Curious About What We Did At Davao’s First Blog Weekend Bootcamp 2012?

Last September 21-23, 2012, I and my fellow freelancers from Butuan City ventured to the mountains of Calinan, Davao City and explored Malagos Garden Resort as we engaged in a three-day workshop about bloggers as digital influencers, photo blogging, video blogging, niche blogging, and social media etiquette in participation with Davao’s First Blog Weekend Bootcamp organized by the Davao Bloggers.

WHO WERE WITH ME?

Carl Erik Cortez, my mentor and the genius behind Carlfinity Web Solutions, a premier web development company based in Butuan City, Philippines.

-and-

Luvina Mae Aro, my friend since high school and a soon-to-be food blogger at Intrinsic Calcarry.

shuttle ride towards our cabins in Malagos Garden Resort

WHO WERE THE SPEAKERS?

For both tracks:

Janette Toral of Digital Filipino welcomed the delegates with her keynote speech about the 2012 blogosphere. You can view a copy of her presentation about Bloggers as Digital Influencers HERE.

Jojie Alcantara, a columnist, artist and photographer gave a free impromptu lesson on basic   Photo Blogging.

Jay Frank de Jesus, the Emerging Media Specialist from the US Embassy, talked about The State of Blogging and Social Media in the Philippines.

For the Advanced Track (this is where I and Carl belonged to):

Justin Cooke, the Chief Idea Generator from Adsense Flippers taught techniques relevant to Niche Blogging.

Kring Elenzano of FunnySexy.ph and a popular vlogger walked us into the world of Video Blogging and how to monetize it.

Roy Geonzon, President of the Davao Chapter of the KBP shared KBP’s code of ethics which could also be useful in Blogging.

For Beginner’s Track (this is where Luvina belonged to):

Rene Lizada, columnist and writer, emphasized the importance of good writing and shared tips on how not to run out of creative juices

Aileen Apollo de Jesus, Head of Outreach for Google Southeast Asia talked about Blogging 101 and shared tools by Google that are useful to bloggers.

contents of our kit

WHAT WERE THE ACTIVITIES?

BLOGATHON

It was a blogging marathon wherein we were grouped into 4 teams to work on assigned tasks and topics with the guidance and mentorship of the Davao Bloggers’ Officers. The members were a mixture of advanced and beginner bloggers. This was also the same grouping for the video blogging and social night. The advanced bloggers assisted the newbies set-up their blog which will be used for the rest of the activities in the workshop.

VIDEO BLOGGING

It was an on-the-spot video project. We only had 4 hours to complete it and with only 2 hours of daylight left to shoot it. Talk about pressure! Our group’s theme was about “Social Media and Internet as Tools for Boosting Tourism”

The product of our brainstorming can be viewed here. Enjoy! -> Team Turista’s 4-minute videoblog

SOCIAL NIGHT

It was a fun game night with like minded people. Among our activities were:

1. Cheering Competition – we won this category by presenting a modified version of Bring it On’s popular chant: “Brr! It’s Cold in Here”

Photo credits: Sir Migs G. Hipolito

2. I don’t know what this game was called. Each group was assigned its distinctive animal sound. Ours was a wounded cat; hence, we opted to make the sound: MEOUCH! Then 4 blindfolded members who were scattered must locate the rest of the teammates just by shouting the group’s sound and trace its origin. The first team to regroup wins. Check out the video below to visualize how it was done.

If above video fails to display, you can view it here -> Search for the rest of the teammates game

Video From: Vanessa Mabini

3. Pinoy Henyo – This was similar to what’s played at Eat Bulaga every noontime. We had a lot of laughs in this game because some words used were kinky. 😀

4. Trivia Night – This was the final game for the night and the questions were about general knowledge and each team wrote their answers in flash cards just like a group quiz bowl.

MALAGOS GARDEN’S INTERACTIVE BIRD SHOW

On our final day at Malagos Garden Resort, we were privileged to witness a magnificent full production free flight bird show that featured rehabilitated birds. You can have a glimpse of it in the video footage below. Be mesmerized!

After the bird show, my friends I toured around the resort for a while and got up close with the wild.

kiss bird, kissing bird, bird kissing

Allow me to show you more pictures about our Blog Weekend Bootcamp in this slideshow below. Fancy it! 😀

Oh by the way, I heard from one of the event’s organizers that they are planning a sequel of this workshop on the summer of 2013. It is said to be more intensive. Will you join it? Let me know in the comments section below.

Photo from: Jojie Alcantara

Photo is from Jojie Alcantara’s news article at Sunstar September 28,2012 issue

This event was made possible by the support of the US Embassy Manila and our sponsors:
Smart Communications, Inc.
Malagos Garden Resort
Sulit.com.ph
Abreeza Ayala Malls
Crea8tech Solutions, Inc
San Miguel Brewery, Inc
Kaiserwebs Solutions
Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc

UPDATE: Here’s a recap of the 1st Blog Weekend Bootcamp in Davao! You can watch it in HD 🙂 Video by Kenth O’Bajo

What I wore:
Pink Hello Kitty blouse
Denim skirt (similar)
Metallic Long Necklace
Multicolored Circle Link Bracelet
Orange Jacket (similar)
Black Form-fitting Dress
Ribbon Collar Necklace
White Studded Long Blouse
Casio Watch
Royal Blue Doll Shoes

Thank you for your time Thrifty Looker! May God bless you more! Sayonara!

Sarj of Thrifty Look

Other posts related to Davao’s 1st Blog Weekend bootcamp:

Jumpstarting My Blogging Career with Davao’s 1st Blog Weekend Bootcamp

Met Glitter Halfway in Davao City

3 Outfits for Davao’s 1st Blog Weekend Bootcamp

Watch Malagos Garden’s Interactive Bird Show When in Davao

I Kissed A Bird And I Liked It

What is in Malagos Garden Resort?

Sarj

Sarj is a medic, web architect, and a data nerd at ThriftyLook.com

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8 Responses

  1. Glad you enjoyed the event Sarj!

    • Sarj says:

      Thanks Ma’am Janette for reading my blog post! We learned so many things from your presentation about Bloggers as Digital Influencers. 🙂 You were a blessing!

  2. puppyblew07 says:

    nice one~ 😀 i kept smiling while looking at the “find your group via animal noises” video. the video captured our win! muhahaha!! XD

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