Friendster: A Changing Social Network

From the very title of this post, you might already have an idea on what it's all about. Indeed, there is only one constant thing on earth, and that is change. If you don't believe in this, well, I won't force you for you are entitled to your own opinion.

If you are a fan of social networking sites, you must be familiar of friendster. Though it did not rank 1st on any surveys nor reviews conducted before December of this year, still it is used by many social-network users.

I only started engaging myself into social networking sites when I was in college, and the main reason for this was, to keep in touch with my high school friends (as well as to new found ones) and of course, to go with the flow.

Few weeks ago, I decided to open my friendster account after not updating it for almost a month. I got myself too hooked-up with facebook that I almost forgot my password. And, I got so surprise when I saw green. Yes, friendster has turned from blue to green. It's not only that the color has changed, but also the lay-out and some of its settings and features.

 

Friendster is starting to employ some fun features in the page making it more appealing to its users. Not to mention its new page color which appers to be so relaxing (my personal opinion). More games, easy shout-out updates, and friendster wallet  are only few of the many new features incorporated in the account. And guess what made me more surprised? The popular farmville or may be farmtown in facebook now has a friendster counterpart. The application's name is The Farmer (I haven't tried it yet, but I'll try one of these days). I won't be surprise if one day, there will be cafe world or fishville - the friendster version.

Those changes which friendster had started to make in their site only showed that, social networking sites also evolve into something better. Changes are not only made for the sake of competition but with the goal of having more users o sign-up and encourage those who are already in the network to stay. And of course, the marketing side of the story - the more users you'll have, the more advertisers will find their way to you since you have their targets.

Got to go. Need to check out my friendster account and find out more about the new things it could offer... I'll get back as soon as I can. ;-)

Give Life To Your Account With Free Blogger Templates

Have you ever wonder how you're going to spend your downtimes while at work into something worthwhile? If you haven't yet, well, I have.  I simply don't want to spend my free-times staring at the computer's monitor while everything in my consciousness slowly turns blurry until I see nothing else but darkness. I want to keep my mind awake despite my body is almost sleeping and even snoring.

The moment boredom came knocking on my system, I usually grab a pen and along with my diary of poems, I scribble words that slowly flood the parchment. But since I don't have my diary with me while I'm at the office, the blogsites have become my reliever. It's either I'll start juggling some topics on my mind and come up with an acceptable post or, I'll find out how to change the template of my blogs for them not to look (I hate this word) boring.

Few moments ago, while I was staring on my blogger account, I noticed something. It wasn't that alarming, but, as a reader myself, that template didn't have any appeal on my sight. What am I talking about? Well, it's my blog's template.

Having that craving in changing the template of my personal blog, I decided to ask help from my ever dearest friend, Google, who led me to this site:  BloggerTemplatesFree, a site that offers free templates for web blogs.

Here are some screenshots of some templates you may find.

 

 

There are still other sites that offer free templates for the different blog sites. Just find time to explore the wide ocean of the virtual world and you'll surely find one that will fit your taste.

No matter how much you deny it, the lay-out, or let say, the template of the blog which you are reading or you might want to read greatly affects the interest you'll have for it. How did I say that? Let's just say, the fact that I am a journalism graduate made me realize how the packaging of the write-up contributes to how many readers you will be able to pull (or maybe drag) to read your post or published write-up (though I'm not a pro on lay-outing).

It's now your turn to change those pale-looking templates. Who knows, your blog might be the next most visited account. By the way, you don't need to be an expert in HTML codes in order to change those lay-outs. But, I must say, it's an advantage. ;-)

Need to Translate? Try Google

Guess what? I am writing this post for the second time. Why? It's just that, my first draft containing five paragraphs wasn't saved when I logged out few hours back. When I rechecked it for polishing, I found out that what remained was only the title. I can no longer remember how I started the article and so, I decided to make this introduction. Oh, by the way, I'm working on OpenOffice.org Writer right now so as to make sure that my write-up would be saved (thanks for the piece of advice Tita Barbie).

