Asian Deals Groupon Like Review

Even though Groupon hasn't made any profit, their proof of concept and momentum by users is so encouraging that copy-cat coupon or collective deals system are the latest internet shopping trend. Groupon is hoping for a powerful IPO this year. This online shopping megatrend is set to overdrive with more and more devices freely connecting to the internet these days. From netbooks, Ipads, smart phones and the convergence of voice and internet offerings in 4G networks to Long Term Evolution technology. Plus the imminent increase in the cost of travel (oil price increase is a given), shopping online and in particular hunting for herd mentality deals, has become acceptable and to some, it is indeed a fun online experience.



Here are a list of some Asian Deals Site, which are sort of a Groupon-wannabe as you can observe their website layout has a similar flair!
1) MilkADeal.com - Two languages, 3 cities in Malaysia.
2) MyDeal.com.sg - In association with Yahoo, comprises deals from 5 cities including Singapore.
3) http://www.ensogo.com/en/bangkok/invitations/ - 6 cities in Thailand. This company is actually from the Phillipines. English and Thai.
4) Dealsdee.com - now defunct, the website is not functioning from last month. It was previously run by a friend from Germany who was residing in Bangkok, Yannick Dannigo.
5) www.dealsdirect.com.au - Australian Deals.
6) http://www.catchoftheday.com.au/
7) www.jackcow.com - Malaysia
8) www.everyday.com.my - Bought by TicketMonster Korea

Groupon:
1) Groupon.hk - Hong Kong in Cantonese Chinese and English, covers both Hong Kong and Macau.
2) gaopeng.com - China
3) Grouponnz.co.nz - New Zealand

Latest:
Korean coupon company Ticket Monster just bought over a Malaysian coupon startup.
www.ticketmonster.co.kr/
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/05/31/technology-broadcasting-amp-entertainment-as-skorea-malaysia-ticket-monster_8491730.html

Rewarding Jobs in AirAsia June 2011

Besides investing in AirAsia by owning shares of the public listed company, another way to ride the wave is to get a job in AirAsia. Tony Fernandes termed their staff All-Stars. A staff is not a worker, or peon, but an All Star and everyone in the organisation can score a slam dunk, a hat-trick, or a Turkey strike (three strikes in a row in bowling). Literally or not, it means an employee is empowered, motivated, and will strive and enjoy the job much more than average.

And a happy employee is a productive worker that can give positive aura to the surrounding employees, corporate culture and impacting the customers and passengers directly, translating into a wider goodness that knows no boundaries. Anyone can apply for these internet-social-media-linked jobs below,

Social Media Manager
Job Description
The Social Media Manager will implement the AirAsia’s Social Media Strategy, raise brand awareness, generate inbound traffic, encourage product adoption and engage with our fans through various social media channels. This role coordinates with the internal Marketing, Branding, Operations, Customer Car, Culture, Human Resource and PR teams to support their respective missions, ensuring consistency in voice and cultivating a social media referral network.

Google Strikes Back With PlusOne

The ubiquitous "LIKE" button is everywhere. Sought after like a "like sabre", getting "likes" is sort of an achievement for a page. A momentum. A marketing prowess, as well as a trend bait to get more eyeballs or click-buttons. Facebook surely invented trendy with the "LIKE" button.

Now the Empire Strikes Back.

Google had just quietly placed a little button called "PlusOne" on my blog. I vaguely noticed it just moments ago. Have a look at it.

Plus One is an easy way to recommend things to the world. Your profile and PlusOnes will appear publicly in search, on ads, and across the webspace run by landlord Google.

Currency Megatrends Euro VS Yuan

The Euro may survive, but the block of countries that are tied up to the monetary policies are suffocating because there is no flexibility in making moves to strengthen or weaken (devalue) a currency - like elsewhere where a sovereign country can do so to their own currency.



When Japan was a powerhouse rising from the ashes of World War 2, many had predicted their currency the yen would power up to be an international trading currency. Alas, it did not due to several reasons stemming from the inward-looking business culture and government policies, as well as the "lost decade" of deflation that eventually weaken the momentum of acceptance.

