Sales, Social and Tech

In an earlier post, I shared that there was a rumour spreading on the blogosphere that Cecilla Sue, the IT Sales Manager, involved in the Ng Boon Gay corruption case, has send out letter of demand to bloggers. Wanbao has outed the blogger to be Alvin Lim of Alvinology.com . Here's a screenshot from Omy.sg. Ironically, Alvin is also the online marketing manager at Omy.sg. Omy.sg is part of Singapore Press Holdings. Screenshot from  http://singaporenewsalternative.blogspot.sg/ Alvin has since deleted the offending post but has not posted an apology in his blog as of this posting.  It seems Cecilla Sue took offence to the parody images by 9GAGSG but reposted on Alvin's blog.  If reposting images is considered defamation, it would be interesting to see if Cecilla Sue will also send letter of defamation to the forums like Hardwarezone.com which also saw its members reposting 9GAGSG images like this .

Rumours are spreading around the blog-o-sphere that Cecilia Sue, the IT Sales Manager, involved in the Ng Boon Gay corruption case , is sending out letter of demands to bloggers who have re-posted spoof images of her with regards to the mentioned case. It seems that Cecilia has taken offence to the images created by 9Gag Singapore  during the period of the corruption case and have send letters of demand for these images to be taken down. The owners of 9Gag Singapore Facebook Page is still unknown and their website 9Gagsg.com has hidden the administrators' details. Sources highlighted that the spoof images are still hosted at Hardwarezone.com forums and if Hardwarezone will also be requested to remove them is still unknown. One blogger has already removed the offending post so as to not escalate the situation any further. Though we are in the early days of 2013, this would make it the second case where letter of demands were served to bloggers to remove their post. ...

In my earlier post , I wrote that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's letter of demand to Alex Au over his post on the AIMS issue help lift the profile of the Yawning Bread blog.  The Senang Diri blog also highlighted similar points. Wrote Senang Diri ,  "Firstly, Yawning Bread has been elevated to the status of thought-leader since it was the blog that broke news of the relationship between information technology company, Action Information Management (AIM) and the ruling People's Action Party (PAP)... ... Secondly, by declining to comment on the number of companies the PAP owns, the system surrendered the initiative in info management regarding this episode. This loss of initiative means the system is reacting to public opinion, rather than leading it.... ...Thirdly, legal action is high-handed but admittedly necessary where reputations have been besmirched. However, unleashing the silks comes with a price: It gives rise to concerns among Singaporeans that perh...

Bertha Henson, a former editor for The Straits Times, recently wrote an obituary of a former colleague on her blog which Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) disagreed on certain points noted on the post. The email from SPH also took an opportunity to take a swipe at the blogger rather than focusing on the post. Wrote Bertha Henson , " My old company is pissed at the obituary I wrote for Chong Chee Kin. (See earlier entry Goodbye Cheeks) Journalists and management are upset that I said that Chee Kin felt like a pariah in his last week at work in SPH ." The anonymous letter from SPH went on to criticise Bertha. Wrote the SPH letter from an anonymous signoff, " You  have been wholly unfair to SPH to put this out in your blog without checking whether it is true. You have in fact failed to practise what you have been preaching so piously in your blog ." Bertha responded to SPH in her blog by stating that she wrote the "pariah" bit from the sms she r...

Those working in traditional media and was invited to attend IFA by Samsung were in for a rude shock at IFA when Samsung staff barred them from entering the Samsung SMART lounge. Only bloggers and digital celebrities were allowed into the lounge. Wrote Christian Post, "The Samsung SMART Lounge is an exclusive lounge for bloggers and digital celebrities. All bloggers have to do is register at the entrance. Complimentary coffee, free Wi-Fi, comfortable seats and neat tables with power will be provided. You can connect with the many bloggers in town from around the world, refuel yourself and blog away while charging your devices." Read more at http://global.christianpost.com/news/ifa-2012-berlin-live-watch-online-live-stream-of-samsung-galaxy-note-2-unveiling-80788/#YCFWQu3ySprQpmwG.99 Samsung's treatment of traditional media as second class citizens to an event like this would not go down well in the near future. One journalist was overhead saying "it'...

