E-Commerce & Social Media Marketing Workshop for Carl Duisberg Association of the Philippines

Last November 20 and 21, I conducted an e-commerce and social media marketing hands-on workshop for the Carl Duisberg Association of the Philippines (CDAP). Its organization members and non-member paying attendees, for a total of 30 participants, joined the said activity at Oxford Suites in Makati City.

Here was my training outline at that time:

Day 1

• Introduction to E-Commerce
• E-Commerce Project Planning
• Accepting Payments Online
• The E-Commerce Law

Day 2

• E-Mail / Newsletter Marketing
• Search engine optimization
  - Keyword discovery, analysis, distribution
  - Competition analysis
  - Web content writing
• Search Engine Marketing & Advertising
• Social Network Marketing & Advertising

I guess the biggest challenge of teaching and handling a workshop of this size is meeting participant expectations based on their individual needs. As 2 days was quite short, I hope the materials received will allow them to move further with their respective experiment or trials.

After the workshop, the organization had its annual election of officers and general assembly. Congratulations to its new set of officers!

The workshop was a good warm up as I'll be resuming my E-Commerce for Entrepreneurs Hands-on Workshop series this December 7 to 18.

My sincerest thanks to the CDAP for having me. All the best to your organization. Big thanks also to DigitalFilipino Club and CDAP member Carole Lee for introducing me to the group.

The New Yahoo! Look

What is nice about the new Yahoo is that the home page now gives you a glimpse on activities on your various accounts in the site.

It can tell how many new emails you have, updates from Yahoo Profiles connections, who's online among Yahoo Messenger friends, among others.

in reference to: Yahoo! (view on Google Sidewiki)

(I just discovered Google Sidewiki. Thanks Gary Viray!)

Memorable trip to General Santos City

IMG_9820, originally uploaded by avelmans.

After the last leg of DigitalFilipino Club and Bloggers eyeball roadshow in Davao City, I catched up with Avel Manansala and met some of General Santos City bloggers from July 19 to 21.

Some of the trip highlights include:

• GenSan Exchange sponsored my accommodation at Phela Grande Hotel (has free wi-fi)
• Had a taste of Tunaghetti at Genee restaurant. If you will visit General Santos City, make sure to have your picture taken in their magnificient photo wall giving a great view of the city.
• Met the blogging Generals (photo 1, 2, 3) such as:
  - Hector (http://writingedge.blogspot.com/)
  - Cidz (http://www.generalsantoscityphilippines.info/)
  - Mars (http://plurk.com/marzz)
  - Dax (http://daxiweida.blogspot.com/)
  - Gumer (http://www.technotechniques.com/)
  - Gay (http://ascientistinthekitchen.net/)
  - Tammy (http://djtammy.com/)
  - Sheng (http://sdumalay.blogspot.com/)
  - Rosilie (http://rosilie.blogspot.com/)
  - Arnel (http://jhonkie2.blogspot.com/)
  - Ric (http://blagadaggg.blogspot.com/)
  - Jinky (http://jborela.blogspot.com/)
• Had my first jump shot experience at the Oval Plaza.
• Met the owner of KimKyts Tuna who won emerging entrepreneur of the year in the city.
• Visited the Blugre Cafe franchise that Manny Pacquiao owns and had my favorite Durian Coffee.
• First time to visit a spring resort, Olaer Spring Resort. Had my first water jump shot experience there too. If you haven't been to this resort, check out this short video where Avel gave an overview about it.
  
  
• Visited the PacMan mansion although we were not able to go inside. Here's a snapshot video of it:
  
  
• Met Ed Villamor who was having a victory dinner, Kuya Ed Tuna and Lechon Grill, for being one of the awardees (entrepreneur of the year).
• Delivered a talk to the students of AMA Computer Learning Center about blogging. The owners of GenSan Exchange are also the owners of this school franchise. Avel's GenSantos.com was formally recognized as one of the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs in 2008 (chosen by writing project participants).

Thank you to all General Santos City blogger friends for making this short trip memorable!

My big congratulations goes to Avel Manansala as well for the well-deserved recognition he got a the Philippine Blog Awards Mindanao last October 24.

Users as the new models

Last April 29, 2009, I was one of the three panelists on "The rise of Digital Advertising and the Philippine Outlook for 2009" invited by the 4As - premiere advertising association in the Philippines.

