Blogging: the emerging new medium

Blogging in Davao has certainly matured quickly — from the time I started eyeballing with Dabawenyo bloggers and organizing small get-togethers, we’ve certainly come a long way. It’s not just the successful events, such as the weekly Davao Food Trip sessions, or the Mindanao Bloggers Summit. It’s the fact that businesses are now taking note of blogging, and are starting (although slowly) to accept it as a new avenue of communication that can pave the way for new advertising for their products or services.

The other day, during the launch of M magazine, I was approached by the head of sales of a large corporation, and got introduced to the colleagues. They were interested in getting local blogs on board in their efforts to promote their products all across Mindanao. One said that their company needs to broaden awareness of their products across a bigger section of the market.

I’d been approached similarly in the past, but this was probably the most significant contact. It signals the coming of age of blogging down here in the Philippine South. And we have the very active and enthusiastic bloggers of Davao and Mindanao to thank for this newfound notoriety–err–popularity.

While I still endeavor to maintain the integrity of my blogs by keeping content at quality levels as best as I can, the ability to earn presented to me does not run counter to the earnestness of my blogs. (You see, some nay-sayers argue that accepting money for blogging is like prostituting your blog. If that were the case, then how would you call all other media publications?)

Nobody can ignore the power of the blogging medium. Instead of being wary of this ability to communicate with considerable influence, bloggers must choose to embrace it, in order to wield it wisely.

So, blog on, and spread the word!

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