Influential Blogger by Janette Toral

Week 8: Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009

2009-07-07T06:36:00.004+08:00

Here's the eight week summary of entries and their choices/nomination in The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009. If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

This writing project will not be possible without the support of sponsors such as Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, Events and Corporate Video, Events at Work, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Red Mobile, Budget hotel in Makati, and Blog4Reviews.com.

Week 8 only

For the eight week, we received a total of 21 entries from Chris, Marcelle, Jacris, Willa, Ria Rosaura Romero, McBilly, Christalice, Pats, Club Tourist, Jelz Naguiat, Jenn, Donna Llaguno, Jerbp, Dhonzkie, Wana, Nurseyapi, Luke, Seiko, Frances, Lio Loco, and Ever.

A total of 78 blogs were cited from the 21 entries. They are:

The following blogs got one mention each:

Noted the entries of Crisiboy, Arbee, Alex Gavino, Chris, Marcelle, McBilly, Christalice, Club Tourist, Jelz Naguiat, Donna Llaguno, Jerbp, Dhonzkie, Wana, Nurseyapi, and Luke for citing 10 blogs and therefore included in the entries masterlist.

These are the top blogs based on entries that got included in the entries masterlist as of today (will update it shortly):

All blogs listed in the previous weeks won't be re-posted unless it gets chosen again by entries submitted in Week 9 or still included in the total The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009.

We still have 3 weekly updates to go. If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

Additional notes:

Some entries did not get included here as they did not link to the writing project page. Once done, will include you for week 9.

Thank you again everyone for your patience and participation to this humble project.

Social responsibility - what drives you?

2009-07-03T09:13:00.006+08:00

Yesterday, I listened to an interesting talk by Chit Juan of Philippine Coffee Board, during the Public Relations Society of the Philippines 2nd general membership meeting, about the subject of corporate social responsibility or CSR.

There are key take-aways in her talk that I'd like to note in this blog post:

CSR is not limited to big enterprises
Even SMEs and individuals can undertake social responsibility efforts. A good example will be about hiring local talent and not taking advantage of their situation by paying them reasonably.
It must outlive the CEO or initiator
As an individual, I think that is easier said than done on my part. I have founded an organization in the past and have let go for continuity. Apparently, when things got quite hot, and the pioneers started checking, seeking for transparency, we got cut off. That experience brought a lot of lessons learned and saw how people change the moment they are given power. It makes me wonder whether DigitalFilipino will outlive me or die with me.
Customers choose responsible companies, those with CSR, and recommend them to peers
I think becoming top of mind is more than just skill and portfolio. It is also what you are about. Are you all about money or you have a purpose that is bigger than you? It is not just blogging about it or putting a badge on your site. It is actually living it without any complaints. I noticed as well that for the clients I've worked with, a lot of them note of the various extra-curricular activities undertaken that is not directly related to the service being offered. Subconsciously, it plays a big role indeed.

What differentiates you? Quality? Price? CSR?
For me, I think all the above applies. Services are being offered that is worth more than what one pays for. Pricing was done in such a way that is affordable to the budget. A big chunk of revenues goes to CSR (such as funding of writing projects, awards, free seminars/roadshow, free books and reports). Everything else that remains is profit.
Doing good and telling it well
This makes me wonder how do you tell it without appearing to be boasting or overselling what you are doing? Most of my undertakings did not have much stories written about them as they are advocacies and not intended for media mileage.

Chit Juan's talk was very insightful and made me reflect on the advocacies I have been undertaking lately and the one put on hold last year - the Philippine Schools Cyberfair project.

My goal for that project was simple. To encourage elementary and high school institutions to come up with web content that talks about their community. I started it in 2001 and have been sustaining it since. Last year, decided to put it on hold and realigned limited resources to other things.

However, the past two weeks have been quite interesting as I get contacted by young people who used to be high school students that have participated in the project. Some of them studying in college while others began working already. They kept in touch just to share how are they doing or in need of possible help.

That made me reflect on how that project, despite having limited number of participants and hardly any sponsors, have touched some of the students who joined it.

At the end of the day, it is not the glitz and glamor that makes a project great, its impact and how it touches those who participated mattered the most. With that and after listening to Chit Juan, I just made the decision of jumpstarting the Philippine Schools Cyberfair 2010.

Yahoo! Purple Hunt phase 3: Guess the location of 6 BlackBerry Smartphones

2009-06-29T16:58:00.006+08:00

The Yahoo! Purple Hunt Phase 3 kicks off tomorrow, from June 30 till July 12!

Purple Hunters all over the Philippines can guess the location of six BlackBerry Smartphones hidden all over Metro Manila by deciphering clues seeded out on Yahoo! Answers, Yahoo! Groups and Flickr (Purple Hunt Clues).

When you think you know where each BlackBerry Smartphone is hidden, go to the microsite and input your answer! If you're right, you stand a chance to win the skinned purple BlackBerry Smartphone! If you're wrong, you may ask the Purple Crew for more clues that may help you. You can also post a comment here and share to me your answer, I will try my best to give you the right clues to get there. =)

Remember, you need to provide the full address of each location when submitting an answer!Purple Hunters can guess as many times as possible. If you get the answer wrong, you will not be able to register and a prompt comes up asking you to try again.

Note that this is not a first come, first serve basis contest. People can guess the locations of all 6 BlackBerry Smartphones right up to the end of the phase, Once the phase ends, Yahoo! will do a random draw on the winners.

Check out my Yahoo Profiles page, DigitalFilipino Yahoo Groups, and Yahoo Purple Hunt Adventures blog for clues as well.

Happy hunting!

Week 7: Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009

2009-06-29T08:54:00.002+08:00

Here's the seventh week summary of entries and their choices/nomination in The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009. If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

This writing project will not be possible without the support of sponsors such as Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, Events and Corporate Video, http://www.eventsatwork.com/, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Red Mobile, Budget hotel in Makati, and Blog4Reviews.com.

