Industry Not Surprise with Cruz Resignation

The local industry was not even surprise about the resignation of Mr. Nilo Cruz as HP Phils. Country Manager.   Some even jokingly asked whether Mr. Cruz was indeed the country manager of HP.

 “Is he the country manager of HP Phils?  We’re one of their biggest partners here in the Philippines, and yet we have not met or spoke to him in person” one partner said.

Reports about Mr. Cruz’s sudden resignation has been circulating but sources close to the company said the resignation was long overdue.  The source who requested not to be named said Mr. Cruz is already planning to resign two years ago and wanted to relax and pursue his other interest in life.

HP Philippines has yet to release an official statement regarding Mr. Cruz’s sudden resignation.

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Nilo Cruz Quits Post

Mr. Nilo Cruz resigns from his post as Country Manager of HP Philippines. No official statement was released by HP Philippines regarding the sudden resignation of Mr. Cruz.

Mr. Cruz became the country manager of HP Philippines a few years ago after HP acquired Compaq.

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Not So Soon

Greenpeace Warns Deluge of E-waste with Vista
by: Jerry Liao

Just last week, I received an email from Greenpeace stating their concern regarding the expected deluge of E-waste in developing countries due to Microsoft’s newest operating system – Windows Vista. Let me print the press release in full for your perusal:

Vista, Microsoft’s newest operating system, could trigger a deluge of E-waste in developing countries, Greenpeace warned. The group argues that with Vista, more companies and individuals may feel the need to replace their existing computers sooner as these become incompatible with the new operating system. The result: massive volumes of computer scrap in dirty
recycling yards and dumpsites in the Philippines, Thailand, and in other Asian countries where most of the world’s E-waste dumps are located.

“With Vista, Microsoft could effectively hasten the obsolescence of half the world’s PCs, especially in the absence of fully-functioning global take back systems for PCs,” said Greenpeace Southeast Asia Toxics Campaigner Beau Baconguis. “Companies will feel the need to upgrade more computers sooner – and when they do, the world is unfortunately not prepared for
the massive E-waste the upgrades will generate.”

“As it is, the current environmental policies of computer companies are not enough to provide an effective solution to the growing mountains of toxic electronic waste from computer components. Microsoft should have factored in these consequences and should have laid out mitigating measures to minimize the problem of obsolescence, before they started introducing new innovations. Innovation should not translate to more pollution,” she added.

A study conducted by SoftChoice Corporation stated that 50% of the current breed of personal computers are “below Windows Vista’s basic system requirements” while 94% are not equipped to run on Windows Vista Premium edition.

The ability of PCs to be easily upgraded is also important if the massive volumes of E-waste is to be prevented. Greenpeace has been engaging manufacturers of PCs and mobile phones to phase out toxic substances in their products and institute take-back mechanisms for the same products at the end of their useful lives. The demand comes with a challenge to PC manufacturers to design their products so that these may be easily upgraded, disassembled, and recycled properly.

“We maintain that the useful lives of existing electronic and computer equipment should be prolonged as much as possible. In the end, this is about social responsibility. The idea that software innovation would result in more mountains of computer scrap
ending up in the dumps of Asia and Africa, contaminating the environment, and affecting the health of communities, is both offensive and intolerable,” said Baconguis.

Greenpeace is a non-profit organisation, with a presence in 40 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. Greenpeace focuses on the most crucial worldwide threats to our planet’s biodiversity and environment. They campaign to: stop climate change, protect ancient forests, save the oceans, stop whaling, say no to genetic engineering, stop the nuclear threat, eliminate toxic chemicals and to encourage sustainable trade.

First, let me just say that I commend the efforts of Greenpeace for bringing to our attention certain problems that may affect our environment and for doing every possible means to preserve Mother Earth. But with all due respect, I think this concern that because of Windows Vista will cause more E-waste is a bit overboard.

Vista definitely has its benefits but is it worth the upgrade and the money is a question that lingers mostly to those who have seen and tried Vista. Vista will cost $199 for Basic version, or $100 for upgrade from Windows XP. Premium version, $239, or $159 for upgrade. Ultimate version, $399, or $259 for upgrade. The hardware requirement to run Vista with 3-D interface: 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor, 1 GB of RAM or more, 20 to 40 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space, high-end graphics processor.

