TopicBean had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Amarjit Batra, Country Manager of OLX.in. Is OLX.in India’s answer to Craigslist? Read on to find out.

1. How did OLX come into being? What difficulties did you face in getting it going?

OLX was co-founded in March 2006 by Internet entrepreneurs Fabrice Grinda and Alec Oxenford. Fabrice previously founded Zingy, a mobile ringtones company that sold to For-Side for $80 million in May 2004. Alec previously founded DeRemate, a leading online auction website in Latin America. DeRemate sold to MercadoLibre.com, an eBay affiliate, in November 2005. OLX was formed with the purpose of creating the world’s largest free classifieds marketplace where users can buy, sell, trade or exchange products and services within their city across multiple categories.

The difficulties were typical of what’s in web startup – getting the right team in place, getting a bug free product off the ground; expand in the right markets etc. OLX, being an ambitious project of creating the largest classifieds site in the world also had to go through a lot of skepticism. Since then, we have expanded to 90 countries and 39 languages and are a leading classifieds site in about 7 to 8 markets.

2. How big is the company can you share some numbers with our audience?

OLX has over 70 million unique visitors per month and 500 million page views per month.
Almost 2 million new ads are posted monthly on OLX. OLX has raised $28.5 million in funding since March, 2006. OLX has offices spread over the globe with 125 employees working out of New York, Buenos Aires, Beijing, Moscow and India

3. How do you monetize OLX?

We are having text ads (currently provided by Google) as the only monetization option. These ads are displayed on our listings result pages and the individual classified ad pages. OLX core site will always be 100% free. However we have launched ‘Featured Listings’ in few countries that allows users to get prominent placement on the site.Our mobile site (http://m.OLX.in) is also completely free for users. The mobile site has a banner or text ad on top and bottom of each page and is monetized through ad networks.

4. What software and hardware drive the website?

OLX is on LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) running on Linux boxes

5. What content in OLX.in is specific to India compared to OLX.com?

OLX is a city based classifieds site. OLX.in is the India site and all the content on www.OLX.in pertains to India. Within OLX.in, there are individual city sites and a user can search within a city or nationwide. OLX.in is present in all key cities in India and includes the Tier I, Tier II and Tier III cities. We have localization of OLX.in in Hindi language and have a ‘matrimonial’ category that is unique to India. OLX.com is our site specific for USA and all the content on this site is localized for the US market.

6. What differentiates OLX from other similar products on the internet?

First of all, we are a free site. Yes 100% free! And we want to keep our core site free forever. Our major difference with vertical category sites are that we are present in many categories- Jobs, Real Estate, Vehicles, Matrimonial (only in India), For Sale, Services, Classes, and Community. Being a local site, we are today present in all major cities in India, whereas the rest of the sites are focusing on few cities only. The other key differentiating factor is a user friendly mobile version of the site http://m.OLX.in on which one can do everything that can be done on the web version. We are also present in other languages like Hindi ( http://www.OLX.in/hi/ ) that gives us a wider reach.

Being a Web2.0 product, users can Easily design rich colorful listings with pictures and videos and display their listings on their social networking profile (Facebook, Myspace, etc.). Unlike others, we are a global classifieds site network with a local presence in India. Being present in 89 countries and 39 languages gives us an international reach and we do continuous improvements on our product and features.

7. Free classified sites have a tough time with Spam ads and junk listings on the website and hence sometimes end up with unwanted content. What security measures does OLX have in place to prevent this?

We have certain tools and filters to check for Spams and Scams. Our multilingual dedicated customer support team manually screens listings and deletes those with suspect content. We also have automated tools to detect Spams and Scams. We blacklist keywords, IP addresses, countries etc. and our customer team is vigilant 24/7 to tackle such issues. Over all 60% to 70% of postings on OLX are deleted in the process to keep the site clean and free from spam. In addition, we urge our users to flag a prohibitive listing and this messaging is provided at key user touch points.

