Orkut to the Rescue

Okay, so this wasn’t my next post.  But here it is now.

Have you kept up to date with the social networking trends of the past few years?  If you have, you are probably on Orkut.  Many Indians are on it.

I decided to use the social networking tools available at my disposal to re-create a circle of friends in Delhi.  I set up a dinner meetup.  The idea behind it is for single twentysomethings and thirtysomethings to meet over happy hour and dinner.  My goal is to provide the platform for people to meet, similar to networking associations of this type I’ve participated in in the United States.  Granted some of these turn into meat markets and so people don’t come, it’s worth a shot.

The trick is to get the right kind of people there.  Because India is a country of huge financial diversity, you get a large mix of people.  Some are the so-called upper class.  Others are middle class and then of course the poor.  This has an interesting dimension when it comes to our meetup group.  How do we get the socially active upper class to show up?  My market research of talking to a few Delhites tells me this is critical for the meetup to be a success.  Another challenge we face is the Delhi dating culture that I have already described.

So my solution is to have the meetup be at upscale restaurants and lounges.  In Delhi, I have found there are the highly expensive places and then the cheap joints.  There seem to be limited choices in the middle.  So we will do our events at the hip places that attract a crowd willing and able to spend that kind of cash.

By the way, let me explain how the cover charge system works here.  Most places have a cover ranging from Rs. 1000 to Rs. 2000.  That’s anywhere between $25 to $50 at $1 = Rs. 40.  It’s not a cover charge in the sense of an entry fee.  It’s more so coupons for drinks.  When you pay to get in, you also pay for drinks.  It’s sort of like the two drink minimum I’ve run into at places in the US.  Guess it is to ensure that people don’t show up and spend nothing.

Wish me luck as I try this out.