The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent anyone else's view in any way, including those of my employer.
© Copyright 2009
The article is originally posted in mmosite by the MMOsite Writer Club member ninjarantguy aka Vincent Haoson my buddy.
If you haven’t noticed (unless your that blind or too inconsequential to care about your surroundings), some of the people you would find in gaming forums seem to have a one track mind (and a one track train of thought to boot).
You would always see them post this: “THIS GAME (insert game title here) IS SO EFFING COOL!
COME ON! TRY IT TRY IT!” or some other lines to that effect, if you are practically a noob when it comes to forum lingo (as most people I meet online are), you sir, have been subject to a spam attack by some marketer that was tasked by the upper echelons of their company to do.
I have to admit though that I was one of those people who have been forced to leave a trail of spam feces in different forums globally. I did try to alleviate the desecration that I did by at least trying to have a human-conversation with people on the forums.
To no avail though, I have my boss hovering behind me looking over at what I’ve done and when he sees what I’ve done I’m given the “WHAT THE F—ARE YOU DOING!? I DON’T PAY YOU TO CHAT!” look and I was sure to be called the next day due to my “lack of dedication or my truant behavior” to the game.
I don’t really get it, but most of the F2Ps that have their “marketing arm”, are taking the viral marketing 
approach (in other words spam, spam, spam) in trying to market their game. Their mindset is that as long as the name of the game is posted in the forum, website or whatever it is online then its good. What they don’t really understand is that spamming is a counter-productive form of marketing and not only does it waste the time and efforts their employee had (plus lose their hairs too if you’re getting shouted by the ‘boss’ which means stress levels are piling up), it would’ve been better if they just posted a Google add and paid for it.
As a disclaimer though, I am not referring to all F2Ps please do take note of the emphasis, on the word MOST. I’m saying that not all F2Ps have this kind of marketing strategy.
The games that do this approach are just cheapskates. They don’t have any idea that websites, forums or whatever that receives this spam trash immediately deletes them erasing the fact that the stupid spam post ever existed in the first place.
The sad thing here is that the marketers are the ones who are the ones being ridiculed by the forumers or whoever they meet because the community does not take spammers lightly, while those who have the whips keep on insisting that this is the best way to do things.
A note of concern to the people who think they are all that wake up! Being snobbish bosses and thinking that their employees and even the people they try to market the game are mindless sheep who would be instantly lured into the game just because you said that, “FTW! THIS GAME (insert game title here) ROCKS!” do yourself a favor, don’t force them to do stupid things.
You’re not tarnishing the name of your game, you are also causing undue stress to your employees, which could in turn cause you to lose them in as fast as lighting.
5 Years ago Friendster a social networking site becomes a revolutionary networking portal amongst the netizens of this country. Almost everyone I met has a friendster profile account. Years later friendster turned into a bug infested slash advertisement bombarded social community sites. To the point that you cannot even add your new friend request no matter what you do. Sometimes friendster is even preventing you to register because your cookie in your browser is turned off even if it’s on and so on and so forth. I even heard a virus attacks.
If you are working in a fast faced marketing oriented environment and one of your task is to keep the possible consumers or target users aware about it by creating a fan profile (supported by various social community sites such as facebook, friendster and myspace) then read this.
I really don’t know if they have something against me or at least about the product that I represent but every time I requested a conversion of my “personal profile” (Normal Account Profile) those guys behind the fan profile department keeps on rejecting my conversion with the same reason not once but thrice!
Upon requesting the system will automatically tells you that you need to wait for a maximum of 72 hours before they made a decision about your conversion application. The problem is the 72 hours of worth of waiting is only a fiction just to make you hope. Yes you need to wait more than the designated time ranging from 5 days to almost a month! If you are unfortunate enough you will receive a message like this “Thanks for your interest in Friendster Fan Profiles. It appears your profile is a personal profile or did not contain enough content (a primary photo, information about yourself or your organization) for us to make a decision. We have not converted your profile into a Fan Profile.” Like I said earlier, I applied for a conversion for three times in different situations; I am a hundred percent sure that I fulfilled every little things that they required for the conversion but in the end I keep on receiving this message.
Is it an auto reply from a lazy customer support? I guess so? If they visited my profile to be converted or even the fan profile request form they will see all of the requirements they need! A primary photo, a primary photo you mean? If you really did visit my profile you will clearly saw I have a primary photo which is the LOGO of our product. Aside from that I have at least 37 Photos ranging concept arts, promotional pictures, and actual screen shot of the product? So since when did I lack a primary photo or are this people expecting me to put a picture of a person to promote my product which is “SOFTWARE”. It is this “kind of software” as I selected to your CATEGORY. Did they even check my profile in the first place? Oh boy they said I don’t even have a primary photo! Even my background picture and the video in my profile clearly state the nature of the product I am promoting!