8. Classified sections in India are filled with real estate agents whom not everyone is interested in dealing with. How do you propose to segregate the content?

On OLX, you will find many individuals posting ads for products and services that they are offering. In real estate, you will find many home owners posting their properties for lease or sale. There are similar cases in ‘Vehicles’ as well as ‘For Sale’ category. So we provide both the choice of content from brokers as well as content from individuals.

9. How can a user effectively use this classified, do you have any tips to make the best use of OLX.com?

OLX classifieds can be effectively used for both buying and selling activity. As a buyer, I can decide if I am looking for a seller within my city or I am fine with an intercity transaction. I can then zero in on my search efforts - citywide or nationwide. If I am not able to find an item of my choice, I can create a ‘Wanted’ Ad and list the details of the item I am looking for. Or I can create an ‘ Alert’ for specific keywords. As a seller, I can merchandise my listings with multiple photographs or a video of the products being offered. I would definitely provide my mobile number in addition to the email contacts, as the OLX mobile application allows a One –Click-Call on the mobile listed in the Ad.

10. How do "you" like OLX.com and how do "you" use it? Have you purchased anything online from OLX.com? ( Can this be changed to OLX.in, the India site).

Like many OLX users, I like the clutter free experience on OLX and I find browsing on OLX a lot of fun. I particularly like OLX search functionality and the ability to post ads in English as well as Hindi. I had once posted an ad in Hindi for a piece of furniture I wanted to dispose and got some genuine responses within few days. I am also a regular user of the Mobile application http://m.OLX.in and often search for deals. The best part is that I can use the mobile classifieds even I am on the move. One can do everything on the mobile that can be done on the Web. I am on the lookout for car deals and have set some ‘Alerts’ for a particular car model, so that I do not have to go to the site daily. I get an update on my email if that model is listed by somebody.

11. What goes on in the background when someone tries to buy or sell something? Is there any rating system in place for buyers and sellers?

When a seller lists the item on the OLX site, they have the flexibility to let people contact through email only or through phone. The listings appear on the search results for that particular city and category. When a buyer enters the site, he can browse through the categories or city or use specific keywords to search through a search box on the site. A lot of buyers find the listings and the seller through search engines and directly come onto the individual classifieds page. The buyer can send an email to the seller through the site messaging system or contact on phone directly if the seller has listed his numbers on the listing.
Once the buyer and seller get in touch with each other, the negotiation and transaction usually completes offline.

A rating system would not work on a classifieds site as the transaction does not complete online. However, a buyer can comment on the listing of the seller about their experience.

12. What is the next big plan for OLX? What features are you looking to implement to improve the product?

We have now expanded to 90 countries and 39 languages and you will see OLX expanding further to some more countries and new languages. Besides this, we keep on making improvements on the site making it friendlier for our users. We often take feedback from our users on features that they would like to see on OLX. OLX already has many cobrand partners (like Friendster in Philippines and Hindustan Times in India) and this list of partners has been growing every year.

We have also launched “Featured Listings” whereby users can put their ads in an exceptional place for a specific period of time giving increased visibility. This has been launched in select countries including US and will be introducing this tool to other countries. We also launch new categories that have relevance to the local markets and what users ask for.

-CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE-

Amazon is the largest online bookstore (besides selling other things) followed closely by Barnes and Noble. While Amazon does deliver books to India, the shipping costs make some of these purchases unworthy. Also, chances are most foreign author books will have an Indian Edition that costs less and these will not be available in Amazon.

FlipKart.com is an online Indian book store you can order from and have your books delivered at home. The pricing is pretty decent compared to other bookstores like Landmark or Crossword that mostly sell books at the printed price on the book. You will find discounts upto 33% on the books.

I ran a quick search for Sin City graphic novels and found some books that I have long been searching for but never found. Book descriptions are also pretty good but there aren't reviews and feedback like that is found in amazon. This is probably because of the lack of popularity of the website.

