The SoCCSKSarGen Bloggers will hold the BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen 2010 on 11 December at the Grand Royale Ballroom of the East Asia Royale Hotel, General Santos City. It is put as the largest gathering of bloggers in the region.

More popularly known as the Sox Bloggers, the group is composed of more than 200 bloggers and new media enthusiasts who have bonded together for the common advocacy of projecting South Central Mindanao in a more positive light through their blogs. For the past three years, their blogs have increasingly influenced other people’s perceptions about the region and have won in different blog award bodies such as the Philippine Blog Awards and Digital Filipino’s Emerging Influential Blogs Search.

BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen 2010, aimed at enhancing the blogging capabilities of its members and increasing their passion for its advocacy, will feature several web luminaries who will give talks on different topics. Invited speakers are: UP Prof. Danilo Arao (Journalism Ethics for Bloggers), Google Inc. Philippine consultant Aileen Apolo (Making the most of the Internet and Google), Zamboanga blogger and IT consultant Ryan Elumba (Spicing Up Blogs With Animation and Video), Head for New Media for the Office of the President Jay Jaboneta (The Role of New Media in Nation-building), Avatar Media and Davao blogger Maria Jose (State of the Philippine Blogosphere), Web Developer and ENoa Corp. Online Marketing strategist Dale Palileo (SEO and Traffic Generation and Monetizing your Blog), Tactical Technology Collective member Bobby Soriano (Internet Security for Bloggers), REACH Networks Country Account Manager and Travel agency operator Michelle Solon (Exposing Local Gems on New Media), and E-commerce consultant/trainor and author Janette Toral (New Media and its Role in Businesses).

Sox Bloggers’ lead convenor, Avel Manansala, is expecting bloggers from Mindanao to attend the BlogFest, although some bloggers from the Visayas and Luzon have also registered for said event.

The event is sponsored by East Asia Royale Hotel, Sagittarius Mines, Inc. as its Platinum Sponsors. The Gold Sponsors are Smart Communications, Inc., the office of South Cotabato Rep. Pedro B. Acharon, Jr., Gaisano Mall of Gensan, and Dolores Hotels & Resorts. The Silver Sponsors are STI College Gen. Santos, Opera Software ASA, and Robinsons Place GenSan. The Bronze Sponsors of the event are Geiser Maclang Communications, Montage Digital Photography, Inc., PCWORX General Santos, Royale Iris Studio Productions, OMF Literature, Gensan News Online Mag, Ganda Ever So Much, Alexis Chua, South Cotabato Tambayan, Go Sarangani! Travel and the office of Councilor Margareth Rose N. Santos. (Gilbert Y. Tan)

Official Website: http://SoxBloggers.com