Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Pre-Facebook, Pre-Internet: Lemmings

Before Facebook sucked out all remaining productivity of the average cubicle worker, we had Lemmings... I found a DHTML version of what must be one of the most addictive game ever created. How many could you rescue?

Saturday, June 20, 2009

iPhone apps are the new Facebook apps

Reminiscent to last year's articles on how everyone can strike gold by developing Facebook apps (which followed from becoming a property millionaire on Second Life and a publishing mogul through blogs), the Telegraph has an article on how "anyone with a laptop and a good idea can stake their claim in the app rush". So what are you waiting for? Stop reading and start coding.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Bloggers have no right to privacy

Landmark UK ruling where the High Court ruled against the protection of anonymity of a police officer who wrote a blog. The blogger sought an injunction to prevent a newspaper from naming him for fear of disciplinary hearings. As a result of being identified, the blogger is now being investigated and had been issued a written warning. The blog has been removed. Now I wonder why this could not be extended to online forums and review websites. Think twice before you post. Full story on the BBC.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Grab your Facebook username before it's too late

Facebook just released the option to have usernames and redirect to your page at www.facebook.com/username. I have few homonyms in the World and already got mine. However, if you are blessed with the patronym John Smith, you better grab it fast before you become known as JOhH_SmITh187.

Monday, June 08, 2009

National Geographic Traveler features the Cacao Pearl

June edition, page 40 under "Destinations Watch". Is it time to write a series of posts on moving from online PR to launching the World's first non-profit luxury eco-resort? Not just yet. But we are getting closer...

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Only 10 per cent of Twitter users account for 90 per cent of all tweets

Says Harvard Business School in a Telegraph article. This is consistent with many articles, stuies, reports, anecdotes I came across: Despite all the talks about "user generated content", we prefer to consume content that produce it.

Friday, June 05, 2009

Facebook brings in payment system

Micro-payments have been heralded as the holy grail of e-commerce since 1999. Europeans and Asians sometimes use their cellphones to pay for online services (or virtual goods) but no one managed to deliver a popular, universally accepted web only solution. I believe Facebook could be the one to deliver it. Gartner reckon that direct payment could amount to a third of Facebook's revenues. Article on the FT.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Life beyond PR: It is sunny on the Cacao Pearl.

I thought I would post some pretty pictures of my new project, the Cacao Pearl. It is the World's first non-profit luxury eco-resort, nestled in the Calamian archipelago in Palawan, Philippines. As you would expect, PR is core to our marketing strategy and we are having good media and bloggers' coverage so far ranging from mentions in the NY Times, SF Chronicle, Frommer's, Treehugger, Hollywood Reporter, A Place in the Sun, National Geographic, Hotels Magazine and many more. Completion is scheduled for early 2012. Too early to compile a mailing list but you are welcome to find out more at www.cacaoresorts.com. If you want to write about it and need more information, just ping me.



Tuesday, June 02, 2009

The trillion dollars question: China or America.

China. If you don't believe, go there and see for yourself.

BT limits download speed on cheapest broadband packages

"A customer who has signed up for an up to 8 megabit per second package can have their speed cut to below 1Mbps". Time to read the small print and complain all the way to the top. BBC.