May 2007 Archives

GLOBAL Voices Online reports that Egyptian blogger Abdulmonem Mahmood will be f reed. Here's an excerpt from the Global Voices Online ent ry:

A recent clampdown on Egyptian bloggers encompassed bloggers of dif ferent political orientations. Egyptian blogger Abdul Monem Mahmood who has been detained for 46 days on politic al allegations belongs to the banned Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. However, vari ous bloggers of different backgrounds showed support to Monem without discrimin ation.

According to Monemâs blog, he is in jail under inhuman conditions, denied to attend his post-graduate studies exams and barely succeeded in visiti ng his ailing father few days ago. Egyptian bloggers received the news of Monemâs release with apprehension reflec ting the amount of distrust in the Egyptian security. Nora Younis said âthe release decision came as surpri se like the detention orderâ¦I am still apprehensive. I wonât congratulate Mone m before I see him with my eyes.â

GOOD to hear that the libel case against popular Filipino blogger Abe Olandres has been dismissed. Here's an excerpt from INQUIRER.net reporter and fellow Blog Addict Erwin Oliva's Infotech article:

MANILA, Philippines -- The libel case filed against RP Nuclei Solutio ns and Filipino blogger Abe Olandres has been dismissed, according to an e-mail ed statement sent to media by Olandresâ lawyer.

âThe Office of the City Prosecutor in Pasig recently dismissed the li bel case filed by a certain Joel Aquino against RP Nuclei Solutions and Abe Ola ndres,â it said.

RP Nuclei Solutions was included in the complaint as the alleged server or host at ' greedyolddumbass.com,' an Internet forum where the alleged libelous comme nts had been made," according to the statement.

I HAVE to apologize for the long silence. But I want to offer you 10 reasons no t to blog:

1. You're too busy working.
2. You don't have an Internet connection for days.
3. You're out on vacation.
4. Your laptop or PC is broken.
5. You're just too lazy.
6. Your mind has been zapped by Sylar.
7. You're LOST in translation.
8. You forgot your username and password.
9. You're Hiro Nakamura, and you've accidentally time travelled to the Stone Age.
10. You're too busy saving the cheerleader. ;-)

I HAVE recently experienced a phenomenon over at my personal blog, where I had casually invited a few photographer friends to a cosplay shoot with Jerry Polen ce over at the Intramuros Golf Club on a Sunday afternoon. Where I had estimate d that about five or six people would come (we were around that number at 1:45 p.m.), we ended up with a total of over forty five photographers from different photo organizations. For a few minutes I was greatly overwhelmed and panicked over the situation but then, after gaining some composure, realized that this is a proof of concept o f how viral marketing works in the Philippines: from blog post to forum thread to an SMS campaign. At least for this case. I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out how such a thing could happen. Either (1) the post was made at the right time when no other photo events were occuring (2) nobody ever shot cosplay before so this was something different. Then I started to analyze the posting patterns. I first made the announcement back in May 12 with a follow-up on Ma y 18. The comments and signups only started in May 17 and peaked after the second reminder. I also found out that there was a cosp lay event the day before at the Mall of Asia side by side with "Eat Bulaga!" an d there were photographers there too. My findings do indicate that there were point persons involved with spreading t he word, who are "trusted and credible" sources of information. There was even an SMS campaign thanks to Eric Isaac. These would be y our online forum mavens and connectors, as Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point would refer to them. The quality of relationships, and not just the message itself, is what matters. As a blogger, I have learned that there is an offline component to your bloggin g. Attending blog events and networking with people to reinforce your positive self-concept as well as making the sincere effort to make new friends is one ke y to a successful blogging career.

A SCHOOL professor from the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU ) has cited the potential of blogging in distance education in the Philippines during an international conference titled "Living in the Information Society: t he Impact of ICTs on People, Work, and Communities in Asia." Former UPOU Dean of the Faculty of Development Studies Dr. Paz Diaz said in her presentation, "Blogging as a Strategy for Teaching and Learning" noted that th e use of blogs has several advantages to both students and teachers. In particular, Diaz said that through blogging, students and teachers are able to share ideas and discuss topics beyond the classroom. Students are also able to catch up on the topics that were missed in class thro ugh blogs, which also provide accurate summaries of course content that prospec tive students and new teachers can use as reference. On the other hand, Diaz noted in her paper that blogging is still in its infanc y as a tool for education. She added that teachers should be encouraged to init iate blogging among their students. "Some believe that blogging will be a good strategy for teaching, but are still to take the steps toward reaping the benefits of blogging in their classes," D iaz said. Meanwhile, another paper titled "Modes of Learning and Performance Among UPOU 2 06 Graduate Students" revealed that learners of online, classroom and mix-mode perform at the same level. It also revealed that graduate students have high sa tisfaction with distance learning. The study, co-authored by UPOU Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Victoria Ba utista and UP researcher Dr. Maria Ana Quimbo, also revealed that the positive response of students to new modes of distance education is due to teachers' ini tiatives to interact with students as well as with their peers.

