It is a sign of the times, I suppose. Today is a big day for Jakarta's fashionable crowd because it is Jakarta Marathon Day. And since running is now the flavour of the year, it is getting all the attention from the hip crowd who, all of a sudden, have discovered the joys of running.... Continue Reading →
Salingsilang and the closing of a chapter in Indonesia’s social media scene
And thus closes another chapter in the development of social media in the community. At its height Salingsilang.com showed lots of promise and had the potential of becoming a nucleus of the online community in Indonesia. It had a stable of big names in the Indonesian online community either directly involved or supporting their activities:... Continue Reading →
Happy National Bloggers Day
On this day four years ago, the then Communications and Information Minister Muhammad Nuh opened the first Pesta Blogger at Blitz Megaplex and declared the day National Bloggers Day. Much has happened since then. The online community grew and grew, Facebook and Twitter made their entry and replaced much of the energy people put into... Continue Reading →
Pakistan’s greatest asset?
Unspun, together with Hanny Kusumawati and Anandita Puspitasari, were invited to participate in Pakistan's 1st Social Media Summit on June 11 in Karachi. We didn't know what to expect and was bushwacked by a deluge of warm Pakistani hospitality and enthusiasm. Hanny has written here very eloquently about the welcome we got and the feelings... Continue Reading →
At the 1st Malaysian-ASEAN Regional Bloggers Conference
Mahathir these days seems much smaller than he was in 1982, the year I started becoming a journalist in Malaysia and covering some of his news conferences. Then, he radiated power and kept many of us in awe. But last Sunday, at the 1st Malaysian - ASEAN Regional Bloggers Conference (1MARBC) organised by Blog House Malaysia, in... Continue Reading →
Blogshop and Mini Pesta Blogger+ in Padang
Just spend an enjoyable couple of days with Pestablogger+ Steering Committee members and the online communities of Padang organized by the local blogging group, Palanta. The Blogshop was held at Universitas Negeri Padang and about 50 aspiring bloggers attended. In the evening we had buka puasa with Palanta members as well as the local members... Continue Reading →
Pesta Blogger: To party or not to party?
A rather spirited conversation has cropped up in the Indonesian blogosphere over Pesta Blogger+ 2010 after Solo blogger Blontank Poer questioned the purpose and the running of the national event for bloggers in a post entitled Its not a question of the party (Bukan Soal Pestanya). In a rambling post that, among other things, evoked... Continue Reading →
The Hell Going on in Indonesia
This is yet another story that confirms that Indonesia is where the action is when it comes to IT and social media and how it is doing it on its own terms. Not for this country the government pampering and guidance like in Malaysia with its attempts at establishing an IT Super Corridor but its... Continue Reading →
Pesta Blogger Plus and Celebrating Diversities
Pesta Blogger 2010 is on the way with a new chairperson (Rara), a a new concept (Pesta Blogger Plus) and new theme (Celebrating Diversities). What does this all mean? Let's start with the chairperson. As Unspun's written before, she's Irayani Queencyputri, better known in the blogging community as Rara. She's the first woman to become... Continue Reading →
Rara for Pesta Blogger 2010 Chairperson
Change is in the air and this year's Pesta Blogger will see a woman helping the premier event for bloggers and onliners that wil take place some time in october. This will be the fourth year of Pesta Blogger and the person asked to be the Chairperson is Irayani Queencyputri. A dentist by profession Irayani, better... Continue Reading →
Malaysia the poster child for social media adoption? Ptui!
You gotta laugh at this article (below from PR Weeek) as you no longer wonder why traditional media is on such a steep decline. To make the claim in the headline that "Malaysia is rapidly becoming he psoter-child for the transformative power of social media" has got to be as preposterous as saying that the... Continue Reading →
The video that launched Pesta Blogger 2009
It's good to have film directors as chairman of Pesta Bloggers. They make good videos. This inspiring and amusing video was made by Iman Brotoseno as part of the launching ceremony of Pesta Blogger 2009 on Saturday. The video brought together the weeks of blogshops - workshops where Indonesians were taught how to blog -... Continue Reading →
Unspun 