The focused of my presentation was blog / social network marketing and advertising. Looking at various activity trends, noticed a lot of companies organizing activities with users (or favored ones) at the front act.

• Some entities organize contest encouraging users to submit blog posts, photos, and even videos to a site.
• Some users get tapped to function as coordinator either on a volunteer or paid capacity running a campaign.

So instead of hiring the usual talents or celebrities, more companies realize the value of collaborating with loyal users in carrying the brand and interact with peers online.

The same applies for user trials where those who enjoyed or enlightened (or even not) with the experience will share what they think in their respective blog or communities they belong to.

Find more videos like this on DigitalFilipino.com Social Network

So I totally agree with fellow panelist Donald Lim, CEO of Yehey.com, when he said in the video that traditional advertising methods won't work online. Advertising agencies need to adjust and learn how to treat users differently from the usual models or celebrity endorsers.

Maria Rodriguez Java of ABS-CBN News also joined in the panel where she shared interesting statistics focusing on their experience.

Impact of Social Networks on Public Relations

Last April 30, I delivered a sidebar talk during the 1st general membership meeting of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines at Ascott Makati. My talk was about the "Impact of Social Networks on Public Relations".

I think PR people face a big challenge today as their clientele use social networks more to provide updates and get direct feedback from users. This presents both an opportunity and a risk as well. In addition, it also challenges the future role of this profession as users become PR themselves.

Public relations people today need to savvy in blogging and social networking in order to interact better using this medium.

EON's Junie Del Mundo also delivered a talk on corporate social responsibility which I found to be very interesting.

“Building Trust in a Connected World”
I got invited by Qartas Corporation to be one of the resource persons this August 4 from 2-5pm at the Balmori Room of the Manila Peninsula Hotel.

My 30-minutes talk will be about “Embracing the New PR: How Corporate Blogging and Social Media can help in traffic generation and brand building”.

Qartas Corporation in cooperation with Galileo by Travelport have gathered the top executives of the travel industry to discuss how they can maximize the use of the internet to grow their business, how having a trust mark (Sure Seal) helps in increasing conversion rates, and address the growing concern on internet fraud.

My talk will focus on how corporate blogging and social media like Friendster, Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace can help promote brands and increase site traffic.

Many thanks to club member Jovel Cipriano for considering me to talk on this topic!

This coming August 10 to 12 as well, I will have a workshop where one of my topics is about blog marketing & advertising and social network marketing & advertising.

Meet the Yahoo! Purple Hunt Purple Crew

pikpak 367, originally uploaded by astiege.

Although I have blogged about Yahoo! power users being tapped to help out in the Purple Hunt (referred to as Purple Crew), I think this is the only photo that we have today where we are altogether in one shot.

I'll miss you folks and hope we can keep in touch.

(In the photo left to right are: Jimmy Hilario, Jonas de los Reyes, Jobar Pensica, Lai Legaspi, Janette Toral, and Anne Flores)

My Yahoo Smile by Caitlyn

5-year old Caitlyn often sees Yahoo Messenger in action as her parents communicate with their friends, relatives, and to each other when one is out of town. Yesterday, she just blurted out to her mom, "this is how Yahoo smiles".

She likes the Yahoo Messenger smiley so much that she even draw and now practicing how to spell Yahoo.

My Yahoo Smile by Caitlyn @ Yahoo! Video

Come to think of it, all that Yahoo! Messenger "cuteness" really has an effect. Seeing that smiley icon jumping while you are opening the program is like creating a feeling of "anticipation" that you are about to chat with someone special.

Yahoo Purple Hunt Phase 4 Grand Finale Winners

Purple Hunt Philippines @ Yahoo! Video

Congratulations to Calvin Galgana (Honda Jazz), Erliza Karen Cabisidan (entertainment system), and Jemuel del Valle (Canon 500D Digital SLR) for winning the Yahoo! Purple Hunt phase 4 grand finale prizes.



All winners from Yahoo! Purple Hunt phase 2, 3, and 4 were recognized during the evening finale event.



Those who did not win in the footrace also got Globe Tattoo kits. For those who were not able to get their prize, please expect the event organizer, Youthopia, to contact you in a day or two on the collection of your consolation prize.



Congratulations Yahoo! Purple Hunters!

Also, there are a lot of feedback received from you on problems encountered during the event and how the Purple Hunt can be further improved. You can e-mail purple-hunt-ph@yahoo-inc.com and a Yahoo! representative shall respond.