So if you’re a PC owner with a lesser configuration that what I have stated, you will not only consider the cost of Vista but also the hardware upgrade. And if budget will be a problem, chances are you will stick with XP or enhance your machine and do away with Vista altogether.

Another reason why I think people will delay the upgrade to Vista is the recent announcement from Microsoft that it will extend support for Windows XP Home and Windows XP Media Center through 2014. Microsoft knows that the inability of many existing
computers to run the more horsepower-hungry Vista, ensure there will be XP computers in use for years to come.

Now if in case this won’t be a problem or concern for developing countries and they will at once take the plunge to upgrade to Vista, then I have one unsolicited advice: Send to us third world countries – we will accept them with open arms. We will give it our students so that they may use it for their studies. We will accept Pentium 4 PCs with Windows XP anytime.

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A LOVE Day

Launching of Office, Vista and Exchange
by: Jerry Liao

Last February 1, 2007, Microsoft’s latest operating system – Microsoft Vista was launched in the Philippines. During the same event, Microsoft also launched Microsoft Office 2007 and Exchange 2007. The event was attended by around 1,500 from the business community. I arrived at the venue around 9:30am and I was already sitted at the back since the ballroom was already jampacked.

I was able to catch the opening remarks of Chris Atkinson, Microsoft Asia Pacific President and the demonstration of Mr. Jojo Ayson. Part of the presentation was some of Microsoft’s partners answering questions and sharing their strategies on how they intend to implement Microsoft Vista in their respective companies.

Around lunchtime, the press was given the opportunity to meet and ask questions about the event over lunch. I was able to meet Amelia Agrawal – Director, Analyst Relations & Business Group Public Relation, Asia Pacific Region, James DeBragga – Senior Director, Windows Product Marketing, Ninis T Samuel – Windows International Marketing Team, and Chay Mondejar – Windows Client Product Manager.

The discussion with the people from Microsoft was interesting, but it got more interesting when Chris Atkinson joined us and Chris sat beside me which gave me an opportunity to interview him one-on-one. Let me share with you how the interview went:

Jerry Liao (JL): Are you happy with the turn-out of your event?

Cris Atkinson (CA): Yes. I believed there are more than 1,400 people who attended the event. One of the biggest attendance we ever had in South East Asia.

JL: I am using Office 2007 under Windows XP. May I ask if there are any difference if I will be using Office 2007 under Vista.

CA: I don’t think there’s much difference except that XP is more boring and Vista is more exciting. Office 2007 will work as it is expected to perform whether its running under XP or Vista. How do you find Office 2007?

JL: So far so good especially the Live Preview for Powerpoint. Do you consider the hardware upgrade a deterent or a hindrance for people to upgrade to Microsoft Vista, considering that it needs at least 1GB of memory and Core Due processor to run.

CA: I don’t think so. Microsoft conducted a survey in Four countries in Asia, Philippines included – I believed there are about 500 respondents for each country. And the result was most if not all of them said that they expected that the cost of buying a new PC now will be higher when they procure there old PC. In other words, people are ready to spend for upgrades – be it hardware or software. And for those who are buying a new PC, they would want to have Vista as their OS.

JL: For those who are buying a new PC, I don’t think they will have any choice since most of the hardware providers will install Vista as its default OS. Aside from the hardware cost, buying Vista would be another added cost – Vista has a Starter Edition which is already available in other developing countries. When will this become available in the Philippines?

CA: I would like to believe that the Starter Edition of Vista will be available in the Philippines within the year (2007). This will give everyone the opportunity to use Vista at a more affordable price.

JL: On another note, in my own opinion, I will upgrade to Vista not because of its user interface but more of its new security features. May I ask you what new security strategies are you implementing now?

