New Media Philippines » Blogger Feature

NMP Writer on Focus: Mac Ocampo

Carlo Ople — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:16:09 +0000

I’ll be doing a short series this weekend to formally all the writers and contributors of New Media PH. This is so that you guys get to know the people behind all the articles, videos, and entries here. For starters let me introduce our newest writer – Mac Ocampo! He actually just joined today so expect more articles from him about social media and digital marketing in the coming weeks. I’ve had the chance to talk with this guy over Facebook and YM and I can say that he knows what he’s talking about. He’ll make a great addition to the rest of the writing pool here at NMP.

Here’s his official bio:

Mac Ocampo is a paradox. At dawn, he’s a social media strategist for a number of start-up web agencies; come dusk, he indulges in mixed martial arts. Mentored by a Fil-Am Xoogler (former Google employee), Mac started out as a freelance web content writer back when social media was just limited to forums and chat rooms. During college, he made ends meet by writing academic papers for students abroad and conceptualizing ad copies for SMEs. Mac owes his penchant for writing to an unlikely source – comic books.

I haven’t told Mac this yet but I find his Facebook posts to be very informative and educational. I like how he manages to find all types of interesting content about social media and shares it with everyone on his network. In fact his posts on Facebook have inspired several entries here at NMP.

Let’s all welcome Mac to the NMP family! Looking forward to your entries bro!

Commending Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez

Carlo Ople — Sat, 22 May 2010 08:27:17 +0000

One of the people who restored my faith in the COMELEC is James Jimenez. After the Comelec’s reputation was literally driven to the ground by Benjamin Abalos, I was cynical that I’d ever change my opinon of the Comelec as a corrupt and incompetent institution. That did change though and James was instrumental in the shift. My first encounter with this guy was way back in iBlog 5. He was one of the speakers and I took the mic to ask him a question about the annoying commercials of Bayani Fernando which aired during the Star Trek movie in Eastwood. While I didn’t like his answer too much, I found him to be a very sincere and genuine fellow.

Fast forward a year later
I wrote at entry on my political blog, Juan Country, about the Comelec secrecy folder issue. I wrote about some questions I had for him in a very harsh manner. I never really expected the guy to respond but he did. And he didn’t just give me “automated” answers. He really took time in answering all of my queries. When I replied, he talked back.

James is also very active on Twitter where he keeps everyone updated on the latest news about the Automated Elections. I’ve seen him answer a few queries online and I don’t think I have the same level of patience as this guy has when it comes to interfacing with constituents.

Yesterday, I saw that he started a wordpress blog to write about the elections and to answer the letters, emails, and inquiries he’s been getting. You might want to check that blog out. It’s nothing fancy but it does the job.

So let me just honor and commend James for his dedication, effort, and hard work. As a “netizen”, I really do appreciate everything you’ve done and I wish you the very best. Cheers!

New Value Blogs: Dennis Sy, Thammie Sy, and Randell Tiongson

Carlo Ople — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:48:33 +0000

Let me just take this opportunity to plug the blogs of some good friends of mine who are really adding value to their readers by writing insightful and helpful articles on various topics and niches. I really pushed these guys to start their own sites because I strongly believe that we can learn a lot from what they have to say. They’re all experts in their own fields and hopefully they continue blogging in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. Links to the blogs of a Pastor, Financial Planner, and Parenting Expert after the break.

Dennis Sy: Clueless Church Planter
He’s the Senior Pastor of Victory Greenhills. Pastor Dennis is one of the most innovative and creative people I’ve ever met. He applies very modern ideas to church building and I’m constantly amazed at his leadership. In his blog, he writes about the ins and outs of building a church.

Thammie Sy: Mom Me
Thammie writes about her experiences with her children in her blog. She’s raising her kids using various methods and I think that a lot of young mothers will learn a lot from what she’s been posting. They don’t really teach parenting at school so I guess self-research is one of the keys to becoming a good father or mother.

J. Randell Tiongson: Personal Finance Coach and Educator
Randell is a Registered Financial Planner. People usually pay to hear what he has to say. In his blog, we get free tips and advice on how we should manage our finances. A great blog for the young and old alike. If you have problems with money and you want to grow your passive income streams, then Randell is the guy to talk to.

I hope you guys visit their blogs as well and become part of their communities. These guys really have a heart for their topics. Welcome to the blogosphere Pastor Dennis, Thammie, and Randell!

Janette Toral Interview on iBlog5, iBlog6, and the Top 10 Emerging Blogs Project

Carlo Ople — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:09:57 +0000

I organized a blog event for the Blas F. Ople Policy Center last night and I had the chance to get a quick interview with Ms. Janette Toral about the recently concluded iBlog5. Since we were already there, I also asked about her plans for iBlog6 as well as her new project, the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs. Watch the video interview after the break.

Here are the main points of the interview for those who are too lazy to watch it (haha):

- Join the top 10 emerging influential blogs project! (Author’s Note: You might want to nominate New Media Philippines *winks*)
- More than 270 participants for iBlog5. A new record!
- iBlog5 exceeded Janette’s expectations and was a huge success
- What happens in iBlog after-events parties STAYS in iBlog after-event parties. (this got me really curious)
- No plans yet for iBlog6, but iBlog will definitely remain as an event for newbie bloggers.

Many thanks to Janette for accepting the invite for the quick interview and for joining us during the dinner-forum. I’ll write about what the dinner-forum was all about in a separate post.

Personal Blogging and Branding Feature: Diwa De Leon

Carlo Ople — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:59:40 +0000

Diwa De Leon is an award-winning composer, musician, cosplayer, and blogger. Each time I think if Personal Branding and marketing yourself, Diwa is really one of the first people that come to my mind. Using the internet, this guy has exponentially grown his business as a composer. He’s done work for ABS-CBN, GMA 7, and several other big names. Through personal branding, e-mail marketing, and sheer perseverance, Diwa has grown in his craft and has made his life better.

Diwa reveals several good strategies in this interview. In fact, he really taught me a thing or two about the basics of e-mail marketing. It’s funny how powerful e-mail can be and people usually take it for granted. In a nutshell, Diwa generated leads, clients, referrals, and repeat customers by advertising through e-mail, leading them to his portal/website, and showing them what he’s done in the past.

While having coffee with Diwa, I asked him if he was open to making a blog about music. He has a blog right now but it’s really more about his lighter side – cosplay, girls, etc. It would be great if he could be part of our campaign for Value Blogging by coming up with a blog that would really give advice to musicians who are just starting out.

For Diwa: Hopefully you’ll consider my suggestion bro. It was great talking to you and thank you for accepting my invitation to be featured here at New Media Philippines.