Dubai Observation Wheel to be Larger Than London Millennium Wheel

Dubai will have the world’s tallest observation wheel. It will be larger than the London Eye Millennium Wheel, which was recently voted the world's best tourist attraction.

Work will begin shortly on the 185-metre (600 feet), $68 million observation wheel, at Dubailand a landmark tourist attraction, which will welcome its first visitors in early 2009 and provide a breathtaking panoramic view of Dubai and beyond. It will have 30 orbiter capsules with a total capacity of 7.5 million guests per year. The project also includes a restaurant and condominiums. During the journey on the wheel, the visitor will be able to view distances of up to 50 kilometers.

The scheme's master plan was presented to Dubailand and Dubai Municipality by Great Wheel Corporation, a fast growing company in developing, financing, building and operating Great Wheels. The project is approved by Dubai Municipality last October. Currently, the group is working on various sites around the world. The Great Wheel Corporation has a proven track record in developing these remarkable attractions around the world.

The Great Dubai Wheel will be one of the most attractive locations in Dubai to visit - a place for families and friends, as well as for tourists to enjoy stunning views during a 30 minute fantastic experience.'

The Great Dubai Wheel is expected to attract 2 million visitors each year to Dubailand and further boost the region's image as a tourist destination. Dubailand will cover 3bn sq ft (0.27bn sq m) and is anticipated to attract millions of visitors a year.

Check here for a nicer view of the wheel Observation Wheel Picture

Trends in India That Will Define 2007

Indian consumers are becoming more demanding. It is becoming a tough task for marketers, in the midst of changing lifestyles, technological upgradations and a transforming retail environment. The job scenario is good and Indians enjoy a higher disposable income.

As we move on to 2007 here are key insights into consumer trends to look out for in 2007 according to a report by the Economic Times, India:

Shopping will get a new face:
2007 will experience a retail explosion. Consumers will continue to be drawn towards shopping at high quality retail environments. The shopping environment will continue to change and many more neighbourhood shops will orient themselves to the self-service format.

Innovation will be Key:
Shoppers will be spoilt by choices. Companies will be under pressure to constantly innovate. Both products and services will have a shorter life cycle and innovation will become the growth engine for every company. Marketers will constantly have to be on their toes to launch newer versions of their products.

Consumers will turn more beauty and fashion conscious
More Indians will begin investing in cosmetic procedures and the use of products with beauty builder technologies which help enhance the beauty of both men and women. Indians will to wants to look and feel good and hence we will see the footfall in gyms, yoga classes increasing. There is also a heavy tilt towards Bollywood and consumers will have surplus cash to follow the latest Bollywood trends.

Consumers will experiment more
With more nuclear families, working women’s demand for processed foods will increase. Various companies are entering the market with ready-to-eat options. Eating out phenomenon will increase and people will try different cuisines. They will get more experimental with food and clothes.

Investment patterns will change
Surplus cash normally goes only to the savings kitty. A lot is changing in this area. There is a boom in the real estate market, new mutual funds are opening up, and there are personal financial planners chasing you. Modern Indians are looking at investments and we see a lot of avenues opening up as well. Consumers will benefit in the coming years with cutting-edge customized financial services on offer.

Number of car owners will increase in 2007
With easy loan options and ever increasing new car brands being launched every month car sales will boom. Indians will now drive their favourite cars almost at the same time as their global counterparts. Maruti, GM and Hyundai among others have an array new launches up their sleeve.

Office-home boundaries will merge

2007 will be the year most consumers across the globe will get serious about their home offices. In the US, waterproof touch-screen computers will be seen. In India too, there’ll be plenty of chatter about harmony in the home as people try to draw a line between work and living spaces.

Tips to Implement Your New Year Resolution!

Did you make a New Year resolution? Well; I did make a couple and shall try to honour them! In case you made some; here are helpful tips to keep up the promise you made to yourself.