CA: There’s nothing new really. This is simply a continuation of our Trustworthy Computing and we are putting more emphasis on security because our users / clients expect us to. We are making sure that Three (3) factors are implemented:

1. All our developers / programmers are trained to include security in their products;

2 Transparency is another area where Microsoft will issue bulletins or advisories if in case there will any problems / flaws discovered. We are encouraging our users to report to us any flaws or problems so that Microsoft can issue it right away.

3. We will strengthen our awareness campaign. We will continue to inform and educate people on how to protect their PCs from security threats which we have added security tools within Vista for them to achieve their security needs with ease.

JL: So do you have a separate division or department that are solely focussing on security?

CA: Security is now a must for all our developers. But you are right in a way because there is a group who are constantly monitoring any security threats reported and making sure that its properly investigated and addressed.

JL: Windows Defender is currently offered Free. How long will the product and updates stay free?

CA: Microsoft has not discuss the selling of Microsoft Defender or offering it as a separate product. Our focus now is how to improve the security of our products and our users are expecting it from us. As of now, it would be difficult for us to charge for Windows Defender.

JL: Other security providers like Symantec and McAfee are your partners before but are now your competitors. Do you think it’s a good move that you now have your own security product?

CA: With regards to the issue of partners turning competitors, obviously it’s not because they are now suing us. But then again, Microsoft is entering the security arena because our users expect it from us or is asking us to. Users wants to have a more secure application and we are simply responding to the requirement of our users.

JL: So are you saying that Security is not a business for Microsoft?

CA: It is a business in a sense because having a secure product will definitely increase our customer satisfaction which will translate to higher sales. But if you mean selling our security products is a business for Microsoft, I would say it’s too early to tell yet. Microsoft is responding to the call of our clients and Microsoft is offering another option in as far as security is concerned.

JL: If that is true, then why is it that a user is required to uninstall other security applications before they are allowed to install Microsoft Defender?

CA: I don’t believe that it is the case, I don’t see why we will do that but let me get back to you on that.

My interview with Chris was cut inadvertently because another press member rudely interrupted us. Anyhow, I would like to thank Mr. Chris Atkinson for the opportunity and for his straightforward, no nonsense replies. I would say that this interview is one of the best interviews I ever had with someone from Microsoft. Because of this interview, the day indeed was a LOVE day. Congratulations to Microsoft.

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What’s In a Brand

Technology Brands Infuential in 2006
by: Jerry Liao

It’s every entrepreneurs dream that the brand of their product/services will become a household name of every consumer. If that happens, it means the product / service already made it to the top.

In recent years, the only technology brands that are making it to the top 10 are Microsoft, IBM, Intel, and Nokia. The manner of ranking is normally based on its present value and is also based on its earnings or sales. So as you can see, making it to even the Top 100 is no walk in the park. This is a global competition and not just local.

But recently, brandchannel.com, a branding e-magazine commissioned a survey and asks industry professionals and students to rank the top brands.

Google hogged technology headlines and spread its world dominance throughout 2006. The dust barely cleared on its US$ 900 million deal with News Corporation to provide service to sites such as MySpace when it purchased video site YouTube for .65 billion. But perhaps its most noteworthy brand achievement last year was the addition of the verb “to google” in two major English-language dictionaries. (More valuable to shareholders was the stock price cracking the 0 barrier.)

Apple barely edges YouTube for the runner-up slot. The company launched its first computers powered by Intel processors, the iTunes Music Store sold its 1 billionth song, and so far, people haven’t been chucking their iPods for the Microsoft Zune. Apple CEO/deity Steve Jobs has survived an investigation concerning backdated options; similar scandals have felled several other CEOs. In 2007 Jobs plans to walk on water, which he will then turn into wine.

Following Apple are two Readers’ Choice newcomers: the aforementioned YouTube, and the spreading-like-Google Wikipedia. The backbone of both brands is user-created content: one allows you to watch (or upload your own version of) a “Mentos eruption” that occurs when you slip the chewy candies into a bottle of diet cola, while the other details why this junk-food fireworks takes place.

YouTube launched in 2005, and this year, with 20 million monthly visitors, exploded like Mentos in Diet Coke and was named Time’s “Invention of the Year.” And did we mention that Google bought it for .65 billion in stock?

