eCommerce Alert: Who does the actual shopping in Nigeria? Men or Women?
…This will be a short post, but I will look at exploring this topic fully in the near future So I love shopping online, and as I was recently shopping More »
Former Head Of Marketing and Partnerships At Jumia Nigeria Joins Rival Firm Konga
I received an email a couple of days from “Onyeka Akumah” inviting me along with several journalists to the offices of Konga, Nigeria’s Online Mega Store at Ilupeju for a tour of their More »
Where is the Next Generation of Jesus Conscious Gospel Musicians(#JCGM)?
You call me out upon the waters The great unknown where feet may fail And there I find You in the mystery In oceans deep My faith will stand I have been More »
StartUp Spotlight: Latrendy.com.ng; Events Management/Planning
Startups are companies set up to test business models developed around new ideas, and latrendy describes itself as a “Startup firm committed to Innovation and Excellence: “Paint the picture…we’ll make it happen” More »
African Gaming Startups Kuluya and Maliyo Games; A Lesson in Wrong Online Business Strategy
First question to ask and answer; does the internet render established rules about strategy obsolete? This is a question I have often asked myself and I am sure most More »
Category Archives: Specials
African Gaming Startups Kuluya and Maliyo Games; A Lesson in Wrong Online Business Strategy
First question to ask and answer; does the internet render established rules about strategy obsolete?
This is a question I have often asked myself and I am sure most internet strategists have had to ask themselves at one time or the other, different people have reacted differently, with varied degree of success achieved so far, while some assume that the internet changes everything(an often dangerous assumption), other have threaded more cautiously.
To me, the question is not whether to deploy Internet technology—companies have no choice if they want to stay competitive—but how to deploy it, and this brings me to the two companies in question, Kuluya.com, and Maliyo games, they are both Casual Gaming start-ups from Africa with similar motives, whether sharing the experiences of everyday Africans with a global audience or creating games developed with african players as the key focus.
Maliyo Games was the first among the two to venture into the casual gaming scene, and they currently have about ten titles with names like “Okada Ride”, “Aboki” in their arsenal while Kuluya.com has over 50 titles in their arsenal with awesome titles such as “Sisi Eko”, “Mama Put” “Vigilante”, “Linda Ikeji Vs The World” amongst others making them the major players in the casual game scene in the African tech space, but as we have seen with the likes of Myspace VERSUS Facebook, being the first doesn’t keep you at the top, but continuous evaluation, optimization and reviewing, like Facebook just did with their news feeds, is what will keep you at the top, and these two certainly seem to be enjoying the present position that they occupy( or are we wrong).
Both Maliyo games and Kuluya.com seem to have something in common, they seem to be concentrating on creating browser games.
Now looking at the major use case for casual games, it would definitely scream MOBILE, not just because of the bandwidth requirement for playing browser games, but also because of the class of users that will be playing the kinds of games being created. Let us take a look at Zynga, makers of top titles like “Mafia Wars”, “Zynga Poker” “FarmVille” and many other awesome games, now let us look at the strategy adopted; the company develops social games that work on mobile phone platforms such as Apple and Android, on the Internet through its website, Zynga.com, and on Social media websites such as Facebook, Google and Tencent. Zynga states its mission as “Connecting the world through games. Zynga has gone on to be one of the biggest creators of Casual games in the world, signing major deals with different platforms and expanding their reach continually.
I tried to visit “m.kuluya.com” and “m.maliyogames.com” and both urls failed to open, now I am not discounting the fact that these guys might have these plans somewhere in their future, but with the internet, time and correct deployment are very important.
Both Kuluya.com and Maliyo Games have been around for a little while, and while Maliyo seems to have lost their momentum, Kuluya seems to be sticking to their strategy of “build the game, the users will come”, they have even started Facebook advertising, but with the recent talk of a new player with over a hundred similar titles in the works and most importantly with a mobile/social media first strategy for casual game deployment, their existing strategies are about to be tested, and I hope the smiles on the faces of the young people in the picture above won’t be wiped off soon.
The Love Coach: Nine Signs That Says She Loves You
Do you have problems with your relationship?
Do you have problems understanding wat it means to appreciate your partner?
Do you believe in love…either at sight, afar or grown?
Are you shy in wooing a girl……?
Do you want tips on how to satisfy your partner…..?
JUST THE RIGHT SPICES TO GET YOUR RELATIONSHIP ON POINT!!!….
MEET THE LOVE COACH ON WAOH NAIJA…….!!!