Yahoo Purple Hunt Honda Jazz Winner - Calvin Galgana @ Yahoo! Video



Erliza Karen Cabisidan bagged 2nd prize at Yahoo Purple Hunt @ Yahoo! Video



Jemuel del Valle bagged 3rd prize at Yahoo Purple Hunt footrace @ Yahoo! Video


New Vision Dance group at Yahoo Purple Hunt Grand Finale @ Yahoo! Video

More than 1000 Yahoo Purple Hunters at Bonifacio High Street

More than 1000 Yahoo Purple Hunters started coverging as early as 7 am to participate in the crack the code portion of phase 4. In total, more than 200 were able to crack the code and a raffle was held to know who will be able to join the footrace.


Gary Samios Uy at Yahoo Purple Hunt Crack the Code @ Yahoo! Video


Jacqueline Lubrica cracks the code at Yahoo Purple Hunt Grand Finale @ Yahoo! Video


Midnight Purple Hunters @ Yahoo! Video

The footrace required the Yahoo Purple Hunters to visit several pitstop and perform a challenge that includes making a puzzle, moving purple marbles using a chopstick, make a balloon hat, finishing a cold drink, among others. In the less than an hour, the race was finished as one Yahoo Purple Hunter found the car.

Many thanks to all Yahoo Purple Hunters who joined this activity. To my fellow Purple Crew / Power Users, I'm gonna miss you guys. Let's keep in touch.

It feels great to meet, be part, of an active and proud Yahoo users community! Rock on!

Purple College Workshops by Power Users

A lot of the Yahoo! Purple Hunters joined the Yahoo! Purple Hunt grand finale earlier today, July 25, and also attended the Purple College Workshops by Power Users.

Many thanks to everyone who attended my session on Blogging and Social Networking 101 (Tips & Techniques in Building an Online Community). Here are some notes that can be of help too:

• Yahoo as a blogging & social networking platform
• Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs Writing Project

For those who would like to learn more, I have a blogging and social networking workshop series happening on August 10 to 12 that covers this subject too.

My fellow power users Jimmy Hilario also did a talk on "How to take professional photos using an amateur camera". Followed by Jobar Pensica on "Creating and managing a community of photo-enthusiasts".

Yahoo Purple Crew Jobarracuda won TV 5 Evening News Contest

in black & white, originally uploaded by jobarracuda.

Fellow Purple Crew Jobarracuda just won in the photo contest initiated by the TV 5's The Evening News (TEN). He competed against more than 400 participants in this photo montage contest - where 5 photos on the topic social realism got submitted.

Here is the story behind the photo according to Jobar:

I was shopping at Baguio market when this little girl approached me, asking that she'll carry my bag for some money. I told her that I'll just take a photo of her and she doesn't have to carry my bag.

"Isang kuha lang po ha" (just one photo sir).

I smiled and took a shot as fast as i can because i didn't want her to change her mind.

She was so happy and surprised that i gave her 50 pesos (1 dollar). Most of the time they get 10 or 20 pesos in every bag they carry....and most are heavy shopping bags.

"Kuya nagkamali po kayo" (brother you made a mistake.)

Offering back the money.

"No I didn't", I said. "That is really for you."

Then i went my way praying that the photo i took of her was alright.

Congratulations Jobar!

Yahoo! Purple Hunt Phase 4: Guess the location of the Purple Hunt Grand Finale Event

The Yahoo Purple Hunt Phase 4 just kicked off last July 14. The microsite has began falling apart to reveal the secret location of the Purple Hunt grand finale event on July 25.

Purple Hunters will have to guess the location and input on the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite anytime from July 14 to 24.

Those who will get it correctly shall receive a confirmation e-mail. Only Purple Hunters with the confirmation e-mail have the chance to participate in the footrace.

Mechanics of the Footrace:

1. People must bring the confirmation e-mails and be at the location at 9am wearing purple. You must be 18 and above to qualify.
   
2. Registration will be from 9 am to 10:30 am.
   
3. From 10:30-1:00 pm, registered Purple Hunters will go through a skill based test to shortlist 40 people for the footrace. This will require you to hack the microsite by clicking on clues combination. Watch this video to have an idea about it.
   
