Friday, December 11, 2009

Manny Pacquiao & Hayden Kho Top Yahoo and Google Philippines Search Terms for 2009

(I'll be discussing this further in our Viral Ideas webinar this Tuesday, December 15, from 9 pm to 10 pm. I hope you can join.)


Both Google and Yahoo! Philippines recently announced its 2009 review highlighting the top searches and trends on their respective search engines.

2009 Yahoo! Philippines Year in Review

Yahoo! Philippines announced its 2009 Year in Review which highlights the top Searches and trends on Yahoo!. The annual review, which accounts for billions of Searches, is a distinct way to look at people’s interests and to identify the ways they use the Web to find information and breaking news as it happens.

In 2009, the Web was an integral part of the news cycle as people rushed online to get updates about topics as diverse as the economy, and local gossip. People now search for information through search engines not only by using their Internet-enabled computers but also via mobile phone.

The issues that peaked Pinoy’s interest this year, included celebrities, sports, politicians and local events which shook the country. For Yahoo!, Manny topped the list as the most searched for person in the Philippines as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world beat former champ Ricky Hatton in two furious rounds in Las Vegas in May. The death of former president, Cory Aquino topped the Yahoo! News searches and Yahoo! Questions as people remembered how she toppled Ferdinand Marcos, and her years of peacefully restoring democracy in the country. Her burial march lasted 10 hours, with millions of Filipinos joining in to mourn their “queen.”

Top overall search terms for Philippines in 2009:

  1. Manny Pacquiao
  2. Cory Aquino
  3. Francis Magalona
  4. Ondoy
  5. Dionisia Pacquiao
  6. Shalani Soledad
  7. Eraserheads
  8. University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP)
  9. Mar and Korina
  10. Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)

In Yahoo!’s celebrity search rankings, homegrown talent comes first. Local celebrity searches prove that national interest in controversy and scandal is growing. Kris Aquino touched people’s hearts during her mother’s wake as she detailed the last days of the beloved ex-president. The top celebrity searches in the Philippines also included:

  1. Maricar Reyes
  2. Angel Locsin
  3. Sandara Park
  4. Pamela Bianca Manalo
  5. Kris Aquino
  6. Marian Rivera
  7. Michael Jackson
  8. Coco Martin
  9. Anne Curtis
  10. Judy Ann Santos

In a market where mobile penetration is more than 68%, Filipinos are definitely spending a lot more time searching and surfing the Internet on the mobile. The top mobile searches for Philippines included:

  1. NBA
  2. Katrina Halili
  3. Manny Pacquiao
  4. Marian Rivera
  5. Hayden Kho
  6. Francis Magalona
  7. Citigroup
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Cory Aquino
  10. PBA

Google Zeitgeist Philippines 2009

Google announced its annual Zeitgeist for the Philippines, a look at 2009 through the collective eyes of Filipinos browsing the web. The 2009 Year-End Zeitgeist includes a unique perspective on the year's major events and hottest trends based on searches conducted on Google.com.ph.

This year's fastest rising Google searches in the Philippines sum up what was top of mind for Filipinos this year. In the tech world, Facebook and Twitter are the latest sites to get Pinoys connecting with each other online. As always, music-related searches made it high up the list, with Love Story being the hottest sing-along song for Pinoys, Lady Gaga getting everyone grooving online after playing live at the Araneta Coliseum in August, and Michael Jackson's unexpected death. Pinoys' interest in celebrities continues with Hayden Kho, Maricar Reyes and Korean TV star Kim Bum and, of course, our unofficial national hero Manny Pacquiao, who knocked out British boxer Ricky Hatton in the second round.

From politics to sports, 2009 was peppered with events that got Filipinos searching for more information online, and Google was there to provide Pinoys unlimited access. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, Liberal Party candidate for president in next year's national elections, was the hottest politician in online searches this year. Hayden Kho, whose "Hayden Cam" videos were leaked online, was the fastest-rising local buzz maker. But the list of current events topics that had Filipinos searching for more information online showed what truly mattered to them, such as the A (H1N1) flu pandemic and the typhoons that severely damaged the country.

