why do we have blogger events?

it was gonna happen sooner or later, but i think people might be starting to get sick of reading about blogger events, or at least start making fun of them. -)

but Shelly does make a very important crtique about the state of the way social media is being engaged in Singapore.

if you're wondering what this means to the PR practitioner, new social marketer, the digital advertiser, blogger or all-in-one communications extraordinaire, have a read and we can always discuss -)

Singapore's social media landscape background: agencies and corporations in Singapore probably started experimenting with blogger engagement in early 2006. i remember Fleishman Hillard's LG Blogger seeding programme quite well. Seed bloggers with LG Shine phones, no strings attached and invite them to write an honest review.

2007, i joined Ogilvy Singapore's Digital Influence practice, and promptly got started connecting and engaging with some of Singapore's bloggers. Other agencies and marketing managers also started their own engagement programmes, and blogger events became the 'standard' way of engaging bloggers.

engagement is one thing. what about community building? what about building the relationship between brand and blogger?

i guess these are the signs of Singapore's blogosphere maturing. as communications practitioners, we should be ready to meet the present and future needs of communications.

what are such future needs?

1. community building / involvement
- whether you like it or not, the net has brought us closer together. some bloggers have chosen to maintain their privacy, let's respect that. but there is also a growing community of well.. communities. Ping.SG, Singapore Plurkers, fans of local bands, political advocates, social media enthusiasts, photography groups, driving enthusiasts, food reviewers, travel writers, philanthropic bloggers, technopreneurs.. etc.

is your BRAND getting involved?
and as a blogger, what is your PASSION?

2. the cutting edge of communications
- i'm never satisfied with doing what everyone else is doing. call it divine discontent. if you look right, i look left. and because i've always been critical of the media, i decided to study about it in university, and found myself working a job in the media industry.

- the net has given everyone a voice, but some voices are louder than others. but the net has also connected people, and made it easier to communicate, spread information, organise events, and where i find a lot of value, bringing people together.

- this means, i meet like-minded people who talk about social media, who see it as more than just events, and coverage, but the walking together of owning your own community. not that you're the leader, but you're a part of. in church, we talk about taking ownership of one's ministry, or responsibility. it's the same thing, taking ownership of your community, is to work to build, improve, and make each community you're a part of, the best that it can be.

- having said that, we have to be on the cutting edge, laying a good foundation that "social media" has helped empower her users, and not merely be a house of cards or dot.com bubble 2.0

3. Your audience matures
- there's only so much longer before people become more media literate. my parent's generation didn't necessarily grow up with a television

- i grew up with the television, and to a certain extent, the Internet.

- there's a whole generation that is now growing up with mobile broadband Internet. if i think i'm so great with my suite of web2.0 tools, i cannot begin to imagine what we'll see in the future.

- as hardware improves, so will software, so will communications, so will how we make use of technology

- growing up in a mediated environment might naturally make us more cynical and skeptical of what the mass mediums put out. today's underground is tomorrow's mainstream. people may find it harder and harder to believe something they've read, watched or heard. they need to make their own truths, and to believe in something, means they have to publish it themselves.

- i forsee an explosion of content producers in less than five years, as today's 14 year olds develop tomorrow's new web platform.

- as a communicator, will you mature along with your audience?

no shame in asking.

we ask "why" because we do not know.
"what if" because we live in the present. because of what happened in the past.
we ask a lot of things, because we are only human.
because we are only one person, because we have limitations.
yet we ask. as if it were a very part of our instinct. we were born, to ask questions, to make meaning, to learn.

to have fear, to have doubt, to question the consequences of our actions. to be "weak" and "ignorant" by not knowing.

yet, it seems we have placed the mantle of "God", "omniscience", "exhaustive knowledge" as measurements of success. but we are only human. mortal. and we extinguish off the face of the earth. nobody cares, nobody should. life and death, the endless cycle. what's past is past, what we do today or tomorrow will never change that. what we do tomorrow, is not what we would have done today.

if we knew it all, we could never learn.

good boys don't make mistakes to learn from.

how Apple will continue to pwn the recession.

this is two good not to share.
taken off wired.com (possibly a geek's tabloid of unnecessary information)

the little things.

i'm happy. Gundam 00 Season 2, every character is finding more resolve, and by episode 7, Allelujah and Mary.. well.. -)))

I found the Monocle podcast and my iPhone is now pimped for awesome. Feed here

if you were wondering, Monocle is one of the most informative and exciting design publications in these modern times. So if you have an interest in the art, science and business of anything design related, feed your need!