AT LEAST, that's what Singapore is thinking. Then again, the Lion City is one o f the world's most technologically-advanced nations. Here's an excerpt from the Agence France-Presse story:

SINGAPORE--Blogs are replacing blackboards as Singapore moves high- technology into its classrooms as teaching tools, newspapers reported Wednesday .

Under the FutureSchools@Singapore program, blogs, video-conferencin g, tablet PCs, podcasts, 3-D software and interactive whiteboards will be avail able for learning, The Straits Times reported. Five schools in the city state have been selected to pioneer the use of innovat ive teaching methods that harness info-communication technologies (ICT), the ed ucation ministry confirmed in a press release.

Check out the Fu tureSchools@Singapore site for more details.

CHECK out Toni's blog Wifely Steps, where she details the never-ending adventures of married life. Here's an excerpt from her latest post:

Cute game alert! Iâve been enjoying this game called RayRa y Parade because of the cute little characters. Itâs a game of logic. The little RayRays run towards the center of the screen in various formations a nd flash their cute tummies when you solve the puzzle.

Wifely Steps won as Be st Home and Living Blog in the 2007 Philippine Blog Awards, where I got to meet her. Hope to talk to you again soon, Toni :)

CHECK out this article by Cathy S. Babao-Guballa, who writes about moms who blog. Excerpt:

There was a time in my recent past when I was so burnt out I thought I had lost the gift to write. Blogging has helped me find myself again.

My primary blog "Midlife Mysteries" (www.nancydrewandme.blogspot.com) talks a bout "everything warm, wise and wonderful about the life of a 40-something moth er, wife and writer," and I belong to several blog communities such as Christia n Women Online (w ww.christianwomenonline.net) and locally, the Pinoy Moms Network (www.pinoymomsnetwork.com). Blogging is a form of therapy. It is a way of processing one's inner thoughts a nd feelings and finding other like-minded individuals on the journey.

HERE'S an excerpt from the Agence France-Press story:

SUVA, Fiji--Fiji's military has blocked access to several web sites that contained damaging allegations against the army and members of the interi m government, a senior officer said Friday. Fiji Land Force Commander Col. Pita Driti said access was cut Thursday to the W eb journals, or blogs, which he said were full of lies and a threat to national security. The military-led government imposed a state of emergency on the South Pacific n ation on Dec. 6--the day after armed forces Commodore Frank Bainimarama seized power in a bloodless coup, sacking the democratic government. It was Fiji's fou rth coup in 20 years.

ABE OLANDRES a.k.a. yuga has signed a contract with Auction.ph. Will bloggers become the next wave of product endorsers? Well, that's better th an journalists who are also product endorsers.

OK, how many saw it coming? After getting bloggers riled, David Bullard has la unched his own official Sunday Times blog. Here's an excerpt from one his blog entries:

What a week. I write a wildly exaggerated piece about bloggers for the Sunday Times and what do I find when I return from a weekendâs sojour n? Pandemonium, thatâs what. The strange thing is that so many bloggers readily identified with the scrofulous nerd description so maybe I hit a raw wound. Th en the bloggers started responding, which convinced me of several things

1. The original article was either not read or understood;
2. Emotion trumps reason on most blogs;
3. A sense of humour is a rare commodity within the blogosphere;
4. The print media has absolutely nothing to fear from the blogosphere at the moment.

THE US military has issued new rules that inhibit soldiers from bloggi ng and restrict their access to websites. According to this editorial, however, military blogging has its purpose. Excerpt:

One of the more interesting sources of information on Iraq and Afgh anistan has been the energetic community of military bloggers. Many who serve i n combat zones relate experiences in Web diaries. Now, in a misguided move, the Army is curbing the âmilbloggers.â Army officials also offered contradictory interpretations of what the new rules require.