The Philippine Zeitgeist also shows that the top tech trendsetter for the year is internet social game Pet society. Further, Baler is the fastest-rising local travel destination search term for Pinoys. A period film shown late last year starring Anne Curtis and Jericho Rosales spurred local interest in this surfer’s paradise. Local band Sponge Cola's "Di Na Mababawi" is this year's anthem, leading the fastest-rising OPM songs category. Carla Abellana, who got her first big break by starring in the local remake of Mexican telenovela “Rosalinda,” is the hottest searched local showbiz celebrity of 2009.

* Disclaimer: All lists are fastest-rising except for the top queries list. All duplicates, as well as the country name “Philippines” have been removed from the list.

Faces of, Phases of 2009
The personalities that gave a face to 2009

  • hayden kho
  • francis magalona
  • cory aquino
  • ted failon
  • carla abellana
  • noynoy aquino
  • princess velasco
  • bebe gandanghari
  • boyet fajardo
  • jacque bermejo

OMG (Our Most Googled) Issues in Google News
Issues and controversies that made the headlines in 2009

  • h1n1 philippines
  • typhoon emong
  • ted failon case
  • typhoon ketsana
  • typhoon parma
  • amiel alcantara
  • chip tsao
  • daniel smith
  • superferry 9
  • reproductive health bill

Running or Not ... Here They Come
Fastest-rising politicians searched on Google News

  • aquino iii
  • panfilo lacson
  • escudero
  • ralph recto
  • mar roxas
  • villar
  • gilbert teodoro
  • joseph estrada
  • willie revillame
  • gloria macapagal arroyo

Biyahe Na!
Fastest-rising travel destinations locally

  • baler
  • amana resort
  • acuatico beach resort
  • coron palawan
  • cwc
  • anawangin cove
  • canyon cove
  • el nido palawan
  • 8 waves resort
  • eco park

Zeitguys and Gals
Up-and-coming and most popular celebrity searches

  • carla abellana
  • bebe gandanghari
  • sandara park
  • coco martin
  • aling dionisia
  • katrina halili
  • maricar reyes model
  • angel locsin
  • denise laurel
  • katherine luna

Ang mga Himig Natin
Fastest-rising OPM songs searched by Filipinos

  • di na mababawi
  • true love ko
  • note to god
  • kaleidoscope world
  • ikaw na nga
  • walang hanggan
  • balisa
  • bintana
  • paglisan
  • nagmahal ako

Towards a Philippine e-Government
Fastest-rising government-related info and services searched online

  • pagasa weather forecast
  • lotto results pcso
  • tesda training center
  • pag-ibig housing loan
  • civil service exam
  • nso birth certificate
  • sss contribution inquiry
  • napolcom exam result
  • nursing board exam
  • bar exam results

Hinahanap-hanap sa Pinilakang Tabing
The most popular Pinoy films searched in 2009

  • katorse movie
  • darna movie
  • sundo movie
  • bff movie
  • jay movie
  • tarot movie
  • serbis movie
  • jose rizal movie
  • anak movie
  • dayo movie

Top Tech Trends of Two Thousand and Nine
Fastest-rising gadget-, application-, and software-related searches

  • pet society
  • dota hotkeys
  • farmtown
  • windows 7
  • mixpod
  • iphone 3gs
  • nokia 5800
  • samsung s5233
  • firefox 3.5
  • globe tattoo

Google Insights for Search, a publicly available tool, also provides unique insight into a number of recent, significant issues and events. According to the most recent data from the tool, while the Maguindanao massacre is currently top-of-mind for many Filipinos searching online, Manny Pacquiao’s fight with Miguel Cotto galvanized the country in such a remarkable way that search volumes about the record-breaking feat still overwhelmingly eclipsed that of the recent tragedy.

