Much Ado About Magnum

Did anyone miss me? Probably not! Mwahahaha!

I wasn't blogging for awhile because I really couldn't care less about what's going on in social media. "Same old, same old," that's what I said. If it's not the latest viral video hating the Philippines, it's people criticizing Charice for her new Korean-inspired look. I felt that there wasn't something worthy to write about.

Then came Magnum, an ice cream brand from Unilever. Or should I say, then came the buzz--both negative and positive--about Magnum. I'm not really interested with an ice-cream bar especially since I'm on a diet but heaven knows, I'm so interested and overwhelmed with how people are reacting online about this brand. The sentiments range from extreme and pure loathing to blind and hysterical fascination--all because of an ice cream bar.

Stupid Things People Do on Social Media

I'm sharing this article from Yahoo! Singapore on 10 stupid things people do on social media. Obviously, these stupid things are not confined to the squeaky clean Singapore universe. Well, I know it applies to Filipino Internet users. =D But before you raise your arms and cry foul, don't worry, I'm also guilty.

In a nutshell, here are the 10 stupid things people do on social media (and my comments in red!)

Online fights: Fight, fight, fight!

Just a short post. I luuuuuuuvvvvvv it when active and influential bloggers fight with other (less-known) bloggers. Why? Because it shows the kind of values they have and what level of celebrity-ness they feel. But more than anything, ad agencies can see what kind of character these bloggers have and whether they can be credible brand endorsers.

And when they regularly engage in online catfights, the ad agencies and company-clients lose faith and confidence in  them. They say, "This is not the kind of blogger that I want to represent my brand." Ayt!

Garnier Philippines Latest CSR Campaign

I received this Facebook update from Garnier Philippines regarding its latest corporate social responsibility project. This initiative is in support of rags2riches, "a social business enterprise creating designer lifestyle masterpieces that embody eco-ethical style."

First of all, let me just say that I love Garnier Eye Roll-On and use it every night. But as much as I love its product, I must say that I'm not liking its latest CSR project.

Tanggera and Cyber Bullying

The iBlog Summit was held last week and it well-attended by bloggers, want-to-be bloggers, etc. One of the talks centered around etiquette and integrity. I've always said in my post that blogging with integrity is more than just placing a badge in one's blog. You don't have to shout it to the world. Either you have integrity or you don't. There is no middle ground.

Anyhoo, one of the participants in the iBlog Summit has come forward to speak her thoughts and, in the process, started a spirited online debate.

Go Negosyo Contest is a no go!

My BFF won a book in Go Negosyo's Facebook contest and he was so happy about it. It was a newly launched book "8 Simple Secrets to Raising Entrepreneurs" by Mary Joy Abaquin and BFF is into reading these stuff. But he was surprised that the prize was forfeited because there is only one way of claiming it. Nagpa-contest ka pa?!

Blogging with Integrity

You've seen this badge in many blogs. The idea is that a blogger signs a pledge that he will uphold his integrity when blogging.

The pledge is pretty simple. When you display the Blog with Integrity badge in your site, you adhere to the principles that the website is espousing.

Here's the full text of the pledge:.

Big Bad Blogger and Other Blogger Horror Stories

Much has been said about the big bad blogger. If you haven’t read about it, you can read it here. I find it satisfying that the bad practices of some bloggers have been exposed. There are a lot of decent bloggers but there are also bad apples. And the bad apples are not just newbie bloggers but some are active and considered influential bloggers.

To Comment or To Not Comment?

Bloggers love it when readers comment in their posts, right? But what if the comment is not to the blogger's favor? What if the comment is negative? Do you delete the comment or publish it, anyway?

There's this one active and very influential blogger that we will hide under the name "Whimsical." Recently, Whimsical and blogger-friends had a photo shoot for a not-so-reputable establishment. The photos came out and Whimsical proudly showed these in the blog. (Note: all characters will be called "he" to avoid giving away the identities.)

Idiot Adidas Philippines Facebook Admin

I have been monitoring the Adidas King of the Road thread in Takbo.ph. I didn't register to Adidas KOTR because of how expensive the registration fees were but I was interested with how it would go.

So many bloggers posted their scathing and grossly negative reviews of Adidas KOTR. I won't discuss the negative points here anymore as these feedbacks have been extensively discussed and dissected in blogs and online forums.

Major, Major Twitter Booboo by PNoy Speechwriter

It's all over the news. President Noynoy's speechwriter tweeted several embarassing and disparaging comments during the President's state visit in Vietnam. Her tweets "The wine sucks," "Sorry pero walang pogi dito" caused stir in the Twitter community and poses a great lesson on how government officials and employees should behave in the digital media space.

I can't contact you!

Dear Blogger,

I'm sure you have a lot of readers. I'm also quite certain that many companies/brands want to invite you to their events. But I think you're making it hard for your readers to get in touch with you because your email address is not available in your blog.

I see this often in blogs. Ayaw mo ba magpa-invite or iemail ng mga readers mo? In a time where everything is fast-paced, I hope you also realize that your readers want to get in touch with you quickly. And when you ask them to fill out a form, it's quite a turn-off. Ako, turned off ako.

Siguro, you also have this as a security measure or to avoid spamming. But emails are sophisticated na. Gmail and Yahoo have spam filtering systems. Oh, well. To each his own. But like I said, ang hirap mo naman kontakin.

