The Internet Marketing Bootcamp: Learn the Industry Trends

In recent years, the Internet has become a potent tool for selling products or services. It has also opened employment and income-generating opportunities to many Filipinos. So much so, Internet marketing has become the latest buzzword in the online sphere.

A series of seminars aims at sharing basic information on the creative and technical aspects of Internet Marketing. The “Internet Marketing Bootcamp” will run for six consecutive weeks from January 26 to March 1, 2008. Each session will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at RCC Center, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig City.

Some of the country’s Internet Marketing luminaries from U.S. Auto Parts Philippines (USAP) will discuss the key concepts and strategies on this emerging field:

• Michael Joseph Villar, USAP Affiliate Marketing Manager, will give a crash course on performance-based marketing, how companies and individuals can benefit from it, as well as the challenges confronting affiliate marketing.

• Email Marketing Manager Alvin Jimenez will present the email marketing campaigns and their relevance.

• Rico Sta. Cruz, USAP Creative Director, will discuss the essential principles in Web design and how to apply them to the Web.

• Copy Editing Supervisor Jennelyn Tabora will talk about online copywriting and its crucial role in attracting and building readership.

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Project Managers Gabriel Libacao Jr. and Rhiza Sanchez will explain the basics of search engine marketing and how to convert visitors into sales and profits.

• Senior Web Analytics Specialist Maia Nuguid will discuss how Web analytics can help in assessing Internet marketing strategies.

• Marc Hil Macalua, USAP Vice President for Marketing, will give the inspirational speech. Web Project Manager Elymar Apao will facilitate the Bootcamp sessions.

The Bootcamp is sponsored by the U.S. Auto Parts Network, the premier warehouse of auto replacement and performance part brands in the United States. One of the leading players in the Internet retailing industry, U.S. Auto Parts ranks among the top 100 online retailers in the United States in 2007.

The Bootcamp is open for all professional bloggers, Internet marketing enthusiasts, or anyone who has a background in Internet marketing. Interested persons may send their updated resumés at elymar@usautoparts.net or glibacao@mbsautomotive.com. Qualified applicants will be informed via a confirmation email.

Participants are encouraged to bring their resumes as a Job Fair will closely follow each seminar.

For further details, please visit the Internet Marketing Bootcamp site
(http://www.usautoparts.com.ph/imb/), US Auto Parts Internet Marketing Bootcamp (http://www.usautoparts.com.ph/), US Auto Parts Official Website
(http://www.jobsdb.com/PH/EN/V6/JS/JobSearch/JobSearch.asp?PN=JobListing&pagename=adslist&searchtext=mbs). – US Auto Parts Job Listing

Contact Persons:

Elymar Apao
elymar@usautoparts.net

Gabriel Libacao Jr.
glibacao@mbsautomotive.com

My IMS Family

It looks like a Family Portrait in a Drama Series... LOL

Winehouse Scraps Awards Gig, Heads To Rehab

January 24, 2008, 3:15 PM ET
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

Troubled pop star Amy Winehouse has canceled a Saturday (Jan. 26) appearance at the NRJ Awards in Cannes, France, after opting to enter a rehab clinic at an undisclosed location.

According to a statement, Winehouse is still planning to attend the Feb. 10 Grammy Awards, where she is nominated for six trophies.

"Amy decided to enter the facility today after talks with her record label, management, family and doctors," reads a statement from the Universal Music Group. "She has come to understand that she requires specialist treatment to continue her ongoing recovery from drug addiction and prepare for her planned appearance at the Grammy Awards."

The statement adds that Winehouse checked into rehab "by mutual agreement."

This week, the artist became the subject of an investigation by Scotland Yard over a video that allegedly shows her smoking crack.

source: Billboard.com

Beyonce, Rihanna, Underwood Performing At Grammys

January 24, 2008, 2:30 PM ET
Mariel Concepcion, N.Y.

Beyonce, Foo Fighters, Carrie Underwood, Mary J. Blige and Rihanna are among the performers confirmed for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, to be held Feb. 10 at Los Angeles' Staples Center.

As previously reported, the Foo Fighters will perform as part of this year's "My Grammy Moment," produced in partnership with YouTube and CBS.com. The segment gives up to 20 unsigned musicians the opportunity to play with the rock group as part of an orchestra that will be arranged by special guest conductor John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame.

Aretha Franklin, who is the 2008 MusicCares Person of the Year, will share the stage with Blige, the Clark Sisters, Israel And New Breed, the Madison Bumblebees and Trin-I-Tee 5:7 for a gospel segment. And in a special 50th anniversary moment, Rihanna will perform with the Time, which is reuniting for the occasion.