Week 7 only
For the seventh week, we received a total of 15 entries from Ayei, Zorlone, Hannah, Edelweiza, Po0t, Jennai, Pehpot, Marius, Fitz, Crisiboy, Sonnie, Arbee, Juned, Alex Gavino, and Jangeronimo.

A total of 69 blogs were cited from the 15 entries. They are:

The following blogs got one mention each:

Noted the entries of Coy, April, Fedhz, Zorlone, Edelweiza, Po0t, Jennai, Pehpot, Fitz, and Jangeronimo for citing 10 blogs and therefore included in the entries masterlist.

These are the top blogs based on entries that got included in the entries masterlist as of today:

All blogs listed in the previous weeks won't be re-posted unless it gets chosen again by entries submitted in Week 8 or still included in the total The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009.

We still have 4 weekly updates to go. If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

Additional notes:

Some entries did not get included here as they did not link to the writing project page. Once done, will include you for week 8.

Thank you again everyone for your patience and participation to this humble project.

August 8 Eyeball: Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs 2009 Winners Announcement

2009-06-22T01:08:00.004+08:00

First, many thanks to those who submitted entries to the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs writing project. Let us meet up on August 8, 2009 Saturday, 6 pm to 11 pm at the Forum Hall, Casino Filipino, PIRC Bldg. Ninoy Aquino Avenue, Parañaque City. Shuttle to the venue is available. Pick up time will be at 5:30 pm at Starbucks 6750. Please contact Janette should you be taking the shuttle.

This event is sponsored by DigitalFilipino Club member PAGCOR.

Program shall be as follows:

Dinner
Observations and Lessons learned - Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs writing project (Janette Toral)
Eyeball sponsor talk - PAGCOR
Raffle Draw - 10 winners who will get US$100 each. Of course, those who can't make it are still part of the draw and can win.
Recognition - The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs 2009 - as chosen by writing project participants.
Raffle (we will welcome all raffle contributions), games, networking

Writing project participants are requested to confirm their attendance by posting a comment here. As slots are limited, interested guests must join the writing project in order to attend.

Non-writing project participants interested to join are requested to sign-up as a DigitalFilipino.com Club member.

Attendance confirmation:
1.
2.
3.

I will update this post as soon as we receive confirmation.

Raffle masterlist: (To be updated starting July 1. This list will contain link to entries in the masterlist that have cited all sponsors for this writing project. You can still sign-up as a sponsor (US$150) on or before June 30. Please contact Janette should you be interested.)
1.
2.
3.

Writing Project sponsors acknowledgment.
This writing project will not be possible without the support of sponsors such as Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, Events and Corporate Video, Events at Work, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Red Mobile, Budget hotel in Makati and Blog4Reviews.com.

Thank you!

Week 6: Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009

2009-06-21T19:54:00.004+08:00

Here's the sixth week summary of entries and their choices/nomination in The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009. If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

This writing project will not be possible without the support of sponsors such as Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, Events and Corporate Video, http://www.eventsatwork.com/, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Red Mobile, and Blog4Reviews.com.

Week 6 only
For the sixth week, we received a total of 15 entries from April Rose Kwong, Silver, Fedhz, Doctor Dude, Aeirin, Ambo, Dee, Amor, Reyjr, Jehzlau, Yapatoots, Shalomsiy, Aileen, Eel.jay, and Jet.

A total of 62 blogs were cited from the 15 entries. They are:

The following blogs got one mention each:

Noted the entries of Mica, Mommy Dharlz, Silver, Aeirin, Ambo, Amor, Jehzlau, and Eel.jay for citing 10 blogs and therefore included in the entries masterlist.

These are the top blogs based on entries that got included in the entries masterlist as of today:

All blogs listed in the previous weeks won't be re-posted unless it gets chosen again by entries submitted in Week 7 or still included in the total The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009.

We still have 5 weekly updates to go. If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

Additional notes:
Some entries did not get included here as they did not link to the writing project page. Once done, will include you for week 7.
Thank you again everyone for your patience and participation to this humble project.

Yahoo! Purple Hunt phase 2: Guess the location of 6 cameras

2009-06-15T22:44:00.012+08:00

The Yahoo! Purple Hunt Phase 2 kicks off tomorrow, from June 16 till 28! What does this mean for all Purple Hunters in Philippines? It means you can guess the location of six cameras hidden all over Metro Manila by deciphering clues seeded out on Yahoo! Answers, Yahoo! Groups and Flickr (Purple Hunt Clues).

When you think you know where each camera is hidden, go to the microsite and input your answer! If you're right, you stand a chance to win the skinned purple Canon camera! If you're wrong, you may ask the Purple Crew for more clues that may help you! Remember, you need to provide the full address of each location when submitting an answer!

Purple Hunters can guess as many times as possible. If you get the answer wrong, you will not be able to register and a prompt comes up asking you to try again.

Note that this is not a first come, first serve basis contest. People can guess the locations of all 6 cameras right up to the end of the phase, Once the phase ends, Yahoo! will do a random draw on the winners.

Check out my Yahoo Profiles page and DigitalFilipino Yahoo Groups for clues as well.

Happy hunting!

Week 5: Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009

2009-06-14T20:12:00.003+08:00

Here's the fifth week summary of entries and their choices/nomination in The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009. If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

This writing project will not be possible without the support of sponsors such as Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, Events and Corporate Video, http://www.eventsatwork.com/, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Red Mobile, and Blog4Reviews.com.

Week 5 only
For the fifth week, we received a total of 13 entries from Badong, Mommy Dharlz, Animetric, An2nette, Dinah, Beejing, Ron, Buraot, Ang Lolo Niyo, Aajao, Coy, Frjimz_rain, and Atenean101.

A total of 67 blogs were cited from the 16 entries. They are:

The following blogs got one mention each:

Noted the entries of Reyna Elena, Roy, Aika, Fatherlyours, Dfish, Animetric, An2nette, Dinah, Beejing, Ron, Frjimz_rain, and Atenean101 for citing 10 blogs and therefore included in the entries masterlist (to be updated this week).

