Behold Blizzard’s Battle.net 2.0: Manage WoW and Grab Starcraft II Beta
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 21st, 2009
Note: If you’re having problems logging in to the new Battle.net, I found a solution! Add a “www” to the “https://” address. Thus it will look like this:
https://www.battle.net/account/index.xml
Now, on to it!
It’s finally here! Blizzard is taking the Steam route and merging World of Warcraft accounts into Battle.net. If you aren’t familiar with the company’s free online gaming servers it’s probably because you grew up buying pirated versions of Diablo, Warcraft and Starcraft — you never got to enjoy the awesomeness that was Battle.net. It was way ahead of its time — owners of Starcraft and Warcraft II and III could compete in online ladder matches while Diablo II players could go for Hardcore mode where your toons are submitted to the virtual graveyard when you die — permanently!
So I just did what any Blizzard fan should do and merged my World of Warcraft account with the new Battle.net ID.
The biggest benefit to signing up with Battle.net is it’s beta program — this is how Blizzard will be distributing their limited beta keys for Starcraft II. The new Battle.net will also be the portal for online store purchases and account management for all their games. What are you waiting for? Create a Battle.net account now in time for Diablo III and Starcraft II!
Just arrived: DrinkBot Decanter, Robot Box Shots, Charooba Mug
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 20th, 2009
Drinking is fun with the TikiBar TV DrinkBot Decanter, Robot Box Shot Glasses and the Official Charooba Mug. 
Who wants to review these with me?
Applied Learnings from Metaphysics
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 20th, 2009
OK so I cheated. This is actually a repost of something I did about a year ago for Qwantz. I was so engrossed in it, that I submitted two panels to Ryan. This is what you get when you graduate from two years worth of Metaphysics classes from PAREF Southridge School for Boys and the University of Asia and the Pacific.
In these two panels, I explain the “act of being.”
Click on the images to view the full size so you can read the text better.
Blog Tips for EXTRA Credibility in Sponsored Manila Events
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 18th, 2009Sucked into the “blogging thing” and now attending blog events? Read on.
You’ve seen medicine bottles having labels such as “fast acting” and “long lasting.” Some even have “extra” for “extra strength.” Sure, you know deep down it’s just marketing boohoo but you still end up buying that bottle. You know what? Maybe the same can be said for blogging, especially when we attend events. In this post, I will elaborate more on blog events and engaging with PR agencies, independent publicists, and marketing managers as a blogger in Manila.
Here are some thoughts to guide you through attending events. There’s nothing wrong with doing so — in fact we’re probably the only country that engages bloggers as a relevant part of the “media” through face to face engagements.
Let’s do this!
The truth is, a lot of PR practitioners do not read your blog. Sad right? But it’s true! They only do when you email them the post you proudly wrote. The most obvious sign that they don’t read is when they tell you after an event “hey can you email me when your post is up?” As a blogger who’s probably new to PR engagements, you aim to please. As a glossy journo for tech, that is one of the biggest insults ever known to someone in the publishing industry (You’re attending events right? You’re getting press kits right? So yes you’re now part of the industry). It’s the publicist’s job to collate media values (including those posts in your blog) — not you. In fact they aren’t even supposed to pester you to ask if you’ve written about them.
Let’s go to the “extra” i was talking about in the first paragraph. You can’t buy credibility. In fact, credibility is all you’ve got as a blogger. So let’s assume that you are fairly credible – you write fairly well, you know some optimization tricks, you take decent photos … but wait — why does your blog template suck?. First impressions last, especially in this industry. Go for EXTRA credibility. Ask yourself this question — do you think that out of the hundreds of thousands of free templates, there is one that actually says “this is me.” I’m not saying that you should spend an arm and a leg for a new template (mine is from Gisele — check out her amazing portfolio). Differentiate yourself with a layout that truly identifies you as you. If you don’t know how to design, get help. We are a community after all. The last thing you want is a template that vaguely resembles someone else’. There is no excuse. You are after all, part of the “industry” now (I can’t stop highlighting this!). Oh maybe buy your own domain while you’re at it.
If you want to be known, be known for only one or two things, and make sure you do these well. To the SEO and blogging industry, having many blogs is absolutely normal. But when you start to engage marketers, you don’t say “hello, I write for twenty blogs.” They won’t see you as a brand. They’ll see you as a production house. You’ll know this when they give you a sheepish grin. Trust me, I’ve seen it before.
But what about those really good writers who’ve made names for themselves and don’t really have a professional looking blog? See, that’s the thing – they’ve already made a name for themselves. Or .. their popularity has exceeded the need for them to dress up. Again, I’m just talking about getting the “extra.”
