Full-time blogging these days

Image via WikipediaI am a blogger, but not intensely, nor full-time. I pick some news here, and some articles there, and pick out my likings. I don't say the rest don't matter, but I have to be selective so I don't (completely) spam, and I don't clutter.

I saw this article last week, and today, when I came to look for it, 'twas already archived. I'm still taking it, for record purposes. Perhaps that will be my pasttime in the future years to come, who knows?
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Vimita Mohandas
26 Mar 2011

 

SINGAPORE: Singapore has an estimated 100,000 bloggers, with about half of them registered with blog advertising community, Nuffnang Singapore.

Social media experts said this number is set to rise and more will turn blogging into a full-time career.

Nuffnang said top bloggers can earn up to S$5,000 a month, depending on factors like blog demand and editorial content. Other factors include the blogger's style of writing and blog readership.

Most influential bloggers get about one or two ads a month. And as manager of their blogs, Nuffnang limits the number of ads so that blogs do no get over-commercialised.

But with the lure of money, what safeguards are there to ensure young bloggers do not compromise on their reputation in the blogosphere?

Well-known blog Monoxious.com was created by best friends Dawn and Arissa as a hobby in 2009. Their blog, which caters to teens and young working adults, got only seven unique hits a day when it first started.

However, after gaining recognition from blog awards, it now sees close to 1,000 unique hits a day.

Their fashion-centric blog is among a growing trend of niche blogs.

"Last time a lot of people blog to focus on their lifestyle, like what they did today. But now blogs are more inclined towards niche blogs and it has to be focused on few things like travel, food or fashion and beauty. And I think these niche blogs have more potential to expand than personal blogs do," said Dawn.

Like them, there is a growing number of bloggers who get paid for writing brand reviews or advertorials. This as more brands are recognising the power of influence online, and also the lower advertising costs compared to traditional media.

With such monetary gains, one social media expert said more should be done in schools to educate young bloggers on its pitfalls.

Pat Law, a social media blogger and expert, said: "To begin with, it should come from fellow bloggers to other bloggers. We can start by making it known or having events where you talk about our experience as bloggers. We should have at least a module on social media, why there are some things you should not say or can you bear the consequences if you say what you want to say.

"So if there aren't any educational programmes catered to the very fundamental fact that we are dabbling in social media, it's about time."

Nuffnang said it has about 50 bloggers who have signed contracts with them and those below 18 years must have a parent present to attend meetings regarding the contract.

The parent also has to sign the contract on his/her child's behalf. The terms are explained very clearly to both parent and child to ensure they understand and there is a grace period where they can take the contract home to discuss or consult a third party.

Meanwhile, as a content regulator, the Media Development Authority (MDA) said its policies are aimed at safeguarding public interest, increasing media choices and enabling informed decisions by consumers.

It looks out for content that touches on broad areas like "national interest" and "racial and religious harmony", as well as specific areas such as violence, language, sex and drug scenes.

-CNA/ac

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
More bloggers going full-time

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Seagate Technology to lay off 2,000 employees in Singapore

Image via Wikipedia

I'm taking the full test of this news story…

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By Ng Baoying, Channel NewsAsia

Posted: 04 August 2009 1547 hrs

A worker at Seagate Technology inspects a disc drive at the company's facility in Singapore. (file pic)

SINGAPORE: Seagate Technology announced on Tuesday it would relocate its hard disk drive manufacturing operations from Ang Mo Kio to other existing Seagate facilities by end-2010, laying off some 2,000 employees in the process.

The company said in a statement that this consolidation is necessary in order for it to further increase efficiency and reduce costs by leveraging investments across fewer manufacturing sites.

The statement also said that Singapore would remain a key strategic partner for Seagate, with a focus on high-value activities, and the company would continue to make strategic investments in the country.

Seagate has two other facilities in Singapore – located at Science Park and Woodlands.

Singapore is home to the company's only hard drive design centre and first volume manufacturing site outside of the United States, and the first Recording Media Operations facilities outside of North America.

Seagate said its Woodlands media operation, Seagate's Asia International Headquarters (IHQ), and the Science Park product development and design centre will remain in Singapore.

It said the company is giving every consideration to relocating some Ang Mo Kio employees to other Singapore operations. Employees ending their employment with Seagate will be offered retrenchment packages in line with industry standards, which include a month's pay for every year of service.

Singapore's labour movement said the move is a last resort for Seagate, which has been in talks with the employees' union over the past few weeks.

The company will work with the union and Singapore's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) to help affected employees.

Halimah Yacob, deputy secretary-general, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), said: "What is most important is not to focus on the retrenchment or the fact that 2,000 people are going to be unemployed.

