Write IT Right

Cyberpress-EMC Philippines “Write IT Right” Tilt On February 29

Registration is now ongoing for the “Write IT Right” IT writing contest for Metro Manila public and private high school students. The contest is scheduled to be held this February 29, 2008 in STI Makati City campus.



The logo was developed by Chanty Tan of Dominguez Marketing Communications.

The project is a joint undertaking of the IT Journalists’ Association of the Philippines (ITJAP) or Cyberpress and EMC Philippines, the local arm of the world’s leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology solutions.

Geared to become an annual event, the contest aims to get more young Filipinos interested in a career in IT writing, a highly specialized and evolving field of business journalism, by harnessing budding talents in an on-the-spot competition. Exciting gadget and cash prizes await the winners among the targeted 50 participating schools in the metropolis.

For more info, please call Claire Marquez Tel: (02) 859 4635 / fax: (02) 885 0146 or send E-mail: Marquez_Claire@emc.com or Grace Roxas Dominguez Marketing Communications, Inc. Tel: (02) 897 7088 / 892 3766 or grace.roxas@dominguez.com.ph

Education and Technology

here is no doubt that technology is a driver of social and economic change. Since the development of the printing press, the telephone and the Internet, technological developments have allowed everyone to interact on a global scale.

Technology affects everyone and our own values. And often raises ethical questions on how companies do business within their communities. Without being disruptive (or even disturbing), companies continue to find ways and means to work and partner with local stakeholders to address issues and concerns of local communities.

As a communication professional and a teacher, I would say that education is probably one of the most important concerns that need to be addressed.

During the Asian CSR Forum held in Vietnam last September, Cheng Cheng Loo, Intel’s regional program manager for Asia said that to develop 21st-century skills, students would need to learn how to think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, collaborate and be digitally literate. “Success at the individual and ultimately at the national level is linked at the quality of education.”

I always tell my students at UST that learning is a continuous process. The education of an individual begins even before birth. Just ask your parents what music they played or books they read while you were still in your mother’s womb. The challenges and triumphs of daily life provide opportunities for learning even after formal schooling.

Jumper and Dejavu

Earlier this afternoon, at Glorietta Cinema 1, Chief and I watched “Jumper” the science fiction film based on the 1992 science fiction novel “Jumper” by Steven Gould.

It was odd to see two Jedi nights, Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson battle on the screen, but more interesting (or even boggling) to understand the technology be teleportation.

In the movie, David Rice (played by Christensen) discovers he can “jump” or teleport to any place on the planet which he's previously visited or visualized from a photograph. He tells his girlfriend Millie (played by Rachel Bilson) that he is into “banking.”

Millie says, “If you cant tell me the complete truth, I would rather that you don’t lie to me.”


The battle begins when Roland Cox (Samuel L. Jackson) tracks down David down in Rome. “Been there, done that” I whispered to Cecile as the fight begins between the Jumpers and Paladins. Photos courtesy of http://www.imdb.com/ and 20th Century Fox.

Cox (Jackson) says “Only God should have the power to "Be everywhere at once". At the last scene, David still trying to convince Cox that not all Jumpers are evil decides to save Cox from drowning and leaves him in the Grand Canyon. That will “teleport” to a part two.

And later in the evening, we stayed up late to watch “Déjà vu” with Denzel Washington and Val Kilmer, which also deals with time travel.

Love and Technology

Love and technology? How will that work? Easy. Just the amount of SMS sent through Globe and Smart on this day will bring and bridge together people and lovers near or far from each other.

Last Tuesday, during a Media Training Program we held with our client, EMC Philippines, we were discussing the amount of data (or information) that is shared (or greeted) between mobile phone users.

Some say, more test messages are sent during Christmas? Others say, more during Valentine’s Day? So, which day is it?

Bu definitely, with the big splash of text messages that go through the networks’ data center on Christmas Day or Valentine’s Day, technology will play a role in “handling” these millions of text messages, so we don’t get to read “Network failure” in our mobile phone screens.

Someone said, during Christmas, people send generic Xmas messages, while on Valentine’s day, we send dedicated messages. And non-Christians don’t sent Xmas messages.

The idea of flash drive technology comes into the picture. When I first heard or read about it, I thought it was related to thumb drives or flash drives. But I was wrong.

Wait, I will send first my Valentine’s greeting to my wife, before the network gets clogged.

Imagination and Creativity

Last November, Cecile and I attended our second Phil. Advertising Congress together, since we had returned from Vietnam.

For three days, 3,200 plus advertising and marketing communications practitioners gathered at the new Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center for the 20th Philippine Advertising Congress (PAC).

