Winners: DigitalFilipino Social Networking Awards 2009

We would like to extend our congratulations to the following winners of the DigitalFilipino Social Networking Awards. Winners were recognized last April 24 at the 2nd Social Networking & eBusiness Conference 2009. They are: (photos & videos to follow)

• Social Network - Jollibee Sulit Sarap Challenge (Jollibee Foods Corporation) (video)
  
• Photo Sharing - myPond's 7 Days Beauty Blog (Unilever Philippines) (video)
  
• Video Sharing - Clean & Clear My Beautiful Ride Video Contest (Johnson & Johnson Philippines)
  
• Micro-blogs - $3 for Cagayan de Oro City, PH Flash Flood (CDOBloggers.com) (video)
  
• Blogs - Fully Booked Bloggers Event (Fully Booked) (video)
  
• Search engine marketing - Busby SEO Test (Francis Gary F. Viray) (video)
  

Big thanks to all who nominated various entries and to the club members who helped out in the judging.

We hope this will encourage more folks to nominate an entry next year.

(Photos taken by Photosynthesis).

Philippine E-Commerce Entrepreneurs Towards Globalization

Last April 14, I delivered a talk about "From Student to E-Commerce Entrepreneur" to the more than 1000 students of AIE College (now a DigitalFilipino.com Club SME member) who converged at the PICC Forum.


Pangasinan-based professional blogger Dr. Julius Mamaril delivered an inspirational talk about his experience in blogging. Dr. Leo Fuentes whom I have known since the early days of e-commerce in the Philippines and president of AIE College introduced me to the students. As Senator Chiz Escudero could not make it, I covered the whole morning slot and extended the question & answer portion.

As blogging is an idea being pushed to the students, to be used as a tool in promoting themselves. It can't be helped if there is doubt among students on its potential as an e-commerce and income generating tool. Furthermore, being newcomers, they wonder as well how can they compete with those who are established already.


I encouraged the students to have something like a 5-year plan for themselves on what they want to be and start working on building the necessary blocks to become a reality. Shared that DigitalFilipino did not reach what it was today without a vision to strive for and focus on. Any endeavor, whether career or business or even blogging, requires having that vision in order to have a sense of direction or purpose.

Received a lot of questions (in paper form) but the lack of time prevented me to answer them all. However, will use them as blog and article ideas in the weeks to come.

Thank you again AIE College and look forward in catching up with you again soon!