Category: How To

Getting “Edumacated” on the G-Spot! Getting a Job is like going on a Blind Date

You’ve found “The G-Spot” with DJ Vince G.

A radio show on Mellow 94.7 FM every every Saturday from 6-9am and Sundays 6-10am.

Listing down all the stuff I talked about On Air in case you wanted to check it out.

Listen online – http://Mellow947.fm

Connect with me on Facebook.com/djVinceG or on Twitter.com/VinceGolangco

WOW! Lots of cool stuff on my show today! First of all, thanks to my guests on my segment “Edumacate Me!” – Marybeth Nave and Fritz Capulong!

Thanks for giving me and my listeners an “Edumacation” today. In case you missed it, they are both TV show hosts who work at an online job portal, Marybeth being the Vice President of Human Resources for that said job portal. They talked about how to succeed at getting a job as well as how to succeed at dating! They compare getting a job to going on a blind date as you don’t know what to expect for both of them and also because for both, in order to succeed, you need to leave a positive lasting impression that makes you stand out.

Fritz and Marybeth promised to send me a summary of things they talked about, so will have that by early next week. Also, you can contact them at MarybethNave@gmail.com and Fritz.Capulong@gmail.com if you have more questions.

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On This Day – May 23

1568 – The Netherlands declare their independence from Spain.

1805 – Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned King of Italy with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in the Cathedral of Milan.

1853 – Buenos Aires gains independence from Argentina (reunited 1859)

1903 – 1st automobile trip across US from SF to NY, ended April 1

2005 – The fastest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka opens at Six Flags Great Adventure.

Mitch Albom, 52, journalist, author (Tuesdays with Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven), born Passaic, NJ, May 23, 1958.

Drew Carey, 49, actor (“The Drew Carey Show”), host (“The Price Is Right”) born Cleveland, OH, May 23, 1961 (some sources say 1958).

Jewel, 36, singer, born Jewel Kilcher at Payson, UT, May 23, 1974.

#1 Song Today, May 23th in the 80s:

THE 1980s

1989 Forever Your Girl Paula Abdul
1988 One More Try George Michael
1987 With or Without You U2
1986 Greatest Love of All Whitney Houston
1985 Everything She Wants Wham!
1984 Let’s Hear It for the Boy Deniece Williams
1983 Flashdance … What a Feeling Irene Cara
1982 Ebony and Ivory Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder
1981 Bette Davis Eyes Kim Carnes
1980 Call Me Blondie

Fact or Fiction

You can recover data from a failing hard drive by putting it in the freezer for a few hours and then reinstalling it in the computer.

FACT

While this method won’t magically fix whatever is wrong with your computer, it can get your hard drive working long enough for you to recover important data before it gives up the ghost for good. This generally works best when the drive is making a tell-tale clicking sound caused by overheated metal parts that have expanded. Freezing the hard drive cools and shrinks the metal so the drive will mount properly and run long enough (hopefully) for you to copy your files to another source.

DISCLAIMER – I have no clue if this works or for what type of problems this can really work on. Just found this online.

Reason to party today – coz it’s happy hour somewhere in the world.

World Turtle Day

May 23. An observance sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises, as well as their habitats around the world. For info: Susan Tellem, American Tortoise Rescue, 23852 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265. E-mail: info@tortoise.com. Web: www.tortoise.com.

Quote of the Day

“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” ~Mitch Albom

Thanks for listening to “The G-Spot”

Hope it was good for you too…


Vince at iBlog6 Summit – From the Eyes (and Links) of Other Bloggers

The iBlog 6 Summit was a BLAST!

I had way too much fun talking in front of a whole auditorium of new and veteran bloggers. I was asked to speak about Video Blogging 101. So pretty much the basics of Video Blogging. I of course, added a little twist to this and titled my talk: “Are you Sexy Enough to be a Video Blogger?”

The video will be out soon and I’ll post links to that. You can see some notes from that talk, that were featured in the iBlog6 “Digit@l Magazine” here – “Are you Sexy Enough for Video Blogging?”

Anyway, I just wanted to share some links, insights and pictures from some bloggers I found who were there to see my talk. Hopefully they liked it and hopefully they learned something cool from it. If anything, I’m hopeful people do know that they ARE sexy enough to be a video blogger!

———————

This pic is fom Karla Redor of http://rockersworld.com

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This one below is from Alex Dizon of http://recyclebinofamiddlechild.blogspot.com

6th Philippine iBlog Summit Vince Golangco Speech

This next excerpt is from Sai Verano of http://saicyberspace.blogspot.com

VIDEO BLOGGING

I’ve been really planning to make my own channel in YouTube. Although I have one, it only contains my college video projects. It was until yesterday that I realized how video blogging is important to a blogger like me.

The fun video blogging lessons were presented by Vince G. (I’m sorry I forgot the last name). He’s a DJ at Mellow 94.7 (yeah! I listen to that radio station). According to DJ Vince (http://wheninmanila.com) video blogging doubles the power of your blog. I think he made his point. Video can be present in your blog as well as other platforms like YouTube, Vimeo and Veoh. Actually, if you put your videos to these three platforms it doesn’t just double your blogging power but it’s four times better than just publishing an article in your WordPress or Blogger site.

I like it when he said: “It’s not about who you know, it’s about who knows you.” Now that’s one rocking statement! It can somehow be associated to being famous. He showed us some clips on YouTube about famous video bloggers/personalities. He showed us “David After Dentist”, which I couldn’t believe that I never heard or watched before. It was really funny!

Because of that, I got more inspired to make my YouTube channel active. I also have a channel in Vimeo (search for Sai Verano) but I haven’t uploaded any video yet. It’s a channel for business tips and principles.


Ishmael Fischer Ahab of http://theparadoxicleyline.blogspot.com had a quick comment about my presentation:

Vince Golangco’s presentation on video blogging opened up some ideas in my mind. If I will pursue video blogging in the future, his tips and tricks will be definitely useful.


Got some highlights from Rommel Sherwin D. Copuyoc of http://inghinyero.com

09:37 AM – Video Blogging by Vince Golangco

Highlights:
Personal branding is very important.
Video blogging can earn you money.
70% of internet growth will be coming from videos.
Notes
I am expecting a lot of people to come in a few hours. Morning sessions of iBlog6 usually doesn’t fill up Malcolm. Many bloggers (prominent ones) will probably arrive this afternoon. And this hall will be jamapacked.

Vince Golangco is very entertaining. I like it that we are learning something while he makes really good jokes! Its an entertaining presentation. He shows videos and funny clips and still makes a point.

Oh and got cool comments from that blog post at inghinyero.com too

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Anywayz, will post more when I find new ones. Really appreciating the feedback so far! If any new bloggers or video bloggers need help with anything, feel free to drop me a line or add me up on Facebook – http://Facebook.com/djVinceG

Are you Sexy Enough to be a Video Blogger? (how to Vlog)

I spoke today at the iBlog 6 Summit (iBlog6) held at the University of the Philippines.

