Avatar Media’s Davao Bloggers flawlessly kicks off

About two days ago (since, again, as usual, the clock caught me early in the morning of the next day) I was able to attend the Christmas Party organized by the Avatar Media group. A group of bloggers mostly based from Davao City and former staff/members of the Mindanao Bloggers Community (that most likely evaporated?).

Like I have noted in my earlier post, aside from the fun we’ve discussed more serious topics which includes the founding of a new bloggers group/society/whateveryouwannacallit for Davao City. Well, indeed there has been the Mindanao Bloggers Community before, but the people behind Avatar Media felt that we’re in need of something more specific for Davao City itself, since we’ve got the Cebu Bloggers, Cagayan de Oro Bloggers and other Bloggers Societies/Groups/Communities already.

Members from the Davao City bloggoshpere have been around for a long time already. One more active than the other, one more extraordinary than the other. Reason enough to create a group for ourselves to name these homegrown talents in the new media world as there hasn’t really been a specific avenue for these bloggers to really “show off” what they have got.

Speaking of “showing off”, there’s one suggestion that I have for the Davao Blogs feed of all Davao based websites.

The front page should not show off all posts from all blogs that discuss just anything and everything even not Davao related. Yes indeed, we cans say that we are expressing and showing our thoughts to the world in that way, but it definitely doesn’t looks good and not healthy at all.

The bloggers from Davao City are very hyperactive. Blogging multiple times a day even though they’re involved in some other work. Let’s take our very own Dental Blogger Charles Ortiz as a sample. Many of us write entertainment topics that often point back to same sources and opinions which may make the site look very spammy at the end of the day.

The front page, at least, should include posts only relating to Davao City. (Advanced Category Excluder, anyone?)

In that way we can make sure that people looking for articles about Davao will really find topics about Davao and still find topics that express our opinions and views just narrowed to our very own Davao City. A second page could be created which would showcase all (other) posts, if the viewers opt to take a glance about what Dabawenyos have to say for issues involving anything else aside from the our dearest hometown.

I’m really looking forward to become an active member of this Davao Bloggers (note, there’s no group, society or whatsoever following our name :p) not for the benefit of gaining links (which I believe, most think I’m doing) but in order to contribute to “change” the way people view Davao City in particular, and “change” people to engage into blogging like most of us do to be heard and read by people around the world. (Not really obvious that it closely represents the ideology of this website which is to change the mindset of foreigners whenever they get to hear about the Pinoy Teens)

If in case you are from Davao and would like to join the Davao Bloggers feel free to speak up in the comment form. I’m sure one of our newly elected officers is more than happy to entertain you.

PS: Won’t we have a main blog for the Davao Bloggers?

Davao Bloggers Christma Party and group launch

Good Evening all.

I’m blogging right now from the Davao Bloggers Christmas Party which is held at the Ma’am Bebs. Aside from the festive celebration of Christmas and simply having some fun this 4th of December, 2009; the people behind the Avatar Media group is seeking for fellow Davao Bloggers to step up and participate in the organization of the Davao Bloggers Society or whatever name they’ll gonna give to the group.

The Davao Bloggers group will be spearheaded by Ria Jose as the President and Dulce Lada as Vice President. The Official Name of the blogging group selected from the folowing, Davao Blog Squad, Davao Blogers, Davao Bloggers Society, Davao Blogers Group, Davao Blogers Association is going to be the plain and simple Davao Bloggers. Notably without the Society at the end unlike the other Blogging Societies from Cagayan, General Santos, etc

I’ll be updating this blog later on with the aftermath post as we’re just about to eat

Pinoy Teens Rep heading for Manila today!

I’m so excited for one of our members, actually our head administrator right now. Because he, Kevin Paquet will be heading to Manila this morning at around 10AM via Cebu Pacific, which will be followed by his flight to Kuala Lumpur a day after at 4PM from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 via Malaysia Airlines.

Kevin will be our representative to the Youth Engagement Summit 2009 in Kuala Lumpur which is sponsored by the South East Asian Youth for Change Movement that has been talked about the past month and a half, or even more.

Pinoy Teens Online has been a Youth Partner to the Summit for over a month and has been partly taking actions in taking care of the Facebook account and helped spreading the word to more and more youths within our city of origin and elsewhere. Aside from the pre-Summit events, Pinoy Teens beholds its commitment to continue support and contribute to the SEA Change Movement by hosting events within Davao City as Kevin along with his doings has already claimed recognition from the city when he stepped into the Sanggunian–asking for financial aid of any kind. He is set to receive an award from the City Councilors upon his return to Davao City and probable support from the SK for events that may be launched after the YES2009.

No Sponsorship from Davao Government for YES09

The last two days have been very hectic and tragic for me and my mother as well. She accompanied me to almost anywhere possible in order to solicit any kind of financial assistance from the numerous City Councilors and/or the City Mayor and Vice; but we ended up with empty hands after our two day journey.