Rolling Stones and The Who have also been added to my iPod. i guess i'm happy with the new "old" music.

oh! and a slew of extra blogging gigs. i'll be posting a regular column over at waking up to... and gonna title it "sporeradic saturdays (or sundays) as a spotlight on local music. my current joy, a vacant affair. loving their new material, and their album launch on 26 December. save the date!

also, my guest post at sisterhoodftw! SisterhoodFTW is a blog that sheds some light on Christian living for women. it's not some self-help guide (heaven forbid), but just some real opinions about the Christian faith in these modern times, and how we're all really struggling with the same themes of acknowledgment, atonement, love, guilt, struggle, mistakes and ultimately, how we make sense of our faith. my guest post was Man-day Mondays: Of Monsters and Men have a read!

till next time, break on through!

take this cup from me

listening to pedro the lion is like having coffee with a long lost friend. cheesy as that sounds.

it was a constant companion to my playlist back in uni.. though i didn't have a girlfriend, nor was i breaking up, nor going thru any emotional upheaval, there was something about the song 'options' that was both tragic and hopeful at the same time.

"... i could never divorce you
it's always good to have options...
but for now, i need you..."

the simplicity in songwriting, arrangement, accompaniment, melody.. they all somehow found a frail place in the universe, took root and somehow.. spread their tendrils into the corners of my heart.


B-roll footage from David Bazan's upcoming "Alone at the Mic" DVD

once a blood red moon, twice i turn my back on you

i remember a time when blogging was familiar, and cathartic.

tonight.. im rediscovering some of that joy, but in a different light.

blogging used to mean, capturing the present, but tonight as i read entries of old, both friends and myself.. it brings a bit of joy, and accomplishment.. that we've all come a long way.. we've given up on some of our dreams.. we've faced setbacks.. but we've also made it this far.

some aspects of my life seem unfamiliar, some still ring true. it doesn't really matter because all we have is now.. and it's not like the past was always the correct path.

if we've deviated from what we were originally meant for, it's a sad thing.

but if we moved from things that were destroying us, it's a happy thing.

somewhere in between all of that.. the thing that pricks me the most is that i think i've been moving away from something i was originally meant for.

but what a great 2008 it's been. i started on the brink of adulthood with starting a job, i've been really blessed to keep it.. and do so many other great things like playing baybeats, recorded an EP, and still jamming with many more musicians.. and making new friends and meeting new people.

it's still a hard life, and figuring out who i am as an adult, but these little things, they make it easier, and perhaps even worth struggling for.

i really should update this more often..

greetings fellow mortals.

i have been away from the familiar blank pages of blogger, and it's not like i missed it entirely. hmmmm.. i don't know why this is the case.. one or two years ago i could never stop blogging, but now.. now it seems like the furthest thing on my mind. well, not exactly the furthest, but maybe it's got something to do with doing more things not related to blogging.

for starters, i'm playing fallout 3, and it's a massive massive game. it's an RPG (Role Playing Game) that is so extensive in terms of character development that between my friends and i, we've all had different experiences interacting with the non-playable characters of the game.

another big part of the game is it's supporting online universe. while it isn't multiplayer, there's a wealth of information like the Fallout wiki and viral site, prepare for the future.

i absolutely love this game, it's story and universe they've created.. currently i've set myself up as a good guy and known as "ranger of the wastes". i love the post apocalyptic steam punk elements in everything! from the vast wasteland, to intricate details like propaganda material in a future that looks like it was stuck in the 1940s.

la di da.. what else? i've been super busy jamming every sunday with kevin matthews who will be recording a 15th anniversary EP of The Watchmen. i count it as an honour to be playing alongside one of Singapore music's stalwart icons, and he's just an incredible human being as well. i learn so much in our conversations, and the wealth of experience Kevin has! omigosh, this guy's a walking encyclopedia and history book of all things pop culture AND singapore.

so that's it, two weeks without any updates and you get this brainfart. and that's discounting all the other things like multiple projects in the workplace and.. hrmmm.. i dunno..

see you next blog post!

Who says nothing good ever comes out of using vulgarities?

