Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0 advocates social media for social good

With Filipinos once again acknowledged as among the most active social media users — via FaceBook, Twitter, Multiply, Tumblr, Flickr, YouTube, etc. — Filipino bloggers are challenged to explore the potential of social media as a transformative force in Philippine society.  “Social media as an agent for change” will be the theme of Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0, happening on Friday, 05 August 2011, at the TriNoma Activity Center in Quezon City.

Leading the discussion will be prominent social media activists Usec. Manuel (Manolo) L. Quezon III and Ms. Gang Badoy, who will share their thoughts on these two basic questions: How can we harness the power of social media for the social good?  Can bloggers become positive change agents through social networking?

Both Usec. Quezon and Ms. Badoy will be the main speakers during the Blogger’s BIO (By Invitation Only) programme, scheduled from 7:00 to 10:00 pm as the culminating activity of Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0 on Friday, 05 August 2011.

Manolo Quezon is a popular essayist and blogger, who is currently an undersecretary of the Presidential Communications and Strategic Planning Office.  Prior to this, he hosted The Explainer and The Explainer Dialogues on ANC cable news channel.  He also headed the Speaker’s Bureau and was a columnist and editorial writer for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and was the assistant managing editor for the Philippine Free Press weekly news magazine.  Usec. Quezon has received various awards for his professional work, including being named “Opinion Writer of the Year” in 1994 and 2005 by the Rotary Club of Manila’s Journalism Awards, one of the oldest journalism awards in the country.  He also won the 1^st Prize for the Essay in English for the Carlos Palance Memorial Awards for Literature in 1997.

Ms. Gang Badoy is a media practitioner and alternative educator.  A product of the Assumption San Lorenzo High School, UP Diliman and the Indianapolis-Purdue University, she worked first for ABS-CBN in San Francisco and became news desk editor for NBC’s Eyewitness News.  In 1999, she accepted a post with the Diocese of San Jose, California, and worked closely with Catholic Relief Services.  She came home to the Philippines in mid-2003 and joined Jesuit Communications (JesCom) and spearheaded workshops on “Media and Ministry” for the East Asian Pastoral Institute.  Primarily a writer, Ms. Badoy founded Rock Ed Philippines, an alternative education volunteer group that works for a more interesting way of presenting socio-civic issues to the youth.  She also devotes time to giving media literacy lectures in campuses all over the Philippines, and is a staunch volunteerism advocate.  Ms. Badoy was awarded as one of the Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) and Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) for 2010.

Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0 is a whole-day event, with several Social Activities targeted at various audiences.  These are open to the public, as follows:  10:30 am to 12:oo nn – The New Workplace; 01:00 pm to 02:30 pm – It’s A Digital Life; 02:30 pm to 04:00 pm – Photography; 04:00 pm to 05:30 pm – Healthy Living.  With expert resource persons for each of these social activities, the public will surely find the sessions both educational and entertaining.  On-site registration will give the audience a chance to win raffle prizes and other give-aways.

Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0 is organized by GADGETS Magazine, with the support of The Coca-Cola Export Corporation, Teletech, Canon, Globe, Pony,Neo, Asus, Western Digital, Archos, BenQ, JBL, Sennheiser,  Manila Bulletin, Business Mirror, and TriNoma.

Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0 looks at ‘The New Workplace’;

job applicants welcome at Teletech booth

Fresh graduates and young professionals looking to explore new working arrangements are invited to come to Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0, which is happening on Friday, 05 August 2011, at the Trinoma Activity Center in Quezon City.

Teletech, a global leader in business process outsourcing, will have a recruitment booth on-site and will be entertaining applicants the whole day.  Interested job seekers are invited to present their updated resume to any of the Teletech staff.

Open to the public, Social Activity #1 scheduled from 10:30 am to 12:00 nn will focus on The New Workplace.  Work anywhere, anytime.  This is the office of the future, with co-workers housed not in a physical structure, but linked through technology.  Speakers will focus on how global changes and advances in technology present new professional opportunities and redefine work in the 21^st century.

Mr. Angelo Hernandez and Mr. Louie Sangalang, Senior Managers for Talent Acquisition, will talk on the topic  “Inside the BPO Industry: It’s Impact on the Youth Today.”  Teletech is a global company that was built on thinking and acting outside traditional business boundaries.  It has offices and operations in 17 countries worldwide, providing support services for leading Global 1000 companies and governmental agencies.

Providing another perspective as an IT professional, Mr. Joey Gurango, will share his success story as a technopreneur.  He will talk on how jobs and career opportunities are changing vis-à-vis the skills and competencies required in the global marketplace.  His company, Gurango Software, is an award-winning Microsoft Dynamics partner and global provider of human capital management solutions serving 500 customers in 15 countries.  In recognition of his mastery of and contributions to software technologies and businesses, Joey was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Microsoft’s Most Valuable Professionals.  In 2006, he was acknowledged as one of the country’s Most Inspiring Technopreneurs by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship.

Interested participants are encouraged to register for a chance to win raffle prizes and other freebies to be given away during this Social Activity on The New Workplace.

Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0 is organized by GADGETS Magazine, with the support of The Coca-Cola Export Corporation,  Teletech,  Canon,  Globe, Pony,  Neo,  Asus,  Western Digital,   Archos,  BenQ,  JBL,  Sennheiser,  Manila Bulletin,  Business Mirror, and TriNoma.

Coke supports Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0

The Coca-Cola Export Company has signed on to support Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0, Gadgets Magazine’s annual social media event.  Now on its second year, Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0 is scheduled to happen on 5 August 2011 at the TriNoma Activity Center in Quezon City.

In its first run in 2010, Pinoy_Blogfest 1.0 attempted to start the dialogue on ethical issues confronting social media, with the theme Opportunity & Responsibility.  Attended by some 80 bloggers, the conference addressed questions such as: “Should bloggers observe journalistic ethics?” and “Can bloggers make money from their web presence?”

Continuing the discourse on the role of social media in Philippine society, this year’s Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0 is themed Social Media as a Change Agent.

With the increasing ubiquity of Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms, Filipinos have once again made the Philippines the world’s social networking capital.  Theoretically, therefore, everyone on Facebook or Twitter, and eventually the new Google+, has the potential to influence his “friends” or “followers” through his posts and status updates.  This democratizes social media and empowers each one with the opportunity to be a force for good.

Pinoy_Blogfest is open to the public, offering a program of social activities targeted at various audiences.   Interested participants may opt to attend any one or all of the public social activities, namely The New Workplace, Its a Digital Life, Healthy Living and Photography.

Interested bloggers are requested to send their name, blog URL, and contact details to [email protected] for invites to the by-invitation-only evening program by July 31, Sunday.