If you have the capacity of speaking (may be writing as well) different languages, you are considered to be a linguist. Unfortunately, I am no Jose Rizal (Philippines' National Hero) who has given that acquired talent and I cannot speak Spanish nor Latin like he did.

Surfing the net happens to be one of my favorite habitual past times when I am at the office. Just to kill some time, I usually search for some interesting articles or sites that contain interesting topics that might inspire me to post something on my blog. I am a fan of photography, thus, when I come across a photography related site, I can't help myself but try to look at it, even just for a moment.

It was like yesterday (literally) when I came across one site that really captured my attention. I was (almost) hypnotized by the pictures on it and how the blogger (it was a blog site) related each picture to colors – colors that became alive in those pictures. No more illusion and picturesque descriptions. Only reality.

The blog's name was 'Japanese Color'. I had all the enthusiasm to browse each and every page of the blog since all contains pictures. Pictures which, I know, have other meanings that lie behind each. Then, I got frustrated. Why wouldn't I?..I can't understand the captions! Why? Because they were all written in Japanese characters.

Then, I relaxed. Trying to get back my almost lost temper. I remembered using one  application when some 'alien' messages got into my inbox. I knew it could help.

Google ---> (type the keyword) google translate ---> search

or, to make it easier, just click on the link below:

http://translate.google.com/#

Then, after few minutes, I was able to read the captions. What I did was copy the Japanese characters to the 'text' window in Google translate, chose Japanese in the 'Translate from' tab and English in the 'Translate into' tab. If you are not sure of the language you want to translate from, you may choose 'Detect Language' and Google will detect the language for you.

Now, I will no longer carry the burden of translation in my mind. As long as the web (and Google Translate) is there, I know that my linguist friend will be always at hand..;-)

Thanksgiving - A Countdown to Christmas

When this topic was given to me, I really had no idea about the approach to use on it. Would it be plain conversational, informative, fun, or serious? All those possibilities were playing behind my mind but I couldn't exactly come up with a unique approach. As I was writing this exact line, I was perfectly experiencing the name of this blog - writer's block.

Minutes passed and I decided to stick to the real me, the way I write articles depending on my mood. It's more of a go-with-the-flow thing, but at least, I'm not pretending to be one of those most prominent writers. I am simply being me.

Enough of self introduction. Now, what is this write-up all about?

Maybe some of us have almost forgotten the magic word said after someone else does a little favor for us. May it be a simple tap on the shoulder showing appreciation for a job well done or keeping you awake when you're too sleepy working for a deadline, a simple 'thank you' is well-deserved. Two words that mean more than what they really say.


Thanksgiving - a season of sharing, family gatherings, and shopping... ;-)

Thanksgiving holiday has already been a part of the culture of some countries all over the world. Canada, Australia, Korea, India, and Canada just to name a few. But among these countries, the United States has its own way of celebrating this holiday which marks the beginning of the Christmas season.

Thanksgiving day in the United States means festivity, reunions, traditions, sharing, and even shopping sprees. Yes, you read it right. I did say shopping sprees. The reason behind this is that, when former President Franklin D. Roosevelt had the idea of thanksgiving, what he wanted was to help the businesses by lengthening the shopping period before Christmas. Here's another piece of a cake, thanksgiving is not merely about shopping. Americans also resemble close family ties during this season. Though families live away from each other, during the Thanksgiving Day, they really find time to celebrate it together. Gathered in a reunion, they all give thanks to the blessings and other good things that come their way.



Trivia: Here are some of the known Thanksgiving symbols in the United States (just another piece of cake)

If Santa symbolizes Christmas and Cupid Valentines,  Thanksgiving Day is also represented by some symbols. Here are some of them.

Pumpkin , Corn, and Cranberry

One of the most staple food in one family's thanksgiving table is a pumpkin pie. Of course we are not talking about Halloween here. Pumpkin just happened to be one of the most important symbols of the harvest festival in US and has been an American favorite for centuries.

A corn, being present on the festival table, may it be as a food or decoration, serves as a reminder of the importance and heritage of the harvest season.

Cranberry now also found its way to the festival table as cranberry sauce became the permanent companion of turkey during the festivity.