   
   
4. At 1 pm, the shortlisted Purple Hunters will be brief on the footrace.
   
5. From 2-5 pm, the 40 shortlisted Purple Hunters will participate in the footrace to find the Honda Jazz Purple Car.
   
   During the footrace, the 40 shortlisted Purple Hunters will have to visit several pitstop, perform a challenge, and get the next clue until the car is reached. Note that each pitstop will have a challenge that needs to be performed well. Anyone caught cheating will automatically be disqualifed.
   
   Once the car gets found, the whole race shall end. The top three (3) shall get the following:
   
   

WeeWillDoodle with Yahoo! Philippines @ Yahoo! Video

1st place

2nd place

3rd place

Note as well that:

1. Anyone from the Philippines, who was able to guess the exact location at the microsite, can join for as long as they are in Manila on July 25 during the actual footrace.
2. Phase 2 (Canon Camera) and 3 (Blackberry Smartphone) winners can still qualify to compete for phase 4.
3. Note that this is not on a first come, first serve basis.
4. The picture that is now in the site will not be replaced and shall be gradually unveiled.

Meanwhile from 12 pm - 6 pm, there will be plenty of activities at the venue, such as the following:

• Purplescape Exhibition
• Purplize Your World
• Purple College Workshops
• Project Purple Showcase
• Purple Lounge
• Interactive Games

The event will start to wind down from 6-9pm where there’ll be a prize presentation for phases 2 (Canon Camera), 3 (Blackberry Smartphone), and 4 winners, a finale programme and a Purple concert with local talents performing.

Note that unlike in the last two phases, I won't be giving out exact address tips as phase 4 is very competitive. However, I will be helping you guys out by seeding a clue a day here. If you know the answer, type in your answer at the microsite to get a confirmation e-mail.

1. The location was featured in phase 3 (Blackberry Smartphone) (July 14 clue)
2. The Purple Crew visited this location to give away Yahoo Swags. (July 15 clue)
3. I was there on the first day to give away Yahoo Swags. (July 17 clue)

Good luck to all Purple Hunters! See you at the Purple Hunt Grand Finale Event on July 25. I shall be covering the event the whole day. Will post pictures and videos here.

Yahoo Purple Hunt Phase 3 Winners: 6 BlackBerry Storm smartphones

BlackBerry Storm Smartphone, originally uploaded by ThePurpleHunt.

Just like to give Purple Hunters a heads-up that Yahoo! just announced the winners of the BlackBerry Storm Smartphone (phase 3) in the Purple Crew Yahoo Groups. They are:

1. Jennilyn Tanciangco
2. Sylvia Oronce
3. Germie Florendo
4. Alwedjh Obenario
5. Coralyn De Castro
6. Eleonor Priscilla Garcia

Congratulations Purple Hunters! See you at the grand finale this Saturday!

Get Yahoo! Swags - It's Easy When it's Purple!

I was at Krispy Kreme Bonifacio High Street and Glorietta last July 3 and 10 to meet and greet the Purple Hunters. Congratulations to the winners of the shirts! Fun to meet the midnight hunters too who came in full force during this activity.

The Purple Crew visited Krispy Kreme Bonifacio High Street (July 3), Starbucks Market Market (July 4), Krispy Kreme Glorietta (July 10), and Krispy Kreme Trinoma (July 11) where Yahoo! swags were given out to those who mentioned the magic keyphrase "It’s Easy when it’s Purple".

Team Manila joins Yahoo!’s Project Purple, originally uploaded by Jem Seow.

Some of these swags were the Limited Edition Team Manila T-shirts, Yahoo Purple Hunt ID lace, Yahoo! pins, and paper doll flyers. The activity was part of the Yahoo Purple Hunt promotions.

Get to know the Purple Crew!

Yahoo Purple Hunt BlackBerry Smartphone #6: University Santo Tomas

Day 3 b, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

This is the oldest and largest university in the Philippines.

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt BlackBerry Smartphone #6: UST

Day 2 b , originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

This is the oldest university in the Philippines and has been visited by 2 Popes 3 times.

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt BlackBerry Smartphone #6: St. Thomas Aquinas

Day 1 a, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

St. Thomas Aquinas is the Patron of this location. The location is home of the Growling Tigers and Salinggawi Dancers.

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt BlackBerry Smartphone #5: Sharks

Day 3 c, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

The floor space at this location is 8000 sq m with a 220 degree curved tunnel.