My topic was Video Blogging 101 with my own little twist. I titled my segment, “Are you Sexy Enough to be a Video Blogger?” and talked about why people should start a video blog, the power a video blog carries and what it can do for you. I then also spoke about common excuses that people give regarding why they don’t want to start a video blog.

Below is my supporting article to my presentation that appeared in the UP Law Center’s Internet and Society Program “Digit@l” Magazine Volume 9 Issue 1.

Find out more about the iBlog Summits here – http://iblogph.org

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Are you Sexy Enough for Video Blogging?
By: Vince Golangco

Long before you and I were around, our great great great great grandfathers used to live by the saying that goes: “It’s all about what you know!” So they poured their blood, sweat and tears into working 12 hours a day and learning a craft to the point where they were better than everyone else. The problem with this concept is that you can be the very BEST at one thing, but if no one knows you’re the best, then you won’t really get much work.

From that splendid point of view came the old saying our great great grandfathers then lived by, that went: “It’s not about what you know, it’s all about who you know!” This concept of course came to life at the dawn of the marketing and advertising era. It was about making connections and seeking them when you need help. It’s a very basic premise that is still used a lot here in the Philippines, especially in politics (that’s a semi-joke). Knowing someone always ensured you could ask for help when you needed it. The problem was that your ask-for-help currency is usually limited. You can only ask for so many favors and people can only do so much for you.

What would be more beneficial to all parties would be you helping other people to find you, when they need you. Help them help you. Thus, in today’s new marketplace and new globalized culture, the new and most effective way of life goes as:

“It’s not about what you know or who you know, it’s all about WHO KNOWS YOU!”

If Big Widget Making Company needed to get someone to make their new widget, and they somehow heard about your excellent widget making skills, they would surely approach you to seek your guidance. If this said Big Widget Making Company need someone to market their new widget, and they somehow heard about your excellent widget marketing skills… well you get the point.

With the internet, we’re each able to promote our own personal brands and inform others about our personal expertise. The person who better markets themselves and promotes their brand will, more often, get the job. This person will get the job even though there may be others more skilled or qualified than he is. But don’t hate the playah’… hate the game.

Blogging and video blogging are some of the most powerful tools to get your name out there.

What’s the difference between a blog and a video blog? Well, it’s pretty simple; video blogging, or vlogging, is twice as powerful as regular blogging.

First of all, a vlog allows for more avenues to publish your work. You’re able to re-post your creative products on other sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, TwitVid and more. Furthermore, most blogs do not do a good job of putting a face on the writer. Have you ever tried remembering a name without a face? It’s much more difficult to remember someone if you can’t recall what they look like. So not adding a logo, or your face, to your blog and brand is a malpractice that most people overlook.

The best practice I’ve seen with vlogs is still having the blog aspect to your post, but having a video that compliments your article. Having the written part helps you with the Search Engine Optimization (SEO), while also giving more depth to your post. What vlogs have though that regular blogs don’t is the ability to feed the need of people to watch TV, or something like TV. Moreover, videos help you feature so much more about your topic that regular words or pictures simply can’t capture.

When I founded WhenInManila.com, I knew from the start that a travel site featuring the Philippines would not be justified with just stories and photos. I knew that this country had way too much splendor to encapsulate into just letters and static images. There was no question that creating a video channel was the best way to properly build this site. The traffic and positive response we’ve gotten as of today is just a small testament of the power of  video blogs.

You’ve most likely heard about internet sensations turning into global celebrities such as Charice Pempengco or Arnel Pineda. Both starting out as no more than YouTube video diary producers but are now international talents. These two individuals did no more than just post videos of their singing expertise.

Now instead of giving you more reasons why you should start a video blog, I’m instead going to give you the most common reasons why people haven’t already started a vlog and also the rebuttal I have for these initial mis-thoughts:

  • “I’m shy”

Let me share a secret with you – Some of the most successful, most popular, and seemingly most outgoing “celebrities” are actually some of the shyest and most bashful people in the world. Being shy is a normal part of being human. Many people are able to overcome this simply by ignoring their internal thoughts or by excessive practice of pretending not to be shy. The secret is that everyone has some level of bashfulness that comes from the basic human need of being accepted. In fact, sometimes the limelight triggers this need for acceptance even more and some people who get thrown into this popularity pool have no idea how to handle all the attention. They eventually start craving the positive attention and slowly start needing more of it to feed and counter their shyness. I constantly recall a friend of mine, named Pam, who’s a professional model. She once told me that she hates dating other models because models are very needy. She said that most other models need you to constantly remind them of how cool, sexy and special they are, or think they are. They need the constant ego boost in order to maintain their level of “unshyness” in order to properly perform their job. They may do a good job at hiding how shy they really are, but the bottom line is that they’re just as introverted as you are, but the difference is that they found a way to overcome this. So if you want to take your brand, or yourself to the next level, then you need to find your own way of overcoming this internal block. Start by contemplating this statement: “Fake it til’ you make it!” Now STOP, and think about it.

  • “I don’t look good on camera” / “I’m not sexy enough to be a video blogger”

This fruitless thought is yet another angle of the shy syndrome that we all need to overcome. We’re fed lies everyday by the television and beauty magazines. They dictate to us the need for excessive make-up and photoshopping skills in order to look like what the ad agencies and big corporations think we should look like. This is a trap that we should not fall into:

“Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.”  – Steve Jobs, Apple CEO

It’s a new world and the dawn of social media has moved the control of what we think is beautiful from the advertising agencies to the end users. No longer is this an era of supermodels with fake tans and breast implants. Today’s Web 2.0 world dictates that the normal people are the more beautiful specimens. It’s all about what’s real today. Believe me, you are more beautiful and more real than half the fakers on TV today.  Now you just need to adjust your own self to think the same way.

  • “I don’t think I have anything significant to say or share”

Are you religious? Do you believe in women’s rights? Who do you think will be the best president for our country? Do you like cats?

You do have an opinion and you do have something significant to say. Having an opinion of something does not mean you have to be a certified expert in that field. It’s just what it is, an opinion. There is no need for a degree in law or political science to share your opinion on who you think will be the best president for the country. You can vote for whoever you want and have your own thoughts on why this is so. Some people will think you are an absolute idiot for thinking one way, while other will also think that you are an absolute genius for thinking the same exact thoughts. So just say it as it is. Get a camera and let people know what you think. Don’t expect everyone to agree with it. It’s actually a good thing if some people disagree with you. It means you have a good point. It means you’re challenging things. It means you are a leader. Good leaders are the ones who always challenge the status quo. Be that leader!

  • “I don’t have the tools to create videos” / “My camera is not the High Definition / Blue Ray quality that’s needed for online videos”

When I first started my vlog, WhenInManila.com, I thought I needed the best quality cameras and the best equipment known to man. It wasn’t long before I realized that the internet does not have such stringent entrance fees as I thought it would. This is one club that lets everyone in. This is not to say that you should produce material of low quality, instead it just means that sometimes, real videos that are less fabricated and more personal are more appreciated online. So that means cell phone cameras and digicams work just as well, if not better for the YouTube community.  You don’t need an entire production crew. It’s all about producing quality content with the tools you already have. iPods, digital cameras, your phones and even webcams are more than enough to get you started. Worry about content rather than equipment.

