BUYER ONLINE SPECIAL .................Buying online? Read the user agreement

Buying online? Read the user agreement  While making an online transaction, make sure your rights are not violated and that you don’t suffer loss of money or information.     When Mumbai resident Ritika Desai was browsing through an online portal that offered free filing of income tax, a 10-page ‘terms & conditions and privacy policy agreement’ popped up on screen. The print was too small and the sentences too long, so Desai clicked the ‘I agree’ button without much thought and went ahead with the tax filing. After a few days, she was flooded with calls from financial planning firms and banks offering investment products. “I thought it was a tele-marketing gimmick, but when some callers mentioned my bank account details, I knew something was amiss,” she says. On probing one caller, she found that the tax filing portal had released her information to them. When a livid Desai called up the portal, they told her that she had given them the right to share the information as per the terms & conditions. “Since I had clicked on the ‘I agree’ button, there was nothing I could do to stop them,” she says.     There are many like Desai, who accept the user agreements on websites without reading them and give up many of their rights. “People think these agreements are not significant enough to cause damage. Besides, they are so lengthy that it is boring to go through each and every point,” says Ravi Goenka, advocate, Goenka Law Associates. So what should you do? Watch out for Ideally, you should read every line in the user agreement. If you find it too tedious, here are some tips that will help you understand what you are agreeing to. The first rule is to read anything that is in all-caps or bold or highlighted. The fact that the text has been highlighted means it is important. Second, hunt for key clauses that will be     most relevant to you by using CTRL + F and typing in the keywords (see Keywords to find...). This will take you instantly to the clause that matters. When you are availing of a service through a website, the most important thing is to understand your ownership rights, as well as     that of the website. For instance, while using a website to share content like documents or photos, you need to be clear about the website’s rights over these. Some user agreements are drafted to give the website hosting your work the right to reproduce it. Some social networking sites also reserve the right to use your photos for commercial purposes. Apart from ownership, you must also understand the right of the website to share your information with third parties. For instance, in Google’s terms of services, there is an entire section dedicated to ‘your content in our service’, which explains the service provider’s right to your content. It also has a section that covers misuse of service. If you use it in any way other than that mentioned in the service, you can be sued.     If you are purchasing online products, you will need to look out for points that are different from that for a service. Watch out for disclaimers, which free the seller of liability in case the product you receive is damaged or substandard. Second, understand the website’s payment policy—whether it is online, through cash, or on delivery. When it comes to monthly subscriptions, pay attention to the cancellation policy. Generally, websites have an option that allows you to unsubscribe, but it could come at a cost, say, without a refund or after deduction of a certain percentage of payment. If you are buying software, make sure the company does not slip in additional content like a program or adware that you do not want. Usually, when the firm does this, it protects itself by mentioning the content in the agreement. What can you do? You cannot ask the company to change the clauses if you don’t agree with them. However, if you accept the agreement and realise that the company has violated your rights, you can approach it. If it does not solve your problem, you can file a case of deficiency of service in a consumer court, but watch out for the arbitration clause. If there is such a clause, you cannot file a case in the court and will have to mandatorily settle the matter through arbitration, that is, via a panel set up to hear and settle the issue. Typically, the arbitrators are decided by both parties, but sometimes, the user agreement contains a clause that allows the company to appoint arbitrators. Again, there is little you can do if you feel the company is not being fair.