"What's most critical for us is what kind of support and assistance can we provide to the workers who are going to be retrenched? This is where we work closely with the company and e2i in order to put the workers through training programmes, job placement."

She noted that retrenchments in the electronics sector occur for two reasons – fall in demand due to global economic downturn and internal restructuring for cost efficiency.

"Retrenchments in the electronics sector are typically due to two reasons... one is because of poor demand, weak orders that companies are facing. To some extent, this is temporary because you can resort to shorter work week, temporary plant shutdown and wait for the orders to come," said Mdm Halimah.

"But there's the other type – ongoing review and restructuring of operations. For global companies, they have plants all over the world, so they will look for the most efficient, effective, productive way to produce this particular kind of product."

Economists said such retrenchment exercises are not surprising.

Song Seng Wun, CEO & regional economist, CIMB-GK Research, said: "Disk drive operators have been moving out of Singapore over the last few years and it is a wonder that Seagate is still around in Singapore after so long. When we look at the data itself, disk drive value added to the overall manufacturing has declined steadily."

Disk drive manufacturing is labour intensive and analysts said it makes sense for firms to shift operations to countries like Thailand, Malaysia and China where costs are lower.

- CNA/so

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From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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The future of TV looks like this...

Image via Wikipedia

05:55 AM Jun 17, 2009

Imagine trying to explain the unique Peranakan culture to friends around the globe, as you watch an episode of The Little Nyonya in an online setting. You'll share your thoughts in a chat-box as the show runs on a souped-up television set, or a computer, or even a mobile device hooked up wirelessly to the Internet.

The work seems cut out for the consortium of companies that will be part of the FutureTV initiative aiming to make such scenarios a reality, under the Singapore Media Fusion Plan - a new national blueprint by the Media Development Authority (MDA).

MDA chief executive Dr Christopher Chia told Today this builds on the previous Media 21 blueprint launched in 2003. He said: "It gears Singapore companies to respond to fresh opportunities in today's new world order by enabling the creation of new Asia media - be it content, services or applications - that resonate with the world, while leveraging on Singapore's strengths and strategic location as an East-West gateway."

Along with $230 million worth of funding from the Government, the new plan outlines three key strategies: Creating a conducive environment for media businesses; leveraging research and development to help the media sector take advantage of new opportunities in digital media; and finally, to make Singapore-made content, media applications and services shine in the global spotlight.

Major players in the technology, infocomm and media sectors have formed the FutureTV consortium that will use Singapore as a test-bed for a new generation of visual media experiences and applications.

It includes media companies like MediaCorp and PGK, telcos SingTel and StarHub, and technology companies like Microsoft and Motorola.

The consortium will be launching the first call for proposals to local technology and media companies to submit novel ideas, technologies and business models.

Mr Shaun Seow, MediaCorp's deputy chief executive, said: "It holds out the promise of a new television viewing experience that's more engaging and interactive, delivered online or via the next generation broadband network that's being built."

The media sector will also see MDA and SingTel partnering to link Mediapolis@one-north - an upcoming self-contained 19-hectare media park incorporating a soundstage, digital production studios and other facilities - with a broadband connection to the telco's Broadcast Innovation Centre at its Satellite Earth Station in Bukit Timah.

This will provide the companies at the media park a digital communications gateway to distribute their content cost-effectively to over 40 major media centres in the world, via satellite and terrestial fibre networks. With this in place, the MDA aims to extend the reach of local media companies and facilitate worldwide access for Asian content. HEDIRMAN SUPIAN

From TODAY, Hot News – Wednesday, 17-Jun-2009; see the source article here.

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Govt to enhance, extend Wireless@SG programme till March 2013

By Irene Chan, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 16 June 2009 1650 hrs

A man tries out wireless internet services at a cafe.

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans who have become used to surfing the internet on the go will be able to do so for another four years.

The government says it will be enhancing and extending the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless%40SG programme till March 2013.

Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Lui Tuck Yew, made the announcement at the opening of the Infocomm Media Business Exchange Tuesday morning.

Mr Lui said since the launch of the Wireless@SG programme in 2006, the programme now boasts 7,500 hot spots across the country and 1.3 million subscribers.

Wireless@SG can be accessed at major public locations such as the main shopping belt at Orchard Road, the Central Business District and major HDB town centres.

The new enhanced programme will include improvements to access speeds of up to one megabit per second, double the current bandwidth, and using a new seamless login process.

Mr Lui says the government will also be rolling out more services over Wireless@SG, such as cashless payments as well as location-based and facility-monitoring services.

- CNA/yt

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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ITE graduates highly marketable despite weak economy

By Mogana Pillay Posted: 16 June 2009 2211 hrs

Institute of Technical Education

SINGAPORE: Graduates from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) did well on the jobs front last year.