We got a freakhog distinction for shooting this documentary back when we were film students in murdoch university in 2004.

the idea came out from nowhere, with some unconventional titles. "!" was chosen because you couldn't really say it, and yet.. as a punctuation mark, it means so much. After that, the content naturally flowed..

what were we comfortable with?
what's uniquely singaporean?
does it make us special?

i think this documentary shows how language is a cultural force so many of us take for granted. And in even more extremes, cussing and swearing are language tools we use to connect with each other!

Enjoy!


! from Brian Koh on Vimeo.

this week in harmless? bananas! 04/10 - 11/10

i'm gonna try and maintain a weekly log at least, to remember the highlights that happened. it's increasingly difficult to maintain a daily log, and seeing some folk like uniquefrequency and vantan doing it inspired me to do the same. at least, it gives me the discipline to keep blogging, and maintain relationships. or whatever it is we do online these days.

4/11 (Sat)
i attended Social Media Breakfast 4. it was organised by claudia, derrick, daryl, sheylara, shermeen and dorothy.. and i was commend everyone on a great job. i met many familiar faces, and many news ones as well. mainly PR and Marketing people. there's been a lot of buzz around social media breakfast, and great to see more people interested in what social media is all about, and how we can make this a great experience for everyone. i share my thoughts in the video below.


Special Report: Social Media Breakfast 4 Breadcrumbs #1: Metrics Vs. Relevance from Brian Koh on Vimeo.

i was also rather blessed to attend 2008's Active Ager Awards where the Council for Third Age recognises senior citizens who embrace life, and lead fulfilling and healthy lives even in their senior years. did you know that some of them blog, climb mountains and are even rollerblading instructors? and they're all above sixty! Lordy!

5/10 (Sun)

i remember going to church, having practice with kevin matthews and recording a 'lil special something for pat law and her love. i think she does a better job explaining, so do check the link out if you wanna see what leeson's been up to. Link

7/10 (Tues)
Finally met up with some uni friends and it was great catching up. think i should do it more often!

8/10 - 10/10
Working late in the office. a bit of a bummer.. but at least things got done.

11/10
catching up with Battlestar Galactica. I watched episodes one till seven of season four. wow. and now i'm blogging.

the problem with over-thinkers

so here's how it is.

i think too much, maybe waaaayy too much.

a thinking man is not sexy, in fact it's a curse, because we tend to think about all the evidence and possible outcomes that it paralyzes you.

and a man who doesn't act.. is really not much of a man at all.

it's good to have faith, but faith without works is dead. the good intention, the brilliant strategies, the things that make the world a better place, don't get implemented.

i don't know if one can stop the mind from racing too far ahead before the body can catch up. the mind is capable of so much more, that surpasses human and physical limitations. the mind, does not always live in the same reality as the physical body.

it is able to dream, imagine, prophecy and predict either the utopia or the apocalypse

but everything is meaningless if it does not come to pass.

LitfordTV Episode 2: The one about Hellboy Comics, Cookies and Swedish Electronica

LitfordTV Episode 2: Hellboy comics, cookies & Swedish Electronica from Brian Koh on Vimeo.

Hey! I'm back with the second episode!! More goodness in the form of comic books, finished cookies and another awesome music recommendation: little dragon

Also, have yourselves a laugh with my BAD Jack Bauer jokes and never getting the framing right when i try to show you something..

Beyond Blogs

This post has been brewing inside my head for about one or two weeks, and i thought, i might as well whack the initial thoughts out while they're still fresh, so here goes:

Beyond blogs, there's more to it right? i mean, afterall, it's only been the last two to three years that communications and marketing people are starting to take blogging more seriously. Already in Singapore, we see more and more bloggers being invited for press events, blog advertising is becoming more sophisticated, going beyond banner ads into more community centric events, or at the very least advertorials.

but make no mistake, we have not arrived, all this is just birth pangs and teething problems. blogging will continue to evolve, or the blogger will. and along with it, communication, marketing and advertising practices.

yongfook talks about the evolution of blogs into lifestreams. We interact with the internet so much, that lifestreams will basically aggregate our online experiences, a somewhat centralised point where people can be kept up to date about our activity on the net. kinda like leaving virtual breadcrumbs. all picked up by RSS readers of course.

friendfeed and sweetcron are the possible first manifestations of this future. you can check my friendfeed on my sidebar. everything also gets aggregated to my tumblog

So what do i mean by "Beyond Blogs"? Well, as the communications industry and corporate entities start paying more attention to bloggers, recognising us as part of the communications ecosystem, inviting us in their conversations, activities, press conferences, product reviews.. etc. we're already seeing how blogs and bloggers are evolving.

