My reflections on 15 years of blogging

This year, I celebrate my 15th year as a blogger. That is almost as long as the amount of time I spent on my first job with a leading accounting firm, much longer than my stint with a bank, and about half the number of years I’ve been married.

I started my blogging journey back in 2005/2006 on the Multiply platform before it transformed into an e-commerce platform then shut down in 2013. I learned to improve my craft through the years by attending annual iBlog summits, organized by internet marketing specialist Janette Toral.  In the last years of iBlog, I had several opportunities to become a speaker or panelist and share my own insights with new batches of bloggers.

Veteran bloggers of iBlog summits at the last iBlog in 2019. (L-R): Me, Mike Abundo, JJ Disini, Tonyo Cruz, Ruben Licera

Continue reading “My reflections on 15 years of blogging”

What is an advocate?

I came across this definition of an advocate on the Facebook wall of Dr. Antonio Dans. It’s a pretty good description. I think I will expound on this in a future post.

Photo credit: Ade Oshineye (https://www.flickr.com/photos/adewale_oshineye)

ADVOCACY is (according to wikipedia) – “an organized collection of people who seek to influence political decisions and policy, without seeking election to public office… it is a network of interconnected organisations and projects which seek to benefit people who are in difficulty.”

But what are advocates?

1. Advocates have no political ambition (by definition) – they work at the front lines;
2. They have no power (but they have FB);
3. They do not trade values in exchange for favors;
4. They take sides on issues – not the people behind them;
5. They argue to uncover the truth – not to win the argument;
6. They aren’t paid, but they’re able to dream;
7. They don’t get any credit… but they have endless opportunities to photobomb policy-makers.

Advocates need policy-makers to get things done.
But policymakers need advocates to dream.

(Reposted with permission)