Since its creation comparatively eons ago (2001), Wikipedia grew slowly and steadily (pages in well over 100 languages, with more than 1.5 million articles on the English version alone) as it became the premier—if not always accurate—online research tool.

In a virtual tie for fifth place are perennial favorites Starbucks and Nokia, proving caffeine and cellphones haven’t gone out of style. In 2006, the java giant added more franchises in China and also branched into the entertainment business as one of the producers of the film Akeelah and the Bee.

Nokia and Siemens AG created one of the world’s largest network firms, called Nokia Siemens Networks, by merging their mobile and fixed-line phone network equipment businesses.

Unlike other brand rankings that crunch financial numbers, the Readers’ Choice poll measures brand impact according to brandchannel readers. “Impact” can be good or bad. For instance, Sony could have impacted you positively with its PlayStation 3, negatively with a malfunctioning laptop battery, or both.

The study runs online and is open to the public during November and December. Votes can be cast for up to five brands per region; respondents can only vote once per region but no section is mandatory.

More than 3,600 people from 99 countries voted in the 2006 poll. The greatest number of voters fell in the age range of 26 to 35 year olds, with an almost equal number of men and women. Voters claiming employment with actual brands as opposed to agencies was greater by half.

Respondents per region equal: 3,625 for Global; 1,595 for US & Canada; 1,420 for Asia-Pacific; 1,358 for Europe & Africa; and 581 for Latin America.

The top five brands for the various areas are as follows:

Global : 1.Google 2. Apple 3. YouTube, 4. Wikipedia 5. Starbucks.

Asia Pacific : 1. Sony, 2. Toyota, 3. HSBC, 4. Samsung, 5. Honda.

Central and Latin America : 1. Corona 2. Bacardi 3. Movistar 4. Havaianas 5. Bimbo.

Europe and Africa : 1. Ikea 2. Skype 3. Nokia 4. Zara 5. Adidas.

US and Canada : 1. Apple 2. Youtube 3. Google 4. Starbucks 5. Wikipedia.

The entire survey result can be found at http://www.brandchannel.com

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The Sure Hand of God

The Story of Brother Ed
by: Jerry Liao

Before anything else, let me again ask for my reader’s patience and understanding for my article today has nothing to do with technology but rather it’s about life. I would say its a continuing journey of my young Christian life. This story is about Brother Ed – a friend I met during the treatment of my angel Eva.

If my memory serves me right, it was August 1, 2006 that I first met Brother Ed. We were in place where we were hoping for miracles to happen – to save Eva’s life and his life as well. At that time, we have exhausted what western medicine has to offer. Our back is against the wall. We will listen, accept and do whatever we’re told just to be able to cling on something they call HOPE.

Just like my wife Eva, Brother Ed also has cancer, in his case its cancer of the colon – fourth stage. The first time I saw Brother Ed was when he entered the same room where Eva and I was. A place where alternative treatment was offered. Brother Ed came in quietly, sat down in one of the available chairs observing what was going on. I can automatically sense that there was some apprehensions on his part, but given his condition at that time, he is willing to give it a shot. Nothing to lose in other words.

My friendship with Brother Ed started when the next day we met he forgot to bring his medicine, a medicine that should be taken regularly. Fortunately, Eva was taking the same medicine and I brought with me some extra. I offered it to Brother Ed so that he won’t miss his medicine. He assured me that he will bring his medicine the next day to replace what I offered him, a promise he did as soon as he arrives the next day.

From that day on, Brother Ed and I will have a short talk during their treatment. He will arrive in the morning, go home and come back again later in the day for his afternoon treatment. He oftenly said he finds the session boring since he has no one to talk to and most of the patients at that time were women. Another reason why I think Brother Ed and I got closer is because we share the same passion – we’re smokers. So every given opportunity, Brother Ed and I will manage to puff one cigarette during his treatment. I did remind him that he has to quit smoking, Brother Ed will just smile at me and puff the cigarette again.