The show will be broadcast by CBS in HDTV, on XM Satellite Radio via Westwood One Worldwide and online on Grammy.com.

source: Billboard.com

Keys Still Atop Album Chart In Slow Sales Week

Flo Rida Remains No. 1, But Brown Closes In

Heath Ledger found dead in NYC at age 28

NEW YORK - Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan apartment, and police said drugs may have been a factor. The Australian-born actor was 28. Police said Ledger was naked in his bed with an unknown number of sleeping pills near the body.

Ledger had an appointment for a massage at a residence in the tony SoHo neighborhood, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. A housekeeper who went to let him know the massage therapist had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

A large crowd of paparazzi and gawkers began gathering Tuesday evening outside the building on an upscale block, where several police officers guarded the door. The medical examiner's office planned an autopsy on Wednesday, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

While not a marquee movie star, Ledger was a respected, award-winning actor who took his craft seriously rather than cashing in on his heartthrob looks. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," where he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the film. The two had a daughter, Matilda, and lived together in Brooklyn until they split up last year.

Ledger most recently appeared in "I'm Not There," in which he played one of the many incarnations of Bob Dylan ƒƒ‚‚ as did Cate Blanchett, whose performance in that film earned an Oscar nomination Tuesday for best supporting actress.

Ledger had finished filming his role as the Joker this year in "The Dark Knight," a sequel to 2005's "Batman Begins."

He's had starring roles in "A Knight's Tale" and "The Patriot," and played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in "Monster's Ball." He also played a heroin addict in the 2006 Australian film "Candy."

Before settling down with Williams, Ledger had relationships with actresses Heather Graham and Naomi Watts. He met Watts while working on "The Lords of Dogtown," a fictionalized version of a cult classic skateboarding documentary, in 2004.

Ledger was born in 1979 in Perth, in western Australia, to a mining engineer and a French teacher, and got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 at a local theater company. He began acting in independent films as a 16-year-old in Sydney and played a cyclist hoping to land a spot on an Olympic team in a 1996 television show, "Seat."

After several independent films, Ledger moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and co-starred opposite Julia Stiles in "10 Things I Hate About You," a teen comedy reworking of "The Taming of the Shrew." His movie career caught on soon after that, culminating with his Academy Award nomination for "Brokeback Mountain."

"Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan said earlier this month that Ledger's performance as the Joker would be wildly different than Jack Nicholson's memorable turn in 1989's "Batman."

"It was a very great challenge for Heath," Nolan had said. "He's extremely original, extremely frightening, tremendously edgy. A very young character, a very anarchic presence that taps into a lot of our basic fears and panic."

___

Associated Press Sara Kugler contributed to this report.

American Idol ratings down from last year

NEW YORK - Fox's "American Idol" returned as the nation's most popular TV series, but with 4 million fewer viewers than the 2007 season premiere.

Tuesday's debut was seen by 33.4 million viewers, down 11 percent from the 37.4 million who watched the first show, according to preliminary ratings by Nielsen Media Research.

That still ranks as the most-watched show of the TV season, excluding sports. The previous high was the 25.4 million who saw the season premiere of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" on CBS in the fall. More people were watching Fox in those two hours than the combined audience for ABC, CBS, NBC and the CW.

It was a noticeably nicer "American Idol" after producers were criticized last year for meanness during the audition rounds of the talent contest.

Yet the ratings will be watched closely for signs of further erosion. There was a very slight decline in viewership last season compared to 2006. - AP

Brad Renfro, 25, found dead in Los Angeles home

01/16/2008 | 05:28 PM

LOS ANGELES - Actor Brad Renfro, whose career began promisingly with a childhood role in ''The Client'' but rapidly faded as he struggled with drugs and alcohol, was found dead Tuesday in his home. He was 25.

The cause of death was not immediately determined, but an autopsy could be conducted as early as Wednesday, said Craig Harvey, chief investigator for the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

Renfro reportedly had been drinking with friends the evening before his death, Harvey said.

Renfro's lawyer, Richard Kaplan, said he did not know whether the death was connected to any problems with addiction.

''He was working hard on his sobriety,'' Kaplan said. ''He was doing well. He was a nice person.''

Renfro's film career began when he was 12, acting opposite Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones in ''The Client.'' His other credits included ''Sleepers,'' ''Deuces Wild,'' ''Apt Pupil'' and ''The Jacket.''

Renfro recently completed a role in ''The Informers,'' a film adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel that stars Winona Ryder, Brandon Routh and Billy Bob Thornton.

''Brad was an exceptionally talented young actor and our time spent with him was thoroughly enjoyable,'' Marco Weber, president of the film's production house, Senator Entertainment, said in a statement.

For several years, Renfro was better known for his legal troubles than for his acting.

The actor served 10 days in jail in May 2006 after pleading no contest to driving while intoxicated and guilty to attempted possession of heroin.

The latter charge was related to his arrest in Los Angeles' Skid Row area, when he tried to buy heroin from an undercover officer in 2005.

