Unang Pamilya: Di na nakatira sa Palasyo ng Malakanyang

MANILA, Philippines - First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo said on Tuesday that the First Family started moving out of Malacañang Palace two weeks ago, and they are now living in their house in La Vista subdivision in Quezon City.
In an interview, Mr. Arroyo said starting last Sunday, he and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo were no longer sleeping in Malacañang Palace.
Mr. Arroyo, who has a heart ailment, also disclosed he will undergo a spinal column surgery as recommended by his doctors.
The Arroyo government has a transition team that intends to facilitate a "smooth turnover" to the next government of President-elect Benigno Aquino III.
The two sides have met to discuss the inaugural of Aquino on June 30.
Mrs. Arroyo will have her final Cabinet meeting on June 29 before the oath-taking of Aquino at the Quirino Grandstand the following day.
Mrs. Arroyo will assume her post as representative of Pampanga's second district after she steps down from her 9-year presidency.

Twitter down due to enhancement failures

Twitter has just apologized to its users for widespread glitches -from apparently missing tweets to incorrect tweet counts- due to failed enhancements to its timeline caching system.

On Twitter's status blog, the company posted on June 14 (June 15 in the Philippines) a series of updates that apologized to users for apparently missing tweets and inconsistent tweet counts.

"We're currently experiencing site availability issues resulting from the failed enhancement of a new approach to timeline caching. Our infrastructure and operations engineers are currently working to resolve this," one of the posts said.

As of press time, the latest update was posted at 11:51pm PDT (6:51am Philippine time) and said that Twitter is still "recovering from the site outage. Users may temporarily experience missing or duplicate tweets from their timelines. Normal timelines will be restored shortly." - GMANews.TV

Business Networking: Pros and Cons Part II

One of my goals this year is to attend 4 real-world face-to-face networking events each month. Why bother with offline networking at all? After all, several virtual assistants I spoke with told me they do all their marketing and networking strictly online.
Face-to-face Networking Builds Trust
My personal experience with online-only networking is a mixed bag. I met all my past and present clients online. The problem is that some of my business relationships soured in large part because of their virtual nature. For example, dismissing an overdue invoice with promises of payment at a later unspecified date is much easier to do via e-mail than through face-to-face contact.
From the client’s point of view, they might want to deal with someone local because hopefully it would ensure higher level of customer service and greater ease of communication. Plus, it turns out that many solo entrepreneurs and small business owners are a fairly conservative and cautious bunch. They really need to get to know you and chat with you a few times before they even look at your Services page. Or is it a Southern thing?
Face-to-Face Networking Lets You Assess Your Future Client
Either way, this need for face-to-face contact works for me since it gives me time to evaluate prospective client and decide whether our working together would be a good idea after all.
Face-to-face Networking is Fun
I’m a stay-at-home mom who spends most of her days in the company of a preschooler.  As intelligent, entertaining, thought-provoking, and fun as my son is, I still crave, occassionally, to be with other grownups talking about things other than Thomas the Train, drums, and alphabet. Networking provides just such an outlet, not to mention a great opportunity to wear something fancier than jeans and running shoes.
Face-to-Face Networking = Learning
There are things you will hear in a small group of regulars who know each other quite well that you will not hear in public spaces online. There is also a great opportunity to meet and listen to people from a different “niche universe”.  Even though many of the people you meet are not your target clients or potential partners, they might offer a unique insight, share a valuable resource, or get you thinking about a new solution to your problems.
Now, face-to-face networking is not without its drawbacks.
Face-to-face Networking is Time Consuming – an hour-long even will take half a day if you factor in the driving time, pre-event mulling about, presentations that run on for a bit too long, and post-event networking.
Face-to-face Networking is Expensive – well, compared to online networking it is. Since most of the networking events are scheduled during business hours, you miss out on getting some work done. Many events have attendance and/or membership fees. Many are hosted over breakfast or lunch at cafes and restaurants – another expense. Finally, if your situation is similar to mine, you’ll have to arrange for childcare while you’re out networking.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio – I’d love to attend a networking group strictly for coaches or, say, for professional organizers – my target market instead of one with realtors, mortgage brokers, financial advisors, franchisees, MLM, and home parties-type businesses – not my target market. This can be easily controlled online, but offline many groups intentionally limit the number of participants from the same niche.
Still, I think old-style networking is important in a B2B business that is relationship-based, such as virtual assistance or social media support. And so I’m going to 4 networking groups this month. I found all of them through Meetup:
Women Business Owners Network – WBON – I’ve been a part of this group for about 8 months. I met one-on-one with a couple of people from this group and once bartered my services with another group member. I also did a presentation on Social Networking for Small Businesses and will be doing another one in March. But that’s as far as I’ve gotten for now.
Raleigh Entrepreneurs Organization - this is a new group I joined just a few days ago. It seems to be a diverse and active group with lots of interesting discussions. Also, very important to me – they meet in the evenings.
Raleigh Internet Marketing Mastermind – I joined this group last spring, but was able to go to only a couple of meetups since then. It’s a very in-demand group and meetups fill up very quickly, within a few hours of being posted. I’ve talked at length with some of the group members who might need my services and I’m hoping to work with some of them. But even if not, it’s a fantastic group to attend to learn all things Internet Marketing-related.
Raleigh Working Business Owners After Hours Meetup – I run my business part-time and in the evenings and it seems I’m an exception among the members of my other groups. So I was especially excited when I found out about this group late in December. I’m going to the first meeting later this week. So far, I have to say that this group has the most active message board and forum of all the groups I’m in. Very impressive!
So that’s my 4 for this month. Things might change next month if I see that one of these groups is not what I need. I have to tell you, for a part-time entrepreneur on a shoe-string budget, maintaining this pace is tough. But I hope that after 3-4 months I will be able to narrow it down to 2 networking meetings per month, possibly alternating between 3-4 groups.
What’s your experience with offline networking? How many events do you attend? How do you find out about networking groups? Please share your success stories!

