Grade 5 Level Conservative PinoyKubo and its Medieval Concept According to Yahoo.ph Contributor

There was a review of PinoyKubo that has since been removed from the net, but I did respond to it.

"That last thing you want around you is a yes-man. Or woman. Surround yourself with haters, but not the kind that are looking for your downfall. I’m talking about the kind with a vested interest in your success and you being the best _______ you can be," says T.R.U.T.H, a blogger I don't always agree with but we get along great.

So thank you, to the naysayer. You make some good points, we will grow because of your review, but we don't agree with everything you penned.

1. Let's start with a "barrage of overrated PR releases these days about a Filipino (Pinoy) site called Pinoy Kubo" - Who is overrating them? Wow! I wrote them. I want to meet the ones who overrated them. It makes me feel good that one or more people out there are rating them high. There have only been three, so I wouldn't call that a "barrage."

2. So "Pinoy Kubo" means "nipa hut?" And "nipa hut" is something to be ashamed of? I'll have to study that more and ask for more opinions. A young Filipina innovator proposed the name to us. I thought it meant "welcome home." I'll leave it up to every day people to decide how they feel about PinoyKubo ... kind of like leaving it up to "the people" to decide about Apple, Go Daddy, Twitter, Yahoo, PetroBras, Jollibee, or SpellDial ... if what's behind the name is worth it.

3. PinoyKubo is racist? There is truth in comedy and comedy in truth, and both of those rock. It is true that as a blonde most of my life, I had to think smarter in order to battle stereotypes and as a women in telecommunications, and one over 50, I had to laugh a lot at myself and go with the flow. I like how Chelsea Handler handles steretypical women humor.

4. "politely greeted by a stranger who wanted to be my friend. Of course, I had to click the accept friend botton much like that one at Facebook" ... I'm glad you were treated politely. People often join social networks to connect with current friends and make new ones. PinoyKubo is no different. I have already connected with some cool people I never knew before like Carlota Cullarin of Manila (ESOL teacher now in South Korea), Chock Encabo from Alabang (movie script writer and history teacher), and Albert Padin from Cebu (founder of SpellDial) ... to name a few. I appreciate their accomplishments and am inspired by each of them.

5. "It's a Facebook clone,in short." I compared the two social networks, and there is quite a bit of difference. In fact, PinoyKubo is founded by Jonathan Sowah and crowd-sourced in its grassroots growth by all of its community. I just opened my new PinoyKubo electronic online store, pretty easy and cool. We hope to do more things like that to help people to become the entrepreneurs they are instead of waiting to be hired at a call center ... as Albert Padin mentions in a podcast at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2ZMdtgPUzA. Karl Ramirez, a popular social-minded musician from The Philippines, congratulated PinoyKubo on its style at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZHB1X58zdY and for using his song as the background of little Filipina's birthday party in Florida. At the same time, we do want PinoyKubo to be a global collaborative effort of love and fun and not just a clone of Facebook.

6. The banners that switch every few seconds include historians, teachers, politicians, writers, athletes, and more, some just every day people like me or anyone and others very famous and known or maybe famous and kind of forgotten. Our aim is to encourage people to set goals and work for their dreams by the examples of every day people or those who are supposed to be "famous."

We've interchanged the inspirational people banners with requests to get involved in good causes like children's health such as with Francesca who needed blood donations and encouraging more young Filipino/Filipina entrepreneurs such as Albert Padin of SpellDial.

7. Tagalog, English or which language? PinoyKubo uses English and Tagalog and everyone is welcome to communicate in any language they want. (Not yap wa' Hol! ... Klingon for "One language is never enough.") Meanwhile, I am slowly learning Tagalog. "Sige!" Why not?

8. "I went over the roaster of members and learned that it was not a global site, just a barrio one, from one of the remote towns in Laguna (outside Metro Manila) and that was when I realized that these were grade 5 level conservatives who have yet to use ebooks and learn that the world is bigger than their medieval concept of it."

