Okay, I’m not one to put down my poker face mask for public display of emotion but I must admit I’m getting emotional as I type this.

I can only think of a few good reasons why this is happening. First, I’ve always hated procrastination and cramming but I always tend to fall for traps and tricks of memories of the feeling you get after beating a deadly deadline. It’s a bad addictive habit.

Second, I never really thought about how my professional relationship(Oh hello there required blog posts) with this blog will come to an end. Honestly, I never thought I’d live to see the end(See Blog post title if you need explanations). Ha!So much for naming my blog bless the commqueror!

Third, I really hate goodbyes. There I said it. Anyway, I do believe we’ll meet again my wordpress blog! But before this temporary goodbye let me give you some comments that can be used as points for improvement.

Dear Mr.Wordpress

First on the list, I really love your blog stat feature. It motivates me to write blog posts knowing that people are really reading the products of hours of eye cell-killing radiation also known as blog topic conceptualization,appropriate photos research and actual blog post creation. Ha!sounds like laboratory work?It’s kinda harder but more fulfilling:)

Views motivate me in an awesome kind of way:>

Second, the first time I met you I realized you’re not user-friendly, in a bad kind of way. It took me three days to finalize this account and until now I cannot upload videos. Also, I wish I could change your fonts without having to change the theme. Okay maybe it took three days because I can’t decide on the theme:/

Third, sorry, I just have to say this, you can be quite boring:/ Perhaps, you’re “home page” is not at all inviting. Maybe you should try creating clusters of “interesting posts” instead of just placing “most recent posts”. But then it could get problematic since you have to determine who are the people who spend a lot of time in your site. Also, I personally hate the paragraph-ish texts on the left(see photo below).

I just don't like the layout:/

But no worries Mr.Wordpress, you’ve bee a quite effective blogsite, better than blogspot I dare say:)

A few truths about Mr.Blogspot

I’ve had at least five blog accounts since 2007. My first attempt on blogging is via blogspot.com. And what really irked me was the layout and how extra complicated the whole experience was. First, I am not good in remembering usernames and passwords. Then, blogger always tells me to log in even when I’ve already logged in. Uploading photos and editing texts also was somehow a pain. I gave blogspot at least two chances,it didn’t work so I moved out and decided to finally set up a tumblr account.

Reasons why I stayed in Tumblr

The photos are amazing. I’ve always been a sucker for photographs that evoke nostalgia or are so witty they do not need captions, and I found these kinds of photographs in Tumblr.

I love hearts. It’s so easy to “like” a certain photo without having to wait for the site to load all the people who liked the photo. Tumblr’s heart button is one of the most overused buttons in the site.

The Tumblr Heart:''>

Oh!and buttons are fun too!You just click “reblog” and the photo immediately gets transferred to your site and appears on your followers’ dashboards. The reblog button is the most overused Tumblr button.

Variety(not too much variety) is key. Tumblr gives you seven types of posts to choose from.

Would you want an audio post?a photo post?or a quote post?:>

Most of the Filipino bloggers I closely follow are using Tumblr. What better way to be inspired but by knowing that these bloggers not only use the same blogsite you use but are also young, artistic Filipinos with whom you share the same interests.

After lurking in her blog for months, I instantly clicked “Follow” when I read how she now adores her messy, rebellious hair which years ago she had tried to tame via rebond:>

Regina Belmonte @vivatregina.tumblr.com

Her signature red lipstick tubes and Chanel nail polish shades are to die for!And she writes the most interesting blog posts. I clicked follow after reading her post about her pet bunny. Because bunnies are<3

Tin Talented @tiniglesias.tumblr.com

Tin Iglesias writes for Tongue-in-Chic which is a fashion blog where the entries are written by fashion bloggers from all over  Southeast Asia. Plus!She’s a Clothing Technology major from UP Diliman. Will watch out for her clothing line which I predict will come into existence sooner or later:)

Esme One-of-a-kind @esmepalaganas.tumblr.com

Another fashion blogger who loves messy hair. I’ve always had issues with combs and hairbrushes. No matter how many hairbrushes I own they always tend to disappear so my fingers always do the “combing”. Naturally, I love girls who can forgo hairbrushes and still look their best:>

And here’s a screencap of my tumblog:> Shy-//

I would really appreciate it if you do not find my tumblr account. It's sorta kinda my personal space ya know:''>

Until we meet again, Mr.Wordpress:”> Bisou Bisou;)

I am well aware of the hundreds of existing posts that just screams Globe Bro Sucks! and Smart Bro Sucks too! Is there such thing as a Sun Bro Sucks!Oh goodness, how many blog post complaints do they really need before they start fixing this mess?

