Rapid use of technology has proved to be a boon during the pandemic, as a few have started unique online groups that are helping in these times in more than one way.
Group talk
Pune-based Satish and Mohini Khot run The Book Club Pune. Satish is the Vice Chairman of Public Concern for Governance Trust, Pune, while Dr Mohini Khot is a Professor of Literature. Satish reveals, “Readers will agree that there is only one other thing as good as the experience of reading a good book and that is being able to talk about it with another perceptive reader. My wife and I thought it would be great if we could get a group together to discuss books we had read. Another purpose was definitely to popularize reading.”
They got a neutral meeting point — The Poona Club’s Reading Room where the monthly informal free club had people talk about books they read/liked, authors talk about their books or what the Khots suggested. Soon, the sessions saw 100+ attendees at times. “Our modus operandi is that the speaker “presents” the book. Thus, even if you have not read the book, you can still participate in the discussion on the basis of what you have heard. Our accent is on getting to know about a book rather than interaction with a few. We are open to every kind of written word and visual media.”
In 2014, the club integrated into Gyaan Adab, a literature and culture centre. Satish mentions, “The same principles continued. In March 2020, we started meeting online. We often celebrate authors on their significant dates and also our popular annual Shakespeare celebrations in April. We have presented films, adaptations and parodies on stage.”
Mumbai-based consulting clinical dietitian and sports nutritionist Aditi Prabhu started an online group – Dietitians Pandora for qualified Indian dietitians and nutritionists. “On July 23, 2020, a colleague known only through Facebook used its room options. It intrigued me and during our conversation, I proposed the idea of creating a group for dietitians to network.”
Along with two colleagues, Aditi started the group. “We have daily topics wherein we post about them that day and in turn bring out constructive and healthy conversations and discussions.” She calls the 500+ member group a ‘great learning journey’ for both seniors and juniors.
Gaurav Singh, Founder-CEO, Cynosure PR & Communications, mentions MediaBuddies, a WhatsApp group for media professionals. The pandemic and resultant lockdown saw many media houses shut shop. “I wanted to help my media friends but staying in touch with everyone individually was tough. In May after discussions with my fraternity friends, we launched MediaBuddies aimed at helping people find jobs in media and allied sectors.”
Currently, two groups share job opportunities in media and allied fields through various digital platforms. “We connect with job applicants and companies/individuals looking to hire. By getting them to a common platform with the right target audience, we have been able to give companies the right talent and job applicants an easy, free and niche job source.”
Benefits galore
Going digital has been indeed a boon. Aditi reveals, “Doing online consults, attending/conducting webinars, etc., was pretty new. Yet the situation pushed us out of our comfort zone. This group gave people a platform to interact, conduct learning sessions on vital topics and teach skills.”
Gaurav has seen recruiters use Facebook and LinkedIn Jobs more to get applicants close-by. “Job applicants do not have to pay for reaching out to recruiters through job sites/print classifieds. The otherwise dormant groups also started monitoring content through admins to make it profitable content wise. They definitely provided a free ground for a demand and supply cycle.”
For the book club, Zoom proved to be a lifesaver. Mohini adds, “Because the mood was so despondent at first, there was a request for weekly meetings. We are so happy that we have been able to present a book a week. We are booked till the end of April – four months ahead! Rain or shine we continue! We use email and WhatsApp to send out information about upcoming events.”
What it really means
Gaurav feels groups for similar thinking genuine people can surely become profitable. “A lot of home-grown brands, MSMEs, bootstrapped start-ups, etc. could find their target audience at their convenience. They also understand how their target audience is behaving.”
For Satish, the eye-opening situation saw various participants from India and outside connect and share perspectives comfortably. “One can’t pretend that an online meeting is as satisfactory as a face to face meeting but it serves the purpose.”
Aditi divulges, “I’ve seen members openly sharing their communication issues and some kind members step in to help them out or encourage them to be more vocal. In fact, we encourage people to share their issues so we can together work on them.”
Digital issues
The WhatsApp privacy saw many raise security issues and panic. Gaurav dismisses things and reveals, “WhatsApp doesn’t collect any personal information from individual’s private or group chats and all such chats are end-to-end encrypted including locations that one user might share with another on the group. WhatsApp clarified that only B2C chats are the only ones that can be read for marketing purposes.”
Since his group revolves around genuine job opportunities for journalists, he adds, “Hence, we do not have/added any businesses within the group that might send promotional posts. They (users) are perfectly aware that there is no privacy threat with the new policies.”
The future
Mohini feels online meets will continue due to convenience. “Any group, however niche and however unusual their area of interest, has excellent chances of succeeding simply because they can glean their members from around the whole world.”
To create such groups, Aditi suggests keeping ‘a clear idea/reason/vision’ and ways to make the group bloom. “The more meaningful interaction more successful you are. Take care of your group as a family and it will flourish like one.”
Gaurav advises small yet focused group that work slowly yet efficiently. “It’s equally important to have content moderators, admins, etc. to help ensure that groups’ goals are met without becoming another run-of-the-mill group.”