Surprisingly, the yen's power or strength made it unappealing to foreign nations to subscribe or buy.


Now we have one new Olympian Asian currency. Which is not a surprise. Can the renminbi, the people's money, the yuan - become widely acceptable? Whether it is part government policy or not, the inevitable is that the yuan will attain a higher status than the yen and euro eventually.

The past 2-3 years, the RMB currency has surpassed the value of its sibling, the Hong Kong Dollar by 20%. In 2006, 1 Hong Kong Dollar gets you 1.20 yuan. Today it is the reverse. Some years ago, I was assuming when the HKD and RMB hits parity, there is a chance for these currencies to unify. Now it seems, RMB does not need HKD's branding anymore.

Canon 600D Win A Trip To Bhutan 2011

Do you own a Canon 600D Digital SLR Camera? Or thinking of upgrading your current 450D, 500D, 550D, 100D to 600D - here is a nice reason and timing to do so.

You can possibly win a free trip to Bhutan, the Land of Happiness.

Your entry needs to be taken with an EOS 600D Canon Camera. 10 lucky winners each stand to win an expenses-paid photography trip to Bhutan from 1st to 8th October 2011.
Experience Bhutan 2011
Send us ONE photo taken with your EOS 600D.
We're on the hunt for 10 unique images that emote, excite or inspire. Photos that will cause us to stop and ponder. If you know what we're looking for, send it in now! Just keep it clean folks.
All entries will be judged by veteran photographers Felix Hug and James Robert Fuller.
Winning Trip Locations:
Chele Laa Pass
Folk Heritage Museum and Art School
Dochu-Laa Pass
Wangdue Festival and town
Punakha Dzong
Tigers Nest Monastery
http://www.canon-asia.com/experiencebhutan2011_contest/

AirAsia Propels The Megatrend of the Decade

One deep aspiration of over 2 billion citizens of the world's largest continent - Asia - is being fulfilled this decade. And that aspiration needs to be summed up in a few imaginative sentences.

See the world. Travel the seven seas. Conquer the jiang hu (江湖). Climb every mountain.

The catalyst behind that helps fulfil this aspiration is affordable air travel. When those words are stringed together it is almost a reflex to think of or about AirAsia. Pavlovian or repeated pairing psychology - or simply powerful branding and truly remarkable pricing for the masses.

We can say this strategy is played by most powerful corporations. "Vorsprung durch Technik." "You merely look after it for the next generation." "Born This Way." Dark blue well defined unobstructive and white boxes. The World On Time.

AirAsia's namesake itself is a powerful marketing name. First it encompasses the massive continent. The continent of the Orient. Ancient Spice Islands. The origin and mystery of tea that captivated ancient England for centuries. Tom yum guung. Balinese temples. And that's just the ones who are conditioned to remember.

There are vast open country that previously is inaccessible, except if you're a well-funded anthropologist, some czar or magnate; much unlike what we read about the big five animals of Africa.

At the rate AirAsia is expanding their routes, it would be within this decade, that perhaps almost all those inaccessible destinations, be opened for all.

For short distance yet still unopened or currently served by a single airline:
1) Kingdom of Bhutan - not too far northwest of Bangkok. The distance is 2000 km with a flight time of 2.5 hours. This is a wonderful happy nation. And surely their new king wants to be connected to Asia not just the current situation in which they depend alot on India.
2) Kathmandu Nepal - this destination is already in the plans. Likely the route will open by the 3rd quarter of 2011. There are many Nepalese working in countries nearby including Malaysia, Singapore and India. With a good AirAsia connection, more of them can have better access to overseas jobs and perhaps at a lower cost of travel. While now it will be more possible for garden variety folks to try to climb the highest mountain(s).
3) East Timor - this small nation needs alot of support from the region. And one that is connectivity.
4) Andaman and Nicobar Islands - In 2004, I met the Indian owner of a resort in these islands, just off the coast of Thailand. It became a bit known after the tsunami, which wreck havoc there. This is a very unexplored territory of India. Perhaps AirAsia can tap this route to Port Blair.