Other run-ins with the law included a 1998 charge of cocaine and marijuana possession, for which he avoided jail time in a plea deal.

He was also placed on probation in January 2001 and ordered to pay $4,000 for repairs to a 45-foot (13.7-meter) yacht he and a friend tried to steal in Florida. He was ordered into an alcohol rehabilitation program in March 2002 for violating his probation in the case.

He was arrested again in May 2001 and charged with underage drinking, which violated terms of his probation.

After one court appearance, Renfro talked to reporters about drug rehabilitation, saying he was ''tired of paying the consequences'' for drinking and drug use and eager to get clean. - AP

Meet the Funky People

Funky Pasig Scandal from tjcafuir on Vimeo.

Since I cannot access YouTube, I'll just embed the video from Mr. TJ "The Surfer" Cafuir... I hope you'll still respect our company after watching this video...

Dupri: Usher 'Itching' To Release New CD

January 11, 2008, 10:45 AM ET
Clover Hope, N.Y.

Usher's 2004 Jive album, "Confessions," has shifted 9.4 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, but tentative release dates keep coming and going for its follow-up, which is now nebulously slated for sometime this year.

So what's the holdup? "He has been taking a pretty long time to put it out, but I think he's ready now," says Jermaine Dupri, who has worked closely with Usher for years but scaled back his contributions to the new album after taking the reins of Island's urban music department.

"The last couple times I've been around [him], you could tell he's got the bug to hurry up and put this record out. He wants to get back out here and give the people that. He's got that itch."

Dupri is known to have produced the track "The Realest," which was at one time mentioned as a possible first single. T-Pain produced "All the Time," while Ludacris guests on "Dat Girl Right There," which leaked last month. Dre & Vidal and Cool and Dre are also said to have contributed to the album.

Dupri declined to reveal other specifics to Track, but conceded with a laugh, "I know that I've done my songs and I know that my songs on his record are crazy."

Source: Billboard

January 09, 1986

The day when my parent's misery was born. LOL! It's been a stumbling 22 years of existence... The 379th Anniversary of The Black Nazarene celebration marks the day of the birth of a stubborn and unreliable child of a family and that is me! But I've changed a lot... I changed the way I see life and changed the way I viewed myself 20 years from now. I learned that money only provides and I learned that maturity is a continual process. Along with this I also realized how and when to respect people and their perspectives, that friends are priceless, and ultimately come to a conclusion that GOD will and never leave me - that he's my ultimate and absolute defense!

The only thing that will never change is my shyness... May alam ba kayong drugstore na nagbebenta ng pantanggal ng hiya???

Hot 100

Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart

Happy Birthday

Since I have the authority to post here... (you gave me permission, right?!) I'll greet you a very happy birthday! Enjoy your day my friend. Life is full of challenges and turning a year older means there is a lot more to come, so prepare yourself (well I kinda think you are). Cheers mate! I'll be seeing you soon. Ciao!

-Vp (your loving kabarkada na sikat na ngayon sa Dubai... *Wink*)

My AdSense Earning(s)

After constant tweaking and switching of my Adsense, alas! It all paid off! I earned $1.33 for the last 7 days which is good for a beginner like me. It was a perfect sight!

My Movie Star Double

My movie star double!

Thanks to Mr. TJ Cafuir

Who's Your Movie Star Double?

My Result: Chris Klein

A space cadet (in the nicest sense of the word) like you needs to be played by someone who has his own positive outlook on life, someone who is completely loyal, someone who is unbelievably endearing, someone like Chris Klein.


Whether he's palling around with his buddies in movies like Election, or playing the ultra sweet crooner in American Pie, Chris has the right stuff to play the part of someone who's seemingly clueless at times, but oddly intuitive when it matters most.


Like the roles that Chris has made famous, you might tend to get preoccupied when people are talking around you. But who cares if you jump back into the conversation with a slightly bizarre comment or two? It just means your mind has been wandering in interesting places. You, like Chris in his supporting roles, probably prefer to dedicate your full attention to the things that give you the most joy: your friends, your family, or a cause you're dedicated to. But ultimately, that's part of what attracts people to you and why they love having your good heart and supersensitive brain around. And that's also why Chris Klein is a shoe-in to star in the movie of your life.

Take this test >

2007 I'll Miss you... Wellcome 2008

"Thank you for the blessings, challenges, and happiness you brought me 2007... And for you 2008, I hope we can share the best of both worlds just like what 2007 gave me. "

Untitled

I was once a renegade
Once I needed some aide
I was once stubborn
Until I was reborn
I was once called an idiot
Like a useless fagot

I live to please
I live to appease
I give you sympathy
I need your empathy

Crucify My Love by X Japan

Great song from X-Japan title Crucify my love... Its a lyrically driven song that would brake a heart of a heartbroken.