Plagiarism on the Internet

Just recently, I did a bit of ego surfing and searched google if other people linked or commented on their pages about the things that I wrote before or the videos that I made.

I saw a lot of sites and multiply accounts as well as forums talking about some of the videos I made, which made me really happy. I want to post the videos here but decided that it really is not related to communication so I’ll just mention that the videos are about my fave band, TVXQ.

And of course, since a lot of people liked my video, I saw a lot of accounts posting it on their blog, or linking it in the forums and others.

But other than these videos, I’ve tumbled another blog which posted a crazy poem I made years ago. I posted the poem on my old blog, which I made five years ago, back when I was on third year high school.

When I came upon THIS person’s blog, lets just call her Blogger A, I saw her post my poem with a statement at the bottom, “Just made this because I got bored and want to share everyone this little poem. Enjoy!”

I was really shocked as hell, I mean, how could she own my poem!

Even if I did it on a whim, it is my work and the product of my pink squishy brain!

After I saw this post, being the calm civilized OrCom student that I am, I wore my OrCom fedora hat and messaged her requesting the post to be deleted or atleast credit me at the end.

This experience got me really thinking, because information is available for everyone on the internet, where should a person draw the line when it comes to copying and posting another’s work on the net?

How could we even track down people like Blogger A who took other’s work and declare it as their own?

Should they be given punishment like being stoned to death, flogging or just be forever banned in cyberspace… *insert evil laugh here*

But as for me, just like what our professor taught us, I known that we should always credit properly. Be it on an academic paper, thesis paper or just merely blogposts, we should always respect other people’s work and cite them as the real source of the information.

PS
I actually want to post Blogger A’s blog here but I dont want to be mean or anything. haha

English as a tool for discrimination

Whenever I look for sponsor companies either for a class event or a school organization, I would always practice my best English accent beforehand and memorize the outline of what I need to say.

I will call a company, introduce myself, what university and organization I came from, then request for the contact number of the marketing department whom I will talk and  negotiate with.

 

Because of this, I realized that there is a big difference when calling a company and talking in English or in Filipino. Whenever I call at companies, everyone whom I talk to, if I speak to them in proper English and with all the formalities, they will usually be very courteous and always refer to me as Ma’am.

But when I tried calling using the Filipino language, but nonetheless very respectful and formal, I was met with disappointment because some of them were a bit rude and regarded me as if I am of lower intellect. They refered to me as “Miss” and did not connect me immediately, unlike when I called before using the English language.

This scenario also happens everywhere, some people are treated as if they do not know anything just because they are not fluent in English. Me and my fellow batchmates are lucky because we are of the OrCom course and we are trained to properly speak in English.

But how about those brilliant people who has all the ideas in the world yet they just cant articulate themselves well in English?

I know that being good in English is a very big advantage, we as OrCom majors know that very well, but I just think that this language shouldn’t be use to discriminate other people or make others feel inferior.

Because personally, I think that English is a tool that should be used to bring people all over the world together, and not be used as a means of discrimination.

Why KPOP is very popular these days….

I all blame the internet for the recent Korean Pop wave here in the Philippines.

I dont want to be a bitch, but I dont really like sharing the things I’m addicted to, with the public masses.

I mean, I already love them way way way long time ago.

Before all these KPOP things got popular.

but now, I cant bring myself to say that I love them because they would think of it as me wanting to join the fad.

And this is because of Youtube

Before, we cannot do all these things because the music is monopolized by these guys

But then, here comes the internet plus itunes plus Youtube plus all the possible means of music database that can be easily be accessed in the internet.

Everything has been very accessible for everyone that we can even enjoy the music videos of another country with just a click away.

If you want updates about your favorite band even if they are not popular in the Philippines, nor America and Europe, you can easily go to forums, websites, blogs and various websites.

They say that everything has their advantages and disadvantages, I am currently having a love-hate relationship with Youtube right now.