How about I list the disastrous things that happen to me when I don’t have internet connection?

No internet connection doesn't really translate to productivity. Not for me at least.

Since I’ve had had a couple of bad experiences related to sudden internet disconnection, I have noticed that my responses are always the same.

Denial of Addiction. I can live without internet connection mantra. When turning off the router doesn’t work, I give up and try hard not to sulk. For three years now(yes, three years of being subjected to anxiety attacks), I usually rush to my building’s garden to have that proverbial breathe of fresh air before I absentmindedly smash the router into pieces. Now we wouldn’t want to arouse suspicions that I may be in need of anger management classes,yes?

Trying to find other things to do that does not involve my laptop and the internet. This is where my book collection comes in handy! I can finally finish one of the (usually) three books I’ve started but never got to finish because I got distracted by an update.

Sleep.

Eat.

Shop. Window shop.

Check if the internet connection is back.

Call the Globe service center.

Read.

Sleep.

Eat.

Call Globe service center.Again.

Check internet connection.

If all else fails and I just have to email something important or check my restaurant, I go to coffee shops for overpriced coffee, er, internet connection.

Because when Ireally really need to send that email, a cheapskate like me would brave that 175pesos:>

You get it. As a citizen of 2010, where people are almost always online and when they say the city never sleeps you’ll be sure it’s because they’re online, watching reruns of their favorite shows, liking status updates on facebook, talking with friends via skype or YM, I get anxiety attacks when I get disconnected from the world. And.as of this moment.the router.is.blinking.oh.so.dangerously.and.i’ve.turned.it off thrice now. Breathe in.Breathe out.

First, my Grandmother,who prefers to be called Mama bought a mini laptop(a.k.a.notebook).

Then, she became so enamored with YM to the point that she just had to chat with me every night. Yes, the disparity of the timezones of the countries we live in is worsening my anemia.

Now, she’s on facebook and my brothers are complaining. Who would be happy with someone commenting on their relationship status updates with (motherly,of course) sermons?

And now I think she’s addicted to facebook. This addiction I suspect may be due to her growing enthusiasm for photo uploads and status updates.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against the idea of grandparents and parents creating New Social Media accounts. For once, they might just understand why I start my day by opening my Restaurant City account or they might just understand why I always log in to facebook(Hello Mom, are you reading this?). This might be the solution for all the generation gap problems the whole planet has been having since the beginning of the life cycle. And I do find Lola Techie cute.

I am all for parents and grandparents creating new social media accounts, heck i’d be willing to promote it to them. But you don’t know my Mama.

She has a mania for trends!She panicks when she does not have a say on the latest. So to my two darling brothers, I know you’re trying to understand why she comments in all your posts especially in your relationship status posts.I would to if I haven’t been warned it was all a bait, a trick meant for her. Yes, we’re evil like that.

Since I am not a fan of rants, let me turn this ranting spree into a speculation spree. A little warning though, my speculations are mere speculations that are not meant to hurt anyone or make anyone feel insulted nor discriminated(Just in case you’re going to find this post Mama.Hee)

If people from the 20s ,the time of the great flappers ,would be in Facebook, they will always find ways to be deviant. Since the status quo is to post as regularly as you can and keep your friends updated as often as possible, these people would be MIA. No status updates for months and no photos to share. Heck, they wouldn’t even find it necessary to post a profile photo!

A flapper on Facebook would be interesting, don't you think?

The 30s, for some reason, is totally unfamiliar territory for me, so naturally, I cannot speculate.

If people from the 40s become hooked with facebook, they will always be paranoid that someone is monitoring their status updates in preparation for a massive invasion. Which I think can be plausible given the never-ending recession the whole world is experiencing.

He will definitely use Facebook the way he used and controlled Media.

If people from the 50s would be in Facebook, there would be great video uploads of movies and dancing. Ahhh. The Golden Age of Hollywood.

Will they set aside their tea parties for Facebook?I don't think so. Where else can they compare whose tea party dresses are the prettiest?

Well, from what I hear people form the 60s are quite rebels. If they time travel and with some unknown miracle become hooked with Facebook I think Facebook will have to provide a change layout button to give way for the 60s funky graphic designs.

Oh My God!I have the biggest crush on John Lennon!I would definitely add him as a friend!:>

Free love and people from the 70s are quite synonymous. Maybe Facebook will have to add “Is in love with”, “Is cheating with”,”Is in mutual understanding with” in their roster of relationship status.

