Filipiniana.net Blog

Rediscovering Manila’s Past: 19th Annual Manila Studies Conference

Ilsp — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:38:01 +0000

First international meet on technology education to be held in Manila

sblvr — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:53:01 +0000

The first international conference on technology education entitled “Touchpoint 2010” will be held on March 4 and 5, 2010 at the Century Park Hotel in Manila. With the theme “Real Learning with ICT,” this groundbreaking convention aims to bring together specialists from the fields of technology and education to discuss how information communications technology (ICT) has enhanced teaching, learning and governance in education. The two-day event also aims to promote dynamic collaborations among the participants, expected to include teachers, researchers, scientists, administrators and policy makers.

The subthemes of the conference include Integration Strategies and Methodologies; Emerging ICT Tools for Teaching, Learning and Assessment; ICTS for Lifelong Learning and Special Education; and Improving Institutional and/or National Frameworks, Policies and Governance in Education.

Touchpoint 2010 is organized by the Learning Innovations Center of the Advanced Research Institute for Computing (AdRIC) under the De La Salle University-College of Computer Studies. It is also endorsed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Vibal Foundation, the corporate social arm of Vibal Publishing House, Inc.

The keynote speaker at the conference will be Maria Spante, Ph.D, from Chalmers University in Gothenburg, Sweden. A prolific researcher specializing in social interaction in technical systems, technical systems and human relations, and learning and interactive media, Spante will be delivering a plenary talk entitled “Interactivity, Visualization and Learning: Challenges and Possibilities.”

The other featured speakers are Emmanuel Lallana, Ph.D., the chief executive of Idea Corp and project leader of the Pan Asia Network on Democratic eGovernance, and Keith Kirkwood from the School of Learning Support at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia. AdRIC director Charibeth Cheng and Touchpoint 2010 editor Jose Lloyd Espirutu are also scheduled to deliver plenary talks.

For more information visit the TOUCHPOINT website
http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/conferences/touchpoint/2010/

UST to hold landmark conference on history of Philippine pharmacy

sblvr — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:12:30 +0000

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Miguel de Benavides Library and Faculty of Pharmacy will host a conference on Filipino-Spanish contributions to the history of Philippine pharmacy, entitled “A Century of Pharmacy Dynamics, Ethics and Significs.” The convention will be held on February 8 to 9, 2010, at the Conference Hall of the Miguel de Benavides Library in the UST campus in España, Manila.

The topics to be discussed at the forum include the scope of pharmacy during the Spanish period and the medical products used at the time, as well as the development of chemical theories and pharmacy curricula through the years. There will also be lectures on medicinal plants and botanic gardens, notable Filipino pharmacists, and the practice of pharmacy in contemporary times.

The convention is set to be the first of its kind as it will gather a diverse group of pharmacists, researchers, historians, librarians and students to examine the role of pharmacy in the development of the Filipino nation. The conference also aims to feature the UST Library and Archives, which contains one of the most extensive collections on the history of pharmacy in the country.

The convention features a lineup of 16 speakers which includes visiting professors from the Universidad de CEU Cardenal Herrera, Universidad de Zaragoza, and Centro de Estudios del Jiloca Calamocha in Spain.

The conference will be convened by UST’s Rev. Fr. Angel Aparicio, O.P, Prefect of Libraries, and Prof. Priscilla M. Torres, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy.

Organizers also hope that the conference will help generate interest in the quadricentennial celebrations of UST. Founded in 1871, the UST Faculty of Pharmacy is the oldest school of its kind in the Philippines.

Interested participants will have to pay a PhP1,000 conference fee. Questions and concerns may be directed to the Miguel de Benavides Library (+632 731-30334 or 406-1611 loc. 8234) or the Faculty of Pharmacy (+632 731-4040 or 406-1611 loc. 8223).

Philippine Revolutionary Records: Mga dokumento ng Pambansang Rebolusyon laban sa kolonyalismo at imperyalismo

admin — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:34:21 +0000

Hindi maikakaila na may sarili ng kabihasnan ang mga sinaunang Pilipino bago pa dumating ang mga mananakop na Kastila. Subalit sinira ng mga Kastila ang mayabong na kabihasnan ng ating mga ninuno dahil sa kanilang paniniwala na ang kanilang sibilisasyon ay superyor. Pinilit ng mga mananakop na Kastila na tanggalan ng sariling pagkakakilanlan ang ating mga ninuno. Sa unang pagkakataon, tinanggalan ng sariling kasaysayan ang mga Pilipino.

