LeBron’s letter to his die-hard fans

No ring for the King.

I didn't forget what I said during our preseason gathering, I predicted multiple championships for me and for the Miami Heat organization.

It remains as my target, purpose and ultimate goal.

Going back to Game 3 in Dallas, most of you must have been thinking by that time, that we will finally be on top. Unfortunately, that was our last win for the season.

I know you are all wondering and asking, where was I during the last three games of the series? I was there, yet I was nothing like the chosen one who demolished the Celtics and Bulls. I was nothing like the championship hungry beast that drove the Heat to the finals.

Pressure is an underrated word. I am not making any excuses but I felt pressure and it overwhelmed me. 

Yes. I choked.

D-Wade got it going during the finals but I didn’t. I’ve become passive and never got my rhythm going. 

Give credit to Mavericks' defense especially to Shawn Marion. Their zone was tremendous; they clog the lane all the time that I had to settle for long jumpers.

Shots didn’t fall down; I heavily relied on D-Wade and Chris. We lost the series and it became clear to me that we will not win a championship if I will not be my usual self.

Yes we were there, opportunity was there, we were two games away from our ultimate goal and I wasn’t able to seize it. 

Now we’re back to square one, drawing board, training camp and 82 games.

Miami Heat will remain focused and will not stop in pursuing a championship; we are not the Eastern Conference Champions for nothing. We know this team can achieve more and it will, in time. 

The King is yet to be crowned. 

 

(Disclaimer: for academic purposes, the owner of this blog pretended to be LeBron)

East Meets West

The more established online journalism in the west gives ideas to news agencies in the east.

I haven’t encountered a news website in the Philippines which has a paywall. Mainstream newspaper websites are practically free –for-all to read. These websites compete with each other in terms of content and advertisement; they also compete to post an update as quickly as possible whenever necessary.

In other countries in South East Asia, paywalls exist, like Malaysia’s malaysiakini.com.

Still, countries in the east have some catching up to do. In terms of internet access, many rural parts of different countries have yet to have internet access (as shown in Cambodia). Same as in the urban area, many households don’t have their own online connection.

In terms of speed and cost, I would say Philippines charge more than the speed that you get. I am yet to know about other countries’. Speed can always affect your online behaviors.

On the other part of the world, America’s Wall Street Journal and New York Times are also having paywalls. It is like buying your hardcopy online. You pay for the great website layout, interface, content and exclusives. Fair enough.

It may be good to reduce printing cost but there can be no substitute for the traditional dailies that we can buy on streets. The internet reaches a whole lot more but still there are a number of people that don’t have access to it.

Where do they go updates? Print media.

Print media in both east and west remain competitive, that’s always a good sign. But the role of the internet changes everything. These paywalls from the west can potentially wipe out newspapers in the future; luckily, most news agencies especially in the east deliver news on their websites for free making the competition interesting.

Good things in life are free.

What is Facebook for?

Let’s face it, Facebook is not done yet.

This social networking site has been a trend maker for the recent time as people become literally hooked into it.

Facebook has been a force to reckon with when you talk about the internet, its massive number of users tells the story.

So why not go where people are?

This might be the argument of some blogs or news websites on why they chose to abandon their sites and bet it all on Facebook.

There could be advantages and disadvantages of course. (It would take longer to discuss both comprehensively)

Going all Facebook seems convenient but it will take away the flexibilities of having your own website. 

A dedicated blog or website also means dedication to what you’re trying to deliver. You can put all your ideas, customizations into it and report more comprehensively. Advertising is not a problem, it can always have space.

If these websites and blogs are not contented with their traffic then Facebook comes to play. It is where you can get audience and drive these audiences to the dedicated website. If the content of the news website or blog satisfies its visitors then sharing and recommending will emerge.  This is what a fan page can do and is supposed to do, lure the people and take them to your territory where you have control.

Unfortunately, some think of otherwise. 

It is unthinkable of news websites and blogs going all Facebook. It should not be the case in the real online journalism; it is like publishing a news story on a popular magazine instead on a daily.

Facebook is a social networking site designed to share, interact and connect people. It should stay that way; it should not become the main source of news and current events.

Bird's Fury

After the morning worship service, which started at 5:45am, there was really nothing special about Thursday except that I will be attending Economics and Psychology classes.

Yes, it was gloomy and cloudy but there was no indication of an upcoming heavy downpour. Even PAGASA itself said that Falcon will not be touching the ground and will stay on waters for the rest of its Philippine trip. Yes, it was out there on the Pacific but its spirit was greatly felt.

At one in the afternoon, I was reading newspapers at home before my 3pm class at the School of Economics. It started raining, it must be Falcon.

I was waiting for the rain to stop before going out, unfortunately, it did not cease. I had no choice but to go out there and try my best to stay dry but as expected, I got my pants wet.

Being late is nothing new but it was never part of my plans especially during the first few days of the semester, but due to unforeseen circumstances I was not able to arrive in time for Economics. Wet and late.

Next came the Psychology class. Alas! The heavens stopped crying. I went on to the class only to find our lesson quite boring nonetheless educational. There was no indication of what was waiting for us outside as our session was about to finish.

Going home is usually exciting, but not with waters coming from everywhere. It was one of the times when you can really say “it’s raining cats and dogs”.

I tried to call a taxi but they were all occupied so I rode on an Ikot jeep and walked out of UP premises. I got wet again but it wasn’t a problem anymore since I can dry myself at home.

Internet connection was bothering; I couldn’t have a decent lesson with my student. So I explained to him as to why and told him I’m sorry.

I then looked forward to sleeping, wondering if classes will be suspended since elementary and high-school were already cancelled. It would be nice since I haven’t been getting enough sleep during weekdays but getting the Metro flooded is not desirable.