These are the top blogs based on entries that got included in the entries masterlist, to be updated this week, as of today:

All blogs listed in the previous weeks won't be re-posted unless it gets chosen again by entries submitted in Week 6 or still included in the total The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009.

We still have 6 weekly updates to go. If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

Additional notes:
Some entries did not get included here as they did not link to the writing project page. Once done, will include you for week 6.
Thank you again everyone for your patience and participation to this humble project.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Yahoo! Purple Hunt

2009-06-13T06:00:00.000+08:00

Got a lot of questions about the Yahoo Purple Hunt (I'm one of the power users helping out) and here are some additional information that may be of help.

Question: Where can I get a purple ticket?

Answer: Purple tickets are found all over Yahoo! products. First stop point is the Yahoo! Philippines home page where there is a banner image about it. Navigating the various pages will also allow you to find more Purple Hunt tickets.

Question: Ok. I found it. How do I join?

Answer: Once found, just register and an e-mail gets sent to you. In this e-mail, there will be details on how to redeem Yahoo! purple gifts at the mall tours happening over the next 3 weeks.

Question: Is the Purple Hunt for Metro Manila Yahoo! users only?

Answer: Phase 1 is the hunt for the Purple Ticket. People all over Philippines can hunt for it online. However, to redeem for Purple goodies, they need to go to the Ayala Malls in Metro Manila to do so.

For phases 2 & 3, prizes at stake are the cameras and phones. People all over Philippines can hunt for the clues online, submit their entries online and if they win and cannot attend the Purple Hunt Finale, Yahoo! will send the prizes to them.

For phase 4, people all over the Philippines can hunt for the clues online, submit their entries, and MUST attend the Purple Hunt Finale in order to participate in the footrace to win the car, surround sound system, gaming console and other prizes.

Question: Is there an age restriction for the Yahoo! Purple Hunt?

Answer: Winners have to be 18 and above and for those who are not, we will need an adult to sign a waiver form on behalf of the underage.

Question: How many tickets can I get in a day?

Answer: 1 ticket per person per day. This is will entitle you to a goody (available until stocks last).

Question: I just won a Krispy Kreme doughnut. How can I claim it?

Answer: To claim, just bring a copy of the e-mail AND a copy of Y! Philippines front page to the participating Krispy Kreme outlets at the following locations.

Bonifacio High Street, Global City, Taguig City
TriNoma - Cinema level, TriNoma, Quezon City
Glorietta, Main entrance, Makati

Question: I already got a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Is this only one time or can I get another one again?

Answer: The Krispy Kreme doughnuts are available while stocks last. Purple Hunt participants are limited to 1 ticket per person per day.

Question: What will happen at the mall tour?

Answer: The mall tours are going to be packed full of games and activities such as “Purplize Yourself” photo booth, Find Purple Game Wall, Purple Graffiti Wall, Surf & Lounge laptop stations, Yahoo! Mobile stations and the doodled Honda car will also be on display (except at Glorietta 3).

Question: When is the mall tour?

Ayala Malls: Purple Hunt Tour Dates:

Market! Market!, Central Plaza 5th June -7th June (Friday - Sunday)
Greenbelt 3, Lobby 8th June - 10th June (Monday - Wednesday)
Glorietta 3 , Lower Level Lobby - 11th June -15th June (Thursday - Monday)
TriNoma, Level 4 - 16th June - 18th June (Tuesday - Thursday)

Purple Hunt Tour hours:

Sunday to Thursday - 11am to 9pm
Friday and Saturday - 11am to 10pm

Question: What gift items will be given away at the mall tour?

Yahoo! gifts available while stocks last at these mall tours include the following:

Wire Organizers
Post-its
Highlighters
Tote Bags
USB Fans
Rubik Cube Key Chains
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Nestle Ube Ice Cream

First 300 Chalk magazine readers who bring in coupons from the magazines also stand to win limited edition Purple Hunt artist T-shirts.

To keep you posted about the Purple Hunt, I suggest that you join or follow the Purple Crew at: (will add more to this)

Week 4: Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009

2009-06-08T09:33:00.008+08:00

Here's the fourth week summary of entries and their choices/nomination in The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009. If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

This writing project will not be possible without the support of sponsors such as Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, Events and Corporate Video, Events@Work, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Red Mobile, and Blog4Reviews.com.

Week 4 only
For the fourth week, we received a total of 16 entries from Winston, Meikah, Randy, Paolo, Darbs, Curbside Puppet, Kylito, Malensky, Ikogsakanding, Saiza, Millionaire Acts, Fatherlyours, Monina Montepiedra, Jhesqi, Dfish, and Burns.

A total of 88 blogs were cited from the 16 entries. They are:

The following blogs got one mention each:

Noted the entries of Ada, Joanan, Rob Angeles, Faust, Yami, JP Manahan, Winston, Meikah, Randy, Paolo, Darbs, Kylito, Malensky, Ikogsakanding, Saiza, Millionaire Acts, Monina Montepiedra, Jhesqi, and Burns for citing 10 blogs and therefore included in the entries masterlist (to be updated this week).

These are the top blogs based on entries that got included in the entries masterlist, to be updated this week, as of today:

All blogs listed in the previous weeks won't be re-posted unless it gets chosen again by entries submitted in Week 5 or still included in the total The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009.

We still have 7 weekly updates to go. If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

Additional notes:

Some entries did not get included here as they did not link to the writing project page. Once done, will include you for week 4.
Thank you again everyone for your patience and participation to this humble
project.

Changing Book Distributon Models

2009-06-04T18:05:00.004+08:00

With the increasing cost of distribution and taxes, I think it is time for books production and distribution models to change. The ideal change should make them affordable and replaceable with a system to support it. This can include:

Book owners can get themselves listed in a central consortium site where they can put their books in a listing and share it to other interested parties.
Every book shared can result to borrowing credits.
Members can ship the book directly instead of passing through a middleman. This operates like on a peer-to-peer model where members trade with each other.

