HP Bloggers Meet At Mumbai

By hook or by crook, I am the first in the contest!
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PS: Team Blogadda, kindly DONT correct me in case I am wrong! 

Now, where were we? Aah, yes. The HP meet

All three of us were invited to the HP meeting held at Fat Cat, Andheri-west organised by HP. Who's the 3, you say? I, Me and Myself of course. Come on! And it was a good thing indeed that all of us - meaning I, Me and Myself were present... had only I attended, leaving Me and Myself in the office attending to business, a good event would have been missed.... in which event, the meeting would have been attended, but not attended....

But more of that later. First a word for the sponsors... I dont like commercial breaks; they interrupt the flow of the story, you see. That, and the fear that by the end of this rather monotonous monologue (tongue-twister, there: monotonous monologue) all of you will be so bored that no one would read about the poor sponsor! (Note my honesty: and remember my intro, Harish. I said I was a transparent and honest character). It was a blogger meeting organised by HP Printers Division, focussing on the range of their latest printer series... the HP Print Advantage - which brings me to the first takeaway for me from the meeting

Takeaway No 1: 

The latest technological developments in printing technology, affordability and simplicity of use are truly amazing: printing @ 0.75 per page, 500-something per cartridge, wireless printing. And at a starting price of 5799 MRP, not a bad deal indeed. Nowadays if you dont keep touch for even a few months (like me), you wont know where the market is heading! Great Experience! And a sobering thought: technology is moving fast... all of us have to keep abreast of the latest in the field... or end up getting surprised! One has to constantly upgrade... 

Takeaway No 2:

This is the main point I have to make about HP Printers; its low-key launch is the second - third if you include The Taj Conspiracy - launch that has opted to move away from mainstream media at least initially; Nokia Asha Series, HP Ink Advantage and Manreet Sodhi Someshwar (Taj Conspiracy) all opted for a low-key business launch, with a subsequent ramp-up. I had a word with the HP category head, who confirmed that brand is doing well despite its low-key approach. For me, as a marketer and avid follower of marketing developments, this is a lesson in Marketing. Do not go after the obvious. Second, ramp-up is easier when you have a base; as both HP and Nokia have taught me...

Takeaway No 3:

KISS. (I am most certainly NOT being naughty, mind you). Keep-It-Simple-Stupid. This was a point raised by yours truly - although in a somewhat different context, but admirably followed-up by one of the bloggers present. Long sentences, Long words, compound sentences should be avoided was the sage advice of the person. Simple words, short sentences (say, 15 words to a sentence, avoid the use of "And" etc ) should be preferred; people should not want to consult a dictionary. It caused me to pause a moment, stop in contemplation of my penchant for long words.... (Yup. QED.... "contemplation", "Penchant" when  thought and habit would have been just as good)

You can imagine my non-insubstantial trepidation (!), as I allowed my so-called mind to go gallivanting (!!) into the foggy environs (!!!) of my memories, recalling such lovely words that I have perchance (!!!!) had occasion to use; words like perchance, penchant, not-insubstantial, trepidation, environ, gallivanting, contemplation, pusillanimous... giving birth to a new resolve to ensure forthwith that here onwards I would keep to simple easy daily use words... (see? short sentence; very short in fact. No "And" here! And a further No - I have not used Pusillanimous in this post. Tricked you!)

 A big learning for me. Me, I am a fast learner-  current blog post is proof positive of that fact. Reminded me of sentence I once wrote: 

"Me, I had adjusted to this daily rigorous exercise with spoon, cup and milk powder with an unfailing regularity every 7 a.m., which would be the harbinger of the day to follow -  which was not necessarily a bad thing, as on the plus side, it gave me a damn good workout enabling this competitor to state with complete assurance that their milk powder is decidedly healthier than Nestle, allowing as it does the development of the musculature – male and female alike – of its faithful consumers, giving them a ruddy strong left / right arm, depending upon their dexterity."

I wont do THAT again. See? Short sentences in this blog post! What did you say? 92 words in one sentence? Where????

Jokes apart, that was a good bit of advice, at least for me. Thanks, Blogadda - and whoever made that point! This experience will enable me to become a better writer, not just a better blogger. As someone else stated, it is not about impressing the audience, but getting your viewpoint across. Such meets should be held more often, as they are great learning grounds...

Takeaway No 4:

The main point - and here I am not joking even in the presentation - was raised by an HR person present in the room. A blogger himself, he made a simple observation: even if we can convert 1 person through our writings on various issues, then it is a positive contribution. Excellent words, sir! Well Said! It also tends to bear out point no 3 above - the power of the short but correct sentence. 

Indeed, why should I get depressed that some of my posts on corruption, social change are not read by too many people? If even 1 person can get influenced, who knows? 1 added to 1 a hundred times gives a century! Besides, there is also the added advantage that in doing so, you also tend to recognise where you yourself are going wrong. 

Takeaway No 5:

BLOGGERS HOLD A RESPONSIBILITY TO THE SOCIETY AT LARGE, AND THE READERS TO BE HONEST, TRUTHFUL. Words of the same person.... I dont think any explanation or clarification is needed in this one....

There were many, many takeaways from the get-together; others will doubtless write much better lines, more inclusive feedback; but to me, the above are the most important points that stuck to me. All in all, it was a great evening. It was great to get together with some like-minded people, share views, learn from them, contribute something. At least I have come away with a value addition. Thanks, Blogadda: and I am writing this post from my heart, not just for the contest.