Tuesday, January 30, 2007

I wanna play Granado Espada


One of the things I've decided this year is to get my hands once again into gaming.

This morning, I attended a press conference of club member IPVG who is set to release Granado Espada (GE), the full 3D MMORPG created by Hakkyu Kim, father of the Korean hit, Ragnarok Online.

GE is set in a detailed gameworld that reflects the 17th century and New World colonial exploration where technological tools of that period fuse with magic and wizardry. GE was developed by Hakkyu’s game development company IMC Games and have put in a whopping US$56 million into the creation of the MMORPG.

It utilizes the latest 3D technology and sound effects that rival the best in the industry today in terms of quality. Music was composed and produced by soundTEMP and world renowned DJ Tiesto (hailed as world’s no.1 DJ). Every zone has its own unique playlist and the music further adds to the intensity of each battle scene.

GE recently won the Korean gaming industry’s most prestigious prize – the Presidential Award for Best Game of 2006, at the 2006 Korea Game Awards, as well as the Technological Award for Best Graphics. Infocomm Asia Holdings (IAH) is the regional distributor of G.E and through its partnership with IPVG, the Singaporean online game operator will be able to expand its reach further in the region.

Granado Espada’s other highlights include:

  • Multi-Character Control (MCC) system - a key feature that sets G.E. apart from the rest of the MMORPGs. It enable players to control 3 characters simultaneously, a first in an MMORPG.

  • Recruitable Non-Playing Characters (RNPC) - RNPCs play a key role in the world of Granado Espada. They possess certain skills and stances that are not accessible by the regular user-created characters, and therefore will prove to be a powerful asset to the family.

  • Stance System – By adjusting their characters’ stance, gamers can effectively attack monsters with different skills using the same equipment.
The game will be targeted at the premium market – players who are waiting for World of Warcraft. The international server closed beta testing will commence this February, while open beta testing will happen this March.
I applied for the closed beta testing and hope to be accepted.

Cyberfair Registration Deadline, Digital Art Contest Cebu, Online Payment Workshop, Software Project Planning Workshop

I underestimated the coverage monitoring of the , it ate more time than I thought it would. Now I have to start considering this when we hit our goal of getting 300 newbie and professional bloggers attend iBlog3: the 3rd Philippine Blogging Summit. At any rate, some reminders:

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Blog Parteeh Summary

After speaking at the iTech event, I went to the Blog Parteeh () and catched up with fellow bloggers, club members, and friends there. It was a smashing event and congratulations to all the organizers! More coverage on this one can be found at:

Ituloy AngSulong Blog Parteeh! ()

Finding a Valentine Date for girlfriends

I don't know about the IT sector and its effect on women IT professionals. I'm amazed to see that these gorgeous women are still single. I sincerely hope that they'll find someone whom they can have a very nice Valentine Date with. They are:

1. Aileen Apolo
She is the I.T. Country Consultant for Google and still single (would you believe?).

2. Stephanie Caragos
She is one of the head honchos for Syntactics.

3. Jherlie Cheng
She is my sister actually. Marketing Manager for Innofone.

4. Sheila Rada
She is a PR Consultant for Dominguez Marketing and photography instructor.

5. Rocky Barria
She is a freelance graphic artist and vectoring fanatic.

Of course, it will be nice if they will receive any of the following nice gifts too.

Ideal date should be professional, single, funny, among other nice qualities. Lastly, must have blog.

Ituloy AngSulong Aileen, Stephanie, Jherlie, Sheila, and Rocky!!!

Friday, January 26, 2007

Tikman ang Langit: An Anthology on the Eraserheads


I just got a pre-release copy of an upcoming book "Tikman ang Langit: An Anthology on the Eraserheads" (eraserheads anthology)

The book's blurb state:

"For most Filipino youths in the Nineties, the Eraserheads was the band that defined their generation. From the underground scene, the band led the alternative music's invasion of the mainstream and ushered in a new era of Pinoy music.
In this compilation of essays and never-before-seen photos, the E-heads' exploits and influences are potrayed from the point-of-view of the fans -- stories that depict how an ordinary-looking "combo" made their impact, and why we regard them as the last great Pinoy band."

This one-year in the making book is composed of fourteen essays written by fans of the Eraserheads for fellow fans. Essays were written by Abigail Ho, Chong Ardivilla, Claire Maneja, Edwin Sallan, Erwin Oliva, Faye Ilogon, Jing Gaddi, Jing Garcia, Joel Pinaroc, Joey Alarilla, Julio Dela Cruz Jr., Marco Abella, Vernon Sarne, and Vincent Batacan.
Compiled by Melvin Calimag (Infotech reporter of the Manila Bulletin) and Jing Garcia (Techtimes editor of the Manila Times). This is edited by Ces Rodriguez (former editor of Jingle Music Magazine). Foreword by Robin Rivera. Published by Visual Print Enterprises.
Personalities who provided blurbs for the book includes Jessica Zafra, Eric Caruncho, and Lourd de Veyra.
This book will be officially launched this February 2007 at a selling price of one hundred eighty pesos (P180). Check out the book's official website for more info!!!