Saying this also since I have so much books at home that were purchased quite impulsively. The number of unread and finished books at the attic piled up is just a sin. With access to libraries, I began spending time as well on reading up older books. With online, being the first to read new books is not so much of a big deal anymore either.

Sites like BooksFree.com can serve as an interesting model and even alternative so that book lovers don't have to spend a lot of money on books. Members can rent fiction / non-fiction paperback and audio books at affordable rates.

Week 3: Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009

2009-05-31T12:48:00.004+08:00

Here's the third week summary of entries and their choices/nomination in The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009. If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

This writing project will not be possible without the support of sponsors such as Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, and Blog4Reviews.com.

Week 3 only
For the third week, we received a total of 25 entries from Pinoy2 Philippines, Bryan Karl, Grace, Joanan, Selboy, Fjordz, Aika, Joycee, Ksolaris, anakngpating, Cynthia, Beatriz, Ohmski, Rob Angeles, Mae Lin Jiwani, Jennibeth, Mary Lou Mariano, Ardis Anna Gonzales, Jetro Galla Gawaen, Donna De Sena, Juliet, Faust, Yami, JPManahan, and Benj.

A total of 92 blogs were cited from the 25 entries. They are:

The following blogs got one mention each:

Noted the entries of Leirs, Eliment, Mon, Rhona, Jena, Mico Santos, Ceblogger, Bryan Karl, Selboy, Joycee, Ksolaris, anakngpating, Cynthia, Beatriz, Mae Lin Jiwani, Jennibeth, Mary Lou Mariano, Ardis Anna Gonzales, Jetro Galla Gawaen, and Donna De Sena for citing 10 blogs and therefore included in the entries masterlist. These are the top blogs based on entries that got included in the entries masterlist, as of today:

All blogs listed in the previous weeks won't be re-posted unless it gets chosen again by entries submitted in Week 4 or still included in the total The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009.

We still have 9 weekly updates to go.

If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

Additional notes:
Some entries did not get included here as they did not link to the writing project page. Once done, will include you for week 4.
Thank you again everyone for your patience and participation to this humble project.

Power Users Support Yahoo Purple Hunt Project

2009-05-28T05:31:00.006+08:00

Last Tuesday, Yahoo! announced Project Purple - an effort that links to its brand promise to transform the lives of people, societies and economies. Yahoo! aims to call out to all Filipinos to bring innovation and a positive change in the Philippines. Yahoo! Project Purple aims to brings awareness to the things Filipinos are passionate about and how they can be found on Yahoo!.

Purple Hunt at Yahoo! Philippines

To kick off Project Purple, Yahoo! has given the treasure hunt its very own purple twist. Interesting insights about the web and the Philippines will be uncovered through the Yahoo! Purple Hunt micro-site. Participants will be asked to solve online clues and find items located around Metro Manila.

Purple hunters simply need to log on to the Yahoo! Philippines front page and click on “Purple Hunt.” The fun begins June 2 and will run up to July 25.

To carry this out, six (6) Yahoo! power users were asked to help out (volunteer) during this whole duration (I am one of them). The friendship gained, despite the limited time we got together for its preparation made us also close. Cheers to Mary Anne Ablaza, Jobar Pensica, Milai Legaspi, Jonas de los Reyes, and Jimmy Hilario (got our trio girls picture from him). The next three months will be exciting as we interact online with Yahoo users in the country.

Up for grabs are Purple Krispy Kreme doughnuts and other Yahoo! prizes like Canon digital cameras and Blackberry mobile phones specially designed by Pinoy artists. One lucky purple hunter will drive away with the grand prize—a one-of-a-kind Honda Jazz car sporting purple artwork created by WeWillDoodle.

Attend the Purple Hunt Tour across Metro Manila

Running parallel to the online hunt is the Purple Hunt Tour to be sponsored by the Ayala Malls. As Project Purple sweeps across Metro Manila, Yahoo! booths will provide mall-goers a taste of the Purple life through activities that include:

• ‘Purplize’ yourself - Watch you and your friends turn Purple with a few props and a whole lot of digital wizardry. You’ll even get a photo to remember your Purple self by!

• Yahoo! Mobile Surf & Lounge Booths - Our Purple crew will guide you through Yahoo! Mobile and other online services that showcase how Yahoo! makes surfing the web and sustaining connectivity easy and fun.

• Globe Broadband Tattoo Booth - Special ‘Purplized’ Globe Broadband Tattoo Pre-paid Kits will be sold!

• Krispy Kreme Doughnut* Counter - ‘Purplized’ Krispy Kreme Doughnuts will be given away daily, while stocks last!

• Nestle Ice Cream give-away - Nestle ice cream will also be given away daily while stocks last!

Catch the Purple Hunt Tour at Market! Market! on June 5-7, at Greenbelt 3 on June 8-10, at Glorietta 3 on June 11-15,and at Trinoma on June 16-18.

Support Pinoy Talent

Six local up and coming artists have submitted art pieces to Yahoo! for a soon-to-be-released limited edition art book “Purplescape.” It will showcase the perspectives of 20 graphic artists from Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom. These graphic artists were chosen based on the works they submitted in response to Yahoo!’s call for their individual renditions of a ‘purple world.’

Popular art-based performance group, WeWillDoodle, will create a one-of-a-kind art piece using the Honda Jazz as ‘canvas.’ The first of its kind, for the group and for Honda, the purple car is one of the must-have prizes in the online treasure hunt.

Just follow me to receive purple updates!

Entries Masterlist: The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs in 2009

2009-05-24T21:52:00.008+08:00

Here's the master list of entries in The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009 writing project.

Note that those who submitted an entry with a complete and qualified list of ten blogs are listed here.

This writing project will not be possible without the support of sponsors such as Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, Events and Corporate Video, Events at Work, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Red Mobile, Budget hotel in Makati and Blog4Reviews.com. Note that sponsors need to be cited in full in order to qualify for the raffle.