Business Networking: Pros and Cons Part I

"Networking is an extremely powerful and effective tool when growing any business.  It is having a sales force without paying for a full time staff, launching an advertising campaign without having a marketing budget, and establishing yourself as an expert in your field without having to become a media darling.  The basic goal is to provide professionals, resources, and clients to networking members without incurring outrageous costs.  Listed here are a review of the most common networking resources and how to implement them into your own business."

Friends, Family AND CLIENTS
 

PRO:  Family, Friends Clients are the most common resource for any new business owner to tap into.  They have a history with you, know what you are capable of, and can vouch for your character, thus giving you a “foot in the door.”  Another bonus is that they truly want to help you do whatever they in order for you to succeed.

CON:  The people who care the most are often the biggest naysayers when it comes to venturing out on your own.  They will be the first to doubt your ability and determination, and the first to come down on you should you fail to live up to their expectations and fulfill the promises they made on your behalf.  They want you to be “safe”…and starting a new business is anything but safe.

MAKING IT WORK:  Be sincere when asking for help from friends and family.  Also, be specific when asking them for what you need.  When they come through for you, send them thank you cards, and keep them up to date on how your business is growing.  To keep sending people your way, they want to know that they are actually helping you, that you are fulfilling your promises, and that your business is growing.  Lastly, take all of their advice with a grain of salt.  Some advice will make sense, but other bits will go against the grain.  Thank for their advice and referrals, but stick to your instincts.

PREVIOUS CLIENTS

PRO:  Previous Clients already have a history with you.  They will be glad to see you striking out on your own; they will be willing to let you solicit to them; and they will be willing to help you with advice and referrals for getting off the ground.

CON:  This group can be difficult to win away from your previous company since they have a history with that business as well.   Also, they might possibly be a little jealous of your entrepreneurial spirit and thus a bit reluctant to see you succeed where they might fear to travel.

MAKING IT WORK:  Be attentive and offer excellent customer service.  Call them periodically and ask how you might be of assistance.  Ask for referrals whenever possible.  Get friendly with their salesmen, managers and other employees and offer incentives to these people for buying from you or referring business to you.  Send cards and gifts on special occasions to let them you value them.  This kind of customer service will win their loyalty and get them to make referrals.

PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING GROUPS

PRO:  A Networking Group can offer encouragement, support, and a ready-made clientele list.  They will hire you to accomplish tasks for their business.  They will make referrals when you prove your worth.  They will act as your sales force and vouch for you even when the customer has not met you.  They will be loyal to you before being loyal to other acquaintances because of the groups existing terms of cooperation.  In effect, they will be your best clients, your respected colleagues, and eventually your friends.

CON:  A networking group will test your mettle first.  If you do not prove your worth, they will not send new business your way.  If you prove to be reliable, they will boot you from the group and not refund your fees.  Many times, they will only refer clients to you if you do the same for them.  Also, it will cost money to join a networking group.

MAKING IT WORK:  Make yourself valuable by doing the following:  Treat professional networkers as valued customers and respected colleagues; always stand by your word; prove your reliability time and again; go above and beyond what is expected of you; volunteer for status in the group; and refer as many clients to others as possible.  By doing so, your networking group will feel the need to repay you in kind and your client list will grow exponentially.  Write off any associated fees as advertising expenses.

(Check out BNI, your local Chamber of Commerce, related trade groups, and specialty business groups (like groups for women or minorities).)

SOCIAL BOOKMARKING

PRO:  Multiple visits to your website can help your business by utilizing search engine optimization.  The more views your site acquires, the more your site moves to the top of search engines like Google and Yahoo, giving you an edge over your competition.  Submitting your website to social bookmarking sites achieves the desired views to move your website into premier positions.

CON:  These sights largely promote writers and bloggers.  Therefore, you need to spend time in both writing and updating your blogs, as well as in helping other social bookmarkers promote their material in order to stay fresh and on top of your market.

MAKING IT WORK:  Create an informative blog on your website related to what your business does or the services you provide.  This will set you apart as an expert in your field, and give something to your bookmarking network that they can legitimately promote.  The more time you spend adding “friends,” visiting and approving sites, and making comments, the more your networking group will do the same for you. 

(Check out Stumbleupon, Digg, Propeller, Facebook and MySpace for social bookmarking sites.  Also create a profile on LinkedIn since this website is quickly becoming one of the main business networking resources on the net.)

TESTIMONIALS AND COMMENTS

PRO:  Testimonials and comments set you apart as a reliable professional in your field and gain the trust of readers.  It gives future customers the chance to learn about you while also having other people verify your knowledge.

CON:  This is not a 100% guarantee of trust since some people may assume that you made up any testimonials on your site.  Negative comments might actually hurt your credibility as well.

MAKING IT WORK:  Ask your acquaintances and colleagues to provide a testimonial about you, your business and your products.  Select the best ones for your website and promotional materials place them in a prominent position.  By doing so, you portray your professionalism upfront and give visitors a sense of confidence in your skills.  Use negative comments as constructive feedback to improve your blogs, and delete them when necessary or inappropriate. 

