Three months ago, Tokyo Tokyo made ramen affordable and more accessible. You can read about the launch here. Apparently, a lot of people are crazy about ramen because that particular blog post constantly got hits since I uploaded it. To date, it has remained in the Top 10 of my most popular posts week after week (see right side of this page).

If you haven't tried Tokyo Tokyo's ramen variants yet, this is your chance to do so and even get to bring friends and loved ones along! Win P1500 worth of gift certificates by joining this blog's giveaway! Enter via Rafflecopter to view and follow the mechanics.

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Giveaway ends on 12MN of Dec. 2, 2013. Winner will be announced on December 4. Prize will be sent through courier to any address within Mega Manila.

Edit Dec. 4: Congratulations to …


Please wait for my email regarding your prize. Thank you all for joining! More giveaways are coming very, very soon! :)

Information is disseminated in various ways and one of these is through press releases (PRs).

PRs given during events

During media events, PRs are included in press kits so that attendees could have more details about whatever product or service was launched.

Ideally, bloggers should just use PRs as references to create their own write-ups. After all, they were there during the event so they should form their opinions and have their own thoughts about what they experienced. Unfortunately, a lot of bloggers opt to just cut and paste the PRs and post those verbatim on their blogs, without letting their readers know that it is a PR!

What’s the problem with that? Well, for starters, blogs were supposed to be, and started out as, a platform for personal writings. So it is very off-putting to see blogs that mostly contain PRs that were not disclosed as such. I’ve visited blogs where the first two entries seem to be written in perfect English and then, when I go further, I’ll read personal entries with dozens of grammatical errors that made my head spin.

My advice? Disclose PRs as PRs. Don’t claim them as your own. Somebody else wrote that. At least give credit to the company who provided you with it. Likewise, if you attended an event, make an effort to write a personalized post about it instead of just cutting and pasting the PR on your blog. A lot of readers visit blogs to know what the writer thought of a product or service, not to just read a bunch of specs.

PRs sent through emails

I am not saying it is bad to post PRs as is. I do that also BUT only when:

1. There was no actual event and the PR was just sent to announce something to the general public

2. I wasn’t able to attend the actual event (so I don’t have anything personal to say about the product/service launched) but want to help the company that invited me to spread the word

Of course, I make sure to indicate "Press Release" on top of the write-up! Check out examples in my other blog.

I’ve been blogging for years and have met many Public Relations Practitioners (PRPs). They often send out press releases to bloggers via email and there are days when I’d receive more than a dozen. I don’t post all of them for several reasons.

For those who don’t maintain a blog, know that the seemingly easy posting of PRs take time. Personally, I go over the write up and check if there are any typos or wrong information. Since I am a writer/editor by profession, I sometimes do catch mistakes that I correct before posting. In addition, I fix photos to minimize their sizes to make them easier to upload.

Here are some thoughts and tips that I am sure a large majority of bloggers wants Public Relations Practitioners to know:

1. Be considerate of your recipients. Don’t send out PRs without at least telling us what you want us to do with them especially if it is your first time to contact us. I’ve received dozens of PRs without any salutation, just the press release on the body of the email or as an attachment. One of the worst is receiving an email that only contains “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!” as salutation. Have the courtesy to at least send a short message asking bloggers to consider your PR for posting.

Personally, I deeply appreciate PRPs who take the time to personalize their emails before sending them individually to bloggers and start with, “Dear [name]. It makes us feel like valued partners and not word factory workers. As much as possible, I try to post PRs like those first.

borrowed from www.socialsearchmarketinggroup.com

2. Include and resize photos! Unlike magazines and newspapers, most websites don’t require big photo files that are sized in megabytes (MB). They considerably slow down the loading of webpages. So please take time to reduce the photos you send to manageable sizes. In my blog, I reduce pictures to around 100KB only. So it is really time-consuming to be resizing photos before I can post a single PR.

On the other hand, there are PRPs who send out PRs without any kind of photo. When I ask for some, I sometimes get the answer, “Sorry, we have none. But we hope you can still accommodate it.” Duh? It should be part of your job to provide bloggers with all materials especially if you are asking for free space. Don’t make the job hard for us and make us take time to research online just to find photos that would make your write-up more attractive. You see, I am averse to posting PRs without photos because I know readers won’t find it interesting. There is no point in posting an all text PR that nobody would read.

3. Keep track of who have been helping you out. I know of PRPs who indiscriminately send out PRs to hundreds of bloggers perhaps to ensure that a sizable percent would post their press release. And yet, when the PRPs finally hold an event, they also indiscriminately send out invites wherein, many times, they forget and leave out of the list the very bloggers who have been regularly posting PRs for them.