NINE SIGNS
1. Communication
She calls you often, wants to know what you’re doing, and shares her day’s activities. When you ask about her plans for the evening, or the weekend, or even the whole summer, she doesn’t hedge or put you off. She is
open and forthcoming.
2. Exclusivity
When she only wants to see you, and does not give you the “space” talk, as in, “I need my space,” and is not craning her neck to watch other men walk by, you have her attention. She makes it known to you and to
everyone else that she does not want to date other people.
3. No Conflicting Messages
She makes you her one and only love interest and does not send you conflicting messages. She does not say things like, “I’m in love with you, you are my soul mate, I can’t live without you…AND…I saw my ex yesterday and I think I still have feelings for him.” This kind of
message will drive you crazy. You will feel like the rubber ball attached to the paddle by a slim rubber string, batted back and forth. The real message that is being sent is: come here… and go away. You can’t win.
But if she loves you, her words and thoughts are straight forward and you do not feel batted around.
4. Family and Friends
She makes plans to introduce you to her family and friends. When you meet them, you realize they already know a lot about you because she has obviously talked about you. Most of them (except the few jealous ones)
are warm and friendly and genuinely excited for her that she has found happiness.
5. The Future
When she talks about her plans for the future, she automatically includes you in them. She has places she wants to take you and sights she wants to show you.
She follows through on her suggestions. She might also mention marriage and children, if only in an abstract way, to evaluate your reaction.
6. Affirming
She speaks often of how proud she is of you. She does this privately and publicly. She thinks the work you do is the most important thing in the world and loves for you to tell her about what you accomplished during the
day. She is happy to help you with your work in any way she can.
7. Gifts
She has noticed what you like, admire, and read, and brings you gifts that reflect what she has observed. The quality of her gift shows the level of her perception about what you like. If she is rich, she may buy you expensive presents. If she is not, she may send cards,
books, or poems. If she is not rich and she sends a Porsche or a pricey suit, she’s got some problems. Have the grownup conversation with her about how you
don’t like gifts she can’t afford. That would be a very loving thing to do.
8. Touchy
Your girl may be the touchy type, which is not the hyper-thin-skinned poor sport, but the warm, snuggly sort. She may show her love and affection by holding your hand when you’re together, giving big long hugs,
frequent kisses, and putting her arm through yours.
Her favorite date may be a movie at home so she can cuddle up with you.
9. Helpful
Another overt sign of love is how helpful she is. When she does the garbage detail, helps in the yard, helps you prepare a speech, or cooks your favorite meal, she wants to be in your life!
To move these feelings along, and to better understand where she is, ask her what she wants her future to look like. If she has you in it, and a time-line for certain events that bind you together, the ball is in your court.
What do you want?
Remember: in order for love to sustain itself, it needs to flow back and forth. If you do all of the above also, your relationship should be on track.
Welcome a Fresh New Series: TUNMI’s Thoughts
TUNMI’S THOUGHTS
Donald called it religious. He asked if serving God meant that I shouldn’t be influential or rich. I don’t have an answer to that question. Once I cared about how the world saw me. The way I walked, dressed, laughed, ate, responded, talked and conducted myself mattered, but not anymore. Now, all that I choose to matter to me is Christ and His kingdom. I consider everything else vanity; but am I wrong to do so? Alternatively, is there a common ground? Is it possible that I can be looked up to and respected for all these other things and also for the Christ in me? I wonder.Also, I think of Pastors Paul and Chloe, and wonder if Donald and I would have a ministry like theirs. I would rather stay in the church and not branch off to any other ministry. However, Donald talks of having his own ministry outside of the church and being famous. Who’s right…who’s wrong? I think I’m happy here, but Donald feels the same way when he thinks of his ambitions (sigh). Am I wrong to want this for him? I strongly believe that there is only one church and I am part of it. I would that he would be a part too; together with all my friends, but…I don’t know.
Some years ago, I served in Pastor Paul’s ministry where the church was treated as an organization. Everything we did was for ‘the brand of the church’. Now however, I’m with those who treat the church as an organism to be cherished. I am finally free from the rules and ceaseless regulations, and feel at home where I am. However, I question myself against the satisfaction of my spirit, and my question is… should I go back to doing things for the sake of my reputation? Should the way the world views me channel me to pursue certain goals? Do I necessarily, by being influential and reputable, have to leave my footprints on the sands of time?Left to me, I’ll rather be simple. Whether I have much money or little wouldn’t matter. Whether the world recognizes me or not, wouldn’t matter. I’ll count all things loss, everything will mean nothing. Wars will happen around and I won’t be shifted. Strong winds will blow, and toss me around, but I wouldn’t care. Left to me, my eyes and heart will be set as a flint on the Lord that I might gain Him. Left to me, the world and all that matters to them would mean nothing. All that would be everything is Christ.Am I wrong or correct? I don’t know.