Data from Google Insights for Search also shows that in a matter of four months, searches for Noynoy Aquino have managed to gain on and even slightly overtake the searches that fellow presidentiables Manny Villar, Dick Gordon, Joseph Estrada, and Gilbert Teodoro have accumulated for the entire year.

Sunday, December 06, 2009

Trying out Globe Tattoo Wi-Fi


For the past two weeks, I got asked to try out the Globe Tattoo Wi-Fi service. It is a mobile phone program that turns your Symbian mobile phone into a wifi hotspot by connecting through Globe’s 3G service.

This is ideal especially if you are in areas where Globe Tattoo is performing well (such as those cited in the Nesic Philippines wireless broadband speedtest).

I was able to try the service out while inside a taxi and shared it to some students during workshop class. It can be useful and convenient to share with 2 to 3 people for light Internet use activity.

The license fee of Globe Tattoo Wi-Fi is P300.00 (VAT inclusive). This is charged when a subscriber text 9999 for the installation key/activation code. The Globe Tattoo Wi-Fi installer can be downloaded from myGlobe website for free.

When starting or using Globe Tattoo Wi-Fi Hotspot, you will be charged with Globe’s mobile browsing rates. You can choose how you will be charged - by KB (kilobyte) or by TIME (per minute).

  • KB Browsing Rate - P0.15/kb
  • Time Browsing Rate - P5.00 for 15 minutes (this is the recommended charging scheme for Globe Tattoo Wi-Fi)

Globe Prepaid and Postpaid subscribers are by default on the KB Charging scheme. To switch to the TIME charging scheme, text TIME to 1111 for free.

To shift back to KB browsing: text KB to 1111. To check the charging scheme that currently applies to your account: text STATUS. Send the keyword to 1111 for free.

Requirements:

  • Globe Tattoo Wi-Fi can be installed in Smartphones with Symbian v3 OS. The handsets should also have WLAN and 3G capabilities.
  • The phone needs to have the latest firmware inside. Old firmware versions do not have the technology to enable WLAN sharing (should not be older than October 2007). For Nokia phones - In case you have an old firmware version in your S60 device, you can update the firmware using Nokia Software Updater. For Samsung phones, firmware is also available.

For further questions in using the service, please post them here. I look forward in trying out more services in the future.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Will cellular phone numbers become obsolete soon?

Last May, I attended Cherry Mobile's launch of its dual SIM phone series. Having 4 active mobile numbers can be a drag and may sometimes end up neglecting some of them. It will be convenient to just have them in one phone and just switch when necessary.

Also found out that my monthly mobile phone plan can be renewed or downgraded by January 2010. Now I'm partly torned as there are developments in the market that are affecting my plans on this.

Landline numbers are now mobile or wireless, can text, and surf the Internet too

With the kind of business I'm in, it will be convenient if people can reach me through mobile landline numbers especially now that they can be taken anywhere in the country and be able to receive the call.

I remember being surprised receiving a text message and the number that I replied to was actually a landline.

Some can even be plugged to your PC and you can already start surfing the Internet. So come October, I will likely have a mobile landline number of my own that I can take anywhere.

What will happen to mobile phone numbers?
I think the local telecommunication companies have already saturated the market. When you have 70 million mobile phone users (Philippines 2009), their needs for upgrade and changing of mobile numbers won't be that much right?

Therefore the whole new untapped market will be the wireless landline numbers where some can also be used with mobile phone handsets. If you can do almost everything that you are doing now with your mobile phone at your wireless landline phone (except international roaming - at least for now), then what is the use of having to maintain an expensive mobile phone subscription plan in the long run?

I think it is possible that a lot of us in business will have one regular cellphone and wireless landline number inevitably. This may decrease the size of the cellphone market as it will become more practical to have a wireless landline number as features get further beefed up. Unless of course, cellular phone subscription plans gets a radical make-over.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Personalized jump drive and storage as gifts

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In attending and organizing IT events lately, I noticed that Personalized Jump Drive are fast becoming popular choices for giveaways or souveniers. This is where the identity of the company gets used for brand recall.

