Well, camp is over, and all the campers have returned back to their nests. For those of you that missed out on the event, I would highly consider attending WordCamp 2008. There were around 400 men and women bloggers and developers in attendance over the course of the 2 day conference. It was great to witness the enthusiasm that everyone had for contributing to the WordPress community, and meet people who are passionate about blogging and free media. It reminded me of the reasons why I got hooked on the WordPress community from the start.
Honestly, I felt overwhelmingly under-read while listening to most of the conversations in the room. There are really so many amazing blogs out there. Blogs that are creating real change in parts of the world where a free press is not allowed. This is moving content! There was one woman, Lorna Dietz of filipinasmag.com, who cited examples of various Filipina writers who are using blogs enrich the web and search engines with positive stories of Filipina women.
There is no question that blogs have become a very powerful means of communication and social change in the world. I really believe it is the nature of the medium that brings out the need to voice our thoughts and views, and it was refreshing to be around so many people this weekend who have been affected by the power of blogs and want to do more.
Video - KRON 4’s Brian Shields Reports on Wordcamp 2007
Jeremy Zilar lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his
[...] Jeremy Zilar of the New York Times is also interviewed in this news clip. He is in charge of the blogs for the New York Times. I enjoyed speaking to Jeremy briefly at the conference and look forward to what he will be bring to the New York Times online and independently. We seem to share a passion for this medium. [...]
Jeremy … it’s Filipina/Filipino
Thanks for the correction Perze!
[...] WordCampers [...]
Hi, Jeremy!
Greetings from Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco!
It’s all right to call me a Filipina woman, Filipino, Filipina, or woman. I love it! I do remember my promise to you about introducing you to my Filipino blogger community — in due time! I hope to be in New York soon… so on my next trip, I promise to try reconnecting with you.
Thank you for mentioning the SEO campaign to take back the keyword, “Filipina.” A few weeks after WordCamp 2007, my sister, Noemi Dado of http://www.AboutMyRecovery.com, Dine Racoma of http://dine.racoma.com.ph/, and I decided to take the SEO campaign one step further. We created an advocacy website, http://filipinaimages.com/, where blog articles and published articles about the Filipina can be linked and housed.
This is how we describe our campaign in copywriting-speak: “The Filipina of the Future deserves a more empowered, diverse image online. Multiple, complex, and whole.”
The “Shape the Filipina Image” campaign of the Filipina Women’s Network (www.ffwn.org) — a nationwide organization I belong to — is looking forward to our reunion in October of 2012 where we can see the fruits of our advocacies ripen from the time we had our future search summit in October of 2005. This year, we will be convening in Washington DC on October 25 to 27. We will also launch the “100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the US” for 2007, a nominations-based recognition event. If you and your media colleagues are interested in meeting this engaging, dynamic group, please contact me.
In my own efforts as a Filipino American community publicist — as well as an emerging advertising and sponsorships consultant for the Punjabi community in Silicon Valley and the Indonesian community in San Francisco — I encourage everyone to look for “shared truths” — and celebrate them.
So, I’m championing for more blogs to ripen in these communities.In-language. In-culture. I can start with a non-profit organization I belong to, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (www.naffaa.org) within my region (NaFFAAR8.com, still under construction using WordPress, of course, and under my blooming expertise).
With these blogs, Jeremy, you will hear our voices clearly — and we will all start aiming to understand each other.
Social change is imminent. Never doubt it.
From an emerging blogger,
Lorna
http://www.RadiantView.com
P.S. My sister, Noemi, and a couple of her mommy blogger-friends were recently featured in primetime TV in the Philippines. Very interesting! Click here to check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90U5QM31eaY
[...] I found a quote from Jeremy Zilar, the design technologist of a mainstream US newspaper, regarding his experience at a blogging [...]