Turkey

Benjamin (former US President) once considered the turkey as a national symbol since it is a picture of a good runner and sharp sight.

In today's picture, every house cooks turkey as the main dish during the celebration and considers it as the main mascot of the celebration. And the whole festivity will never be complete without the customary 'Turkey Song.'

Cornucopia

Known as the most common symbol of thanksgiving, cornucopia is a horn-shaped container filled with the Earth's harvest during the Thanksgiving season.


So, I think, that would be it. Hope you learned something from this post. I may not be the best writer of all times, but I'm happy to have shared my thoughts... ;-)

Bloggers vs Journalists

Blog is defined as a term that refers to a website where entries are made similar to a journal or diary and blogger is the blanket term for anyone that uses a blog to post information on topics that are of interest to them (www.boutiquewebdesigns.com/InternetTerms.doc). On the other hand, Merriam- Webster Online defines journalism as the collection and editing of news for presentation through the media, the public press, an academic study concerned with the collection and editing of news or the management of a news medium and the person who is engaged in journalism is known to be as the journalists.

In today’s present scenario, there is already a thin line that separates journalism and blogging thus making it more confusing to the public on which area they are really into – blogging or journalism.

A journalistic work can be a blogger's work but seldom does it happen that a blogger's work can be considered as a journalistic work.

What Separates Journalism from Blogging?

Journalism is based on facts and blogs are usually based on the writer’s feel-free ideas since blogs serve as a medium being an online journal where bloggers can post about any topic they are interested in, unlike journalism. In journalism, being FACTUAL is the main ingredient. When the post is purely a product of the imaginative mind of the reader, then it can never be considered as a journalistic work.

Journalism is both a passion and a profession and courses in journalism are being offered for one to be that ‘professional’ in the field. On the other hand, blogging can merely be a product of ones interest to write about something and anything they are interested in. May it be factual or not, the bottom line is Journalism is into facts, blogging is more into personal opinion and idea being shared.

BLOGGERS vs JOURNALISTS

All journalists can be bloggers but not all bloggers can be journalists.

Like what was mentioned earlier, there is a very thin line that separates bloggers from journalists but this line is still visible if only we will have that deeper understanding on the difference of the two.

Just to some up, what mainly separates bloggers from journalists is that, bloggers work on their online journals through their blogs giving their opinion and insights about something while journalists are mainly into ‘news’ which are factual as they give the public the necessary information they need.

Pro blogger: (http://nakedpr.com/2008/05/01/bloggers-vs-journalists-with-pro-blogger-darren-rowse/)

Bloggers are not always journalists (http://www.chrisbrogan.com/bloggers-vs-journalists-and-who-cares/)

Is the issue over? (http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/2005/01/21/berk_essy.html)

Computer vs Paper

Due to the outbreak in technology, online news had made its way to the scenario of journalism, of news reporting, and gathering. The emergence of computers, the internet, and the World Wide Web has aid the journalism industry in print to be at par with the other existing media like broadcast which includes radio and television. With this, hard copies online newspapers already exist blurring the line which separates broadcast and print media. This also aid in the existing online journalism.


Advantages of Online Journalism

1. It allows newspaper to effectively compete with broadcast medium using the internet as a venue for breaking news.
2. This contributes to the existence of mobile news.
3. Movement away from the use of paper which helps in decreasing the production cost.
4. Existence of wired newsroom.
5. Borderless reporting.
6. Instant updating of news stories.


Online news vs Print media

Nowadays, online news and print media are working hand-in-hand in order to perform their media’s main role which is to be the watchdog of the society and to cater the publics’ right to information.

The existence of online news is both a boon and a bane in the print media industry. It is a boon since print media can also venture into online so that they will be able to compete effectively with broadcast media. At the same time, it is a bane because journalists need to write in both medium. Another reason why it is a disadvantage is the fact that, since online has an unlimited space, advertisers may prefer more the online medium than the print since it has wider scope even though they need to pay the higher price.

With regards to the issue of credibility, the articles’ credibility does not only depend on the medium which is being used. It is more on the writer’s credibility and at the same time the ‘brand’ which it represents. Brand refers to the name or site of the online or print publication where the article can be found.