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt BlackBerry Smartphone #5: behind the Quirino Grandstand

Day 2 b, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

The Purple Crew is at a location is behind the Quirino Grandstand. The place seems to have a lot of water around!

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt Phase 2 Winners: 6 Canon Dugutak IXUS cameras

Canon Dugutak IXUS, originally uploaded by ThePurpleHunt.

Just like to give Purple Hunters a heads-up that Yahoo! just announced the winners of the digital camera (phase 2) in the Purple Crew Yahoo Groups. They are:

1. Franze Ramirez (Mobile number: +63916.992.xxxx)
2. Tristan Jerick Reyes (Mobile number: +63929.358.xxxx)
3. Antonio Victor Velasco (Mobile number: +63917.829.xxxx)
4. Francesca Cruz (Mobile number: +63906.214.xxxx)
5. Marileen Moral (Mobile number: +63927.790.xxxx)
6. Joan Lyn Matawaran (Mobile number: +63917.733.xxxx)

Congratulations Purple Hunters!

Yahoo! Swags at DigitalFilipino Club & Bloggers Meet-up Bacolod, Cebu, & Davao

I've been able to get some Yahoo! swags to be given out during the DigitalFilipino.com Club & Bloggers Meet-Up sponsored by PAGCOR in Bacolod, Cebu, and Davao. Of course, bloggers should mention the magic keyphrase in order to get the goodies.

They are scheduled to be held in Casino Filipino Bacolod (July 4), Casino Filipino Cebu (July 11), and Casino Filipino Davao (July 18).

See you friends!

Yahoo Purple Hunt BlackBerry Smartphone #5: China Oceanis Philippines Inc.

Day 1 c, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

This location was first opened in March 2008 and owned by China Oceanis Philippines Inc.

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt BlackBerry Smartphone #4: Triangle North of Manila

Day 3 b, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

Construction started for this site in June 2005 and the project name was North Triangle Mall. The mall's name comes from its shape & location… Triangle North of Manila.

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt BlackBerry Smartphone #4: reverse waterfall

Day 2 c, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

This mall boasts having 7 water features including a reverse waterfall. It also has a roof top park.

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt BlackBerry Smartphone #4: 550 stores

Day 1 b, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

It might be hard to track the Purple Crew down. This location is on a 20 hectare site! There are over 550 stores at this mall.

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt BlackBerry Smartphone #3: Market! Market!

Day 3 b, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

The Purple Crew is at Market! Market! within Bonifacio Global City.

Type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt BlackBerry Smartphone #3: 2!

Day 2 b, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

The Purple Crew is shopping in the retail zones, flower and fruit market, or enjoying regional hawker fare. The mall has 2 !'s in its name.

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt BlackBerry Smartphone #3: mall name that ends with ET!

Day 1 b, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

The Purple Crew is in a mall owned by the Zobel de Ayala family. Geographically 14 32 58 North of the equator!

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt Blackberry Smartphone #2: Quad

Day 3 a, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

The Purple Crew can be found in a place formerly known as QUAD. There are 5 sections to this location.

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

The Purple Hunt Power Users during Yahoo! Project Purple unveiled atAyala Museum

The Power Users from Purple Hunt, originally uploaded by Jem Seow.

Last May 26, 2009 Yahoo! unveiled “Project Purple” including the popular Pinoy artists, top Philippine and global companies pledged their support for the campaign.

With me are: Anne Flores (Yahoo Answers power user), Jimmy Hilario (Flickr power user), Lai Legaspi (Yahoo Answers power user), and Lynn Chong (Yahoo!).

Yahoo!’s Project Purple limited edition t-shirts now available!

Team Manila joins Yahoo!’s Project Purple, originally uploaded by Jem Seow.

Wow! I'm excited to see these actual shirts and wear them soon!

As a continuation of Project Purple, Yahoo! today announced that Team Manila has joined the social movement by creating two exclusive limited edition T-shirts which harness its inspiration from Filipino heritage and the young-Pinoy’s penchant for the internet.

Team Manila’s designs were influenced by famous characters from Jose Rizal’s novel “Noli Me Tangere” and common colloquialisms by modern Pinoys. Both t-shirts will be available at PHP 550 starting today at Team Manila’s retail stores at the Archeology wing, 2nd Floor Rockwell, 2nd Floor Mall of Asia, Jupiter store in Bel-Air Makati, and soon at the 3rd Floor in Trinoma.

