TitikPilipino: More content in 2008

TitikPilipino is one of the few companies that we got to feature in the Philippine Internet Review and DigitalFilipino.com Podcast Episode 5.

This site of Jay Frank De Jesus started as a lyric server for original Pilipino music (OPM) last June 8, 1997. With issues on intellectual property rights and his respect for the copyright of Filipino artists, TitikPilipino has evolved to encompass more information about Filipino songs, artists, and the albums in 2000. It also covers music news such as album releases, concerts, events, album, and artist awards. This is also complemented by an active discussion forum.

The site includes album information such as track, artist, composer, lyricist, arranger, and producer listings in a fully searchable database. Jay used to gather this in extensive research through old albums, casettes, and CDs from all over. Now, record labels provide most of the album information.

In 2004, the site receives a daily average of 5,000 visitors with 40,000 page views. Total site visitors in the year 2005 reached up to 2 million. That growth is noteworthy to think that it had 100,000 visitors in 1999.

TitikPilipino's turning point came when it finally won the Philippine Web Awards in 2003 for the best music site category. This is when Jay started taking the site more seriously and began adding shopping components into the website where people can buy cds and music sheets.

In the enclosed video, the year 2007 served another milestone for Jay when the site was relaunched with more content and product offerings. This strategy has worked well and shall be continued in 2008.

In DigitalFilipino.com Podcast Episode 5, Jay shared that buiding a site that is closest to one's heart, deep knowledge on products, and understanding how the Internet works are critical factors in putting up an online business.

Chikka: more OFW programs for 2008

Chikka is one of the few companies that we got to feature in the Philippine Internet Review.

Given its minimal capital in the beginning, Chikka started during the dotcom bust. However, customer service, innovation, and good technology are the company’s competitive advantage. The company protected its initial competitive advantage, the Chikka.com Instant Messenger, by patenting it.

Dennis Mendiola, CEO of the company and name as the 2006 Ernst and Young Information and Communications Technology Entrepreneur of the Year, strongly protects value in the chain by building on businesses that are viral in nature, where community begets community. Having the first mover advantage will make it expensive for rivals to get to the same level as where the company is now. His business wisdom was greatly influenced by his early dotcom ventures. It taught him to manage well his operating cash flow, have financial discipline, prudence, and sensibility in making projections.

Since 2003 when this interview was made, the company have all confidence to scale up because of its technology, knowledge, and rich implementation experience, on how to do Internet and mobile marketing the right way.

Instead of doing everything on their own, they expanded (and still expanding) through franchising by finding local counterparts in immediate target markets. The company already has operations and/or partners in China, Singapore, Malaysia Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, and United States.

The company is the first local entity to strike a major deal with Google. It is one of the few organizations that have attained all CMMI Level 5 organization, ISO BS7799, and ISO BS15000.

In 2007, Chikka expanded its service offerings to the United Kingdom and Spain. It also won in the services category of the DigitalFilipino.com Web Awards.

For 2008, as Michelle Pestano shared in the video enclosed here, the company will focus and launch new services that shall cater to the global Filipino in connecting them with their families.

Chikka.com is driving and pulling the SMS marketplace forward. It plays a great role on what makes the Philippines the most sophisticated and advanced SMS user in the world today.

Online politics - good, bad, and ugly

My follow-up article just came out today as part of the ongoing online election monitoring coverage. Last week was exciting as I documented Chiz Escudero's live chat session in Ituloy AngSulong. I wonder if there'll be other candidates following the same path and have their own websites as well. For the websites I missed in my column, I'll surely make-up for that next time.

The 2004 elections gave us an initial preview as to how presidentiables can use a website for campaign purposes. Senator Panfilo Lacson's website started as a campaign platform for his presidency. At present, the site was re-titled as the Be Not Afraid movement and its latest update was as of March 2006.

There are so many websites today that claims to serve the purpose of maintaining honest elections and good governance. Very rare do we find these sites sustainable as time passes by. There are unique few such as the Transparent Accountable Governance, that despite its very rare updates, manages to survive and still online.