Information about myself, Hell yeah what about those! I even provided a very brief description about the product, the company behind it. Are they expecting me to create a long novel regarding those even if they have a character limit? I even provided the links of my official website, official blogs and even the products social networking link portal! All of the information I supplied is adequate enough.
I keep on wondering why you keep approving that unauthentic profile in short posers while I an authentic promoter/owner of the profile am being rejected. Maybe because of they don’t believe in my identity. Well if that’s the case they are free to drop us an email regarding this thru our official email.
Now they want me to email them for reconsideration and for them to take a second look. Well fine! But how long will I wait? For 5 days? 3 weeks? Or worst never.
Anyway readers “Pa AdD POoH Ah AnD Pa TesTi NaH RiN PoOoh Ah!”. Better stick to Facebook.
I didn’t even anticipate that there will be a point in my life wherein I need to “swim” and be stranded in the middle of the typhoon. Yes during those times I wished to become an MMORPG character like my Daeva Mage in AION so I can fly or even a Druid in World of Warcraft so I can transform into a sea lion like creature to swim. The irony I am just hanging around a few blocks away from destination but sad to say I cannot reach my target for the reason that there is this natural disaster blocking my path that takes the lives of many.
Yesterday I decided to go home despite of the strong typhoon and an EDSA “car park” in front of my work place, On the way home while riding an MRT I saw a disastrous scene on the roads of EDSA (Epifanio De Los Santos Avenue). In fact riding the MRT station becomes a huge obstacle for me. I didn’t even expect that the Magallanes Interchange Park turned into a “water park”! The area below the Magallanes MRT Station was sunk into at least 4-6 feet deep worth of flood water. I am glad that there are buses who managed to force their way despite of the flood. I was saved from the first stage I arrived at the Ayala station without getting my lower body soaked with a soup called bacteria ala carte.
From the window of the blue train, amidst of the droplets of the rain that almost block my view I clearly saw the disaster the typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) caused to the metropolitan. At around 12:30 to 1 PM the water from the Pasig River almost reached the floor of the Guadalupe Bridge. When the MRT is on its way from Ortigas to Santolan-Annapolis station, the train passenger screamed while looking at the scenery of stranded/abandoned bus floating cars and stranded vehicles who even counter flow the road! What shocks me the most is the situation around the Quezon Avenue Station, The area particularly on the construction site looks like a river! Then I arrived at the North Avenue Station thinking that I can go home freely but I didn’t know this is only the starting point of my real adventure. There’s a flood in the area that separates SM North EDSA and TriNoMa Mall that caused the small vehicles to be stranded. However busses and huge vehicles can easily pass. I managed to ride a bus to avoid the flood but I got stranded when we arrived at Munoz (Roosevelt) I didn’t even expect that the vicinity that separates Roosevelt and Royal can turned into a sea of stagnant water. The flood can reach up to my chest! So I have no choice but to put myself into the flood. What makes it harder for us to pass is the strong current of flood water that will surely push you back from where you came from or even worse to after life if you lose your balance. The people are grouping themselves, arms around each other to cross the road. What makes it more dangerous is the metals and other machinery equipments from the under construction LRT 1 Extension that can possibly hit you below. On the way I manage to meet some new companion who will also walk their way to Valenzuela. Having a companion on the long walks will surely kills your boredom.
After we get out of the flood water of Royal, we saw the Balintawak Cloverleaf Road in a worst state wherein the only accessible area is the center island. Even the Balintawak Market before we arrived at that place has a knee to waist level deep flood.
Despite of the strong rain, wind and flood we managed to force our way to Valenzuela City where the final stage begins! I arrived at the scene around 4:00PM in the afternoon after walking *coughs* swam on the flooded streets of EDSA. What welcomed us are stranded vehicles and mobs of people that will surely remind you of people power when you saw them and the Tullahan Bridge in extacy. Yesterday I really saw what a “bridge over troubled water” literally looks like. My quest is to cross the bridge that connects Malabon and Valenzuela City but the problem is the water from the infamous polluted Tullahan River erased the bridge itself from the visible eye of the stranded people! Wait I’m not seeing the capital city of the Philippines or Surigao Del Norte (Siargao) in this area the human height deep and the water current are too strong for a human to survive. Even though the given situation is worst, the people is still trying to cross that 5-14 feet (according to the news) flood water, As a result some people crossed not the bridge but the afterlife and their respected bodies are taken away by the waters. The death count is 4. To stop the people from attempting to cross the bridge a warning shot is released. It came to the point where it isn’t even possible to cross the bridge. I got stranded, I don’t have a choice. I am glad that there are drivers whose willing to provide their vehicles as a shelter for the stranded person. Some people are kind enough to use their mobile phones to send an MMS message to your loved ones and even shared their food with everyone. It is really true that when a catastrophe came “Bayanihan” comes to play.