Non-existence of Print Media?

There was the notion that in the near future, it will be difficult to find daily newspapers in the UK or United States that does not have or share a website. But this does not mean that there will no longer be the existence of Print media.

Print media, being a traditional medium, served as the foundation of other media since printing was discovered first. Online media may exist, but people will still go back to the traditional medium since they can have the hard copies kept and read it anytime they want. Memories printed in hard copies is usually treasured more compared to those that come in soft copy forms.

Online vs print for advertisers (http://ezinearticles.com/?Online-vs-Print-Media&id=1452522)
Online vs print: Issue of space (http://nlieu.blogspot.com/2006/09/online-vs-print-news.html)
Competition between online and print (http://www.jasonmorrison.net/content/2001/online-media-versus-traditional-print-media/)

POSTED: Advertise @ Craigslist

How it all started:

Craigslist was founded on 1995 by a web-oriented software engineer in the person of Craig Newman. It all started started as an email list for friends and co-workers about events going on in the San Francisco Bay Area. When he retired in the field of IT, he decided to work fulltime for craigslist. Though it all started as a hobby, craigslist was incorporated as a for-profit in 1999.

About Craigslist:

Craigslist serves as a local classifieds and forums site for 570 cities in 50 countries worldwide. It is community moderated, and largely free. Basically, craigslist is almost about anything: housing, services, jobs, services, local events - literally anything. It operates in different languages including French, German, Italian, Portugese, and Spanish and the site receives more than 1 million job listings per month.

Benefits you can get from Craigslist:

1. User can post their advertisements as many times as they want provided that each ad should not be similar with one another.

2. It gives the people, particularly the users, the voice. They have the freedom on how each advertisements will be presented.

3. Gives both the users and the viewers the sence of community trust and even intimacy. The users will be able to monitor personally their propect clients' needs since they are the one updating their posts.

4. Gives the viewers a sense of security. Craigslist allows the viewer to flag a particular posting which appears to them violating the site's policies.

For more information about Craigslist, visit http://chicago.craigslist.org/

Google Apps Premier: Everything Comes in One Package

Who said that online-based communication, mobile updates, documents, site building and a calendar can never be accessed all together using a single account?

This perspective is definitely wrong. Here comes another google-base application which will surely fit either your personal, business, or school need. You can now enjoy keeping in touch with other while enjoying the adventure of browsing new tools. All of this in one account. Complete your Internet expedition with Google Apps Premier.

Google Apps Premier is an account which offers several other applications aside from the usual email and chat. It bridges the gap between the virtual world and the real world. In general, it offers a wide-range and a must experience web- based program and allows the user to store and create files without the need to install a software.

Signing up is as easy as some usual email accounts. The only difference is that, Google Apps Premier's services are paid. This is due to the fact that this application is commonly used by companies, educational institutions, and other organizations in order to communicate to their members and followers in the easiest way possible. The owner of the account can add multiple users, all at the same time making it easier to manage. And, you can create you own domain name for your account to be easily accessed.

A Tour on Google Apps Premier...

Gmail and Chat...

Email is one of the most common communication function an account has to perform. What separates the email option of Google Apps Premier to other account is that, you can manage your account in the most convenient and accessible manner which will best suit you according to your choice.

One additional feature for email is label. You can label each mail according to color which will determine your priority. You will be the one to personally choose what color will go in every label you make. Video clips can also be viewed directly through the email account you have.

Additional feature is the Gmail chat which allows the user to shift from emailing to chatting in one particular window. Gmail chat allows the user not only to chat via text but also video chatting, voice chatting, and even group chats.

Google Talk...

Google talk is another feature of Google Apps which functions more like a communication tool for the user. This could be use for sending and receiving instant messages, PC-To-PC voice chat, voice mails and even file transfer. It is advantageous to use google talk to send files since there is no file size distinction. This also gives Gmail notifications in the users desktop, so, while you are chatting, you will be able to know if you have message in your Gmail.



