Abhishu Roy, a designer based in Bangalore needed the signature of a gazetted officer for a Government exam his friend was planning to take, on a Saturday. The exam was on Sunday, and he was running out of time. He tried searching on Google, and spoke to a few of his friends, with little effect.
He then posted a message stating this requirement on ‘Put Me In Touch.’ He got the names of four gazetted officers in the matter of a few minutes. And his job was done.
Put Me In Touch (PMIT), a new online forum on Facebook was started by three youngsters who wanted their friends to connect with people on a forum where they could find answers to all of their questions, official or otherwise.
In the matter of a few months, the group has over 22,000 members, for its ease of access and ability to handle a broad range of queries.
“Since I travel a lot, many of my friends would come to me with questions on where to stay, the best modes of travel and the likes. Since websites don’t always provide the true picture, I thought it would be nice to connect all the people through a bigger forum. A friend told me this idea wouldn’t work, but it is very popular now,” says Noopur Raval, one of the administrators of the group.
It is not just buying, selling or new places that it is used for. “People also use it just to get opinions, advice and get informal information, things official websites won’t tell you about a city, its local vendors or the quality of services provided by an eatery. For people who have recently migrated to a new city, this proves to be a big advantage,” she adds.
The promptness of response also swings things in its favour. “I was looking for a restaurant which served a good continental breakfast, and found very few options when I did an online search. After posting a message on PMIT, I got five restaurants to choose from, in the matter of a few minutes, and my breakfast choice was made,” says Balaji Ramesh, a recent member.