Since Eva and Brother Ed are taking the same medicine, they need to take it on the same schedule (9am – 3pm – 9pm – 3am). Before Eva takes her medicine, I will say a little prayer with Eva to thank the Lord for making the medicine available, and acknowledging the Lord that it is HE who is curing Eva, and the medicine is simply HIS tool. I will glance at Brother Ed and I will see him taking his medicine straight. One time, I told him to pray as well before taking his medicine, Brother Ed will just smile and nod his head. I told him that he can pray in his mind and that would be enough.

My meeting with Brother Ed was cut short when his family and I decided to rent our own equipment, and have the treatment at home. The communication was further cut when my angel Eva passed away last August 2006. Brother Ed and his family was not able to attend the wake, but they sent their condolences and it was enough for me.

Sometime November 2006, I got a text message from Brother Ed’s older brother Dexter asking if I have some pain reliever left which he will use for Brother Ed. Unfortunately I gave them all away. I asked Dexter how Brother Ed was doing and at that time, Dexter said Brother Ed is doing fine.

Sometime December 2006, I called up Brother Ed to ask him how he is doing. Brother Ed was glad to hear my voice again after quite some time. Brother Ed expresses his sadness over the passing of my wife Eva. Brother Ed revealed to me that his hope to be cured was renewed the day he saw Eva, because despite Eva’s condition at that time – Eva was full of life, she was always smiling and you can really sense that my wife Eva was at peace with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Brother Ed admitted that his condition has worsen. Sleeping has become an ordeal for him, not to mention the pain he’s experiencing. He said he has lost weight and has lost his appetite as well. All I can offer at that time for my Brother Ed are words of comfort. I told my Brother Ed not to lose hope and always pray to God for mercy and grace. I told Brother Ed that God will not put him in a situation without a purpose and all he has to do is to believe, trust and have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The following statements uttered by Brother Ed is something I never expected to hear from him. He said and I quote “Jerry, I have already accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. HE is my only hope now, I surrendered my life to HIM and I am very much at peace with HIM. You will be surprised that I also talked to the Devil. I told the Devil that he may make me suffer, he make take my body and strength away, but one thing’s for sure – the Devil cannot take away my spirit and my soul for I have given and committed it to my one and only true God – Jesus Christ”. My tears fell after hearing those words from my Brother Ed. A true and clear demonstration of faith and love indeed.

I told Brother Ed that I am very happy to hear that he accepted the Lord as his Savior. I told him to continue to pray and have faith in HIM. Continue to develop his relationship with God. To pray and talk to our Lord regularly. And I told Brother Ed that I will also pray for him everyday. For with God, everything is possible and nothing is impossible.

I make it a point to call Brother Ed everyday, but in all ocassions, I was not able to talk to him. Dexter told me that Brother Ed is getting weaker everyday. I told Dexter that perhaps Brother Ed is getting weaker physically, but he is getting stronger spiritually. Dexter said Brother Ed is fully aware of my calls and messages and Brother Ed was also in tears, knowing that am praying for him and checking his developments. I told Dexter that despite the short time I met Brother Ed, the time and experience we shared together is something I will treasure for the rest of my life. It has helped me appreciate what life is really all about.

As I write this story, my Brother Ed is still fighting, but he did tell me that he is ready to meet his Creator anytime. After talking to Brother Ed, I finally realized what my God wants me to do – and that is to tell as many people as possible about HIS Greatness, perhaps through my articles, my programs, and in my seminars. God gave me all these talents for this purpose, and my conversation with Brother Ed is a confirmation of this calling.

To my Brother Ed, remember this: “But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). God Bless you always!

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We Can Work It Out

Workers Most Motivated by Recognition of Achievements
by: Jerry Liao

If you have tried running your own business, you would know that next to having a good product and services – the next most important asset of a company is its workforce. In other words, the knowledge capital of a company can also spell the difference between success and failure.

How to develop and how to keep the knowledge within the company for the longest time possible has always been a challenge. Attractive packages and incentives, career path programs, and other motivational activities are being implemented by companies to ensure employee satisfaction, thus giving their best for the company.