We will be doing a final check on entries by August 5. We will put a "complete" note by then that meant we're done checking. For now, these are the ones who cited 10 qualified blogs and their blogs mentioned are included in the final count.

I'll be adding more to this list. (work in progress)

Week 2: Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009

2009-05-24T03:21:00.004+08:00

Here's the second week summary of entries and their choices/nomination in The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009. If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

This writing project will not be possible without the support of sponsors such as Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, and Blog4Reviews.com.

Week 2 only
For the second week, we received a total of 14 entries from Mon, Rhona, Simon T Small, Fritz, Itot54joni, Kelvin Servigon, Jena Isle, Mico Santos, Ada, Blogie, Micamyx, Shaihyie, Ceblogger, and Elmot.

A total of 69 blogs were cited from the 14 entries. They are:

The following blogs got one mention each:

The submission of Blogie cited 10 blogs and therefore included in the entries masterlist. These are the top blogs based on entries that got included in the entries masterlist, as of today:

All blogs listed in the previous weeks won't be re-posted unless it gets chosen again by entries submitted in Week 3 or still included in the total The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009.

We still have 10 weekly updates to go.

If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

Additional notes:
Some entries did not get included here as they did not link to the writing project page. Once done, will include you for week 3.

Some blogs were initially considered as having created before May 2008. I got an email from some that provided explanation that such isn't so. I requested the blog owners to make a post about it in his/her blog for transparency and avoid being questioned later on due to archive dates (showing blog entries before May 2008). Once I received email or notice that the said post is up, will check and make the necessary inclusion on week 3.
Thank you again everyone for your patience and participation to this humble project.

Week 1: Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009

2009-05-16T23:07:00.004+08:00

Here's the first week summary of entries and their choices/nomination in The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009. If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

This writing project will not be possible without the support of sponsors such as Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, and Business Summaries.

Week 1 only
For the first week, we received a total of 15 entries from Ed, Lee, Paulnatic, Reesie, Reyna Elena, Brotherutoy, Regnard, Leirs, Eliment, New Media Philippines, Aileen, Lace Llanora, Momblogger, Roy, and Nina.

A total of 68 blogs were cited from the 15 entries. They are:

The following blogs got one mention each:

The submission of Reesie, Brotherutoy, Regnard, and Momblogger cited 10 blogs each and therefore is included in the entries masterlist. These are the top blogs based on entries that got included in the entries masterlist, as of today:

http://joyceish.com/
http://goodtimesmanila.com/
http://www.regnardraquedan.com/

All blogs listed in the previous weeks won't be re-posted unless it gets chosen again by entries submitted in Week 2 or still included in the total The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009.

We still have 11 weekly updates to go.

If you haven't submitted an entry yet, head on to our writing project page on how to join.

The iBlog5 Afterglow

2009-05-10T06:44:00.027+08:00

Many thanks to the UP-ISP (JJ Dinisi, Hermie, Lemuel, and rest of the team), sponsors, speakers, volunteers, and participants for making iBlog5 a success. We had a lot of interesting challenges this year. At the start, I was worried about meeting the sponsor target to cover the cost of the event. Also wondered if there is some sort of fatigue already among bloggers due to increasing number of blogging forums and seminars organized by various groups. This made me even ponder last year if iBlog is still relevant or needed.

Thankfully, by April, all sponsor commitments started trickling in. We agreed that our main audience shall be the newbies who will appreciate the most what iBlog has to offer.

We were not expecting the event to be jampacked this year, around 279 attended, that made the venue look small. During the evening socials at Katips, around 80 attended, got the chance to exchange stories and ideas, asked on what contributed to this. The common answer was - this reflects the growing number of bloggers on various platforms (including Multiply and Friendster).

There are also two things that I'd like to apologize for:

Food
In the past, we had so much registration online (more than 400 each year) and less than 200 show up at the event or no more than 150 at a time. As a result, we had so much food left-over in the past years. We decided to be conservative this year and decided to make it on a first-come first-serve basis. With the iBlog5 experience, we will definitely allocate more food for next year and advise as well of the cut-off like first 200 to show up at the event.
Q&A
We were not on time in starting the session that had a roll-over effect on the Q&A. At the same time, we would like to make iBlog5 as content-rich as possible. So for those of you who have questions to the speakers, I suggest getting in touch with them directly and I'm sure they will be more than happy to respond.

In the end, all of us are very happy with the success of iBlog5. Thank you for the support.
(on a side note, I hope you can join the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009 Writing Project.)

For those who expressed interest about joining the bloggers for Philippines elections 2010 efforts, I'll be posting an activity soon. However, to get an automatic invitation from me, please join the Important Issues on Philippines 2010 Elections writing project.

Here are some of the blog posts I saw online and will continuously add to this. If you have a made a post, leave a comment and will add your link here.

