There’s this talk going around of how politicians are tapping bloggers for their 2010 political plans. I’ve read about how several bloggers were labeled as sell-outs and even hired PR agents because of this. That really isn’t the case and I personally believe that this is actually democracy at work. Why? Because bloggers are given a chance to be able to meet, evaluate, and gauge the candidates on a level that millions of Filipinos don’t get to. In this case, my fellow bloggers, your pen is truly mightier than the sword. Well, actually your keyboard, lol. You have the distinct advantage of having an intelligent and intimate discourse with a candidate before making your vote. The problem isn’t with the bloggers talking about 2010 candidates – the problem is that bloggers are just talking about 1 or 2 candidates.
Politicians should embrace New Media in the same way that corporations are now looking at the internet as a means to communicate to their consumers. Those who have dreams of having being presidents and senators in 2010 should get their act together as early as now and start reaching out to the online community seeing as there are around 20 million Filipino internet users as of 2008. How many votes does it take to win a Presidential election? I’m pretty getting a huge chunk of that 20 million will help… a lot.
In the same token that I encourage candidates to embrace the internet, I also hope that the bloggers think clearly before making their posts. As weird as it may sound, you guys have the power to influence hundreds, if not thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of readers. Your influence is no longer limited to chit-chat in coffee houses or with just your friends. You have readers who consume what you read – maybe even on a daily basis. I will not go as far as saying that it is your responsibility to research and talk to every single candidate out there. But at least make the effort of exploiting these meets and make sure to think hard about what you’re going to write in your post after (if ever you do write about it).
Which leads me to my main point in this post.
When in front of these candidates, don’t be afraid. Ask all the questions that the millions of Filipinos out there can’t ask. Talk about today’s issues. Discuss what their plans are about addressing overpopulation. Where do they stand in the ZTE and Joc Joc Bolante scandals? Are they for GMA? Why or why not? Don’t just take pictures and post them because I’m sure you could say so much more if you ask more. Always remember that these politicians know that they are opening up Pandora’s box with bloggers. Don’t hold back and let the arrows fly.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Talk is cheap and easy to do. If the candidate is smart he has more to say, the more intelligent he is the more he is able to articulate what’s in his mind to entice the electorate, and so still has more to say…and not necessarily what he will do after winning the election, as has been the case in our decades of history in Philippine governance.
That is not to say there is no hope, for surely there is someone out there who can make the difference. It is not wise to think that our country, our beloved Philippines, was singled out to be left out in the cold intentionally by some entity that organized things as they are, or by random selection as others may believed.
There is nothing wrong with glib talk, at most, it has been said that we ‘caught the fish by its mouth’. But more importantly is to know the kind of person a candidate is, his personal life, his family, his dealings with peer, with people, with his constituent, and not the least, his business.
Easier said than done. But a must.
I’m not a blogger, only a kibitzer. But you are.
What can you do?
Bert,
What can bloggers do?
Try Barack Obama!
I dunno.
The Philippines has a very low PC penetration ratio. Some studies estimate only ten to fifteen percent of the population.
For most, precious time spent in internet cafes are used for chatting, playing games, friendster/facebook/multiply -ing, and watching YouTube videos.
Broadcast TV/radio is still king.
Agree with Phil Manila.
It seems bloggers are now guity, too early, of overrating themselves.
But that is not to say that bloggers will not be an influence in our society.
On the contrary, i believe that the future belongs to them.
But not at this point, please.
Sabi nga ng mga Tagalog. Marami pang asin (bigas) na kakainin.
I will not put a time frame, but bloggers will be a factor in shaping the public mind just as when the mainstream media start to reform itself and become a tool for empowerment of the vastly misinformed public.
Notwithstanding the influence/readership/digital divide issue, because bloggers have better questions to ask than most mainstream media practitioners.
isidro,
don’t pat yourself on the back. the information technology distribution has been so democratized that even lowlives with PC and internet connections can become an overnight pundit and a media mogul.
i say, mainstream media recruit their
“journalists” with degree on journalism, know how to write and ask questions better than those young punks who opened up their internet one early morning and started pounding on the keyboard to unload his pound of wisdom which is as big as his ego.
the only strenght of blogging for some is that they do it as a passion and not for money and therefore they are more free to express their minds unshackled by the fear of paycheck being discontinued.
Folks,
I predict that Barack Obama’s White House blog will be the world’s first superpower blog. His website is already going through the roof in numbers. It began during the campaign, but now it is a “new instrument” for governance. The commentators are saying that just as Reagan went straight to the American people, Barack Obama will be using tech in a revolutionary way that no other President could possibly have appreciated.
Watch this development. What happens on the Continent inevitably happens in the Archipelago.
15% penetration is huge considering WHO in Philippine society is connected now. There is also the fact that the Web is the uber medium that even the MSM uses and relies on.
It’s not an issue of overrating bloggers, but seeing the entire context of a technological and scientific revolution. Beyond INternet, Barack Obama is going to empower SCIENCE.
For the most part I agree with Bert about the Hope cliche. It is a powerful word and it does not hurt or cost anyone to have. The only thing is that you pay hefty price when it’s not perceived with actions. Imagine a ship minus the ocean. I don’t see it’s purpose when it can’t take you where you needed to be in life. This archipelogo will never be like any continent in the western world because of the people’s ideology and temperament. I seriously doubt Bloggers will have any bearing in the coming election, to me it’s just another medium or means of expressing cliches good and bad.
If only Obama is running for President in the Philippines, or anything like him, I myself will follow him. It’s good to have bloggers but in his case he won’t need one.
GORDON VISION AND PLAN TO END THE WAR IN MINDANAO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkL9UGaMJMA
[Edited by Cocoy - i am allowing this link because it redirects to a youtube video of gordon]