Taong 1896 ng magtagumpay ang mga Pilipino na mailunsad ang isang pambansang rebolusyon laban sa rehimeng kolonyal ng Espanya. Halos dalawang taong nagpunyagi ang mga Pilipino upang makamit ang matagal ng inaasam na kalayaan. Ang rebolusyong Pilipino ay pansamantalang naputol dahil sa kasunduan sa Biak-na-Bato noong 1897.

Sa panahong ipinapakita ng mga Pilipino ang kanilang pagkabansa at kakayahan na pamahalaan ang sariling bayan sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatalsik sa mga mananakop na Espanyol, muli na naman nawala sa kamay ng mga Pilipino ang karapatang maging malaya. Ang imperyalistang Estados Unidos ay agad na sinunggaban ang pagkakataong makapanakop ng panibagong kolonya para sa kanyang pang-ekonomiya at istratehikong interes. Hindi pumayag ang mga Pilipino na basta na lang maagaw sa kanilang mga kamay ang resulta ng dalawang taong armadong pakikibaka laban sa rehimeng kolonyal ng Espanya. Magiting na nilabanan ng mga rebolusyunaryong Pilipino ang mga tropang Amerikano. Ang yugtong ito ng kasaysayang Pilipino ay tinatawag na Digmaang Pilipino-Amerikano.

Ang kauna-unahang demokratikong rebolusyong Pilipino at ang sumunod na pakikibaka ng mga rebolusyunaryong tropang Pilipino laban sa mga imperyalistang Amerikano ay malinaw na inilalarawan sa mga sulat ng mga rebolusyunaryo, mga atas, mga kalatas, mga polyeto, mga proklamasyon, mga ulat, mga pahayagan, mga opisyal na dokumento ng pamahalaang rebolusyunaryo ng Pilipinas at Hukbong Pilipino, at iba pang mga pangunahing batis. Ang mga dokumentong ito ay tinatawag na Philippine Revolutionary Records (PRR), mas kilala noon na Philippine Insurgent Records (PIR).

Ang mga nabanggit na rekord ay nakumpiska ng mga tropang Amerikano na karamihan ay nagmula sa mga napatay, sumuko at nahuling rebolusyunaryo, at mula sa mga nakubkob na kampo at tanggapan ng hukbo at gobyernong rebolusyunaryo ng Pilipinas. Tone-toneladang mga rekord ang dinala sa Washington D. C. at idineposito sa U.S. National Archives. Sa ikalawang pagkakataon, muling nawala ang isa sa mga pinakamahalagang bahagi ng kasaysayang Pilipino. Ninakaw ng mga Amerikano ang mga mahahalagang dokumentong pag-aari ng sambayanang Pilipino. Taong 1957, sa pamamagitan ng isang batas na ipinasa ng kongreso ng Estados Unidos, ibinalik ng gobyernong Amerikano ang mga dokumentong ito sa Pilipinas. Ang mga ito ay nasa pangangalaga ngayon ng Pambansang Aklatan ng Pilipinas. Ngunit ang maaari na lang gamiting kopya ng mga mananaliksik ay nasa microfilm. Hindi na kasi pinapayagan na mahawakan pa ang mga dokumento dahil na rin sa kalumaan ng mga ito. Ang U.P. Main Library ay may mga microfilm din ng PRR.

Ikinararangal ko na mabasa ang kaunting bahagi ng rekord ng rebolusyong Pilipino. Malinaw na mababasa sa PRR ang kadakilaan at kabayanihan ng mga rebolusyunaryo na inialay ang kanilang buhay para sa pambansang kalayaan.

Tunay na napakahalaga ang mga dokumentong ito sapagkat ang mga ito ay katibayan ng aspirasyon ng mga Pilipino para sa kalayaan; ng pagkakaroon ng kakayahan ng mga Pilipino na pamahalaan ang sariling bayan; na ang mga Pilipino ay hindi barbaro; at ang Pilipinas noong 1899 ay isa ng malayang nasyon, samakatuwid, ang pakikibaka ng mga Pilipino laban sa mga Amerikano ay hindi insureksyon kundi isang digmaan para sa kalayaan.