Babu! Eklavu!

Hototay

Knock it off with the expensive prizes!

Dear Company,

Please be a dear and avoid giving expensive prizes in your Facebook pages. In your eagerness to gather as much fans as possible and as quickly as possible, you resort to giving out expensive prizes for that. How sure are you that the fans you have are honest-to-goodness fans?

Facebook fan pages and Twitter accounts are all about customer engagement. Now that you have amassed so many fans, how many people are really liking and commenting on your posts? Mababa, no? Mataas nung kasagsagan ng pacontests mo pero now that the contests are over, are people still conversing with you? Kung tahimik na sila, you can bet your ass hindi mo talaga sila fans. Sayang lang budget mo.

Babush! Eklavu!

Hototay

5 Habits of an Ethical Blogger

Dear Blogger,

Let me share with you my 5 habits of an ethical blogger:

1. Confirm your attendance. Don’t just show up in a bloggers event without confirming your attendance. It’s time you learn what RSVP means.

2. Don’t bring +1. Companies/brands also have a budget to work with and bloggers need to realize that. If your blogger-friend, wife or BF didn’t receive an invitation, then have some shame and don’t bring a +1. Sure you can ask the company/brand representative but how could s/he refuse? It’s like asking a bride if you can bring a +1. Do you think she can say no?

3. Have some decency. Similar to #2, companies/brand don’t have a bottomless well full of money. Huwag makapal ang mukha and ask for another goodie bag. Don’t pig out on the buffett table. Don’t demand for things that the company/brand cannot afford to give like a service car to bring you back and forth, certain privileges, etc. Matutong mahiya sa sarili.

4. Show integrity. Your readers can tell if you have been paid for a certain blog post. If you have been compensated financially for a blog entry, disclose it. Don’t pass it off like it’s an unbiased company/brand review. Your readers are smart enough to know the difference.

5. Know the law. Bloggers are powerful but as Spiderman said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” You can make or break a person but your blog post can also be libelous. Despite the lack of laws governing the Internet, you don’t use your blog to disparage people, companies/brands, and groups for the sake of disparaging it. Give the other party a chance to explain his/her side. You are not god of the Internet world. What you write in your blog may be libelous, which means you can be sued.

Babush! Eklavu!

Hototay

5 Things Companies Should Do Right During Blogger Events

Dear Company,

It’s as easy as ABC but somehow, you still fail to do these simple things when holding blogger events.

1. Send invites early. The most influential and active bloggers tend to have busy schedules. Whether they are full-time bloggers or have regular day jobs, bloggers need to plan their schedule. The earlier you send your invites, the better for bloggers.

2. Prepare. There’s nothing worse than treating bloggers like second-class citizens, a level below media people. Treat them like you would treat a guest. Be courteous, offer food/drinks, provide press kits, etc. I’ve seen bloggers meet where the organizers didn’t bother preparing info materials for bloggers. It’s a big no-no. How can you expect bloggers to write about you when they don’t have materials to refer to?

3. Make it exclusive. Bloggers want to feel special. They want to have first dibs on product launches, announcements, etc. Don’t hold blogger events where you invite the entire blogging population of the country. Invite a select few (anywhere between 10 to 30 people is great) to keep the event intimate. Bloggers will appreciate you more for it and are more likely to write about your event.

4. Invite the newbies. Bloggers belong to cliques. The more influential and active bloggers also tend to be more choosy/demanding/picky/selective (you pick the adjective) in attending blogger events. Mix your invitees list by adding newbie bloggers. Sure they don’t have as much readers as the influential ones but they tend to be more appreciative for the event. Newbie bloggers also tend to be loyal to your company/brand.

5. Start on time. Similar to #1, bloggers have busy schedules. The least you can do is start on time and finish on time. Enough said.

Babush! Eklavu!

Hototay

Feeling lang, ha!

Dear Blogger,

I’ve encountered several of you in the past. Naging active blogger lang, feeling powerful na. Naimbitahan ka  lang sa ilang blogger events, feeling influential na. I get that you like getting invited to blogger events. Kahit ako, natutuwa pag nai-invite. Pero pag hindi ka na-invite, huwag naman sasama ang loob mo.

Alam mo na ikaw ang tinutukoy ko, ang klase ng blogger na feeling offended dahil hindi na-invite the second time sa event. Heller! Give chance to other bloggers naman! Alangan naman pare-parehong bloggers lang ang i-invite ng companies, no? Siyempre, gusto din nila makilala yung ibang bloggers so bakit ka magtatampo?

Para gatecrasher ka lang. Kahit hindi invited sa wedding, ipipilit pa din ang sarili. Nariyang magfi-fish ng invite or outright magtatampo. Minsan, nanunumbat pa. Heller! May ganun?! Be thankful if an invitation was extended to you but don’t take it against the company if it doesn’t. Naisip mo ba na baka naman hindi ikaw ang target market? Puwede ding limited funds ang company? Heller! Hindi naman palabigasang baboy ang mga companies na puwede lang hingan ng hingan ng freebies. Siyempre, may budget din yan. Ikaw kaya ang hingan ko lagi ng freebies?!

Babush! Eklavu!

Hototay