Nov
19
Digital Filipino Web Awards 2009
We won! My group, the Cebu Bloggers Society, won in the community category at the 3rd Digital Filipino Web Awards.
Archive for the ‘blogging’ Category
Jun
21
Top 10 Emerging Influential Bloggers for 2009
Filed under blogging
Actually, that post title is wrong, because I am not going to vote for ten blogs. I am voting for only one. 
I’ve never came up with ten on my list anyway. Last year I came up with only three. The reason? I munch words for a living, so I take semantics seriously. For me, influence is not equal to visibility, nor popularity. Even Mr. Webster will tell you that.
So my lone vote this year goes to the Cebu Bloggers Society. I am a member of this group, but that’s not the reason I am voting for it. I will be the first to say that our group blog needs a lot of improvements here and there, but nevertheless, that blog, this group, has been making waves in Cebu since late last year.
May
21
I was at the iBlog5 Summit
Oh yes, I was. And unlike the iBlog4 Summit last year, I was mentally present this time. I didn’t sleep. Probably because I came with friends from the Cebu Bloggers Society—it felt good to not be alone finally! We had wanted to make our presence felt, and we didn’t fail in that. The organizers noticed us and acknowledged our presence, mostly because we were in our uniform CBS shirts (well, I wasn’t, because I left mine in Cebu.) They liked our shirt!
Because I was in my home court, I served as tour guide for Agnes, X, Jorich, Bryan, and Kevin, who were all in UP for the first time. They flew all the way from Cebu! I didn’t have to because I was already in Manila starting a new job and preparing for something else. 
I took them to Mang Jimmy’s for dinner, that diner so popular among the UP population, introduced them to the Oblation and Trinoma, and helped them get settled at my dorm.
May
16
This site is under renovation.
Filed under blogging
I moved yet again. My domain expired, thanks to my webhost, who didn’t renew it with the domain registrar even though I had already renewed it with them. It was already too late when I found out. By then the domain had already entered the redemption period, and per ICANN rule, domain owners have to pay a whopping $120-$150 to redeem their domains. I won’t pay that much for a domain.
My second option was to wait until the redemption period ends. That’s when the domain is released back to the web and the price goes back to normal, but it takes 75 days. I can’t wait that long. I’ve lost a lot during the long downtimes of my server this year. The site was down for almost a month straight in March, and I am paying all the while for the host. Besides, there is no assurance that I could get the domain back. Who knows domain parkers would get to it first before I could, or the registrar could auction it.
May
15
Free Summer Blowout for Bloggers at the Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort
Filed under beach, blogging, events, travel
Just when I thought that my summer escapades are over, here comes the Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort offering a special summer blowout for all bloggers in Cebu. Hooray!
I started the summer early, so when March rolled around, I was already very burned (and I don’t burn easily). I promised that my Bantayan Island getaway last March, where I burned my skin, would be my last, but I just couldn’t let this pass. It’s free, plus I get to spend time with my CBS family, whom I’d be missing soon. Besides, I haven’t been to the Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort.
There will be fun and games and prizes awaiting, and I hear a lucky blogger will win a gift certificate for an overnight stay at the resort. I hope I am that lucky blogger! Bloggers also get to dine and witness a cultural presentation at their Allegro Restaurant.
If you’re a blogger from Cebu and want to tag along, leave a message. You may also visit the Maribago Bluewater Blog.
Dec
16
Cebu Bloggers Society Christmas Party
Looks like the Cebu Bloggers Society is hamming it up. Everyone is so enthusiastic about coming up with activities that I can barely keep up with the group! (My presence borders on being an apparition of sorts.) I did make it to our first Christmas Party last Saturday at the Jardin de Busay Estate. One member was generous enough to let us hold the party at his family’s house, which was on top of a hill. Truly a garden in the sky.
I admit I was most excited about the promised dip in the swimming pool, but we ran out of time. I helped cook a Chinese dish instead, if wrapping meat into empanada-like rolls can be called helping at all. I’d rather not post photos of the party because I’m sure the photos would ruin my already tainted reputation. We do have a safe class pictures though:
Thanks, everyone! I had a fun night!