I thought I played Devil's Advocate, take a step back and give another perspective on the whole Diner en Blanc social media fiasco. From a blogging perspective, there are reasons why food blogger, Daniel Ang, should take some responsibility in this issue. 1. Did Daniel create a relationship with PR that deleting a post was perceived as a possibility? In one of his post defending the PR agency, Daniel wrote "I cleared my content with the PR company (just to be safe) and they also thought the idea was fun and imaginative". As Daniel highlighted that he "cleared" his article with the PR, wouldn't this mean that if the PR didn't clear his article, besides editing the article, he would also give the PR a choice to delete the article? If you are a writer or journalist for a traditional mass media outlet, giving the PR company the final say in your article is no different from doing a advertorial. A blogger should also not let the PR company have the ...

Alex Au, the blogger for popular yawning bread blog, was send a "love" letter of a different kind on Valentine's Day. The letter was from law firm Allen & Gledhill "requesting" that Alex withdraw a "false and scurrilous" comment made by a reader by the name of scroobal . Wrote the Yawning Bread ,  Late afternoon Tuesday, 14 Feb 2012, I received a letter from law firm Allen & Gledhill, acting for K Shanmugam. It said that the allegations regarding their client mentioned within a comment I posted following the post The media and Yaw Shin Leong, are false and scurrilous. I take Shanmugam’s word on this matter.  I have withdrawn that comment as requested. The full lawyer's letter can be read here .

Blogger, Calvin Timothy Leong, was doing his bit to increase awareness of the fund raising efforts of Boy's Town. The Boy's Town needed money "to renovate their building to have a proper upkeep", or otherwise The Boy's Town will be repossessed by $1. However, the folks at Singapore Land Authority or SLA felt that Calvin took the "warning" letters too much of a threat and have "asked" Calvin to amend his blog post . Tweeted Calvin, Alright, SLA contacted me to remove the tags "Singapore Land Authority" and "SLA" from my Boys' Town post and also wanted me to amend it. — Calvin Timothy Leong (@CalvinTimo) February 13, 2012 @ longadin @ daphnemaia They claim that they did not threaten to possess the land. merely sent out "warning" letters to get them to renovate. — Calvin Timothy Leong (@CalvinTimo) February 13, 2012 Instead of asking Calvin to amend his post, SLA should have left a comment sharing ...

Has success of a local food blogger gone to his head that he demanded for free food from a local restaurant? Yahoo’s FIT TO PRINT blog wrote about Brad Lau, blogger of Ladyironchef, demanded for free food when he visited Private Affairs with his group of friends. Wrote FTP , The blogger in question, Brad Lau, who runs a food blog called Ladyironchef , had informed the management on Friday that he would be coming down to review the Sunday Brunch promotion. On the day itself, he and his partner came down at about 130pm, followed by his two other companions, each of whom came down half an hour apart.    According to Private Affairs’ operations director Ross Valentine,  the four of them had brunch until 430pm, even when the restaurant’s official brunch hours was from 1130 am to 330pm. Brad and his partner also enjoyed two glasses of champagne each. When presented with the final bill of $435, the blogger initially refused to pay and repeatedly told th...

The blog features other blog that takes the red pill. Is you blog a red pill or blue pill. Social PR chats with the team at Singaporedaily.net to find out moe about their blog. Who are you? Ie what is your blog name and your real name. Why did you come up with the blog title? The Singapore Daily is a site that highlights articles on current affairs published by local bloggers. What are you? In ten (or so) words, you would describe your blog as: … to better understand and make informed decisions about current affairs Why do we need you? Why is your blog different? What makes it stand out from the crowd? Why is it special? We are one of the few local sites that can help publicise alternative opinions and viewpoints on local current affairs. If you chose the red pill, give us a visit. Editorial Deadline? Ie when should PRs NOT call? Contact us any time though our email. Features list? Do you have one, and if so, where can we get it, and can...

