Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The IndiBlogger Meet with HP - Original vs. Counterfeit


I was looking forward to this day, to attend my second IndiBlogger meet. The first blogger meet I attended, sponsored by Nokia was more or less a disappointment as there was very less Blogger interaction; it was more of a Nokia show, many who attended the meet back in November will surely agree. This meet wasn’t as hyped as the previous one; there were no celebrity hosts this time around, so I went in with little expectations, although I was very excited to meet a few known faces, also make new friends in the process. I am glad this meet managed to do just that. There was a lot of blogger interaction, fun games, photo shoots, mimes, debates and whole lot of prizes to be won (If you were lucky, you would even go home with a couple of leftover pen drives as well). All in all, it was a highly fun filled afternoon.

The ever so punctual me, reached the venue with my buddy Harkirat at least 5 minutes before the scheduled start which was 1:30PM, but it began only around 2:20PM or so. But it was worth the wait. The theme of the meet was “Originality”. In terms of the sponsors, HP, it meant buying their original products, especially their ink cartridges. To make everyone aware about not buying counterfeited products, and why original products fare better as compared to counterfeited ones, in all aspects.

The meet started with randomly picked bloggers introducing themselves and mimicking any one character of their choice, be it a cartoon character or any real-life character. Listening to some of the bloggers was real fun as well as cringe-worthy at the same time. And for the second time, I didn’t get to speak.

In one of the fun events we participated, we were given a blank sheet of paper which contained a QR (Quick Response) Code in it. Using a QR app, we needed to take a picture of the QR code which would generate a part of a quote to each individual; our job was to find the people who possess the remaining part of the quote. It was a really fun activity which had everyone involved; I was one of the few people, who were able to make a connection with the quote (eventually, I might add) as I was just roaming around aimlessly screaming my quote for the most part. There were no prizes given out for this activity though.

Then we had a chance to get our pictures taken in a unique way, so along with my partners in crime, my dear friend and mentor Sujatha Sathya, Harkirat and Sabitha came up with a novel idea to spread a message against Rape. So we got inspired by Gandhiji’s idea of three monkeys and added a fourth monkey to showcase our message. Although we didn’t win the award for the ‘Best Picture’ (our picture was slightly overlooked, I might add) but we were satisfied with its outcome.


Speak No Evil, See No Evil, Hear No Evil. The fourth monkey symbolizes - DO NOT RAPE.
The mime task was fun too, our team which was initially named ‘Photocopy’ but I suggested to add the word Original (in keeping with the theme of the day, also to intend pun). So our team was called “Original Photocopy” consisting of 15 members. We were given the topic “Jungle Book” to enact which we performed very well. Again, we didn’t win anything, well not even the worst performing team award.

A representative from HP spoke about how to protect originality and avoid counterfeiting. He made some really valid points about how and why purchasing an original product is better as compared to buying counterfeited ones. Normally, the main reason why people opt to buy duplicated products instead of the original is because of its cost, it is cheaper as compared to an original one. There is a common misconception that originals are expensive and copies are cheap which is not true.

When you buy an original ink cartridge, it will invariably give you true value for money; they will last much longer and perform much better. Normally a standard HP ink cartridge would cost around Rs. 1900 which is considered slightly expensive, so HP has tried to address this problem. Now the cost of a cartridge starts from Rs. 449 onwards. The number of pages you can print using this cartridge would be 600 and print quality of the pages would be excellent throughout. And it is very convenient too. As HP has come up with a service called “Dial-a-Cartridge” where in you can dial the number 1800 425 4999 and order an ink cartridge and the product will be delivered right at your door step in 6 to 8 hours. You can also order the cartridge online to avail the same service.

It has been noted that, 1 in 2 non-HP cartridges poses problem, as well as 70% of refilled cartridges poses problems. Compared to the original cartridge, the print quality of the counterfeited ones isn’t consistent, they won’t last long. Also you can’t get a quality color photo printout.

And finally, to identify a fake product from an original one, we need to check for the holographic security seal on the product. Also, there is an app called “e-supplies” using which you can scan the bar code, if you get a positive message then the product is genuine else it is a counterfeited product. You can also validate the product on the HP website.

It was indeed a day of original awesomeness as promised by IndiBlogger and HP.

40 comments:

  1. Adding the 'do-no-evil-monkey' was quite timely, right? Nice to know it was fun, altogether.
    I want to attend an Indiblogger meet sometime, I hope there'll be one happening in Bangalore when I'm visiting next. :)

    Have a good week Akshay.

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    1. That was a spontaneous idea when we were asked to get a photograph, I am so glad it turned out so well and the message it conveyed was appreciated by everyone. :)

      Would love to meet you too, Divya. I wish the next meet date coincides with your Bangalore visit. Take care. :)

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  2. Good recap. This one was definitely better than the Nokia meet.

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  3. Hi Akki! I 100% support your photo...and am all for it...even if didn't win the award...it's an all time winner! Hearty congrats:):)

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    1. Thank you so much Sir. We had lots of fun irrespective of whether we won anything or not. :)

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  4. Hi Akshay,

    HAHAHA, that was a good pose you folks gave for the photograph. All the bloggers at Bangalore had such a good time, I'm waiting for a similar event to happen nearby my city. It would be fun and interesting all the bloggers in the flesh and having a wonderful time together :)

    Regards

    Jay
    My Blog | My Entry to Indiblogger Get Published

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    1. Hey thanks a lot Jay. Yup we had loads of fun at the meet. Its great to meet fellow bloggers whom you may have known only through their blogs. :)

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  5. Great to learn about the fun you all had despite your picture being overlooked. HP is damn right.

