This year, I am bound to celebrate my birthday in another unconventional manner. Our chapter, JCI Davaoena Daba Daba has been appointed as the lead chapter for JCI Philippines in the 2012 implementation of the "Liter of Light" project. The "Liter of Light" project aims to provide a cost-effective, ecologically sustainable daytime light source for the urban and rural poor communities. Watch this video: The Liter of Light project helps communities save on electricity costs and also provides livelihood for those who have been trained to install the solar light bulbs. This is a project which gives citizens the opportunity to help out others in a simple and concrete way. It is a great way to live and celebrate the Bayanihan spirit. I have been appointed to spearhead the launch of "Liter of Light" on April 28, 2012, the day I turn 30. And while it will probably cost me a heart attack, I accepted the challenged with the confidence that all you people... relatives, friends, business clients, colleagues, and readers will be there to help me out. Here's where I ask you to help me make my 30th birthday extra-special. This year, I ask you to collect water and…
Category: work
Business Cards
There was a time when I didn't like bringing calling cards (or business cards) to events and meet ups. I tried to avoid giving away my contact information to random people to avoid being contacted by annoying or stalker-y people. But I have realized that having a business card handy is advisable for people who freelance like me, or who like networking with a lot of people. After all, I get a lot of opportunities just by giving away my card and making that distinct impression on people when I give away my card. My new set of calling cards is by April of Artisan Design Studio. I had her print a two-sided card for me. On one side are my credentials as a member of Junior Chamber International Davaoeña Daba Daba along with my relevant contact information, my photo, and our organization's website. It uses a generic JCI business card template. On the flip side, I have a bit of my credentials as a professional blogger, as a social media consultant and marketing officer, and as a lifestyle columnist. Under each specialization, I put in the organization where I am associated with and the link to that organization's blog…
On the “National” Bloggers Association
This is my personal statement regarding the formation and organization of the supposed "National Bloggers Association." This is not the formal statement or position of the Mindanao New Media Group nor of the Davao Bloggers Group. About a week ago, I was informed of the existence of a "Bloggers' Manifesto" that was forwarded to a selected group of bloggers. After asking around, I was forwarded the manifesto which was tagged as "Not for circulation." After the manifesto, there was a solicitation for feedback. The manifesto was forwarded to bloggers by Tonyo Cruz. In the email, there was no mention of who the authors of the draft manifesto are and who the convenors of the National Bloggers Association are. Since it was supposedly a manifesto supporting the formation of a "National Bloggers Association," I immediately consulted the officers of several bloggers' groups in Visayas and Mindanao. I consulted them the same day I was forwarded a copy of the manifesto. That was March 2. Of the twenty persons I consulted, only 2 of them have received a copy of the manifesto. Among those who didn't receive a copy of the manifesto are: Marie Claire Bretaña Ponsaran, President of Iloilo Bloggers, Junelle…
State of the Philippine Blogosphere
The last of the major blogging events for this year was the BlogFest Soccsksargen held at General Santos City on December 11, 2010. It was successfully organized by the Sox Bloggers in only 3 weeks. Avel Manansala gave me the task of opening the BlogFest with a talk on the "State of the Philippine Blogosphere." I had a hard time gathering my thoughts and inputs while I made my presentation. I depended on Ratified data and the input of many Filipino bloggers before I finalized my talk. Here is the slide show presentation that accompanied my talk: State of the Philippine BlogosphereView more presentations from Avatar Media. I divided my talk into three parts focusing on current trends, the development of blogging communities, and the landmark blogging events of 2010. 30 minutes is definitely not enough to summarize how vibrant and controversial the Philippine Blogosphere has been in 2010. I refused to focus on the controversies and divisive issues and highlighted the best moments of the Filipino bloggers and Philippine blogs. Surprisingly, the theme of my talk coincided with the theme of the Philippine Blog Awards 2010, which is "Beyond Blogging." Most of the other speakers during BlogFest also emphasized…
VBS Talk: The Role of Bloggers as New Media
I was anxious to present my talk at the Visayas Blogging Summit. I was tasked to talk on the Role of Bloggers as New Media, a topic I am familiar with but haven't done a presentation about yet. I was a bit nervous but I think I delivered well. I hope. I was glad that a couple of participants asked questions after my talk, and several approached me after the event. Somebody event quoted me during the PBA Visayas Awards Night 2010. Here are the slides I used for my talk: The Role of Bloggers as New MediaView more presentations from Avatar Media. Hope you find it useful and informative. Madamo gid na salamat sa organizers, participants, and other speakers of the very successful First Visayas Blogging Summit! :) Live. Love. Learn.
WordCamp Philippines 2010 Opening Remarks
I am still too tired to blog about my WordCamp Philippines 2010 experience but I would like to share here the Opening Remarks which I delivered to kick off the event held at the College of St. Benilde on October 2, 2010. After almost 11 months of planning, countless meetings, email exchanges, phone calls and SMS, we are finally here today. Mr. Matt Mullenweg, speakers, organizers, volunteers, campers, and guests, good morning and welcome to WordCamp Philippines 2010! WordCamp was conceptualized and has grown popular with the idea of building and strengthening the community of users and developers of WordPress. Through events such as this, users and developers learn new techniques, build networks with like-minded individuals, and come up with new and exciting ideas. With the vision of a bigger, better, more productive, and more interactive WordCamp Philippines, this year’s organizers, with two years of WordCamps under their belt, took on the challenge of offering something new and exciting to the Philippine WordPress community. Though some faces may seem the same, the Philippine blogosphere and WordPress community has changed a lot since WordCamp Philippines 2008. We had to think up of something fresh, unique, and exciting. In order to meet…