a load of crap.

Minimal Mac: What's in your Simplenote?

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:11:00 -0700

Minimal Mac: What's in your Simplenote?:

Some of the old timers may remember one of Apple’s most famous ad campaigns – “What’s on your Powerbook?”. In it, celebrities and some regular folk were pictured with their Powerbooks and revealed in text were some of the things they used it for. Even back then, I was highly fascinated by…

Photo ideas for my Project 365
Windows Bootcamp keyboard shortcuts. For example: Taking a screenshot without taskbar being visible - Alt+Shift+f11
Todo list for the week
Quotes (mostly from Seth Godin)
Sources of inspiration
Personal thoughts
Blog post ideas
Books Wishlist
and other random stuff

(via mrtoto, mnmal)

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 01:07:12 -0700

(via mrtoto, mnmal)

Google's mismanagement of the android market

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:08:17 -0700

Google's mismanagement of the android market

"Firefox 3.6.4 feels a lot zippier."

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:16:25 -0700

“Firefox 3.6.4 feels a lot zippier.”

"Larva Labs Estimates Android Market Payouts Total Only 2 Percent of App Store’s $1B"

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:36:52 -0700

“Larva Labs Estimates Android Market Payouts Total Only 2 Percent of App Store’s $1B”

- Daring Fireball Linked List: Larva Labs Estimates Android Market Payouts Total Only 2 Percent of App Store’s $1B

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:33:24 -0700

““Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.””

- swissmiss | Luck

"Here’s why I decided not to use a Nexus One (or any other Android phone):"

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:31:10 -0700

“Here’s why I decided not to use a Nexus One (or any other Android phone):”

- Marco.org - Feature checklist dysfunction

"It took two years for Apple to sell the two-millionth iPod, and four months to sell the..."

Mon, 31 May 2010 19:35:46 -0700

“It took two years for Apple to sell the two-millionth iPod, and four months to sell the two-millionth iPhone. (One significant difference between the iPad and iPhone, though, is that the no-contract Wi-Fi-only iPod Touch did not debut alongside the iPhone. When comparing aggregate iPad sales to the iPhone, it’s only fair to include the iPod Touch with the iPhone.)”

- Daring Fireball Linked List: Apple: Two Million iPads Sold in Less Than 60 Days

"The secret is to seek out the work that most people believe isn’t worth the effort...."

Fri, 21 May 2010 01:31:19 -0700

“The secret is to seek out the work that most people believe isn’t worth the effort. That’s what you get paid for.”

- Seth’s Blog: Hardly worth the effort

"QOTD: But We’re Just Fine With the Two Men, One Company, One Search Engine Model"

Fri, 21 May 2010 01:30:56 -0700

“QOTD: But We’re Just Fine With the Two Men, One Company, One Search Engine Model”

- QOTD: But We’re Just Fine With the Two Men, One Company, One Search Engine Model | John Paczkowski | Digital Daily | AllThingsD

"I’m actually more amazed with Flash than I was before. I was under the impression this technology..."

Fri, 21 May 2010 01:30:41 -0700

“I’m actually more amazed with Flash than I was before. I was under the impression this technology had only been failing with touch devices for about three years. Turns out it’s more like 17.”

- Adobe’s theater of the absurd « Observatory

Adobe targets Apple in ad campaign launched today, publishes open letter from founders -- Engadget

Thu, 13 May 2010 18:43:27 -0700

Adobe targets Apple in ad campaign launched today, publishes open letter from founders -- Engadget

My current desktop wallpaper from Simple Desktops.

Sat, 08 May 2010 00:19:11 -0700

My current desktop wallpaper from Simple Desktops.

minimalmac: em: Woah. Totally forgot that Apple’s Dictionary...

Fri, 07 May 2010 18:54:47 -0700

minimalmac:

em:

Woah. Totally forgot that Apple’s Dictionary App has Wikipedia built in.

I always forget this too but it is very handy when you are looking for more than just the spelling. Very handy indeed.

Feeding your vegetarian friends at a cookout

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:51:12 -0700

squashed:

The weather is warming up—which means it’s time to fire up the grill and invite friends over for burgers, brats, and a celebration of our victory over the edible mammals. But … what do you feed your weird vegetarian friend?

This question seems to genuinely concern a lot of people. Since many people organize meals around a meat dish, it becomes baffling to plan a meal without meat. But it’s really not hard.

What do vegetarians eat?

Food. Except meat.

Are chickens made out of meat?

Yes.

Are fish made out of meat?

Yes. Some vegetarians eat it anyway. Either ask or assume they don’t eat meat.

Read More

Seth's Blog: Deniability

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 22:37:30 -0700

Seth's Blog: Deniability

"In high school, some people learn to ship, they learn to do work that matters and most of all, they..."

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:20:37 -0700

“In high school, some people learn to ship, they learn to do work that matters and most of all, they learn to ignore the critics they can never possibly please. The ability to choose who judges your work—the people who will make it better, use it and reward you—is the key building block in becoming an artist in whatever you do.”

- Seth’s Blog: Who judges your work?