Live stream feed last May 9

Video

Photos

Blog posts

iBlog5: Learn, learn, learn, and never stop learning (Flowell)
To think that Timezone cards are useful
iBlog5 - Things Learned from the Blogging Summit in the Philippines (Ronnie)
I was at the iBlog5 Summit (Aileen)
iBlog5: PhotoBlogging Discussion Complement (Fritz)
iBlog5 Summit
My iBlog5 Experience
iBlog5: Bloggers are Mutants
Chronicles of iBlog 5 (Jorich)
iBlog5: The Philippine Blogging Summit Aftermath (Micaela)
Bakla Goes to iBlog5 (AJ)
iBlog5 tackles blogger's role in election (Patricia)
iBlog5: Back to the Basics of Blogging (John)
The iBlog5 Experience (Marhgil)
iBlog 5: My first blogging event (Randy)
My iBlog5 Experience (Maureen)
The Thirsty Blogger Attends iBlog 5 (Fitz)
Success of iBlog5: Congratulations (Gilbert)
IBLOG5 and Taboo (Juned)
Deconstructing the iBlog5 Summit (Fencesitter)
How to blog about blogging (Tikisoka)
Timeline of unreported noteworthy occurrences at the 5th Philippine Blogging Summit (V)
The Secret in Taking Your Blog to the Next Level (Anton)
The iBlog5 Experience (N.F. Trapa)
COMELEC is PHAIL (Laya)
iBlog5 is the 5th Philippine Blogging Summit (Jehzlau)
Ukay-ukay Escapades at iBlog5! (Madz)
Are you Evolving as a Blogger? (by Anton Diaz @ iBlog5) (Lawrence)
Post iblog5 (Christa)
My iBlog5: The 5th Philippine Blogging Summit Experience (Jeffrey)
iBlog5 (Carl)
Photoblogging 102, tequila shots, dancing and hulabaloo at iBlog5 (Poyt)
Blogging for Bloggers (Rene)
My iBlog5 Aftermath (Leira)
iBlog Experience (Maria Katrina)
iBlog5 5th Philippine Blogging Summit at UP Diliman (Tonyo)
Top 5 Tips That Probloggers Will Usually Not Tell You About Making Money Online (Fitz)
At iBlog5 (Arbet)
Blogger Evolution and 4 Types of Bloggers (Carlo)
iBlog5: So many bloggers… so little time… (Roy)
5th Philippine Blogging Summit (Benito)
iBlog5 Thoughts (Regnard)
Live Blogging at Iblog 5 | Pictures and Experience @ iblog 5 (Dexter)
iBlog5: The 5th Philippine Blogging Summit (Jen)
iBlog5: The 5th Philippine Blogging Summit (Rochelle)
iBlog5 Summit and It’s Munificent Speakers (Ada)
iblog5 - A Success (Mon)
iBlog5, therefore I am (Kevin)
iBlog5: A FabOUlous Event (Kring)
The iBlog5 Summit (EdZee)
iBlog5 Postscript - of Mobile Blogging and the Elections (Edwin)
What I Learned From The iBlog5 Philippine Blogging Summit (Earth)
I Blog 5 (Rommel)
My iBlog5 Experience (Snow)
iBlog5 Post Event Coverage and Reasons Why You Should Go to iBlog6 (Carlo)
iBlog5- 5th Philippine Blogging Summit (Noemi)
iBlog5: The Philippine Blogging Summit (Villa)
iBlog5, and Coffee With Girl Friday (Judd)
Blogging About My iBlog5 Experience (Louis)
iBlog 5 (Niki)
Ako Mismo a hot topic on iBlog5 (Lawrence)

#iblog5

Join the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009 Writing Project

2009-05-07T12:57:00.016+08:00

Hello everyone. I've decided to come up with a part 3 of this writing project of identifying new and emerging blogs that are making an impact to its readers in 2009. These are blogs that started anytime from May 1, 2008 to the present. They are gradually gaining a considerable amount of readership and influence. They also blog for various reasons such as expression of thoughts, sharing of knowledge and insights, events reporting or coverage, and some for profit.

This writing project will not be possible without the support of sponsors such as Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, Events and Corporate Video, http://www.eventsatwork.com/, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Red Mobile, Budget hotel in Makati, and Blog4Reviews.com.

Who can join?

Any blogger in the world. Only one entry per blogger.

Blog or website owner profile and e-mail is accessible or visible online.

To join this effort, please do the following:

Write a blog post and pick your choice of ten (10) emerging influential blogs.

Any blog in the world can be picked.

You can update the same post entry up to August 2 (date may be extended). However, please inform us of any changes.

Old blogs who move to a new domain are disqualified

Blogs who remove their archives just to fit in the cut-off date are disqualified.

Include a link to this post to help spread the word and encourage others to participate.
To be included in the raffle, links to the following sponsors should also be in the entry. They are Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, Events and Corporate Video, http://www.eventsatwork.com/, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Red Mobile and Blog4Reviews.com.
Post a comment and let us know about your entry. Only one entry per blogger. Cut-off date and time for submission of entries is on July 30. After the said date, submission of comments in this page shall be closed.

Every week, beginning May 16, I will:

List the blogs that you've chosen. Only those that are blogs and created from May 2008 to the present shall be listed.
Feature one sponsor per week (logo and one paragraph blurb).

Each sponsorship slot is US$150.
Those getting more than one slot will have their logo appear at the sidebar of this blog.
Interested sponsors can contact me.

All entries will also be put in a master list on the 2nd week onwards. Only those with a complete list of ten qualified blogs shall be included in the entries masterlist and shall serve as final count basis.
I encourage you to subscribe to our blog and receive updates as this writing project evolves.

On August 3, I will:

Make a final review of posts. We will post a message in your entry to inform you that we've completed the review and no more updates shall be entertained afterwards.
Note that we have the right to disqualify entries and the citations they made, if we are not able to confirm or authenticate the blogger's identity on or before August 6. This is especially true to blogs with anonymous identities and those with pre-dated entries (versus its blog date creation).

On a date to be announced soon, we will do the following:

Have an eyeball event for writing project participants.
Announce the The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009 based from entries received.
Pick ten writing project entries in random who will get one hundred dollars (US$100) each.

Only those in the entries master list and with links to all the sponsors shall be included in the raffle.
Prizes are given in cash during the eyeball event or transmitted via Paypal.

Joining a writing project has its own benefits that includes:

Getting link love.
Meet bloggers.
Receive traffic (especially to those who join early on) from current and prospective participants.
More than anything else, you will also be supporting a worthy purpose of spotting and promoting new blogs that are making great waves out there.

I hope you can join.

Mind mapping a slots website

2009-04-15T20:07:00.007+08:00

(click on the mind map image to enlarge)

One of the things I do whenever encountered a website that catches my attention is to mind map it. Through it, I'll be able to grasp the logic of its design and use it as reference whenever coming up with something similar or compare with competition.

In my search engine optimization 101 workshops, I also do the same for participants when coming up with a design structure of a new site. This allows them to seriously think about it. One of my mind map collections is that of casino review sites. As there are many of them today, it is not easy to compare them without having an objective view of their structure.