That is a very close-minded, tunnel-visioned comment. I am apologizing for you to anyone who is from Laguna. But again, thank you, to the reviewer, for your review that made PinoyKubo even more popular than ever. Freedom of expression rocks. We need it. PinoyKubo needs it. The world needs it and you. In fact, you rock. Stay in touch.


... Connect with me on Linkedin at http://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannebowen, Facebook, Youtube, TMC at http://blog.tmcnet.com/monetizing-ip-communications/  iTunes channel or Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/suzannebowen, or at global events face to face to develop business and innovation. I'll be at ITEXPO West in Austin, Texas next.

I'm not Talking About Sexuality

Inspired to talk facts! Two reasons, a Facebook update of a friend and the words in a sermon by the preacher (who says he is a conservative thinker) at East Hill church of Christ in Pensacola, FL. He said, "There is something in us that wants those who are not like us ... to fail, to die, to suffer."

The Facebook update Friday night: "What can we do to show the world that our country is not a people of violence, failure, and evil? The majority of us do not think like that, and we are not like that. We don't want a war on our soil or anywhere."

I went back today to see that wall update, and he deleted it. I wish he had not. It is an inspirational and haunting question that we can each ask about any country or homogeneous or hetergeneous group we are part of. I'm not talking about sexuality here. I'm talking about "Same" or "Mixed."

Don't give up being hopeful. Every action and word make a difference. Let me share a few observations, ideas and anecdotes.

1. My hair has been different shades of blond from day one in 1959. It has been curse at times. I am a woman. In fact, I was born a woman. I was born in the USA from parents who are/were Irish, German, Swedish, Italian and American Indian. You know the typical prejudicial comments ...

"I immediately dismiss anyone who is blonde. Heard of the dumb blonde who was locked inside her car? I can't take blondes seriously. Women drivers drive me insane. You need to not work so much. Stay home more and clean your house and cook. The only reason you have accomplished anything you have is that you are a blonde American woman. You're too skinny. You need to lose weight. Don't show people how smart you are. You cannot be smart."

I still laugh at jokes against blondes, women, etc. by Carlos Mencia.

2. Every day, people, who are local or abroad, click to add me on Facebook or Linkedin for different reasons. We are friends, in the same industry, fellow runners, in complimentary industries, customers, vendors, innovators, and/or family.

Every day, people, who are local or abroad, also do not add me on any social platform ...

or delete me from any particular network because they are afraid of my current network which is full of some "group" they fear, despise, and/or  wish to ignore or erase from Earth: Atheists, Christians, Muslims, Agnostics, Hindus, Humanists, Middle Easterners, Politicians, Teachers, Inventors, Marketeers, Teen-agers, Old People, Women, Homosexuals, Heterosexuals, Pakistanis, Germans, Africans, Americans ... the list goes on and on.

 (Don't worry. I was registered Republican from ages 18 - 48 because I always believed in independence, work ethic, and rights to take of yourself and your own as an individual but also ... others when you could ... who you believed really need it. I'm not a bleeding liberal. I did vote for Obama, and I'm still happy with my decision.)

Some who are in one of my networks, may never respond on my wall or other people's walls or tweet feeds because they fear contact with anyone different from them or anyone who the stereoptype is bad, dangerous, nasty, disgusting or to be avoided. Once, a person who I thought was my friend, introduced me to others as a "terrorist-enabler." He wasn't really joking. It is one of the times in my life that I have been the most hurt.

3. Many groups of people in emerging nations, developed countries, and every place in between, outside of or inside of any of them are still hopeful. You can see they value their action and word to make a good difference locally and globally, online and offline. Like ...

A. Have you heard of Cafe Headlion? It has a marketing library that is a compilation of books donated from people all over the world. Each donated set of books is dedicated to the donor, often with a letter from the donor/s. A guy in Northwest Florida is sending a new set with the titles: Sidney Poiter, Life Beyond Measure; The Perfect Salesforce; John Lennon, the Life; and Microtrends. Someone from Cafe Headlion is sending him some local music and traditional shalwar kameez for his students to enjoy and study.

