SOCCSKSARGEN BLOGGERS’ emerging formidable presence on the Web

With the  succesful conduct of the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit or MBS2 last year, spearheaded by a small group of bloggers from GenSan headed by Bariles, under the leadership of the Mindanao Bloggers network, the clamor to organize the “generals” and their regional neighbors formally began.

Since the Soccsksargen-based bloggers who attended that summit barely had time to bond with each other, Bariles thought of emulating the Cagayan de Oro-based bloggers who opened a GROUP blog ala Facebook using the Social Network site named Ning and have been active lately with various get-together events and projects.

And so, on November 11, 2008, the SOCCSKSARGEN BLOGGERS Social Network was born.

Bariles invited another GenSan-based blogger, Hector Minoza to be his co-administrator.  Hector immediately went to work and developed the group badges which could be imbedded in the members’ blogs.  Unfortunately, while others began used it, I was so busy with a lot of things that I forgot about it.

It was easy at first to invite people since I have the email addresses of all the MBS 2 participants.  Hector and I also went hopping from blog to blog, whether it’s  hosted by WordPress, Blogger, Live Journal, I.ph, Friendster or Multiply, informing everyone of the new group.

After a month, membership has ballooned to 50 members.  Then it stopped.

That was when I remembered to embed the Soccsksargen Badge in Bariles Republic’s homepage knowing that a good number of new bloggers or bloggers who have not been to MBS2 drop by there from time to time.

I was not mistaken.  On a daily basis, new bloggers we have not encountered before started applying for membership.  We had to choose well however since the requirement for acceptance in the Social Network is that he should have a functioning Blog.  Some applicants who did not know this have to be turned down.

On my last check, SOCCSKSARGEN BLOGGERS now has 83 members, mostly from General Santos and South Cotabato.  We still have to work on getting more membership applications from North Cotabato although I have high hopes that Bro. Vince Celeste, FMS who now teaches at Notre Dame of Kidapawan could help us on this matter.

With this, we have been trying to meet in small groups.  Later we plan come up with a set of officers who could help run this fledgling organization.  From my talks with the members, most are excited on the making our presence felt even stronger not only here in Mindanao but althroughout the country.

Individually, we might not be able to effect much positive change within our locality, but together, we could be a formidable force to reckon with in our desire to bring about a truly Magandang SOCCSKSARGEN.

Some of the SOCCSKSARGEN Bloggers during the Bloggers Night courtesy of Genee’s Restaurant at the GenSan Oval Plaza. Watch out for a separate post on this event soon.  Photo courtesy of Kyawster. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.)

IF YOU HAVE A BLOG AND WANT TO APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP, GO TO http://www.soccsksargenbloggers.ning.com .