On a related note, is there a national candidate today that represents the Internet community? Who would that be? Taking from what Atty. JJ Disini shared in the Philippine Internet Review, this person must have an agenda that supports the various interest of the Internet community. Someone whose platform includes the promotion of Internet use and e-commerce in the Philippines. Do you know of any?

Philippine Web Awards: To recognize the best Philippine websites on the Internet

Last week, I read Marc's blog post regarding the Philippine Web Awards (PWA). I was part of the first batch and can still recall the fun we had at the Hard Rock Cafe. When it was then free to join, there was a requirement that website nominees should upload the "nominated" logo and this didn't sink in well with some high traffic sites and decided not to join instead. With the entry fee and text voting, I guess the concept of an award-giving body is becoming more confusing to some segments of the Internet community.

The PWA is growing and constantly learning. My special cheers goes to Noemi Lardizabal Dado for winning the best blog and to EYP for best portal in the competition's 2006 edition.

Here's the interview feature that I made about Heinz Bulos, one of the original head organizers of the PWA. He was the editor then of the now-gone Web Philippines Magazine. (i miss that mag)

This is one of the stories featured in the Philippine Internet Review: 10 Years of Internet History that list all the winners of the Philippine Web Awards from 1998 to 2003.

Heinz Bulos
Philippine Web Awards
Website: http://www.philippinewebawards.com/
Mission: To recognize the best Philippine websites on the Internet.

The Philippine Web Awards is the premiere award giving competition recognizing the best Filipino websites on the Internet.

Janette Toral (JT): Please give a background about yourself and your Internet life.

Heinz Bulos (HB): I have a parallel career in finance, having worked in SGV and BPI. But I started using the Internet in 1996 when I first wrote for PC World Philippines, later penning its Web Watch column where I reviewed the first few Filipino Web sites then. Then PC World included an insert, which I edited, about Web site reviews, taken from The Web magazine of the US. A year later, WSCPC spun off The Web Philippines, with me as editor. I served in that capacity from 1997 to 2000, and resumed in 2002, renaming and reformating the magazine into a business and technology publication as Enterprise magazine later that year.

I was also WSCPC's Online Business Manager from 2000 to 2002, launching and managing the operations of our IT portal, ITnetcentral (http://www.itnetcentral.com/), and our publication sites. In total, I've been using the Internet for close to eight years. And given the nature of my work, I'm online almost everyday for almost the entire work day. The Internet, particularly The Web and e-mail, are an integral part of my professional and personal life.

JT: Can you give us a bit of history on how the Philippine Web Awards started?

HB: The Philippine Web Awards (PWA) started in 1998 as a project of The Web Philippines magazine (now Enterprise magazine). It was pattered after the Webby Awards of the US (Webbys). The Web magazine in the US--published by IDG (International Data Group), of which WSCPC (WS Computer Publishing Corporation, now Media G8Way Corporation) is the Philippine licensee--launched the Webbys in 1997.

As editor of The Web Philippines, I thought it was a good idea to extend the mission of the magazine--which is partly to recognize the growing number of Filipino Web sites--to another format for a wider audience. And the idea caught on.

JT: What is your role in the Philippine Web Awards?

HB: During the first two years, I was actively involved in practically all aspects-conceptualizing the awards guidelines, inviting judges, overseeing the judging process, promoting the awards, even writing the script of the awards night program!

Recently, I've taken a more consultative role, as each area of organizing an awards program has been delegated to specific committees. There are different people handling the judging process, the updating of the Web site, the promotions, the event management, etc. I do not have a direct hand or operating responsibility in the entire process but am always around for consultation. I still do help in promoting the awards in tri-media.

JT: Would you refer to the Philippine Web Awards as the FAMAS for the Internet set?

HB: Well, that's how we billed it when we launched it in 1997, since it's a quick way of getting people to understand what it's all about. While we no longer promote it as the FAMAS for the Internet set, it still boils down to a industry competition which awards the most outstanding Filipino Web sites of the year.

JT: How did the Philippine Web Awards mature/change year-after-year? What were the significant changes/milestones?