She blogs, not with text, but with her doodles and they won her the Best Hidden Gem category given out at the recent Nuffnang Asia Pacific Bloggers Awards. Social PR chats with Yih Chien of dedoodleblog.blogspot.com to find out more about her and her blog. Who are you? Ie what is your blog name and your real name. Why did you come up with the blog title? My name is Yih Chien. And I am mastermind behind The Doodle Blog. The name of the blog is the best to describe the content of my blog. That's why I picked the name. =) What are you? In ten (or so) words, you would describe your blog as: … Funny and relaxing. Why do we need you? Why is your blog different? What makes it stand out from the crowd? Why is it special? I think every blog is unique. However, my standout point would be my doodles. I use to doodling to convey my feelings instead of words. It's easy to understand and it doesn't take a lot of time for the rest to understand my message. Editorial De...

You can call her Muthu the firefighter if you bump in today’s featured blogger Isabelle at the popular night club. Social PR chats with Isabelle to find out why she likes cows so much. Who are you? Ie what is your blog name and your real name. Why did you come up with the blog title? I am Isabelle. But you might also know me by my more provincial sounding Chinese name "Xiaoyun". Or "Muthu the firefighter" if you bump into me in clubs when I am high or not thinking staight. My blog "Isabelle Neo" is named after me and "weecloud" is just a word play on my chinese name. What are you? In ten (or so) words, you would describe your blog as: … I am a dreamer and an escapist with a quirky take on life. I blog about topics that interests me, in particular food, fashion, beauty, entertainment and travel. In addition, you also get to view the daily humdrums of (my) life through my eyes.  Editorial Deadline? Ie when should PRs NOT cal...

Philippines' no 1 ladies’s man evolving into a technological singularity. Social PR catches up with Philippines Blogger Mike Abundo on his “Gamechanging” blog. Who are you? Ie what is your blog name and your real name. Why did you come up with the blog title? My name is Mike Abundo, and my blog is called The Mike Abundo Effect . My blog's title comes from a phrase coined by PR guru Steve Rubel , in reference to Filipinos' rapid early adoption of YouTube. What are you? In ten (or so) words, you would describe your blog as: … The Mike Abundo Effect explores the rapidly growing intersection of technology and media, and how that intersection is changing your world. Why do we need you? Why is your blog different? What makes it stand out from the crowd? Why is it special? “Mike is truly a leading advocate for the responsible use of technology in everyday life. He has proven himself time and time again as a voice of reason in a sea of gobbledygook and technical ch...

Jay Baer of Convince & Convert wrote an interesting post about the differences between bloggers and reporters. His post can be found here but the main points can be found here. My comments can be found below. Bloggers are self-made Social PR: Most of the bloggers here started their blog from 0 readers to a few hundreds to thousands over the years. They create content that are of interest to them not because the brands tell them that it is important to write about them. Bloggers are time-starved Social PR: Many PR agencies often in the name of cost savings would like to combine their press conference to get bloggers in during the day. Unfortunately, most bloggers have a day job and are often unable to attend during the day. So it is important to understand this time factor. Bloggers need traffic and influence Social PR: Most of the blogger engagement in Singapore can be summarized in two activities, p...

( Update: Sassyjan tweeted that the Inspecting Officer has already contacted her this morning via his assistant.) Singapore blogger, SassyJan, blogged recently about her experience with loansharks and the “indifference” she felt from the police when she made her report at the police station. Prominent Singapore bloggers, Cowboy Caleb and Little Miss Fun, have reacted shockingly to the “indifference”. SassyJan wrote that when she reported the incident to the police, she waited for the inspector in-charge to call her but no one did. Wrote SassyJane, He helpfully suggested CCTV, but looked equally as helpless as I was. His job is to write the report and forward this to the CID Inspecting Officer. I called said IO again and the phone rung and rung - Nothing. The police officer said he’ll try to help me call this Inspecting Officer, but with the same helpless look, told me he will try to email him too, however, sometimes it might take more than a week to...

