I checked out my fave PinoyTech Blog. I came across Miguel Paraz's article on Minipreneurs. The article shows how we get both freedom and control when we make a business out of doing what we love. Rapidly turn your hobby into a profit-making global venture, thanks to the free and accessible info technologies. The Net may seem to be common. But in the Philippines, using SMS to forward sales pitches has been a common practice to sell wares too.
How many of us have said we want to do something with our creative talents? The banana chip seller, the neighbor selling those Hong Kong bags, jewelry sideliners, and even those offering unique giftwrapping services like my friend Pia P. are potentially Generation C material once they take advantage of the market reach of selling over the Internet.
I'm no E-bay trader (yet), but I am definitely the quintessential bricks-and-mortar trader w/ some tech knowledge up my hem. I know the satisfaction of buying online--I've bought books, seminars, movie tickets and online courses through the Internet. I've saved time and money--for who ever said that when one shops for the item, you don't end up paying for other things like your meals or impulse purchase items you see on the way to the main shop?!? On the other end, when I lived in Singapore for almost four years I would sell export-quality Christmas linens, Filipino paintings, and items I personally picked out during my vacations to Manila. My marketing tool? A nicely designed e-newsletter and my database of friends and acquaintances. At that time I did it just for extra lunch money with the girls. But now. . .
If you have the desire to do what you love, a belief that you have a unique product or service to offer to the world, and some daring-do to experiment with the vast number of common collaboration and communication tools such as e-mail or SMS, you may be on your way to becoming a minipreneur. Moms are natural entrepreneurs--providing for the kids million-and-one needs as well as saving for a rainy day have always been prime motivators to earn a little cash.
Spotlight the Pinoy stay-at-home Moms (SAHM). Wherever she is in the world, you find her in some little business. Think of their tiny 'sideline' businesses of dried fish, generic powdered soap, yummy choco cakes, web designing, CD trading, Christmas gift items--the list is endless! With a little help from the Internet and some experimentation with her PC, the Mompreneur can expand her sales to markets beyond the referral network of her immediate neighbors. Trendwatching.com spots the explosive growth of Minipreneurs . And they've got the stats to prove it's on it's way to making you--and me--earn a tidy sum out of our little PCs.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Is it time to get a dose of the Tablet PC?
I've been a diehard user of the Palm for the past eight years. I've had 4 Palms, from the IIIc to my current Tungsten T2. It was great for research, even nicer now for storing JPEG photos coming from my handphone.
However, it has been a challenge to keep my patience when my Graffiti writing system can't tell a 't' stroke from the 'h' stroke after 4 tries--and no, it isn't the protective film barrier messing up the system. I've resorted to writing in longhand on the Writing Pad apps, just to speed things up. Very embarrasing when someone says you can copy their longhand notes from their trusty paper pad, while you struggle to complete the spelling of a single word on the silver screen.
With this irritation, I've been using Palmy (as I call my Tungsten) less for notes and more for taking down my schedule. But with the demands of realty work, I've started thinking of alternative gadgets. Like the Tablet PC. Agazzeri's Blog gives 10 sharp reasons why:
- Use Microsoft's most advance Operating System (Windows XP Tablet PC)
- Extend the way you work with your PC
- Work from anywhere with the most Mobile PC ever.
- Take your notes electronically
- Collaborate easily and effectively (but this is true of any mobile gadget equipped with Wi-fi, I'd say)
- Personalize your experience.
- Extend your applications with digital ink handwriting.
- Deploy and manage easily.
- Provide a global business solution.
- Get high levels of protection for critical data.
I guess this is an over-specification if you just need to file the recipe cards, grocery list, or the kid's practice sheets. But it becomes a rapid way to organize profit-generating data when you can convert your scribbles ASAP into the system, and electronically organize the different data into an integrated information system.
Of course, the set-back is the price: Php 90,000 to 120,000 for such a device makes me think I have to sell millions to justify this purchase! Other than that, the Tablet PC isn't such a bitter pill to swallow, is it?
What do you use to organize your home and business information systems?
Learning Fun
Last week the kids had their 3rd quarter exams. And with the load of assignments and quizzes, it was no wonder that they found reviewing such a pain.
Between typing out the client proposals and answering e-mail, I zipped through the Magic Net to give me a wealth of free learning aids. A search with Yahooligans led me to an interactive crossword puzzle on homographs on Quia.com. The kids had a ball differentiating it from homophones. And the lesson stuck--much better than just using the plain reviewer.
On the computer-aided instruction (CAI) end, the kids used their Number Works interactive CD for math games. My eldest daughter loves Math, my youngest finds it a bore. At the Number Works tutorial center in Alabang, kids get both tutor and computer interventions. The tutor explains concepts, asks the kids to practice first with the paper drill, and makes the kids do problem-solving quizzes in the form of engaging games for integration of their learning. My daughters have been taking the Number Works tutorials once a week for the past 4 months. It's not cheap (Php 6,000/ child/ 12 lessons). But seeing their much better grades and overcoming the fear of Math are priceless and wortwhile returns on this investment!
Check out these other sites next time you need to make learning fun: Kids on the Net for a a drag-and-drop game on learning similes; Learning Planet for groovy cartoon-type games for Grades 1-3. The Mr. E's Matching Game helps improve concentration. They have free games as well as paid subscriptions for more variety of materials, similar to Quia's site. The Primary Resources pages offer a rich source of language learning materials.
Do you have a site to share? What are your kids' favourite learning websites? They must be great alternatives to these increasingly violent network gaming portals!
Between typing out the client proposals and answering e-mail, I zipped through the Magic Net to give me a wealth of free learning aids. A search with Yahooligans led me to an interactive crossword puzzle on homographs on Quia.com. The kids had a ball differentiating it from homophones. And the lesson stuck--much better than just using the plain reviewer.
On the computer-aided instruction (CAI) end, the kids used their Number Works interactive CD for math games. My eldest daughter loves Math, my youngest finds it a bore. At the Number Works tutorial center in Alabang, kids get both tutor and computer interventions. The tutor explains concepts, asks the kids to practice first with the paper drill, and makes the kids do problem-solving quizzes in the form of engaging games for integration of their learning. My daughters have been taking the Number Works tutorials once a week for the past 4 months. It's not cheap (Php 6,000/ child/ 12 lessons). But seeing their much better grades and overcoming the fear of Math are priceless and wortwhile returns on this investment!
Check out these other sites next time you need to make learning fun: Kids on the Net for a a drag-and-drop game on learning similes; Learning Planet for groovy cartoon-type games for Grades 1-3. The Mr. E's Matching Game helps improve concentration. They have free games as well as paid subscriptions for more variety of materials, similar to Quia's site. The Primary Resources pages offer a rich source of language learning materials.
Do you have a site to share? What are your kids' favourite learning websites? They must be great alternatives to these increasingly violent network gaming portals!
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