Mr. Peddler's Blog

My Web Presence

2008-12-05T10:25:00Z

I have been using the Internet from 1998 when I used to have a homepage dedicated to the services we offer at The Thinking Press, a desktop printing shop I operated from 1997 to 2004. I already forgot the URL, but it was among the first websites from Ibaan. It was really hard then, because you must build your pages locally on your computer and upload via FTP (file transfer protocol), a tool that was usually bundled with the modem's driver, and which mostly servers and professional website designers use now to publish a website. With the advent of online website editing tools that has made instant web logs or blogs possible, and free hosting, practically anyone who has something to say or sell can create a website nowadays.

Here is a list of the websites I created after The Thinking Press. Sites in bold are those that I make regular updates on. You may visit the sites and tell me what you think.

Sangkomunidad
I have created this site on Tripod to showcase the projects of the Literature Division of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, with a vision to gather Filipino writers to share in one online community. Users get regular updates that they themselves can post on the site, and download literary works submitted for free distribution by writers. I no longer make updates to the site from the time I left CCP after my contract.

Barakothemovie.com
This is the official Multiply site of the indie movie, Barako, written, co-directed and co-produced by me in 2007. The movie still circulates from time to time. Domain name is courtesy of my co-producer, Warly Guerra's Ibaan.net.

Philippine Write Network
This site shares the vision of Sangkomunidad, but more open and dynamic since it hasn't been done for an institution, but as a personal contribution to Philippine literature. The trouble, I guess, is to launch the site in a blogging platform, which is Blogger. The homepage is linked to several blogs in a navigation bar across the page, that form the site's different sections. It should have been done on a different platform, like Bravenet or Tripod. It's been months since I last touched it, but I promise to make edits and updates soon.

Domeyn
I just started this blog for my Filipino classes when I was teaching at De La Salle University. I still love the concept and might continue blogging here.

MyLako.biz
My business site that came with a domain name purchase at GoDaddy.com and your gateway to my two MyLako social networks on Ning. It gives an introduction to MyLako and features Barako coffee as my main product and links to online income opportunities.

MyLako - Ibaan
As mentioned previously, this is part of MyLako networks, dedicated to my town mates in Ibaan, Batangas.

MyLako - Expansion
MyLako - Ibaan would have served as the matrix for what I envision to become a social network for the whole province, but after learning about certain limitations on space and bandwidth with a free Ning account, I have created another network instead as an expansion. Ibaan fellows can also join the provincial network using the same login info.

Mr. Peddler's Blog
My GoDaddy.com blog where I intend to discuss products, services and online opportunities that I offer, part of my online monetizing strategy.

PTC Bookmarks
Believe it or not, a blog on Blogger dedicated to my paid to click or PTC programs. You can join via my links here and follow my "101 When to Click" daily.

Making Sense of PTC

2008-11-27T23:41:00Z

Web surfers clicking on links are getting paid for bringing the traffic PTC or paid-to-click sites promised to the advertisers. Well, that's great for the surfers. But is it really okay to the advertisers? Can we still call that quality traffic if we pay someone to pay us a visit? It doesn't seem to make sense...

Well, that was my first reaction when I stumbled upon an invitation for a PTC program. I have always believed that good online income could only come from serious online work, which also meant hardwork. I can never take this seriously.

But people are never the same. I must also have something to offer those who are not like me. You can never tell what catches the attention of users. They keep looking for something that suits them best. Is it an affiliate or referral program where they can earn commissions? Is it remote work where they can apply their skills or expertise? Or is it something they can do with less thinking and hardwork?

It can be PTC. So in order to be able to offer these programs on my site, I must join and try them myself. How could I ever sincerely offer something that I didn't try, in the first place?

Oh well, it was like a joke to me as I was making those first clicks.

You know what happened? It does make sense to me now. Once I get myself on the advertiser's page, it absorbs and transforms me from a mere paid-to-click to a real site visitor. The benefits on the side of the advertiser are twofold: it makes me aware that such a site exists, and then, it can also convert me into a customer. The same reasons why we surfers deserve to get paid for our time.

So, that's PTC to me. Here are some programs you can try out. Each of them has its own edge over the other. You can go back here and tell me your own observations. Click:

PTC 1
PTC 2
PTC 3

No coffeemaker? Here's how you brew it.

2008-11-25T21:38:00Z

Batangueños have been drinking probably the best coffee in the whole world for centuries and many (including me) don't even have a coffeemaker. We've learned how to brew roasted coffee (Tagalog galapong, gal'pong) from the elders who are quick to remind us of the finer things. The following are just a few.

Brewing instructions for Barako coffee:

Let boil a desired volume of water.
Remove from heat upon boiling.
Add spoonfuls of coffee.
Don’t stir (I mean, the coffee).
Wait for 5 minutes.
Serve with a desired amount of sugar.

