You always online? Make money from it then

If you are someone who can’t get by the day without checking your emails, updating your FB status and becoming a fan of this and that page/group, sending tweets and gaining followers every day, congratulations!

You have a big community of friends, fans and followers you can now tap for an online business you can set up if you want extra income. Yes, the power of the Internet and social media can’t be overlooked.

Two Internet entrepreneurs teamed up the second time as main speakers at the second Make Money 2.0 seminar which was held to teach how-to-make-money techniques over the Internet. The first seminar took place last February 13. 

E-commerce advocate Janette Toral and social media /Internet marketing evangelist Carlo Ople,  also the event’s organizer,  spoke before 30 attendees eager to learn how they can monetize their time on the Internet, part-time or full time. Both, said the two. 

And seconded  by the seminar’s Gold sponsor SMilDS.com, the brand behind the country’s first online mall where 230 online retailers sell over 2,000 products. (In bricks-and-mortars, this is similar to Tutuban Mall in Divisoria and its retailers).

Their key take-away lessons are passion and commitment to be in it for the long haul.  Plus the boldness  to create your own niche that is underserved or profitable.  Social media is at your disposal, within a mouse’s click, to promote yourself (others call it personal branding) and your products - a web store, most likely?  Get yourself at the top of the radar because advertisers – from whom you will get your blogging earnings – put their campaigns on the right traffic.

Blog by all means, because the market size is worth PhP952.7 million, says Janette.  One blogger recently said that some earn PhP2K to PhP5K a month while those who earn PhP200 a month make up 96 percent of the blogging community.  It is said there are 500 bloggers earning at least PhP9k monthly but are quiet about it.

Link with a competitor on a niche value where you share a common interest.  Carlo and Janette are best examples of this. They blog, publish e-books, lecture at industry associations, and team up on activities they like, such as this seminar.

But if you're more bent towards selling but don't have a website, call Platform2u.com at +632-886-6190 and +632-403-2303.

At a minimum price (it’s like indulging yourself with your fave frapuccino once or twice a day) which you can pay on installments, the SMilDS.com eco-system guarantees you a functional e-commerce website.

Integrated into its system are different logistics and payment providers like …. (take a breath here, the list is long) credit and ATM cards, GCash, SMART Money, SMilDS Visa Card, LBC, DHL, DelBros, Xend.

Because the site is Sure Seal certified (you can’t miss the seal), all transactions are secure and remain private.  SMilDS.com training officer Chris Santos says their eco-system makes buying, selling and paying online easy, fast and safe.  

Ride on the Internet wave to realize your dream of owning your business and having the website to promote it, he says.  Ask Carlo also. His web store runs on the SMilDS.com platform.

Calling hobbyists, parents, freelancers, full and part-time workers, the jobless.  Blogging, e-lancing, online selling - - they’re your money-making ventures using the Internet.

A healthy, stylish guide to a scorching summer

Summer beckons.

We all love summer, well most of us. We associate summer with holidays, romps in the beaches, trekking the countryside, camping in the wilds (for the adventurous).

For the kids and the tweens pleading for summer breaks up north near the South China Seas but whose moms and pops cannot leave work , summer can also mean having fun in the neighborhood pool and unlimited googling and chatting at Internet cafes.

But summer, lest we forget, can be cruel. It means the blistering sun. The sun, plainly speaking, scorches and dehydrates. Puts us all in a strain, constantly worrying about the sun's ageing effects on our skin.

So before running out of the house for that coveted beach holiday in celebrities-teeming Bora, in surf-paradise Pagudpud, or communing with nature (never mind insect bites, LOL), make a list of practical to-dos on your pre-holiday shopping sprees.

Beach accessories  Fashionista, metrosexual, ubersexual. Whatever. You must be tired of that flower-patterned kaftan which BFF says is so oldies or that sunglass which makes you look like a bumblee. There are wide-ranging protective sea holiday accents like a nifty kimono, aqua goggles, designer sunglasses, wonder optics, beach hats, aquatic shoes, beach sandals. Put them on. You never know, they could make you look like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Siobhan Magnus or David Beckham (ooh-la-la).

Skin and dehydration protection Of course, Mom and Pop are good-lookers but do you want to have their crows feet and pucker lines on your forehead? Throw into that tote bag the sun creams, sun blocks, skin gels and lotions. They will make you look good and silky. Oh, and add those vitamins, health supplements, green teas, health juices, antioxidants, ice compress, pain medications, anti-itch creams, baking soda, vinegar (yes, they’re good for jellyfish stings). We’re not kidding. We don't want to spoil your summer gig. Good health is beauty, or is it the other way round?

So, peeps, have fun frolicking in the sun. But stay healthy and stylish. Happy shopping! Go!