Dan Brown's next book - The lost symbol is available for pre-order at a 33% discount for Rs. 468 at FlipKart. The book features Brown's favorite hero Robert Langdon on another puzzle trail set in a time frame of 24 hours. If the previous books are a sign of things to come we can expect the book to be filled with interesting information. However, I wish they stop making the movies with Tom Hanks.

FlipKart does not sell used books and also does not sell digital copies of book purchased like how Amazon does. This would be a really nice feature for FlipKart to add.

-CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE-

If you have been looking for online computer hardware stores in India where you can check prices for computer hardware parts before you go personally and haggle over the counter or if you want to order online, you have come to the right place. Here are some online stores which have a good range of products and prices are fairly representative of over the counter sales prices.

1) The IT Depot @ http://www.theitdepot.com/
This is one of the most professional looking online stores in India besides being one of the oldest. Based out of Chennai, IT Depot offers a lot of brands that were once hard to find in India. They deal with brands like Antec, OCZ, Logitech, Belkin, Sennheiser, Cooler Master, Silverstone, Razer, Abit, Corsair and EVGA. The prices are slightly higher than over the counter prices but then a lot of brands available at this store are not found elsewhere. Products are neatly categorized and are selectable by price ranges, brands and other sub-classifications. You will also find product specifications here.

2) The IT Warehouse @ http://www.theitwares.com/
Based out of Mumbai, this store is not very flashy looking but one look at it and you know they mean business. The website has a minimalistic look and is well organized. Some special brands dealt by this store are Tagan, Seasonic, Dell, Thermaltake, Razer, Thermalright and Arctic. Products are priced pretty decently.

3) Buy Gaming Stuff @ http://www.buygamingstuff.com
As the name gives away, this website prides in dealing with gaming related hardware and most importantly, the games themselves. They are the only store I have come across that sell popular games online and the pricing is competitive with retail stores. Most popular brands mentioned for the previous stores are also available here but mostly with focus on their gaming products. The store also deals with XBox and Playstation games and accessories.

4) Techshop @ http://www.techshop.in
7 days shipping, 6 shipping options and 4 payment options is the tag line of this store. Very similar to theitwares website, techshop in addition to computer hardware also deals with mobilephones, MP3 players and cameras. I also found the Zotac Mini-ITX GeForce 9300 motherboard here which was an interesting product.

5) Prime abgb @ http://www.primeabgb.com
Prime is just like most of the other stores mentioned here. What I like about their product range is their collection of Silverstone chassis. I have been lucky enough to work on a silverstone chassis and felt that it was one of the best in terms of attention to details to make life easier for the user. Now I know where to buy it from in India. And the prices are in line with most of the high-end chassis from Coolermaster and Antec chassis from other sources. They also have a decent collection of highly rated CPU and GPU Heatsink Fans.

6) Media Home @ http://www.mediahome.in/
I guess there are enough websites in the list already that should give most users a decent idea of the prices of popular and highly rated brand of computer hardware. Media home is yet another one in this list and their collection of Seasonic branded powersupplies impressed me. They also seem to have most of the brands. Suprisingly there is no separate section for motherboards. I also found some image rendering issues with the website that definitely needs a fix.

7) ComputerWarehousePricelist @ http://www.computerwarehousepricelist.com/
Computer Warehouse Price list is another old website which I used for checking prices of commonly available hardware before other websites became popular. Back then the prices mentioned were overpriced by about Rs.500-1000 but were a good indication of approximate counter prices. They don't seem to have the more popular and niche brands like the other websites. The website also feels very clunky though organized.

There it is. 7 Stores in India from where you can buy the coolest computer hardware parts. International brands and high performance products all now available in India. Now I wait for the day when Amazon and Newegg start delivering parts in India at competitive prices and raise the bar for online stores.

-CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE-

So from what I heard, there are a total of 23 candidates in my city, out of which 5 of them have criminal records, 1 is illiterate, 1 is 5th pass, 4 are 8th pass, 5 are 10th pass, 4 Graduates, 2 post Graduates and 2 Graduate professional, other no info.

Some of them have assets above 9 crore, and some as little as 25K.



I am not certain about the site but is accredited by Association for Democratic Reforms. It also has the following disclaimer

Disclaimer: The primary source for the data used for these reports is the sworn affidavits provided by the candidates themselves. Sheer volume of data that has to be read from the affidavits that are often poorly scanned and the lightening speed at which these reports have to be brought out makes it quite difficult to ensure accuracy of every bit of data. In case of any discrepancy in our reports vis a vis the original affidavit of any candidate, the original affidavit should be considered accurate. If you notice any discrepancies between affidavit and our report kindly let us know and we will fix them on our end as soon as possible.

Here is a site that can answer your questions about your Neta.

-CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE-

"Ask not what the country can do for you but what you can do for your country." - JFK. I'm 26 years old and I've never voted. My grandma on the other hand never missed going for an election and casting her vote. What changed over the generation?

I am going crazy looking at the lkadvani.in ad all over my site. I'm not a BJP supporter but got me thinking, in 2009 I should vote. I went to jaagore.com and registered myself to be a part of the 1 Billion who will change from . The information on this site is phenomenal. From how to get registered to information about whom to vote for. First time voters have a page just for themselves which answers some of the following questions :

* I am registering for the first time. Where do I begin?

* What documents do I need to register for the first time?

* I am a college student. What documents do I need to register?

* I am a college student studying outside my native city. Should I register from my place of study or from my native place?

* I've just turned 18. Can I register to vote?

However I'm still unable to find the comparative manifestos of the various parties on this site. I visited a few party sites below which have pretty decent information:

Bharatiya Janta Party

Indian National Congress

Professionals Party of India

Bahujan Samaj Party

Rashtriya Janata Dal

Its time for people to wake up and take the future in your hand. Yes we can make a difference. If you don't believe the power of one watch this.

I couldn't resist adding this to the article. I love the new Idea ad, power to the common man being the central theme. You must check out their site with interesting issues raised by the people and with votes and forums to discuss these issues. 

And here is my favorite Idea ad.

-CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE-

Bangalore is one of the most overcrowded cities in India. Its infrastructure is under severe stress with narrow bad roads, one ways, bridges under construction, lack of proper public transport and many other things that can possibly go wrong with a city's infrastructure. The city has one of the highest density of cars per sq. km in the country and most of these 4 wheelers carry just 1 person while it could carry 4. All this put together, makes Bangalore one of the worst cities for commuting.

Bangalore Traffic Information system is a website providing some services that can greatly benefit commuters in the city:

1) Live Traffic: 

Get video feed from key locations in the city to judge crowd

2) Directions:

Find your way around town, avoid jams.

3) Car Pool:

Share the road. Save money. Make friends.

4) BUS:

Find Bus routes, stops, and transit points.

5) Safety:

Accident zones, road signs, and more.

BTIS also has a mobile version for its services that you can download from here.

The coolest part of BTIS is definitely the live traffic feed from various spots in the city that is marked to the city map.

Traffic Information Systems have been created for other cities as well. Check them out for Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi and Pune.

-CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE-

I love comics and comics on the web are easy to access and best of all: Free!
Here are some webcomics by Indian authors. Enjoy!

1) Fly You Fools 

2. Uncubed

3. Doubtsourcing 

4. World of an Indian Cartoonist 

-CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE-

As the ATF fuel (ATF - Aviation Turbine Fuel commonly called Jet fuel) skyrockets (pun intended) the prices for all the fares have increased tremendously. There has been 20% drop in the weekly flight schedule since March 2008 (source - economictimes.indiatimes.com)

To add to this, the newer airports like Hyderabad and Bangalore are levying hefty airport duty (yet to come but in the pipeline or so I've heard). And above all, the travel to the airport which is now outside the city and takes about an hour to get to, has put off passengers from flying anywhere. So what are our alternatives?