  • “I don’t know how to edit a video”

I live by this quote that says: “The man who says ‘I CAN’ and the man that says ‘I CAN’T’ are both right. Which one are you?”

So it all starts with the right attitude. If you’re willing to learn, then I guarantee that you will. In fact, video editing (like so many other things in life) is much easier than you may think. I still use the basic program for most of my video editing needs. You can actually download it for free, just search for “Windows Live Movie Maker.” It’s is the bare necessity / basic video editing program that will not leave you confused like a grandma on Facebook. There aren’t too many options or buttons but it still has more than enough to get you going. You can cut, paste, add videos, add pictures, add music and even put a watermark. It should take you no more than a few tries at this to be an expert at editing videos with this program. All it takes is the right attitude and the initiative to do so.

  • “No one will watch me anyway”

Well what do you have to lose? It may take some time but if you do put out anything with decent quality, you’ll start finding your niche and you’ll start getting the support you need. It’s no secret that every blogger, video blogger, or TV star started out with one fan – their mom. Though with the right marketing tactics and persistence, all these people start building an audience of people who appreciate them for who they are and what they do. You don’t need to have any super talents. Sometimes, people appreciate you for exactly what you can bring to the table. In fact, this sometimes makes people more attracted to you as they feel like they can connect with you. They end up feeling just as simple as you are and thus they appreciate you for what you have to say, no matter how insignificant you may think it is (refer back to advice on you thinking that you don’t have anything significant to say or share).

The relatively low cost of starting an online channel has made video production much easier. In fact, marketers and bloggers today like going by the phrase: “Ready, Fire, Aim.” It’s a statement that means you can adjust your content toward your audience. Just get started with what you have in mind and worry about adjusting and tweaking it as you go along. It won’t cost you anything anyway. Go ahead, fire when ready!

  • “People might say mean things about me and my videos”

Yes they will. I won’t lie, there are a lot of “haters” out there who do nothing but try to drag people down. The one piece of advice I remember from Filipino internet sensation Christina Gambito, better known as HappySlip, was that you need to ignore all the negative comments and downbeat people. They will be out there and you just need to do your best to produce what you feel is quality videos and content. The rest will fall into place on its own.

Most are hindered from starting a vlog simply by their own selves. Well, it’s time to overcome your personal walls and turn yourself into the next internet video producer. With the right attitude and some practice, you’ll be the next video star faster than you can say “YouTube Sensation!”

Believe me, it’s a lot easier than you think.

“The greater danger for most of us, is not that our aim is too high and we miss it,
but that it is too low and we reach it”
–Michelangelo

Vince Golangco is the Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director of WhenInManila.com, a top video blog and digital content provider in the Philippines. Aside from blogging, Vince is also a Radio DJ on Mellow 94.7. Moreover, he is the host of “Tek Tok TV” (Tech Talk TV), a show on the Global News Network (GNN) which talks about the latest trends in technology, gadgets, the internet, blogging and other geeky stuff. You can find out more about him on Twitter.com/VinceGolangco or on Facebook.com/WhenInManila.

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Are you Sexy Enough to be a Video Blogger? (how to Vlog)

Life Happens… One Song at a Time

It hasn’t been too long yet since I started my job as a radio DJ on Mellow 94.7. It’s one of those jobs that I thought could only be a dream, and no more. Fortunately for me, I never really limited myself with my own glass ceiling and instead, naively set out to conquer the world.

Now as most of you know, there are many things in life that seem extremely simple from the outside looking in. This false impression makes many Guinness world records seem easy enough for a child to accomplish, but can be unexplainably complicated when you’re doing it yourself.  Well, DJing, is not really one of those jobs. It’s pretty easy, if you don’t stress out like an autistic genius in a room full of network marketers. Well, right now, I’m that autistic dude with pyramid scheming fudgetards approaching me left and right.

I don’t know why, but I have a tendency to want everything to be perfect, and it stresses me out when it’s not. Furthermore, I like planning things out two weeks in advance. So when I’m sitting in that DJ booth, two things usually happen. One – I try to plan the perfect shpeal uhhhh….. stutter… stutter…. I mean…. spiel… the perfect spiel every time I go on air. And two – I try to plan out the next hour full of adlibs, greetings, song requests, music, ads, time checks, sponsorships and the kitchen sink! Often, this results in a cluster f*ck of craziness.

So instead, I sat myself down and remembered the last time I was in a high pressure situation. It was my junior year of college and I (for reasons I still do not comprehend) ran as president for this international business organization, and WON. I was there at the first meeting with my team discussing (what seemed to be) the 500 tasks we had to accomplish within 8 weeks. This included raising a few thousand dollars, organizing two charity events, setting up professional mixers, interviewing about 50 professionals, taking in-depth exams per week, preparing presentations every week and more! Just imagine Donald Trump’s show, “The Apprentice,” with less glamor, more work and MORE DONALDS breathing down your neck!

I almost had a nervous breakdown that night.

With ways unknown to me, I somehow made it through that first meeting. Then, I somehow made it through the first night, then the next morning, the next afternoon, the next day and so on.  Eight weeks later, I was amazingly able to accomplish all the goals set out for me and my team. What I realized, was that you have to take things one step at a time.

“The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Chinese Proverb

I was stressing out when I thought of ALL the millions of things I had to do for the next eight weeks. Coz let me tell you, there was A LOT! But, if I break it down to one task at a time – one phone call, one email, one idea, one little meeting; then the big giant stress ball doesn’t seem so huge anymore.

I realized this while I was at work today.  I started to just worry about my next song, instead of the next 240 minutes. There is a lot you do need to do in radio – pick your songs, read some greetings, check messages sent over text, messages on Facebook, read the ads, make sure the right ads are playing, play sponsored songs, make sure your volume is ok, prepare the phone patch, get your background music going, give a time check, talk into the mic, get your news ready, then all back to getting the next song ready again coz the amount of time it took me to write this already caused that one song to pass….

Get it? Lots to do. But, instead of stressing on all that. I just need to take things one song at a time. It makes everything a lot simpler.

Somehow, they haven’t fired me yet from this DJing thing. So I guess I must be doing ok. One song at a time, I’m pretty good at that.

“Yard by yard, life is hard. But inch by inch, life’s a cinch!” -anonymous quote

Anyway, that’s my two cents for the day. Hope it helps you somehow. But I gotta go now…. My next song is up…

“Hey what’s up you’ve found “The G-Spot” Radio Show with me, DJ Vince G!”

“Up next is the song….”

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Life Happens… One Song at a Time

Find “The G-Spot” with DJ Vince G

Saturdays 6-9am

Sundays 6-10am

Mellow 94.7

Listen Online – Mellow947.fm

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iBlog 6 Philippines Summit Schedule of Events and Registration

The 2010 iBlog Summit is one of the top internet marketing and blogging conferences in the Philippines to date. It is an event organized by one of the top online entrepreneurs, Janette Toral of DigitalFilipino.com.