Hopefully, with its increasing affordability, our next conferences, such as the upcoming E-Commerce Summit this November 2009 and the April 2010 Social Networking & eBusiness Conference, will have these personalized flash drives as storage for handouts rather than burning the materials in a CD that often takes time.

With such an option, this will also allow us to customize the flash drive further in terms of packaging by allowing the posting of our logo, among others. For example, the site Flash Dealer allows buyers to shop for various flash drive design and have it customized further.

Giving a personalized usb drive also promotes re-use as contents in flash drive can be deleted when done and be used for storage of various files. Unlike in a CD where it gets thrown out sooner or later.

I’m now thinking with Christmas happening in a few months time, perhaps it will also be good giveaway souvenier for our club members where our various training materials for the year 2009 can be stored in it.

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Ratified Top 100 Blogs !st Half of 2009

Our next State of E-Commerce in the Philippines webinar will be on August 18 Tuesday from 11 am to 12 noon.

The topic for this episode will focus on Ratified's Philippines Top 100 blog based on blog growth from 2008 to first half of 2009.

I hope you can join.

P.S. To view a sample on how a webinar works, check out my first one.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Review - Self Study Source

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Another website by K Alliance LLC is Self Study Source. The site aims to promote the availability of self-paced computer based training videos on a wide variety of topics from its site. This includes:
  • Microsoft computer based training courses such as in the areas of programming (.net vb and / or c#,), web development, database administration (SQL), web applications, security, operating system, server, among others.

  • Microsoft Office or desktop applications (Access, Accounting Professional, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, Project, SharedPoint, Visio, Vista, Word, among others.)

  • Cisco certification (CCNA, CCNP, CCIE) on network administration (CCNA), network professional (CCNP), and internetwork expert (CCIE).

  • CompTIA certification trainings (Linux, A+, Network +, Security +, among others)

  • Network security certification training (CISSP, CEH, CFED, ACFT, CPTS, CWNA)
Demo videos are available but one must register first. After that, the link to it gets sent.
The training packages available includes video cds, workbooks, courseware, and live mentors or trainers.

I think packages like this are timely as I.T. professionals need continuous training if one desires to be on top of the game against competitors. One has to choose between self-study program or instructor-interactive face-to-face program.

On the improvement side, it will help if there are testimonials that can attest to the effectiveness of the program.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

AKA: First Philippine Mobile Mini-Site Directory


Last April 7, I catched up with Ariel Roda and got introduced to one of his investee companies - SAKLOLODOTNET. The company is headed by Mike Jabillo (managing director) and Lawrence del Mundo (business development head).

One of their projects, AKA Mobile Directory, aspires to be the first Philippine mobile directory. At a glance, the service allows users to:
  • Sign-up for free if done on the web. Standard peso text rate applies if registration is done via mobile phone.

  • Create a mini-site with keywords that best describe who they are, what they're selling, contact number, e-mail address, etc. Those who are familiar with keywords and search engine optimization can harness this feature.

  • Users can also follow other profiles and receive alerts for any shout-out and mini-site updates. They can also use the same facility to contact the mini-site owner and receive the message through text (without having to know their mobile number).

  • Sellers can also do direct follow-on advertising via trailer ads that gets received through the mobile phone. This is received by mobile phone-based searchers who hit their sites with specific keywords. This can be used to give discount or freebie items to also measure the effectiveness of the medium.
Non-registered users can still search within the site or through the mobile phone using the command syntax AKA FIND produsts, services, skills using keywords. (Example AKA FIND seo sem)

I believe this site has a lot of potential and will be more useful if it will have features like:
  • Be embed on a website to attract followers.
  • Be able to post shout-out ads to other members and take advantage of their following size.

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Social network users who leave negative feedback are real to themselves (mostly)

Azrael Coladilla will be delivering the User Keynote at the upcoming 2nd Social Networking & eBusiness Conference this April 23 & 24, 2009.