She sees her blog as a pretty pink flamingo. Urban lifestyle blogger Holly Jean , who can’t wait to get invited to the Resorts World, answers Social PR’s questions about her blog and herself as a blogger. Who are you? Ie what is your blog name and your real name. Why did you come up with the blog title? I'm Holly Jean, and My Blog is titled A Thing (or Two) About Holly Jean because it's about my life and how I live it. What are you? In ten (or so) words, you would describe your blog as: … Humorous, light-hearted, yet thought-provoking urban lifestyle blog about relationships, beauty, fitness, fashion and food. Why do we need you? Why is your blog different? What makes it stand out from the crowd? Why is it special? I have good rapport and connection with a strong (and growing!) base of loyal readers. You can view my past advertorials/columns/articles here - http://hirehollyjean.blogspot.com/2008/11/creative-portfolio.html Perfect story? First, what kind of s...

He updates his blog daily and will post anything that catches his attention. A good blog post to him is one that makes full use of the multimedia aspect of the online medium. Social PR catches up with Alvin of Alvinology to find out more about the blogger and his blog. Who are you? Ie what is your blog name and your real name. Why did you come up with the blog title? Alvin is a 100% geek who spends a lot of time surfing the web. Alvinology is a light-hearted blog and the content is totally random, ranging from things Alvin experiences to web gossip – basically anything that catches his attention. What are you? In ten (or so) words, you would describe your blog as: … Random, hyper-local, geeky. Why do we need you? Why is your blog different? What makes it stand out from the crowd? Why is it special? I update on a daily basis, which is rare. I also try to include as much hyperlinks, videos, photos and graphics elements in my entries as best-suited to make full use ...

Taggo is currently one of my clients and I am lucky to have the spokesperson, Aneace Haddad, to be open about being interviewed by traditional media and also the by bloggers. I have managed to schedule a few blogs interviews with Aneace and I have been able to execute using experiences from my media, PR and social media out-reach to help the blogger and the client with the interview. For a successful blogger pitch, you need to think of the following 1. Read the blog and understand what they blog about This isn’t rocket science but I had of many stories from bloggers that PR folks fail to read their blog and mass email them. The mass email isn’t a good thing because it shows that the PR is randomly trying to spread the message in hope that one of out of the 1,000 BCCed email send out turns into a successful interview and placement. That’s a success rate of 0.01%. But why don’t make it 100% by identifying the right blogs for your pitches? For Taggo case, we have identifi...

It has been quite awhile since I was invited to an event as blogger or as media. Daniel Goh for Samsung invited me to this evening announcement of the new Samsung phones via Twitter earlier in the day. The invitation via Twitter was as sign of how things have changed since having left the media scene some six years ago when I was writing for PC World Singapore and Hardwarezone.com. Armed with the Samsung Omnia and Qik.com installed, I was able to do some “live” broadcast of short clips of the launch. Unfortunately during the launch, I wasn’t able to access Twitter so I updated via my Facebook status page. Winston Goh, product manager for Samsung, introducing the new Samsung mobile models It was after the event and during the train ride home that it struck me to how the tools of content creation have changed so much since my media days. Mobile data rates have fallen by so much that it allows me to transfer data via mobile Internet without me having to worry a...

In the talks I have attended about engaging blogs, many of the examples highlighted were of US examples, eg Dell Hell , JetBlue . It is quite difficult to relate these examples from an Asian perspective. Asian examples of engaging bloggers can be hard to find, but one example popped out at popular Malaysia blogger, Rockybru. Few days back, Rockybru blogged about a rumour spreading in the grapevine that AirAsia was pulling out its sponsorship of the Formula One races. Honda recently announced they were pulling out of the Formula One races and Toyota looking to reduce the cost of sponsoring its F1 team. Most Asian companies would dismissed this as a rumour and choose not to respond with its corporate communication policies of not responding to one. However, Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia, chose to respond to the post and even to anonymous posted comments made from the post. He did so by responding to the post and the various anonymous commentators. Wrote Tony Fernandes in h...