Blog Watch is the social media partner for #ChangePH #SocialMediaDay2015 to be held on June 27

Free tickets and more information about #ChangePH are now available at the TweetUpMNL website: http://tweetupmnl.com.

Yesterday was Fairy Day. Today is Global Beatles Day. Tomorrow will be Chocolate Pudding Day. There are many ridiculous “day” celebrations throughout the world, in June alone, you likely don’t know and care about. However, there’s one that matters and something you should consider paying attention to. The day after tomorrow, June 27, is said to be Social Media Day in the Philippines, a day that provides opportunities to see new tools, apps, and technologies that induce material changes in Filipino lifestyles, education, work, communication, expression, business, travel, and relationships.

Social Media Day

Social Media Day is a celebration launched by Mashable in 2010 in an effort to acknowledge and celebrate the influence of social media on communication worldwide. Mashable’s celebration is actually on the 30th of June and this year’s Social Media Day will officially be the sixth year of the said event. In the Philippines, the date is three days earlier and the country will be celebrating just the fourth Social Media Day. The event involves meetups in different parts of the world, from Egypt to Spain and of course the United States.

As an event based on an Internet phenomenon, Social Media Day expectedly makes use of social media and other Internet elements. There’s the hashtag, Facebook group, and a digital toolkit. The recurring global Social Media Day celebration hashtag has been #SMDay while in the Philippines, it is #ChangePH.

The local Social Media Day celebration was started by TweetUpMNL, an online community composed of people who share their passion for social media. TweetUpMNL has been organizing Twitter Meetups for various reasons or issues since 2009 throughout Metro Manila.

Themes/Objectives

Free tickets and more information about #ChangePH are now available at the TweetUpMNL website: http://tweetupmnl.com.
Globally, Social Media Day is intended to be a celebration centered on social media’s impact on communication. In the localized celebrations, however, there are specific themes that aim to address certain local concerns, although these aims are still in line with the role of social media in communication, expression, and society in general.

In the Philippines, the local hashtag #ChangePH also serves as the theme for the celebration. The celebration aims to introduce more Filipinos to new web and social media centered applications, software tools, and technologies that can bring about positive changes, big or small, in the lives of Filipinos. Specifically, #ChangePH emphasizes how many things in the Internet and social media can be useful in improving the ways Filipinos communicate, express thoughts and emotions, obtain and share information, get educated, work, do business, and form relationships.

Social Media Day in the Philippines seeks to provide opportunities for discovering new communities where Filipino netizens can share and discuss pressing issues, concerns, and topics of interest. Additionally, the local event aims to acquaint netizens with new platforms that allow them to witness new performers or to perform before new audiences. The celebration also aims to promote new ways to learn new skills and optimistic perspectives when it comes to appreciating and understand people, things, events, and other things about the world.

Needless emphasizing, the goal is to promote positive changes or changes that help solve problems and not add to the already existing ones. With less than a year before the next presidential elections, it’s only apt for #ChangePH to serve as a catalyst for change that will help improve the Philippines, empower people, foster fairness, and address issues and problems that have kept the country stagnant or degrading.

Activities

The main activity for the Philippine Social Media Day celebration will be held in Manila on June 27 at the open grounds of Museo Pambata along Roxas Boulevard. This activity aims to gather support for the country’s first interactive learning museum, to highlight its role as a learning center for Filipino children, as children are supposed to be the ones ultimately benefiting from the progressive changes being advocated with #ChangePH. Hundreds of Internet users, members of online communities, thought leaders, and advocates are expected to attend the June 27 event.

A community expo will be held at the Museo Pambata open grounds. It will start at ten o’clock in the morning and will be open until the end of the event. A conference will also be conducted from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

There will be several other similar activities in other cities throughout the country although the schedules may not be synchronized with the event spearheaded by TweetUpMNL. In Davao, the event will be held on Sunday, June 28, at NCCC Mall from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. In Cagayan de Oro, the celebration will be on June 30 at SM City from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

How to Join

TweetUpMNL co-founder Tonyo Cruz outlined 7 ways to join and support #ChangePH. These seven ways can be summed up as follows:

1. Attending the event at the Museo Pambata Open Grounds on June 27, from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.
2. Inviting friends to join and spreading the word about the event. This can be done by sharing, liking, and reposting TweetUpMNL posts about the event on Facebook and Twitter.
3. Bringing your community (online or offline). Bigger spaces have been reserved this year.
4. Showcasing a startup or an already established business. Those with entrepreneurial inclinations can also take advantage of the event while helping promote the #ChangePH theme.
5. Selling food and drinks. The organizers will not be getting catering services to feed guests so food and beverage sellers should take this opportunity. They are, of course, also expected to share the #ChangePH campaign.
6. Volunteering time and skills. Social Media Day in the Philippines has always been run by volunteers. Visit http://gg.gg/ChangePHVolunteer to sign up as a volunteer.
7. Visiting Museo Pambata. Admissions to this award-winning interactive museum will be discounted during the Philippine Social Media Day celebration.

It’s safe to say, upon examining Facebook and Twitter, that Social Media Day isn’t really anything major in the Philippines. Not many have started organizing relevant activities across the country. Not many are doing the promotions. Even the main Social Media Day event in Manila is not that visible online. If you are not that active in Filipino online affairs, you likely wouldn’t know that the event exists. Perhaps it’s about time for Filipino social media users to change this and consider doing something social media related that is more worthwhile.

Free tickets and more information about #ChangePH are now available at the TweetUpMNL website: http://tweetupmnl.com.

This post was first published by Bernadine Racoma at Blog Watch, Philippine Online Chronicles