Who could forget the bell-bottoms craze of the 70s?Will these hippies get the same Facebook craze our generation seem to have caught nowadays?:>

When I think of the 80s it’s disco and bright lights that comes to mind. It makes me dizzy how Facebook might have to adjust when these people time travels to the present and become a part of Facebook’s target audience. Again.Please do not take my speculations seriously.

Neon Facebook layouts anyone?:>:/

Okay, I am a 90s baby. And based on my earliest memories(hazy stuff that may or may not be just figments of my imagination) the 90s was big on messy hair and jeans and yes, supermodels! Since my memories are quite hazy and my judgement biased, I believe it was people from the 90s who are definitely hooked on Facebook.Hee

<P.S. I am hesitant to post screencaps of my Mama’s Facebook comments, YM addiction evidences and frequent photo uploads for the fear of being excluded from her Last Will and Testament. I am not kidding. You don’t know my Mama.>

It’s only two days before the one year commemoration/anniversary(if can be called such) of the Ondoy tragedy and I can sense a mixture of panic, sadness and nostalgia(in a sad way) in the air. Knowing that our country do not exactly have the best crisis management capabilities on the planet, we have all the right to panic, or we can choose to be calm and start preparing for the worst. They say it’s better to be prepared for the unexpected since expecting the unexpected is quite impossible if not ironic.

Looking at the brighter side of things, I think the Ondoy tragedy triggered the emergence of natural leaders, by that  I mean, people who can remain calm enough to help other people in times of calamities and catastrophes even when everybody is panicking or stupefied by fear. We also bear witness to the resurfacing of what we Filipinos call the Bayanihan Spirit( which we might have thought was long dead).

Classes were suspended for a week due to the aftermath of the calamity and as much as I wanted to spend this pre-semestral break mini vacation at home, I cannot go home for fear of road landslides and other possible road accidents that can be caused by steep roads that are too muddy. So I decided to monitor the aftermath of Ondoy via internet. Now I’m not one who likes to dwell on the bad side of things(not even a tragedy that claimed the lives of thousands can make me turn into a pessimist although I must admit getting depressed by all the reports of missing people and displaced families:’(( ) so I decided to monitor what is being done to help these people in the hopes that I can also do something to help.

The first thing I’ve noticed is how people who have access to electricity and the internet are using facebook to help disseminate information on how people can help the survivors of the tragedy, who are missing, who are already found, schedules of outreach programs, and even responding to basic requests of not flooding facebook with personal status updates so as to give space for more pertinent Ondoy-relief programs-related updates.

One of my favorite bloggers, Jenni Epperson of mabuhaygirl.com in partnership with real estate tycoon Divine Lee, organized a relief program where they visited areas that were gravely hit by Ondoy. What is amazing about this is that they personally went to these places, prepared the relief goods and they did it for days. Not to mention Mrs. Epperson was pregnant at that time.

Divine Lee in action.Giving relief goods to the survivors of Ondoy. Photo from:mabuhaygirl.multiply.com

Perhaps it is an innate character of Filipinos to try to see the better side of even the darkest events. When I saw the photo below, it inspired me so much that I didn’t say no to my cousin’s invitation to help Gawad Kalinga in their relief operations. Yeah, the least I can do.

Never thought I'd go back to friendster to dig up one of the GK photos.Too bad I wasn't in the mood for vanity at that time so I'm not in any of the photos:/

So the million dollar question is, When the next great big flood comes, will we be ready for it? I think now is the best time to buy that Globe My-Fi device for unlimited internet access. Just in case there will be another big blackout. Oh, I forgot laptop batteries need to be charged:/

After I finished watching the first episode of Season 4, I had an epiphany. Nah!Not that Juliet Sharp is Gossip Girl(okay for two days I thought she really IS Gossip Girl), but that Gossip Girl shows how one blogger(and New Social Media if I may add) can destroy the reputation of a handful of individuals.

A shot of the suspicious bulletin board and the rumors flew.

But the show's producer cleared that Juliet is not Gossip Girl.

Scandals aren’t new to us. Remember the Katrin Halili-Hayden Kho scandal and other cringe-inducing videos that spread via online? I can’t verify if a blog was the culprit for the spread of such videos(I bet not). But looking at blog/websites/blogsites like perezhilton.com, no wonder PR managers of celebrities and stars never run out of cash.

Stalking isn’t exactly new to us either. With the advent of New Social Media and almost every cyber citizen’s desire to  update everybody of their thoughts, whereabouts and hourly activities, we are getting more and more susceptible to stalking and blackmail.

Online reputation (sometimes) is in the least of our concerns. Being a private citizen, an ordinary individual, a school campus unknown, no one would ever find my posts and status updates that interesting, right? Or that interesting that they just have to create a blog post solely in my honor, right?Na-ah. Since almost everybody we know or we still have to meet are already in cyberspace, online reputation is something that we should try to maintain. Is the image you want to project still at par with how people view you? It could affect us in ways we might never imagine now but regret later. Hello job hunting and future corporate life.

