Blogging has given me creative freedom to express what I think and feel on issues about children, education, lifestyle, technology, and Christianity. It has also opened doors for me to push myself out of my comfort zone physically and mentally. I just make it a point to constantly remind myself to be responsible and remain truthful in what I share online.

But what role do we play, as influencers, in the future? Let’s dive in the 1st Future of Media event to know more.

The event was a collaboration between Blog Watch, Philippine Online Chronicles and Vibal Foundation. It consists of four tracks: Advocacy/Politics, Technology, Lifestyle, and Digital Marketing. Each track is composed of four distinguished panelists who shared about what they do and their thoughts on current practices and future trends.

The crowd was a mix of media leaders, practitioners, and bloggers. Ms. Noemi Dado and Ms. Jane Uymatiao served as moderators while Vince Golangco was the master of ceremonies.

For this post, I will share quotes that stood out for me from each panelist (hopefully I got at least the gist of it correctly) and the synthesis formulated at the end of the collaborative forum.

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[quote]Social media is at its most meaningful when you use it to help those who don’t have access to it. – Inday Espina-Varona[/quote]

[quote align=”right”]Engage with your fears and biases. Change is beautiful. – Mae Paner aka Juana Change[/quote]

[quote]Do you want to be popular or influential? – Amor Maclang[/quote]

[quote]Credibility is what people say we are. Ethics is what kind of people we are. – Malou Mangahas[/quote]

[quote]Beauty of digital broadcast: can embed data for emergency broadcast. – Tony Velasquez[/quote]

[quote]In the future: TV, radio, and broadsheet will not be the bringer of news – they will be the explainer of news. – Art Samaniego Jr.[/quote]

[quote]Newspaper will be premium print product. – JV Rufino[/quote]

[quote]I want the Internet to reach the poorest of the poor. – Pia Hontiveros-Pagkalinawan[/quote]

[quote]The world is borderless now. Online citizens na tayo. – Jim Paredes[/quote]

[quote]What are your brand equities? You are the interest originator, driver, and aggregator. – RJ Ledesma[/quote]

[quote]Everyone now is an expert. It gives a sense of empowerment to consumers. – Erwan Heussaff[/quote]

[quote]At the end of the day, it’s still about the people. – Ros Juan[/quote]

[quote]In creating your online identity: always think it’s gonna stay with you for the next 20 years. – Janette Toral[/quote]

[quote]Do not violate this: “You do not put your TVC as a YouTube ad.” – Carlo Ople[/quote]

[quote]When there’s a calamity, social media steps up. – Yves Gonzales[/quote]

CEO and Executive Editor of Rappler, Maria Ressa delivered the keynote address. Main points in speech include (a) nothing levels the playing field as social media; (b) the crowd is a powerful tool for social change – the challenge is to find ways to work together; and (c) the challenge is how do you let go of what made you successful in the past to look at the future.

[quote]Pro journalism + technology + wisdom of the crowd = true social news network. – Maria Ressa[/quote]

[quote]Crowdsourcing does things that the government cannot do. – Maria Ressa[/quote]

Synthesis and closing remarks were disclosed by Ms. Kristine Mandigma, Chief of Staff, Vibal Foundation.

Politics/Advocacy Synthesis

• Use of technology to influence change and promoting various advocacies.
• We must work for the ‘underadvocated’ issues. We must be advocates for change.
• The internet is a platform for fostering accountability and good governance.
• Use social media to give access of information to the masses.

Technology Sythesis

• Much of the news consumption that we do in print will move to tablets and digital platforms.
• Role of traditional media to shift from bringer of news to explainer/moderator of news amid ever increasing use of social media.
• Traditional media to be moderators instead of bringers of news – to verif, make sense of it all, to clarify to explain.
• Point of convergence: In the next five years, we will be shifting from analog to digital TV. The beauty of digital TV broadcasting is the ability to embed data.
• Efforts to democratize the air: holding of Twitter townhall discussions.
• NEED for better and faster internet in the Philippines
• Use technology to bring people together.

Lifestyle Synthesis

• Social media has enabled us to better understand ourselves and the people around us.
• Becoming a lifestyle personality online is gauged by online equities.
• To communicate to your audience, present yourself online as a brand.
• Be an interest originator, interest driver and interest aggregator.
• It is important to create communities online and offline.

Digital Marketing Synthesis

• Social media has enabled brands to communicate to consumers. This powerful trend will continue.
• Promote the value of the brand and identity. The key to longevity in digital marketing is content creation.
• Consumer protection and privacy is also of primal importance.
• Offer value for your brand.
• Make short videos only.
• Social engagement cannot be bought. Viral videos should not be ‘buy-ral’.
• Quality matters over quantity.
• At the end of the day, it’s not about the technology, it will always be about people and how to have real relationships with real people.

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It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to be part of this event. I was able to understand more about the field where blogging belongs to, which is media. One of the things I strongly agree on is the notion that there is no traditional media and new media — it’s just media (though being called a journalist is a prestige I’ve yet to earn). I believe we all have the same goal in what we do and that is to educate people, to raise awareness, to tell the truth.

It’s a bonus that I got to try the Google glass (one of the first 3 in the country) for a few seconds c/o Sir Art Samaniego 🙂

Thank you Ms. Noemi Dado for the invite! =)