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Li’l Eartqhuake surprises Davao and Gensan

A quick and harmless earthquake took Davao and Gensan Plurkers by surprise, and was also felt in Compostela Valley. Where is the epicenter of the little earthquake?

Just a moment back when I went online in Plurk, I noticed the lamp above my head swinging back and forth. At first, I thought it was just nothing, but then my mother confirmed my second thought that a little earthquake was going on. She immediately went outside of the house, just like we’d do in our routine practices–we do that, I tell you; every now and then, just in case the earthquake might intensify.

The moment I refreshed my Plurk account to see what other people have been saying about it, I noted about a dozen of people Plurking about the earthquake that they have felt–this includes people from Davao City, General Santos City, and Compostela Valley. Whilst there was a blogger friend who caught my attention when he mentioned that Cagayan de Oro was affected too, but it was not. Anyways, the earthquake wasn’t that strong at all, not here, but somewhere else I guess.

I will update you later about the earthquake, let’s hope that there won’t be another shaking of the earth, even of this harmless kind.

SM City Davao Wifi Launch (and tasty Pizza Hut)

SM City Davao is the 24th SM Super Mall to get wireless internet connection, mall wide. Bloggers, press and photographers were invited to the launch last October 31, 2009.

Greetings to all of you, we write the 31st of October, 2009. It is the day we all know as Halloween. People from all over the Davao City and its very provinces head to SM City Davao for common reasons, to enjoy, to have fun and to shop. But there is this small gathering of people who are here for other reasons. The new media geeks, photographers and bloggers are here at the SM City Davao Cyberzone to witness the official launch of the proudly Mall Wide Wireless Internet Access here at SM City Davao.

The strong WIFI connection reaches all floors and extends towards all corridors of the malls, from left to rights, to its fronts and the back, up and down. It’s a true mall-wide wireless internet connection which is very strong indeed. Except in places like parts of the Department Store, the whole Grocery Store and the cinemas (oh yes, I tell you I was there and tried it)

Aside from the smooth internet connection that we have here at the mall, we also got free lunch at various fast food chains and restaurant here in SM, and the pick that we had was from Pizza Hut.

The food that was served to the three of us was pretty decent, no it was actually very good indeed. We got good service and had our stomachs full. We were served with the 99 pesos meal that comes in three variants.

Aside from the Super Panalo Meal that has almost filled my stomach to its limit, the friendly staff offered us their best seller, a best seller for good reasons. The Cheesy Pops, 24 Pullable pops with mozzarella and cheddar!

What I like most about eating here in SM Davao, specifically at Pizza Hut is that the wireless internet was very strong down there, one fact that really made me smile.

The Mall Wide WIFI project across all 26 SM Super Malls looks to be one revolutionary moves that other companies might come to copy. It truly signifies and strengthens the fact that the Philippines is getting a more and more connected nation. So, it isn’t only facebooking and blogging that is making its waves in the Philippines, but also internet in general

Digital Filipino Club Davao Event 2009

Last years Digital Filipino Club Event here in Davao City was not schedule this early but to a surprise of many, this years Digital Filipino Club Event in Davao City will kick off in July already! The Digital Filipino Club and commencement of the top blogs of 2008 in 2008 was one of the most prestigious events where I was able to somehow shine for a moment, and looking back to where I have been a year ago, I am proud to say that I have further progressed and enhanced that personality and that website that was an hit during the third and fourth quarter of the passing year, and yet again the same seasonal mood is tuning in on Pinoy Teens, where the blog is starting to have it’s own wave in terms of Alexa Ranking and other perspectives.

With this, I would like to invite all of you to take part in the Digital Filipino Club 2009 Event here in Davao City, Philippines. Where bloggers, online marketers and their like meet together at a venue to talk and have a gathering with each other to interact with one another and share the common interest which in general refers to the interest in working on the internet or any other internet related activities. This years event from the Digital Filipino Club is scheduled for the 18th of July, 2009 which is a Saturday and will still be hosted by the Grand Regal Hotel (I’m finally of legal age and hope that I won’t have any issues entering the venue again this year). So if you want to meet some other cool online personalities make friends for link exchanges and socialize with people of common interest, then this is the hottest local event to attend to, and if socializing is not enough, then probably, the free food might lure you to the said occasion, anyways, I hope to see you there at the Digital Filipino Club 2009 Event in Davao City!

Open Sourcing My Mind with DabaweGNU

Yesterday Tuesday Evening I had this little chit chat with Open Source Advocates, Developers, Programmers and Designers who call themselves as DabaweGNU, the same group of people that have invited me to speak at the Software Freedom Day 2008 and the same people that I have met during the Mini-WordCamp 2008 here in Davao City. I was surprised by the immediate invitation from them, especially Andrew and Sir Art, I felt tensed at first and wondered why they picked me to introduce the world of blogging to the people who are willing to join the workshop that is said to be scheduled in the next couple of weeks on Saturday’s for a whole day event of fun, blogging and seo.