Let's take the case of All About Slots. This site is mostly about slots online. What I like about the site are as follows:

Structure of the site is easy to follow and navigate through.
Provides information resource on various slots available and that can be played on both online or offline and at the casino floor.
For online, it also emphasizes sites that allows US-based players to join.
First voice tone. The style of writing in the site is very conversational. In comparison to other sites I reviewed before, this one has personal style of writing.
I was able to pick up points in the tips and frequently asked question section.

For improvements, I hope they can also include photos and videos of the various slot types and games available for further familiarity on the part of the reader.

Planning your destiny & managing 4 changes in life

2009-03-30T09:52:00.009+08:00

(click on the mind map for a bigger view)

For those of us who have been through a lot of planning workshops, crafting your vision & goals is a basic activity that gets followed by how do you intend to accomplish it.

In the book Embracing Change by Tony Buzan and the workshop I attended lately by Matthew Brauning, your vision is more than just words or what you think of. You should be able to visualize it in full color imagery, sound, and all other senses. As our mind processes information in images, being able to see what we want in our mind will heavily influence our thoughts and therefore our actions. The more we embrace it through focus, the more achievable it becomes.

Buzan describes focus as an extraordinary quality of intelligence that when directed is precise, strong, and goal targeted. It drives the desire to achieve the vision & goals that we have set. As you go through it, the people around you will feel the passion. As a result, it will also attract like-minded collaborators and supporters to you.

Our vision and focus need to be flexible as we can only focus on areas that we can influence. Therefore our attitude must be able to glide through these changes:

Natural change
This refers to knowing what we are capable of and taking the initiative to explore other options. I'm sure you heard the line before, "the mind is willing, but I don't think she has the physical stamina to get this done".
Advised change
Some changes happen to us because it was advised. We are doing it willingly or forced to. Our attitude, the need to be flexible, in order to achieve a bigger goal is important for this to work.
Anticipated change
These are changes that we know right from the start may eventually happen such as settling down, retirement, raising kids, among others. We often approach this positively and take the necessary steps to achieve stability.
Enforced change
Perhaps the most turbulent of them all and often caused when things happen unexpectedly such as mergers, job cuts, elections, emotional abandonment, chronic illness, betrayal, disasters, among others. Managing such change and help others do the same will be most helpful at this stage.

If you are feeling strongly negative in any of the above changes, best to reflect and find out what is causing this emotion or limiting decision that you have at the moment. Talk to someone who can give you advise and understand as you go through this.

Remember that a good outcome is always possible and it is up to you to desire it, want it, and VISUALIZE it! Make it seductive so you will want to get it done. Focusing on the positive, will yield astounding results. Pondering on your negative thoughts will yield more pain for you.

Vision & Focus is one of Buzan's 7 tools for transformation. Use it as you take charge in planning your destiny.

Change Thinking Quotient: Measure your attitude to change

2009-03-28T15:38:00.007+08:00

(click on the mind map for a bigger view)

We all have different attitudes to change. Our thoughts, feelings, and therefore what we say as a result has an effect on it as well. Some of us disintegrate at the face of trials, while some fight on, others redefine the landscape, among other reactions.

Whether we decide to act or not, change will take place in our lives. It is up to us whether we will just allow it to make us a victim of circumstance or we play a role in shaping it. Embracing Change, authored by Tony Buzan, has a transformation tool - the Change Thinking Quotient (CTQ) It allows you to review and see whether your attitude towards life geared towards a victim of circumstance, change thinker, or change maker.

The Change Thinking Quotient or CTQ (link to actual spreadsheet) can be filled up quarterly so you can review your attitude regularly. The odd-numbered questions shows whether you have positive thoughts while the even-numbered shows negative thoughts, and your level of control on both aspect.

Once done, total your answers. Subtract the even-numbered total to the odd-numbered total to arrive at your CTQ. A negative CTQ usually reflects low self-esteem.

A positive CTQ means you are a Change Thinker. If the gap between the odd-numbered and even-numbered is little, then it may mean that you just go along with the flow with issues that needs to be dealt with. If the gap is wide, it also means you are Change Maker.

A Change Maker is considered as someone with high self-esteem. You are not afraid to face change and take responsibility for your own actions.

Regardless whether you are a victim of circumstance, change thinker, or change maker, there is a lot of room for improvement. One must continuously transform to reach their peak. Being conscious of your attitudes, reflect on its source, and improve are proactive steps toward change.

Two of Buzan's 7 Tools for Transformation, Meta-Positive Thinking and getting support from your Change Master Group will be useful to realize this.

Change Maker - 7 Tools for Transformation

2009-03-26T20:43:00.011+08:00

One of the best books I have read from Tony Buzan is Embracing Change. It is a great book for those who wants to transform themselves from being a victim of circumstance or change thinker to a change maker.

For those who are already a change maker, the tools and insights shared by Buzan keeps one constantly aware of their patterns and strive for continuous personal improvement. It is intended to assist in enhancing creative abilities, social behavior, and attitude.

(click on the mind map for a bigger view)

Note that I will tackle these tools in separate posts.

Change Thinking Quotient (CTQ)
A personal evaluation on what is your attitude and feelings in managing change. You'll be able to discover if your behavior leans toward as a victim of circumstance, change thinker, or change maker.
Vision & Focus
Bring about directed and proactive change in your life.
TEFCAS
This is the change process where you improve and learn through trials.
Mind maps
Learn radiant thinking and use mind maps to reflect, refine, and give life to your vision.
Meta-positive thinking
Facing positive or challenging situations head-on, look at what can be done, and changed.
Your change masters
Role models and mentors as personal agents for change. Their insights and inspiration can help in managing personal change and achieve goals.
Change journal
Keep one and update it noting if you achieve your aim and assess as well how far you have come.

Learn in every trial

2009-03-26T10:43:00.002+08:00

(click on the mind map image for a bigger view)

In my desire to have a brilliant memory, I learned from Tony Buzan that the brain operates synergetically; it grows through repetition; and is a success mechanism. Otherwise, we would not survive and achieve all the little accomplishments we have in our lives.

