Social Media Influencer : With Great Influence Comes Great Immaturity

Wazzup Pilipinas !

"I think each one of us should be responsible and accountable to what we say online, especially if it involves other people. We also need to think on when do we tackle concerns privately and when do we drag other people who may be clueless to an issue."

I had to give my reaction to a very recent article that came out just today. It asks us questions but also gives us pieces of advice on how people that have a cloud of influence because of their nature of work should behave or discipline themselves.

Social Media or the Internet has allowed us to reach and communicate with a huge number of people instantly and with very little effort. But it also made it easier for haters, spammers, lurkers, scammers, trolls, and all sorts of online misfits.

Notes from the Top of the World: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Latest Google Maps Special Collection

Tenzing-Hillary Airport - the most dangerous airport in the world

Google Maps has recently unveiled Street View images for Mt. Everest and other notable mountains. This takes armchair explorers like us to great heights even without the extreme cold, avalanche and what not.

"Today, we released photos of the some of the most famous mountains in the world on Google Maps. I was lucky to be part of the team that traveled around the world to capture the imagery and experience the mountains first-hand.

I’ve always had a sense of adventure. In 2011, when my colleague asked if I wanted to go on a trip to Everest Base Camp, I couldn’t resist, and we recruited a group of Googlers and fellow explorers to join us. Then we learned we could capture imagery of our trip for Google Maps with a tripod and a digital camera. We had plenty of room in our packs, so we loaded up our cameras and mountaineering gear, and hopped on a plane to Nepal.


Our adventures began with the trek to Everest Base Camp where we spent 12 days in the mountains battling altitude sickness, an earthquake, mudslides, snow storms and flash floods. The highest altitude we reached was 18,192 feet -- higher than anywhere in the contiguous U.S. -- and we hiked more than 70 miles (or 50 hours) during the trip. We carried our camera equipment everywhere we went and captured a collection of panoramas at key camps and other interesting stops along the way. Below are a few excerpts from the journal I kept during our trip:

Buddhist mantras outside the town of Lukla

Day 2: Today we arrived at Namche Bazaar -- “the gateway to the high Himalaya.” It’s a good-sized town with lots of hotels, shops and a pharmacy. Many hikers stop here for altitude acclimatization on their way to Everest. During our stay there was a 6.9 earthquake! It was scary, especially when we realized we were in a developing country that doesn’t have infrastructure or emergency services like back home in California. We were fortunate that there was very little damage where we were.

Fisheye view of Namche Bazaar

Day 3: We woke up to a clear morning. The mountains were absolutely spectacular! We spent the day taking pictures of the town with our Street View cameras and meticulously taking notes on a map so we could remember what we were capturing once we were back at sea level. Everyone, including me, is starting to feel the effects of the altitude (mostly nausea and headaches), and we’re barely above 11,000 ft.

Googlers Sara Pelosi and Andrew Swerdlow with Ama Dablam looming in the distance

Day 4: The morning was a pretty easy walk, mostly traversing the mountain ridges. After we stopped for tea there was a long climb, "up up up" according to our guide, all on switchbacks. We stopped in Tengboche for lunch, then photographed the monastery with the fisheye lens. Amazing place. The monks watched us closely as we walked around. I don't know if they were more interested in the Americans or the photography. We continued on to Pangboche where we stayed for the night. When we got to Pangboche we saw a patch of blue sky and a rainbow. I'm still optimistic that we'll see at least a glimpse of the peak of Everest. Our guide says, "can be", which we’ve learned is the answer to every question. We're not even quite to 13,000 ft here. A long way left to go up.




The incredible Tengboche Monastery (View Larger Map)

Day 8: We left early in the morning and hiked for about three hours until we reached a small village called Gorak Shep. The hike was flat along a river for several hours, then turned into a very steep climb. When we arrived at Base Camp, it was the most amazing feeling of accomplishment. We had finally made it to the base of the top of the world! We wouldn’t have gotten here without our expert guide and porters who know the mountains like the back of their hand and were essential to the success and safety of our trip. I barely stopped to enjoy the moment before wanting to accomplish the next goal - photographing the Base Camp where a real summit expedition had actually set up camp.

The Everest trekking group with our amazing guides

We’re honored to share this amazing imagery with you on Google Maps and show the world what life is like from its highest peaks! To see more of this collection, visit the Street View Gallery or download Google Maps on your iPhone or Android device. And join us for a Hangout on Air today at 10:00 am PT where we’ll answer questions about our adventures."

*Posted by Sara Pelosi, People Programs Manager, on behalf of entire expedition team

Globe Business is First in PH, Asia to Get MEF CE 2.0 Certification

 

ONE OF THE BEST IN ASIA AND THE WORLD. The Globe Business Team happily received recognition as the first telecoms services provider in Asia, and the fourth in the world, to earn the Metro Ethernet Forum – Carrier Ethernet (MEF CE) 2.0 certification on March 20, 2013. The certification proves that Globe Business can deploy its products and solutions much faster, and guarantee customers of globally-compliant services which will work seamlessly with their network.