Is Money Making Ritual the Only Way to Instant Wealth in Africa?
Its 2012, the age of civilization, enlightenment and technological advancement, and many old customs and cultures that had ruled have been set aside, but the one thing that still links us with our forefathers is the great lengths we still go to make money.
Money rules the day, but while our forefathers had more traditional means of making money, we have developed much more modern styles of making money.
Many of us believe that the age of “Money Rituals” is over, but I am sorry to bust your bubble because it still exists in different shapes and sizes.
What’s the definition of a Money ritual? Money Rituals are practices by some people who believe they can create wealth for individuals with the use of spells, charms, and sacrifices e.t.c.
Money rituals can be traced to various parts of Africa, but it can also be seen in many countries such as India, china and even the west, where people sell their kidneys (sacrifices) and different organs of their body to have access to this so called wealth. The result of all this is usually seen as “Blood Money” and was commonly attributed to different traditional Gods such as Mbatuku (The Igbo spirit of wealth), Sango (The god of thunder), Mami wata(Witchcraft and sorcery) e.t.c. Many people over the years have visited the shrines of these gods with the hopes that it will get them wealth, and whilst there have been news reports of people that have actually been successful with it (I can’t confirm) but now the cases of people selling kidneys for ipads, iphones, cash, men sleeping with women and using them for rituals, women taking a man’s sperm and using for money making rituals, children’s heads, e.t.c, all in the name of money. The question I have is;
“Is Money Making Ritual the Only Way to Instant Wealth in Africa?”
What happened to plain old handwork, diligence, brilliance, actually sitting down and developing an idea, in the age of great ideas like Facebook, Mashable, Pinterest Google, Twitter, iROKOtv or if you are less technologically inclined, look at what people like lindaikeji, NigerianNewsdesk, Giditraffic, liveofofo and others have done with blogging/social media, or ecommerce Giants in Africa like Zappos, Sabunta, Konga e.t.c. I saw this video on Youtube, and although it may at first be funny to many of us, but taking a critical look at it, this is what many people actually go through in order to cut corners and make money.
So the question still remains;
Is Money Making Ritual the Only Way to Instant Wealth in Africa?
Post comments here, share with friends..
Memoirs Of The Perfectly Imperfect By Tamuno Tonye (Vol 1)
Rules for reading this series;
i. I don’t spell check, profreed or arrange sentences, I just let it flow cos “Spell Checking” is for “ceecee’s”.
ii. I don’t have an awesome life as you will find out from reading the series, but I definitely have some interesting things going on.
ii. Don’t judge me for anu of the things I do, but Your comments are welcome in the comments field below.
If you are okay with these few conditions of mine, we should have a swell time. Happy reading
Memoirs Of The Perfectly Imperfect By Tamuno Tonye Vol 1
My first post here and ive been thinking of something to write about infact ive written a couple of things that i may or may not post later,basically just trying to find the “perfect” post but then these are the memoirs of the perfectly imperfect no need for me to pretend to you and try and be the perfect writer that im not. So i eventually went with my guts and came up with an interesting topic “me !” I mean whats more interesting than yours sincerely
The initial title for this thing was supposed to be memoirs of an imperfect angel then i asked a friend of mine her opinion, she said it was a pretty good one,but whats with the angel you are no angel! Lol! Sadly i had to accept that this is true! Then we considered silent storm which is something my mother used to call me a long time but right now i doubt that im still silent,the storm part might be correct so it would be more like a raging storm and we didnt want you thinking badly of me …so yes! We eventually settled for memoirs of the perfectly imperfect and well i think it sounds very much like me, imperfect girl imperfect world and mosty nothing is ever really perfect and thus perfectly imperfect (am i rambling yet?…lol) i dont have this thing called life figured out but you see i dont pretend to have all the answers im imperfect and comfortable with it.
Well! Im a third yr student of The University of lagos,department of buillding (such struggle! By the way can u sense how proud i am of that name the ….”university of lagos”! Lol! let me be great! Even though i still cant wait to get out of here anyway,almost called it a shithole but No!) Female (p.s; not a unillag girl if u know what i mean,my sincere apologies to unilag girls) well thats me in a nutshell,the rest youd probably (<—see! Im not promising anything,thus the use of the word probably) find out in my other postsBefore i go let me give you at least one reason why you should read my write ups im not funny but i can find the funny in almost anything and everything,i think thats saying i have a sense of humour plus i think most my experiences would be /are relatable …i hope have been able to convince you!