Ituloy AngSulong Eraserheads!

My Valentine's Day Shopping and Wish List for 2007

As my Christmas Shopping Wishlist last year got great feedback from friends, I'd like to share this time a Valentine's Day Shopping and Wish List for 2007.

I guess what makes this year different for me is that my partner in life is now in another country and so Valentines Day will mean virtual greetings, sweet phone calls, text messages. It will also be spending it with children, family, friends, and online readers like you.

So here is my shopping list and wish list at the same time for oneself. As we have club members selling so much stuff online, here are some stuff worth checking out:
  1. Photo Mosaic (small or large) by Gallery 7 Digital Studio. This allows couples to document their love for one another as a mosaic is composed of many photos by both of you. I think this also offers uniqueness. Very ideal for married folks. Can be shipped overseas. (surprise me type!)
  2. 2-Dozen Red Holland Roses on Terracotta by RegaloService.com. This shoots as a very big I LOVE YOU message for sure.
  3. Filipino Love Music from TitikPilipino.com - An ideal gift to our loved ones based overseas!
  4. Photo Collage by Gallery 7 Digital Studio. This is where you give several photos and a collage is made out of it for theme purposes. This last longer too and ideal for couples who have been together for quite sometime now.
  5. Javanese Royal Bath by RegaloService.com. I think this is the best way to prepare for a romantic evening or simply just to pamper yourself if you are alone or single.
  6. Chocolate Heart Cannister by MyLittleBaker.com. Great as a gift for those with limited budget.
  7. Red Wine with Floral Bouquet by RegaloService.com. They say that wines and cholocates is the best way to express one's intent to be more than friends. For couples, it is a nice way to prepare for a romantic evening. For singles, an appetizer for fun conversation too.
  8. P2Canvas by Gallery 7 Digital Studio. Ideal for portrait type of your loved one. From photo to canvas.
  9. WOW Magic Sing Mabuhay 2006 Edition Videoke Microphone (Entertech ED-8000) - If you wanna sing love songs to celebrate Valentines Day and regularly thereon. There are lovers where singing binded them together in the first place. (I can attest to that!)
  10. Hugs & Kisses by RegaloService.com. This has two hugging bears with candy bouquet arrangement in between. Much ideal for young lovers but can also be good to give a great friend.
  11. Heart of Kisses by RegaloService.com. A heart arrangement made of Kitkat Chocolates and Hershey Kisses.
  12. Rose Bouquet for chocolate lovers by RegaloService.com. A classic bouquet arrangement made of Hershey Kisses wrapped in satin ribbons formed into roses.

I'll update this list in the days to come as there are items also that are worth giving as a gift but does not come in tangible form like online services.

Ituloy AngSulong for a romantic Valentines Day 2007!

Hitting Google PageRank 4 in less than 3 months

I was shocked when I was about to post a Valentine wish list and saw that this blog site just achieved a Google PageRank 4 in less than 3 months. Note that we only started last October 29.
Wow...I'm speechless....

Related posts:

Now, I really deserve to Blog Parteeh ()! I look forward in meeting all those approved to attend and have quality networking!

  1. Chris G. Haravata
  2. Darwin Sotto
  3. Richmond Ruiz
  4. Maria Theresa R. Termulo
  5. Joseph Angelo B. Racoma
  6. Janette Toral (of course that is me)
  7. Benjamin Espina
  8. Lauren Dado
  9. Jonas Diego
  10. Luis Bernardo E. Cruz
  11. JC Cuneta
  12. Paul Irvin Rivera
  13. Aaron Roselo
  14. Elymar Apao
  15. Pierre Tito Galla
  16. Joel Yuvienco
  17. Marhgil Macuha
  18. Mike Abundo
  19. Rens Gener P. Sese
  20. Joseph Gonzales
  21. Adrian Magnaye
  22. Arvin Jay Jorge
  23. Shari Cruz
  24. Dominique Baniqued
  25. Mark Joseph N. Baun
  26. Jeffrey Villafranca
  27. January Ison
  28. Gerardo Barcelona
  29. Zaldy Dalisay
  30. Karla Redor
  31. Marcelle T. Fabie
  32. James Michael Deen
  33. Andrea Leonor Haravata
  34. Hermie Unite
  35. Aldrin Cantos
  36. Liz Buenaflor
  37. Eugene Alvin Villar
  38. Randy Lorenzano
  39. Arnold C. Zafra
  40. Mae Paulino
  41. Sharmaine Miguel
  42. Nestle Poell Lagaya
  43. Julius Rocas
  44. Marc Macalua
  45. Allan Ray Penilla
  46. Joni Ang
  47. Lord Art Florenz Lomarda

I shall be covering the Blog Parteeh () and post it here.

Blogging 101 Workshop E-Book Finally Goes to Print

Last September 2, 2006 we released the Blogging 101 Workshop Online and have been improving it since. After reading this news, I got convinced that it is about time for our e-book (blogging101workshop) to go to print.