Microsoft Kinect arrives, battle begins

By Franklin Paul and Gabriel Madway, Reuters

Posted at 06/15/2010 1:07 PM | Updated as of 06/15/2010 1:07 PM

LOS ANGELES - Microsoft Corp will begin selling its "Kinect" motion-sensing game system on November 4, before the crucial holiday season, hoping to lure new and casual players to the Xbox and steal a march on rivals Nintendo Co Ltd and Sony Corp.
The world's largest software vendor, which has ambitions of making its Xbox 360 not just a gaming device but a hub of home video and Web entertainment, will also begin selling a smaller, same-priced version of the console this week.
Microsoft would not say how much Kinect -- which plugs into Xboxes and lets players control games with body and hand gestures -- will sell for, though analysts' estimates range from $50 to $200. Executives said 15 titles from developers including Electronic Arts Inc and Ubisoft Entertainment SA will be available at the time of launch.
Ahead of this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo convention in Los Angeles, Microsoft offered sneak peeks of upcoming titles, including a LucasArts game in which Jedi Knights do battle with light sabers, and a fitness program that lets players compete in sports from bowling to sprinting.
The world's leading gaming hardware makers, hoping to reignite the slumping $60 billion industry, will unveil a plethora of futuristic gadgets at the E3 convention.
The rush of technology comes just as the video game industry, which dwarfs the $10 billion domestic movie box office, needs it. US industry sales -- hardware, software and accessories -- are down more than 10 percent at $4.7 billion this year through April, according to research firm NPD Group.
Microsoft also said on Monday it had struck a deal with Walt Disney Co's ESPN network to broadcast live sporting events into US living rooms through the Xbox 360 games console, bypassing traditional cable providers.
Live games will be broadcast through Microsoft's Xbox Live service, and will be offered at no additional cost.
It already offers Netflix movies and Zune music and videos through its Xbox Live online subscription service. There has been talk that it will announce a deal to add Hulu TV shows to the service at E3.
The arrival of Kinect may pressure Nintendo, which pioneered motion-sensing gaming through an all-purpose controller with its Wii system. Nintendo is expected to unveil more details on its 3D games system that requires no glasses at E3.
"This year's E3 gives the gaming industry the first real opportunity to prove that it's not just about making shoot-em-up games for testosterone-fueled boys," Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said.
"This is because the secret to the gaming industry's future is the realization that game consoles are the most powerful device in the living room," he wrote in a note.
A high bar?
In a surprise announcement, Microsoft also showed off a more compact, higher-capacity Xbox console that will ship to retailers on Monday and be available to consumers this week. With a 250-gigabyte hard drive, the console will carry the same price tag of $299.
At the same time, Microsoft will slash $50 off the price of lower-capacity Xbox models -- the Xbox 360 Arcade and Xbox 360 Elite -- to $149.99 and $249.99, respectively. That makes them more affordable than the roughly $300 PlayStation -- though it comes with more capacity -- and in good shape against the roughly $199 Wii.
Electronic Entertainment Design and Research analyst Jesse Divnich said Microsoft set a high bar ahead of announcements from Nintendo and Sony this week.
"This presentation was a great sign of how Microsoft is transforming the Xbox into being a real entertainment platform," he said. "In a sense, they are trying to reinvent the Xbox 360, have it appeal to a broader audience."
Sony is expected to unveil its "Move" platform, which will compete with Kinect and Wii.
Shares of Microsoft fell 0.64 percent to close at $25.50 on Nasdaq. Disney fell 0.9 percent to $33.93 and Sony slipped 0.7 percent to $28.40 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Microsoft's Kinect is a three-camera system that plugs into Xbox and allows for hands-free games and controlling the console with voice commands. The platform, if it works well, takes gamers a step beyond Nintendo's Wii.
Some may have been disappointed by the lack of blockbuster franchises -- such as Activision Blizzard Inc's "Call of Duty" -- in the initial wave of releases for Kinect, but executives said that was a conscious decision.
Electronic Arts also announced on Monday it was developing a fitness game called Active 2 for Kinect, due for release in November. At a news conference, the company outlined updates to its Medal of Honor, Madden NFL and Need for Speed franchises, with an appearance by football great Joe Montana.
"The last thing I want to do is take a franchise that's strong and shove something in it too quickly," said Phil Spencer, vice president of Microsoft Game Studios.
"We want to put Kinect in the hands of creators (of Call of Duty and so on) and see what magic they come up with."
Janco Partners' analyst Mike Hickey said, "The fitness and dance games are both potential killer applications, driving a reasonably strong Kinect attach rate to the existing installed base and early adopters.
"The ESPN deal is huge, and the social networking applications Kinect offers are potentially powerful for driving initial adoption and loyalty," he said.

How to Add Facebook Share Button to Blog Post

Here's ,how make share button on your blogspot posts ,like appear at this blog . which will be good for readers to share your posts on Facebook, such as Digg button.