Ang full-text version ng ilan sa mga dokumentong bahagi ng PRR ay malapit ng mabasa sa Filipiniana.net. Sa pamamagitan ng pagbabasa at masusing pag-aaral sa mga nilalaman ng PRR, muli nating buhayin ang mga batayang prinsipyo na ipinaglaban ng ng mga rebolusyunaryo noong panahon ng kolonyalismo. Ito’y dahil ang ating bayan ay hindi pa natatamo ang tunay na pambansang kalayaan. Ang lumang demokratikong rebolusyon na inilunsad noong 1896 ay pinutol ng pananakop ng Estados Unidos sa ating inang-bayan. Simula noon hanggang sa kasalukuyan-sa panahong post-ideological-ang ating nasyon ay nasa kontrol ng Estados Unidos.

Muli natin balikan ang kasaysayan ng demokratikong rebolusyong Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng masusing pag-aaral sa Philippine Revolutionary Records. Dapat na ipaglaban ng kasalukuyang henerasyon at ng mga susunod pang henerasyon ng mga Pilipino ang mga batayang prinsipyo ng kauna-unahahang rebolusyong Pilipino upang makamit ang tunay na pambansang kalayaan ng ating inang-bayan.

Mabuhay ang Himagsikang Pilipino!

“Lourdes Díaz-Trechuelo, In Memoriam: A Conference on Spanish Colonial Philippines” March 11 and 12, 2009

admin — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:16:04 +0000

Lourdes Díaz-Trechuelo Spínola, eminent Spanish historian who pioneered studies on Spanish colonial Philippines in Spanish academia, passed away in Seville last 16th of March 2008. She was one of the first female university professors in Spain, having begun her career as an academic in the 1940’s and gaining international prestige. The publication of her first major work, Arquitectura española en Filipinas (1565-1800) was a milestone in Philippine historiography in Spain.

Her vibrant scholarship has left its mark in many historians whom she trained and influenced, from Spain and other countries. The Philippine government recognized the significance of her contribution to Philippine historiography with a presidential medal in 2006 together with Dr. Leoncio Cabrero-Fernández.

As a tribute to her person and achievements, “Lourdes Díaz-Trechuelo, In Memoriam: A Conference on Spanish Colonial Philippines” will be held on March 11 and 12, 2009 at the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) on Pearl Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. This event is organized by the History Department of UA&P in collaboration with the University of Córdoba (Spain) and with the support of grants from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ortigas Foundation.

As a dialogue generated by a common recognition of the legacy of this Spanish historian, the two-day conference is also meant to foster discourse with the public and among scholars immersed in the study of Spanish colonial Philippines. Hence, among the speakers are Spanish professors who have worked with the honoree, from the University of Córdoba and Universidad Complutense of Madrid. Other speakers include Filipino scholars, contemporaries of Lourdes Díaz-Trechuelo and professors from major Philippine universities and research institutions, who will present papers on architecture and economic history, areas that are specially related to the work of Díaz-Trechuelo, as well as other topics such as colonial governance, society and culture. Since the speakers will draw on their current lines of research, using various perspectives and approaches, this conference will be of interest to academics, teachers and students as well as to the general public.

There is no registration fee; however, those interested in participating are encouraged to register in advance. For further information and confirmation of attendance, please contact Girlie Caedo or Krishna Luna on 637-0912 loc. 277/288 or by e-mail (mgcaedo@uap.edu.ph).

Libraries for users, by users.

ivyjean — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:28:28 +0000

Fires are nightmares for archivists and readers alike. So are moths, paper-eating worms, mildew and dust. Books don’t live forever. Solutions implemented by librarians over the years, outside of buying new copies, include the conversion of books to microfilm and the risographing and rebinding of books once they become too brittle to handle.

(L-R) Panel Discussion Moderator Prudenciana C. Cruz, Director IV, from The National Library; SLU Director of Libraries Rina Diaron; Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Hon. Fortunato dela Peña; Vibal Foundation Executive Director and Filipiniana.net founder Gaspar Vibal.

However, new technologies have created a new way for materials to be preserved: digitization. While digital files are also subject to fire and may be lost if the devices they are stored in are damaged, they are more easily and readily accessible and distributable to a large number of people.

There are many digital libraries existing around the country, which may be accessed for free or for a small fee. The government has one: the Philippine eLib, brainchild of Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Hon. Fortunato dela Peña.

The eLib was conceptualized and approved in 2003, after a long and hard fight for budget allocation, dela Peña said during the 1^st Philippine Congress on Digital Libraries held on Nov. 17-18, 2008 at the Epifanio delos Santos Auditorium in the National Library of the Philippines.

