GDayX: Googlecentric

by Jonathan Idolor

2013-14792

The talks I listened to for the GDayX talk were mostly focused on Google and its many features. Being adequately versed in the online world, I was curious to see the new things I could learn from the speakers.

In light of recent events, the first speaker I listened to tackled the problem of the communication gap in the relief efforts for Yolanda. Collaboration is the word that stuck to me and proved to be the strongest feature Google offers. Any team, any time, any place, any device. In today’s world of ever-changing colleagues, workplaces, and technology, especially for students such as myself, these are very promising and useful features. But the speaker also gave a counter example, of how the division in government has led to slower work and collaboration, in line with the relief operations, despite the available resources of communication. For the benefit of communities, Google has Public Alerts, Crisis Maps, Person Finder, all the info gathered and collated. Based on experience, most Filipinos would volunteer rather than spend time trying to learn and understand this info; that is if they knew that info existed. Why did I only hear of this now? Am I not connected enough in my online circles to know about these projects?

The greatest limitation for me is that Google is still based on internet connection. Unlike downloadable versions of encyclopedias, Google’s vast array of articles and databases is virtually nonexistent without internet. And I am very confident in saying that not everyone is gifted with an internet connection, and a fast one at that. For features such as drive, you will need to be online in order to edit from an Android device. You can’t meet in a room and just connect by Bluetooth (a feature which, I think, is slowly dying out) in order to edit a document. You can edit it in your computer but another problem is what if you edit something someone else edits and sync it online, which copy is correct?

Sometimes it gets confusing with all the people you’re connected to. Everyone is socializing online. You can be whoever you want. Just crop, edit, beautify, use only the best pictures to show your best side. Even live stream can make you look good. Yes, there are still people who do not pretend to be anyone but how can you really tell? With technology and innovation for learning and finding things comes the same resources to hide, disguise, and edit ourselves. Along with the changes we make online, technology, in turn, changes us. Our priorities change, one speaker said that some people prioritize technological freebies over salary in choosing jobs. A lot of people are also becoming Googlecentric. When in doubt, Google it.

But no matter what, without the human element, communication, collaboration, and information, will all seem unnatural. Technology truly is a double edged sword; and without the know-how to use it, it can either do nothing or be harmful.­

GdayX PH

by: Fidel Delos Reyes
     2009-31842

Last Saturday, November 23 2013, i was lucky enough to be able to come to the GBG's (Google Business Groups) event called GdayX Ph which aims to inform businessmen, entrepreneurs and students about their latest products and services that may help them in their business and their daily lives.

Waking up late at around 8 am (the event starts at 8 am), i hurried with my friend to Xavier school in San Juan where the event was held, and was fortunate enough to listen to the first speaker. The first speaker was Gail Tan, in her keynote speech, she talked about their history and their aim and what every business entrepreneurs should think about in their business, and that is the users. In her whole talk she really emphasized about the "user" and that businessmen should always think about what the users need and getting their opinions is of grave importance in which i agree because i think a good business is a community between the users and the company, and the user's opinion is the key for it to grow especially for businesses like google.

The second and third speakers talks about the technical aspects of google products and services; the tools for business like Gmail, hangouts, google docs and the Google Drive. This talk was held by Heradl Uy and Therence Resabal repectively. I pretty much enjoyed this talk because i learned a lot about the stuff that i use and more of what it could give me. One thing is the google drive, i've always thought of it as one big USB in the net but apparently it can also be used for much bigger things like businesses and is being used by large known companies. Also i enjoyed a lot of its feature like the cloud based technology where you can store up to 15 gb worth of space for free and also the collaborative feature of the google docs connecting many users ideas simultaneously. I would say that these two are good salesman endorsing a good product.

The fourth speaker Trixie Canivel, talked about youtube for businesses. As the second most used search site in the web how it is great for endorsing businesses or even broadcasting a talent you can share. She shared two very good examples of youtube endorsing where you can get people to buy a dollar shave with good marketing and also creating an opportunity for yourself by posting to the world your talent like doing make up.

All in all I had a great time in the Gdayx event, i even got a notebook and stress ball for asking why youtube is so slow when rebuffing a video. The talks where very informative and it even inspired me to think about making my own business in the future and use google as a tool to help me obtain it.

GDayX MNL: Exploring the Wonders of Google and Business

                On August 23, 2013, the Global Business Group Community held an event called GDayX Manila at Xavier School, San Juan from 8am to 5pm. This event was just one of the many GDayX Philippines events that were held in many different places in the country.  It aims to inform and teach businessmen and students, entrepreneurs, and even non-business people the different services that Google has to offer. You see, Google is an essential part of our lives, but not all of us know how to maximize the use of its services.