Yahoo!’s Project Purple, a social movement that powers Pinoy passions by encouraging Filipinos to be creative and innovative in expression, is an effort that links and strengthens Yahoo!’s brand promise to transform the lives of people, societies and economies. Team Manila joins a roster of brands that have supported the movement - Ayala Land, Inc., BlackBerryÒ, Canon Philippines, Globe Telecom, Honda Cars Philippines Inc., Krispy Kreme Philippines, and Nestle Philippines.

Yahoo Purple Hunt Blackberry Smartphone #2: MRT Ayala Station

Day 2 a, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

The Purple Crew location is near the MRT Ayala Station, SM Department Store Makati, Rustan’s and Landmark.

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the Yahoo Purple Hunt microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Enjoying the Yahoo Purple Hunt!

Last April, I got contacted by Jonas who formerly worked for Yehey and is now with Yahoo! in relation to the upcoming Yahoo! Purple Hunt. He was tapping me as a power user of Yahoo Groups. I agreed for the following reasons:

1. Doing this for the love of Yahoo!
   DigitalFilipino would not have grown and stayed up to this day without its discussion group turned mailing list community hosted in Yahoo Groups.
   
2. Now or never
   I want to be part of this unique experience because there may not be a 2nd chance to do so.
   
3. Learn from it
   Anyone who is into social network marketing can learn a lot from this experience as the whole hunt tapped into the various communities, platforms, and relationship of users.
   
4. Meet new people
   Being in touch with fellow users allowed me to make new friends. For me, that is the greatest value of it all.

This whole Yahoo! Purple Hunt will be over by July 25. I'm very thankful to be part of this amazing experience. To all Purple Hunters, good luck!

Yahoo Purple Hunt Blackberry Smartphone #2: Hotel Intercontinental

Day 1 c, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

The Purple Crew location is near the Hotel Intercontinental. If you know where it is, type in the location address at the microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt Blackberry Smartphone #2: Makati City

Day 1 b, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

The Purple Crew is somewhere in Makati City.

If you know where it is, type in the location address at the microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Yahoo Purple Hunt Blackberry Smartphone #1: BHS

3 b, originally uploaded by purple crew purple hunt clues.

The Purple Crew is enjoying Krispy Kreme doughnuts at a place with the initial BHS. It is near to an army camp. Same place as you can find a giant blue bear. This place is owned by the Ayala family. Type in the location address at the microsite to win.

Six (6) BlackBerry Smartphones will be given away in this phase 3 of the Yahoo! Purple Hunt.

Buy & sell blog advertising through 3rd party - Blogsvertise

Blogsvertise is an interesting blog advertising platform for advertisers who wants options and assistance such as:

• Be able to post blog reviews, homepage text link, and homepage banner opportunities.
  
  
• Purchase campaigns on a fix rate of US$20 per blog. Blogsvertise will match up the requirement to bloggers and do the necessary placement.
  
  
• Advertisers who wants more control and choose where to place ads can request their account to be upgraded to power user. Cost per blog can vary from US$4 to US$50 per post.
  
  
• Advertisers can pay through credit card and Paypal.
  

Bloggers on the other hand are given 5 days to accept or decline an ad assignment. If accepted, the completed work must be given during the same period.

Payment is also given 30 days after the assignment is completed. Of all the blog advertising networks I have joined, my highest decline rate is with this one. (5 reasons why I decline blog post assignments) Despite the challenge, I still find this network very much worthy to be in.

My Casino Filipino Internet gaming station experience

Last April 12, I decided to start playing badminton again and realized that there is actually an online casino in our area. Since I've been doing a lot of web reviews of various casino sites, decided to visit one of these gaming station and have a feel of the game.

I asked for a recommendation and the slot game PayDirt was suggested. Minimum playing fund is five hundred pesos (P500). Based on what I read so far, realized that:

• Playing small, like the minimum bet or line, will likely not yield you any winnings. You must go all the way, maximum possibilities for winning, to increase your chances.
  
  
• Have a good capital so that you can stay long enough and increase your chances.
  

As I resumed with my site reviews again after, admittedly, it changed the way I looked at the site and analyzed the write-ups more.

So we'll see how I'm going to perform next time.

Buy & sell Twitter post through 3rd party: Magpie

Last year, I made a blog post about an April Fool's Joke - PayPerTweet. Its possibility as a service was inevitable. Today, Magpie offers an opportunity for Twitter users to monetize their accounts by allowing the site to post an ad tweet.


