Wazzup Pilipinas!
Do you know what's wrong with us? We are so inconsistent! We are like that because we are so moody. We always need to be on the mood to keep ourselves motivated. We're also what you may call a "Flavor of the Month" kind of individuals. Why? Because we tend to change interests every now and then, depending on our mood swing. We'll be cheering about an advocacy one day, and then breaking it by promoting something totally opposite. It kinda sucks sometimes, but we believe we're still at a stage of self-discovery even if we're already too old to act that way.
We keep telling ourselves we're going to be "determined and focus" individuals who definitely knows what we stand for, what we are rooting for, and what we are fighting for. But we keep getting lost along the way when there's so much opportunities (and temptations) that keep distracting us, along with the necessities and urgencies of life outside blogging, which often strays us away from our original objectives.
It keeps happening to us every time we aim for a goal. We get opportunities that would make us think twice, thrice, and a lot more unimaginable times, to keep asking ourselves, where we're really heading for. Are we heading for deep space, or deep under the seas? Both are miraculously filled with amazing wonders, but we can't possibly explore them both at the same time since there's not enough time in this lifetime to achieve that feat.
Blogging has been a hobby, so every chance to earn or gain some rewards has been a big bonus, but why is it that some people would wrongly interpret our words and actions. Was it our choice of words? Did we give an impression of arrogance? Were we going overboard with our shout-outs? Have we been too naughty or mischievous with our aggressiveness?
What many doesn't know is that we are actually oblivious to what's really going on around us since we are solely focused on just expressing ourselves and sharing our experiences, and occasionally just noticing the ruckus whenever rumors go around as per report of other bloggers we get to chat with during events. Thus, even though we've been blogging for more than a couple of years already, and inspite of the many awards and recognitions we have received, we are in admission that we are still totally ravaged with faults and shortcomings. As a blogger friend has said, "Nobody is perfect. Are you?" We really need to learn how to become more effective digital influencers without the expense of damaging others in the process. Life is just too short to keep ourselves busy with negativity. There are so many awesome stuff out there for all of us. The Internet may have made the world seem small because we are now constantly connected and well-informed, but there are so many that remains to be discovered and appreciated.
This is why we would love to attend the Digital Influencers Marketing Summit this October 10, 2015 to be held at Best Western Plus Antel Hotel.
Not all bloggers were born and made equal. But that statement is coming from those who perceive us - our readers. This is why the word "favorite" was invented. Some bloggers would declare that they belong to the top, elite and authority group because of their years of being in the blogging community, the number of views and hits they get, the amount of money they've earned, the number of clients they've collaborated with, or the multitude of recognitions they have received. But the real bloggers are not so amused or bothered with those technicalities. I the real sense, blogging should remain our online journal - with our authentic experiences and thoughts, even if we mix a few "sidelines" within its many virtual pages.
While others are humble enough to remain low profile, others would say it is but right to be more prominently visible and outspoken online, and even offline, even if it meant going overboard. For some, there's no such thing as going overboard. It however continues to be a baffling situation whether we should be an online presence bounded by the moral limits and restrictions of society, or one that can speak freely ignoring ethics and keeping true to what really goes on in our hearts and heads. Coming up with a balance between the two has been a constant debate for many.
For those who love to bash, we are a great candidate to play around with - to mock and tease, and worst, to do it behind our backs, making fun of us as they try to ruin our reputation among other gullible individuals who seem to have all the time in the world, to share a curse word or two, even if they really do not know us personally.
They say the only reason why people bash us is because our presence is well heard and felt. This means we are getting noticed (obviously - from all the many media partnerships, event and collaboration invites we are getting almost everyday). But for many of us, where do we really draw the line between what is positively making a difference or just making worthless noise in the blogosphere?
Many have given me conflicting ideas. With so many intellectual speakers, or online evangelists, sharing their experiences and accomplishments, sharing both their aggressiveness and humility, we would often find ourselves stuck in the middle and still confused on who we should make our role model. Of course, we would like to be mindful of what's unique and engaging, but still would like to follow what our heart dictates.
As they say, it's up to us which direction we should go, and whose advise to follow, and what image we should project. However, as individuals change, so does our environment, and the people around us. Not surprisingly, just as society changes and adapts based on what's currently the talk of the town, may it be a battle between the accidental loveteam of Aldub, and Pastillas Girl and his suitors, or the troubling predicament of choosing among the Presidentiable and Vice Presidentiable wannabes, or engaging on the other viral or trending issues and what ever is currently looming around social media, there's really no exact formula in becoming a triumphant digital influencer. Similar to how we couldn't predict what would become a big hit, we could never really tell what the people would patronize or advocate.
But it doesn't hurt to know all the ingredients and choosing what's appropriate for us. Thus, hearing out every highly knowledgeable and experience-wised resource person is the best way to learn, and sometimes, unlearn what we already know. We actually learn from everyone we meet. Even from those we least expect it. Somehow, in one way or another, every individual that comes our way, gives us bits and pieces of information that may have been useful in our everyday lives. Learning never really stops. It's a never-ending process that goes on throughout our existence.
The question is "Are we really Digital Influencers?"
To be a part of the Digital Influencers Marketing Summit should be a yearly goal because that question would forever have varying answers at every point of our lifetime. We have to permanently put this event in our yearly itinerary so we could constantly affirm its validity and remind us of our very important responsibilities.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
