ASEAN Blogger Festival 2013, Reinventing the Spirit of Cultural Heritage

I’m so excited for the bloggers of Southeast Asia!  This year, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) launches the ASEAN Blogger Festival 2013 on May 10-12, 2013 in Central Java Indonesia.  Bloggers and social media practitioners from the Southeast Asia region will be on touch base with everone in the beautiful Solo City.

The theme: “Reinventing the Spirit of Cultural Heritage in Southeast Asia”

If you are participating in this event, or want to follow updates, please use the hashtag #ABF2013

Participants get to join seminars on ASEAN Cultural Heritage Linkage and ASEAN Tourism, various workshops tackling online intiatives that impact positive social change (such as online business and advocacy), and enlightening discourse regarding social media development including but not limited to the role of social media in the ASEAN integration process and the ASEAN Blogger Community Plan of Action.

Why do I want to Join this Event

In the year 2008, my life changed.  It was the time I started blogging.  Back then, I didn’t know a lot of bloggers and I didn’t have a mentor.  I just blindly opened an account on blogspot, wrote about the things that intrest me and then it’s all history.

My influences were mainly from bloggers in the US and Malysia.  Malaysia’s blogging community was big at that time and I built really close knits with Malaysian bloggers who I actually traveled with eventually.

Bloggers from Malaysia taking me around Melaka on one of my personal trips

In turn I also took them around beautiful Philippines 🙂

and in 2014, I am traveling with the to Hanoi!!!

The power of blogging: brings neighbors closer 😉

What Influential?

I think every blogger in the world is influential.  The internet stream reaches everyone in the world and one hit on that “publish” button and you get to influence the world!

Blogging is such an influential tool and for 5 years of doing this, I would also say that blogging is something constant in my life.  Something I would never give up.  

I get letters from readers reaching out to me from various topics: thanking me, asking questions about career, love, and a whole other things!  It’s overwhelming but blogging can affect other people’s lives.

I myself have been influenced by other bloggers.

It’s really great to get to know bloggers from other countries, especially in our ASEAN region.  What do I get out of reaching out to other bloggers in this region?  A whole lot:

• I would realize that we may speak different languages, but some words are similar
• We are both different but similar at the same time
• There are a lot of similarities culture and values wise
• There are also a lot of notable differences that are really interesting and essential to understanding another country’s culture
• With all this in mind, we get to help each other make blogging and our ASEAN community grow
• Share the beauty of each other’s country, and maybe help each other discover each other’s home

Now why do I want to participate in this event again?

I want to be more effecient and effective in delivering change to our communities.  By being a part of the ASEAN Blogger Festival, I would get to hear from different speakers and bloggers and learn from their experiences.  I want to actively be a part of this movement.

Looking ahead:  ASEAN Community goals for 2015

This would be also an insight I would gain when I get in touch with other bloggers and social media practitioners in the region.  It would be great to come together again and update each other on what’s new with the cyber world.  In 2 years, you never know what happens, if there are other influential social media tools that would change the cyber scene again.

We can learn from our current status and discuss further ways to improve, and even go beyond what we already have today.

Bloggers from the Philippines

Maybe the Philippines can also host an ASEAN blogging convention?

Say Hello to my friend Aseanita

Photo taken in Jakarta, at the AirAsia ASEAN hub

Aseanita is the digital girl of AirAsia – big sponsor of the ASEAN Blogger Festival.

I have been an avid fan of AirAsia – as a customer and as an online partner.

Like me, AirAsia believes in the power of blogging, social media and other online activities that affect our offline lives.

If you want to know more about the culture in AirAsia, you can check out my interview with a very important person – the CEO of AirAsia

Interview with Tony Fernandez

Follow Aseanita, TWEET her 🙂 She would love to hear from you 
http://www.facebook.com/Aseanita
http://www.twitter.com/aseanita

Also, for updates on the ASEAN Blogger Festival, please use the hashtag #ABF2013