It’s a two day event full of the top speakers in the geek tech world. OF course, you”ll have me speaking about Video Blogging 101. It’s scheduled for April 16 and 17.

The first day, April 16, Friday, of the iBlog Philippines Summit is has speakers and presentations targeted towards businesses and entrepreneurs while the second day, April 17, Saturday, is more focused on blogging.

iBlog: The 6th Philippine Blogging Summit will be on April 16 and 17, 2010 at the Malcolm Theater, UP College of Law, UP Diliman, from 8 am to 5 pm. This event is FREE. Note that the first 250 registered participants to come early (on or before 9 am) will be given food stub and participant kit. Afterwards, remaining food stubs and participant kits shall be given to early walk-ins. iBlog6 will be two days this year. The first day (April 16) is targeted for businesses and entrepreneurs wanting to understand how to tap blogs as a medium to promote their products and services. The second day (April 17) is meant to everyone interested about blogging.

If you want to come to this, all you have to do is register online. The iBlog 6 Summit is FREE. All you have to do is sign up here – iBlog 6 Summit Philippines

Here’s a schedule of events for the iBlog6 Summit

Day 1: (Friday April 16, 2010)
09:00AM to 09:15AM – Opening Ceremonies (National Anthem, Welcome Remarks by JJ Disini)
09:15AM to 09:35AM – Blogging for Business: Tapping Bloggers to Generate Buzz (Janette Toral)
09:35AM to 10:10AM – Advertising in Blogs (Abe Olandres)
10:25AM to 12:50AM – Break
10:50AM to 11:10AM – Sponsor Talk (Ivy Jean Vibar)
11:25AM to 11:45AM – SEO & Blogging to Promote Your Business (Francis Gary Viray)
12:00PM to 01:30PM – Lunch / Networking
01:30PM to 01:50PM – Measuring Blog Buzz (Carlo Ople)
02:05PM to 02:25PM – Legal Concerns in Blogging for Business (Emerson Bañez)
02:40PM to 03:00PM – Break
03:00PM to 03:20PM – Blogger and Advertiser: What is the Win-Win Relationship? (Diana Paterno)
03:35PM to 03:50PM – Online Attraction Marketing (Manuel Viloria)
04:05PM – Raffle and Group picture taking.

Day 2: (Saturday April 17, 2010)
08:45AM – Opening Ceremonies (National Anthem & Welcome)
09:00AM – 09:20AM – Blogging 101 (Hannah Villasis of FlairCandy.com)
09:35AM to 09:55AM – Video Blogging 101 (Vince Golangco of WhenInManila.com)
10:10AM to 10:30AM – Photo Blogging 101 (Juned Sonido)
10:45AM to 11:00AM – Break
11:00AM to 11:20AM – Blog Policies (Emerson Bañez)
11:35AM to 11:55AM – Blog on Mobile (Racquel R. Cagurangan)
12:10PM to 01:20PM – Lunch / Networking
01:20PM to 01:30PM – Performance (UP Concert Chorus)
01:30PM to 02:15PM – Political, Online Community, Social Media, & Election Blogging 2010 (Marck Ronald Rimorin and Noemi Dado)
02:30PM to 02:50PM – Launching Successful Blog Contests (Jinoe Gavan)
03:05PM to 03:20PM – Break
03:20PM to 03:40PM – Impact of Blogging to the Community (Joseph Gonzales)
03:55PM to 04:15PM – SEO: A Must for Making Money Online (Marhgil Macuha)
04:30PM – Raffle, i Blog Video Contest Winner Announcement & group picture taking.

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“Niche Dominators: Success Secrets Exposed” book launch & preview

Entrepreneur of the Year Awardee and Chairman & CEO of PestBusters, Thomas Fernandez, and Profit Strategist of Maneuver Marketing, Sant Qiu will be sharing their business strategies and success secrets at the Niche Dominators Book Launch in Philippines on 27th Feb.

Book launch for “Niche Dominators: Success Secrets Exposedwill the on Feb 27 (Sat), 2pm at National Book Store, Glorietta 5. This is a follow-up on the authors’ National Bestseller “Secrets to Dominate Your Niche“. Both authors are Singaporean. They are Entrepreneur of the Year awardees – Thomas Fernandez and Profit Strategist – Sant Qiu.

Millionaire Entrepreneurs Share Some Never Before Revealed Business Secrets In Business Book To Help Businesses Through The Crisis

– Niche Dominators: Success Secrets Exposed

Manila, Philippines – Niche Dominators: Success Secrets Exposed is the follow-up book to one of the region’s bestselling business books, Secrets To Dominate Your Niche, which was also a bestseller in the Philippines and featured in the Entrepreneur (Philippines) magazine and The Philippine Star. Singaporean co-authors Thomas Fernandez, Chairman and CEO of PestBusters and Sant Qiu, Profit Strategist of Maneuver Marketing, share more of their real-life business strategies on how to create a niche, differentiate a business and dominate the industry in their usual no-nonsense, no-holds-barred writing style. This time, they have also gotten 10 highly successful millionaire entrepreneurs to share their business secrets as well.

In this follow-up book, the co-authors provide readers with specific and highly actionable differentiation strategies to show how one can dominate the market even if one is a latecomer in an industry, create strategic differentiations to stand out from the overcrowded marketplace, hit the hot buttons of their target market to motivate them to buy, and even how to gain market share by using the seemingly counterintuitive strategy of admitting a flaw in one’s product or service. They also include various interesting real-world examples of how companies, big and small; local and international, have successfully applied these strategies to become market leaders in their industries.

Readers will find it easy to implement these strategies in their own businesses as the authors have broken down complex concepts into simple, executable action steps that they can follow in a step-by-step manner. There are also detailed templates like an actual sales pitch letter and a customer relationship building process that one can adopt and adapt accordingly. At the end of each chapter, there is an Action Steps section guide that reads like a to-do list on what readers need to do to apply their newly learnt knowledge in their business.

In his Foreword for the book, Brian Tracy, an internationally renowned bestselling author, speaker and business consultant, wrote that Niche Dominators: Success Secrets Exposed“is not one of those ‘superficial, theoretical, positive-thinking’ kinds of books. Instead, you’ll find hard-earned insights and real-world business strategies that will give you a rare and intimate look into the closely guarded success secrets of top entrepreneurs.”

Jack Trout, recognised as the world’s foremost marketing strategist and author of iconic marketing books like Positioning, also Differentiate Or Die and his latest, Repositioning, wrote in his review of Niche Dominators: Success Secrets Exposed, “I’ve always advised companies that want to be more than they should be that, ‘It is better to be niched than to be dead.’ This book tells how to go about being niched.”

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Book Highlights

Chapter: Seas Of Opportunities

Be The Man With The Plan—Using the light-hearted example of the movie Ocean’s Eleven, the authors show how having a good plan can help one gain access to critical resources like money, expert manpower, etc, that can turn their business idea / plan into action.

Know Your Target Market Intimately—Citing the disconnect between what businesses offer and what the market actually wants as one of the reasons for the lack of sales, the authors show how businesses can improve results immediately by having better understanding of what their target market really want and position their products or services to match that.