Other Philippine digital libraries include DSpace@SLU, a Dspace-platform library run by Saint Louis University (SLU), and of course, Filipiniana.net, helmed by the Vibal Foundation.

During the second day of the conference, dela Peña, SLU Director of Libraries Rina Diaron, and Vibal Foundation Executive Director and Filipiniana.net founder Gaspar Vibal delivered lectures on their respective digital libraries and sat at panel to answer questions from the audience.

First to talk was Diaron, who illustrated for audience members how DSpace@SLU works. It contains digitized materials from the SLU archives, and is handy for students who do not find the idea of climbing many, many steps to get to the school library a worthy task. Access to DSpace@SLU materials is free, and users can upload materials, “true to its open access nature,” Diaron said.

Dela Peña came next and described the history and workings of the Philippine eLib. Access to the eLib is not free, unfortunately, as its government funding can only go so far. Users have to buy a prepaid card to avail of the eLib’s collection, which includes digitized materials from the National Library.

Vibal Foundation Executive Director Gaspar A. Vibal talks about Filipiniana.net during the 1st Philippine Congress on Digital Libraries held on Nov. 17-18, 2008 at the Epifanio delos Santos Auditorium in the National Library of the Philippines.

Last to speak was Vibal, who demonstrated the many useful features of Filipiniana.net, described the project’s collections and introduced the academic microsites contained within.

Filipiniana.net is free of charge, and users do not have to register to read books and download materials. It is also multimedia, and contains an image archive. Soon, there will be an audio archive, which will be available once the new version of Filipiniana.net is rolled out.

Digital libraries, Vibal said, are sometimes “imaginary” as the collections were not made from the original copies of books, but from photographs and xeroxed copies. Can the caretakers of such collections be called “librarians”? More important than the naming of collectors and caretakers, Vibal asserted, is canon creation.

Canon creation is the formation of a body of work that is essential for students and researchers as well as ordinary readers to have access to, in order to fully appreciate the products of a certain author, culture or historical event. Examples of canon creation are Filipiniana.net’s compilation of works in the collections “The Complete Jose Rizal,” “100 Nobelang Tagalog” and “100 Pinoy Komiks,” Vibal said.

Filipiniana.net also aims to establish primacy of discourse on Philippine resources, which is why its collections include both “Philippine Revolutionary Records” and “Virtual Blair & Robertson.” Discourse, Vibal emphasized, is important in order to create a culture of public intellectuals. Hence, the “social network” aspect of Filipiniana.net and other digital libraries.

Filipiniana.net will soon have a content management system which will allow it to be “curated by users, towards a socially networked library.”

As a whole, digital libraries are important in order to preserve Philippine cultural heritage, dela Peña said. When paper has long become the droppings of worms or the nest for a colony of moths, there are files on CDs and DVDs, memory cards and servers, which convertible, copyable to different storage media, and infinitely renewable.

Ambeth Ocampo to give annual “Redmond Kernan History Lecture” as part of “War and Dissent: The US in the Philippines” exhibit

laya — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:43:20 +0000

The Presidio Trust confirmed today noted Filipino historian, journalist and National Book Award-winning author Ambeth Ocampo will deliver a special presentation at the Presidio as part of a series of special programs accompanying the Presidio’s ambitious new historical exhibit, War and Dissent: The U.S. in the Philippines 1898-1915. Mr. Ocampo will give his free talk entitled: “Annual Redmond Kernan History Lecture: Ambeth Ocampo Offers a Filipino Perspective” on Wednesday, October 29, at 7 pm at the Presidio Officers’ Club.

“We very much wanted the leading historian in the Philippines to take part in the exhibit and deliver its keynote presentation,” said Jeffrey Weik, Presidio Trust public programs manager. “His writings have earned Ambeth Ocampo numerous awards and honors, and the Filipino-American National Historical Society highly recommended him. We couldn’t be more excited he will be returning to the Presidio to highlight our exhibit programming.”

Mr. Ocampo last visited the Presidio on a typical, i.e. foggy, San Francisco Sunday in 2007 when he tried in vain to find General Frederick Funston’s gravesite in the National Cemetery. As part of the agreement to bring him back to the Presidio, Weik promised to escort him to the site during his visit.

Born in Manila in 1961, Ambeth Ocampo is a professor of history at the University of the Philippines and an internationally syndicated columnist. He has served as Chairman of the Philippine National Historical Institute since 2002 and served as Chairman of the National Commission of Culture and the Arts from 2005-2007. He has won three National Book Awards for the Essay, Literary History and Bibliography.