Nov
27
Girl Geek Dinners now in Cebu!
Filed under blogging, events, technology
A couple of months ago, a lady in Germany sent me an e-mail and introduced me to the Girl Geek Dinner movement. She was coming to Cebu and needed help in setting up the first Girl Geek Dinner in Asia (in Asia!). She was scouting for girls in Cebu who were into technology and who could form the core of the group, and she chanced upon my ailing blog.
I must have been hibernating that much, because I hadn’t heard of it before. A quick search on the web told me that it is an international movement (or organization) of international fame where girl geeks meet and discuss developments in technology and new media. It was started in London and sprang from the umbrella group Geek Dinners, which included males. Geek groups are usually dominated by males, so a smart girl decided to form a group exclusive to girls. Now, there is usually a group in major cities, such as the Frankfurt Girl Geek Dinners, London Girl Geek Dinners, and the Seattle Girl Geek Dinners.
Cebu has come up with one, too! They had their first Cebu Girl Geek Dinner last night at Asiatown IT Park. It was proudly sponsored by Exist Global. I don’t really know who were there and I don’t have pictures to show, because… I wasn’t there. 
I was already set to watch Twilight with friends, and it was already on my calendar since last month. I committed to helping promote Cebu Girl Geek Dinners, though. I see that no one has written about it yet, so I’m hoping that this will be my share.
Hopefully, that was just a start. I’ll surely be there on the second Cebu Girl Geek Dinner.
Nov
15
Moving to a new and better webhost
I’ve lost count of the number of times that my server was down, and customer support is almost always never available. I am pissed. At first, it was easy to brush off. But then when you can’t access your blog most of the day, and then it happens many times a week, then moving out is the only sensible decision. It’s affecting my already measly traffic.
A number of people have told me that they can’t access my blog, and it alarms me. How many visitors have the patience to wait for your blog to be okay, and how many of them are hooked enough to try to open the page again some other time?
It was bad service from the start. It took them awhile to set up my account. I lost several weeks of the one-year term that I bought. I had to make a long-distance call to follow up, and all I was told was that I should just wait, as if it was my mistake that I didn’t wait long enough. I know some webhosts can set up their clients’ accounts in 48 hours. Some even set up their clients’ sites; all the client does is log in and write away.
I didn’t get any help at all in setting up this blog. I didn’t really expect them to set it up for me, but some technical guidance would have been helpful. There was a time when I messed up my database configurations, so the blog was down for almost a week. I submitted a ticket, but I didn’t get any response at all. It didn’t surprise me.
I am moving to another webhost before the year ends. For now, I am scouting for a webhost that is stable and has excellent customer support. Any suggestions? This blog is currently hosted by Philhosting, so please forget it.
Oct
26
Digital Filipino Club Fellowship Night
It looks like the blogging community in Cebu is finally kicking off and starting to catch up with the communities in Manila and Davao. I hadn’t seen that many bloggers in Cebu until Thursday night at the Digital Filipino Club Fellowship Night.
The event started with a buffet dinner at the Teatro Casino of the Waterfront Hotel. Most everyone I know was there on time. I was a little late, and when I got inside the hall, I was surprised to see so many wearing black shirts with the Blogger ko, Bai (I’m a blogger, pal) design on the front.
I knew there was going to be a shirt, but I didn’t know there were that many bloggers who would be there. There used to be only around five of us at meet-ups. I hadn’t been attending meet-ups in months, and I have a huge backlog of group e-mails to open. I’m glad the group has grown a lot since!
Here we are with Janette Toral, the event organizer (who kept saying that my hands were cold):
And here’s our lovely shirt!
Oct
16
Why sunchoke?
Filed under blogging
I’m sure many of you are wondering what a sunchoke is and why I named my domain after it.
You can find the answer in my long-overdue Frequently Asked Questions page. I finally got it done!