But I guess these thought are senseless, because who am I to stop the effects of cyberspace right?

Everything placed publicly on the internet becomes everyone’s property.

Tsk, guess my possessiveness just took over this post. blah

Internet as an aid in the Ondoy calamity

Metro Manila is currently facing a crisis, bagyong Ondoy left cities with flooded streets and destroyed houses. I hope everyone is okay.

Last Saturday after the OrCom Conference in the morning, me and my friends bravely faced the knee-high flood to go to Robinsons Ermita and spend the afternoon there. Hoping that after a few hours, the flood would subside and we’ll all be able to go home. Me and my classmates even went to GBOX to waste pass time until the flood subsided.

But unfortunately, the flood did not decrease but it actually went higher! At 5pm, after we nearly lost our voice from singing at the karaoke (GBOX) we decided to go back to school and spend the night there since the streets are blocked and jeepneys and buses are nowhere in sight.

But then I decided to go home, since the LRT is working and our house is just a tryke away from the station. So while my classmates went back to CAS, I BRAVELY swam walked the thigh-high flood of TAFT going to LRT UN Ave. And amazingly, I got home safely.

At home, everyone is focused on the television, waiting for news and updates on whats happening in Metro Manila. At the yahoo philippines homepage I saw this article regarding the calamity –> Calls for help flood cyberspace as ‘Ondoy’ pummeled Luzon http://ph.news.yahoo.com/gma/20090926/tph-calls-for-help-flood-cyberspace-as-o-d6cd5cf.html 

This is an excerpt coming from the said article: “The online world of social media became a convenient means to keep connected as land lines went busy, cell phone networks conked out, and government websites bogged down. In the microblogging site Twitter, for example, “Ondoy” and “NDCC” (the government’s National Disaster Coordinating Council) became top-trending topics on Saturday, mostly due to Filipinos twitting contact numbers of disaster relief agencies that they could contact for help.”

Its good that the cyberspace became an important tool in spreading information regarding the Ondoy calamity. Facebook, Twitter and Plurk are some of the social networking sites that has greatly helped in spreading first hand information of people who wanted to help the victims and the victims themselves updating on twitter or plurk about their status.

How Mellow 94.7 use social networking sites in engaging their listeners

I just want to post this video that we presented in class regarding the reasons why and how Mellow 94.7 uses social networking sites like Youtube, Facebook and Friendster in interacting with their audience.

A student of BA Organizational Communication in UP Manila is …

A student of BA Organizational Communication in UP Manila is …

• A student of BA Organizational Communication in UP Manila can be rarely seen studying and memorizing things.

• A student of BA Organizational Communication in UP Manila usually wear fashionable clothes and make-up at school, far from the popular image of a UP student who sports a “masa” look.

• A student of BA Organizational Communication in UP Manila is the perfect example of an individual who have colonial mentality because they usually converse in English.

• A student of BA Organizational Communication in UP Manila acts all superior especially if he/she is talking in a crowd.

• A student of BA Organizational Communication in UP Manila is very talkative and always makes noise in the hallways.

These are the usual things said by non-BA Organizational Communication students in UP Manila if ever they are asked about the type of students OrCom people are. A lot of OrCom people may already disagree about these things, yet a lot of students really do say these things about us.

But I myself agree to these things although I have an explanation of regarding these information.

• A student of BA Organizational Communication in UP Manila can be rarely seen studying and memorizing things.

We do memorize things on our minor subjects like Natural Science, Philosophy, History and other things. But on our major subjects, most of them requires us to use our brains more and analyze, create and explain theories for further situational applications in organizations. And some of our subjects require us more to use our speaking, writing and presenting skills rather than just memorizing data.

• A student of BA Organizational Communication in UP Manila usually wear fashionable clothes and make-up at school, far from the popular image of a UP student who sports a “masa” look.