The most anticipated speaker of the Ad Congress was Neil Gaiman! His talked about “Imagination and Creativity in the Contemporary World.” He is listed in the Dictionary of Literary Biography as one of the top ten living post-modern writers. Neil had written for movies like “Stardust” with Robert de Niro and “Beowulf” with Anthony Hopkins and Angelina Jolie. He is also the writer/creator of the cult DC Comics series Sandman. The Sandman issue “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” won in the 1991 World Fantasy Award for best short story, thus making it the first comics script to be awarded a literary award. Did you know that he wrote a book about the biography of the band Duran Duran back in 1984?

He said that people should see things taken for granted with new eyes. “Before there were chairs, poems, and fields they were imagined,” Gaiman said. The England-born 47-year old novelist praised the potential of young Filipino artists and writers. “The Philippines has the coolest folklores in the world.”

I believe that with creativity also comes accountability. People in advertising are still brand custodians and thus, remain accountable together with client to the success or failure of their brands.

But with the digital revolution, hopefully, there are brighter chances of success and thus, marketing communications professionals find innovative ways and means to engage consumers. Photo shows Cecile with McCann Erickson delegates.

Free Wi-fi @ Rockwell but?

Thanks to WiGo, Rockwell Powerplant Mall recently became one big hotspot offering free Wi-Fi. WiGo’s other free hotspots include LKG Tower Food Odyssey and PBCOM Tower Food Patio in Makati and the National Library in Manila.The Globequest website lists nearly 100 wireless Internet zones, called WIZ, around the country.

Liza de los Reyes, WiGo chief operating officer says that the free service is aimed at the growing number of laptop users. “The need to stay online is no longer confined to the home or workplace adding that “road warriors” are a new breed of users whose lifestyles are putting a greater demand on mobility,” says Liza.

But there is a catch? Banner ads. Yup, once you are connected, a banner ad pops and remains in your screens. Close that window and you are disconnected. Maybe, a little nuisance but I think that can be managed for free a free wi-fi connection.

Superbowl Advertising

Yes, the New York Giants won over the New England Patriots. But I guess, a bigger winner are the sponsors who reached 97.5 millions viewers and Fox network who earned millions of dollars for this sporting event. According to Fox Network, the New England Patriots and the New York Giants game was the most-watched game of the Super Bowl. 93 million viewers watched last year’s game.

Citing figures from Nielsen Media Research, Fox reports viewership came close to matching the most-watched network-TV program of all time. Guess, what TV series? Remember MASH? It’s last episode reached nearly 106 million viewers.

The previously most-watched Super Bowl took place in 1996 when about 94.1 million viewers watched the game on NBC.

Technology further spread its impact and influence. GoDaddy.com website received 1.5 million hits who watched a version of a TVC that had been rejected by Fox Network.

MySpace also scored major goals during the game. Around 14.5 million views viewed TVCs. Ince both Fox and My Space are owned by News Corp, the network ran on-air promotions during the game urging viewers to visit My Space. Advertisers were able to offer incentives to viewers who watched ads on-line.

Wish I had watched that game too!

The Wi-Fi Brand

While working on my February column for the Manila Times, I had learned that the word "wi-fi" is actually a brand name like Cisco, Nokia or Globe. All along, I thought that the word "wi-fi" was a generic term for wireless technology. I was wrong.

"Wi-Fi" is actually a wireless technology brand owned by the Wi-Fi Alliance, which is a consortium of companies, which specifies methods and techniques of wireless local area network (WLAN) operations. This Alliance includes some popular brands we now like Cisco, Lucent and Nokia.

The Wi-Fi Alliance agrees on a set of interoperable products based on the family of IEEE 802.11 standards. These numbers are the set of standards for WLAN developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) based in New York. According to its website at www.ieee.org, the organization has more than 370,000 members in 180 countries. The IEEE is also the leading authority in other areas like aerospace systems, biomedical engineering and consumer electronics.

For my complete story entitled, "Are You Secured?", please visit the Manila Times website.

Technology Works

I have actually been writing a monthly column called “Marketing IT” at the Manila Times for several months. Even, when my wife, Cecile and I were in the States, technology made it possible for me to submit my column to my editor, Jing Garcia.

In fact, technology, specifically, on-line communications helped Cecile and I make our relationship work while we were apart early in 2001.

But beyond long distance relationships and email communications, there many ways wherein technology affects our lives at work and at home.

These scribbles will look into how “technology works” whether for the good or not so good effect into our lives. I always believe in a healthy work and life balance. Being married to an advertising practitioner, a faculty member at UST, a columnist at Manila Times and a communications practitioner, I face that challenge to make technology work at home and at work.