For almost 12 hours I managed to fight the boredom and impatience inside the jeepney. I endured the cold and chilling sensation of the wind + rain that strikes to my body. My wet t-shirt and pants becomes dry! At this point I didn’t even feel sleepy, tired or even hungry and thirsty. What runs to me is the will to get out of the situation. The rain stopped but the flood even got high. All I have to do is to wait for the water to get low. At around 3:30am people can finally pass the bridge since the flood water reduced to a knee to waist level flood and the water current stopped. The only obstacle this time is the pitch black environment and the flood water with a huge amount of petroleum oil. Deep Submerged Jollibee, 7-11, Machinery, San Miguel Beer Brewery and even a Funeral Home you can almost have a taste of everything. I ignored it just to get home. After the Tullahan Bridge the “BB” area is still soaked into flood that even reached my chest. Thank god the rescuers who stayed at that area provided a giant rope for people to cling on. Since the waters from that area are filled with petroleum oil I removed my white tee shirt so it won’t turn into black. The flood ended at the Fatima Hospital area. I finally reached the shore and walked home half naked, body covered in oil in the middle of a dark night (Thanks to the power outrage).
When I arrived at home I went straight to the bathroom and take a shower of the “year”. There is first time in everything. I didn’t even get traumatized at what had happened. I didn’t even feel emotional. What I only felt is the will to survive actually mixed emotions. I just wish that it won’t happen again. Anyway according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council we already experienced something as worse as this a hundred years ago.
Check out the Malabon-Valenzuela boundary after math pics here
We all know that shit happens and as much as possible we find ways (like BDO) to not make it happen. Sad to say the Murphy Law “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong” is so “imba” that you’re over upgraded armor of resistance is not enough to resist it.
Well it happened to me last week and it started from Monday and up to Friday. Every day I have the routine of riding a bus getting off at North EDSA station to ride the Metro Star aka MRT. As a person who come from the Northern Area of Metro Manila and my work is on the Central Part (almost south), I am required to leave the comforts of my home 2 hours before my work starts. Usually my one way travel will be 40 Minute Bus Ride, 20Minutes MRT Rode + 10 Minutes walking let’s say 1 Hour and 20 Minutes or less.
So getting back at my first transportation ritual Majority of the air conditioned busses who travels in our vicinity are Malanday Golden Express, CEM, AC Trans and the now infamous (for me at least) JMK busses. Maybe I am destined to ride JMK in my entire commuting life. At the time of my travel most of the other buses are full.
Among the four, why I am having some issues with the JMK Liners why oh why? Now I am giving you 3 reasons why JMK Liner is not fantazzztic! For me.
Inconsistent Fare Price! Is it 20pesos, 18pesos or 17 pesos? I really think that they need to learn their fare Matrix. I know that the discounted prize for students and senior citizen will be 15 pesos and the usual fare for the travel from Fatima to MRT (North Edsa) will be 17 Pesos? “Ano ba talaga kuya?”
Is it Amnesia or Short Term slash Selective Memory Loss? Manong, Manong where’s my change? Don’t let them take your change away, We’ll sometimes they won’t give you a change even if your money is only 20 pesos and your fare is 17pesos. I actually experience that a conductor almost didn’t gave me my change, we’ll he did gave it when we arrived at Munoz and I came from Fatima even if it’s only a 50 Peso bill.
And last but not the least! Greed! Yes it’s the G word; even if the bus is full they really want it to be full as full as a sardine can. I do understand that they have a quota to meet at the end of the day but I think a little bit courtesy to the passengers won’t hurt them; Just imagine a person like me who’s cramming for their schedule. My usual 40 Minutes ride will be 1 hour and 15minutes and because I work every 9:00am in the morning just imagine the people when you arrived at your destination! The traditional Morning Rush Hour that will result a stop-train-stop-entry dance number. It will take at least another 15minutes to arrive at the train station that is located on the third floor (The queue almost covered the half of the south lane of EDSA) plus a 20-30 Minutes Train Ride. Try to do the math it will be epic. Salary Deductions, Salary Deductions or worst suspension due to tardiness!
Aside from its downside JMK Bus Liners excels to some factors such as the 21 Inch? Wide Screen LCD TV plus epic surround system that can be seen in their new carriers (the one with the wide window) I just hate it when they are playing some CAMERA movies. Cool and odorless Air Conditioning system. Clean vicinity that you can experience if you are lucky enough to ride on their new units.
Oh well I have no choice but to ride you JMK, See Yah!
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