Because in real life when you get Spotted! you can’t afford to just shake it off. It will definitely cause a lot of heartaches to be tagged in photos of events you can’t actually remember attending or particularly can’t remember how you got home from. It will get you in much trouble especially when you’re friends with your Mom in facebook or she reads your blogs. Uh-oh.

Waiting for blog updates, status updates and twitter updates can be quite addicting. I do remember that the Gossip Girl characters get their Gossip Girl updates via their phones. Now that’s handy. But then we must remember the danger of overanalyzing things and jumping into conclusions. Sometimes an “I killed someone” status doesn’t necessarily mean you should call the police. Sometimes it just means you should watch Gossip Girl for updates. Bisou Bisou.

Today’s generation is starting to get more enamored with reblog, like, comment, and retweet than the usual reply. Today’s generation learn of suspension of classes, confirmation of holidays, relationship status changes, and even each other’s mood of the day via twitter, facebook and blogs. I would go as far as proclaim that today’s generation are in love with tagging and of real time (and frequently delayed sms is ruining everything for Telcos.)

So what am I trying to say here? I think that today’s generation is veering away from the cellular phone and getting more and more mesmerized by the glare of their laptops’ faces. Why?Here are some reasons I believe are the culprits.

Delayed messages are annoying. We want the answers NOW, not an hour later. We want to have the feedback as soon as possible. Delayed replies make us anxious.

Conversations are addicting. It is easier to click reply than push the reply button. It is easier to type with both hands than to exhaust your thumb. But if you have touchscreen phones well that’s another story.

Conversations with people you admire/idolize/want to be when you grow up are addicting. With the emergence of online celebrities(i.e. bloggers) and online communities, people can now choose to have interesting conversations with people they deem as interesting. You need not have someone’s cellphone number or run the risk of being suspected of stalking tendencies by trying to get someone’s number to be able to talk to them.

Everything looks much better in real time. Yes text messages are also quick and convenient but then wouldn’t you be annoyed if someone texts you what they’re doing every minute? Well, with New Social Media everybody’s getting quite addicted with status updates and no one can blame you for it since the message you send out is for the whole cyberspace and not exactly for your friends and followers. Although, this is an overrated excuse.Hee.

Well, of course the Telecommunications companies wouldn’t have survived if they didn’t anticipate these changes and adapted to this trend.

So what did they do to still keep on earning millions?

They incorporated internet services in their roster of offered services. Now you can tweet and update your facebook status using your wi-fi ready phone and subscription to a mobile internet service.

Telco.Giant Number 1:>

Telco. Giant Number 2:>

They have established partnerships with cellphone companies. With the very fast paced production of new cellphone units, I must admit I’m getting all confused and I’ve given up trying to keep track of what’s new in the market. But telecommunications giants like Globe and Smart sure are keeping track of all these new phone units. Notice how print ads of new cellphone units usually have accompanying ads for telco. Services that now include internet service subscriptions.

Telcos. unite with Cellular phone companies to provide promos that you were supposed to find irresistible.

Because I can't find the print ad where she endorses Nokia N97 mini, Ovi Maps and Smart. Photo fromhttp://technogra.ph

To cater to their customers ever growing need to go online, they have developed new tools and services. First, was the emergence of broadband internet. If not brilliant foresight, what else could you call this. Effective trends monitoring perhaps? Now we do not only rely on Telecommunications companies for our text messages and calls, we also subscribe to their internet services. A very lucrative business opportunity for them I say.

Then, internet users have to have internet anytime, anywhere, everywhere. For this the prepaid internet USBs/ plug-ins were created.

Now, the newest offer comes from Globe, the Globe Tattoo Myfi which is a shareable postpaid broadband service. In lay speak, a way for you to share internet connection to friends and family. Now you can have a mobile internet café if you want to.

MyFi is the new Wi-Fi?

I wonder what possibilities these Telecommunications companies can offer us a few months from now. How about virtual restaurants for people who can hardly find time to call delivery service. How that will be possible would be for them to figure out.

As much as I love treasure hunting, I love time capsules and I do believe we can time travel in one way or another:)

Their website: http://opentimecapsule.com/ says,

The Open Time Capsule intends to communicate with people in the future, using words and images to stand as the artifacts of everyday life in 2010. This will be a gift to the 2020 generation and, though it is not directly stated, a gift to one’s future self as well. Who knows what things will be like ten years from now? Though historians and journalists will attempt to capture this year objectively, this time capsule hopes to preserve the emotional tone and subjective experiences of the contributors.