Chapter: Grow Your Market Share With Credibility

Demonstrate The Difference—One of the ways to differentiate one’s products from the competitors is to do a visual comparison, like for example, the famous Dove “Litmus Campaign” that is still being used today to demonstrate the mildness of its soap.

Admit Your Flaw And Gain Market Share—To counteract the prevalent scepticism of a cynical marketplace, the authors propose admitting to a product or service flaw but with the twist of turning it into something that is positive for one’s prospects. It is like how popular furniture company IKEA explains the lack of assistance because customers can find the information they need on the price tag, which means that they don’t need to pay for help they don’t need. This was the same strategy that made the “Think small” campaign for the VW Beetle such a huge success.


Niche Dominators: Success Secrets Exposed also features in-depth case studies of 10 successful millionaire entrepreneurs in their own individual 14-page chapters:

  • Goh Kai Kui of Goh Joo Hin (owner of the New Moon Abalone brand)

He reveals how he focused on a specific target market to penetrate an established industry and grab a sizeable market share in a short period of time.

  • Dr David Tan of David Tan Medical Aesthetics

He reveals how he creates a strong competitive advantage and become the go-to aesthetic doctor for well-known local and international celebrities in just a year.

  • Ivan Lee of ThaiExpress Holdings

He reveals how he branded and differentiated his F&B business to build a $100 million empire in just 7 years.

  • Leonard Tan of PurpleClick Media

He reveals how he leveraged on a growing market trend and his expertise to build a million-dollar business in just 1 year.

  • Lynn Tan of Fusion Cosmetics

She reveals how she took over a non-performing brand and created the right positioning to make it into a leading hair care brand.

  • Michael Tien of Atlas Sound & Vision (distributor of the Bose brand)

He reveals how he used warfare strategies to rebuild a failed family business into the market leader for high-end audio and visual products.

  • Dr T. Chandroo of Modern Montessori International

He reveals his strategies for branding and growing one of the largest pre-school organisations in the world.

  • Merry Riana of Merry Riana Organization

She reveals how she used word-of-mouth marketing and social networks to build a strong personal brand.

  • Chan Chong Beng of Goodrich Global

He reveals how he turned the tables on an entrenched industry practice to become the dominant market leader.

  • Angelo Augustus of Pertama Holdings (Harvey Norman Singapore)

He reveals what are some of the selling and retailing strategies that helped increase his company’s revenue during a global recession.

Established and highly respected Singaporean entrepreneurs like Charles Wong, Managing Director of Charles & Keith International, Elim Chew, Founder and President of 77thStreet and Kenny Yap, CEO and Chairman of Qian Hu Corporation have also endorsed Niche Dominators: Success Secrets Exposed.

As Mr Yap said in his review of the book, “If you apply just one of the practical and rarely shared strategies and tools you discovered in this book, you can expect to see your sales skyrocket. I personally know some of the feature entrepreneurs and even I’m surprised to read about some of the secret strategies they used to dominate their industries.”

Inline with its concept of revealing success secrets from top entrepreneurs, Niche Dominators: Success Secrets Exposed’s book cover is designed like an open book. It has become a bestseller in Singapore and just recently started retailing in the Philippines through National Book Store chain. This 304-page book is retailing at P885.00 at all major National Book Store outlets from February 1 2010.

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Importance of New Media Marketing TODAY

If’ you’re not starting your online marketing then you are seriously hurting yourself. It doesn’t have to be anything too complicated or strategic, but simply maintaining a Facebook or Twitter account may be enough to keep you in the loop.

Have a blog? Even better! The digital age is upon us and getting familiar with it is a necessity for you and your business to survive.

It’s quite a different market here in the Philippines where the internet is just now emerging as a platform for advertising and marketing. Even now, in 2010, it still has yet to reach it’s full potential. It may actually be a few more years before we actually see what the internet is fully capable of doing. That’s why the internet bloggers, marketers, twitters and SEOers of TODAY will be the sought after leaders and experts when that time comes for Asia, and the Philippines in particular, to use the full potential of the internet.

Want to learn more about the net? Well I recommend starting a blog, getting a Twitter account and maintaining your Facebook account on a regular basis. Just start with that. On Twitter, follow the experts I mentioned in an earlier post (Top Twitters to Follow on Twitter) and you should start getting info on how to go about with online marketing and branding.

Some interesting facts and statistics from the video:

  • 1.7 billion internet users worldwide
  • Philippines ranks #18 in top users
  • 14 million Filipinos online in 2008
  • 28 million Filipinos online in 2010 (equal to entire population of Malaysia)
  • 83% are on social networking sites
  • 90% read blogs (of over 300,000 Pinoy bloggers)
  • 6 out of 10 Filipino kids are online
  • Asked if you were stuck on an island, “What would you bring?”
    • 4% TV
    • 20% cellphone
    • 32% laptop computer
  • 25,200,000 Filipinos watch videos online
  • 5.5 million Pinoys browse the web on their mobile phones
  • In 2014 there will be 41 million Filipinos online (if the world doesn’t end in 2012)

Very interesting numbers to think about. So, how are you going to communicate to your audience TODAY????

Thanks to my friend, and new media marketing guru, Carlo Ople of CarloOple.com and NewMedia.ph for sharing this very insightful video with me.

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So what do you think is the Importance of New Media Marketing TODAY?

Write the Best Headlines. EVER. (Digg teaches us how to get clicks)

If a tree falls in the forest but no one hears it, did the tree really fall? If you have the BEST blog post in the world, but no one clicks on it… well… you get my point.

Writing an eye catching / click suckling HEADLINE is often more important than the actual content itself. I mean, you can have the best story or blog post in the world, but if no one clicks on it to read it, then it’ll be nothing but another lost blog post in the vast spaces of the internet.

So here we “Digg” for help from Digg.com to see how to write the best blog titles or headlines. EVER. Let’s see which headlines got the most clicks from 2009 and what techniques we can use to get the same results!

(Thanks to my Advance Internet Marketing Mentor, Jomar Hilario, for inspiring these priceless lessons. To find out more about him or to join his Advance Internet Marketing Classes, check out http://jomarhilario.com)

Here are a few tips on how you should draft your next headlines or blog titles! Also, I attached pics of the actual headlines used on the popular news story voting website, Digg.com that got the most Diggs (or clicks) from that Digg community. Let’s learn from the masters.

How to write the best blog titles or headlines. EVER.

(according to Digg)

1. Big Corporations Doing Injustice to Small Things

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It’s the classic David vs Goliath story. Everyone wants to hear about, and route for, the less powerful underdog who is somehow being mistreated by the giant tyrant. People will click on that headline of the little guy trying to overcome the injustice brought about by some power-tripping big guy. You click on this title beacause you relate to stories like this and quickly associate yourself with the underdog, hoping to one day overcome your own big corporate injustices. Stick it to the man, just like we want to but don’t have the guts to do!