CHECK out the entry tingog.com posted on the Eleksyon 2007Â Blog. Here's an excerpt:

THERE is no doubt that this election is different from previous ele ctions that we have had before. With the rise of the Web 2.0 phenomenon and the increasing access that Filipinos have to video cell phones, camera phones, as well as the Internet, we are in a better position to behave like citizen journa lists. So, when I say bring your weapons, Iâm not telling you to bring guns and ammuni tion. What I am advocating is that during Election Day, during the counting, an d the days after, be vigilant.

HEH, good thing I'm officially blogging for INQUIRER.net :) Security experts are warning companies about the risks posed by employees who u se their corporate laptops and other office-issued mobile devices for blogging. Here's an excerpt from the SearchSecurity.com story:

He noted there are approximately 100 million blogs across cyberspac e and many of them are used by organized criminal outfits to push gambling and pornography. When an employee does personal blogging on a company machine and c orporate email account, blog databases are able to suck in a wealth of email da ta. Digital miscreants can then use sophisticated data mining software to scan the blogs for proprietary information that may be sitting in some of those stor ed messages, he said.

"They can analyze millions of messages and use what they find -- tr ade secrets, for example -- for hostile purposes," he said. Over time, he said, online thieves can take seemingly unimportant details from those blog messages and piece them together in a way that allows them to see th e big picture of what a company may be up to. Ulsch said companies need to start taking the blogging phenomenon more seriousl y from a security perspective, and that a good starting point is to put a blog restriction policy in place.

HECK, even pandas are blog addicts, heh. Le Le and Ying Ying, two pandas who have just arrived at Ocean Park in Hong Kong from mainland China , now have their own blog. Here's an excerpt from the Khaleej Times Online story:

The male Le Le was credited with the first posting, which said he h ad "officially joined the big family of Hong Kong" when he and Ying Ying arrive d in the former British colony April 24 as a gift from the Chinese government t o celebrate the 10th anniversary of the territoryâs return to Chinese rule. The posting, which can be found at www.oceanpark.com.hk, described the pandas' first day at their new home at the Ocean Park theme park: âWe were so happy and excited about our new environment. Ying Ying even displayed her naughty and cu rious nature by climbing up and down all the time, and she walked around the ne w home. "To adapt to the new environment as soon as possible, our caregivers played wat er-flowing and bird-singing sounds to imitate the environment of nature."

DAVID BULLARD'S recent column "Name and shame offen sive bloggers" on Sunday Times has stirred the blogosphere. Vincent Maher did not mince words, as he answered every point made by Bullard. He says:

"I hereby dub this Bullardgate. David Bullard launched an at tack on bloggers in the Sunday Times today that cannot be allowed to stand. His invective is simply not acceptable from a journalist of the calibre he cla ims to be."

Poynter Institute's Amy Gahran also highlighted this recent row, and has even pointed to more reactions from bloggers and journalists alike. She writes:

My opinion: It strikes me as ironic that Bullard wrote in his now-i nfamous column: "Unlike the world of newsprint, there are no rules out there in the blogosphere and that makes it a very confusing place." Hmmm... Looking ove r Bullard's grossly misinformed generalizations and borderline hate speech, I'v e got to wonder: Exactly which "newsprint rules" applied at the Sunday Times in deciding whether to run this particular column? Regardless of what you think of weblogs, it seems to me that bald-faced bigotry of any kind should have no place in a responsible news organization. Bullard has compared "most bloggers" to air guitars of journalism. Air guitar d escribes an act that mimics the actual playing of a guitar without the instrume nt. He writes:

Allow me to explain what I mean. I used to play air guitar with a b and called Deep Purple. My playing was perfect, I had attitude and I even smash ed my air guitar at the end of the number. The reason I played air guitar is th at I couldnât play real guitar very well so I was forced to dwell in this fanta sy world where my guitar playing meant something only to me. I should point out that this was years ago when I was still young and foolish. These days I play air tenor saxophone, which is far more challenging. Most blog sites are the air guitars of journalism. Theyâre cobbled together by people who wouldnât stand a hope in hell of getting a job in journalism, mainly because they have very little to say. Itâs rather sad how many people think th e tedious minutiae of their lives will be of any interest to anyone else. Of course, Sunday Times also featured the reactions of the bloggers in a specia l section called David Bullard and the Blogosphere. The website linked at least 15 reactions from prominent bloggers. In PR lingo, this is what you c all mileage, heh. Also, it seems that Bullard is not taking this issue sitting down. In fact, in a series of video clips Sunday Times made, it seems the columnist is enjoying t his attention.