The Spanish American War of 1898 and the Philippine War that immediately followed it were turning points in both the United States’ role in the world and in the history of the Presidio of San Francisco. A free, mixed-media exhibit, War and Dissent: The U.S. in the Philippines 1898-1915 tells the story of a little-known war that had momentous consequences for both Americans and Filipinos. The exhibit chronicles the growth of the Presidio into a major military installation and the rise of the United States into an imperial power. It explores the dissent that erupted around the war and examines the war through the eyes of a Filipino family caught in the conflict and an American soldier who trained at the Presidio. The exhibit’s nine themed galleries feature San Francisco monuments, photographs, diaries, letters and political cartoons that trace the full sweep of the conflict.

About the Redmond Kernan History Lecture: Each fall the Presidio Trust present a free public history lecture by a noted speaker. The annual lecture is named in honor of Redmond Kernan, a former Army officer and long-time Presidio advocate, in recognition of his long-standing commitment to history at the Presidio. The inaugural Redmond Kernan History Lecture was given November 15, 2007 by Renee Klish, Army Art Curator with the U.S. Center for Military History in Washington, D.C.

The Presidio Trust was established by the United States Congress in 1996 to manage the Presidio of San Francisco, a former army base located at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The 1,500-acre site contains the infrastructure of a small city as well as expansive open space, a 300-acre historic forest, spectacular views, and rare and endangered plants and wildlife. It comprises nearly 6 million square feet of buildings, including 469 historic structures that contribute to its status as a National Historic Landmark District, making it unlike any other national park. In establishing the Trust, Congress mandated that it make the park financially self-sufficient by 2013. The Trust is the only federal agency with this mandate.

Following is a schedule of special programs and events, and accompanying briefs, surrounding War and Dissent: The U.S. in the Philippines 1898-1915 for inclusion in events calendars. A complete schedule of programs and events is available at presidio.gov/calendar.

New Exhibit

War & Dissent: U.S. in the Philippines, 1898-1915
October 22, 2008 - February 22, 2009 Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm
Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, Presidio

War and Dissent: Behind the Scenes in the Gallery
Curator and historian Dr. Randolph Delehanty holds a question and answer session and discusses the making of War and Dissent and the people who helped make it happen.
Wednesday October 22, 7-8pm
Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Ave., San Francisco

The Annual Redmond Kernan History Lecture: Ambeth Ocampo Offers A Filipino Perspective
Filipino historian, journalist, academic and author Ambeth Ocampo will present The Philippines War of Independence. Mr. Ocampo is the chair of the Philippines’ National Historical Institute and a past chair of the National Commission for Culture in the Arts.

(from the San Francisco Sentinel)

Riding the Web 2.0 Wave – Lecture No. 6: Exploring the Philippine Knowledge Space

laya — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:36:22 +0000

Topic: Exploring the Philippine Knowledge Space

Speaker: Baripov Guerrero, OIC - WikiPilipinas.org

Date and Time: July 1, 2008, 2:50 PM – 3:40 PM

Venue: DOLE Ople Hall, Intramuros, Manila

Mr. Baripov “Bari” Guerrero began his talk with two words: Knowledge Revolution. Its end goal, he said, is knowledge sharing. He then asked what made the Ifugao Rice Terraces different from the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids of Egypt. The Terraces, he said, were built through community effort while the other two were built by forced labor. Even in ancient times, Filipinos knew the value of community effort.

The problem faced by knowledge-sharing, according to Mr. Guerrero, is distance plus cost. The Internet, however can slash the distance and bring people closer although they live in different places around the world. Many people and organizations worldwide thus realized that the Internet can be a good venue to share knowledge.

According to the Alexa website, the top websites in the world are Yahoo, Google, YouTube, MySpace and Wikipedia, while the top websites accessed within the Philippines are Multiply, YouTube, Google, Yahoo and Friendster. The top Philippine websites, on the other hand, are PEP, ABS-CBN.com, GMANews.tv, Inquirer.net, and Sulit.com.ph. Mr. Guerrero said that Filipinos thus seemed to be most interested in entertainment and celebritites, news, and bargains. Meanwhile, he added, a survey of the top websites accessed by Filipinos showed that they liked buy-and-sell sites, search engines, news sites, social networking sites, and porn sites!