So I had an epiphany. I decided to make a letter for the 2020 generation, telling them that pigs learned how to fly during our time. Kidding aside, I think it would be nice to talk about our existence in an era of New Social Media because maybe in ten years facebook, as we know it today, would be unrecognizable to us.

Dear 2010 kiddos,

I’m Mavic and I’m a nineteen-year-old girl from 2010. No, I’m not writing to tell you historical accounts or stories about the jejemon phenomenon. Well, you see, I’m writing to tell you about New Social Media. In case the term has changed, let me put it in simple words, it is a term used by 2010 people to refer to blogs, microblogs, and social networking sites. If it still doesn’t ring a bell, it’s where you can see what your friends are up to even when you’re not with them.

People in 2010 are quite fond of New Social Media. To tell you the truth, for some of us it has become an addiction and an ordinary part of daily life. I myself, has become a slave of New Social Media. I started this day by logging in to my facebook account and checking my tumblr dashboard.

Speaking of facebook, it has been more than a social networking site for students like me. It is where we usually learn of sudden class suspensions, breaking news, deadline of assignments we were unaware of, and many other important things that you just have to know or else you might die.Literally and figuratively.

This generation also gave rise to blogger celebrities. Yes, the ticket to stardom is not a big TV network or a talent manager, at least for this generation who usually spends more time in front of the computer than in front of the TV. We are addicted to constant updates and I can go crazy just waiting for my favorite bloggers updates. Sometimes, the more updates you have, the more famous you become. Going back to celebrity bloggers, this new generation of celebrities are given front rows in fashion shows, get to meet the Vogue editor herself, are given designer clothes and freebies from hotels, restaurants and organizations that matter. It’s either they blog about your company and your sales goes up or they blog about your poor quality of service or products and you die.

I do hope you still have facebook  or blogs at least. If not, I’d like to believe you have better versions of social media platforms. Oh, and before I end this letter, I would love to hear from you! Assuming, I’m still alive when you get to read this, you can contact the site where you got it and I shall leave my contact information with them. Fret not, I plan to update this contact information at least every two years starting on 2010. I’d love to hear from you stories about New Social Media or its counterpart!

xoxo,

Mavic Castillo

I seriously plan to submit this to opentimecapsule.com but I’m not sure if my letter can give justice to the New Social Media experience. I think comments and suggestions from dear readers would be very helpful.Hee

Why? For one, I am not a fan of broadcasting to the world what you’re doing every hour or so. I do not normally do that. Well except at times when I am at the extremes of my emotional spectrum(READ: Too happy or Too sad). Another reason also for the early death of my twitter account was that I did not follow anyone I personally know. I think that could be a big factor because that’s what made me get hooked to facebook anyway, stalking,er, the urge to be updated about the people I know/care about.

Maybe I wouldn't mind frequent updates and TMIs from Einstein and Michaelangelo:>

Twitter, I know what you did last summer

A certain series of unfortunate events,or should I say, tweets, ruined Twitter’s image for me. Nah!Not in terms of the social media platform per se, but I became aware of how malice can easily spread through Social Networking Sites and how people can easily exaggerate, making a big hullabaloo out of nothing. That may be irrational judgement on my part but Twitter brings back some sad memories and disappointment.

But because I believe in second chances, I’m gonna give Twitter a second chance

The Blogging and Microblogging workshop in our OC152 class a while ago made me remember how microblogging( i.e. Twitter) could be a great experience if used properly and not with ill will in mind. I had so much fun doing a product launch via blogging and learned that it could actually work for an organization. After all, consumers always want the latest, so why not give them the latest updates via a corporate blog and not a corporate website.

Consumers nowadays, prefer a more personal take on products and services and New Social Media is making that possible. They want a conversation. We want a conversation. We want a relationship. We hate being treated as just a statistic. We hate companies who see us in terms of demographics.

Sir Barry’s lecture also made me compare notes with that awful Twitter experience and why it was awful. I couldn’t agree more when he said that Blogging is just a tool and not a strategy. I personally believe that you do not deliberately flood your followers with information and call it your digital strategy. No matter how much you’d try to make it look like it was a personal initiative, it will still look pretentious. After all, the consumers are not idiots.

But the biggest reason would be….

Saab Magalona’s promo. Yes, I’m doing this for the love of reading and books!

I WANT/NEED THESE!MUST.WIN.PLEASE.PLEASE.PLEASE

So here I am, finally crossing over to the dark side.Hee. To the cybergods, can i keep my twitter account this time pretty please?:)

Click to enlarge