We were present during the #VBS2011 or the Visayas Blogging Summit 2011 here in Cebu together with our head Vernon Joseph Go who talked about personal blogging tips for newbie bloggers as he was the 1st speaker! Being the 1st speaker has some major-major challenges, as to kick starting the event, setting the mood of the following speaking engagements of the Summit; but we succeeded nonetheless.

We got along at the beginning of the day with SM’s Mall-Wide Wifi and our Social Media Correspondence went on smooth and without a glitch but then the Mall Hours kicked in and SM Customers flooded the mall and overloaded the Wifi. But not to worry, we switched to an AirCard and carried on the coverage in Twitter and Facebook!

We too learned a lot about business blogging and of course, Social Media for Business with Case studies as well but that is for another post that will be found most likely be posted by our head in his blog www.vernongo.com; but don’t worry see below for Slide Presentation which was presented during the Visayas Blogging Summit 2011!:

We no longer live in a world where there is a monopoly of ideas, in order to move forward in this highly competitive milieu, there needs to be collaboration, and co-creation; the faster we can do this, the more things we can achieve! Hence the Unplugged Talk Series was born!

Last November 19, 2011, we held the 1st module ever of the Unplugged Talks-Module 1: Blogging 101~Introduction and Opportunities! We had a previous blog post about it here (for more info.).

Vernon Joseph Go also took the opportunity to be in it as the organizer-speaker with the help of Cebu Directories, Co. as our co-organizer for this project! KUDOS to US!!!

Unplugged Talk Series Briefer:

‘UNPLUGGED‘ was conceptualized as a brand name to bundle various topics related to blogging & social media. Unplugged was used because, most locals would want to learn this offline before engaging online hence, unplugging from the net to meet-up and learn!

On Blogging 101:

This workshop will explain why businesses or professionals should blog.  Why blogging matters and how companies are using blogs to spark conversation, maximize online exposure, interests and increase sales revenue.  Introductions and Examples with Demo and Hands-on Option.

Cebu hosts a one-of-a-kind blogging event, the Visayas Blogging Summit 2011, which will be held in Cebu City, Philippines on November 26 (Saturday) at SM City Cebu. Non/Cebu Bloggers are invited as well! Admission is FREE!

The 2011 Visayas Blogging Summit will be on November 26, 2011 (Saturday), 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at SM City Cebu, Cebu City Philippines!

This year, the VBS 2011 organizers are taking a step forward by providing our participants world-class talks that will better improve their craft as social media users. With the theme, Blogging and Beyond, the Visayas Blogging Summit 2011 will highlight the value of blogging as a potent tool in community development and in encouraging community participation.

Visit visayas bloggers summit for more ino on registration!

PROGRAM

(07:30 – 08:30 a.m.) REGISTRATION

(08:30 – 09:00 a.m.) WELCOME

(09:30 – 10:30 a.m.) PERSONAL BLOGGING

Know the advantages of blogging, how to improve a blog’s visibility and how to make it sustainable.

(11:00 – 12:00 p.m.) PROFESSIONAL BLOGGING

There is more to blogging. This can be a career and even become a business. Find out how professionals make it to the top.

(12:01 – 01:00 p.m.) LUNCH BREAK

(01:01 – 02:30 p.m.) SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR BUSINESS

(03:00 – 04:00 p.m.) SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSIBILITY

Blogging is not only for business but for social change. Find out how bloggers influence and use blogging as a medium to change their communities and improve lives.

(04:01 – 5:00 p.m.) AWARDING AND CLOSING CEREMONIES

Also, I will be speaking on this event so SEE YOU THERE?!

An infographic on the Social Consumers and the Science of Sharing is seen below which is a study created by BEYOND~ rethinking digital:

Click on the image for higher resolution or view it here thru mashable

BLOGGING 101: Introduction & Opportunities

Across UP College Campus, 3rd Floor, Cebu Init TBI
Gorordo Avenue, Cebu City, Philippines
November 19, 2011 (Saturday)
1:00PM -5:00PM
email: info@cebudirectories.com

Download the workshop program

This workshop will explain why businesses or professionals should blog.  Why blogging matters and how companies are using blogs to spark conversation, maximize online exposure, interests and increase sales revenue.  Why individuals became successful through blogging?  That’s what we need to find out when attending the workshop.

This workshop is also designed to prove everything you need to know to build a successful blog from selecting your blog platform to planning your blog strategy.

This module is the first of 4 parts.

Module 1: Blogging 101: Introduction and Opportunities (November 19, 2011)
Module 2: Advanced Blogging (Date to be announced soon)
Module 3: Allied Skills – Reputation Management, SEO & Marketing (Date to be announced soon)
Module 4: Niche Blogging Techniques (Date to be announced soon)

Blogging has been considered as the new form of media and this workshop will bring more bloggers in the main stream media and into the World Wide Web.

Who should attend?

• Website designers
• Marketing Professionals
• Business Owners / Entrepreneurs
• Interested Groups
• Stay-at-Home Moms
• Freelancers
• Virtual Assistants
• Students
• Individuals who want to set up a blog and drive traffic using search engine optimization and social media  marketing techniques

Learning Investment

Registration is inclusive of Snacks and Certificate of Attendance.

Super Discount        – P600 inclusive of VAT (Deadline October 31, 2011)
Early Bird Rate         – P800 inclusive of VAT (November 1 – 14, 2011)
Regular Rate            - P2,000 inclusive of VAT (November 15 – 17, 2011)

Download the workshop program

–

Make the grownups listen to what you have to say! Where exactly are you right now? You may be surfing the net, or adding a purple ribbon on your Facebook profile picture. You be reposting blog entries by pro-life priests, or just monitoring your Twitter feed, watching the debate on the ever-controversial Reproductive Health Bill.

No matter where you are right now, your views matter. Everything about
reproductive health concerns the youth and it concerns you. You are part of most the invincible and unstoppable cluster in our society. Your views are all-encompassing, fresh and bold. Whatever you think at the present may affect everyone’s future; most importantly, it will affect your future.

Get inside the circle of discussions. Let your voice be heard. Let Mulat Pinoy be your venue, letting you give a shout-out to the whole world. Join “We are Right Here. We are RH.” This amateur video competition aims to bring into the limelight young people’s take on responsible parenthood, reproductive health, and population and development.

If you are 25 years old or younger, muster your creative energies and make a video that reflects your views on the use of condoms, family planning, sex education, or anything related to the RH Bill. Be it a public service announcement or commercial, a mini-documentary, animation or a dramatic scene, you have the freedom to speak your mind on video the best way you know how.

Whether you’re pro-, anti- or neutral, get your cell phone cameras or your sleek digital camera and start shooting! Cool prizes await you, including Php 25,000! Plus there’s a chance of having your work air on one of the most prestigious news networks in the country: the ABS-CBN News Channel.

Tell us exactly how you feel. Join “We are Right Here. We are RH.”

For contest mechanics, check our website at www.mulatpinoy.com/wearerh
or send an email to wearerh@mulatpinoy.ph. Like on Facebook: Mulat
Pinoy. The deadline for entries is October 15, 2011. We’ll be waiting
for your videos!

The contest is open to everyone aged 25 years and younger.

Cebu Provincial Prosecutor Jane Petralba confirmed yesterday she approved the resolution of Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Rustom Presas Jr., who found cause to hold Victor Vergara and partner Fleurelie on Trial.

“Malice exists when there is an intentional doing of a wrongful act without justifiable cause…posting in a forum, message board, or blog can be considered as publication,” said Presas in his six-page resolution. The case, expected to be filed before the Regional Trial court branch 60 in Barili Town, Cebu. State Prosecutors recommended Php10,000.00 bail for the temporary liberty of each accused.

The respondents in their defense also filed their counter affidavit, they denied the comments they posted in the social networking site were libelous. They argued there is no jurispudence that says their comments on facebook were libelous and that their accounts were private in nature. They said the charges were filed to harass them.