Globe Business reached yet another milestone in the Philippines telecoms industry after earning the Metro Ethernet Forum – Carrier Ethernet (MEF CE) 2.0 certification on March 20, 2013—attesting to its status as being among the top service providers worldwide.

The MEF CE 2.0 certification also means that Globe Business can now deliver added benefits to its customers by matching enterprise users’ application performance needs to MEF services with specific service-level agreements (SLAs).

MEF is a global-certifying IT body, a non-profit organization that sets world standards on Ethernet services in terms of reliability, speed and SLAs and promotes worldwide adoption of Carrier-class Ethernet networks and services.

GLOBE BUSINESS was recently certified as one of the best telecoms service providers in Asia and the world as it received the prestigious Metro Ethernet Forum – Carrier Ethernet (MEF CE) 2.0 certification. This means that Globe Business is able to deploy its products and solutions much faster, and guarantee customers of globally-compliant services which will work seamlessly with their network. The certification also proves that Globe Business is now at the forefront of innovation in the Philippines. Its status as the first company to be MEF CE 2.0 certified in Asia demonstrates that the Philippine telecommunications and ICT industry are moving ahead with Globe Business in the lead. Show in photo is the Globe Telecom’s Network Operations Center (NOC) which is now one of the best in Asia and the world.



“Globe Business is the first not only in the Philippines but in Asia to receive certification for Carrier Ethernet 2.0. It is not only an important achievement for us but it also augurs well for the local ICT industry. It reflects our company’s genuine commitment to deliver world-class and best-in-class services to our customers,” said Globe Business Head Jesus Romero.

Globe Business, which is the pioneer of premium-grade corporate solutions in the country, is now the only Philippine and Asian service provider, and fourth in the world, to achieve MEF CE 2.0 certification with its point-to-point E-Line (EPL and EVPL) and multipoint-to-multipoint E-LAN services.

This strengthens its Ethernet services’ MEF 9 and MEF 14 certifications or MEF CE 1.0 which define Ethernet service functionality and service performance, respectively. As the

These accreditations enhance the company’s end-to-end service Operation, Administration and Maintenance (or OAM) capabilities for the three-level Class of Service and Tier 1 service performance as they make Globe Business Ethernet services the best choice at world-class standards.

Its next generation MEF CE 2.0 also extends the original purpose of Carrier Ethernet with added vital features, including easier interconnection with global Ethernet providers and partners for multiple standard service types as well as enabling new levels of efficiency for mobile backhaul.

Globe Business Head of Enterprise Segments Grace Castillo assured that with their MEF CE2.0 certified services, “we can deploy our products and solutions much faster, provide guarantee to customers of globally-compliant services which will work seamlessly with their network and allow end-to-end visibility to perform faster issue identification and resolution as well as ensure SLA delivery.”

“What this means in terms of Classes of Service is that our customers can run multiple and critical applications while we assist and support them in prioritizing which ones can pass through Ethernet traffic.

“Likewise, we can conduct non-intrusive tests with added testing parameters leading to quicker turn-around time in pinpointing issues and resolutions, less service downtime, ensure SLAs and improve after-sales support. This gives them a definite advantage when subscribing to our MEF CE 2.0-certified Ethernet services,” she added.

Meanwhile, Globe Business Head of Business Products and Services Francisco Claravall said that the accreditation they received from the MEF is a result of the hard work and commitment put in by their Data Network Planning and Engineering; their Product Management team; as well as their colleagues from Tellabs and Iometrix.

“We went through extended days and nights of continuous, round-the-clock assessing and resolving issues during the course of the certification tests. Our synergies were focused toward the collective goal of giving the country its first MEF CE 2.0 certified-service through Globe Business,” he said.

Already, Globe Business customers have commended its move to take its Ethernet services several notches higher, as attested by a long-time client and local insurance giant Philamlife.

“We’ve known Globe Business to be at the forefront of innovation in the Philippines. Being the first locally to be MEF CE 2.0 certified and, better yet, in Asia, is a breakthrough not only for the company but for the country as well.

“This demonstrates that the Philippine telecommunications and ICT industry are moving ahead, with Globe Business leading the way,” said Nilo Zantua, Vice President and Head of IT Infrastructure of PhilamLife.

Romero believes that the MEF CE 2.0 certification is more than just an accreditation document. Rather, it is an acknowledgment from a global certifying body will translate into tangible benefits that Globe Business customers will experience and be delighted about.

“This means simpler and faster deployment, as well as standardized services, from Globe Business that will offer them more choices, and with more reasons to choose Globe Business over and above any other provider,” he said.