PagalGuy vs. the World

There is something to be said about not fixing what isn’t broken but that doesn’t sometimes mean that an upgrade isn’t required. The goals are simple, albeit challenging; to disrupt and reframe the dialogue as it exists today in the field of business education. And although the method to accomplish such a task is multi-pronged, the editorial content on pagalguy.com would be the backbone on which this campaign would find good standing.

As of now, the editorial team of pagalguy.com is headed by a small but dedicatedly versatile group of reporters and analysts who jump at every opportunity to answer questions that are yet to be asked by their readers. This isn’t a compliment but a critical observation upon which the premise of my contribution depends.

On the other hand however the editorial content is limited with respect to the themes it follows. One writer is more frequently found to be dealing with features based on broad generalized themes related to student/job scenarios, whereas another frequents objective interviews/analysis of the trends within the industry. The other major aspect of the editorial content lies in the commentary of reoccurring trends like result dates, placements and few instances of relevant government policy.

Overall the editorial content is reactive rather than being proactive in making full use of its power to shape the dialogue. And as a member of the editorial team aimed towards disrupting the current scenario, I don’t consider this to be a good position for pagalguy.com to advance upon.

One of the killer apps of pagalguy.com which came early in its development (perhaps accidently) was its power as a grievance addressing forum; a place where the flaws of mammoth institutions came to light and were rectified through PR pressure. A similar but far more potent game changer is the latent ability of the editorial department to take on more radical mainstream practices with greater audacity. With a following that nears the level of management entrants themselves countrywide (nearly 300,000 students), pagalguy.com has the ability and the foundation to direct a significant movement aimed towards addressing key issues in the education policy of the nation.

This would be done in a manner similar to how newspapers and magazines around the world have done so, by engaging in national debates about politics (education politics) which are injected with astute observations, investigative reportage and critical analysis. A similar paradigm of operations is required in the editorial section as well.

Grand goals such as being the biggest business education website cannot be achieved through timid participation but rather by investing in newer perspectives that challenge the old order. The editorial department needs to invest in a grand philosophy around which it functions; taking on issues that matter to its readers beyond the microcosm of the established framework of exam dates and placement problems. Pagalguy.com needs to take a stand, start a movement, and mobilize its readers to realize actionable change in the industry of business education.

This over reaching is what will help the website break through its current saturation point and elevate it to a global level. Stakeholders in the bustling education industry range from private investors (foreign and local), government officials, policymakers and the teachers themselves. There are many pertinent questions that need to be asked with regards to quota relevance, monetary allotments, institutional accountability, private players, quality control, brand image vs. Reality, corruption etc.

Real growth will no longer come from simply answering questions, rather seeking out problems and creating a dialogue between the many stakeholders, many times even forcing a dialogue between groups that aren’t at the same power level. The editorial team needs to re-orient its priority from reporting to questioning. It needs to invite broader views through guest writers such as teachers, research fellows (pedagogy) and industry leaders, as a means to enrich the debate.

At this point I would like to address the issue of form over function with regards the manner in which this work would be presented i.e. long form journalism. Complex scenarios are not easily conveyed through byte sized reporting but rather through a well researched, well sourced array of perspectives and critical analysis, however not all forms of long form pieces are suited to reading (or rather “screening”) when online. But long form is still an inherently valuable tool in disseminating these ideas. The solution to this conflict lies in the narrative approach of long form journalism which is currently lacking on pagalguy.com

When we tell a story about six management graduates who instead of becoming prime corporate candidates choose to become entrepreneurs we are talking about human drama, not snippets of a personal history that makes them look like avant guards. As journalists in the business of education, our allegiance is to explain the many sides of those decisions through a story that engages and commits our readers to go beyond simple admiration (or contempt) but towards proactive action and participation.

Instead of six, we might just focus on two and chart the many complexities of their paths and present a more textured, dramatic and realistic narrative of where these people came from and how their charting their future. We are selling the idea of achievement, of leadership and of the ability to apply knowledge.

This in no way means that we all become story telling activists but rather employ our ability to tell stories as a means to uphold our personal business philosophy. Instead of being the biggest business education website in the world we become the most proactive, ground breaking voice on the scene; a voice that mobilizes students, parents, schools, universities and policymakers to elevate themselves rather than enlarge their own egos, such as through irrelevant measures such as creating new IITs and IIMs instead of using them to their full potential. By essentially challenging the status quo, because the status – its not quo.

That is how we break the market segment through editorial changes, by employing more creative means to actually create something new rather than peddling in the same old wares of before. This is not cheap, this is not easy, this may not even work but that is how I think we can become the best, by doing the impossible.