And There u go! My name is tamunotonye and these are the memoirs of the perfectly imperfect
Moral of this post: well go with ur guts,i just did ! …and yes! U know who I am now 
!.
till next time its hi! And bye! :* :*
WN Exclusive: What iROKO Partners Limited & Others have done for Entertainment and Copyright Law In Nigeria.
The age of Web 2.0 is finally fully upon us and Nigeria as the true giants of Africa is experiencing the rapid growth of the digital economy which has created a global market for content and rights holders.
This rapid change offers a wider scope for both the legitimate and counterfeit use of trademarks, copyrights and licenses, but according to A. Denton,a communications expert, this also creates a threat that — without adequate controls — piracy will damage the creative industries. Fully understanding how to manage the balance when the consumer is the creator, when the marginal cost of copying is zero, when enforcement of existing law is extremely difficult, and when “free”access to information and content is considered by many to be a right.The Nigerian media and entertainment Industry boasts of enormous creativity and potentials, but illegal copying and distribution of copyright materials has had a hugely disruptive effect on a range of copyright industries, including music,film, television, publishing, games and software.Different attempts have been made by the government to combat piracy and to regulate intellectual property; it has ratified several copyright treaties, such as Copyright Act No. 47 of 1988 (codified as Chapter 68,Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990) as amended. The Copyright Act has been amended twice by the Copyright (Amendment) Decree No. 98 of 1992 and Copyright(Amendment) Decree No. 42 of 1999, but little progress had been made infighting intellectual property violation.
According to Professor G.O Sodipo, a legal practitioner and expert in film making law, the understanding of the copyright law would assist film makers to appreciate the benefit of written contracts and how arts and creativity can be protected in all forms.
“Without copyright which is the right to stop other people from copying creativity, the basic thing is that if you want somebody to make use of your work try and have a written contract.”
Now enters iROKO Partners Limited, a firm with a mandate to make money by providing exclusive access to legally acquired digital content (movies, music and T.V) on the web.To the average person, they will come out as one of the many gold diggers that want to benefit from the digital boom, but the unique thing about this company is their decision to go about accessing their content using a legalized method,and honoring copyright agreements.
I am just like the average person who enjoys access to torrent downloads and many other freebies the web has to offer, and I welcomed them on their Nollywoodlove channel on YouTube where they gave me access to countless movies and when they switched to their iROKOtv website, I followed them still enjoying the free movies they had to offer. Soon after, they launched their iROKING platform which also gave me access to online streaming of Nigerian music content.
It was only when I began to hear about the CEO of the company Jason Njoku, that I began to research on the company, and discovered the enormous ways this “Made In Nigeria” brand has been able to not only invest in the economy, but also to help push forward the development of the Nigerian Media and Entertainment Industry.
Unlike many countries, Nigeria does not operate a centralised system of registration for copyright and IROKO Partners Limited through its insistence on owning property rights whether exclusively or non-exclusively has been able to aid the legalized digital distribution of Nollywood movies in over 178 countries where it has online presence, coming up with a structure that pays both the producers, directors and the consumers of the content Home and Abroad
With their strong legal team, they have aggressively fought piracy of digital content to a stand still in both Nigeria and outside the country; I have arrived at leaked versions of movies and music on the web, and was greeted by the iROKO Partners stamp signifying that the content wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place.
Nobody likes the Cops in their black suits, so there have been many attacks against their efforts, but their success so far has proved that you should sometimes avoid listening to baseless criticism.. I have checked a few websites and have discovered that they have movies and songs that have the iROKO copyright signifying authenticity of the material, so what others have chosen to term as “bullying” or “witch hunting”, I have chosen to call by its real name “legalizing”, so whether they have made money from it or not, it remains to say that they were able to create a blue ocean that has tremendously benefited the media and entertainment industry.
Many other brands such as Spinlet (focusing on musical content) are emerging and following the iROKO Partners Limited example,coming up with a system that is beneficial to both the artists and the industry as a whole.
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Barack Obama Vs Mitt Romney: Who Is The Better Human Being? (Part 1) …
As the race to the presidency begins to wind down, and the American voting public make their decisions on who to vote for, the one question that may never play out in the minds of stakeholders, neutrals and fanatics will be;
“Who actually is the better man, or who is the better human being?”
This particular race, just like former presidential races, is becoming a very long and expensive, with its many twists and turns stretching the lives of the different candidates to the brink of the abyss and has threatened to disrupt the public personas that they and their campaign trains have neatly created for them.