We'll be publishing 1000 copies of the book and release it by April 10, 2007. Whether it is going to be a face-to-face or online book launching is something that shall be decided upon soon.

From its original version, the e-book is expanded to 8 lessons so that schools who wishes to use it can plan their programs for a whole semester term.
  • Lesson 1: Introduction to blogging (Exercise: Blog critic and setting up a personal blog)
  • Lesson 2: Blog copyright and ethics (Exercise: Identifying blog violations)
  • Lesson 3: Generating revenue through blogs (Exercise: Identify revenue generating schemes for blogs)
  • Lesson 4: Getting started in blogging (Exercise: Theme planning and Setting up your blog for business)
  • Lesson 5: Marketing your blog (Exercise: Metrics set-up, trend tracking, and blog promotion techniques)
  • Lesson 6: Introduction to podcasting (Exercise: Creating a podcast)
  • Lesson 7: Becoming a professional blogger (Exercise: Identify professional blogging opportunities)
  • Lesson 8: Setting up your own blog network (Exercise: Creating a blog network)
  • The 100-Days Blogging Challenge
  • Club Member Directory (Individual member blogs, SME and Corporate Members website)
  • Sponsor text ads
All DigitalFilipino.com Club members are entitled to a free copy of the book. SME members will get 2 copies while Corporate members shall get 3 copies. Individual members will get 1 copy.

If you are not a club member but would like to receive one of the 100 copies we are giving away, just do the following:
  1. Blog about this project and why you want to have a copy. Make sure to add a link back to this blog entry. Note that blogs created only for this purpose are not qualified.
  2. Make sure that your contact / mailing address details is clear in your blog.
  3. At your option, you can add the technorati tag blogging101workshop for mutual promotion.
  4. Post a comment here with the url to your blog.
  5. Only one copy shall be given per person. If you are based overseas, we will send you an electronic copy of the book instead.

Those who'll qualify for a free copy shall be posted here and be directly contacted too. This promotion shall end upon reaching the 100 free book giveaway count.

Thank you to all bloggers, SEO competition organizers, and readers for inspiring me.

Ituloy AngSulong blogging101workshop!!!

Free posting of Job Openings

I just signed up to this service to allow anyone to post their job opening. (at least for now)

The job openings will appear at the right side bar of our club members job opening blog.

If you have a blog or website, I encourage you to create your own job openings site today and generate revenue from it.

Ituloy AngSulong Philippine Jobs!

P.S. It will be interesting to meet fellow bloggers that have joined similar programs like this.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Who is Dave Pasternack?

After reading this announcement and the debate that goes about it, I'm amazed as to how SEO competition is evolving. Let me start by saying that I'm not joining that contest.

To begin with, I don't know who Dave Pasternack is. (oh my....I should check out if he has a LinkedIn profile)

Running a search on Google shows that Dave Pasternack is the big boss in Did-It.com. I'm not sure if the ThreadWatch contest is tantamount to a libel or defamation case and include those who joined the bandwagon.

Perhaps Dave Pasternack can take a break and come to the Philippines to join the Blog Parteeh (). Of course, that is assuming that Dave Pasternack will follow the requirements and get invited in time.

On the other hand, perhaps Dave Pasternack can consider looking at iBlog3!

Or perhaps Dave Pasternack can give me some advice on how to stabilize search engine ranking in Yahoo.

Ituloy AngSulong Dave Pasternack. Stay cool.....

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Getting speakers for iBlog3

Earlier, I mentioned about my quest for encouraging speaker volunteers and topic suggestions for iBlog3. So far, there are several who heeded the call and gave interesting topics. This includes:

We got interesting topic suggestions as well and hope to be able to find bloggers interested in sharing their knowledge in these areas:

  • Photoblogging
  • Blog themes: food, travel, etc.
  • Philippine Libel Law and its implications on blogging
  • Drafting of Bloggers Code of Ethics
  • Blogging Success stories (Philippines' most read bloggers, Bloggers who won awards)
  • Government Blogging
  • Political Blogging
  • Cause-oriented Blogging (including Corporate Social Responsibility, Personal Social Responsibility)
  • Blogging and the Filipino diaspora
  • Philippine Politics and the blogosphere (trends and trendings)
  • The social relevance of the pinoyblogging (trends and trendings)
  • Blogging and Journalism (print, radio, online, tv)
  • Blogging as a tool for educators
  • SEO for blogs
  • Pro-blogging and e-commerce
  • Blogging for advancing one's career

Interested resource persons can email me at jtoral(at)iblogph.org

Ituloy AngSulong iBlog3!

Blog advertising in DigitalFilipino

I just signed up lately with two blog advertising programs. One pays for site-wide ads while the other is on a per-post. My experience with them so far enlightened me to come up with a very simple advertising revenue program aimed at DigitalFilipino club members, helping those who are just new into blogging and web publishing.

