In the Philippines, and indeed in most developing countries, a lot of people still don't have access to computers and those that have often don't know how to surf the web. How can you motivate them to go on-line?
It is not for me to motivate people. What is happening globally is going to force people to adopt to change, sooner than later. Technology will shape how we will live now and in the near future.
While it is true that the ratio of netizens locally is still relatively small, I believe it will exponentially increase in the coming years. What we are doing now is paving the way for small and medium sized local companies in a specific industry to compete in the global market place by the power of the Internet.
With regards to our publications, our real objective is to reach a greater number of people who are already Internet-empowered. There is a sizable Asian diaspora in the United States, Australia, and Europe who are curious and interested about their roots. There are also many Westerners who are keen to know more about the Asian way. My online book, which has been in the Net for almost four years, is a good indication of this niche market.
Can you tell us more about EwayMEDIA?
EwayMEDIA is a web publisher-developer that is currently developing
this site. As an offshoot of the online book, "Way of Design, Interior Design From an Oriental Perspective," wayofdesign.com will cover our professional expertise and personal interests which are interior design, Asian arts and antiques, silk flowers, phonecard and stamp collecting. EwayMEDIA serves as the editorial backbone of wayofdesign.com.
We now have four sites under wayofdesign.com offering varied content and we hope to expand these in the near future to cover the other areas I mentioned. Our aim is not only to provide information, but to present information in a manner that makes reading them aesthetically pleasing and interesting. By providing the right web site ambiance, variety in content and uncomplicated functionality, I believe we can create a viable and "sticky" relationship with consumers.
Is wayofdesign.com a hub or a portal?
We are developing wayofdesign.com as a vertical or niche portal. Our expertise is specific as well as our market in mind.
Can you say that your website offers surfers new and exciting perspectives?
It depends on what you mean by new. Content wise, we are not aiming to deliver information as news items that has to be current to the date. We believe there is a wealth of information that can be gleaned from old sources and our aim is to present them in a fresh way through a certain editorial discernment and aesthetic judgement. Our aim is not to be an electronic broadsheet. We are for timelessness rather than timeliness. The "hand-crafting" approach in the design of our webpages will distinguish our publication from what is presently available in the Net. Each of our issue will have a defined look but would maintain the fluidity and consistency that we desire.
How do you see the progress of your site in the coming year? Will you concentrate on content or functionality?
We will first focus on content and traffic building. More e-commerce functionality will be integrated as we go along. In the interior design field, one of my plans is to create a virtual trade show of Philippine furniture and furnishings where small and medium size local companies can participate. Internet presence for most of these companies need not be expensive and we are designing a program specifically tailored to our local companies.
In conjunction with this, I also plan to do a designer collection of home products. To be produced by selected local suppliers, these products, more specifically home accessories, will carry our online brand and will be sold exclusively in our site.
Building a web portal is costly and evidently, you have poured a lot of resources in building wayofdesign.com. How will your company earn its revenues?
Initially, we are projecting revenue to come from advertising and sponsorships in the East by Southeast Webzine and in the online book Way of Design.
This will be complimented with sales from the online shop and with subscriptions to the virtual trade show and other galleries we will launch later.
Are you aiming to be another Jeff Bezos?
The idea of being a billionaire is a titillating thought indeed; but my thinking is far from that. The Internet has empowered me and envigorated my mind and spirit. The challenges of this new and fast-mutating medium gives me the creative drive to forge on and learn something new everyday. The potentials for making a great deal of money is latently there but to my view, the going is more interesting than the arriving. We have taken our first steps and we still have a lot to go in this wonderful and exciting journey. Join us?
By Ted Calbazana
Issue No. 1