SAKINA BABWANI ETW140324

PERSONAL SPECIAL ....................Work life balance

Work life balance  Workaholic, are you?  Studies show that workaholism, in our 24x7-connected culture, has become the easiest escape route for people.  How to take your work seriously yet ensure you live beyond your office cubicle     For some people, work never stops. It doesn’t matter whether they are physically present in office or not. These people clock in early to write that report, skip lunch to finish a conversation on the phone and again stay back till late, waiting for approvals. Weekends, when they should be sipping chilled beer with friends or having a dinner table conversation with family, are mostly spent resolving work issues. We label them as ‘workaholics’, the ones who get a buzz from working under intense pressure. It doesn’t matter whether the pressure is real or not; work addicts put themselves under constant pressure because that’s the only way they can function. A FORM OF OCPD Psychotherapist and counsellor Dr Anjali Chhabria says workaholics have certain traits of an obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). “A workaholic’s craving for the sense of achievement is often driven by insecurity and perfectionism. For them, work is far beyond just a source of income; it eclipses everyone and everything else in their lives.” The rapid advance of technology, with our lives connected 24x7 has only compounded the problem. Santosh Nair, motivational guru and entrepreneur coach says, “We are witnessing a commodification of work force, not just products. We are required to have speed, urgency and efficiency. This commodification has made everyone a workaholic. We have to be super efficient and work like robots, and every day, we are working harder to prove our self-worth to others and even to ourselves. Nothing seems enough.” LACK OF SMART SKILLS Nair further explains, “We often work till late in the night just because our colleagues are doing so. But the fact is we always have a choice. What we lack is the skill set, attitude and     knowledge to finish work faster. We equate time spent at work with success. And that’s not always true.” In the West, studies on corporate culture have often proved that addiction to work is no less than addiction to alcohol – it affects people’s emotional and physical well-being. The Japanese have coined a special term for extreme workaholism. They call it “karoshi” or “death by overwork”! Clinical psychologist and relationship counsellor Dr Seema Hingorrany says, “Workaholics neglect people close to them. They do not think that relationships that are closest actually need the most work. Even if they are physically present with their families, their mind is preoccupied with work. Moreover, they are so tired after a long day that they have no stamina for any activity outside work. It’s a vicious cycle. This inability to balance work and personal life leads to grief from family, which reinforces the idea that work is an ideal way to escape from personal conflicts. I have dealt with many cases where workaholism is the leading cause of divorce, separations, extra-marital affairs and children experiencing an unhappy childhood.” People are witnessing a rocket rise in anxiety, depression and nervous breakdowns. So how do we bring a dead-end to this behaviour? “The young worker in India needs to switch off at 3.30 pm on Friday and have Saturday and Sunday for work-life balance. Managers and bosses must encourage this behaviour. Hardwork does not mean long hours. It is a disaster that will lead to burnout. Youngsters in their 20s need to plan their work habits with care as it will impact their physical and mental health in the long term,” suggests Vineet Bajpai, corporate guru and coach.     It’s Sunday, people. Switch off, have fun!     Inputs by Nona Walia  THE DANGERS OF BEING A WORKAHOLIC You have little or no opportunity for a social life and thus, you may not develop social skills.  You are unable to relate to people outside work or even your family because you are working even at home. You become one-dimensional and blinkered in your outlook, which amounts to lack of creativity and the inablity to build lateral thinking skills.  You are prone to a lot of stress, which in turn, leads you to find ways to de-stress through addictions such as smoking, drinking and caffeine. All this affects your physical and mental health.  HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE Choose your life pattern yourself. Don’t be governed by others. Harness habits and skills that allow you to make your own rules in this rat race. Avoid talking work over lunch and dinner. Switch off your mobile on Saturdays and Sundays, keep weekends for yourself. Don’t worry about being left behind. Gradually reduce work hours. This does not mean compromising on the quality of work. Refuse to feel guilty when you are not working. Develop skill sets and an attitude that allows you to finish work within office hours. Don’t stay back just because your colleagues are doing so.

TL140323

GADGET GIZMO REVIEW ........................ Canon PowerShot SX510 HS

GADGET GIZMO REVIEW Canon PowerShot SX510 HS

The SX510 HS is a compact superzoom that uses Canon’s High Sensitivity system for improved low light performance. However, instead of the 16MP CCD camera from its predecessor SX500 HS, the SX510 uses a 12MP CMOS sensor. This makes the SX510 deliver overall improved performance with less noise in images even at high ISO. Every image we shot in daylight had sharp details while low light images without flash were good till ISO 1600.
The camera’s 30X optical zoom works well, though, like with any superzoom camera, you need a tripod while shooting at the telephoto end. Thanks to optical image stabilisation, we were able to use the camera with up to 8X zoom without any tripod. The zoom even works while recording a full HD video.
Another improvement on the SX510 is the faster burst rate. It shoots images at 3.8fps in high quality at full resolution (SX 500 does 0.8fps). For those want to exercise greater control, manual exposure is available. Given the advanced features, we were surprised with the lack of RAW image shooting, which offers greater flexibility while post processing images.
The camera has a large grip on the front while the back has a 3-inch display which doubles up as a viewfinder. An electronic viewfinder would have been a welcome addition. A dedicated video recording button is placed on the top right corner — easy to press via the thumb.
GPS and WiFI are also included. Using WiFi, you can view or transfer photos to a connected smartphone/ tablet. With Canon’s Image Gateway software, images can also be directly shared on social networks.
With a single charge, the camera gave us over 200 shots and roughly 15 minutes of full HD video recording. For the price, the SX510 is a great camera. You can also consider the
    Sony WX300 which is
SPECIFICATIONS

12MP CMOS sensor, 30x optical zoom, Digic 4 image processor, full HD video recording, 3-inch display, WiFi, GPS, 349 grams Great quality results, staggering 30x optical zoom, manual controls, good battery life No electronic viewfinder, no RAW support

KARAN BAJAJ