HB: The first few years were naturally a learning experience for us, given the ad hoc approach we took. It was a way like an Internet startup--bootstrapping and multitasking. We started in a small venue (Hard Rock Café in Glorietta, Makati) and moving up to bigger ones (Shangri-La, Meralco Theater, New World) later.

Every year, we have fine-tuned the judging process, making sure we cover loopholes. Definitely, the set of judges we've invited have increasingly become highly regarded, given their background and reputation in the web development community. We've had more and more judges who are well-known internationally. So there have been a lot less, if not no, complaints about their credentials.

We've been working with different web development companies for our Web site almost every year, and we've certainly improved in that regard. Their multimedia talents continue to wow the crowd during the awards night with their animated clips.

We've also done a better job in the People's Choice Awards segment, and last year we introduced SMS voting as a way of expanding further the audience of the PWA.

The awards night themselves have become much better-organized and continue to be entertaining. Some of the country's top bands and artists have performed at the PWA.

We changed the name from the Philippine Webby Awards to the Philippine Web Awards after seeking the advice of IDG. But they do recognize and encourage our efforts.

Now that we've formed a separate Events group, we'll be expanding the PWA franchise to cover more areas and groups. We'll also be introducing ancillary activities such as seminars. We're also looking into specific segments in the ICT industry that we can spin off as separate awards.

JT: People tend to say that awards like this are all hype. Do you agree with that?

HB: In one sense, it is hype in that it puts the spotlight on web developers. It's the closest thing to being a celebrity.

But there is substance to it, as it helps them in terms of exposure and promotions, which may lead to new business and career opportunities.

It also serves as a venue for promoting best practices in web design, content, and development.

JT: Why do sponsors support the Philippine Web Awards?


HB: Primarily because they believe in the concept. It also has that coolness factor which they might want to associate with. But more than that, they want to be associated with the promise of the Internet and New Media. They know these web developers are at the cutting edge of New Media and they want to support this effort to recognize them.

JT: Is the awards going to be institutionalized (or is it already)? Or will it just keep on moving for as long as there are sponsors?


HB: It's not institutionalized in the sense that there's a separate foundation or academy running it, ala the Academy Awards. But while the actual operations reside with us, it has the participation and support of the web community, whose members are perennial screeners and judges. In the end, it's the web community, along with some experts from other industries that decide the winners. It's peer competition if you look at it that way.

And it's practically a widely-recognized industry-supported awards program, which has the same credibility and support as awards programs of other industries. Press releases, news articles, brochures, annual reports, executive speeches, and other promotional materials of past winners--from the freelance web designer to the Top 100 companies--all mention their achievements at the PWA.

Winners of the Philippine Web Awards: 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998.

ReviewMe - a new earning opportunity for bloggers

(Sponsored Post)

I just got an email today about ReviewMe, a website service that invites bloggers and webmasters to write reviews and earn from it. After signing up, you can submit up to six (6) websites but only those that can qualify shall be approved. In my case, this blog and my DigitalFilipino.com website qualified in the system.

I believe that this service is a great opportunity for bloggers out there especially for the young ones. It has one of the lowest sign-up age (14 years old) that I’ve found and this is great news for the teenager out there who are very active in blogging.

Once you are in, you have to wait for review assignments, so earning more will depend on how ReviewMe's advertising network shall grow, and your capability or capacity as a reviewer.

I'm glad that reviewers are expected to provide feedback, or criticism, and should be taken by advertisers as a means to improve their product or service.

Payouts are made through check or Paypal every 1st of the month. I do hope that networks like this will grow and create more earning opportunities for bloggers alike.

My other blogs did not qualify due to not meeting their minimum number of citations, subscribers, and traffic. Although one can return a few months later and try it again. I only hope that they can give more specific feedback when a site is not approved so that the improvement is well targeted. For instance, if it is a matter of being in a Technorati rank of this range, then one can use that as a barometer as to how a rejected blog is improving and can try again to apply in the future.