               Different speakers who are experts in their own fields, like business, or blogging for example, shared their knowledge about Google and gave tips on how to improve one’s business or how to have easy access to places. One of the speakers was Ms. Fleire Castro who is from GBG Cebu. She talked about Crisis Mapping, and how it could help people by immediately knowing their location in case a typhoon or a calamity strikes them.  Ms. Castro encouraged the people to help add different locations to Google Maps so that more places would be easily detected when a calamity comes. Another speaker was Mr. JR Padilla, who talked about Google Maps and its new features that are indeed more sophisticated compared to the previous Google Maps. One example of the new features of Google Maps is the Street View in some places, where people could actually see a certain street and “walk” around it. Mr. Padilla also talked about the history of Google Maps – how it evolved from just words of places to actual images of them. The third speaker (from the moment I arrived in Xavier School), was Mr. Fitz Villafuerte, the owner of the Ready to be Rich blog in the Philippines. He talked about how blogs could be a great help in attracting more customers. “Making a blog is very easy,” he said. “By having a blog, you can reach out to more customers, and it is absolutely free.”

                Google Maps and blogs were not the only things that were discussed in GDayX Manila. Different Google services like Google Analytics, Google+ for Business, and others were also discussed. Most of the talks were meant for businessmen so that they could improve their businesses, but non-business people learned a lot, too.

                GDayX Manila was a great event. It was very educational and inspiring to people from different walks of life. With great topics by great speakers and with freebies given like free coffee and lunch, the Global Business Group Community indeed made GDayX Manila fun and successful.

#GDayxPH #GDayxMNL

 by Jovialis Yeung (2013-72341)

November 23, 2013 was a hectic day for me but thankfully I still had time to attend "GDaysX Manila" held at the Angelo King Multi-Purpose Center in Xavier School. I had the privilege of hearing from a few speakers, some were from Google while others were businessmen or bloggers. 

Blogging for Your Business by Fitz Villafuerte (Business & Finance Blogger)

The main focus of the topic was about online advertising and how to make people know about your company through social media. Sir Villafuerte pointed out the differences between a website and a blog, and key points to note when making a blog so as to attract the attention of visitors and relay information better. 

A blog is a helpful way of getting feedback from clients, and is a way to see whether online advertising is affecting the day-to-day business of the company. 

Frequent blogging (or updating and using of the blog) can make the company appear higher on search lists which is also very helpful for advertising.

Since a lot of advertising nowadays is done through social media and personally I do a lot of advertising too, what I learned from Sir Villafuerte was advertising done right.

An Intro to Analytics & Google Analytics by Marck Rimorin

I knew a lot of businesses used Google but I never realized that they had so many different programs that could do practically everything for free. Google Analytics is one such program that monitors all the data from a specific website (let's say, the company website). Data such as number of visitors, time spent on site, demographics of visitors are all readily available and is a way for companies to monitor their website's performance and how it affects their goals and progress. 

Very useful for businesses especially ones which rely on a lot of online advertising. If I were part of the marketing team in a company someday in the future I would definitely use this program.

Google Places & Mapping for Business by JR Padilla (GBG Dagupan Community Head)

One very important thing to make sure about your business is that people know what you are and where you are. Google maps can make sure of that, and it's the place where info about the company can be put for easy access of the public, and it also doubles as free advertising.

Definitely useful since Google Maps is one of the most frequently used services of Google and since they're improving by the day and adding new functions every once in a while, the public will always have something to look forward to.

Summary

Most of the topics were about Goggle products and how they could be used for business so for someone like me who's taking up a business course, it was all very informative since the techniques applied by the speakers were upgraded versions of the usual marketing/advertising strategies and they gave a lot of pointers on how to maximize limited resources through innovative means.

GDayX Manila - Engaging, Informative, and Fulfilling

by Erwin Dennis Umali | BS Computer Science | 2010 - 23119

From the perspective of a student -- especially one who delves mostly on the technical aspect of things -- going to a business-oriented event felt a bit off to me. However, since the event featured using technology for your business, and since it had a big tech name on it (Google!), I signed up as soon as I heard about the event.

I was able to attend the final hours of GDayX, from 3pm till closing. This meant that, sadly, I won't be able to give my impressions on the event as a whole. Still, though, I unexpectedly enjoyed the last 2 hours or so of the event. From the very affable staff, the ambiance of the location, the high quality talks, even to the generosity of the prizes and quirk of the games -- everything felt very sophisticated and engaging.

I was able to attend the last three talks, which dealt with using Google for business and education, as well as what the local Google developer scene looks like at present.