I'm glad that Azrael gave me the opportunity to do this short interview to have a glimpse of his talk and personal experience in social networking.

Janette: What does a social network mean to you?

Azrael: By connecting with people online. Build your own community from a massive network of people.

Janette: As a user, which social networking services do you use the most and for what purpose?

Azrael: I have a lot of social networking sites subscribed to. One of them is Friendster, the first social networking site I got engaged in. Used it to look for old friends. Also connects me to my family since many have an account here.

Then I have Multiply. This is one of the busiest social networking site ever, and where I have my largest number of connections to people. I use this to blog, host my photo album, and marketing space in promoting my events and services.

Facebook is my next largest network and active space for connecting to people; studying the market and people’s behavior; promote and invite people to my events; connect to famous people online and get in touch with them locally or overseas.

Janette: How did social networks empowered you or made a difference on how you conduct your activities or business?

Azrael: Because different people are connected to each other, you will start to learn how to market more your business. By just reading and observing, you will understand what they want and decide if you need to go with the flow of interest based from those people.

The social networking site is a big ground of learning the target market and know their behavior online and offline. I learned a lot from different people especially those I met online and then offline. It makes me pop-up with new creative ideas and concepts that can be applied in my field of work or business.

Janette: Without social networks, what would be the difference for you?

Azrael: BIG. I might be lurking around in some online forums or hanging out in offline community and events.

Janette: In general, how do you assess the way majority of Pinoys use social networks?

Azrael: Filipinos use social networks mostly for making and meeting friends. There is greater potential in using social networks for marketing in the future that includes making a brand stronger and build your own community.

Janette: What should Pinoys do to take advantage of social networks in these times of crisis?

Azrael: If you are going to use the social networks for business, then you’ll be saving a lot of budget in marketing and promotion. It will be cheaper as the target market is already there. No need to search because it has tools to help you filter, connect to people, and even build your own community.

But before you take advantage of it, you must first learn on how to use it and maximize its functionality in the online space.

Janette: What are the biggest issues for you when it comes to the use of social networks? How do you hurdle it?

Azrael: The issue will be the immediate response to negative feedback in public networks. We can’t avoid it because people can express their opinion. We must be ready to answer, explain, and face it just to resolve problems.

The good part is that most people who leave negative feedback are real to themselves. They use their own identity and not afraid to share it in public. The trust will be received easily with this. It can make the social network user bond stronger by talking to them directly.

Janette: What do you want the future of social networks to be?

Azrael: The future will be - people can connect to the social network via mobile. More offline activities will be organized just to make the community alive and active. There will be a time, perhaps sooner rather than later, social networking sites can be monetize by its members.

Friday, April 03, 2009

IT training grows online

The big challenge in being part of the Internet and IT industry is that one must be able to cope with the demand of the times especially in terms of information technology (IT) skills. There is a growing number of websites today that allows you to become a subscriber, pay a fee, and take various online training programs.

Others are membership based and training is delivered through a coaching and sharing of lessons learned structure.

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Using K Alliance as an example, an ideal online training allows:
  • Student or subscriber to get individual to corporate subscription.
  • Pick from a wide range of desktop, IT, soft skills, among others type of courses.
  • Choose to get a computer based training or online (dependent on Internet connection).
  • Prepare for IT certification.
    I used to take beta test exams before and often find myself in the old days just reading through manuals. With a customized program like this one, it should help you prepare better and simulate an actual exam.
  • One unique feature with K Alliance is that they have a USB dongle that needs to be plugged in whenever the online training is accessed. This is for piracy protection purposes. It is also unique per course.
  • Online chat with an expert with whom you can ask questions.
  • Learning management software hosting services available where you can also load your internal special trainings. This instead of building on your own.
  • If satisfied with the service, have programs where you can become a reseller and make a full business out of it.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Online social networks booming in the Philippines

I noticed that there are so many online social networking sites today made by Filipinos. This includes:
There are also online sites and services today that allows you to create your very own social network such as Ning. Here are some of them: (those with more than 50 members are listed here)
Another site that allows you to create your own social network is WetPaint. We did not find one that is big enough to be mentioned here at this time.