Fast Internet User Growth

The number of Internet users in the country is gradually growing. The growth today may still be slow but it is turning out according to our conservative projections cited in the Philippine Internet Review volume 1. If such will continue, our projection for 41 million Internet users in 2014 may just happened. In fact, even sooner than we think.

One of the most interesting companies to watch out for in trending this growth is the PLDT group of companies. Reaching 1 million broadband subscribers in 3 years or 2009 is like increasing its current wireless and wireline broadband base by 5x.

State of Philippine Internet Service Providers

Well, like all other directories I mentioned in my recent post, this one is also troublesome. Yahoo's listing of ISPs are too little to the point that you'll wonder how many ISPs are really here in the Philippines. It makes me wonder as well why ISPs don't care to list themselves in search engines when most visiting foreigners and investors normally look for them (and Internet cafes too).

In the 1st volume of the Philippine Internet Review, we had a feature on challenges faced by ISPs. Admitted, the lack of trust in information sharing made it hard to explain in quantifiable terms how the ISPs are being affected by the carriers getting into the same business and give basis for the government to intervene.

Some ISPs are also expanding their offerings through partnerships. Companies like Infocom gradually transforming itself into a "technology utility firm."

The History of Philippine Internet

My sincerest thanks to Angelo Racoma for blogging about our Philippine Internet Review. I also encourage those who have a copy of the documentary to blog about it too and share your insight on Internet developments in the country.

How did it all started?

For those of you who are curious as to how the Philippine Internet has evolved in the country. I encourage you to buy a copy of the Philippine Internet Review: 10 Years of Internet History (1994:2004).

This was published in 2004 and we really went through tough times while working on it. I look forward in publishing a volume 2 edition of it soon that will build on 2004 developments onwards.

Join our discussion group

I just created the Philippine Internet Review Discussion Group. This is where you can also share your insights on various Internet developments.

I hope you can join.

Call for support: Philippine Schools CyberFair 2006

We are currently inviting companies to sponsor or support the Philippine Schools CyberFair 2006 as we kicked off our Regional Competition last August and will be launching the National Competition this November.

Just buy 100 copies of the Philippine Internet Review: 10 Years of Internet History (1994-2004) for thirty-four thousand pesos (P34,000) and you are automatically a sponsor for the Philippine Schools Cyberfair 2006 regional and national competition. (Please make all checks payable to Posh Marketing Services.)

As a sponsor, you shall be entitled to the following:

• Recognize your company as a donor in one of the Cyberfair categories and levels (8 categories and 3 levels).
  
• Present or deliver a talk or topic during the Cyberfair student convention or teacher training.
  
• Have your streamer posted and flyers given out during the Cyberfair student convention and 5-days teacher training. (December for regional level and April for national level)
  
• Have your company listed as sponsor in the Philippine Schools CyberFair website.
  
• Have your banner ad (468x60) posted at DigitalFilipino.com

We hope this request will merit the interest of companies.

For the growth of relevant Internet use and e-commerce in the Philippines!

Website Feature: Resources for the Blind

The website of the Resources for the Blind is one true demonstration as to how the Internet can help NGO groups in promoting their advocacy. With blindness as the leading disability in the Philippines, every Filipino must be concerned. As we get older, one way or another, we will have disabilities that we have to cope up with, whether we like it or not.

Resources for the Blind is one of the leading organizations who are helping the blind through their various programs. I got to feature them in the past for their Computer Eyes program, in partnership with various entities like IBM Philippines. I got the chance to write about them as well in my column and for the APECTel - Philippines Perspective on ICT Accessibility.

The Computer Eyes project got featured in the Philippine Internet Review as well.

Philippine Internet Review book 2

We are currently in the process in preparing for the book 2 of the Philippine Internet Review. Publishing the first issue was a big challenge. As we were not able to capture everything, we've decided to push for the 2nd edition recognizing e-government initiatives, blogging, gaming, and the influence of mobile phone to Internet infrastructure usage growth.

If you have not done so, buy a copy today of the Philippine Internet Review. Your support is very much appreciated.

Ideas and contributions are more than welcome!