Now, looking closely and objectively at the situation and climate that has characterized these particular polls, Romney has the slight advantage; now before you shoot my head off, let me explain why I have this view.
Everyone knows that these are very tough times for world economies, and that United States of America, and Barack Obama as its current president are required to make some very tough decisions that have a lot to play on the direction that world politics and economics will follow. One wrong speech given by Obama or one wrong Foreign policy decision by the Obama government, and the Romney camp will immediately have a field day blowing up the matter in the eyes of the media and the voting public in order to garner points for their side.
On the other hand, it can also be argued that the Barack Obama side has some advantage, being under public scrutiny and spotlight, and if the advantage is well played; their camp will win over the votes of more neutrals, democrats and even republicans.
In the course of their numerous debates and speeches to the media and the voting public, we have been able to carefully analyze and understand their views on various issues that affect human life and existence, and it based on the premise of these thoughts that we will try to decide if one or both of them are really human beings, or they are just opportunists whose quest for power will cloud their sense of reasoning when elected into power.
We have identified some key issues that cut across all works of life from science, to healthcare, the economy and even foreign policy, that have divided both liberal and conservative Americans alike, and these issues are;
i. Should the U.S end the war in Afghanistan?
ii. Should the government regulate the internet to deter online piracy?
iii. Should the government fund stem cell research?
iv. Should we limit federal funds to public schools?
v. Should the government have bailed out the major banks during the financial crisis of 2008?
vi. Should gay marriage be allowed in the U.S?
vii. Should abortion be outlawed in the United States?
These are some of the issues that affect not only the lives of the average American, but that of many other citizens in different countries.
Ifeanyi Abraham
@IfeanyiAbraham
http://www.facebook.com/IfeanyiGA
www.waohnaija.com
WN Exclusive: Democracy in Nigeria: Reality or Farce…..
In the words of Anthony Akinola, “The glory of Nigerian democratic politics was in the 1950’s when electioneering periods were like festive occasions for us young children. The rare opportunity to see the Awos, the Ziks and the Bellos was anticipated with feverish anxiety, the type of anxiety with which we awaited great festive occasions. Great Men like the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, continuously educated Nigerians on the importance of democracy and the need for the citizenry to be on full guard to prevent another military intervention.
It’s more than 30years on from those days, and present day Nigerians live in the Reality/farce of what we all know as democracy, but the question we need to ask ourselves is;
Is Democracy In Nigeria A Reality Or Farce?
Many great definitions exist for this concept, but we will attempt to analyze Nigeria’s democracy based on the premise of the definition we will adopt.
Democracy may be a word familiar to most, but it is a concept still misunderstood and misused in a time when totalitarian regimes and military dictatorships alike have attempted to claim popular support by pinning democratic labels upon themselves. Yet the power of the democratic idea has also evoked some of history’s most profound and moving expressions of human will and intellect: from Pericles in ancient Athens to Vaclav Havel in the modern Czech Republic, from Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence in 1776 to Andrei Sakharov’s last speeches in 1989.
In the dictionary definition, Democracy “is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.” In the phrase of Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” The system practiced in most countries that claim to practice democracy is “Elected Dictatorship”.
In a country where the people have no say about electricity, security, power, fuel or any of the issues that directly affect their existence. A country where we had to resort to “Occupy Nigeria”, and even after this, the government refused to budge on their decision to increase fuel prices; in a country where the education of her children and youths are constantly interrupted by strikes over nonpayment of staff fees, internal quarrels over the lack of basic amenities in schools, when the children of our leaders are sent to other countries at very early ages, and return to continue the vicious circle by also leading us. In a country where the fear of Boko Haram has led her president to cancel all democracy day celebrations for fear of bomb blasts and other attacks; In a country where the battle line has been drawn before the next elections.
The beauty of Democracy is that it emphasizes the power of the individual ballot. From the ward to the national level, your ballot becomes Mightier than the gun as you apply it to elect the councilor that represent you from the village level.
In light of this, I ask Nigerians, and indeed the world;
Is Democracy In Nigeria A Reality Or Farce?
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Amazing Artist Draws with Both Hands at the Same Time
And if you still don’t think what Xiaonan does is impressive, you should know he is also self-taught. The guy actually went to business school and only realized he wanted to study art in his senior year. So he bought an expensive painting kit, but even though he enjoyed painting, the expensive materials and messy oil paints made him turn his attention to charcoal. He would always doodle during classes, in college, without realizing he was actually practicing for an artistic career. The talented young artist then saw someone do a time-lapse drawing video on YouTube and thought it was a great idea, so he started doing his own.
Some special guy he is…..
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