4. Make bloggers feel that the relationship is a two-way thing. Dear PRPs, we are here to help you but you should also remember to help us. It is disheartening to be asked to post PR after PR without hearing anything about being rewarded for our efforts. Yes, we blog because we like what we’re doing but we also get tired accommodating favors again and again for FREE.

We are not stupid. We know that PR firms are paid handsomely by brands. So getting bloggers to post PR after PR without any compensation may save you a lot of money. But, do you think those bloggers, who have started to feel they are just being used, would continue to maintain a working relationship with you?

That is why I am thankful for the very few PR firms I know that make efforts to show their gratitude. No, it is not about money, or tokens, or gifts. And I am not saying bloggers should be compensated EVERY TIME they post a PR. Rather, it is about give and take relationships. For goodness sakes, people in the public relations business should know that! Sadly, based on my experience, that seems not to be the case.

So, if you handle hotels or resorts and send out PRs of your promos, consider inviting loyal bloggers for a staycation so they can review your services.

If you handle food establishments and often send out announcements of your latest offerings, why not include a gift certificate to one of your restaurants so that bloggers, who have been posting about the menu again and again, could finally know what the food tastes like?

If you are pushing to promote gadgets, why not have reliable bloggers review one of your products? But please, if it’s not equivalent to the price of a car or house and lot, don't ask them to give it back. Do consider giving it to them as a thank you for their efforts of supporting you for months or years.

If you have accounts for clothing brands, offer small tokens in exchange for the publicity. I appreciate one PRP who always make sure she gives bloggers something (a shirt, a novelty item, etc.) in exchange for posting her PRs.

For the record, these are not demands. They are suggestions. I am not expecting everyone to understand where we, bloggers, are coming from. But I ask that you read this with an open mind. Perhaps then, you’ll realize I’ve made some good points.

It was a fun night when bloggers got together for Orange Magazine TV’s website re-launch in Gweilos at the Mall of Asia last September 24. It became a sort of double celebration since it was also the birthday of Jeman Villanueva, Orange’s founder and publisher. 

Around 40 guests came and we enjoyed a nice dinner while the prizes started flowing. Thanks to several generous sponsors, everybody got to bring home something. Team Orange raffled off some items and gave away others during a few fun games.

The festivities were momentarily suspended when MOA fireworks started exploding outside. Majority of the guests went out to watch the aerial display while some of us stayed seated to catch up and chat. Suddenly, an unexpected “gatecrasher” arrived running past the open doors, looking for a corner to hide.

Some of us took turns holding the cute little dog that was shaking in fright because of the loud bangs outside. If the owner didn’t come looking for it, there were several of us there who would have gladly volunteered to bring it home :)

The jokes and laughter went on for a few hours as we were served appetizers with the free-flowing beverages. Since I don’t drink alcohol, I left the towers of cocktails alone and asked for Dole juices instead. I think a few got quite tipsy from the punch but, in general, it was a jovial crowd. We even had a lot of fun having our photos taken by Click in the Box!

Congratulations Orange Magazine TV for the website’s new look and for another successful event! More fun gatherings to come! :)

Before, people only get information from what was called Tri-Media: television, radio, and print publications. Now, there's Quad-Media which includes online pages such as websites and blogs. Even businesses are taking notice that the internet does help today's tech savvy consumers decide where to go, what to buy, or how to do stuff. 

I have been writing professionally for print publications for almost a decade now but I have long since acknowledged that the World Wide Web can and do influence people's thoughts and actions. Thus, I blog because I want my own voice to be heard more. I want to change perspectives and perhaps contribute to making this world a better place.

If you look at the topmost part of this page, you'll read: "I write because I find humor in the absurdities of daily life. Sometimes I feel sadness too, and I find I can write my tears away. I write when I'm angry and feel I must right a wrong. I write when I'm touched and want others to see beauty and gentleness. I write, as many others do, because I must." And that's how I honestly and personally feel about writing down my thoughts on whatever medium is available.  

So, it was with interest that I signed up for Blogapalooza, an event created by bloggers and digital online specialists who recognize the rising clout and influence that members of the new online media have. The gathering aimed to connect online influencers with businesses who'd like to have their stuff tried, tested, and blogged about. 

I had fun during Blogapalooza last Sept. 17 at Fully Booked in Boni High Street because I got to be with some of my blogger friends, meet some very nice business owners, as well as get first dibs on some of the newest and not-yet-very-known products, services, and other stuff that's already out in the market today that more people still have to know about and which we can share with our individual online networks.

Please visit this blog in the coming weeks because I'll be reviewing a lot of the new things I learned about and found to be quite good :) To know who were the sponsors of Blogapalooza, check out the complete list here.

Thank you and congratulations Blogapalooza organizers for the very successful event!

I like attending events where I get to learn and appreciate a lot of new stuff. So I was glad to make it to Orange Magazine TV's list of guests to its first ever Bloggers' Blowout held in Astrovision/Astroplus Greenbelt 5 last Saturday.

