The New Year’s blog entry of Joey Alarilla over at CNET Asia was titled “Filipinos taking over blogosphere“. Found it from The Blogging Journalist who read it from Duncan Riley himself.
The term “taking over” seemed too sensational to me. Actually, what we did was basically join the mainstream western blogosphere, nothing more. There are tons of other Filipinos out there who are already part of the west’s new media. Just go and check out Pete Abilla’s blog and see who are the people linking to him in their blogrolls (e.g. Guy Kawasaki) or the talented travel problogger Melissa Atienza-Petri who’s been writing for the major blog networks since like forever.
I guess we’re all just expanding our horizons.
P.S.
Thanks to Joey for the writeup, though. :) 2007 will surely be an exciting year.
@ joey
I guess I just wanted to downplay my role in all of it. :D *hehehe* All in good fun and glad you’re actually highlighting blogging efforts of our fellow kababayans. ;)
@ yuga
i see what you mean but i don’t think it was sensationalistic. at the risk of using a cliche, we could be seeing the tipping point when it comes to filipino presence in the blogosphere.
btw, i featured melissa back in 2004 at http://news.inq7.net/infotech/index.php?index=1&story_id=19587
will have to check out pete’s blog though
another point that i didn’t elaborate on is that the filipinos taking over these sites are based in the philippines, which is significant given the brain drain and the feeling of our countrymen that they have no choice but to seek greener pastures abroad.
i celebrate the successes of our expats and believe that wherever we are, filipinos can and do excel (i’m the one who coined “global nation” for inq7.net after all, heh, back when i was handling that site). but i’ll also be happier if filipinos will feel that they do have a choice — and realize that by harnessing technology and our intellectual capital, we can avail of these opportunities while remaining here in the philippines.
cheers,
joey
@ Duncan
I guess figure of speech or something but what I meant by this post is that there are other noteworthy Filipino bloggers who came in (western blogosphere) way before me or J Angelo. You know that because your b5 was the one signing up a lot of Pinoy probloggers sicne you started. :)
Finally, the world can know Filipinos as something other than call center agents and mail-order brides.
I think you missed perhaps the meaning of the phrase, in that it is certainly never meant to be taken in the literal, but as being representative of an increased presence, often quickly and by more than one person, for example a couple of years back headlines here told us that Australian’s were taking over Hollywood, they weren’t literally, but they were making a presence.
“i was right, the jedi are taking over”
– Chancellor Palpatine
Publicity is still publicity. At least we Pinoy bloggers are getting positive exposures. :D
No, we’re taking over! Hahahahaha!
Perhaps he means it in the business sense.
Anyway, sensationalism doesn’t hurt if you’re addressing the C|NET reader world!