While hosting team-building events and giving increased responsibility are common ways to motivate staff, a new survey shows a simple thank you will also win over employees. Thirty-five percent of workers and 30 percent of chief financial officers (CFOs) polled cited frequent recognition of accomplishments as the most effective non-monetary reward. Regular communication was the second most common response, given by 20 percent of employees and 36 percent of CFOs.

The surveys were developed by Accountemps, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. They were conducted by an independent research firm and include responses from more than 1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with more than 20 employees and 536 full- or part-time office workers.

To gain the perspectives of executives and employees, both groups were asked about the best no-nmonetary ways to motivate staff: “Other than financial rewards, which of the following is the most effective means of motivating employees?” The responses of CFOs and employees are as follows: Frequent Recognition of Accomplishments (CFO – 30%) – (Employees – 30%); Regular Communication with staff (36%) – (20%); Giving Employees increased responsibility (20%) – (17%); Off-site team building and social events (8%) – (10%); More time off/holidays/paid time off (0%) – (1%); Flexible work schedule flextime (0%) – (0%); Something else (1%) – (5%); None Nothing else motivates (1%) – (1%); Don’t Know (4%) – (11%). No amount of team-building events or other perks can compensate for a manager personally thanking employees for a job well done, said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Motivating Employees For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). Individuals want to know their work is appreciated and makes a difference.

While extra time off and flexible schedules help employees maintain work/life balance, they did not rank as top motivators. These incentives are valuable in increasing loyalty over the long term, but there is no substitute for inspiring employees on a daily basis through words and actions, Messmer said.

Basic Principles to Remember in motivating employees:

1. Motivating employees starts with motivating yourself.

It’s amazing how, if you hate your job, it seems like everyone else does, too. If you are very stressed out, it seems like everyone else is, too. Enthusiasm is contagious. If you’re enthusiastic about your job, it’s much easier for others to be, too. Also, if you’re doing a good job of taking care of yourself and your own job, you’ll have much clearer perspective on how others are doing in theirs. A great place to start learning about motivation is to start understanding your own motivations. The key to helping to motivate your employees is to understand what motivates them. So what motivates you? Consider, for example, time with family, recognition, a job well done, service, learning, etc. How is your job configured to support your own motivations? What can you do to better motivate yourself?

2. Always work to align goals of the organization with goals of employees. As mentioned above, employees can be all fired up about their work and be working very hard. However, if the results of their work don’t contribute to the goals of the organization, then the organization is not any better off than if the employees were sitting on their hands — maybe worse off! Therefore, it’s critical that managers and supervisors know what they want from their employees. These preferences should be worded in terms of goals for the organization. Identifying the goals for the organization is usually done during strategic planning. Whatever steps you take to support the motivation of your employees (various steps are suggested below), ensure that employees have strong input to identifying their goals and that these goals are aligned with goals of the organization. (Goals should be worded to be “SMARTER”.)

3. Key to supporting the motivation of your employees is understanding what motivates each of them. Each person is motivated by different things. Whatever steps you take to support the motivation of your employees, they should first include finding out what it is that really motivates each of your employees. You can find this out by asking them, listening to them and observing them.

4. Recognize that supporting employee motivation is a process, not a task. Organizations change all the time, as do people. Indeed, it is an ongoing process to sustain an environment where each employee can strongly motivate themselves. If you look at sustaining employee motivation as an ongoing process, then you’ll be much more fulfilled and motivated yourself.\

5. Support employee motivation by using organizational systems (for example, policies and procedures) — don’t just count on good intentions. Don’t just count on cultivating strong interpersonal relationships with employees to help motivate them. The nature of these relationships can change greatly, for example, during times of stress. Instead, use reliable and comprehensive systems in the workplace to help motivate employees. For example, establish compensation systems, employee performance systems, organizational policies and procedures, etc., to support employee motivation. Also, establishing various systems and structures helps ensure clear understanding and equitable treatment of employees.

To avoid loss of motivation, we must protect the higher human drive to learn, improve one’s environment, help others, gain recognition and contribute to the common good. We must create a safe work environment in which employees can take pride in their work and feel that their individual styles of learning and communicating are understood and respected.