Calendar: Be reminded, Get Updated

Google Apps Premiere also features a google calendar which allows you to book some appointments and at the same time, be reminded of these appointments. The google calendar sends out email notifications to the user whenever there was a scheduled activity for that particular day.



Google Docs...

Google docs is actually a separate program offered by google but through Google Apps Premier, signing up means having Google Docs at hand. This application allows the user to create presentations, spreadsheets, documents and even forms. Once created, the material done will be automatically saved by the network making it more convenient to use. You will no longer have the worries of having unsaved files when power interruptions occur. Another plus factor also is the fact that you don't have to download particular softwares to have your files created.



Google sites...

Google sites allow you to create your own web template for a website minus the process of downloading a particular software. By using this particular application, you can have you site posted on the web right at that very moment. After creating your own site, you can still have it edited, manage your account, add additional pages, subscribe to other accounts and also to share you accounts to others. By managing your site, you can set its viewing preference whether to make it public, private.



Google Apps: Go Mobile

Google Apps can also be updated through your mobile phones. Email alerts and calendar reminders can be received through your mobile phones using this application.

Administrative Panel: Managing Google Apps the way you want it

The admin, or the owner of the Google Apps account has all the right to manage it. By using the administrative panel, the administrator can have the a particular application to be activated or deactivated. He also has the control who will be the users of his domain. All in all, the administrator has the full control in all the accounts applications he can make changes whenever he wants.

Salesforce: More than just a software

"The leader in customer relationship management (CRM) & cloud computing"

A business is nothing without its customers. If this happens, it will be more like a human being, struggling to live after having one of his vital organs removed. If advertising is the life-blood of any newspaper, customer is the life-blood of every business. How any business entity manages its relationship with its customers will define the company's success in the field.

Salesforce, marking itself as the leader in customer relationship management (CRM), offers programs which helps entrepreneurs maintain good relationships among their customers while they are marketing their products. Here are some basic facts about the company.

Starting-up...

Salesforce was founded in 1999 by former Oracle executive Marc Benioff and it went public only in 2004 under the stock symbol CRM (customer relationship management).

The site offers services like consultation, certification, training, support, and finding a partner which are all beneficial for every business' success.

Assurance from Salesforce CRM

1. Ensures that the client's sales, marketing, and support efforts are in line with each other as they work together towards one common goal and that is - to have your business succeed in a new level you are not expecting.

2. Automation of business processes are highly possible.

3. Gives everyone in your company a complete view of the customer.
4. Provides deeper analysis and insight into critical sales and customer metrics.
5. Ensures that the customers you already have will be happy and satisfied while you are also focused in getting more customers.

For more information, visit http://www.salesforce.com/

...Jumpstart

Student life was over..Here I am now, facing the real world. Creating a picture beyond my brush could ever paint...beyond my pen could ever write about. I am no longer what I used to be three months ago - carrying a "backpack-full" of books and folders loaded hard copies of the articles needed to be submitted in order to beat the deadline.

After graduation, "job" was my main target. Surfing the net while looking for job vacancies and being a "visitor" to job fairs in the city were just but normal to freshgrads like me. Two months have passed and I almost loose hope - just almost. But indeed, keeping my faith was of great help.

It seemed like my agony ended when I was given the chance to work for Virtual Assistant. This has given me the opportunity to jumpstart my career outside the school campus.

First task which was given to us was a 'telecom research task'... Despite the ordeals I have gone through before I was able to complete the task, I really enjoyed doing the research. Through that research task, I was able to explore other sites which seemed to be 'alien' for me (like finding out that there are such companies like Millicom and Orange which offers telecom services). I was also able to learn new computer applications which helped me do the task.

Now that I have somehow experienced doing actual tasks done by a general task virtual assistants, I am expecting harder and more complicated tasks that are soon to come and at the same time, close encounter with the clients are highly possible.

Through observation, I must say that there are a lot of possible circumstances which keep the VA's life more challeging. This may include dealing with clients who have different wavelenghts as you are, beating the deadline, and also keeping the company's (and your own) credibility as you come up with outputs which are not merely acceptable but satisfactory.

These are just but few of the insights I have as I start my career with VA. More learnings are still on their way...