Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Monday, 23 January 2012

FRIEND MAKER

Geetha Manjunath (HP Labs)

Revathi (SiteOnMobile)
Shuklendu (Sentient)
Jan 23, 2012

Concept Note for Widget
“Friend Maker”

All of us keep receiving “requests” from perfect strangers (most of the time), to “accept” them as “friends” or wanting to be “linked.”

Such requests come mostly from members of Facebook or LinkedIn.

Senders of such requests need to go online, using PC/broadband, to send out the requests.

Recipients also need to be online, to receive — and accept — requests through email.

But in India, only 100 million people access internet — and that too, once a week.

If you use criteria of “every alternate day,” then that number drops to 50 million!


As against this, 900 million people have mobile phones — of which, close to 50 million have smart phones.

In 2 years time, 100 million will have smart phones — or tablets.

And, unlike a PC/broadband, these smart phones are always ON and always AVAILABLE!

So, how about developing a widget which will:

  • ✅ Enable “sending out” requests

  • ✅ Enable “accepting” requests
    — directly from a smartphone/tablet?

Should be possible.

Question:
In current scenario, both “senders” & the “recipients” are registered MEMBERS of Facebook / LinkedIn.


“Who” will Widget-users, send such requests to?
Answer

They will themselves need to be registered jobseekers of

and,
they can only send such requests to other registered jobseekers of CustomizeResume.

So, CustomizeResume website becomes the platform for
“Friend Maker” widget.

Obviously, both the “Requests” as well as the “Acceptances” will pass through our website, which will (like Facebook / LinkedIn) create necessary pages.

Now the (interesting) twist, which, I hope, will make our widget much more popular than Facebook / LinkedIn:

For the 47 lakh candidates on our site, we already know,


  • ✅ Gender (Male / Female)

  • ✅ City (Location)

  • ✅ Age (Birth Date)

So, the moment a widget-user logs in (using his email ID / password), we know about him, these 3 things.

So, the widget will show/display names / brief details of 5 members, who:

  • ✅ Belong to the SAME city

  • ✅ Belong to opposite sex

  • ✅ Are about the SAME age


Widget UI Mockup (as drawn):

Recruiter
Here are 5 members, to whom you may wish to send “Be My Friend” request. They belong to your city.

☑️ Archana Mehta (F) / 21 Jan 88
☑️ Minal Deshpande (F) / 10 Mar 83
⬜ [3 more entries below, empty]


As usual, if the widget user wants to see 5 more names, he will need to click/touch a product advt (No free lunch!)

Obviously, a widget-user, can send a “Be My Friend” request to another member ONLY ONCE.

We do NOT want any particular member to be "stalked / harassed" through repeated requests, from the same person.

So, if the option (to ☑ and SEND) is not exercised for any displayed name, it is gone forever!

This means, keeping track (a log?) of “Names Displayed So Far”, for each & every widget user, to ensure there is no repetition, while delivering 5 fresh/new names.

And of course, every time a widget-user logs in, 5 New names will be displayed.

Now,
Selecting “Names” belonging to:

  • Same City

  • Opposite Sex

is not difficult
But,
What about “approx Same Age”?

Let us use following logic:

  • Take widget user’s birth date (i.e., age = 25)

  • Go back 5 years (i.e., age = 20)

  • Start delivering “Names” of members, who are 20 years old

  • Continue upward (till “ascending age” list gets exhausted).

When widget-user clicks on (touches) SEND REQUEST button,
the following email (or SMS?) to be delivered:


Dear Member:

Ashwin Panchal invites you to be a friend.
You can see his/her full profile by logging in www.CustomizeResume.com, and entering PEN ______ on “Be My Friend” page,
where you can ACCEPT or REJECT.


We assure you that you will NOT receive a repeat request from this person, anytime in future.

We take no responsibility for genuineness / accuracy of sender’s profile or for his future relationship with you.
— RecruitGuru

Now, “accepting” (or rather, being able to “accept”) an invitation through email, is only a halfway house!

It puts us in the same “class” as Facebook / LinkedIn!!

NO GOOD!

Alternative?

If the “Recipient” is also a widget-user, then the “Invitation” should be delivered onto the screen of his/her widget, with provisions to:

  • View sender’s brief profile

  • ACCEPT / REJECT buttons

These preliminary thoughts can be debated & improved upon, if the concept itself looks promising.

Regards,
(Signed)
Hemen Parekh