Unfortunately, according to Mr. Guerrero, as the Philippine population grows, our capacity for knowledge sharing lessens. Fortunately, there are local groups (like Vibal Foundation) with websites that spread knowledge for free in what is termed the “Knowledge Revolution”.

Mr. Guerrero then gave brief overviews of each of the four Vibal Foundation websites: Filipiniana.net (digital library and image bank aiming to preserve Philippine history and culture); Wikipilipinas.org (online encyclopedia aiming to document information about the Philippines); E-turo.org (educational site aiming to supplement basic Philippine education online); and POC (news site aiming to aggregate news and viewpoints from multiplicity of perspectives to create an archive of Philippine news). Each of these sites represents one of the four objectives of Vibal Foundation: Read, Write, Learn and Share.

The websites of the future, concluded Mr. Guerrero, will have the following characteristics: Their audience will be the world; they will build knowledge in a pluralistic and participatory environment; and they will empower people by allowing them to share what they know.

Riding the Web 2.0 Wave – Lecture No. 2: Introduction to Blogging and Blogging for Advocacy

laya — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:59:15 +0000

Topic: Introduction to Blogging and Blogging for Advocacy

Speaker: Dine Racoma, www.filipinaimages.com

Date and Time: July 1, 2008, 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM

Venue: DOLE Ople Hall, Intramuros, Manila

According to Ms. Dine Racoma, anyone who can write and use a computer can blog. She herself is relatively a newcomer to blogging since she was the last in her family to learn to blog, she said. Blogging doesn’t need a lot of tech savvy, just the willingness to share things with others.

In her short but sweet talk, Ms. Racoma shared how blogging changed and enriched her life. It is not true that blogging is a sure-fire way to make money, she said, but it can benefit your life in many other ways. It helps you reach a lot of people, make a lot of new friends, and find employment opportunities from people who like the way you write.

People blog to have a voice, no matter how small, that would otherwise go unheard. They also blog to share knowledge, to socialize with others, and to reach a global audience. When you blog, said Ms. Racoma, always remember that what you write is global. It will not be limited to your own neighborhood or to the Philippines alone. It will reach other countries that have Internet access, and what may be normal or easily understood by Filipinos may not be grasped by people from other countries and culture.

Ms. Racoma also listed some types of blogs. Personal blogs can be about anything and everything that the blogger is interested in. There are also corporate blogs and question blogs. Blogs can be by media type, such as vlogs (videologs) and photoblogs. Blogs can also be by genre, such as politics, sports, celebrities, movies, music, books and food.

Blogs can be used to share knowledge, to make conversation, for social networking, or for research. They can also be used for advocacy, such as Filipina Images, stated Ms. Racoma. She shared how the Filipina Images site came to be and how it became a tool for advocacy to change the world’s perception of the Filipina.

Riding the Web 2.0 Wave – Lecture No. 5: Writing for the Web: The Do’s and Don’ts of Web Writing

laya — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:58:42 +0000

Topic: Writing for the Web: The Do’s and Don’ts of Web Writing

Speaker: Kristine Mandigma, Editorial Director of Vibal Foundation

Date and Time: July 1, 2008, 2:15 PM – 2:45 PM

Venue: DOLE Ople Hall, Intramuros, Manila

“Readers on the web don’t read. They only scan. Also, they don’t read pages in sequence,” stated Ms. Kristine Mandigma as she began her lecture. First of all, she said, it’s tiring to read onscreen, so users tend to just scan the material and see what’s interesting. They then tend to download long articles or documents for printing and read the hardcopy. Also, users don’t read web pages in sequence the way books are read from the first to the last page. Because of hyperlinks, users tend to jump between pages depending on what they’re interested in. Also, users tend to read only 20% of the text in a webpage, and they place importance on credibility. Ms. Mandigma reminded the audience that the web is a user-driven medium and each page has to compete with a million other websites.

According to Ms. Mandigma, web users look for highlighted keywords, meaningful sub-headings, bulleted lists, one-idea paragraphs, inverted pyramid or journalistic style of writing, and half the word count than conventional writing. Therefore, to write for the web, she said, one must: summarize first; be concise; write for scanning; and break up the information into logical chunks connected by hyperlinks. Also, a web writer should be frugal in writing, should stick to the point, should cultivate a voice, and should think globally.

She also reminded the audience of the importance of using links to reinforce one’s message and maintain context. Finally, she recommended some reading materials to supplement her lecture