Stay eager

We don’t live in isolation. There are millions of thoughts, ideas, actions, and expressions connecting us all… all the time. As I sit here in Pushkin and Monika’s first floor flat on Marine Street in London, I look out and see cars that have a white number plate for the front and a yellow number plate for the rear… and I connect to the transport regulations that are followed here. I see other flats, apartments, and houses with large glass windows that are all clean and shining… and I connect immediately to a wish and a dream for what windows in Delhi must reflect. I see the whites and the blacks and the yellows and the browns doing whatever it is that they are supposed to be doing… and I connect to a life that is truly transforming into one that is cosmopolitan. I see the books near me… and I connect to information and knowledge. I get up and walk to the refrigerator in the kitchen and look at the boxes of Thornton chocolates… and I connect to an entirely different sort of wish. Yes, we do not live in isolation. We are connecting all the time.

Connect. That’s the keyword today. As Herman Melville wrote: ‘We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.’ Simple, isn’t it? There is vitality in every connection. It is live and it is full of oomph and dynamism. A connection is what makes me eager to know more… to explore more… to dive deeper… to fly higher. To stay eager is my mantra. Stay eager.

Look at offline stores today. Don’t they try to stay connected with you through displays, posters, ads, and offers? They know that if ‘a connect’ isn’t there, a customer may walk into another store or just hop on to the online bandwagon. A connect is the business mantra too.

It is the same case with online portals… they are all trying to be an emperor in their own kingdom but are reaching out to you in more than one way. The successful ones attempt to create multiple connects… this is what makes them better than so many others who are destined generally to wither in loneliness and die. A writer has correctly pointed out that ‘sometimes, reaching out and taking someone’s hand is the beginning of a journey and at other times, it is allowing another to take yours’.

Specky was, as usual, reading these paragraphs as I wrote them and she couldn’t resist the temptation to ask, ‘This reads like a whole canister full of yeast-raised dough. These are just words until you give me an example.’

I asked her to give me a few minutes as I hurriedly browsed the net and went over a few of my favourite sites. I stopped at CarConnect (www.carconnect.in ) and said, ‘This is one site that relives Umberto Eco’s words when he remarked that any fact becomes important when it’s connected to another.’

I drew a flow chart where I mentioned a few keywords that were vital when any online portal wanted to create a world of connections. All the facets that matter when searching for areas to connect were there in an expected or unexpected format and this is what is so endearing about this portal. It helps you accelerate into the heart of other car and travel lovers and allows you to network with them as you read all the latest in the car world or explore the way people review new and old cars. The site is all about cars and driving and travel and the cord that runs through is like a track on which cars love to race.

How do I define ‘connect’?

Yes, this site appears to stay eager to interact meaningfully with those who were interested in cars… and also attempted to create links with those who had the potential to fall in love with cars. The latter, obviously, includes everyone who is not a car lover… which means the site strategy is ‘connect’ savvy!

When I noticed that Specky was struggling to understand me, I said, ‘Listen, the site creates a platform where people write about their car and travel experiences. This helps them navigate to others who have a similar interest and thus a great travel network is formed. This is one part of CarConnect. The other part isn’t as social as this.’

Specky said, ‘Right. So a social dive is what this site does effectively… is it?’

‘Yes, and then it gently swerves and leads you into a connection that gives you all there is to know about what is happening in the car world. So when the mind is so absorbed with all those wonderful driving posts, it is simply elated to read about the vehicles that help such driving vacations exist.’

This made a lot of sense to Specky, my wife and she smiled and said, ‘I think I get your point. Even a car-ignoramus like me would tend to read a bit more about cars when this environment is created.’

‘Well, this is precisely how creative expression and technological discussions converge and give us all so much happiness,’ I said, and then went on to tell her that the site wasn’t all about surreal experiences but also about down-to-earth commercialism because it meandered through a section where one can ask the CarConnect people to mail you a comparison pdf. To learn more about PDF online editor application, visit https://online.sodapdf.com for more information. ‘I’m sure this will help a lot of people reach informed and aware decisions,’ said Specky.

I also informed Specky that creating a personal account was easy as one could log in through one’s Facebook account and then be on the highway, ready to share long drive experiences or one’s reviews of cars.

So yes, we do connect with thoughts, ideas, and actions to make informed and aware decisions, don’t we? Even Magma, the creators of this concept, say: ‘Magma understands your passion for cars. That’s why we bring you a portal that lets you enjoy the ultimate car experience. You can share your car experiences, compare the latest cars, find cars that fall right under your budget, be updated with the latest and changing trends of the global automobile industry and above all, interact with like-minded people who share a passion for cars just like you. So tighten your seat-belts and enjoy the ride, courtesy Magma.’ Well, I’d simply say that it is the ability of this site to make me reasonably informed about cars that I liked best.

Being entertained and informed is what lets me stay eager!

CarConnect website_my profile

CarConnect website

This post is all about my CarConnect experience… and an entry for a blogging contest on indiblogger

Arvind Passey
01 July 2014