Actually, not every OrCom people do this (I myself is an example) yet I have to agree that a number of OrCom people always dress up nicely and glamorously even if they just live on a dorm next to the school. The reason behind this is that we are taught in OrCom about “form and substance.” As UP students, not only should we have great ideas and vast knowledge but we should always have the proper attire to obtain respect and admiration from other people.

• A student of BA Organizational Communication in UP Manila is the perfect example of an individual who have colonial mentality because they usually converse in english.

We agree that a lot of OrCom students converse in english but I don’t think this is a manifestation that we have colonial mentality. We are just applying and practicing what we have learned in our classes, after all, our program is a communication course, right?! Besides, we are taught in BA Organizational Communication that in order to succeed in the globalized business world, being fluent in the English language can help us greatly in our careers.

• A student of BA Organizational Communication in UP Manila acts all superior especially if he/she is talking in a croud.

A public speaker should always exude confidence even if inside, you are already dying from nervousness. These are some of the things that we learned in OrCom. I do not think that we act superior,  it just seems that most of the time, we are confident in speaking in front. Most of our major subjects require us to speak with a crowd, be it a report, speech or debate. That’s why most of OrCom people already knows how to show confidence in speaking in front of a lot of people.

• A student of BA Organizational Communication in UP Manila is very talkative and always make noise in the hallways.

I don’t think I have a proper explanation for this… haha. joke.

Actually because we are in a communication course, we have a tendency to talk, talk and talk. We like to discuss a lot of things, ranging from politics, fashion, communication, internet, people, you name it. We always want to voice out our opinion because we are taught in OrCom to properly socialize with people. We learned that although IQ is important, EQ is also a must. Being in OrCom is not only memorizing theories, it is also about managing, socializing and talking to the right people.

My Dad Is On Facebook

There are a lot of things that I enjoy doing on facebook:

• share pictures with my friends,
• tag them on each image where they pose embarassingly,
• post links of my favorite videos (NigaHiga and KPOP MVs)
• make a wall-post on how fucked-up my day was
• chat with my friends if they are online and
• take quizzes like “How strong is your gaydar?” and “What kind of bitch are you?”

*I am not really a fan of using games available on facebook because I think it can be a waste of time (no offense meant) and I think it is not really the real purpose of facebook.

BUT all of these are now in danger, because MY DAD IS ON FACEBOOK.

He just added me rececently because he is interested in knowing why “young people nowadays seen to be addicted on prendster and facebook.”

Ofcourse when he added me last week, being the obedient daughter that I am, accepted his request. (I cant imagine how he would react if I rejected it).

But now I am currently filtering my pictures, wall posts and videos all because of this big crisis in my life.

When I use these social networking sites, I want to connect with my classmates and friends and be able to “socialize” with people my age, away from my parents’ strict watch.

I think that using these sites is a form of self-expression where an individual can be free to talk and interact with people that he/she is comfortable with. But because of the increasing popularity of facebook, on teenagers and even in the workplace, I feel as if my comfort zone has been invaded.

But then again, maybe… I think my dad being on facebook can be a good thing, because I am now filtering my pictures, wall-posts and videos so that it can be pleasing to an adult’s eye. Although I may limit myself in doing this, I also reminded myself that this account can also be a basis of my future employers on hiring me.

So now, I am now cautious on what things to post on facebook because I know that this can be a reflection of myself and may be a basis of other people I do not know, to judge my character. Including my dad.

History of Communication videoblogs and some rantings related to them

Have you tried making a self-portrait in a big blank canvass where no themes or limitations are required?

I think that any normal person will be pressured about this because this task may require an individual to squeeze his/her brain for all the creative juices to come out, plus the subject would be very complicated knowing that it is but a self-reflection of one’s self and lastly it may be because of man’s nature to seek attention and recognition from other people.

THE PROCESS

And in our OC152 class, though we are not required to do a self-portrait, a videoblog led me and my groupmates to have a very horrendous fun experience related to this.