Optionally use a filter to keep the grains out.

Usual ratios:

       1 spoonful of coffee to 2 cups of water, adjust to taste.
       Same ratio applies with your coffeemaker.

FAQ:

Why boil the water first?
It is a common mistake even among the locals to boil coffee along with water. When you do that, the grains will never subside (ever!). Same thing happens when you put coffee as the water boils. The best thing to do is to put the fire off (save gas) and add coffee.

Which really is Batangas coffee?
Batangueños know their coffee to be Barako. But many unknowingly buy Excelsa and mistake all roasted coffee for Barako. Even sellers prefer Excelsa because it is cheaper. You will usually find Barako among wholesalers, and they don’t even know it’s also called Liberica. Even I just learned it lately.

When do we add sugar?
Batangueños boil water with sugar so it becomes ready to drink with coffee. We don’t usually use filter so we simply avoid stirring the cup to keep the grains down. The amount of sugar is usually twice that of coffee, or that depends on your taste.

I'll be making updates as I recall other things on this topic. Meanwhile, you can post your questions or comments. Email manosulit@mylako.biz for your orders.

A note on the photo: A scene from my movie, "Barako" with actors Mike Coroza and Arnold Reyes.

Coffee for the Brave and Strong

2008-11-19T13:08:00Z

People who love coffee find nothing wrong with as much as having six cups a day, but those who think otherwise will always come up with 101 reasons not to drink coffee. Even if studies show that coffee drinkers have the lowered risk of acquiring type-2 or “adult-onset” diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, and that basically, coffee is a good source of antioxidants, even more than the magnified health benefits of green tea.

Coffee is the second largest traded commodity in the world after oil, with Brazil as its largest exporter. The two main varieties or species of coffee are Coffea arabica or simply, Arabica from the Arabian Peninsula, and Coffea canephora, the popular Robusta with lesser flavor but has more caffeine and antioxidants. The latter is used in most espressos blends because it is cheaper and produces more foamy heads than Arabica.

Still there are two lesser grown varieties, namely Liberica and Exelsa. As many Batangueños would not even know – “Barako” is Liberica and is considered native to the Philippines.

Many writers of Barako suspect the name to have come from the “male boar” but if linguistics is to be consulted, not only do Batangueños call pigs barako, but other animals as well and people themselves, whether men or women, as long as they manifest either masculinity or strength – or bravery. That's how we use the word - not a being but a character.

The Spaniards brought coffee to the Philippines 250 years ago. A history of this coffee points to the Macasaet Family of Brgy. Pinagtung-ulan, Batangas to have planted the first Barako tree from a Brazilian cutting in the 1800s.

We became the world’s 4th largest coffee producer in the 19th century. The best plantations then were in Batangas. Queen Isabela had made Lipa into a city in 1887 and called it Villa de Lipa owing to its prosperity during the coffee boom.

An infestation called “Coffee Rust,” though did not totally wipe out the plantations, had signaled the decline of the Philippine coffee industry. World demand for coffee began to favor countries from South America.

Barako, then and now, is considered “rare and exotic” grown only in three out of about 70 coffee producing countries. The Philippines share the distinction of being the home of Barako with Ethiopia and Malaysia.

Ironically, Barako remains the country’s top coffee export with $150,000 for every 1,200 bags sold every year, despite threats of extinction due to massive conversion of plantations to favor other crops and the onslaught of imported coffee following the lifting of tariff barriers in 2005.

(Note: I sell Barako coffee from my place here in Batangas for only P500 per 500 g., inclusive of shipping fees. Email me or use the comment box for inquiries. Thanks!)

Sources: 1, 2, 3

I "Own" the Philippines' No. 1 Site

2008-11-11T20:59:00Z

Yes, I do! After all, it's my surname.

Buy and Sell Philippines, popularly known as Sulit.com.ph, is the country's no. 1 e-commerce site owing to its popularity marked by high rankings in the Search Engines and millions of visitors. You cannot miss the site by a simple search for online classifieds, products and services. Members not only enjoy free ad spaces, they are also able to build profile sites, also for free, and join the others in chat and discussion. No wonder it has become hugely popular in only two years since its inception. And for a Filipino e-commerce site to do that is truly amazing. I would really like to think I own the site!

But the developer of this remarkable site is RJ David, a twenty something Mechanical Engineer-turned-web developer. He entered the IT industry in 2003 as a Software Test Engineer, in 2005 as a PHP Architect / Senior Developer, and on to become a full time freelancer. In a post at Pinoy Tech Blog.com, RJ's "decision to leave the security of employment was brought about by the influence of the book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” (by Robert Kiyosaki) on him." I might as well grab a copy of that book.

