How To Use Their Turf

This is gonna be quick, and also, before you read this, go to my previous post first since this entry is its continuation.

Your target market

As an Organizational Communication student, I have one advice for you:

Know where your target market’s turf is, bank on that, do your campaign there, and not waste your time, effort, and money on other places–because they might not even see a single thing of your campaign if you did not put those executions in front of their eyes!

Your Planet in this Universe

The online world is indeed a vast space, and you can even compare it with the universe–it just keeps on expanding (according to theory). Within a universe, there are galaxies; within galaxies, there are planets. Having considered the immeasurable size of the universe, a planet is just too small–you can create your own little world. Having considered that size again, a planet too small even caters to what you need. Hence, it becomes your turf. And in the online world, you just cannot keep yourself from finding your niche, and create your own little space.

I think, this reality of finding your turf is the reason why today’s generation is click with the internet–or should I say glued with the internet. Each of us has our interests, likes, passion, and everything else. All of these are just a one click away in the internet.

Like for example, before, we pass a hard copy of our portfolio. Today, we just upload our works in any of our “turf” in the online world. I know that having an online portfolio is already known to everyone, but I would just like to share a very neat and cute but still sophisticated portfolio site:

www.carbonmade.com

A lot of art professionals use carbonmade.com to upload their works and have an online portfolio. One of my favourite portfolio is Rockie Nolan’s:

www.rockienolan.com

Try visiting her site and I’m sure you’ll get what I mean. Oh, but anyway, I’m also sure you already have your turf here in the online world. Every multiply or facebook account. Every Lookbook.nu account. Every deviantArt or Flickr account. Every tumblr account. You have your own little world, that you shape up according to your interests and likes, and that also has the features of what exactly you need.

Just a realization of how fantastic the online world can be. No matter how diverse it is, there will always be a site that caters to your wants. All you have to do is start from that point, grow up, and learn something new.

It’s the People that Count

Aside from the list of social networking sites that I check on a daily basis, I think that I’m one of the few girls in OrCom who has an account in a specialized online community, LOOKBOOK.nu (collective fashion consciousness). It is an invitational online fashion community where people, invited to join, can post their looks, tag their clothes, and interact with the fashionistas around the globe.

LOOKBOOK.nu Hot page

LOOKBOOK.nu Nash Albacea's profile

one of my looks

This is not an entry for flaunting my clothes (coz I’m quite not a good dresser actually). I have chosen to feature LOOKBOOK.nu here in my blog because I think that they are a good example of what Sir Barry keeps on teaching us–the PEOPLE are the first and foremost priority.

When my application for LOOKBOOK.nu was approved, the site was far different from what it is now–not with the interface, though.

Before, LOOKBOOK.nu was this:
1. Every time a person you fanned posted a new look, you will be sent an e-mail notification (since I’ve fanned a hell lot of people from Lookbook, I got 40 e-mails a day before, filled with new looks posted by them).
2. Some people shared joint accounts (which means that two people posted their looks in one account only–which can be a violation because Lookbook is an invitational networking site).
3. Some posted looks were mega-edited.
4. Some posted looks include lots of people in a photo, you could barely see who owns the account.
5. Some people used long shots (could not see the clothes clearly) and posted it on Lookbook.

Then, there was a clamour from the Lookbook community–people who have their accounts in Lookbook. Their concerns were mainly of two things:
1.  Annoying e-mails
2. Decreasing quality of the looks, which leads to the quality of the site

So, the LOOKBOOK.nu administrators acted on these issues. The site was reformed and as of today, here are my accounted new features of the fashion community:
1. They put a “Home” tab, where people can see the new looks of the people they have fanned. It’s like an RSS feeds, but instead, photos are presented, not the text.
2. They banned joint accounts.
3. Edited looks should not sacrifice the image quality.
4. Photos should have one person visible only. No group or duo shots.
5. They have stricter monitoring now, and those who don’t comply are hereby given 48 hours to delete their looks.

Home page | Feeds of the looks from the people I've fanned

LB Log

LB Log

Pretty good, huh? Now, the site just keeps on getting better! Kudos to Yuri Lee and team!

Experience The Filipino Bayanihan Via Cyberspace

The typhoon Ondoy devastated Luzon last September 26, 2009. Normally, a storm would not shower Metro Manila as horrible as this: having my class mates stranded in school and stayed there all night just to wait for the flood to suspend. Sadly, lots of places were drowned by the fury of this storm.

I, personally, experienced being stranded last Saturday. I was on my way to school, when my dad and sister decided to eat lunch outside, so all of us were in the car when Ondoy hit the roads of Metro Manila. I got a text that our event was postponed due to the heavy rains and flood, so I told my dad to take a detour and proceed to Cash and Carry, where my sister planned to eat. After staying in the mall for quite a while, I felt like leaving because we had nothing to do there anymore. Despite the rumoured waist-deep flood, I still pushed my dad to drive us home already. Then, as we reach Filmore Street, the car was stuck, because everybody transformed the street into a huge parking lot. Apparently, Filmore Street was the only one who had a cement still visible. Joy (with tons of sarcasm). That was around 2 in the afternoon. We managed to wait until 6:30 in the evening. After that, I told my dad that my sister and I would like to GO HOME. He then accompanied us as we braved through the waist-deep flood. Mind you, I was wearing my favorite Zara blouse and favorite Samuel and Kevin jeans. Oh, the horror. What else can we do? So we continued walking until we saw a group of boys pushing a Kariton–the famous Philippine cart. Hence, we rode the Kariton and got home safely. Thank God.

Nevertheless, my experience was nothing compared to those who really lost everything because of the typhoon. That was daunting and extremely sad.

However, Filipinos were truly creative and innovative. A large number of people had no signal with their mobile phones. So, what those who were at home did was to use the new social media as the medium for Bayanihan. How else can we help but share the information?

We have Facebook:

Facebook Status regarding Ondoy

Facebook Notes regarding Ondoy

We have Twitter:

People's tweets regarding Ondoy

We have Tumblr:

Tumblr Posts regarding Ondoy

And many other social networking sites wherein concerned Filipino netizens post, update, and spread the word on how we can help the Ondoy victims–may it be through donations, through reports of those who still need to be rescued, or just simply through spreading the emergency hotlines.

There were also offline-goes-online Mass Media efforts:

GMA 7 News Online

Inquirer.net

We can clearly see how important the role of New Social Media is, and as a major communication tool in helping out the victims of the typhoon Ondoy. Truly, the Filipino Bayanihan will never cease to exist, may it be NOW–in the Internet era.

With this, we hope that the Silver Screen alumni homecoming will be of a great help to those who were victimized by Ondoy, as we are about to donate the proceeds to the victims.

May God bless all of those who were gravely affected by the typhoon.

We are running out of time; so act now before it's too late.

Mind Your Own Noodles

Last week was indeed mindblowing and stressful, like I cannot even breathe, and worse, I am always hungry. I really am not the person whom you would expect to be happy when there is food (unless it is my favorite like Pesto Pasta) or when there is a food treat. In short, I am not the person whom you would associate with food. However, I still admit that I am like a pig–I still eat a lot, but in a sporadic schedule.

Therefore, in this video, that you are about to watch, you can see my weakness (eating very very fast) via Nonverbals. You do not have to hear what the characters were saying–you can readily decipher our actions here: who’s winning and who’s not.

Let’s see how far this video goes . . .

P.S.

Another long Post Script coming your way.

We were tasked by Sir Barry to produce a video and make it viral. Hence, the Mind your own noodles video. Before that concept was up, we had nothing. Then I came across something in Ads of the World. You might wanna watch this too if you want to make a viral video: