This is actually an old post that I had on my old personal blog. I’ve migrated it here because I’ll be using my old blog for a different project.

Life is too short for traffic.
- Dan Bellack

I was walking down Manila City Hall last night when I noticed an emergency ambulance helplessly stuck in traffic with its sirens wailing continuously. From the sidewalk, I could make out the driver’s worried expression as he gazed into the myriad of cars in front of him. It was obvious that traffic was the last thing the driver wanted.

Even though I couldn’t see what was behind the metal body of the ambulance, I can almost picture what was going on inside. I can see medics doing their best in administering first aid treatment. I can also see a man sitting by the door, crying and praying, and a woman in blood spattered clothes, lying on a stretcher heavily gasping for air, struggling to survive. Amidst all the chaos and panic swirling around inside the ambulance, the outside was surrounded with cars, motionless and as still as the night.

When I first heard about the new TV show on GMA called “Ka-Blog”, I almost jumped to my feet.

“Ka-Blog? Wow. Is that a new TV show about blogging?”

The thought of such a show was enough to get me excited. Finally, people are slowly starting to realize how big blogging here in the Philippines has become.

Much to my disappointment, I later found out that the show Ka-Blog  was in no way related to blogging. It was actually a magazine type show that features everything about adolescent life.

I think it would’ve been cool if the show turned out to be a show about blogging. Imagine a show where tips and tricks about blogging and earning money are given out every episode. You could get the latest news and happenings in the Pinoy blogosphere. Different bloggers are featured every week! Yeah, kinda like the same things I do here.

Not only will this kind of show be a big help to bloggers, it might also catch the interest of non-bloggers and make our community grow even more.

The Search for a Blogging TV Show

Now we all know that blogging has already been featured on the local media countless of times. Show segments bits at most but not a whole show dedicated to blogging.

Fueled by curiosity, I tried checking out if there are any shows on other countries that focus on blogging. I was actually surprised to found out that there were none. If there were any, It probably lacked the presence within the blogging community.

Though, it is interesting to note that there was a local show that features blogging as a part of their story. I’m talking about Going Public, a pseudo reality show following the life of a person who found out he was being “Blogged” and later became famous because of it. Too bad it isn’t being aired anymore.

A Hint to the TV People

With the way blogging is rapidly growing, and with more people trying it out, I still wonder why there still isn’t a TV show about blogging. I mean, I don’t think that there would be a problem about viewership (2.3 Million Bloggers and growing). Plus, I think it would be a show that would also have great support from the community.

Don’t get me wrong. Not that there really is any need for a blogging TV show. I just think it would be cool. It would’ve been the bridge between the new and traditional media that I know would greatly benefit and expand both worlds.

Host? No. Sorry. I’m camera shy.

What do you guys think? Do you think there is a need for a TV show about blogging? Why do you think there isn’t any yet? Share your thoughts! Click here!

A few days ago, the TV show “Korina Today” made a feature segment entitled “Beware of the Blog” wherein, the host and a number of guests talked about their views about the different issues relating to blogs primarily brought about by the Brian Gorell controversy.

The discussion raised a number of intriguing views about blogging. From notions like a blog can only be a reliable source of information if the blogger behind it is “respectable”, to the definition of illegitimate blogger as bloggers who hides behind anonymity, and a couple more which can be read on Noemi’s blog.

The purpose of this post is not to react to the points talked about on the show, for I believe that Noemi, Juned and Renzie had already said what I wanted to say. I am actually more concerned on why the people behind Korina Today titled their episode “Beware of the Blog”.

Why Should People Be Afraid?

The initial reaction that I had when I first heard the title was, “Huh? Why the heck should people be wary of blogs?” As a person who has been blogging for four years, and a blogger who covers and talks about the Pinoy blogging community, I have come to know a lot of things about the blogs and how it works. Nowhere along the path did I encounter anything that is enough of a reason for people to be afraid of it.