Kidnappers vs John

2. Eavesdropping Stories with Personal Info

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As much as you may hate to admit it, we’re all intrigued by personal stories of personal lives with even more personal dirt, drama and secrets. We’ll click on that very real story of something happening to someone else and mock them for how stupid, crazy or idiotic they may be. Laughing at someone else’s expense is always a leisure that we unfortunately enjoy a bit too much. We each have our own little skeletons in our closets and it’s just funny to see how others react when theirs come out. I swear my mouse has a mind of it’s own and clicks on these controversial headlines. Exclusive leaked top secret stories sell!

Pat Robertson’s Secret Pact with the Devil

3. This is Why I Love _____ !!!!!

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Good stories that are passionate and well written usually stem from extreme feelings. Loving something so much that you write an article about it is usually a great idea that translates into great writing. Your viewers can relate to you liking or loving something just as they do themselves. So write about what you love and share it with the world. Chances are, they’ll click on this headline to find out more about what you love and why you love it.

This is why I love Steve Jobs

4. Best ____ I’ve Seen Today that Will Surely Make You Smile

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99.999999% of people like smiling. So why would anyone not want to click on something that will make them smile?

Funny video that will surely make you smile today

5. Mention “Facebook” “Twitter” or other popular sites

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It’s already popular, so ride that wave! You’ll click on these headlines because it possibly holds relevant information or stories to something you use or associate yourself with.

Secret Hottie on Facebook

6. “Did you know? It will BLOW YOUR MIND!”

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Don’t ask and don’t change anything. This is as good as it comes!

“Did you know?” Well, you probably didn’t know since you don’t even know what this headline is talking about, and mind blowing things are really cool So you’ll click. You know you will.

Did you know? It will blow your mind!

7. Why ____ should rethink _____

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You’ll click on this because it challenges something you like. You immediately relate to it and wonder: “Why the hell should I rethink _____!!??!?!” So you click on it.

Why you should rethink wearing Skirts

8. How _____ should have ended…

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Insert popular movie title in the blank for this headline. Again, riding a wave of popularity already. You can plug in whatever advocacy or product your selling as long as you do it in a semi comedic way. Spoof it, and they will come…

How Lord of the Rings should have ended

9. The ____ of the future has arrived

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You definitely want to know what happens in the future. No one really knows this, but we’re intrigued to hear, see and read about predictions. I predict that in the future, you will click on a headline that talks about how things will be in the future.

Olympics of the Future

10. Best. ___. EVER.

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If it’s the best EVER, then it has to be clicked on! In fact, clicking on headlines that talk about best things EVER, is the best idea. EVER.

Coolest Restaurant. EVER.

11. Insert “Cat” anywhere

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Cat Kitty Kitten Cute-Lil-Kitty-Witty…. doesn’t matter, but in this LOLCATS crazy world of ours, having cats online is nothing but a good thing. Not sure why but it’s been proven time and again, that the internet loves cats and / or little cute furry things. So referencing kitties, bunnies and puppies, as well as adding pictures of them, will just make people smile and want to share that smile with others (refer to: tip # 4 on headlines that will surely make you smile).

Cat in the sink explains what PageRank (PR) really means

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How To Stay Forever Young

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay ‘them.’

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’ And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10.Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEBBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,but by the moments that take our breath away.

Live your life, with nothing to lose

Whatever you want, whenever you choose

Make a difference, help out

Give some time to those without

Take risks, love, dance and thrive

Enjoy this time we are alive!

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And for more tips on How To Stay Forever Young, check out this post from George Carlin with his hilarious thoughts on agingGeorge Carlin on age

One Tip on How To Make People Like You Instantly

super-duper-excited-new-friendIt’s no secret that the more people you know, the more likely you’re apt to achieve the dreams you set out for in life, or get that cup of sugar you desperately need to borrow.

A network is power. It’s all about who knows you. It’s safe to say that the more people who know, and like you, the better off you will be in your professional and personal life.

But for someone to be considered a “friend,” you need to put in the time. That’s equivalent to a minimum of 26 hours watching movies, 11.5 hours in a car together, 15 meals with each other and at least one crazy experience that includes alcohol and a hot member of the opposite sex. In short, it takes time to make a new friend.

However, if you did put the time in, as listed above, to be someone’s friend, then there definitely will be a shared bond and comradely between you. Something that will show every time you get to hang out with each other. In fact, you’ll probably be missing them if you don’t get to spend of time with each other. When you finally get to see each other again, SNAP, just like that, instant connection and happiness between both parties that can be felt throughout the room.

And that’s exactly the little trick to make someone feel comfortable with you and put you on the right path to becoming friends. Even though you just met someone for the first time, always act like they’re a good friend from the past whom you haven’t seen in umph-teen years. This automatically lowers unnecessary defenses that each side usually sets up.

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Before you meet someone, you’re usually self-conscious and wary of what others may think of you. You put on a front, a wall, to only show your best side. The other party is doing the same thing and what usually happens is that walls are set too high and in the end, no one gets to cross them. Which is why showing that you are open, friendly and happy to see someone else will instantaneously make them feel like you’re an old friend.

It doesn’t matter if this is your first, second, third or 75th time meeting someone. Showing them that you missed them and that you are excited to see them always makes others feel more at ease with you.

best-friends-forever-how-to-make-people-like-you-instantlyDon’t overdo it though; a big , genuine smile and a warm handshake is usually enough. Ask them how they are and be genuinely interested in their response. It’s kind of like the mannerisms of your pet dog. When you come home after a long day of work, who’s waiting for you at the door wagging his tail like he hasn’t seen you in forever? Well, have your body language set the same way. Smile with your eyes, listen to what they have to say and direct your body and attention to them. Oh and don’t forget to wag your tail!

Treat a stranger like a friend and pretty soon he will be. In fact, treat them like your best friend whom you haven’t seen since high school! You’ll also notice that you’ll soon be the life of the party as everyone starts getting excited to meet you or see you again. Just like an old friend…

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PageRank Explained (What is PR?)

Stewey-Mowmi-Cat-PageRanking-his-way-to-the-top

If you get caught between a geeked out crossfire of tech words, or a blogger gathering of epic proportions, then you may have heard the geekish holy grail known as a high “PageRank.” Being a new web citizen or new blogger, you’ve probably heard this term get thrown out by your internet consultant who continually brags about how his PageRank 5 (PR5) site had gotten a link from some other famous PR7 site… This of course, means as much to you as the meows your cat gives you as he stares at you from his little kitty corner known as your sink.

So to break down the importance and meaning of a “Google PageRank” let’s start off by imagining you have a website that sells cellphones. Now, as you may or may not know, there are a hundred thousand kazillion other sites that sells cellphones online. Which is where our problem arises. Either way, YOU set up an online cellphone store which we will now call “CellPhone Store X

Cell-Phone-CellPhone-PageRank-Page-Rank-Google-ExplainedNow imagine that I’m a consumer, willing and ready to buy a cellphone online. Problem is, I have no clue where to go online to buy a cellphone. So I do what any other average consumer does, I search for it, and as most people do, I would probably use Google as my search engine. Now I type in something like “buy cellphone online” and I will probably get millions (27,300,000 to be exact) of web pages back from good ol’ Google.