Advertisers can sign up with Magpie and do the following:

• can create a conversational-tone campaign that gets twitted (in an automated manner) by Twitter users who are part of the network.
  
  
• based on keywords used by the advertiser, the system automatically matches the twitter users who also post based on those keyword topics.
  
  
• set a budget. By default, campaigns on a per view basis although other arrangements can be made like per sale, per lead, among others.
  

Twitter users can either automatically approve all ads or manually approve them. Fees are earned through per view, per click, per sale, per lead, among others. In my case, I prefer per view.

Once your earned fees reached 50 euros, this can now be transferred to your Paypal account. Another option is to re-purpose the credits and place ads.

When joining this service, I kept the following as setting:

• Ads only appear after the 10th post. Since I don't twit extensively, I avoid the scenario where my account displays an ad on a daily basis.
  
  
• Don't remove the prefix declaring the twit as an advertisement.
  
  
• Be relevant in one's twitter post and interact with others. Otherwise your twitter account will lose value and may even lose followers.
  

Make Facebook Fluff work for you

With Easter just around the corner, Facebook Fluff users are busy again visiting friends to look for Easter eggs. If you are an active marketer, you can take this opportunity to make your Fluff work for you.


I dressed up my Toitoi fluff to actively pitch the upcoming Social Networking & eBusiness Conference this April 23 & 24 so that those whom we get to pet, give gifts, and harvest Easter eggs from will get to see it.

I first tried this out last year as Toitoi promoted my book Blogging from Home.

So if you have a Fluff, make it work for you like promoting your blog or any other project.

Buy & sell blog reviews through 3rd party - Sponsored Reviews

Late last year, after releasing the book Blogging from Home, I often receive questions on how can blog sites be monetized. I decided to join several programs and participate actively to have enough personal experience whenever information sharing is required. One of those programs is Sponsored Reviews.


For advertisers, Sponsored Reviews uniquely allows you to:

• Place opportunity directly to bloggers or put them in the marketplace. Interested bloggers will have to bid for them giving you the chance to screen and approve.
  
  
• An advertisement is not limited to one link. You can have several and require bloggers to link them all up.

Although in the process, the only risk for advertisers in going through the bidding process is that it must recognize that not all are active participants in it. Personally, I tried posting a few bids and when none have replied, I just got contented waiting for opportunities to come to me.

For bloggers, Sponsored Reviews gives a higher payout which is 65% and releases them twice a month.

Buy & sell blog reviews through 3rd party - ReviewMe

ReviewMe is the first blog review site I joined last November 2006. What makes the service unique, of all other sites offering similar services, is that ReviewMe requires a disclosure. This means all blog reviews must state one way or another that the said post is paid for.

Advertisers can place a campaign in 3 ways.

• Marketplace.
  Choose and place targeted ads on a per blog basis.
  
  
• Advertiser-offered reviews
  Offer a campaign that contains your requirements, budget, and category or theme of blogs relevant to you. Minimum amount per post is ten dollars (US$10).
  
  
• Advertorials
  Full control of the advertisement text and click tracking for performance measurement.

Half or 50% of what advertisers pay is given to bloggers.

Bloggers can earn from ReviewMe through acceptance and participation of the campaigns listed above. I also observed the following:

• The advertiser-offered reviews or campaigns area has a lot of opportunities listed in it where minimum pay-out is five dollars (US$5). One must constantly monitor it if you are eager in getting high payout opportunities.
  
  
• ReviewMe allows bloggers to accept 40 campaign offers a month. This means that those who are aggressive in monitoring and getting opportunities can earn a minimum of two hundred dollars (US$200) from it (@US$5 each). If you only get those that pay at least ten dollars (US$10), then your monthly earning potential doubles to four hundred dollars (US$400).
  
  
• Payouts are done monthly so this requires also budgeting on your part.
  

Marketplace and advertorial opportunities are a bit limited. I guess this is partly because most advertisers are in a position to contact the blogger directly if they want to negotiate the rates further.

Tough to break-in

I heard feedback from fellow bloggers on how their blogs did not qualify to join ReviewMe for several reasons. This means that one has to really work hard in building their site and get the approval desired.

This funnel process benefits advertisers knowing the bloggers they are dealing with are serious enough.