Is it because of the Brian Gorell Controversy? Are they telling people that, since Gorell has a blog, he could write about anyone who has crossed him and ruin their reputations? Or could the Malu Fernandez-OFW mobbing be the reason, where Malu was attacked verbally by people with blogs because of her not-so-well-placed “acerbic wit”? Or is it about the Desperate Housewives’ racial slur issue, where blogs has proven to be a forced not to be reckoned with?

Beware of the Bloggers?

It is true that blogs has shown its great power in the past causing a lot of commotion and harming a number of people. But I don’t think that it is “the blog” that people should be afraid of but the blogger behind it.

Telling people to be afraid of blogs is like telling people to stay away from knives. Blogs are only a medium, just like TV and Newspapers. It is how it is used that determines if it could be dangerous or not. So based from this, it is the bloggers who are potentially dangerous. However’ I’m not saying that the title should be “Beware of the Bloggers“, either, for not all bloggers are misguided enough to be feared.

Beware of People Who Don’t Understand Blogging

I don’t think that it is fair for bloggers and blogging to be subjected to such a prejudice similar to the one conveyed by whomever thought up of the title “Beware of the Blog”. It’s been like this for a very long time. Blogs are usually described as unstable, informal, and even dangerous. If bloggers are not portrayed as hungry money makers, they are portrayed as people who does nothing but whine and bitch about everything.

Before anyone tries to talk about (or against) blogging, I suggest that they try it out, or at least try to understand it more, before speaking. Blogs are not something that can be easily conceived. For behind everything that can be seen on the surface, there are other things that are at work.

Just another one of my thoughts. Happy Blogging!

I would like to apologize for my absence last week, I was ill and had to spend my days recovering at my lola’s house (where there is no internet connection). I feel a little better now but I decided to hold back and rest some more until I’m all better.

Hopefully by tomorrow I could resume with my all my blogging work. Sigh, it looks like I need to bring my dead blog back to life again.

Happy Blogging!

Tara na at mag-blag!Blog. This is just one of the many foreign words that have no direct translation in the Tagalog language.

I’ve read an interesting article a month ago over at PauloMartinez.com that invites Pinoy Bloggers to go and look for a Pinoy term of the word “blog”. Weeks have passed and I went back to see if anyone had left any suggestions for the term, but unfortunately, there wasn’t any. I then wondered, “Why aren’t bloggers interested in looking for a Tagalog term for the word Blog?”

It’s not easy to coin a term

I think that one of the reasons why bloggers are not even trying on looking for a tagalog term is because coining a term is not as easy as it sounds. Aside from the reason that it needs to sound good, there’s also the problem on whether the masses will pick the term up and use it.

An example of this would be the word, Blogista. Which is a term thought up by some bloggers to refer to “Pinoy Bloggers.” There are some who use this word, but the majority of the population does not. I guess this is because Blogista doesn’t sound well on other people’s ears the same way the word Rakista (an informal term for a Filipino Rocker or A Filipino who loves Rock) does not appeal to other Filipino Rock lovers.

I am not an expert but I presume that in order for a word to be considered a successfully coined term, it must at least be known and used by the majority within a specific group.

Take the term “Pinoy” for example. It is probably the most successfully coined term in the history of the Philippines. Even though it is odd sounding and the word has initially no real meaning, it is now the most widely accepted term used to refer to Filipino people.

We don’t need it

I bet that even if someone does manage to coin a term for the word a lot of people would still use the original one. Why? Because bloggers have already become accustomed to using the word blog.

It’s the same reason why a lot of Pinoys still prefer to use words that they have already been accustomed to over newly created words. You don’t see people creating a unique tagalog terms for Cellphone, Computer, Television or Internet. These are the terms initially introduced to people, it would be very hard to break the habit and use a new word in replace of the old ones.

Having a Pinoy term for the word blog may seem novel and nationalistic, but why create a new term when the original word would suffice, right?

To tell you the truth, I actually felt a little excited when I first read Paulo’s article. But after seeing the way his article was ignored, I realized that maybe having a Pinoy term for the word blog is just not meant to be.

Just another one of my personal thoughts. Share yours below!

Happy blogging!

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