The name:
Malaika Arora
Claim to fame:
MTV VJ who will make a guest appearance in the movie Kaante.
How Net savvy are you on a scale of one to ten?
I'd give myself a modest six. I'm pretty Net savvy and can find my way around.
What do you enjoy doing online?
I enjoy everything, including surfing and checking mail. If you need to find out something, it pops up at the click of a button. I switch between checking mail and playing games. The more you are into it, the more of its potential you realise.
What's your daily routine like? How much time do you spend online?
I can't sit very long; it takes a toll on my eyes. Everyday I wake up and log on. My homepage is rediff.com. I check the headlines and my mail there.
What's your idea of a perfect Web site?
A perfect site should have everything I want to know. It should be interactive to enable me to keep in touch with my friends. Since I like music, it should have the dope on my favourite videos. The homepage should have an element of mystery about it. Once you log on you must want to delve deeper. The site should catch your attention or else you will not venture any further.
Any favourite sites?
I like all the card sites. As I just love sending cards, bluemountain.com is a favourite. My husband Arbaaz is an avid cricket fan and thanks to him, I'm getting hooked to cricinfo.com. If he isn't around he'll ask me to check the score or find out about the weather out there and I browse cricinfo.com to check them out. Nowadays I'm constantly online to check out baby names. I'm going to every possible site on them. But there are around 35,000 names and I'm frustrated in my efforts to select the right one. I'm asking anyone I bump into to check out names. I haven't left out anybody.
What's your favourite Web-based gadget?
I like my VCD with a portable player connected to the Net. It's cool to watch.
Ever been ego-surfing?
Now and then… every once in a while. It's fun. I browse through sites on my sister and me. I check for updates on mtv.com. The site contains basic stuff on me, like my birthday and things like that. But though I work for them there are such glaring mistakes about me on the site. So I try to rectify them.
Ever chatted with strangers?
No. Unlike Amrita, I hate chatting even with friends, leave alone strangers. If I need to keep in touch, I send messages via email.
Is there any celebrity you'd love to chat online with?
Madonna or Fidel Castro. They are strong people with intriguing personalities. I'd basically wanna know what makes them tick
What do you love most about the Internet? What do you hate about it?
I love the way it has made the world a smaller place. Email is the best way to keep in touch. And most of all, the information at your fingertips keeps you in the know of things that keep changing.
I hate the nuggets that keep popping up on your screen. That's irritating! I feel like screaming "Back off". I also hate the fact that one has absolutely no control when it comes to tampering with images. That's horrible. Nobody would like to see his or her pictures mutilated. It's embarrassing and damaging. It pisses you off.
If you could change anything about the Internet, what would it be?
Sometimes, the speed is perfect whereas at times it's a real pain to get connected. I'd definitely like to improve the speed. I also wish there were stricter laws to secure our privacy and prevent anyone from hacking into our mail. Losing my password is irritating too.
Is there something you'd like to buy or sell online?
I'm sceptical of giving my credit card number online. What if someone tampers with it? I'd like to buy films online though. I know people who do it through amazon.com.
Have you downloaded music, pictures or traded in stocks online?
I download all kinds of music. We also download our pictures for screen savers.
If the Net didn't exist…
II would not be aware of its mysteries. But now that I'm aware, I definitely consider it a boon. It's amazing that my nephews who are barely five and six are so Net savvy. Even housewives are so clued in thanks to the Net. That's fabulous!.