In the resolution, prima facie evidence was found and that the respondents were the authors of the allegedly libelous comments. There is no question that the statements are malicious tending to discredit or impute dishonor and contempt over the person of the complainant who was positively identified” said Persas.

Quoting Cyber law expert Jose Jesus Disini Jr., the ABS-CBN News website reported that a facebook user could be charged with libel if he/she posts negative comments in his account and sends it to at least two people. “That’s enough to meet the standard for publication in libel,” ABS-CBN.com reported, quoting disini, a university of the Philippines law professor. The report citing the 1958 Supreme Court Ruling in People vs. Silvela, said that even an unsealed envelop containing libelous statements constituted libel.

It was Barili Vice Mayor Marlon Garcia that sued the Vergara couple, of Barangay Sta.Ana, Barili, Cebu, for posting negative comments against him on Facebook and for calling him “dumb.” Garcia said the couple posted libelous statements against him on their facebook accounts.

What does this mean for all opinionated facebook users online then? Let’s wait for the conclusion of this case…

What do you think now?

Though I was kind of expecting this, but not this fast! It is an interesting development and I’m wondering how this will impact SME level companies doing social media and the local freelancing scene. Those serving local clients will be perhaps unaffected but those who concentrate on foreign accounts will probably need to step up their game in order to keep getting good business.

Here’s are article captions on this breaking news..

from Newsbytes.ph:

“SOCIAL PHENOMENON. Marife Zamora, Convergys country manager for the Philippines and Asia Pacific/EMEA (right), discloses in a recent press briefing that the BPO firm’s local sites would be offering social media services to foreign clients starting this month. At left is Convergys president Andrea Ayers, who visited the country for the company’s anniversary celebration.”

From Convergys Global:

“Convergys research show  consumers want companies to have a social media presence and a growing number want companies to engage with them through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook…Millennials, according to the Convergys research, are more likely to embrace social media as a channel for voicing their dissatisfaction with a company.  The good news for companies is that  the research shows only 18 percent of Millennials actively engaged in this way today.

This means companies have the opportunity to get connected now using social media as a channel for customer service before Millennials become more influential and vocal as they age and expect social media to be fully integrated with a company’s customer service.”

YahooPH News:

“Customers get more demanding and expect a high degree of satisfaction when using product of services from our clients and to drive this quality, social media is one of the tools that companies use to interface with their customers, aside from website and toll-free hotlines…The availability of more tools such as tablets, smartphones, netbooks, and cellphone apps to access company websites and social media presence also drives the need to monitor and manage these accounts.”

Did you know what happens every 60 seconds on the internet? (infographic) shows the following that happens every 60 seconds below:

1. The search engine Google serves more than 694,445 queries
2. 6,600+ pictures are uploaded on Flickr
3. 600 videos are uploaded on YouTube videos, creating another 25+ hours of content
4. 695,000 status updates, 79,364 wall posts and 510,040 comments are published on Facebook
5. 70 new domains are registered
6. 168,000,000+ emails are sent
7. 320 new accounts and 98,000 tweets are generated on Twitter
8. iPhone applications are downloaded more than13,000 times
9. 20,000 new posts are published on micro-blogging platform Tumblr
10. The browser FireFox is downloaded more than 1,700 times
11. The blogging platform WordPress is downloaded more than 50 times
12. WordPress Plugins are downloaded more than 125 times
13. 100 accounts are created on LinkedIn
14. 40 new questions are asked on YahooAnswers
15. 100+ questions are asked on Answers.com
16. 1 new article is published on Associated Content, the world’s largest source of community-created content
17. 1 new definition is added on UrbanDictionary
18. 1,200+ new ads are created on Craigslist
19. 370,000+ minutes of Skype voice calls
20. 13,000+ hours of music streaming on Pandora
21. 1,600+ reads are made on Scribd
22. Which 60 second stat surprised you most and why? How is your usage of the web evolving in this time or rapid change?