One tool discussed often in Tony Buzan books, in addition to mind map techniques, is TEFCAS (one of Buzan's 7 tools for transformation). Its value is incorporating failure and feedback as important components for achieving success. Here is what the acronym stands for:

T - Trial
Try something new, different system, or procedure. The phrase, "you'll never know until you try" very much applies here. It is about the willingness our willingness as well to take the risk. Every time we try brings us closer to our goal.

The success we have seen of others also stems from past experience and some of them are the result of failure.

In every trial, ideally, we should get better. If not, at least, we can learn each time.

Example:
"Launch an online workshop using a social network as a medium."

E - Event
Every time we try, an event occurs. These are various activities such as an interview, examination, work submission, among others.

Example:
"Try using the Ning social network with the Blogging from Home Online Workshop."

F - Feedback
Find out how did you do and areas you can improve on.

At times, some may just stop here and give up. Those who do have verbal responses to failure includes I quit, give up, can't, among other negative reactions. These expressions affect the mind's thinking system. More destructive are powerful emotions liked disgraced, undignified, diminished, shameful, disillusioned, debilitated, discouraged, and demotivated.

Whenever we have these, it sucks the will from us to improve or give the situation another chance or try. It creates fear of failure unless we change our attitude.

However, if you see failure as a learning process, then you know that you just have to keep getting better and do better.

Example:
"Slow in posting content and not much effort in promotion."

C -Check
Assess if you are still on track with your success goals. Assess as well the feedback that you got and see which you can use to improve.

Example:
"Target goal of 100 subscribers is still not met to date. What other techniques I should try?"

A - Adjust
Incorporate feedback and put your agenda back on track.

Example:
"Complete updates and campaign for members using direct e-mail. Target to hit goal before end of December 2009."

S - Success
Enjoy success after success after success.

Example:
"Success to date includes development of 3 modules. Although not in original plan, podcast were also made to support the learning process."

Learn more about TEFCAS at the Ultimate Book of Mind Maps and Embracing Change.

My Five Personal Transformation Sequence & Breakthrough Experience with Matthew Brauning

2009-03-16T08:42:00.010+08:00

I went through a transformation breakthrough for the past three (3) days and it came at a time when I needed it the most. Least did I expect to go through this experience from entrepreneur, speaker, and book author Matthew Brauning. (check out his book Total Freedom from Addictions)

I've been feeling guilty for the past few months for not being able to attend Geoffrey Kwitko's events (met him at the Adelaide bloggers/social media Christmas get-together), organized under the Adelaide Start-up Club, and promised myself to finally deliver regardless whatever his upcoming event will be. As soon as I returned to Adelaide, the nearest event for me was the Double Your Dollars seminar which turned out to be a 3-days workshop.

Here are key learnings that will change me forever:

Solved my inner conflicts
I've been through an experience lately when I know I want to let go of something and yet, at some trigger point, I do and feel exactly the opposite. Go through internal struggle and start all over again.

As it turns out, our conscious mind sets the goal but the unconscious mind does the work. If the unconscious mind gets neglected, one will go through a continuous battle with their inner conflicts. This includes understanding repressed memories that suddenly pops-out later in our lives and those that have influenced the decisions or values we have today.

Letting go of negative emotions
All of us have negative emotions like anger, sadness, fear, hurt, and guilt. I went through the process of discovering the root cause and got to know myself better.

Admittedly, the process is something that I have to practice and continue to master. But my brain never felt more calm as it is now.

Feeling 100% motivated in pursuing the future of my design
I always knew the things that I wanted to do. But now I have tools to review my thoughts and decision. I now know how to "undo" my thoughts or decisions about them and discover earlier events that may have influenced it.

Be definite that I want to live and be the cause (100%). Take responsibility and action for what I've created.

Trigger creative thinking
I've been studying about making thinking a usable skill and was able to apply it in the personal values, business ideas exploration, suggestion handling exercise. I enjoyed that part a lot and hope to try it out in one of our club activities soon.

Enjoy life to the fullest
With the accumulated insight that I have gained from people, peers, book authors, experts, and the skill I just gained in the past 3 days, I am certain that I can enjoy life much more.

Thank you Geoffrey, Adelaide Start-up Club, and Matt. (hugs)

Handling Membership Retention Challenges - a chat with Jojy Azurin

2009-03-10T10:17:00.009+08:00

It is interesting whenever something online catches your attention and eventually become an inspiration or model for what you want your site to become. That is the feeling I got when I signed up for Business Summaries, a membership-based site that gives members an executive book summary every week.

At some point last year, I almost thought of creating something similar with it through this blog. Realizing later on that I'm not ready for it.

Last February 25, I got the chance to meet the entrepreneur behind Business Summaries and that is Jojy Azurin. Thanks to entrepreneur of a public relations agency in the Philippines, Mel Dominguez, who tagged me along for the meet-up.

Jojy is also known as a pioneer in the search engine optimization field specializing in landing page optimization. He is into affiliate marketing and have done experiments in the said area as well.

As we are both into membership-based sites, I appreciated the insight Jojy shared and some of them I also observed happening in my club site. Some of them are:

Having quarterly or monthly schemes may decrease membership retention. Those who charge on a monthly basis often end up losing majority of those who joined on the 2nd or 3rd month.
Offer an annual membership upgrade during the 1st 3 months in order not to lose them after such period.
Use individual members as champions in getting the companies they work for - to avail of corporate subscription.
Experiment with landing pages and pricing rates. Jojy observed that cheap product pricing are often seen as inferior or low quality by visitors. He even sold more when he increased his prices.

On another note, I'm happy to announce that Jojy agreed to give all final top 10 emerging influential blogs for 2009 an annual subscription to Business Summaries. The same goes to 10 writing project participants who may also win a subscription during the raffle. I'll include this in our plug soon.

Also, Jojy is now a club member. =)