Tag: Projects

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Man in the Mirror recorded on a Samson C01U

The Samson CO1U Condenser microphone has received legendary reviews from tech community groups and audiophiles alike. I have been exposed to using the microphone ever since Vic Icasas lent me one for recording the Mobile Philippines podcasts late last year with Art Ilano and Adel Gabot.

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After months of mental debate on whether I should be getting one, I finally decided to bite the hook, as I also found it useful for singing duets with Boogie and recording acoustic music – apart from its more suitable use as a podcast microphone. For current Samson owners, it would be wise to download the SoftPre application to configure the microphone to suit your needs. The microphone retails for P3,890.00 and is sold in all Audiophile stores. This is the recommended piece of equipment for those who wish to take their audio recording to the next level, without the burden of a hefty budget.

The complete recording set includes the microphone, the stand and the spider mount which retails for a little less than P5,500. You can actually forego the spider mount but I suggest getting the solid base because it only costs P420.00. You can also utilize your Make and Do skills to create your own pop filter using an old pair of stockings and a shirt hanger.

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Without further ado, here is my rendition of Man in the Mirror, originally written by Michael Jackson. This version is arranged by Tuck Andress. Please pardon the mistakes, as I was having a hard time playing this piece on a classical guitar (it’s much easier to play this on a steel string folk guitar as the fret boards are smaller). Or maybe I’m just rusty.

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Mostly Everything

How to increase the chance of getting a Press Release published

In the communications industry, advertising in magazines is one effective means of getting your message across. Placing a one page advertisment on the right newspaper or magazine can most probably get the message to your target demographic. However, there is always a back door to getting published without having to pay a cent. Welcome to the strategy known as the press release – a means to get your message through without having to pay P100,000.00 for an ad space.

I was part of a panel last week at the “PR Rocks” PRSP Summit together with Ms. Pennie Azarcon-dela Cruz of Sunday Inquirer Magazine and Jones Campos of Globe Corporate PR. We discussed the Malu Fernandez controversy from an editorial perspective, corporate transparency to consumers, and tips on how to pitch to the media. Ms. Pennie, an award winning editor, gave some tips on how to make the editor’s job easier in choosing which press release to place.

Are you a PR or marketing practitioner? Here are some effective ways to get your press released published. You have to bear in mind that dozens of press releases make it to the inbox of newspaper and magazine editors every day. How does the editor pick the really good ones to publish? How do you make your piece of paper stand out from the rest of the stack? Here is a compiled list from Ms. Penny with some of my notes:

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Mostly Everything

Talk WITH the hand!

For the longest time I’ve held on to the premise that video podcasts should only be done when you have something value-added to show off that can’t be conveyed through a regular audio podcast. On a more practical note, audio podcasts are also much easier to download and can be utilized for a more flexible listening experience while in transit. If your video show is composed of talking head(s), why not just extract the audio and you’ll most likely get the same result?

Lately though, I feel like taking that statement back. I’ve started to become more interested in these “talking heads” shows where you see one, two or more people propped on chairs deep in an avid discussion. Notice the facial expressions of people on video who are very passionate and enthusiastic. Look at the hand gestures and movements they make to and from their seats. Notice the rapport that develops as they face one another.

These small changes in body language contribute to an inflection you do not notice on audio. Which is why I feel it would always be good to do video podcasts with people who are very expressive and restless. Body language can convey other feelings such as sincerity, concern and sadness. Have you been watching Darren Rowse’s weekly Problogger videos? He’s always pleasant – which is on tangent to his online writing personality.

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Mostly Everything

Moo has new products by the way

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Have you checked out the new offering from Moo lately? I posted about Moo’s awesome printing service several months ago. They now let you print stickers which you can slap onto journals and other things you want to personalize. A set of 90 stickers costs about $10.00.

Moo Minicards

I tried ordering a new set of Moo Cards yesterday and I got a transaction error after ordering two boxes of cards. Apart from this anomaly, I’ve found Moo cards to make good alternatives to printing biz cards yourself. You avoid all the hassles of buying materials and finding a printer. But best of all, Moo cards gives you an edge to start a conversation with the person you’re giving it too. Here’s a tip: choose a background photo that makes for a good conversation piece.

The only downside to these Moo cards is that your chances of getting picked in a goldfish bowl raffle is reduced to half 🙂

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Mostly Everything

The Narrow River of Content

Winthrop Yu, former head honcho of PC Magazine Philippines led me to this Forbes piece on how specialist blogs are stealing rich advertising from tech media – and I don’t just mean traditional tech publications, but their online counterparts also. In other words, if I were an advertiser, I’d actually see more value in putting ads in TechCrunch and Engadget than in CNET, PC Magazine and its online PC Mag website.

What?! Why the online counterparts? Because the surfing public is smarter now. They use popup ad blockers to get rid of annoying and unwanted ads that cram content into a funnel, you’d be forced to sprawl a 600 word article into 4 pages just to get more page views.

According to the article, Google Search revolutionized advertising, as searching for content in the form of products and services proved to bring in a sense of “demand” from the consumer and contextually targeting advertising to match content. Hence, Google AdSense is raking in tons of cash from just technology blogs alone.

In the “old model” of print, you’d need a publishing house and a printing press as well as your editorial, sales and marketing staff to run the business. On the web, you barely need an office. You don’t even need a sales team as the consumers themselves target ads for you via contextual search.

OK hold on. Before this post grows into a “new vs traditional media” rant, I kid you not, it isn’t. Let’s talk about traditional web sites.

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