Question is, where does YOUR “CellPhone Store X” fall in with the other 27,300,000 sites? Well probably somewhere between 12,563,905 and who-gives-a- f$#%*.

Since you didn’t really do much Search Engine Optimization (SEO) then your webpage just comes out somewhere lost in the kazillions of other pages. On the other hand, those people who did optimize their websites most likely are on the top of this Google search query. Meaning they are the first sites listed after you search for the words “buycellphone online.”

Google-Page-Rank-Thermometer-RankingHow much more money do you think these people at the top of the search page is making than your site lost in the millions? Well, A LOT MORE.

Thus lies the importance of Google’s PageRank. It is a page ranking system that rates how important your page is. A web page can be ranked from 1 -10 with 10 being the highest. The higher your rank = a higher position when people search for terms related to your content.

CNN.com is an example of a very important site that Google ranked with a 1o. My sites, VinceGolangco.com and WhenInManila.com each have a PageRank of 3. Which is decently good.

To check your PageRank, you can check out this PageRank checker site.

Most people will never see a pagerank of 1. In fact, just getting to a PageRank of 1 is pretty impressive since it already entails lots of work and time invested.

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How do you get your ranking higher include multiple facets but most importantly are LINKS and KEYWORDS.

Google ranks pages higher if lots of other pages LINK to it. Obviously, a site like CNN.com has countless other sites referencing and linking to it. While KEYWORDS are the number of times the searched terms are mentioned within your site. Be careful with this though as there is an overkill where using the words too much actually hurts your PageRank score.

Anyway, that’s pretty much the importance of PageRank in a nutshell. Will get more into details of how to raise your PageRank in future articles.

There is No Plan Baby, Thats the Fun in Life!

“There is no plan baby, thats the fun in life!”

Chatting with one of my best friends from San Diego, Gloria Tan, who moved to Australia and I asked her what her plan is? She responded with the quote above and it just really made my day.

It’s nice to know that I’ve surrounded myself with people who have the same values as me. People who enjoy life for what it is and who appreciate the uncertainty and irregularities of existence.

Smile Dance Sing Love Care Dream Swing Run Hear See Smell Feel Taste Touch Experience Breathe

So next time someone asks you what the plan is…

“There is no plan baby, thats the fun in life!”

-Gloria Tan

Life-is-Wonderful Living-Life

Life-is-Good Gloria-Vince-and-the-gang-enjoying-life-in-Cabo-San-Lucas

Asking the Right Questions

Random Person: “So what do you do?”

Vince: “I do a lot, but mostly I’m a creative writer and a travel blogger.”

Random Person: “Oh… so how do you make money with that?”

Vince: “Ummm… lots of ways. What do you do?”

Random Person: “I’m an accountant.”

Vince: “Oh… so how do you have fun with that…?”

Random Person: ” …… “


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VS

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How To Start Your Personal Blog

Here’s a video of Hannah Villasis, author of the blog FlairCandy.com. Hannah won the 2009 award for “Best Personal Blog” at the Digital Filipino E-Commerce summit (DigitalFilipino.com) held at the Intercontinental Hotel. FlairCandy gives us a brief talk on how to successfully start your own personal blog

Some highlights from Hannah’s talk:

  • Put yourself into the blog
  • Be just who you are
  • You are your own personal brand
  • Your own personal brand will connect with others like you and that will be your niche
  • You can be funny, crazy, goofy, sexy or whatever, your readers will relate to you if its you
  • If you want to communicate to your audience, it’s no longer about the super models, it’s about just you and me, the personal bloggers

Check out more of Hannah at her site FlairCandy.com or I recommend you follow her on Twitter at Twitter.com/FlairCandy.

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Check out more of Hannah at her site FlairCandy.com or I recommend you follow her on Twitter atTwitter.com/FlairCandy.

Pat Robertson signed a Pact with the Devil / How to help Haiti

Pat Robertson blames the catastrophic earthquake that killed millions in Haiti to a “Pact with the Devil.”

Personally, I’m not a religious person, though I do completely respect people from all walks of life and for whatever your beliefs may be. In fact, some of my best friends are devout religious people.

But, when I hear things like this, it just really disappoints me. I think it’s really ignorant and inconsiderate to condemn a country to being minions of the devil just because they do not practice the same religion as you.

What’s even more disgusting to me is probably the thousands of people who listen to guys like Pat Robertson and eat up every word he spits out without ever thinking on their own.

People like Pat Robertson should be very careful with their words. One single thought they have can influence thousands and even millions.

I can guarantee you all that Haiti did not sign any pact with the devil (I’ve tried doing this and the devil seems to never show up to our meetings). So instead, hopefully this just brings more awareness to different cultures and religions.

Haiti still needs your help.

If you want to help, I found this blog with more info on different ways you can help out the people in Haitihttp://www.gadling.com or you can also go to http://www.yele.org which is a grassroots movement that builds global awareness for Haiti of which Wyclef  Jean works closely with.

Positive thoughts out to all the millions affected in Haiti.

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(picture credits to http://www.dailymail.co.uk)

Things I Wish People Knew When Driving in the Philippines

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Driving in the Philippines isn’t quite like it is anywhere else. Here are some things I wish people would think of while driving when in the Philippines.

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Patience isn’t just a virtue… it’s a flippin necessity!
You can start your day off by smiling and keeping the little things exactly what they’re supposed to be – little. Or, you could totally BLOW UP and frustrate yourself at that one guy who cut you off on the road. It’ll really reflect the rest of your day. Your choice.
Size doesn’t matterJust coz you drive a bigger car doesn’t mean that you’re the king of the road.
Motorcycles, bikes and pedestrians are people too you know!
Pedestrians should have the right of way
I mean they’re walking… you’re driving…. you hit them… they die…. So can we just wait an extra few seconds to let them cross the street?
Did honking your horn that much really make things move faster?
Like really? Quit being a horn-y-bastard (get it… ‘horn-y’…. no…? Nevermind!)
Mind your manners
If you insist on flipping me off every time something doesn’t go your way, then I insist that you also say thank you during times that they do – like when I let you cut in front of me
The evil stare makes you look like a punkDon’t give me a stare down like you’re gonna do something while you drive off and hide behind your locked car. It just makes you look like a wuss
Try smiling, it makes everyone’s days better
They invented this thing called “Trash Cans”USE IT!
Stop throwing stuff out your window! This is YOUR WORLD and YOUR COUNTRY too!
It would be nice if you were niceIt’ll make this long road trip better for me and you
I know you have somewhere to go and you’re in a rush, so is everyone else. Can’t we all just get along?

Hope you’re all having a wonderful driven and driving day!

*Image #1 photo credits to http://filamfunk.blogspot.com

How to Win Followers and Influence Tweeple

Every now and then, you’ll come across some really remarkable, cool and inspiring people who have wonderful stories to tell. I figured why not start talking about those truly amazing people that I meet. I have the great fortune of being part of different industries that allow me to meet some pretty fascinating individuals. From the artistic entrepreneurs of Team Manila, to the nitrogen cooking creative chefs of Zenses Neo-Shanghai Cuisine, even the crazy free runners of Parkour Philippines all the way to the coolest bartenders like Hank at the secret bar known as Big Sky Mind! I meet quite a diverse group of individuals who each have a different, yet equally inspiring story.