It also allowed me to be a little liberal on how to go about site-wide text advertising especially when it comes to my blog properties. The rate I've identified so far are:

Philippine Internet Review
- Site-wide text link ads under sponsors (US$60 for one year)
- Sponsored link per blog post (US$4 for one year)

DigitalFilipino.com Podcast
- Podcast 30-seconds ad (US$100 per episode. For five spots, get one free episode plug)
- Site-wide text link ads under sponsors (US$50 for one year)
- Sponsored link per episode (US$4 for one year)

Philippine Outsourcing Review
- Site-wide text link ads under sponsors (US$45 for one year)
- Sponsored link per blog post (US$3 for one year)

Reflective Thinking
- Site-wide text link ads under sponsors (US$40 for one year)
- Sponsored link per blog post (US$3 for one year)

Women in Web, Wireless, and Outsourcing
- Site-wide text link ads under sponsors (US$40 for one year)
- Sponsored link per blog post (US$3 for one year)

There are more blogs but still under the nurturing stage.

To kick it off, I just created a DigitalFilipino Premium Advertising Package that offers five (5) site-wide text ad (no more than 4 words) for one year.

Although I'm still conservative when it comes to advertising in DigitalFilipino.com as I have a club membership program that covers it.

On the other hand, I'm now considering creating a new club membership category that will give the benefits of a corporate membership plus site-wide ad links in all our blogs for US$500. (thinking....)

Ituloy AngSulong blog advertising!

E-Commerce Talk at iTech this January 27, 2007

I will be giving a 30-minutes talk on E-Commerce Developments this Saturday 1:40 - 2:20 pm slot at the iTech event in AIM Conference Center, Makati City.

This event is organized by the two biggest IT organizations of the Ateneo de Manila University, Computer Society of the Ateneo (CompSAt) and Management Information Systems Association (MISA).

iTech is a 2-days conference (January 27-28) on the latest trends and opportunities in the world of Information Technology. It would tackle topics such as 3G, digital media, web design, programming, and career opportunities in the field of IT. Targeting approximately 400 participants, they expect a lot of participation from college students interested in IT to young IT professionals.

For more info about the iTech event, I suggest contacting Anna Pamela Unite at 0922-8143426 or 9323686 or email her at pam_unite@yahoo.com.sg.

Ituloy AngSulong iTech, CompSat, and MISA!!!

Related post:

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Ituloy AngSulong hit 100 visits a day!


This blog has just hit the 100 visits a day mark. As this blog only started last October 29 (2006), this is a big deal. I mentioned before that joining this competition was really for fun. It is also about competing / pushing myself and setting a record. Not sure up to how far can I go to experiment with this website until February 23. Thank you to all our visitors!

Ituloy AngSulong!

Related posts:

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

My project idea passed the Stickiness Aptitute Test!

I just read Guy Kawasaki's interview with Chip and Dan Heath. I truly enjoyed it.
I also tried the Stickiness Aptitute Test to check this latest project idea of mine.
I got a score of 35!!! (Superglue)

Ituloy AngSulong Made to Stick!

Tunog Pinoy Star Search Grand Finalists

The final line-up for the first ever Tunog Pinoy Star Search singing competition for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong is now complete. Organized and managed by locally-listed company IPVG Corp (PSE: IPVG) on the Konek Pinoy information service platform and accessed exclusively through a leading phonecard provider in Hong Kong, ten aspiring singers will compete in the Grand Finals to be held on January 28, 2007 at Chater Road, Central in Hong Kong. Filipino TV and radio celebrities will attend the event as special guests and judges.

The Grand Finalists who hail from the various regions in the country are as follows:

  • Elija Clave
  • Irene Aquino
  • Julie Ann Jereza
  • Elvira Manacmul
  • Mary Jane Corpuz
  • Erwin Yumul
  • Lowelin Addu
  • Marina Torcuato
  • Erlyn Guillermo
  • Ruzziel Lumibao

New votes for the top 10 finalists are now being received and will end at 5pm on January 25, 2007, three days before the Grand Finals.

Launched last August 2006, two winners were selected every month from hundreds of participants who used their phonecards to record their songs. Their entries were aired on the weekly Philippines Tonight Show (PTS) on Metro Plus AM 1044 radio. Listeners were invited to cast their votes for their preferred contestant also using phonecards. The contest attracted close to 400 aspiring singers and about 350,000 votes were received during the elimination periods.

As a run-up to the Grand Finals, the top 10 finalists will be featured and interviewed in the upcoming weeks on the Philippine Tonight Show. Listeners of the show will also be able to phone in to give their prediction on who will be the first Tunog Pinoy Star Search singing champion. Under the rules of the contest, the winners will be selected 60% based on public votes (made through phonecards) during the period from 11pm Friday 22nd December 2006 to 5pm on Thursday 25th January 2007, while the remaining 40% will come from the panel of judges based on the live performances at the Grand Finals.

The Grand Finals will be aired live in Hong Kong by Metro Plus AM 1044, an afternoon weekend radio programme. Philippine residents can also tune in by logging on http://www.metroradio.com.hk/1044metroplus/, January 28, 2006 – Sunday at 3.00 pm. Winners of the singing contest will receive fabulous prizes, including a recording contract with Viva Records. Mechanics and details of the competition are available at all major phonecard outlets in Hong Kong.