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    1. Oh yes, I am not disappointed about the picture not winning at all. Important thing was we had lots of fun. :)

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  6. Wonderful take on the event. Wish I could have met you there in person.

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    1. I saw you when you introduced yourself but unfortunately we didn't get a chance to interact. I would love to change that in the next meet Sir. Thank you for stopping by. :)

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  7. Good to see that you enjoyed the meet!!

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    1. Yes Sir, had loads of fun. Thanks for stopping by. :)

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  8. I don't know when I will get lucky to meet all my favorite bloggers. You know I loved your picture and the message it conveyed. BTW, couldn't understand the game QR. Looks like you had fun and interaction this time. As far as printers are concerned, I have one which I bought from US in 2005 but I never use it. I guess I would never need a cartridge.

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    1. I know, I wish we could meet someday. It was such a pleasure talking to you the other day, hopefully we would get to meet too. :) The picture was a spontaneous idea, thanks a lot for appreciating the message it conveyed. :))

      Oh the about the QR game, its very simple actually. A QR code would normally look like this -> http://www.qrstuff.com/images/sample.png. Using a QR app downloaded on you phone, you can scan this image and it would give you information about the QR code. The app is used to scan bar codes too, it would immediately show the info about the product or a book.

      So likewise in this game, we were shown a bunch of quotes on a screen, and every person were given a blank sheet of paper which contained an image similar to the one shown in the link. If I scan that image from the QR app it would generate only a part of the complete quote. So we had to find someone who had got the other part of the quote and in turn completes the given quote. That was the game. :)

      Sorry for the long comment Saru, I didn't wanted to explain it in the post as it would have stretched the post to over two pages. :P

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    2. I know about QR but couldn't understand the game actually. And Akshay one thing is for sure, bloggers love long comments. I often get comments like, 'Nice poem,' 'Lovely poem' and you know how it feels...

      Thanks for the explanation. It was lovely talking to you and will surely meet one say.

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  9. LOL, I swear I've had a few comments on the photos as well, at work, where it's proven to be a hit :) I'm glad!! PS. may I also add, that it's so 'man of you, to remember the price. If you notice, my post has 0 information on price!!!!

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    1. Haha!! Your expression in the pic is too hilarious. :D Yeah, the pic is a huge hit in my friend circle too. It was wonderful to meet you, Sabitha. We had lots of fun. :))

      LOL! About remembering the price, I had noted it down on my phone. :P

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  10. Hi, I have attended one blogger meet in Delhi and I quite enjoyed it..Looks like you people had great fun this time.. enjoyed reading the details of the event.. Thanx :)

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    1. Thank you Manjulika for stopping by. Yeah we had loads of fun. I am sure there will be a blogger meet in Delhi soon enough. Have fun. :)

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  11. very interesting account akshay :) wish i could attend a meet some day ! Kudos for that photo idea . . very timely and extremely relevant one !

    stay healthy :)

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    1. Thank you Maliny. It was a spontaneous idea which is being appreciated by everyone. Thanks for your wishes. You too take care. :)

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  12. I have only attended one meet till date, the nokia one, but I can say that it's thrilling to talk to people/friends in reality when we are only used to talking to them online. In addition, the easy camaraderie and friendly atmosphere IndiBlogger team creates only elevates the entire experience. I loved the picture idea, it conveys a message that is so needed today. The QR game sounds fun too and so does the jungle book enactment. Glad to see all of you had a great time :-)

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    1. Arti, you are one of the bloggers I truly admire and respect. I do hope we get to meet one day in these blogger meets. Yes, its really amazing to meet and interact with fellow bloggers, we would have so many things in common even though we may have never met, that is the beauty of it. :) Thank you for appreciating the message in the picture, I am really happy, especially coming from you, it means a lot. :)

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  13. You guys are rocking. Envy Envy!!
    PS: I was expecting more pictures :D

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    1. Hehe! Thanks a lot, Ghaz. :)
      Pictures are uploaded on the IndiBlogger page on Facebook. :D

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  14. What a beautiful and meaningful meet! The No Evil monkeys spread a noble moral code to follow! The Wise Monkeys depict the disciplined minds. Kudos... Thanks very much for sharing, Akshay.
    I wish to attend one such meet someday!:)

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Ma'am. Hopefully you get to attend a Blogger's meet soon, would be an honor to meet you. :)

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  15. Akshay :(( I wish I could attend this meet at least.. Well, It seems like you had a great time :) I hope I ll be able to see you in next meet..

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    1. Sonia, I really hoped you could attend this meet at least, but it was not to be. :( Yeah, the meet was a lot of fun, had a great time. We will surely meet during the next one. The frequency with which the meets are happening in Bangalore, it will be a lot sooner than we expect. :D

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  16. Looks like the event was fun with lots of cool activities!

    --Damyanti, Co-host A to Z Challenge April 2013

    Twitter: @AprilA2Z
    #atozchallenge

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  17. Yeah, we Bangaloreans should consider ourselves lucky for having so many blogger meets here. It was really an amazing experience. Thanks a lot, Ash for your appreciation of the picture. :))

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  18. Aah Akshay finally here!
    hmm you summarized the whole event so well. Nice.

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    1. It was so awesome to meet you again. We had so much fun. Can't wait for the next meet. :)))

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  19. You won the cup !! Now You owe me my pen drive :P

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    1. Haha!! Sure bro. I do owe you. Will definitely return the favor in the next meet. :D

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