I’ve been a regular attendee of almost all SoCCSKSarGEn Bloggers (SOX Bloggers) organized events and frankly, they just keep raising the standards for organized “fun”. Just how this creative community of bloggers achieve that, I really don’t have the exact formula. But one thing for sure, fun, while organizing these events, is a main ingredient.

BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen 2010 (BlogFest 2010), which was held last December 11, 2010 at the East Asia Royale Grand Ballroom in Gen Santos City, is one huge example. When I entered the hall, I almost thought I was in the wrong venue.  The room was jam packed with participants, teaming with sponsors and littered with the smiling organizers. Not only was there a lively atmosphere but it was spiced up with so much creativity I think medical conventions should take a paradigm shift when it comes to organizing conventions. But well, that’s  just be wishful thinking.

Hearing almost all the speakers’ piece (boy, there’s this conglomeration of blogging who’s who in the speakers’ list), and noting the tremendous support the event has garnered, something shaped up in my mind that really summed up BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen 2010 . The impact of blogging is far deeper and more widespread than we originally thought. Were shaping up minds now, like it or not. As the new media, it became increasingly powerful in empowering people, delivering almost “everything” right in everyone’s desktop monitor.  While social media has recently branched into community like platforms of mass socialization (e.g Facebook), blogging per se is gearing towards standardization of practices with the  introduction of security measures and mopping up ethical issues. It is now inevitable that with the explosion of blogging, ethical issues  should be clarified.  So BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen 2010 came in because we’re ripe for those issues. Like the BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen 2010 theme says, “if you blog it, they will come“.

Blogfest 2010 speakers roll. Bloggingverse's who's who. (Photo collage by Orman Manansala and Photos by Ric Dumalay)

We blogged, the issues fired up and the speakers came. We had the best of speakers talking about the various facets of blogging. The context has leveled up. The audience is ripe for matured blogging context, one that has keyed in professionalism in a once free for all media. That in essence has encouraged more interactivity between speakers and the audience.

It was a deja vu for me because three years ago, the SoCCSKSarGEn Bloggers hosted the second Mindanao Blogging Summit (MBS2) and it was a huge success. Between these two events and remembering all the fun activities in between, I’d say we have tremendous gains. Comparing blogging before MBS2 and now, the  BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen 2010, the SoCCSKSarGEn Bloggers community and it’s audiences has had huge strides with our blogging maturity. Today, the BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen 2010 community breathe and live blogging.

SOX Blogger's Gen X'ers (Photo by Hector Minoza)

This is why BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen 2010 is successful. The participants, the organizers and the sponsors is ripe for the event. Blogging has become part of our lives and BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen 2010 is just a culmination of SoCCSKSarGEn Bloggers three years of non-stop and fun blogging!

So my hats of to the Fat and Fab brothers’ Avel and Orman with the SOX Bloggers core organizers, the sponsors, you’ve all done well above everyone elses expectations. So to next year’s blogging events? !!!