2012-98083                                                                                                                       STS

Hayashi, Daiki                                                                                                            CAS-UPLB

Great possibilities of online services

It was really a great opportunity to know more about Google and the Digital World. I was impressed that several services like Google Maps can be used in case of calamities. The innovation and growth of technology is really rapidly in this era and I am quite surprised that a lot of processes and programs can be carried out by those computers.

Especially, the talk of Filipino woman, well known because of “My Korean Boyfriend” was very interesting for me. I actually started writing a blog after because I was inspired by what she discussed. The other speaker presented that 60% of companies that use blog have a relatively better performance in the market.  And this Korean funny woman started her career because of her blog. She has been able to maximize the internet resources to advertise her business. For example, she makes a creative and unique video which attracts a lot of people on the internet.

It seems it is easy to advertise a business on the internet since it doesn’t require a big amount of investment to use online sources and services. After the event, I accessed her blog and realized that she is investing money and time for writing a blog. As she said, she likes writing in the first place, that is why she writes a blog. Her blog is very interesting and attracts readers. It is impossible to make such an interesting article if you just write a blog for an advertisement.

            Today, the way of people accessing information is changing very suddenly. In fact, newspaper subscribers decrease rapidly because a lot of people read news online. Regardless of age and gender, a lot of people access to Social Network Services such as Facebook, hence, the location and method of advertisement also should adjust to the changes of people’s lifestyle.

            I have an online tutoring business, which introduces Filipino English teachers to Japanese students. Maximizing the internet sources for the business is very important especially for a person, whose advertising activity is limited by a geographical gap. The event about Google and the Digital World taught me that there are a lot of useful and advanced services on the internet but most of people are not being able to use that advanced technology. It was really nice to find out about the great possibilities and opportunities that internet services provide.

GDayX Reaction Paper: Synergy at Its Finest

Christine Darla A. Bautista

As an active student, and a member of the Millenial generation, I’ve always seen digital technology as a necessity for my survival. Throughout the years, I’ve been dependent on the Internet for three purposes: conquering schoolwork, strengthening friendships, and discovering modes for self-expression. However, Google Business Group’s event, GdayX Philippines, revealed to me another aspect of the Internet: the Internet as a catalyst for business innovation.

I was able to catch five speakers, particularly, Gail Tan, Herald Uy, TJ Resabal, Trixie Canevel, and Kring Elezano. As the keynote, Tan set the underlying theme: human element in technology collaborations for businesses. I loved how, in highlighting Google’s philosophy about putting the user first, her examples were “uniquely Google” but still hit home. For one, she cited how Google AdSense aided two Cebuanos in their creation of iSTORYA.net through enabling advertising partnerships that generate revenue. Nevertheless, the most thought-provoking part was her discussion on crowd-accelerated innovation. Apparently, all Google products— be it Google Maps or the Google elections page— are mere tools that are indebted to its users, who add content and information that make these tools useful. Through that point, the reason behind Google’s success became crystal clear: Google listens to its users’ needs, provides tools to address those needs, and lets its users develop those tools through content generation.

On a more specific level, Uy and Resabal both discussed collaboration through Google products. More than the entertaining “Gone Google” videos and product demonstrations, I admired how they capitalized on the uniqueness of these two products with testimonies. Google Hangouts has revolutionized office work: meetings can now occur anywhere at any time. Google Drive has developed file synchronization such that massive amounts of users can now edit the same file at the same time.

Likewise, Canevel’s and Elezano’s talks on Google social media, provided a nuance to Gail Tan’s keynote speech. Although I have been an avid user of Social Networking Sites (SNS), I still gained a new perspective on the use of SNS for businesses. Both talks successfully showed how networks of videos and journals can enable businesses to raise awareness, build the brand-consumer relationship, and enhance the presence of a product.

Ultimately, what was most remarkable was the event’s delivery of two striking images: a new vision of Google as a creative digital giant with users at its heart, and technology and society as interdependent entities. Clearly, Google products are trailblazers with striking impacts on businesses, from the development of collaboration with cloud computing services, to the evolution of new platforms for promotions. Furthermore, I appreciated that beyond advertising Google products, the speakers gave insights that are relevant to my overall growth as an STS student. I now have an understanding of how evolution simultaneously occurs in technology and society: as society’s needs change, technology changes to adapt to it; as technology changes, so do society’s needs. Truly, with synergy between digital giants and humans at its finest, we can look forward to more advancement in science and society.