I signed up for the tech group because I want to know the latest in gadgets that could enhance my music experiences. I'm so glad I did because I got to try some of today's coolest earphones that range from the affordable to the luxuriously high-end.

For example, we got to see the newest offerings of Pioneer headphones and earphones. Some are even made with different shades of leather! My favorite would have to be their line of brightly colored earphones that look like little fruits :) I fancy the Berry Red / Baie Rouge variant because the buds look really, really attractive.

I also got to test drive an Audio-Technica headphone that wraps nicely around the ears. Aside from the great sound it brings out, it's also comfortable to wear. According to the Audio-Technica representative who gave us the presentation, this is the number one headphone brand in Japan in 2009 and 2010. He also listed down some popular music personalities who are considered the faces of the brand. Among these are singers Jay-R, Kris Lawrence, Miguel Escueta, and Yael Yuzon, lead vocalist of the band Spongecola.

Next, we listened to the representative of Alexis Marketing, the exclusive distributor of the following:

1) Monster headphones - These is a cool and sleek line of audio equipment that are drool-worthy. Again, I was drawn to the red variant of Monster Beats by Dre Studio. There and then, I wished I could take it home with me. The white and black ones are equally very attractive. As to the sound, the Monster Beats emit melodies and voices clearly and fully because it has an active noise cancellation feature.

2) Aerial 7 headphones and earbuds - Headphones with a camouflage design was passed around for us to try. I liked how it seemed to adjust itself around my head and ears which make wearing it really comfortable. 

3) Bose audio headphones - We were told that all Bose headphones come with a patented differentiating technology called Triport acoustic structure which gives listeners deep bass sounds from a smaller enclosure as compared to conventional approaches. It has been said that Bose has a solution for every customer's needs. As proof of that, below is a simple table showing the differences in looks and prices of Bose products.

After a deluge of gadgets for listening that everybody was raring to try, we also took time to hear about a lot of stuff from Imation such as mouse, keyboards, and PC accessories.

What followed after that is also something I'd love to have for my own. It's the TDK-700 that, by far, is the most innovative gadget I've ever seen. This one is wireless! (I'm wearing it in the right side of the topmost photo of this post). With it, you just have to connect a small thingamajig on your music player (iPod, mobile phone, etc.) and voila! You'll get to hear your favorite songs and move around the house without the hassles of tangled cords. I can almost imagine using this while cooking dinner or loading clothes in the washing machine. If I have one, I wouldn't have to carry my iPod in my pocket (and get it in danger of getting wet) every time I have to work around the house! 

We weren't expecting a treat from TDK but they gave us in-ear headphones each! Thanks, TDK! Your gift is very much appreciated :)

The list of cool gadgets continued with a presenter from Jays Philippines, an exclusively headphones brand. The presenter showed us the different Jays lines: the v-Jays are powerful, dynamic, and lightweight headphones; the t-Jays are flexible earbuds that are comfortable to use even when you're lying down on your side; while the a-Jays have flat, tangle-free cords and come in attractive and durable cases.

Speaking of which, they raffled off the a-Jays series and my name was called for an a-Jays One! I tried it out when I got home and loved the clarity of sound. Thank you Jays Philippines!

The second to the last company/brand to present were people from Wow Karaoke who demoed to us how their products work. Among those they showed us were the Wow Fiesta (WF210) which is their most affordable variant priced at just over P5000; the wireless Wow Concerto Pro (TKR320); and the Wow Mabuhay Plus (TKR301) with two wired microphones and has six slots for song packs. Music lovers can buy the song packs separately with each having 300 stored songs per pack.

In addition, the Wow Mabuhay Plus has a mic that lets you record your own songs. You can even use your own photos as background to the songs while you and your family/friends are belting out your favorite tunes. If you're planing to get yourself a Wow Karaoke product, buy it from Astrovision because they are celebrating their 8th year anniversary so they are giving away 8% discounts on some of their merchandise. Oh, and thanks too for the Wow headphones! :)

Lastly, Katherine Choy and Jimmy Lim of Astrovision/Astroplus showed us how the Cyber Clean is able to remove dirt from various gadgets. It looks like a yellow sponge but is damp and a bit sticky when held. Some attendees used the sample for cleaning their cameras and cellphones but only one lucky guest got to bring home one.

All in all, the Bloggers' Blowout was a fun and educational event. We all left Astrovision/Astroplus with smiles on our faces not only because of the raffle prizes but also the anticipation of writing down what we saw, tested, and learned that afternoon.

Congratulations and thank you Orange Magazine TV for the invite (and for some of the photos I used in this blog post) and Astrovision/Astroplus for a successfully fun event. Thank you too to LG for providing the wide screen TV that made it a pleasure watch all the presentations in.