A novel idea, but one that enjoys the same kind of mass appeal as say a Big B or Bollywood or Cricket, argue Gupta and Upadhyay.
Rahul Gupta and Amit Upadhyay, both alumni of IIT Mumbai, are excited about their two-year itch aka 'Vakow!', which is a community of people who love SMS forwards.
A novel idea, but one that enjoys the same kind of mass appeal as say a Big B or Bollywood or Cricket, argue Gupta and Upadhyay. The duo feel that while social networking Web sites are cool, a majority of Indians would rather send an SMS forward to stay in touch with friends.
And 'Vakow!' seems like the natural next step to SMS forwards -- a community to which most Indians would be able to relate.
On Vakow!, users can do a whole lot of things with SMS forwards -- be it building their own collection, rating other people's SMSes, tagging them, or forwarding them.
To kick-start the entire process, users need to post SMSes from their mobiles or using the Web interface. Cost isn't an issue because the non-premium number, i.e. +91 99015 54321 suits about every user's pocket. Once an SMS forward is up on the site, the community can rate it, tag it, and so on.
The process of rating allows the highest quality SMS forwards to rise up in the ladder, while tagging allows organizing SMSes into different categories.
Meanwhile, for those who want a sneak peek at the Web site, click on: http://www.vakow.com/.
And soon they will derive their revenue out of advertising and the site will turn to a jumbled mess of adverts and flash.
Also, why the heck should I pay for an sms when I can just post anything I want, of any length that I want, online for free??
Hello bawaji,
I can assure you that the site won't turn in to a 'jumbled mess of adverts and flash'. We'll have to generate revenues but that may or may not be due to advertising.
Vakow! is a fun place for people who love SMS Forwards where they build their SMS collection and find new ones (as against a group SMSing service).
And you can build your SMS collection by posting from your phone OR from the web (no need to pay anything at all)
Do give it a shot and send your feedback at feedback@vakow.com.
cheers
true they will derive revenue from advertising, just like any other free site you visit. I would love to see you rant at the NY Times when their flash ad plays. Bawaji just crawl back into your cave where there are still paid services which aren't ad supported. No wonder India doesn't have many entreprenuers, peopel like you are available a dime-a-dozen to kill someones idea.