#LookingForward #ForwardFriday

Instead of looking back, why not look forward?
It's #ThrowbackThursday vs #ForwardFriday!

Please watch! :)

Below is the link of our video blog for the campaign #ForwardFriday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1bDzs-EHoA

#ForwardFriday, Forward Today

It was a war within ourselves. 

The stress and pressure felt inside the four corners of our a classroom is  best dealt by venting it out in our respective social media outlets. School works, unfinished goals, deadlines, expensive projects... everything, just everything. I could see dark, ashen eyes wallowing in stress. I could see cheeks flushed with sleepless nights and lips trembling after writing "rushed" on-the-go articles. It was indeed a war within ourselves. Some of our priorities are uncoordinated and most of our process of time management is.. well.. unorganized. We know deep in ourselves that we want to battle and face stress in the eye and say, "It's over. I can handle myself well this time."  But it was always the question of "what" and "how" to do it.. but have we ever bothered to ask "when"?

"Friday.." said Mr. Melchor Jamero of Go Beyond Studios.

On February 28, 2014, the class of Bachelor in Journalism 3-1D and 3-1N attended a seminar at the COC Aduio-Visual Room organized by Prof. Jessa Ericka Bien and the team of Go Beyond Studios which aimed to launch their digital campaign, #ForwardFriday and teach the students about using SEO to their advantage. According to their website, Go Beyond Studios is an agile-development digital studio specializing in the creation of digital experiences. Simply put, the company helps people engage more with digital experiences that would make their life easier and more efficient.

As I saw the crowd of 90 (ninety) people gape at the awesome demonstrations executed by the company, plus their meaningful talks about their digital campaign and SEO, I was basically enthralled on how much the digital world can offer to us. And also for that two speakers namely Mr. Melchor Jamero (COO and President) and Mr. Odelon Miranda (Chief Technology Officer) to be able to catch the attention and interest  of this zombie-like audience that was hampered by school requirements... that already means something. The talks were that mind-catching and conscious-boggling.

The first talk about their digital campaign, #ForwardFriday, captured the minds of the audience. #ForwardFriday means that every Friday, you set a goal and report the progress of your goal in a journal or in whichever outlet one's comfortable with. This digital campaign simply wants anyone involved to be more goal-oriented and be more actively interested in their priorities. It would also help them to manage their time efficiently and effectively. By writing everything down, you'll be more motivated to finish them at a sooner date. And because your friends or followers could see your #ForwardFriday post, they will be able to help you to keep yourself on track and it may encourage them to join the campaign as well. It was very wise of the company to utilize the use of hashtags to further disseminate their wonderful campaign. Sooner or later, with the help of social media, more people will be involved and go forward with their lives.

SEO or Search Engine Optimization was the focus of their second talk. Mr. Odelon gave the audience an in-depth and also a general view on how SEO works and how it can help them to drive traffic to their own sites and blogs. The information and tips that the speaker shared during his talk will be beneficial to the students in the near future if they decided to pursue a serious career in blogging or online writing.

Surprisingly, it's amazing how this team of amazing geniuses was able to help the students in a lot of ways imaginable. They were able to introduce the value of setting short-term and long-term goals, the importance of time management, the benefits of keeping yourself motivated and most of all, being passionate and true to what you really want to accomplish in life. These people weren't just mere speakers who taught or shared what they know, they were catalysts who were able to revolutionize a population of students who were apathetic and unmotivated to their priorities in life..

It's wonderful isn't it? How just one post can change your outlook on what the future holds and what you can do to make the most out of it.

It's not just a digital launch... It's a new and personal launch for each and everyone of us.

#ForwardFriday, Forward Today!

Photo credits to: Aira Igharas and Lloyd Zapanta

Written by: Ruella Rodeles

Special thanks to: My wonderful groupmates