Consider donating books to a library somewhere that you want to make a difference, local yes! But also abroad. It will come back to you, your country, the world that we share. What's it called? Pay it forward?

B. Have you heard of Linking Arms, Inc.; Big Brothers, Big Sisters; Kalinga Kusum Foundation; the Kids Kulture Center and other organizations like them around the world? They promote education, self-sufficiency, goal-setting, work ethic, teamwork, and friendship both locally and globally. These are in U.S.A., India, Russia, and your country, lurking behind the scenes somewhere. Search them out. Help when you can. Start your own.

C. Use social media to help heal rifts among physical, geographical, emotional, personal, social or other areas and groups. If you are Argentinian, showcase great Argentinian people, technologies, art, and inventions, but also those of Venezuela, Mexico, and Ecuador. If you are a U.S.A. citizen, share the beauty, freedoms, entrepreneurship, movies of the US but also of Iraq and Canada. If you are Irani, introduce us to your music, poetry, and food, but also that of Israel and New Zealand.

Do something surprising and cool and good like this Pakistani guy did who explained "how to use fring" which Israeli-based in the language of Urdu (Pakistani) ... Hindi (Indian).

Or like my loving husband who often sees running from the viewpoint of a beginner runner even though he is flat out fast for a near "five decade old" guy. ;-) He actually ran/walked the last Crescent Classic 10K in New Orleans with 12 minute per milers. That is tough for someone who used to be tagged "elitist-minded" in regards to running and training for races. Do something different, a little scary, a little not like you that will help the world beginning with your area and then expand outward as you can. It is one step at a time.

Search the web and find what inspires you and what you have in common with those you never thought such would be true. I've only mentioned a few specific areas as a start.

Regarding our religion, our actions, our country, our lifestyle, our work ... I think we need to tell the truth, face the facts, not pretend we are never guilty, reach out a hand, and encourage productivity, hope, integrity, and compassion among ourselves and others who we think are not like us.

There's a great Chinese proverb in English here: The best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him a friend."

No matter where we are in time and space, let's not waste a second or iota of either or both.

... browse some of our team's other blogs at http://blogs.didx.net/ and http://blog.tmcnet.com/monetizing-ip-communications/. Find out how to get your telephone company to offer phone numbers from around the world. You're welcome to comment, contribute, and collaborate any time.

Sorry but EthnoFrigginCentrism Costs Big Bucks

There's a trend that I wrote about in my TMC blog at http://blog.tmcnet.com/monetizing-ip-communications/2008/08/ethnocentricity-de-tizes-ip-communcations.html.

You and I lose financial, professional, social and personal opportunities because of our prejudices. I get about 900 - 1000 emails per day that are not spam.

On average 10 per day have some racial, gender, geek vs marketing types, religious, ethnocentric slurs, or lifestyle prejudicial statements and judgements. I bite my nails, get angry, as I realize what is being lost because of...

the IGNORANCE.

I've seen quality people not get hired because they are Mexican, Muslim, Jewish, Atheist, female, Caucasian, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and so on. Whiskey tango foxtrot, Oscar?

I've seen Japanese vs Chinese, Europeans vs the rest of the world, Americans who will stick with Palin no matter what she is found guilty of, Pakistanis versus Indians, Saudis and Argentinians perceived as stuckup; geeks versus people who are not included among the geeks because of the way they speak, where they are from, their gender, their religion; men looking at women in technology as fluff and background, women believing it...

Or just any homogeneous group so tight-knit who keep talking about innovation and wondering why it is not happening. FACE IT. IT's YOU and ME who ARE GUILTY.

Carlos Mencia's verbal noises say it all, "Dee dee dee." Or to borrow from my favorite tech geek, my husband, "If you're not offended, you're not listening."

Ethnocentricity De-$tizes IP Communcations... on TMCNET blog

Just wrote a short piece on Ethnocentricity De-$tizes IP Communcations... at my TMCNET blog. Wish I could figure out how to make my post headlines there show here.