Ituloy AngSulong IPVG!

Other news:

iBlog3: The 3rd Philippine Blogging Summit


This morning, I catched up with the UP-ISP team, headed by Atty. JJ Disini, to prepare for iBlog3: The 3rd Philippine Blogging Summit. Details will be posted on the official website within the day.

We are aiming for up to 300 bloggers to attend the event.

In addition, we recognize the concerns last year about parallel break-out tracks that made a lot of participants miss important presentations. That is why iBlog3 shall be a 2-day event this year. This will be on April 13 and 14, 2007.

Like last year, I am in charge of the content, receive topic suggestions, accept speaking proposals, consolidate the topics, help out in the sponsorship, among others.

I will definitely make sure that I won't have any trainings again this time so I won't miss it.

iBlog3 is aimed at aspiring bloggers, newbies, and the maturing blogging community.

There will be topics for beginners, professional bloggers, legal concerns, political blogging, media and the use of blogs, literary, multimedia, education, and the growth of communities.

We will aim to get sponsors so we can serve great food, nice tokens, collaterals, giveaways, and have a bloggers party on the 1st day!

So mark your calendars and let all bloggers converge on April 13 and 14 at iBlog3: The 3rd Philippine Blogging Summit! As always, this event is FREE!

Ituloy AngSulong iBlog3!

Related topics:

Test the First Portable PC X Server - X-Win32 Flash

StarNet Communications sent emails yesterday disseminating its latest innovation in PC X server solutions with X-Win32 Flash. It claims to be the industry's first PC X server that runs from a standard USB flash drive.

X-Win32 Flash allows users to install the PC X server onto a USB drive, plug it into any Windows PC and immediately access applications on remote Unix and Linux servers. Nothing is installed on the host PC and nothing remains when the USB device is removed.

X-Win32 Flash will retail at US$225.00 per license.

X-Win32 Flash is delivered via electronic download. Customers can also order X-Win32 Flash pre-installed and licensed on USB drives ranging from 1 to 4 Giga Bytes and prices starting at $295.

PC X servers are used by millions of electrical and mechanical engineers, software developers, network and server administrators and others who use their Windows-based computers to access applications residing on powerful Linux and Unix servers.

Here is how you can test X-Win32 Flash:

1) Plug a USB key with at least 50MB of storage space into your PC.

2) Go to www.starnet.com/download/support.php and enter this Flash Eval License (good to Feb. 28): 1690094-4899

3) After downloading the Flash files to your PC desktop, just double click the icon on your desktop. Flash uses a self-extracting installation script that will automatically install Flash onto the USB drive you have plugged in.

4) After the installation is complete, open the USB drive and double click the X-Win32 Flash icon. Use the above license key to enable Flash, then set up your sessions!

Ituloy AngSulong Starnet!

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Yahoo Buys MyBlogLog

I took MyBlogLog seriously when Abe blogged about it and started putting it in my various blogs. It isn't here in Ituloy AngSulong because the system sees my url as invalid.

Michael Arrington of Techcrunch just shared the news of Yahoo's acquisition of MyBlogLog with a rumored price of US$10-US$12 million. This is great news and I can't wait to see what Microsoft and Google will come up with to match up what tools like MyBlogLog can do.

Ituloy AngSulong MyBlogLog!

Follow-up stories:

Monday, January 08, 2007

American Idol merchandising potential

According to GenDigital, Freemantle Media, who ows the rights to Idol, is now pushing for high profile licensing deals where the American Idol brand shall appear in candies, ice cream, among others. I wonder how will this licensing scheme apply to countries where the Idol competition is also being done - such as the Philippine Idol.

This is not really new in the Philippines. Take the case of cartoons and movies, we see toys and outfits that carries famous TV characters or program/movie brands.

However, contest winners can be easily forgotten the moment the new competition season comes in. All forms of merchandising will have a very short life span if it features contestants or finalists. Similar to printers whose value diminishes after 6 months.

Create an E-Newsletter Hands-on Workshop on January 18

We shall be having a Create an E-Newsletter Hands-on Workshop this January 18, Thursday, from 1:30 to 5 pm.

Check it out if interested.

The end for Performancing Metrics

After reading this news about Performancing Metrics, I'm not sure how easy things will be. I've been using Performancing Metrics for quite sometime now to track my blog/website traffic and Google AdSense clicks. In fact, through it, I was able to trace an attempted click fraud in my site and alerted Google.

Performancing now recommends current users to consider Feedburner as an alternative.

Thanks Performancing for the great service and may all future plans go well! I still hope you'll have more payment alternatives in your Partners program soon.

Ituloy AngSulong Performancing!

Tell me something about you

For this month, this blog now has an average of 50 readers a day. I've been sharing a lot of stuff here and it will great if you can also tell something about you, your interest, blog, etc.
Thanks!

(Thanks Noemi for this!)

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Ten ways I use LinkedIn

Guy Kawasaki's blog post on "Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn" inspired me to share the ten ways how I use LinkedIn. (In its early years, I was at a time one of the most connected women in LinkedIn.com.)

