For finding the STD code for a particular city / town / area in India, use
http://www.bsnl.co.in/stdsearch.php
You can either enter the city name or city code.
List of all STD codes (state wise)
Jul
29
Renewing Photon + Prepaid connection
You can renew your Tata Indicom Photon+ connection online at their website tataindicom.com .
But unlike online most payment options, you can only renew by payment through Netbanking or Paymate. They do not accept credit card, debit card payments. Though they offer fund transfer through many banks, payment through HDFC bank Netbanking was disabled on 15 July, 2010 and remained disabled for some time.
Earlier, you could renew the prepaid Photon + connection for a period of 90 days only, now they are offering 2 more additional options
- 180 days for Rs 2001, 8 GB download
- 360 days for Rs 5001 , 20 GB download
While the Photon+ is a very convenient internet connection, it may not be used with routers, which are required for home security applications.
Jul
29
Paypal India electronic bank withdrawal suspended
Paypal has suspended withdrawal of funds through NEFT due to regulatory requirements from August 1, 2010 as per the below announcements.
http://www.paypal-apac.com/India/
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/in/201007.shtml#2010-07-28112238
Paypal account holders will only be able to withdraw funds by check from July 29, 2010. At times, the postal system is unreliable, so it would be better if they offered some form of secure delivery on payment of an additional fee.
Update : On 30 July 2010, Paypal announced that electronic withdrawals could continue. However, some users are reporting that Mass payment has been disabled.
Jul
16
Crowdsourcing / Workers on demand website
One of big advantages of the internet is the ability to work from anywhere. A number of websites offer crowdsourcing / workers on demand . Some of these websites are:
Amazon Mechanical turk – mturk.com – the oldest, you can use your Amazon login, offers payment in Indian Rupees. Has a large number of tasks available, usually in thousands for US residents.
Microworkers – microworkers.com – workers can appeal if a task is not approved, payment through Paypal , Moneybookers and check.
Cloudcrowd.com – need a Facebook account, offered daily payments through Paypal
Crowdflower.com
Jobboy.com
Simpleworkers.com
Shortask.com
Myeasytask.com
Humangrid.de (redirects to clickworker.com)
Minijobz.com
Rapidworkers.com
Domywork.net – for students
Minuteworkers.com
Iamoney.com
Saycomment.com
MyMicroJob.com
Payment for each task usually varies from 5 cents to a dollar and completed tasks are to be approved manually. After signing up on these websites for testing, there seems to be a lot of difference in the way these websites are run. Popular tasks involve signing up for programs, writing blog posts, manipulating social media, posting links. Some tasks are reserved for users from USA / Canada. You can earn a few dollars a month with these websites in your free time.
Jul
1
Send free fax online
There are several websites which allow you send a free fax online . Some of these websites are:
- http://www.gotfreefax.com
- http://www.myfax.com/free/
- http://faxzero.com
- http://www.freefaxbutton.com
- http://www.freepopfax.com
- http://www.fax1.com (Free Trial Offer for $1)
The fax can be sent to USA , Canada, though some allow you to send free faxes to other countries. Most of the free fax services are supported by advertising and have limitations on the number of pages per fax and number of faxes that can be sent in one day. The fax can be uploaded as a .doc or pdf file or can be entered in text format.
Jun
19
File a consumer complaint in India
If you are unhappy with a product or service you have paid for, posting online will not help you, your complaint usually does not reach the seller. Approach the appropriate authority directly and if you do not get a suitable response, file a complaint with the consumer court. Keep a copy of all correspondence.
Guidelines on how to file a consumer complaint.
http://business.gov.in/consumer_rights/consumer_complaints.php
Jun
10
Concierge services in India
Concierge services are available to perform a variety of errands , but most seem targetted at NRIs and corporates. The services offered include
Bill Payment Services
• Mobile Phone Bill
• Credit Card Bill
• Telephone Bill
• Electricity Bill
• Insurance Payment
• Loan Payment
• Others
Travel Services
• Railway Pass renewal
• Forex
• Vacation Packages
• Inter city buses
• Air and Railway Tickets
Entertainment / Ticket Bookings (Subject to Availability)
• Movies & Plays
• Theatres
• Music Concerts
• Major Events
Postal Services
• Registered Post
• Ordinary Post
• Speed Post
• Book Post
• Telegram
• Money Order
• Purchase of stamps & envelopes
• Air mail
Courier (Domestic, National & International)
Banking Services
• Cheque Depositing
• D.D. making
• Passbook Update
Event Management Services
• Fashion Shows
• Annual Parties
• Sporting events
• Product Launches
and Promotions
• Community Service Programs
• Theme Parties
• Catering services
Some of the companies / websites offering concierge services are:
yourmaninindia.com
www.saharacarehouse.com
concierge4india.com
indiasmanfriday.com
alaconcierge.com
lesconcierges.co.in
superseva.com
taskseveryday.com
brickworkindia.com
May
31
Virtual offices in India
Many online businesses can be managed from anywhere, but you may need a virtual office if you have to meet your offline customers.
Some of the companies offering virtual offices in India are:
Apexone http://www.apexone.in
Regus http://www.regus.co.in
Servcorp http://www.servcorp.co.in
Virtuindia – http://www.virtuindia.com
Splendor Virtual Office – http://splendorvirtualoffice.com
Facilities available include mail collection and forwarding, telephone calls, use of office space for meetings. Prices vary depending on the facilities needed and location of the virtual office, starting from Rs 1000 per month . The offices are available in major metro cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad.
May
25
Telecommuting statistics
Some telecommuting (work at home/remote working) statistics (mainly for the US economy). More than 2% of the US workforce or about 3 million people telecommute.
http://undress4success.com/research/telecommuting-statistics/
http://www.worldatwork.org/waw/adimLink?id=31295&from=presshome
http://www.workingfromanywhere.org/
Savings when you work from home – http://www.inc.com/staff-blog/2010/02/going_virtual_b.html
Unlike a conventional office job, your looks or how you dress do not determine your success when you telecommute, your skills and knowledge of your area of specialization matters.
May
21
Group buying / crowd bargain/discount deal websites in India
Many Group buying / crowd bargain/discount deal websites have become very popular in the last one year in India.
Some of the websites are:
Snapdeal
Wanamo
Mydala
Mobstreet
Grabbon
Koovs
Group2Deal
Groupndeal.com
Ebay.in ( Deal of the day and week)
FutureBazaar ( Deal of the day and week)
24hoursloot.com
These websites mainly offer deals from restaurants, spas, beauty treatments, movie tickets and other recreational activities. Snapdeal from Jasper India seems to be sending offers regularly. Most of these offers are city specific and limited to major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore. You pay a small amount (Rs 25- Rs 50 ) online by Credit card/Debit card/ Netbanking and the rest is paid to the Merchant in cash after availing of the deal. Discounts usually vary from 90% to 30% .
The deals offered by the companies are presented well on their websites with a detailed description of the facilities available. At times, specific pricing of the various food items or services is not available, which may be inconvenient for prospective customers. These group buying websites could be a good online marketing option for small businesses.