this is where some of my fear and paranoia lie, especially as a communications practitioner. what sort of blogging culture are we breeding with our media activity? do we see the blog as a tool? or the blogger as the tool?

there's a stark difference in this. i value the blogger. i think the blogger and their ideas, conversations are what i'm interested in when we conduct media activity. the blog in that sense, should be the least of your concerns. there are so many ways BESIDES the blog to share information and have conversation, and yes.. these conversations are increasingly happening online.

and with communications practitioners constantly reaching out to bloggers, what culture are we perpetuating? i won't go into much specifics, but i hope it won't become a festering pool of product placement, fake shakey-cams passing off as "reality", or ungenuine reviews and reporting. what's the point in all that?

communication that matters, is when it's genuine, transparent and meaningful. but i think that's too much of an ideal, there will always be some corporate matters that stay corporate matters. Maybe if we all thought carefully of what our businesses are about, we would know how to communicate it to the media, to the people.

by starting on the this train of thought, the concept that goes "beyond blogs", is to perhaps envision a future where media and public life are asynchronus. where press events can become public events, afterall.. everyone has a media capture device these days. and we'll get our share of professional media, and personal media.

it's earstwhile to highlight this post by Chris Anderson, who champions the passionate amateur, as opposed to the bored journalist. LINK

he's a bit biased, but i agree with him. but i believe thie bored journalist happens when they've lost their lustre to write. we still have great journalism today, and some very memorable ones in the past. and good journalist deliver a value that sometimes even the most passionate amateur may not be able to deliver. perhaps a skill, a flair, a trained insight, the kind of thing that only professionalism can give you.

but i'm not discounting passionate amateurs, who go out of their way to find the information that makes the most sense to micro-audiences, and sometimes, very wide audiences... increasingly, this line is getting blurred.

different motivations for very different writers. in that sense, whether paying a blogger is something we want to discuss, i say that as more journalists find themselves blogging, and as more bloggers find themselves being credible, responsible and professional, there's a middleground where both meet to be writers/bloggers/content producers that get paid.

in the future, we HAVE to see more content producers, as audiences get increasingly fragmented, post modern, searching for different facets of the truth, that there will be a breed of digital natives that are credited, and regarded to present that truth, or at least a facet of it.

will it go beyond eyeballs and readership, subscription numbers? i don't know per se.. but i'm very interested in any conversation around that.

but the media network of the future will be far more interesting, more brazen, more truth seekers.. but it'll also be harder to tell the truth from lie, from signal vs. noise.. it could go either way. i don't know if i dare predict utopia.. i envision more happening, but whether or not it ends up as a good thing, depends on how we wield our tools now.

today.

spelling out your soul.

interesting now that i'm making time to blog, and learning to let the words flow again.. i don't feel as if i carry certain burdens.

blogging is definitely cathartic for me, especially when i'm not trying to prove anything. just pure, unbridled passion when it comes to putting words together.

sometimes you blog to communicate an idea or message. this is not one of those times.. it's just pure, unbridled hurling of language, broadcasting, publishing, remembering how to live

it's all a bit self indulging, i'll be the first to admit that. but this is more than just publishing, online reputation management, or whatever it is we blog for these days.

this is the self-indulgant side of the writer, not to whinge or unfairly criticise someone else to vindicate one's injustice.. this is the manic, fervent side of writing.. the part that doesn't really get filtered and you trust your instincts, skills and own character when you go straight from brain to screen.

this is how i started, and what i want to remember, to retain, or retrain that essence.. the character of the writer, the ideal of the auteur.. the paradox that in being so open with my thinking.. it's actually a barrier to other people.. because maybe only "i" truly understand what i'm typing.

being a good writer requires a certain kind of discipline and talent.. both of which i think can be cultivated. i see this excercise as developing that raw discipline and talent.. to start good habits, carve yourself a groove so that when you need to pull the skills out, you can. you don't have to wait for inspiration to hit you.. rather, you're always inspired.

the way your words flow, the pacing you use with punctuation, the tone based on what words you use and how your string them together.. language and writing is truly one of the conerstones of any culture, any clue that our humanity is more than cells, mitochondria, dna, hormones, chemical imbalances, subatomic particles.

the ghost in the shell.. as if it were from another world, keeping it all together..