MistyBelardo-mistygirlph-twitter-Filipino-writer-for-BitRebelFor one of my many jobs, I am a co-host of the first Technology Podcast from the Philippines called Tek Tok (Tech Talk) Podcast, where my co-host, Angel, and I try to learn the newest and latest information from the world of geeks. Yesterday, we were very happy to have our first in-house guest. With a Twitter following of over 18,000 (and counting) and also being one of the founders of a blog that gets over 4 million views per month (while only on it’s 7th month),  BitRebels.com, we were more than excited to meet the self-proclaimed “Twitterholic,” – Misty Belardo.

We were chatting non-stop with Misty about different ways and tips to gain an online following and the powerful marketing tool that this can be. Not only can you promote your personal brand, but you can also make lots of connections and friends. Misty told us stories of how President Obama sent her a thank you tweet (which totally left her frazzled), how they helped Alyssa Milano raise Millions for her water charity project and even her cool Twitter conversations with Mashable.com founder, Pete Cashmore.

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But other than all that fluff, I was really impressed and inspired when Misty talked about the road she took to build their blog, BitRebels.com. In the beginning, she said that there were only two authors and that she had to come up with over 20 articles per week. I think it really tests one’s dedication and perseverance to push through with a commitment you make, without being guaranteed a positive outcome. I’m sure Misty didn’t know that BitRebels would reach over 189 countries and get over 4 million views per month in just seven months, but she made a commitment to herself and stuck with it! Moreover, BitRebels also won the 2009 award for Best New Blog from Go Gladiator Media. Again, all that in just seven short months.

Even with all that, Misty was still so down-to-earth girl and has offered her help to me multiple times. She promoted some of my videos from WhenInManila.com without hesitation and even recommended her Twitter followers (of over 18,000) to follow @VinceGolangco and @WhenInManila without expecting anything in return. In the end, she mentioned her belief that the more she gives, the more she gets back.

Misty-Belardo-of-BitRebels.com-BitRebels-Twitterholic

So this is why Misty Belardo, of BitRebels.com, is definitely going into my book of Cool People!

I highly recommend following her on Twitter @mistygirlph and checking out her very informative articles on BitRebels.com as well. Get some good advice from her on How to Win Followers and Influence Tweeple (get it?! Like the Dale Canegie book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” ….. Yeah?… Yeah??? No….?…. Nevermind!)

Oh and if you want to check out our audio interview with Misty, you can find it here – Tek Tok (Tech Talk) Podcast.

So what did I learn from Misty?

  • Give more
  • Use Twitter to connect with people
  • Write a lot! And don’t stop writing. Be consistent.
  • You can accomplish a lot in 7 months!

How To Create Your Own Tiny Web Icon or Favicon

So working on my blog and just thought I’d share the cool new things I’m discovering.

Quick thing is that I just learned a new web term…. lol. A FAVICON!!!! Without the exaggerated CAPS and exclamation points though!!!!

So anywayz, a Favicon is that tiny little icon that appears when your page is bookmarked. If you’re like me, you have a whole list of Favicons on your bookmarks toolbar for all your favorite sites. Oh and this screenshot below is of my Google Chrome Browser btw.

Oh oh oh, and the Favicon I found was the letter G for this site, VinceGolangco.com. And please believe that I tried to make my own Favicon, but that resulted in an EPIC FAIL!!! Haha, not really much of an artist when it comes to drawing.

Here’s the pics of my first couple of tries at creating my own Favicon. Some have commented that my artwork reminds them of  one – Vincent Van Gogh….. ahhhh yes, Vincents are truly talented. But just in case my “impressionism” style of  art is beyond your interpretation, I was trying to go for the letters VG for Vince Golangco (or Vincent Gogh). But alas, I am an Avant-garde way ahead of my time. So I just picked the pre-made LetterG Favicon. =P

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So anywayz, it’s really easy to pick one of many many favicons available, or you can upload your own picture, or better yet, for the artists out there, you can even create your own. Just check out http://www.favicon.cc and you should be able to create your own Favicon for your site.

Here below is a screenshot of my browser. I circled the my Favicons. that letter W Favicon is for my WhenInManila.com video blog (though I had nothing to do with that, was my web designer partner). So yeah, this was my first time trying this and I got the Letter G Favicon, underlined, for this site.

Happy Faviconing!

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Why 99% of New Year Resolutions Never Work!

new years resolution apple january 1 new life

Another year has come and gone. Once again, we look back at a year of triumphs and trials. We contemplate on what could have been, and what might have become. With the New Year fast approaching, we now turn our sights forward into a new 365 days of possibilities.

With that, the  first thing most of us do is set forth a new regiment for ourselves. We set our “New Year’s Resolution!” Nothing wrong with that, right…? WRONG! Let me tell you that time and again, I have seen friends, family and strangers set forth new year resolutions only to abandon them at the first glimpse of Avocado Cakes or Chocolate Covered Bacon, instant diet breakers!

Why do 99% of New Year Resolutions not work? Well, pretty simple, because it’s a promise with a future decree.

New Year Resolution get fit lose weight loose flab get abs get in shape top resolution

It’s always easy to say “tomorrow I will…” Tomorrow this, or tomorrow that. It’s the procrastinators’ cry. What happens when tomorrow actually comes? Well, these non-committed fiends simply push it off to another tomorrow. Sometimes, after realizing the immediacy of tomorrow, they then give themselves more time and say “next week.”

Tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. It will never work. If you want something changed, you have to change NOW. Not after some ill-conceived non-tangible date that just sounds nice like January 1.

There was a two-part study done where the participants had to come in and answer some questions, not knowing what the study was actually about. After day one of questions, the participants were asked what type of snack they wanted when they came back  for part two of the study. Their choices were Chocolate or Bananas. Not surprisingly, over 80% of the participants opted for the healthier option, the banana, and went on their merry way.

New Year's Resolutions top 10 Quit Smoking Cigarettes for next year

Come day two of the study, these same participants would be asked again if they still wanted the banana they originally asked for or if they wanted to change it to chocolates, and the results… a surprising 70% of the people that said they wanted Bananas changed their snack to chocolates!

What does this tell us? Well, that it’s always easy to look forward to a future date and think the best for ourselves. These participants, like us, look forward and say that we will quit smoking or start eating healthier or be nicer. Though in reality, once we’re faced with the imminent choice to smoke or not to smoke, right now, we often fall prey to our own lack of self-discipline.

So if you want something changed, don’t expect a New Year’s Resolution to be the resolve you were hoping for. A fancy kiss at the strike of the clock is probably all that the new year can really bring. Other than that, the change in you should start NOW.

As for me, what’s my non-new-year-but-do-it-now-resolution? Well, to write more… but I’ll start that tomorrow…