Google+ for Business

(Johnn Mendoza, GBG Cebu)

Mr. Johnn Mendoza from GBG Cebu tackled using Google+ and its services to help your business. His topics sounded very contemporary to me -- you don't need print ads or media to advertise! Using Google services right can deliver the same marketing returns with much less cost! He used his own small hotel business in Cebu as an example, and showed how its success was based on 80% online marketing. He used Google+, Google Search, and Google Maps to make his business visible online, and it has proved successful in making his hotel at near-full capacity.

This topic was definitely one of the most interesting for me. While I wanted to catch the Google Analytics talk first, I was piqued nonetheless by the use of G+ for business. I thought of G+ as mainly 'the other Facebook' (a monicker Sir Johnn actually tackled), and seeing how it can boost marketing to the point of tangible gains was eye-opening for me. Not only was I mildly surprised of G+'s efficacy in business, I honestly thought that local businesses would not benefit that much from online marketing. I thought of the general PH market as one who still largely relies on traditional forms of advertising, and that things like what Sir Johnn was talking about weren't very relevant to us today. I was wrong about this, apparently, as Sir Johnn showed first hand how G+, Search, and Maps helped him out a lot. For the many attendees, I bet this was just as eye-opening to them as it was for me. As a soon-to-be software developer, this encourages me to try and develop for the local market. I saw how businesses can thrive locally online, and how they can try to be resilient and use innovative and contemporary channels for publicizing. This talk left me with a sense of hope -- I feel that online trends for business is at a climb in the Philippines, and this talk solidifies that feeling well.

Google in Education

(Jerome Locson, Google)

Mr. Jerome Locson from Google shared insights on Google projects that are being developed for the education sector. He detailed several endeavors: lofty projects such as Project Loon; the ambitious Chromebook; Google Apps for Education packages being offered to universities and educational units nationwide. Sir Jerome detailed how the software giant plans to extend its educational aid to many developing territories, including the Philippines.

As a student, this was what probably resonated with me the most. I was aware of how Google Apps was recently integrated into our UPD Webmail recently, and hearing it from Sir Jerome enlightened me on Google's broader visions on how to aid education as a whole.

Still, though, I can't help but get a bit weary on the sustainability of some of their projects. For instance, will the Philippines be ready for an always-online, in-the-cloud Chromebook? Just how sustainable will their Google Apps for Education program be, if it includes an Internet bandwidth grant (taking into account how unscrupulous and imbalanced our Internet providers currently are)? These questions linger in my mind as the talk winds up, and to be honest, I don't think a single, solid answer for each of these will be around anytime soon.

The Google Developer Groups and Locally-produced Apps You Can Use

(Celine Barrozo and Jomar Tigcal, GDG Philippines)

From a developer and computer scientist student's standpoint, this short talk was probably what hit home the most for me. Ms. Celine Barrozo and Mr. Jomar Tigcal were both from the Google Developers Group, and they talked about the nature of the group, how it mirrors the Google Business Group (the organizers of GDayX), and what locally-made apps and services are available for business and productivity.

I was already aware of the existence of the Google Developer Groups, but I've always felt that their group was something I might not be qualified to participate in, at least for the next few years. Seeing and hearing them in this event, however, made me feel more comfortable about them. Knowing they also held lots of events for developers was a nice thing to know as well. They would be able to reach out to more people, make better software, and contribute more directly to the local community.

The context of developing locally-made apps also piqued my interest. I've oftentimes been bothered by how so many software developers end up working for other foreign companies, some to the point of completely migrating out of the nation. While I don't want to judge these kinds of decisions, the fact that only few talent remain in the Philippines is still an issue that plagues many professions, with the software development sector included. Brain drain of this level is alarming no matter how you put it. While I want to stress that this is mainly our government's job, I feel that organizations such as the GDG will help substantially in encouraging local talent to produce more for themselves. This talk reminded me yet again of the need to prevent staggering national brain drain, but, nonetheless, it left me with a hint of optimism -- there's still time, and the small but sure steps taken by GDG and GBG provide some reassurance.

Conclusion

Overall, the event was an enjoyable one for me. Coming from a technical background, I was able to appreciate how the technology that developers create are introduced and used in business.

The event itself, too, was enjoyable. Event handling was top notch for an organizer that is primarily volunteer-driven. There were lots of freebies and quirks to keep everyone at attention and pleased. Attendees who gave back review forms regarding the event were also given a free GDaysX shirt, which was certainly a win-win situation. And all this was for the grand price of free.

GDayX was a satisfying, informative, and eye-opening event, and definitely delivered on its promise of catering even to students or non-business or non-marketing people. From my standpoint, I saw first hand how technologies from Google can be used to boost your business, and how these tech can even help education, visibility, and productivity. It was enamoring to see how technology can help local businesses grow and compete using different, contemporary marketing channels. To see technologically-minded people helping out others from all walks of life for business and networking -- it was an experience to behold.

I'll definitely consider attending events from the GBG the next time around.