Thursday, July 30, 2009

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.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

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.

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.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

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:
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".

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

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:



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

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!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

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".


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.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

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.

Friday, July 03, 2009

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

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!

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., BlackBerryÃ’, 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.

Thursday, July 02, 2009

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.