FITTINGLY enough, newspaper and media publishing association Ifra covered Digital Trend Day in Amsterdam vi a a nifty m ultiblog. Ifra held the event in cooperation with INMA. Check out videos and downloads from the event.

WOULDN'T it be ironic if the alternative media represented by blogging/citizen journalism would just end up replicating some of the shortcomings of mainstream media? This was the warning sounded by the editor of the BBC Co llege of Journalism while talking about political journalism and blogging. Here's an excerpt from the Journalism.co.uk entry:

Speaking on a panel, at London's F rontline club last week to mark World Press Freedom Day, Kevin Marsh said t hat blogging was not a panacea for political journalism. "What is really worrying is the speed with which the political bloggers in the US and here have replicated the faults of political journalism," he said. "Political blogging in the States, more or less, is characterised as being a ru nning commentary on the failings of mainstream political journalism.

REMEMBER the days when news websites relied on to morrow's paper for stories? Today, the roles have been reversed with online cou nterparts providing more content to newspapers. Recently American newspaper Bos tonNow has decided to publish blogs submitted to its website. Th e idea is not new. Still, it is a noteworthy effort that hopes to "connect the community to the readers." Excerpt:

While most newspapers are trying to st ake bigger claims online, one new publication is pulling material off the Inter net to be printed in ink.

John Wilpers, editor in chief of Bosto nNow, a free weekday daily introduced last month, said he wanted to fill the pa per with items that local bloggers submitted to the BostonNow Web site. Last week, editors began culling posts and running excerpts next to articles from reporters and newswires. The blog items, which appear in gray boxes, are still relatively few, but Mr. Wilpers said he thought the feature would grow. Mr. Wilpers, who previously edited two other free commuter newspapers, Metro Boston and The Washington Examiner, said he wanted t o address what he believed was the news industryâs biggest problem: an inabilit y to connect with the communities it covers.

LIKE their civilian counterparts, many soldiers have also become bloggers, but of course the nature of their work comes with a different set of complications. Alarmed by the possibility of sensitive military information being leaked onlin e, the US Army is taking more steps to warn soldiers against blogging indiscrim inately. Here's an excerpt from the Associated Press story:

The Army is taking stronger steps to warn soldiers they will be pun ished if they reveal sensitive military information on Web sites or blogs. While the possibility of punishment is not new, the Army spells out in recently published regulations the range of actions if soldiers "fail to protect critic al and sensitive information." Some Web logs, also called blogs, raised alarms this week, suggesting the Army was cracking down anew on soldiers who have blogs. But the bulk of the regulati ons released April 19 mirror rules published in 2005 that required soldiers to consult with commanders before "publishing or posting information" in a public forum.

CONGRATULATIONS to Benj Arriola, who has made every Filipino proud by winning the SEO World Championship. Not only that, but he will bring home the first prize -- a brand new Citroen C2 . Here's an excerpt from Abe's blog entry:

Fellow Pinoy blogger and SEO specialist Benj Arriola won the recently concluded SEO World Championship (blogged ab out it more than 3 months ago) sponsored by GetUpdated/EastPoint. Not only does Benj gets the bragging rights as a kick-ass SEO champ, he also ge ts to take home a brand new car â a Citro[e]n C2. Read all about Benjâs thank y ou speech here. *hehe* The complete list of contest winners can be found here. And that kick-ass Citro[e]n C2 prize is not a brand o f bottled ice tea but a car.

SHOULD English be the medium of instruction in our schools? We now have a lively debate in our Vox Populi blog, which gives readers not just the c hance to give feedback, but also post their own blog entrie s, subject to editorial discretion of course. Check out "Medium not the issue, says reader, " "English 'a must for development,'" and "English not anti-poor" for more on this issue. And tell us what you think.

ONE of Egypt's most prominent political bloggers, known only as Sandmonkey, is now offline. Here's an excerpt from the Agence France-Presse a rticle:

The Egypt-based blogger, known only as "Sandmonkey" -- a derogatory term for people of Arab descent -- posted his last entry on Saturday.

"One of the chief reasons (for quitting) is the fact that there has been too much heat around me lately," he said. Sandmonkey -- who describes himself as "extremely cynical, snarky, pro-US, secu lar, libertarian" -- started posting two years ago and has since been one of th e main animators of Egypt's vibrant blogosphere. The blog offered stinging commentary on the Islamization of Egyptian society as well as virulent criticism of President Hosni Mubarak's 26-year-old regime.