Facebook Fasting

Around my house there is a morning ritual that i have become quite accustomed too . Because i am the oldest folk in the house i am the earliest riser . Which is a bit ironic i suppose given that i have no job to get up early for having already had a life for the most part while others yet to make one for themselves are yet to stir .   :-)

As a part of my normal routine i make a coffee and boot up the computer to see what's going on around the planet . For a non Filipino that usually means checking headline news from various sources .  For a Filipino it generally means dialling up Facebook  and making some money for Mr. Zuckerberg , the founding father .

The reason behind the above statement is of course because the Philippine culture is known to be very socially gregarious . This just happens to be a culture where folks thoroughly enjoy sharing their lives on line and especially the picture taking parts . Given that the country has a low internet usage per capita of around 33 % the fact that of that 33 % going online 89 % are Facebook users says alot .

Because i am first up and using the primary computer in the house and also because i don't use cell phones to connect to the internet i regard my time on line as somewhat sacred .. Because a trip to the kitchen or elsewhere generally means i will lose my place at the computer via sneak attack i was genuinely  surprised this am when my wife said she didn't want to turn on Facebook .

When i asked why she informed me that she was doing a Facebook Fast for a week . After having my laugh i had to admit that the idea had merit . I did jokingly remark to her that she might find out that she could do without it though i doubt that will occur .

Haven't run across any social media addiction studies as yet but i am sure they are out there and if there is such a thing as a societal addiction Facebook would have to be it for this culture , along with camera addiction of course .   :-)

On second thought maybe i will just do a Facebook Fasting Poll on Facebook just to see how many folks might sign up .  Just kidding folks...

                                                        Have A Great Day

Monday Musings

A cup of Java while sitting on the sofa ( now a dog bed ) under the covered driveway at daybreak  helps Old Goats to appreciate the rhythm of the Universe in these here parts . And the rhythm  is pretty much standard stuff this am .

Two of the neighbours dogs roaming up and down the street looking for a place to dump which no doubt will be the grass in front of your house since the neighbour has the artificial stuff . Geez , and here i was thinking it was for putting practice .

Feeling a little sorry  for one of the neighbours pooches that hobbles around on three legs probably because it spends so much time in the street and because Evil Knievel lives 2 doors down . Motorcycles with mufflers apparently not being allowed  here .

Watching the young lady on the other side of the street do the standard Filipino sweep the asphalt routine which is as reliable as the sun coming up . Can understand picking up paper , plastic and whatever though never quite grasp the need to move the dirt on the street around from one place to another .

Contemplating the return of my stepdaughter to the house now that she is back in the job market again and wondering why after two days she feels the need to rearrange the kitchen , especially given that the kitchen is about the size of an American toilet . And , no you can't move the 2 burner stove inside the house .   :-)

Wondering why my first Lazada order arrived within 24 hrs from Manila but without two items i ordered and being minus the 300 peso birthday discount coupon they emailed me not being deducted . Also wondering how long for them to answer my email enquiring about same .

Not the best way to treat a first time customer i am thinking but then customer service  does not seem to be included in the Philippine business model . Thinking surely these people realize that saving 300 peso in the short term will be far outweighed from lost revenue in the future ?

Wondering why after a one time email to Paypal they are sending me requests for customer service feedback when i am still trying to get answers from them . And am i reading this correct . You can send money out of your Paypal peso account but need to receive into your US $ account with some banks here . And why is it that the biggest banks in the Philippines don't jump at the chance to get on board this cash cow ?

And who does the marketing for retailers here , a 6th grader . Why not just tell people that your business accepts credit cards instead of running promos for " instalment payments " ? Instalment payments to who , the business , the bank , the loan shark , etc .

Makes me want to sign up for one of those no credit needed credit cards that don't actually exist except in cypher space currently being hawked on Facebook . Come to think of it i did sign up . Wonder if no response because i don't have 1,000 + Facebook friends or hundreds of photos of myself on line . Or , maybe because i told them i didn't need a $ 50 credit card since anything i would use a credit card for would cost more than $ 50 ?

Anyway , time for another cup of Java..

Have a Great Day !

Finding " it " in the Philippines

So , your first thought is probably what is " it " . Actually , " it " can be anything you are trying to locate in the Philippines . " It " can be something as simple as trying to locate a particular address , piece of information , a product or any number of other things . Finding " it " is , however , rarely simple .

Old Goats like myself that migrate from western pastures have , for the most part , grown up knowing where to look for information leading to " it " through advertising . Advertising in the Philippines is not , however , anywhere near what one would be accustomed to in a western culture .

In western culture when one needs to find a business the first reference point is often a Telephone Book . Telephone books usually have extensive " yellow pages " specifically designed  for advertisers of various products and services . If that fails one tends to look in the white pages if one knows the name of the business .

 But , most folks in western cultures have land line telephones and most folks in the Philippines do  not . Now , there is no need to expound on exactly why that is the case except to sum it up by mentioning one word.. infrastructure , or lack thereof .  Those that have lived in Philippine pastures for a while know of what i speak . Those that might be just recently arrived will soon know .   :-)

Now , we do have a land line telephone in our house but not so much because we have to have it but rather because we are required to have it by PLDT as a part of our internet service . This being the Philippines one is not allowed to just pay for the internet service without the land line . Of course , that gives PLDT reason to charge you another 300 peso a month whether you use it or not .   :-)

Marketing

Marketing is the process of communicating the value of a product or service to customers , for the purpose of selling the product or service . It is a critical business function for attracting customers, or so says Wikipedia . Actually , in western cultures some would say marketing is the most important part of a business model . Let's face it , if no one knows you exist as a business or what you are offering how much of a business will you have ?

Now , not talking about the mom and pop " sari " type operation here folks . Folks in the neighbourhood know you are there because you are in the neighbourhood . But , what about the " big boys " ? The S & M's , Robinson's , Gaisano's , Rustan's , etc .

No 6 - 8 page on line ads with pricing here to be seen as is common elsewhere .
 From a foreign perspective they don't do a particularly good job in promoting their products . Some do better than others of course but in general none of them embrace the corner stone of business know as marketing very much . Biggest " bug " i have  is that many of these big boys run national ads rather than ads for specific locations .

Just because their national ads features specific products does not mean those products will be in your location .   :-) My first visit to Rustan's in Cagayan de Oro comes to mind . Here i was foolishly thinking that i would have access to cheeses of many different types and tastes only to discover 2 types ( colby & cheddar ) and one taste ( mild ) . Ok , my bad and silly me for thinking otherwise .   :-)

I also have no problem with using Facebook as an advertising venue " but " should it be your primary or only advertising venue ? Some have suggested that the " big boys " don't see a need for advertising the way foreign cultures do because they have a captive audience or put another way ... little competition . There would seem to be some merit to those ideas from this " old goats " perspective .

What do you think ?