Will add more to this list. If you know of local social network sites worth adding here, just post a comment. For Ning-based and Wetpaint-based sites, only those with more than 50 members shall be listed.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Learning Philippine Internet History

When the book, Philippine Internet Review: 10 Years of Internet History (1994-2004), was conceptualized, I knew that I have a project that has a big future since we will take the challenge of documenting the local Internet scene every ten years.

This blog was also used to partly track the developments.

I'm glad that there are now tools today that allows people to read books online without necessarily compromising the copyright of original creators.

I also hope this will allow us to explore future editions through this medium.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

7 ways to Facebook marketing yourself, product, service, blog, website

With a growing number of Filipinos joining social networks like Facebook, I'd like to take this opportunity to cite some examples on how it can be used as marketing tool. I also encourage those who have done campaigns or about to do one to submit an entry to the DigitalFilipino Social Networking Awards (submission deadline is on March 31).

The nice thing about Facebook is that the whole site presents an opportunity for you to market a product, service, blog, or even yourself in Facebook.

Here are some examples:

1. Profile page

There are 4 ways that you can promote in the Profile page:
  1. Status
    Similar to Twitter, this is where you can share what you are up to. It can also be used as a medium to plug it.

  2. Information 1
    On the left sidebar, you can put more information about yourself and the things you are up to. This can be seen by those who visit your page.

  3. Information 2
    You can share websites and blogs you are maintaining. This can be seen by those who visit your page.

  4. Posted Items
    Share links. This is visible at your page and common news feed with friends.
2. Posted Items
If you have a blog post or update in your website, you can share a url link and even attract readers from your friends. If what you shared is great, it can also be a conversation-sparker.


3. Groups
Create a Facebook Group where you can invite friends (and their friends) to join. This allows you to do the following:
  • Have a discussion with group members.
  • Send a direct message to group members.
  • Post shared link
  • Share photos and videos (from your personal gallery)
  • Organize an event.

4. Pages
Facebook allows you to create a page for a person, establishment, product, service, among others. It has the features of typical group. However, adding of photos and videos is independent therefore requiring you to upload photos and videos twice if you want it to appear both at your personal profile and pages.

You can also add extra features like Notes (where you can import RSS feeds from your blog) and other applications that allows to be added to a Page.

The challenge for both Groups and Pages is that it doesn't show members any news feed on what is happening in these pages. As a result, a lot join without having to visit them at all unless they get invited to an event or there was an explicit announcement from the Group or Page creator to mention updates.

5. Events
If you organize events, Facebook has a very friendly event invitation and updates service where you can invite contacts (and they can ask their friends) to join. This is effective when disseminating information about events. It also has typical group features like uploading of photos, videos, sharing of links or posted items. You can also broadcast special announcements to everyone you've invited or to only those who confirmed.

You can also organize an event under one of your Facebook Groups or straight from a Facebook Page.


6. Marketplace
Allows you to plug products and services requirements and what you are selling. Marketplace, a 3rd party application, allows you to post products inside Facebook.

7. Paid advertising
The above ones I listed are those that you can do within Facebook for free. If you have a small or non-targeted contact list and have budget to spare, another alternative is to fully advertise within the social network. You will find this at the bottom part of Facebook where there is a link to "Advertising".

Here's a deck I found online that may be of help too.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

See you at Search Engine Marketing Conference Legazpi City


This coming February 5 & 6, I'll be one of the speakers at the Search Engine Marketing Conference organized by the Aquinas University of Legazpi. It will be held at the Daragang Mayon Hall of the said educational institution.

I look forward in catching up with Rodion Herrera and Gregory Kittelson, and club member / Busby SEO Test peer Gary Viray who will be there as resource persons as well.

My topic for the said event will be on Marketing Your Products & Services Through Social Networks. I look forward in giving a preview on the various international and local social networking sites and how can companies tap them as a marketing tool.