(Originally published as a column piece on Jan. 30, 2007)
AS you might expect, in recent months every time I or another INQUIRER.net editor or reporter attends a press conference, people usually ask us what’s happened to INQ7.net and why INQUIRER.net has been reborn. The questions we encounter include: “Is INQ7.net dead?” “Nag-divorce na ba ang Inquirer at GMA 7?” “Will the website now be folded back and INQ7 employees absorbed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer?” and “Hey, do you guys still have a job?”
I think a number of rumors have been running around, and people have been speculating — some out of genuine curiosity and concern, others less innocently — about the fate of INQ7.net. So here’s the chance to set the record straight, officially, in our own site.
No, INQ7.net is not dead. While the INQ7 servers are currently unavailable, the site will be, as both parties have announced, the portal to INQUIRER.net , which is the official homepage of the Philippine Daily Inquirer group of publications, and GMANews.tv, the official site of GMA News and Public Affairs.
A divorce? INQ7 Interactive Inc. is still a company and will be managing the INQ7.net portal, which remains a partnership between the Inquirer and GMA Network.
And no, INQ7 employees will not be absorbed by print. A new company, composed of all the members of the existing INQ7 team, has been formed and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This company, known as Inquirer Interactive Inc., is a new subsidiary and will be the online arm of the Inquirer group of publications. So yup, nothing has changed. The same people will be running the company and managing INQUIRER.net, which will be introducing new content and services and announcing partnerships over the next few weeks and months.
In fact, we’ve been busy the past few weeks unveiling some of these new INQUIRER.net services. As you’ve read in Erwin Oliva’s Infotech article, in partnership with Bitstop’s eRadioportal.com, we’ve unveiled Radio on INQUIRER.net. This allows readers to enjoy streaming audio from close to 40 radio stations, whose sites will now be able to get Breaking News from INQUIRER.net.
Prior to that, hackenslash, the gaming site of INQUIRER.net, launched its hackenslash TV service in December and created a channel on YouTube for online videos produced by INQUIRER.net. Readers can keep visiting http://youtube.com/inquirerdotnet to check out new videos.
Today, the first video for our Breaking News section, which reporter Erwin Oliva took, was posted on INQUIRER.net’s YouTube channel, showing Chiz Escudero filing his candidacy as a senatorial candidate of the United Opposition.
I won’t preempt the other announcements we will make. All I can say is that INQUIRER.net has been reborn, and stay tuned for more content and services from Inquirer Interactive Inc. and our partners.
And, yup, as you may have gleaned from all this, we all still have our jobs, thank you very much. Sorry to disappoint some people.
Now enough talking. It’s time to kick some ass.
* * *
OK, now I’ll let our readers do most of the talking, heh.
Here are some of the reactions to last week’s column piece Why Pinoy bloggers, game developers are new breed of heroes.
These readers gave INQUIRER.net permission to publish their reactions, names and e-mail addresses.
Here’s the message from Nathan M (natmaliwat@gmail.com):
“I read your article at the INQ site and I agree with your view on the government depending too much on remittances. You are right. We are sacrificing talents for remittances which are not really a long-term solution to our struggling economy The government should not only recognize OFW heroes, which only makes overseas work more attractive to talented but starving Filipinos, but also those who stay. I agree with you that we should invest more on nation building because nationalism can get us farther than remittances.”
Thanks, Nathan, I really appreciate your message, and hope that the government will heed your call.
From Spain comes this message Senior Pablo (seniorpablo@gmail.com):
“Hi Joey,
“I agree with some of your points, but thinking that jobs will migrate to us (Philippines) instead [of us]… migrat[ing] for jobs will happen if we have enough resources. Where can we loan money so we can develop software? Who will sponsor us if we need to do something which is important or groundbreaking? Have you not seen the scientist which the DOST turn[ed] down since there is not enough funding…
“Those who stay in the Philippines are quite brave… or maybe they have enough resources to feed their family. We the OFW are forced to go out of our country since we try to do a living in the Philippines but it’s not enough. You can see that every OFW [is] very happy when returning home since of all the places they still choose [to live in] the Philippines. I too will still love to retire in my homeland, but not yet.
“I wish you [will] stay in [the] Philippines to remind everyone that there is still hope in our homeland. There are still jobs that can support our cost of living. Keep on writing and keep on blogging!”
Here’s what I e-mailed him:
“It’s a heartfelt letter, and I thank you because, particularly in the online world, it’s becoming rare for people to disagree with another’s opinion in such a civil manner. I also thank you because I know how hard it is to work abroad, and that you are all making a sacrifice for your loved ones and for our country.
“I agree, getting the resources for game development and blog outsourcing won’t happen overnight. Which is why those who can afford to stay ideally should stay in the country.
“I don’t blame OFWs for making the decision to leave — I blame successive administrations that have seemingly been content to let our countrymen seek greener pastures elsewhere, paying lip service to OFWs as heroes but only really remembering them when there’s a photo op, or it’s Christmas, or it’s time to solicit their votes.”
Of course, as if proving my point that it’s becoming rare for some people to be civil or rational in presenting opposing views, you also get gems like this one from a reader using the nick Diamond Life (smooth_operator1991@yahoo.com). I’m presenting this unedited, and yup, I asked him if this could be published so that readers will benefit from the wisdom of a winner like him, and yup, he agreed to have his e-mail published:
“Non sense (sic) article… why you IT writers is so devoid of the facts? hilaw naman ang pagkakaalam nyo, napakababaw ng technical na alam nyo tapos kung magsalita kayo sa article nyo kala nyo mga henyo sa computer.
“truth is, philippines gaming sucks… lagging behind and you portray it like the PH has/is the best??
“One thing you’re right though, bright people leave the country so all that is left are LOSERS…like you.. kunwari ka pa sabi mo
“Im not saying I’ll never work abroad, but right now I’m choosing to stay here.”
“truth is, WALA KA KASI OFFER cause you’re a LOSER and now you are trying to imply that you LOSERS are better cause you stay there and propping up the economy…ha ha.. grow up..”
I was civil in asking this person permission to reprint his or her message, but I don’t think I need to respond to this kind of flame baiting — it comes with the territory, and you get used to hate mail. I leave it to the readers to decide for themselves what kind of person would send messages like this, and why some people think being anonymous online gives them the license to be boorish.
How brave would people be, I wonder, if they had to give their real names and say it to your face?