Immediately after I heard what the topic is, I really got scared excited yet nervous because this topic already has a lot of information available on the net (yey!). But this is also the reason why this topic can also be difficult. The information on the web regarding History of Communication are A LOT and considering that we should start from “Adam and Eve” until Social Media. WOW… imagine how many billions of years should we tell in only a three minute video. Plus the fact that we are given the freedom to present it in any way that we want.

And after a few school meetings, a sleepover at Teacher Belle’s house, a dozen of energy drink (Extra Joss, Cobra, you name it…. ewww) and spending the WHOLE day at MOMO, we finally made our video with the help of a trusty digicam, laptop cam and Youtube.

THE PRODUCT

Here is the product of our sweat, blood, tears and eyebags:

Our concept was to traditionally show the History of Communication, starting from the current to the prehistoric times. We also took into mind the word “videoblog” where we wanted our video to have a lot of personal touch, and so we watched Chris Tucker’s Leave Britney Alone video on Youtube to have fun at the sleepover to have a reference on how we can present an introduction on the video.

Although Sir Barry saw that what Sam did on the video was a bit exaggerated, we actually wanted that effect though the reaction to that is not what we expected, still I commend Sam’s make-up on the video her impromptu acting skills at MOMO

THE UNNECESSARY PARAGRAPH

And another thing, if you ever watched the video, I was the one who looked like an idiot squealing “change” and waving my hands around. I just think that I need to explain myself here…

Actually when we filmed everyone’s part, we are asked to say the whole line “…Because you, yes you… you can make it happen… change” They said that the word “change” was just a cue of some sort as a sign to cut the recording. So after I said my lines using a serious face, I ended it with a funny “change” because I thought that it will not be included. *sigh* I clearly was betrayed by my own groupmates.

THE BETRAYAL

Anyway, back to the videoblogs in class, after I watched all the videos, I could say that my favorite was the video of Kath’s group (sorry groupmates! Im just being honest!) because I love the funny and cute animations plus it was very clear on how they presented it. Added to it was the nice background sound that they have chosen and the presentation of dates in the video.

THE ONLY PART RELATED TO THE CLASS DISCUSSION

That Saturday, after the videos have presented, the Conversation Prism was also presented to us. It looks very complicated when I saw it at first but it just basically talks about the different “tribes” of the netizens around the globe. Listing there almost all the top websites with its different purposes.

I think the main function of this prism is how it shows the Organizational Communication people like us that if ever we want to use social media as a venue for marketing, we should also realize the variety of people on the web with different interests.

When an OrCom person uses the internet to tap its targeted audience, we should not think that logging on the web and using blogs and forums is enough, there are still sub-divisions or tribes with different interests made for different purposes. So with these different tribes also comes different methods on how to properly approach them using the OrCom way.

I think the line “different strokes for different folks” is the best saying fit for this realization.

Wikinomics and the Wall

I never imagined that after spending more than 3 years in the respectable University of the Philippines Manila, me and my SENIOR classmates can still act childish and can go ballistic over a class activity. I guess it just showed how energetic and competitive our batch really is.

I remember July 4, 2009 we had a quiz regarding Wikinomics, I think I was also late in coming to class at that time because I spent the whole night reading the Wikinomics photocopy thinking that we will have a very difficult quiz. Yet to my horror delight we were only asked to do an activity that gave me a temporary hearing loss, a sore throat and an abused feet. But it was all worth-it because I do remember our team winning the activity. (yey!)

After the nostalgic activity (because it reminded me of my high school days where students would go crazy just to get the teacher’s attention during recitation) we then proceeded with a discussion regarding the topic of Wikinomics.

When I first heard of the word Wikinomics, I thought it was something related to the economic implication of Wikipedia or something. Although Wikinomics may be related to that, I learned that this concept is much broader and meaningful.