Although I must admit that adding new found contacts nowadays meant following them on Twitter and connecting through Facebook. But on a more professional level, I believe LinkedIn is still as valuable.




View Janette Toral's profile on LinkedIn

  1. Keep in touch with people met and get to know them more.
    When speaking in events, I usually end up not seeing the people met that soon. This is most true for international speaking engagements. I invite them to LinkedIn.com and at least maintain that connection.
  2. Promote the DigitalFilipino.com Club through LinkedIn for Groups.
    When LinkedIn for Groups was first launched, I immediately had the DigitalFilipino.com Club registered and this allowed all club members to have the club logo, at their option, posted in their LinkedIn.com profile. At this time, we only link to individual club members' LinkedIn.com public profile in our members directory. This allows the club members to get to know their individual club members much better.
  3. Got contacts and clients to recommend me.
    Although I don't actively seek for it anymore, great to have past clients or those who have benefited from DigitalFilipino free services kind enough to give a recommendation.

    There was a website before that ranked SEO professionals listed in LinkedIn. I recall topping the list based on number of recommendations. What's funny though is that one day, rank #2 person sent me a message saying he will almost have more recommendations than me and will beat me soon. Although he sent that when the list was no longer there.
  4. Facilitate introductions for contacts.
    Have introduced several contacts to each other especially those who go out of the country trips. Although I admit that not many users are as active visiting their LinkedIn profile. So best to follow it up through other means too.
  5. Find contacts.
    Use LinkedIn to look for people I need to talk to for a variety of reasons. Through connections, also found past contacts who I haven't been in touch with for a long time and connect with them.
  6. Shamelessly self-promote.
    Post enough info about oneself in order to build contacts and possibly generate business. Of course, one has to add value as well. This is where I integrated my Twitter, Slideshare, and latest club blog post sharing relevant updates as much as possible.
  7. Build a company profile. (October 18, 2010 update)
    LinkedIn now allows you to write a company profile and this can help in promoting your company further.
  8. Join groups of interest. (October 18, 2010 update)
    There are many groups in Linked where people interact on a variety of topics. This can be used to build connections by asking and sharing what you know.
  9. Plug events. (October 18, 2010 update)
    LinkedIn has an event tool where you can plug your latest event and invite friends to join. Although I suggest using it early and be proactive in inviting.
  10. Filter quality of contacts. (October 18, 2010 update)
    In most social networking sites, I spend more time proactively seeking contacts, especially after events. Though most of us get invitation from people we never met, I still advise you to be wary of accepting such especially if your friends list is viewable among friends. If your circle of friends in social networks matter to you, protect it by having quality of contacts and don't just share it to others.
If you have other ways on how to use LinkedIn, hope you can share it here.

Ituloy AngSulong - Blogging and Social Computing!

Last Friday, the first DigitalFilipino.com Club eyeball for 2007 took place with the theme "Blogging / Social Computing".

Jasper Jugan, a technology evangelist from Microsoft Philippines shared numerous interesting points. This includes:

  • There are 1800 Microsoft bloggers
  • Microsoft has active communities such as Channel 9, PressPass, Windows Live Spaces, theSpoke, Aggreg8, Microsoft Philippines Community, MSDN, TechNet Forums, and Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
  • In-person community activities are important that includes game eyeballs, tournaments, free-playing, parties, concerts, and socializing. They have plug n play activities where the community members form their own band and play.
  • Two of Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals today are club members too. They are Rodney Jao and Wilson Chua.

What makes Jasper interesting also is that he got discovered by Microsoft Philippines through these communities and is a Most Valuable Professional himself.

The eyeball was scheduled quite early this year. We took advantage of club member Sacha Chua being here for a vacation, escaping Canadian winter for the next four weeks. Sacha is currently taking her master's degree at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on social computing for large enterprises, and is funded by the IBM Toronto Centre for Advanced Studies. She is a technology evangelist who has given numerous talks here and abroad.

Sacha gave a great presentation about what social computing is and how it can be used to grow one's network. She featured tools such as del.icio.us, Upcoming.org, and Xing. Her talk about LinkedIn.com is a great relief for me as all club members can actually post the club logo in their profile. We had the club joined the LinkedIn for Groups program. However, some members aren't sure how LinkedIn can be of use and don't see the need for it. I'm sure her perspective on social computing had a great impact with club members.

One person I'm actually pretty excited to hear was Noemi Lardizabal Dado. Her blogging journey is simply amazing and recently won the best blog in the Philippine Web Awards. Her personal blog gave birth to new niche blogs that is giving her good revenue as well. What I learned from her that I will apply in my blog includes:

  • Create an About Me section
  • Use senses in expressing oneself in writing
  • Encourage readers to tell something about themselves
  • Use one topic per entry
What awed most club members is J Angelo Racoma's professional blogging adventure. This is where one blogs for income. I agree with his observation that as a blogger tackling tech stuff may not necessarily be sustainable, as the target audience can be advertising blind (therefore pay-per-click programs may not be the way to go). He tried ghost writing as well but one can't take credit for the hard work done. He also joined a blog network but exclusivity and non-competition hindered him to do other stuff.