The railways is monopolized by the Indian Government and booking is primarily done directly by waiting at the booking places and if online from irctc.co.in. Many people I know (including me) are giving the good ol' bus another look. Here are the top 7 sites for booking your road trip.


Ticketvala.com - Ticketvala claims to be India's largest Online Bus Ticket platform. They have a special feature called the mTicket which allows a passenger to receive a confirmation of your booking on your mobile and this confirmation acts as your boarding pass. They have quite a few payment channels, and last minute booking. You can contact their call centre for tickets and even have your tickets delivered at your doorstep. Home delivery is available in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune, for those outside this region, you'll have to wait a while till ticketvala comes to your home.

Apart from this they provide other services like car hire, bus hire and budget hotels listing. An ideal list for the budget traveler.

Ticketkaran.in - This Chennai based website says its the first to provide frequent traveler program for Bus travelers (step aside jet gold members). This site too offers mobile phone confirmation of your ticket and the ease of booking your ticket by phone by calling their booking room. The site offers delivery for nominal chargers to most locations in Chennai.

This site is brand new (as are most sites on this list). Only once testimonials and other features are added will we understand how useful this site really is.

Redbus.in - This was the first site I'd heard of that allows online bus booking. Its been there for 2 years now. This site has by far the largest number of bus travel operators and spans to more than 80 cities in India. It offers all the services provided by the other sites, like home delivery (at a nominal fee in major cities), mobile booking etc. There are 3 things I adore about this site:

- First the localization with the Indic language translations (5 of them).

- Second the Testimonials page, people have enjoyed the service and great service never goes unnoticed. There have been tonnes of suggestions appreciations and love letters that this site has recieved. I especially like - I think redBus is the right answer for all our travel related problems. The options available at your website are very comprehensive. - Nageshwara Rao K - Well said Nageshwara.

- Third and not the least, there is a little link under the booking section that says "Boss is watching? Look busy." It takes you to some random excel page with numbers and charts. I couldn't believe it. Good job redbus!

TakeOffTrip.com - One of the quickest sites I've seen in the group. Very quick results and crisp layout just draws you in to the site. Once you're in you're hooked. The site has amazing user engagement with trivia during on the loading screen if the loading is slow etc. There aren't too many special features for bus passengers like mobile booking and home delivery of tickets. The site is a complete travel site and bus is just another service they provide. They also have a train link but I guess its still under construction. I can't wait to find out what this feature does.

CheckOutTrip.com - Again a Hyderabad based site. Its more of a Online travel agent as opposed to specifically for bus passengers. The site is still not up and running completely. The site looks like it needs a lot more work before users will like navigating through it. Quite a disappointment at this point of time. Would love to see how this pans out. Fingers crossed for you checkouttrip.com

Bus-tickets.rediff.com - Rediff bus tickets gives you more than one solution to your problem. They have a tie up with the Indian railways. On the search result page, apart from getting the bus details from major Government and Local bus operators it shows the possible trains that leave during the same day between the locations selected. Allowing you to compare the prices of the bus and train ticket and the indianrail.gov website is just a click away. Fast easy effective - truly impressed.

Bustickets.makemytrip.co.in - Makemytrip is slow, I know I don't have the fastest connection under the sun, but makemytrip takes forever to show results. Once it did show up on the page, it had some very competitive results. Makemytrip as a brand has a lot of patrons already. Personally not my favorite site for Online bus reservations.

Apart from these sites, there is Raj National, KPN, VRL direct from the Bus operators themselves.

I hope this helps you find a good site to book your next bus ticket. I personally will either book it on redbus.in, ticketvala.com or Bus-tickets.rediff.com. Will post some review on my experience soon.

-CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE-