{"id":13892,"date":"2020-06-30T19:04:23","date_gmt":"2020-06-30T13:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.instamojo.com\/blog\/?p=13892"},"modified":"2020-11-19T17:39:01","modified_gmt":"2020-11-19T12:09:01","slug":"how-this-podcaster-built-a-tiktok-course-on-whatsapp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.instamojo.com\/blog\/how-this-podcaster-built-a-tiktok-course-on-whatsapp\/","title":{"rendered":"How This Podcaster Built a TikTok Course on WhatsApp"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/b>Popular Chinese app TikTok is now banned in India (\ud83d\ude31 ) but Amit Varma, one of India’s most popular podcasters, and Mumbai-based writer\/journalist is calmly continuing his popular online course <\/span>\u2018TikTok and Indian Society\u2019<\/b> on WhatsApp.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s \u2018TikTok and Indian Society\u2019 about?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Before the ban, TikTok was the second most popular free app in the world. It gained an immense following in India. Amit got hooked almost immediately. He started to study the popular, addictive video-making app and watched thousands of videos and that\u2019s when he realised the impact the app was making in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Anyone with a smartphone can make her own videos. You are your own Mani Ratnam or Zoya Akhtar,\u201d Amit writes on his course page<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think the world has seen anything like this before. Millions of people who were on the margins of entertainment now have both a voice and a platform. And the Invisible India is no longer Unseen \u2013 it is in your mobile phone, and all you need to do to go deeper is scroll,\u201d he adds.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The course does not<\/strong> focus on the marketing aspects of Tiktok. Instead, it reflects and analyses why TikTok exploded with the Indian audience, especially those in tier 2 cities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Young people across the country use it for self-expression, and the inisghts I get from that are what fascinate me,” Amit told us in an email interview.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The course analyses the apps\u2019 trends, topics, and the people who consume as well as participate in the videos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTikTok has touched every corner of this country. It has empowered creative people in small towns and villages, enabled by the fortuitous combination of affordable smartphones and cheap bandwidth. And it gives great insight into shades of India that many of us big-city elites miss, and our popular culture does not portray.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How does this course work on WhatsApp?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Amit uses a simple WhatsApp group as a classroom to conduct the course. Once a user signs up to the course, they are added to the WhatsApp group where he shares content in different formats – text, videos etc.<\/p>\n

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“I needed to share hundreds of vertical TikTok videos to illustrate the points I was making. This is not practical on Zoom or YouTube. WhatsApp was perfect for it!” he explained.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Learn how India reacted to TikTok in the course:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The app may be banned, but Amit\u2019s course won’t be. After a successful first batch of 80+ sign-ups, the course will soon make a comeback. If you are interested in applying to know all about the why\u2019s, how\u2019s and what if\u2019s of TikTok, the second batch will begin soon. <\/span><\/p>\n

For details and registration, check out the course landing page<\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Coming Up Next – The Art of Clear Writing\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Amit is also imparting some of his wisdom to aspiring writers. His course – The Art of clear writing aims to attract serious, creative writers all over India to learn writing, the right way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf there is one thing I have specialised in over the years, it is how to write about complex ideas in simple language. I find that the biggest problem writing enthusiasts face is how to get their thoughts down on paper, so that they seem as impressive on the page as they are in their heads. I created my course, <\/span>The Art of Clear Writing<\/span><\/a> so that I could share some of my learning over the craft of writing with others,” Amit added.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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When it’s in your head, it feels so perfect.<\/p>\n

Then you put it on the page, and it’s so convoluted.<\/p>\n

If you want to bridge that gap, I want to help you. Registration for the July batches of my online writing course are open. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

THE ART OF CLEAR WRITINGhttps:\/\/t.co\/dFerbZikQ1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Amit Varma (@amitvarma) June 26, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n