1. Don’t make the mistake of aiming for something unattainable and difficult. You will not be able to keep up the resolution that you made. Be realistic. Stick to resolutions that are within reasonable bounds and that you can stick to.
2. A resolution should be planned well in advance. Take some time to reflect on what you want to achieve for the following year. Ideally resolution should be made a few days before the end of the year and not on the 31st of December. In fact this post is a little late to recommend this tip!
3. Make a thorough plan of how you will achieve the resolution or deal with it. For example if you want to quit smoking; gear yourself in every way to achieve it. Make a back up plan; find the means to achieve it. Have the resources necessary to do it.
4. Write it down in a list so you will stick to the resolutions you have made. This will keep you motivated and help you to say focused.
5. Speak about the resolution that you made. Tell every one about it; share it with similar people who have made resolutions. Get the necessary support from folks and friends.
6. Track your progress; reward & compliment yourself over the year if you are able to stick to the resolution. This is necessary to move further and accomplish your resolutions fully.
7. Don’t put yourself down if you are not able to implement what you promised to yourself. Take it one day at a time!
8. Try not to give up mid way. I know this is easier said than done; but you must make serious effort to live up to your resolutions. Keep trying.
9. According to data available; 63% of people keep their resolutions after two months. 67% of people make three or more resolutions. Top four resolutions: Increase exercise. Be more conscientious about work or school. Develop better eating habits. Stop smoking, drinking, or using drugs. People make more resolutions to start a new habit, than to break an old one.

Hope the above helps. Go on and do what you want to do!

The Rise of Social Networking Sites

The rise of social networking sites has been the theme of Internet in 2006. The spate of successful social networking sites like Myspace, Youtube, Facebook, del.icio.us etc confirm it. Social networks connect people with all different types of interests. Most of the social networks on the internet are public, allowing anyone to join.

The first social networking website was Classmates.com, which began in 1995 and has 40 million users today. Other sites followed, including SixDegrees.com, which began in 1997, Epinions which introduced the circle of trust in 1999, followed by European equivalents Ciao.com, Dooyoo and ToLuna. It was not until 2001 that websites using the Circle of Friends online social networks started appearing. This form of social networking, widely used in virtual communities, became particularly popular in 2002 and flourished with the advent of a website called Friendster. Today there are over 200 social networking sites. The popularity of these sites rapidly grew, and by 2005 MySpace was getting more page views than Google. Google has a social network called Orkut, launched in 2004. Social networking began to be seen as a component of internet strategy at around the same time: in March 2005 Yahoo launched Yahoo! 360°, their entry into the field, and in July 2005 News Corporation bought MySpace.

The growth of Web 2.0 technology allowed social networks to flourish. Web 2.0 applications support networks created by architecture of participation. This is characterized by open communication, decentralization of authority, freedom to share and re-use, and "the market as a conversation”. Examples of Web 2.0 include digg, Shoutwire, last.fm, and Technorati. In Web 2.0 the Network acts as platform" — delivering (and allowing users to use) applications entirely through a browser. Web 2.0 provides a rich, interactive, user-friendly interface. In short Web 2.0 provides online collaboration and sharing among users.

Here is a list of the top 10 social networking sites today:
1. Myspace: 130,000,000 users, General
2. Hi5: 50,000,000 users, General
3. Classmates.com: 40,000,000 users, School, college, work and the military
4. Xanga: 40,000,000 users, Blogs and "metro" areas, used by teenagers
5. Friendster: 29,200,000 users, General
6. Reunion.com: 25,000,000 users, Locating friends & Family
7. Orkut: 36,532,000 users, Owned by Google
8. Bebo: 22,000,000 users, Schools & colleges networking
9. Facebook: 12,000,000 users, General
10.Livejournal: 10,920,000 users, A blogging network

Source of above figures: Wikipedia

Close to a dozen social networking sites are now focused only on India: yaari.com, minglebox.com, zhoom.com, DesiMartini.com and humsubka.com, to name a few. Social networking sites have been the outstanding success stories of 2006. Why else would Google buy YouTube for $1.65 billion?