One great break Angelo got is to manage the BlogHerald. It gave him the opportunity to manage a big blog network without the exclusivities. He is now on his quest to be a Blog Overlord and generate bigger income through aggregated revenue.

Although the expense of being a problogger can be higher as one has to cover equipment, bandwidth, time, among others. But I agree with Angelo that it can be one's ticket to bigger things. My experience in having DigitalFilipino.com took me to places, outsource and self-started projects, writing, and research assignments that I never thought would be possible.

More power to bloggers! This recent eyeball also inspired me to finally work on the launch of an advertising revenue sharing program for club members who blogs. I hope this will inspire more club members to blog professionally.

Check out the coverage and photos for more! Here are some:

For those who attended and blogged about it, do let me know and will add you here. Thanks!!!

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Meeting with Jeff Harrison (PUSH IT)

Yesterday, I got the chance to catch up, after a long time, with Jeff Harrison (formerly of ImagineAsia, one of the entities tapped for the Matrix movie animation effects). He sent me an email about his new company, Global Mobile Technologies LLP, building a very special application, PUSH IT, that will change the way the Internet is seen in the mobile phone.
In this meeting, IMMAP friends from Mobile Arts, Yehey, and EuroRSG 4D Manila also joined.

Robert Talon wins $500,000 in NBC's "Identity"

On December 19, Robert Talon, a Filipino-American Loan Officer from Chula Vista, romped away with the $500,000 grand prize on the second episode of NBC’s newest game show “Identity” (Asian Journal).

Filipinos are really making waves in US television!

This reminded me though of some Filipinos featured in a local TV program who really takes the time and effort to join TV show contest. You can't say that it is easy money as getting picked to be a contestant is not as easy as it seems.

Born to Dance by Bigfoot Entertainment


Last month, I was in Cebu to interview Michael Gleissner for the second season of the DigitalFilipino.com Podcast (which went online early this week).

There was a celebration that evening (for he is now a Filipino citizen) and part of the activity is to watch an upcoming show, "Born to Dance" by Bigfoot Entertainment.

I'm not sure when will this go live and be seen on television. The competition features dance pairs and showing what they are capable of at the dance floor. It is great to see lots of Filipinos getting into this dance sport and getting international attention as well. I can't wait for this program to go live on TV soon.
I also got a tour of the International Academy for Film and Television. Their curriculum is so impressive and it made me felt like just wanting to take a break and study there for a year. Or send your kid there to study if you can afford to. They have a one-year course in film-making and another one-year course on acting.

It is great to see new developments like this that really puts the Philippines on the map. Beyond call centers and business process outsourcing, Filipino talents can shine greater through initiatives like this.
Ituloy AngSulong Bigfoot and Michael Gleissner!

Bazura bags - laptop bag version please

After reading this article, I felt embarrassed. I've been seeing these bags for quite sometime now but couldn't imagine myself using it.

However, after reading the significance Carrie McAuliffe Liberatore of Ventura sees in it, I know I should get one when the next opportunity comes in.

Richard "Goma" Gomez for Senator?

I got a question yesterday from a friend about what I think on Richard Gomez running as Senator. He, related to Richard Gomez, is very supportive of the idea. I told him that he has many pluses such as: (not necessarily in this order)

1. He is competitive. He is known to perform well and even won awards in a variety of sports competition. I guess it is a sign that if he is really interested in something, he will work hard to ensure that he'll be the best in it. He is competing with himself, not with others. Character and determination-wise, if he becomes a Senator, perhaps he will do his best as well. Although I still have to see him share himself more to the masa. (perhaps unpublicized)

2. He is popular. With his very competitive background, he may also change the perception about actors winning as a Senator if he performs well too (assuming he doesn't get sued).

3. He is respectable. Despite being in a comedy show, which I get to glimpse on from time to time, I haven't seen him took advantage or abuse the extra comedians (especially the dwarf-height guest in their Christmas episode with Anjo Yllana) and lady guests.

4. He has guts to share his opinion and take a stand on issues, whether you agree with him or not.

5. He has a nice wife and civic-minded. I like Lucy Torres Gomez.

6. He deserves a chance. If I'm not mistaken, he was part of a party-list that won but got disqualified. His presidential consultant/adviser stint in the past did not gave him enough resources to put his planned actions to place.

Of course, being a politician running in 2007 elections requires answering tough questions:

1. Will you support any impeachment bid against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo related to accused cheating in the 2004 elections? (it is still not a dead issue as no opportunity was given to have any evidence presented at all)

2. In principle, do you want to change the Philippine Constitution?

3. Even not passing any new laws, what existing laws are you determined to monitor and see that they are properly implemented?

Any advise for Richard Gomez? (perhaps not run na lang)

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Handling of US$2000 and up cheque by banks

Once you have a dollar check (issued outside of the Philippines) that is US$2000 and up, some banks here don't treat it like a regular deposit but a "for collection" transaction. Usual charges of P100 per check will increase to P300++ and with a longer clearing period. That is from 21 days to 45 days.