Despite the weaker economy in the second half of the year, ITE graduates enjoyed a 90 per cent employment rate.

This was highlighted at the graduation ceremony of ITE's Class of 2009 on Tuesday, where 11,540 full-time and part-time students were honoured. Of these, 140 were awarded course medals for excellent performance.

ITE has collaborated with local organisations to provide a platform for joint-certification development, technical support, student scholarships and industry attachments. It has also taken the step to go global.

Senior Minister of State for Education, Trade and Industry, S Iswaran, said: "Internationally, ITE has also formed strategic partnerships with renowned global institutions to deepen and widen its linkages for learning, sharing and exchange for ITE staff and students alike."

- CNA/yt

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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SingTel gets AMPed

Christopher Toh

Lady Gaga (L), who 'quite likes' AMPed, performed at its launch yesterday. Photo by OOI BOON KEONG

WHEN is a telco not a telco? When it offers more than just telco services.

That's what SingTel's Singapore chief Allen Lew wants the local telco to do.

Yesterday, the Mainboard-listed company launched AMPed, an interactive music service for postpaid mobile customers - a first for Asia.

"Any telco has to reinvent itself," Mr Lew told Today. "This is one of our many growth initiatives. We decided two years ago that the telco of the future needs to be more than a carrier of bits and bytes. We will take our brand and push it into newer areas of multimedia. We didn't want another music download service. AMPed is a product that is part of this growth strategy for us."

AMPed not only offers unlimited music downloads for free, those who sign up can also get content like music videos, special invites to meet your favourite stars, wireless auto-sync between your computer and mobile phone, and a "social networking experience", where you can post photos or comments, share playlists and listen to pre-releases.

Top American artiste Lady Gaga, who appeared at the launch and performed a rambunctious showcase set at The Dome along Clarke Quay last night, said of the SingTel service: "I actually spent time last night working this, and I quite like it."

The service is developed in partnership with Universal Music Group, whose senior vice-president (Asean), Mr Sandy Monteiro, said: "The launch of this service could potentially double the revenues of Universal in Singapore."

Mr Lew was more guarded. "It's about creating differentiation from your competitors ... and yes, it will create value for us, but I can't tell you right now how much that could be," he said.

From TODAY, Business –Monday, 15-Jun-2009

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Singapore leads the pack in music downloads

By Christopher Toh, TODAY

Posted: 04 June 2009 1157 hrs

Nokia 5800 Xpress Music

SINGAPORE: When it comes to music, Singaporeans have the edge over listeners in the United Kingdom and Australia, mobile phone company Nokia said yesterday.

According to Elizabeth Schimel, Nokia's global head of music services, Singapore has been one of the best performing markets, if not the leading market, for Nokia's Comes With Music brand, with more than three million downloads in the service's first two months here.

"We've passed the 3-million mark in terms of number of tracks downloaded," said Schimel. "We think this type of volume will have a profound impact on the market. And this comes with only being on the market for a couple of months."

Singapore was the second country in the world to launch Comes With Music. Eight markets were launched within the first five months of this year.

"We had a really strong marketing campaign and lots of word of mouth. Seeing people exploring a lot more music, opening up consumption beyond just the few hottest tracks, that's exciting," Schimel told Today at the music business conference Music Matters 2009 in Hong Kong.

Come With Music is a programme that allows users to use a Nokia device to download millions of songs from a wide range of artistes.

Meanwhile, Nokia is set to launch their latest Comes With Music phone, the N97, featuring a touch screen and qwerty keypad, this month.

- TODAY/yb

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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PC software piracy rate here dips

How about at your place, country? Is software piracy difficult to put a tab on?

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by Esther Ng

05:55 AM May 13, 2009

FOR every $100 of personal computer software sold worldwide last year, $69 was pirated.

But in Singapore, the problem is much less severe. Following widespread public education, legislation and enforcement, the PC software piracy rate here has dipped to a new low. According to the latest BSA-IDC Global Software Piracy Study, the software piracy rate here dropped to 36 per cent last year from 37 per cent in 2007. It is also a marked improvement from 43 per cent in 2003.

Despite the decline in the software piracy rate here, absolute dollar losses rose to US$163 million ($238 million) last year from US$159 million in 2007, the study showed. IDC's Asia-Pacific consulting operations vice-president Victor Lim said absolute dollar "losses will increase if the rate of piracy decline is slower than the rate of software growth".

Amid the ongoing recession, Mr Lim expects companies and consumers to delay new PC purchases, a tendency that will cause the piracy rate to rise as "older computers are more likely to have unlicensed software".

Singapore's software market, including legal and pirated products, grew to US$460 million last year from US$430 million in 2007, according to the study. ESTHER NG

From TODAY – Wednesday, 13-May-2009