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Never So Few

Internet – 2007 Candidates’ Secret Weapon
by: Jerry Liao

By now you must be so tired watching and listening to election news and stories on television and in radio. I cannot blame you; I myself am starting to feel the same way too. With all the killings, maneuverings and other tactics of politicians to gain some publicity, it’s like watching Sesame Street and Batibot on evening primetime. No pun intended.

I would just like to share with you a study recently published by PEW Internet and American Life Project that discusses the role of the internet in the 2006 U.S. Election. It is an insight on how candidates and voters are slowly relying more on the internet to get their news and election related developments.

The report indicated that the number of Americans who got most of their information about the 2006 campaign on the internet doubled from the most recent mid-term election in 2002 and rivaled the number from the 2004 presidential election year. In all, 15% of all American adults say the internet was the primary source for campaign news during the election, up from 7% in the mid-term election of 2002 and close to the 18% of Americans who said they relied on the internet during the presidential campaign cycle in 2004.

Some 25% of all Americans (or 37% of internet users) say they got information online about the 2006 elections and 10% of Americans (15% of internet users) say they exchanged emails about the candidates. Many people used the internet both ways, that is, for news and for communication about politics. Altogether, 31% of all Americans (or 46% of internet users) say they were online during the campaign season gathering information and exchanging views via email. They represent more than 60 million people.

While television and newspapers still dominate political communication for the majority of Americans, there is now a group of citizens who use the internet more than newspapers.

They are relatively young, under 36 years old, and they have broadband connections at home. Some 35% of those in that category say the internet was their main source of political news during the 2006 campaign, compared with 18% who cite newspapers. For older broadband users, the internet still seems to be a supplemental source of political information and activity.

For most, the internet’s value lies in its convenience. But many also cite its virtues as a source of information beyond that which is available in other media.

– 71% of campaign internet users cited convenience as a major reason they get political news online.

– 49% said a major reason they got political news online is that they could get information on the web that is not available elsewhere.

– 41% said a major reason they got political news online is that they don’t get all the news and information they want from traditional news sources such as the daily newspaper or network TV news.

– 34% said a major reason they got political news online is that they can get perspectives from outside their community on candidates and issues

– 28% said a major reason the got political news online was to get local perspectives on the races.

The internet’s role in campaigns has grown dramatically in the past decade. Several forces are driving this. At the top of the list is the growth of broadband.

Those always-on linkages and faster delivery make it easier for people to get news online. Second on the list is the increase in the number of internet users with veteran status. Third is the growth of news content online.

News is a primary information “currency” online. Many thousands of web sites now offer news and headline services, even sites that are not run by news organizations. Fourth is people’s increased fluency with web communication tools. It is natural people will use email and instant messaging and now even cell phone text messaging as ways to discuss politics, share jokes about candidates, or forward the latest insider political information to friends.

Other revealing information provided by the study is that internet users often bump into political news when they were doing other things online and voters aren’t always looking for information that supports their point of view. Many seek contrary material.

The study may not be as relevant to us here in the Philippines but it somehow gives us a glimpse how the internet is starting to influence elections both for the candidates and for the voters. I am certain that most of the candidates will have their personal website available months before the election.

Websites will be a great venue for candidates to promote and publish their achievements, platform of government and their never-ending promises. The reason why voters don’t bother to visit a candidate’s website is because most of them are self-serving. Most of the sites don’t even allow comments posting as it may be damaging to a candidate’s image and campaign efforts.

A candidate website without free-flowing discussion is simply a campaign brochure/leaflet available online.

If there’s one area where I think candidates can make use of the internet is in the solicitation of campaign funds. People can now do fund transfers online. Supporters from all over the world can now provide funding to a particular candidate they believed in.

In so far as the voters are concerned, information gathering is still the greatest gain one can get from the web. Visit candidates’ websites and painstakingly go over their achievements, if any. But I suggest you join newsgroups or visit election independent websites and read the latest developments about the candidates. Post your comments as well, and make it as fair as possible. Put in mind that you’re posting to share information so that the general public can select the right candidate and vote wisely.

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