There is so much that I have on mind right now, so many things that I would like to share but I just don’t know where to start with. I feel happy that people of authority like the two named above have reached out to a blogger like me to work things out together, it makes me feel glad and very honoured to be noticed by at least some people of the thousands who use Pinoy Teens as a resource and those who have followed my development on the internet since I first made my grounds on the web in the midst of the year 2007.

What I’m now looking forward to is to be able to finish a small list or what they call module that I can base my teachings and preachings about blogging, wordpress and seo upon, and then finalize everything that I have enlisted with the respective people involved. The Initial Idea of this project that I am collaborately working on with the people of DabaweGNU aims to inspire other people to start blogging and to have other bloggers or even internet idiots realize the importants of blogging to our community, how powerful it can be in terms of sharing information and for their own good; in terms of making money online. Surely, money through blogging isn’t always on top of all things, there are times when the low tides arrive no matter what you try to bring your blog up, that’s why it is important to know how to deal with the problems of adversity and strugle and seek a way out of the problem in order to pursue with their blogging to have it going.

Being a 18 year young Filipino Blogger, being a known blogger of his own kind during the midst of my seventeenth year on earth is a great asset and speaks for itself, how powerful blogging can be if used wisely and if being exercised as your passion and hobby – the way I do. Have you ever seen anyone of my age cashing out 31,000 pesos and more just because of online advertisement? There are some, but I bet not many people who do so. But I hope that with the few teachings that I’ll be sharing, people who’ll be listening to me won’t only pursue blogging in order to attain money from the clicks that their visitors make, but also concentrate and dedicate themselves in providing good content to them to create a consistent and strong readership basis.

During our talk that night we also tackled events that are coming up like the Software Freedom Day 2009 which is probably going to be hosted at the UIC of Davao, the Idea Camp and a event that they are trying to insert before the Digital Filipino Club 2009. My friends have been asking me if I’d be attending the event of my Adsense Mentor himself during his WordPress seminar, but I humbly decline to get my ass behind my very own project and my own way of doing the blogging business. I’ll be informing you about more updates on the workshop as soon as possible with concrete venue and date when I have the time to do so. But for now, let me leave you with these words

Sarah Geronimo The Next One in Davao City

I was browsing the official forums of Sarah Geronimo, our dearest box-office queen as confirmed by SM Cinema. I was lurking for information and evidence to one of my Friends’ gossips, that Sarah Geronimo will be hosting a concert in Metro Davao within this year, as part of the Philippine Tour of her awesome concert The Next One. I’m happy to verify the truth behind this uncertain announcement raised by one of the Davao Popsters. Sarah Geronimo will be in Davao City this coming July 24, what time and where the concert will be held is still to be confirmed.

For a complete schedule of her Philippine Tour for her The Next One Concert Series, you can check out the official Viva Website. Listed there are also the confirmed venues for certain cities she’ll be performing at, including but not limited to the following cities and venues:

• June 12, 2009 in Lipa Batangas at the De La Salle Sentrum with Mark Bautista
• June 27, 2009 in Dagupan at the CSI Stadia with Mark Bautista
• July 24, 2009 in Davao City at a uncertain venue yet with Mark Bautista
• August 28, 2009 in Cagayan de Oro at Limketkai with Mark Bautista

As you can see, Sarah Geronimo will be mostly accompanied by Mark Bautista during her Philippine Tour, but there are some venues and cities she’ll be performing with Billy Crawford. Since the venue for the Davao and Zamboanga Concerts of her The Next One are still to be announced, make sure that you are subscribed to our blog via Email (please confirm subscription) so that we can inform you on upcoming updates regarding the venues. Once again, hoping to see you at The Next One Davao Concert very soon!

Mutya ng Dabaw 2009 for Social Change

One of the most prestigious awards that a Filipina from Davao City could bag, would be the Mutya ng Dabaw. And this years title goes to a, summa cum laude Nursing Graduate from the San Pedro College of Davao. The awarding and coronation of the Mutya ng Dabaw was held yesterday evening at the Cap Auditorium here in Davao City and it was a though decision which the judges had to draw from, with competing contestants from the Ateneo and other top schools in Davao City.

Just like any other contest or pageant, there had to be one winner, and the Mutya ng Dabaw 2009 winner is no other than Resci Angelli Rizada, who was armed with her advocacy project “Social change through social entrepreneurship”. Whilst I was unfortunately missing out the event which went on a global broadcast through their official website, I was able to sneak this bits of information from a friend who could tell you more about it.

The other contestants did not leave the Auditorium with empty hands but have had a few awards as well, while Resci Angelli went home with a smile on her face, 50,000 Pesos and other prizes. Also with money to fund her project advocacy coming from her foundation sponsors.

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