Sales, Social and Tech

(Update: BBO has replied saying that the decision to fire Lyn was because Lyn violated company policy of discussing clients on social networks and not influenced by SingTel. Read press release here .) A Facebook post is now being spread of how an agency staff complains about Singtel bad reception has lead to the sacking of one agency staff. Wrote Lyn Ng , I lost my job, thanks to SingTel. My friends will know that I have been making a lot of complaints on the SingTel Facebook page the past year. Over time, I have actually reduced my posts because I realised how futile it is. Yet, on one very busy work day, I received a call from my boss. She asked if I had posted on SingTel’s Facebook page before, and I said yes. Then she went on to say that I have listed the agency as my workplace and it is shown on my profile. I was surprised, because I don’t even recall updating my profile work location. I don’t bring work into Facebook, so that caught me off guard. Turns out she was r...

Students, past and present, have set up an online petition to show support for  Dr Cherian George, who was denied a tenure contract at the Nayang Technological University School of Mass Communication. It is being speculated that Dr Cherian George was denied the tenure because of his political views at  http://www.airconditionednation.com/. Wrote Nur Asyiqin , Cherian doesn't just teach - he motivates. Sharp, patient and entertaining, I've learned a lot from him during GO-FAR and FYP. He never secondguesses your ability, just encourages you, certain you can do better. That sort of faith is hard to find in professors these days. He believes in his students, and we believe in him too. #georgefortenure As of this blog post, the petition received 348 signatures. To support the petition, please share this link  http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/tenure-contract-for-dr-cherian-george

The Media Development Authority (MDA) Singapore for the past decade required local ISPs to insert Internet filters to prevent Singaporeans from surfing undesirable sites, mainly porn sites. A group of guys from  EDMW(‘Eat-Drink-Men-Women) forum at Hardwarezone.com created a simple Google Chrome extension that allows Singapore Internet Users to bypass these filters easily. Ironically, this extension is only activated when one hits upon the ISPs' web site which state that the site is being filtered as a value add service. Wrote e27.co . The guys at EDMW, which stands for ‘Eat-Drink-Men-Women’, a popular forum on Singapore’s Hardwarezone.com, spent their Chinese New Year holidays collecting red packets and creating a Chrome extension called  ‘Go Away MDA’ to bypass the filters set up to ban websites. All users have to do is install the extension linked on the website, log in and enable Incognito mode for the extension. The hobby project allows users to sur...

Singapore Telcos have been recently reported that they are looking to build their own apps to combat the loss of SMS revenue due to the popularity of messaging apps like WhatsApp, which offer free messaging via 3G connection. One of problems I predict that these telcos will encounter is that they would have to ensure interoperability and that their app becomes extremely popular. Would you use a Singtel, Starhub or even an M1 app if you could only message to only those on the network? Definitely not. My suggestion is for Telcos to look at enhancing the SMS experience by solving a simple problem which most smart phone users have today. We are on our laptop or desktop most of the time. One pet peeve that most of us have is the constant need to look at the phone when we hear notification sound alert of a new message or we look at the blinking LED lights on the smart phone. Even when we have no message, we still look at the phone to check if we receive one. I came across...

Alvin Lim, of Alvinology Blog, shared on his Facebook Page that Viven Lee, the sex blogger and partner with Alvin Tan Jye Yee , has trolled the SHINE Youth Festival, organised by the National Youth Council. The SHINE Youth Festival is described as "a platform for youths between the age of 15 and 35 to indulge in their passion. The initiative celebrates youths’ creativity and dynamism and encourages them to use SHINE Youth Festival as the stage to demonstrate their energy and grow their skills and talents."  Guess Vivian Lee decided literally that SHINE would be a great platform to launch her career in following the footsteps of Annabel Chong .  What is a Internet Troll  when you have Vivien? Read Alvinology's post here .

An estimated 3,000 attended the protest against the Population White Paper at Hong Lim Park on 16 February 2013. This was the largest non-political gathering since Singapore independence in 1965. This, itself, is a story worthy of the cover page. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post thought it was, but Singapore's Straits Times felt Girl Guides visiting Gardens by the Bay would be more deserving of the front page. Source: Occupy Singapore Facebook Page If The Straits Times, with the circulation of 300K plus, intent was to bury the news, 75% of Singapore's population having access to the Internet (Source: World Bank ), it would be difficult any of these 75% to avoid the stories and photos posted on social networks and news sites from overseas. One commented that The Straits Times had role to play in "Psychological Defense" and thus is defending the mind of Singaporeans. But doesn't too much of good news lead to complacency that all is well, when actua...