Personally, I agree about three things from that post: the clean and simple interface, the greatly enhanced product gallery and the large amount of posts in each category. Usually when you opt for a free service anywhere, you have a poor chance of getting noticed, as compared with a paid or premium service. But with Sulit.com.ph, not discounting the fact that you get better chances with its premium services, you can't feel that you are being left behind. Which only means that the developer has a heart for everybody.

Fortunately for me, the great guy is not a Sulit! I can still have a chance to buy the whole thing some other day. Meanwhile, I may just take pride brandishing the site's banners better than anybody else. Thanks, RJ, for choosing such a great domain name!

You may want to visit MY site here.

Download a new book for FREE

2008-11-10T20:02:00Z

Recently I got myself introduced to Mark Joyner, not face-to-face, but through two books titled "Mind-Control Marketing" and "The Great Formula". These are marketing books, of course, which I highly recommend if you're into business, or seeking to start one. What I love about Mark Joyner's books is that they're not scary as marketing books and are very comfortable reads. Reading chapters from "The Great Formula," for example, don't eat much of your time, and Mark has filled his books with many practical one-liners (I think he learned that from the "Ten Commandments") that are easy to follow in the conduct of our business.

I forgot the download links for these books as they are one-time offers, but I just got the news that the #1 best-selling author that people like Dearl Miller call "the greatest marketing mind of our generation" has just released his new book, but it's not yet available at your local bookstore. Instead, we can download it now for free.

If you want to learn how to grow your business, this is an absolute must-read.

And the Integration Marketing Deal Board you'll find there is one of the most powerful marketing resources on the net.

Here's something you can always afford... a second thought!

2008-11-02T23:24:00Z

I was able to compare GoDaddy.com with another major domain service before I decided to buy one. People on a tight budget like us understandably would look at the price first, like this very attractive $1.99 for a domain name registration. $1.99! That's about Php 100 only!

It came (as always) with a free starter web page. With a starter web page, I could practically place every interesting link to a product or service on the web, and of course, a good introduction to MyLako and this blog. I hurried to fill out the form and proceeded to checkout, however the service could not process transactions at the time.

It dampened my excitement, so I went to GoDaddy.com instead to check if the price was somewhat close. I saw similar $1.99 offer, but reading on, it was just part of other purchases you would make. At $9.99 for the first year, GoDaddy.com sale was still more costly than the previous offer.

I went back and tried another purchase. This time, I made still another closer look, flipping my browser tabs between this one and GoDaddy.com. I realized that with this one, I would pay $34.95 after the term expired. With GoDaddy.com, at least it's just about a dollar added to $9.99 after the first year, and there were $100-worth FREE EXTRAS. Aside from the starter web page, I would get free blogcast, 5-page website, web-based email, online photo album and more.

Finally, I settled for GoDaddy.com. I even decided to go for a .biz domain because my desired name was no longer available in .com (right now there's a )

When you're on a tight budget, the wisest thing you could ever afford was a second thought. A low first offer could not always go on forever. This I did and I got started enjoyably on my own domain. Come take a look!

A Reason for Blogging

2008-10-30T13:59:53Z

Welcome to my blog at MyLako.Biz.

This is an offshoot of the network I created for my town Ibaan, MyLako hosted on Ning. With this, I hope to entice all the nearly 4,000 town mates on Friendster to setup their own pages there, so we could gather all our social media activities in one place - and do business with each other. For me, that's how we can add a business value to social networking.

Hence the name MyLako: my - for your personalized web experience plus lako - Tagalog for peddle, product, ware or trade. Batangueños are best known as a peddling people from the Philippines' Southern Tagalog region. Anywhere we go in the country, we have always been pictured as a friendly face with an open smile (a smiley, that is) and as far as selling is concerned, it becomes our advantage over the Chinese, Indians and Muslims who also operate in the area.

About me - I am a poet. What an introduction, but well, I really am. I have authored a book of poems, and another one coming. Aside from this, I have also written, directed and produced an indie film - a full two-hour release. I used to teach in a university, but I was unhappy somehow, so I decided to quit. I love working on the computer and the Internet. Fortunately, when I quit teaching, I got an assignment doing remote work and it's all I do now, getting up at 2 AM and from 3-4 hours deal with my buyer's back office requirements, SEO/SEM and social media activities. The best part is, unlike how it is with many Filipinos, I work without having to leave my family.

I make sure to get formal studies on web design so eventually I could become a webmaster and a real master of the web (confused?). I am reading perhaps even more about this technology and the marketing that goes with it than all the poems and stories I have read as a writer and teacher. But in my view, never does it contradict my creative calling. I am also aiming to create e-books and to sell them online. How's that to you?

For now, as the learning curve for the above could not be shortened, I will be blogging about things that can add value and vitality to our lives.

That's it for today. I hope you'll be checking back here more often for new entries.

Thank you and God bless!