Though our readings in this topic has a lot of pages with hundreds of paragraphs, my understanding of the concept is that Wikinomics is simply about collaboration of different individuals to create something and make it significant for themselves and for others as well. Although this is a lose definition of it, that is what I basically understood about it.

Under the topic of Wikinomics, the market place has been mentioned along with consumers, producers and products. As I remember about the discussions, our professor said that Wikinomics is the new way of creating a new product by a company using other sectors to help in collaborating and developing it for a better output for the customers.

As an aspiring marketing professional, I found all these information very useful because it explains the status quo in the market place and our discussion also focused on the “wall” between the producer and the consumer.

This “wall” that was discussed is like the invisible barrier that separates the opinion of the producer on the things that they would make for the consumer and the feedback of consumer regarding the producers’ products.

In the near future, when I am at my own office surrounded by my constituents employees and collegueas as a marketing person, I would keep in mind about this barrier and would try to reach out to my consumers using Wikinomics to successfully create products that would focus, not only on what my company would want to sell but what our consumers would like to buy from us.

The long wait is over…

After two weeks of not updating my communication blog, I finally hit my head on a concrete wall, got dizzy and accidentally fell on a manhole…

Just kidding, actually it took my professor’s mentioning of my name in class for me to realize how irresponsible I had become in neglecting this blog. So after a little hiatus, I will do my best to forever update this blog ontime… *shudders*

And now I will do a bit of travel back in time – on June 27, 2009 to be exact – where we discussed the Communication Evolution with the BIS acronym.

B – broadcast

I – interactive

S – social media

I need not explain what these three models are because there will be a lot of websites that may explain these things in a more elaborate and clear manner, yet I will just share my insights regarding these things. (let’s just pretend that my insights may play a significant role in unlacking mysteries of the communication models, so the subsequent paragraphs are necessary..haha).

As I remember from our discussion, the broadcast model is just about listening to the company and being a passive audience, and compared to Social Media and Interactive model, the first one clearly shows how gullible the audience are.

Broadcast model also shows how powerful advertisers and companies are in manipulating the public into thinking that using a toothpaste will make a person meet his/her soulmate or drinking an energy drink will make a guy miraculously grow big-hard-greasy-yucky-oily-muscles.

If I compare broadcast to interactive and social media, I would think that the latter are better because they show how feedback and interaction goes. The people get to talk with one another, opinions are shared and deception in products are revealed.

Yet the broadcast model with all its deceiving advertisers and marketers (and I see myself as one in the future..haha) is still the most influential to the people compared to the two. Because although people log on to the internet, TV and newspaper is still the best place where we are irritatingly bombarded with different advertisements and shows.

Sure, we spend a lot of time on the internet, but that is not usually spent looking at forums talking about products and company websites, we go to the internet to entertain ourselves without the distraction of advertisements. Maybe that is why companies still pool in a lot of money in TV commercials, though they are aware of the power of the internet, they know that once a TV ad is repeatedly played in your favorite show, you cannot escape it. But on the cyberworld, just not clicking a banner will save you from that annoying ad.

But, I also have this feeling that soon, TV would only be a secondary source of entertainment and would be replaced by the internet with websites like Youtube as its ally. As a youtube addict myself, my interest in TV has disappeared. If I need current events, there is yahoo news, not only local stories but international as well. If need music videos, ever reliable youtube.com can give me all these videos plus it can be downloaded and repeated 1million times! If I need my cravings of asian dramas, there is mysoju.com with all the completed series and it is updated every freaking day. If I crave for a movie marathon, youtube and veoh is ever reliable. If my otaku (anime addict) blood is rising, there is crunchyroll.com.

Most of the things that we wanted may be found on the web, but the broadcast media is clearly important as well because this is still the channel by which the majority of people is still immersed in. Maybe after 5-10 years, internet would play a much bigger role in a consumer’s choices yet as long as it is not happening, I think that broadcast, interactive and social media are models that a company may use together depending on the target audience and goals that they want to accomplish.