The event, which is held annually, was attended by bloggers and even non-bloggers who were eager to learn more about blogging as a technology, tool for social networking and means of communication.Experts were invited to shed light on blogging trends, background information on its growth in certain countries, the different kinds of blogging and how one can maximize this medium of expression.   The phrase "digital divide" floated freely in the discussions where it was viewed that the Philippines, as an underdeveloped country, cannot yet claim to have propagated the blogging bandwagon among the general population especially as majority of the people do not even have access to a computer, more so the Internet.  

However, it appears that blogging as a science and an art will never be diminished now or in the near future. We are sure that the older generation will find solace in it as a form of therapy while the younger ones will resort to blogging because they're more tech-savvy and this form of communication is already basic to them, like the slum book and love letters of yore.  

This writer arrived just in time to catch the afternoon session of the whole day affair and found myself catching a talk on the legal aspects of blogging (parallel sessions on other topics were held in other rooms). Lawyer Bong Dizon was lecturing on the proper way to use links in one's blog. In principle, he said that "(one) has the right to link to anything on the web that is open to the public" provided that certain rules are observed.

This includes proper attribution of the original source to "give credit" to that source "in terms of traffic" and using "block quotes when citing something."   Next, we listened to local blogging guru Abe Olandres preach the gospel of professional blogging, a field that most people are curious about. He said that there are a variety of ways one can earn from the trade: being a traditional/independent problogger; working for a business entity (corporate blogger); writing for a blog network; being a celebrity blogger (taking advantage of the popularity and influence of one's site); or by setting up your own network of blogs and becoming a "Blog Overlord."   Olandres noted that  probloggers earn from advertising on their blogs or the networks they have joined.

This can be done by signing up with such programs as Google AdSense, BlogAds, AdBrite, link ads, direct advertising or through affiliates. He cited the examples of several Filipino pros who are already earning from their blogs through different pay structures.  

Meanwhile, veteran blogger and IT expert Manuel Viloria spoke on "How to Create, Promote and Monetize Your Podcast." Basically, a podcast is an audio file in MP3 format made available via subscriptions to an RSS feed and can be accessed through a blog. Viloria explained that the tools one needs to produce a podcast include a microphone, optional headset, sound recording software  like Audacity or Sourceforge.net: <http://sourceforge.net/>  and a web host to accommodate the sound files.   Viloria implied that podcasts democratize the world of broadcasting since it enables one to be heard even if one is not a famous radio or TV personality. Viloria said the beauty of podcasting is that one can develop one's own style; not just speak in monotone but use one's own MP3 player "to interview people on the road" and hear them speak about life and anything under the sun.  

It is just too bad that we were not able to cover in full the intelligent and informative discussions of the other speakers. Hopefully, there will be next year's iBlog to make up for all that! Cheers to all bloggers who attended.   For comments and inquiries, email annalyn(dot)jusay(at)gmail(dot)com