You know if you’re going to take home something from all of this, it would be a call to action to let there be some sort of harmony with your online brand and yourself, since you are seen every week! You can’t separate it — even if you wanted to.
Complete Diggnation GoDaddy Promo Codes
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 17th, 2009
Anyone who has bought a domain from GoDaddy will recount such an awful experience with their up-selling strategy. It’s scary: you just don’t know if those extra “but wait, there’s more!” promos went to your checkout cart by accident. Nonetheless, I still use GoDaddy to buy my domains and have the name servers redirected to my Dreamhost account.
If you’re a big fan of Diggnation (or any other show by Revision3 for that matter) you’ve probably entered a promo code to avail of discounts and special promotions to GoDaddy, Netflix, Squarespace, Braintoniq … you get the picture. Here’s a complete list of all the promo codes from Revision3. Apparently everything is on their site, but not everyone knows this!
So next time you buy a domain, use the promo codes above at the checkout cart page to avail of discounts
UNO Magazine at Martini’s on the 21st
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 17th, 2009
Hey, first off thanks for coming to Capone’s last month. This weekend, we’re doing it again but this time we’re officially welcoming RJ Ledesma as the new editor in chief. You might have seen a sneak peek last month, but it is true — UNO is heading towards a new direction with a completely new team. This month we’re having cocktails at the Martini’s this weekend, the 21st of March 9:00 PM.
If you wish to RSVP, you can fill out the form below:
Steve Wozniak on Dancing with the Stars
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 14th, 2009
Gotta hand it to him — he may not be the most elegant on the dance floor, but he sure can kick up a storm. Go Woz!
So blame RJ, he dragged me into this –!!!
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 12th, 2009
You’ve probably heard it from the small world of print, but WTF here it is. UNO is bringing in a brand new team with an official reboot to the magazine this June 2009. You will however notice small changes in the current issues of March, April and May ’09 as we work towards a June affair. RJ Ledesma, our new EIC dragged into this: I’m reunited once again with Yvette Tan and Luis Katigbak from the good ‘ol days of Hinge Inquirer. I’ve finally met the faces behind the names: Juan Caguicla, Erwin Romulo, Ramon De Veyra, and Shawn Yao.
On the cover for March is Karen Pamintuan. I’m their new tech editor. And we’re also re-launching a brand new blogger-friendly site
Manila, Cebu,Davao and other cities now on Google Maps thanks to Map Maker
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 12th, 2009
It’s been seven months since the launch of Google Map Maker in the Philippines and Google just announced that the hundreds of users who contributed tens of thousands of edits finally have their cartography placed officially on Google Maps.
As I’ve reported before, Google Map Maker is the “sandbox” where users can map out familiar areas in their locus. After the details have been verified by other users and community managers, the data is transferred into Google Maps for the entire world to see as “official.”
“Congratulations to the thousands of Filipino users who have successfully contributed to Google Map Maker! The Philippines is one of the most challenging places to map because of the diverse topography of its more than 7,000 islands—this is why there is a dearth of accurate map data available online. Because of the collaborative efforts of local map enthusiasts, we are beginning to see the “physical face” of the Philippines getting clearer over time for the global community to see. This is a great start, but know there is much more to do, so we encourage you to join your fellow Pinoys and contribute to Google Map Maker to give the Philippines an accurate virtual country map to be proud of,” said Derek Callow, Head of Marketing, Google Southeast Asia. [source]
The videos I posted here are time line progressions of Manila and Davao. Also, since we’re on the topic of mapping our place in the world, our entry to the Seven New Wonders of the World, the Subterranean River in Puerto Princesa just got bumped down from first to second place. I encourage everyone to vote for our lovely underground wonder and bump it up back to first place. Currently, The Amazon River is now number one.
Discovering Roy Dotrice and his 500 voices
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 10th, 2009
It is no secret that I have sold myself to audiobooks, devoting time to “reading” at least 12 books a year from my iPod. And it was with such audacity that I invested time to a reading of book one of A Song of Fire and Ice: A Game of Thrones by famous fantasy author George R. R. Martin. The audiobook spans 33 hours and is read by British actor Roy Dotrice, who voices over 500 characters (you might know him from Hellboy II: The Golden Army and The Cutting Edge).
Yes 500 voices. Such is the world of Martin’s fantasy. All voiced by Roy.
Wonder how he remembers them all. Wonder why I have the book version and the audio as well. Hm.
Tommy Emmanuel plays Angelina
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 10th, 2009
Not a lot of people know Tommy Emmanuel. When you speak of guitar gods you probably won’t even hear his name. But he does exist, and he’s definitely one of the greatest.
Oh, found him on YouTube.
