 |
Net Gains (Jul 16, 99) |
VSNL on its part has recently started
allowing customers to apply for and get renewals of Internet accounts
at 40 branchs of Indian Overseas Bank in Mumbai (for now). So
you need not go to VSNL offices any longer to do the same. They
also allow you to fill up a renewal form online and then pay offline.
Wouldn't it have been a good idea to accept payments online too?
Not too much of a benefit doing that online as it stands now.
On a more interesting note, VSNL now
has a new number for subscribers to dial to log onto the Internet
- 172226 (available in Bombay, Delhi, and Bangalore). Remember
the time when you could not log onto the Net simply because "all
lines on this route are busy. Please try again later" - the
exchanges were blocked by people tying up their lines by connecting
to the Net for hours on end. This new dial-up number bypasses
the telephone network, and provide direct access to VSNL. Now
only if this number was toll-free, we'd all save thousands of
rupees each month in telephone bill charges!
VSNL has also introduced a web interface
for users who want to read their VSNL email. Nothing path-breaking
really, since we could already use Hotmail (or dozens of other
free web based email services) to read our VSNL email. And though
VSNL's webmail has a rather raw and unpolished interface, it is
still useful, since you can send / reply to email from your VSNL
address. You have to hand it to them for trying…
Onto our website watch now - if you're
looking for something serious, useful or just some entertainment,
stay tuned. DigIT is a website for managers who use information
technology to their advantage. Even though the site has been around
for almost three months now, there's not enough content to keep
people coming back after the initial visit - considering the aim
of the website at least. The best thing about the site is the
panel of 11 professionals from different fields who reply to questions
posted by visitors within 48 hours. However, most of them are
not very active. The site also has a monthly contest where you
write essays on different topics and can stand to win subscription
to sister site India Informer.
Something for the medicos too this
week as we look at Healthcare in India - "India's
first online newspaper for the medical fraternity". Doctors
can stay updated on conferences here and abroad, get fresh news
headlines every week, follow links to related sites and find out
more about the leading hospitals in a few cities. Information
related to medical exams will also be put up as and when they
crop up. There are a large number of doctors on the Internet in
India today, and if this site gets the attention and nurturing
it deserves, it can be a very useful site for the community.