We badly need Paypal in the Philippines and resolve the issues why we don't have Paypal full-blown here.

Real estate selling can be fun

For DigitalFilipino.com Club Member Cynthia Palad-Yap, real estate selling can be fun. Her blog surely shows she is having a fun time selling properties at Bonifacio Global City. The first time I catched up with Cynthia was like 3 years ago. Great to see that she's still part of my mailing list up to this day and finally joined the club last month. It is interesting to see the growing number of club members who are online real estate sellers.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Blogging Forum this January 5

The DigitalFilipino.com Club will be having its 26th networking event this January 5, 2007 Friday, 3:00 to 7:00 pm.

Parties interested to join the club and attend this networking event are encouraged to sign up and be a club member.

Four club members will be sharing their knowledge during this event. This includes Sacha Chua, Noemi Lardizabal-Dado, J. Angelo Racoma, and Frank Holz.

Join ka na!

2007 Predictions: Good Luck and Managing Problems

Fortune Reader is now 5-days old. Earlier I shared about the challenge of coming up with personalized and accurate reading for a group of zodiac or astrology sign.

Yesterday, my concerns were answered as a found a resource that gave a forecast of challenges based on planetary positions. In addition to Tarot, I learned how to use the traditional playing cards (where Tarot was first based on) for fortune reading as well. What made me confident on this one is based on the initial readings I've seen and cross referencing this to predictions in Feng shui.

At any rate, the overall 2007 good luck and difficulties is now posted online.

Appreciating Councilor Atty. Bong Liban

Earlier today, I went to the office of Councilor Atty. Bong Liban to avail of the free notarization services that he is offering to District 2 Quezon City constituents.

The kind person who handled my papers just asked me to log my basic info (mobile number, name, and barangay) and have the documents notarized. Not to abuse the free service, I brought a fruitcake that can be shared as snack.

When my hubby told me about this last night, we agreed that such free service already made the vote you cast on the person well worth it.

I hope Councilor Liban will consider blogging in the near future. As Quezon City packages itself as the ICT Capital of the Philippines, its government officials should demonstrate their being tech-savvy by embracing it. Blogging can be a good start.

Davao City Councilor Peter Lavina is one gentleman who was able expand his constituency through his blogging activities. Kudos to Davao City for having zero casualty (for fireworks related injuries) last New Year celebration.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

DigitalFilipino Podcast is back!

The DigitalFilipino.com Podcast is now online with Michael Gleissner as our premiere guest to kick off our 2nd season!

Special thanks to Choy and Brian of Creative Voices Production for their continuous support.

Ituloy AngSulong DigitalFilipino.com Podcast!


Click here to get your own player.

What happened to Vorgermilten SEO contest?

I just read an appeal of Benj Arriola who joined the Vorgermilten SEO contest. However, as it is going now, the contest is being dubbed as a hoax by some of the participants as the contest page is already gone.

Benj Arriola's entry ranked well on Google and Yahoo. He can also be considered as one of the contest winners. That is if he remained number 1 in Google to win at least US$10,000.

I wonder how will this affect the credibility of SEO contests in the future.

Personalization and degree of accuracy in fortune reading

Three days ago, I started the Fortune Reader blog and find with interest the natural traffic the blog is building up. I even got a teen reader to help out (who got me into this in the first place).

I got scared when the idea was first raised to me. However, I realized that it is not so bad after all. It can be revealing once you analyze the people and competition you meet.

What I'm only having a hard time is coming up with generic predictions for Chinese astrology and traditional zodiac reading per sign. This is a big problem once you have gained knowledge on different methods and if you want to attain a certain degree of personalization. Not one prediction fits one sign type as there are other factors to put into consideration, such as the moon sign (zodiac) or eight characters (chinese astrology).

What this has taught me so far is the benefit of listening to younger people and giving their ideas a shot. Although I'm not sure if I'm ready to dwell on computer games just to relate better with my boys. (although the headline "big mama kicks young boys' ass in computer games" can be cute) I worry that my 2007 workload won't get done at all once I get into it.

However, I'm excited as this is one blog project where readers can be from anywhere in the world.

To those who celebrated their birthdays last December 31 and January 1 (plus teen), your 2007 fortune reading is now online.

Monday, January 01, 2007

DigitalFilipino.com home page updated

I normally update the DigitalFilipino.com home page twice a year. I hope this simple update will make it very friendly to first time visitors. In addition, get straight to the point on what is being marketed online, like the books and club membership.

My 2007 Goals - Ituloy AngSulong!

2007 is going to be an interesting year for my family. I have set up goals that I can track and make it work.

1. Focus on current client projects and training.

2. No new Philippine-based ventures this year, except for those that I've started already, and improve on existing ones (listed) for the 1st quarter. Further market segmentation is ok, only if helpful.
2. Delegate as much as possible

3. Hit 3000-5000 mailing list members mark.

4. Pro-actively join competitions this year.

5. Gradually build international website projects.

6. Stay at home. Stick to productive meet-ups only when going out.

7. Get 3 hours of sports/exercise activity per day.