Oke, go to blogger dashboard -Edit HTML -Check Expand Widget - and find the code below:
<b:if cond='data:top.showAuthor'>

Place following code before the code above

<b:if cond='data:post.url'>
<a expr:href='&quot;http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=&quot; + data:post.url'><img alt='www.tips-fb.com' border='0' src='http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a398/syilpid/share_on_facebook_2.png'/></a>
</b:if>

The code above will appear be like this button:



If you want to using another button , can use these code below :



<b:if cond='data:post.url'>
<a expr:href='&quot;http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=&quot; + data:post.url'><img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a398/syilpid/share_on_facebook_4.png" border="0" alt="www.tips-fb.com"></a>
</b:if>




<b:if cond='data:post.url'>
<a expr:href='&quot;http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=&quot; + data:post.url'><img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a398/syilpid/share_on_facebook_3.png" border="0" alt="www.tips-fb.com"></a>
</b:if>

Or use your own text , for example : "Share On Facebook"

<b:if cond='data:post.url'>
<a expr:href='&quot;http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=&quot; + data:post.url'>Share on Facebook</a>
</b:if>

End...

Security Guards sa Opening ng World Cup sa Italy, Nag-Walk Out

CAPE TOWN - South African police took control of security at reigning champions Italy's opening World Cup match on Monday, after stewards walked out in a spiralling dispute over pay.
The strike came only hours after stewards providing security at Durban's World Cup stadium, which are employed by the same private security company, clashed with riot police in a protest over their wages.
The dispute is a major embarrassment for organisers who also had to find alternative transport for nearly 1,000 supporters stuck at Johannesburg's showpiece Soccer City stadium when bus drivers staged a wildcat strike.
"Although we have respect for workers' rights, we find it unacceptable for them to disrupt match day proceedings and will not hesitate to take action in such instances," said organising committee chief executive Danny Jordaan.
A police spokesman confirmed several hundred stewards had gone on strike.
"They were asked (by management) to leave the stadium. They have left the stadium," Cape Town police spokesman Billy Jones told AFP. "The police and the metro police are doing the job here."
The walk-out came barely three hours before Italy began the defense of their crown with a rain-soaked 1-1 draw against Paraguay at Cape Town's brand new $575-million (470-million-euro) Green Point stadium.
The match kicked off on time after the 63,000-strong crowd passed through the police-operated security scanners.
After a triumphant opening confounded scepticism about South Africa's ability to host the World Cup, the tournament's problems are mounting.
Police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to break up the Durban protest by around 400 stadium staff angered by what they said was a pay cut from 250 rand ($33) to 190 rand per day.
Some of the protesters returned to the stadium during the day in a bid to negotiate with their employers but the impasse remained.
"They told us that if we're not happy, we can give our uniform back," said one steward who declined to give his name.
A spokesman for the organising committee said a meeting was being set up between private security firm Stallion and workers to resolve the dispute.
A spokesman for Stallion said workers had been "misled" by jealous commercial rivals that did not get the tender.
The tournament also faced negative headlines over ranks of empty seats spotted at some of the less glamorous ties over the weekend.
Around 8,000 seats were empty during Saturday's match between South Korea and Greece, while there were also gaping holes at Monday's game in the central city of Bloemfontein where Japan beat Cameroon 1-0.
Most of the empty seats at Port Elizabeth had been sold to corporate clients who had just not turned up.
"Of course it is not nice to see empty seats at a World Cup stadium," said FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot. "You cannot draw conclusions after eight games."
In contrast, the match between the Netherlands and Denmark at Johannesburg's showpiece Soccer City stadium appeared full to the rafters. Supporters tried desperately to find tickets off touts for a match the Dutch won 2-0.
Around 1,000 fans who did get into the game had to find alternative transport from the stadium after drivers of a special high-speed bus service went on strike after dropping them off.
Japanese fans who had gathered in Bloemfontein dressed up in samurai outfits and took photos of themselves with their counterparts from Cameroon, while practicing on the vuvuzela trumpets that are driving some players mad.
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo was the latest star to voice unease about the trumpet, telling reporters it affected players' focus.
But FIFA president Sepp Blatter said there was no chance of them being shown the red card.
"I don’t see banning the music traditions of fans in their own country. Would you want to see a ban on the fan traditions in your country?" he wrote on Twitter.