The Tale Of #fap2012 (Or How NOT To Tempt The Fates Of The Internet)

.:Let's Give A Big, Hairy Hand To #fap2012!:.

Yesterday, a little thing I found myself involved in ended up going viral.

Gee, has that ever happened to me before?

It all started with an innocent question I noticed on my Twitter timeline...

Really? Really?!?

So after looking at the hashtag incredulously, I realized that it was a real thing: Franchise Asia Philippines 2012 is apparently a huge international convention about franchising, which, of course, holds a lot of value for local and even foreign investors in the Philippines. I mean, all things considered, it's actually a pretty cool endeavor, and there's even an important segment there about social media and digital marketing, with some of the most credible experts in the country today.

Unfortunately, for the people behind this, their credibility comes into question when they forget about the first and most basic rule about the internet: if you set yourself up for the lulz, then lulz will be had.

Well, no, it's obviously not rule 1 of the internet, but it does undermine credibility somewhat for a supposedly net-savvy and net-inclusive event to be completely oblivious to the unfortunate implications of calling your Franchising seminar "FAP 2012."

Boom.

No, really, guys. Unless this was deliberate, it was a misstep that betrayed a lack of familiarity with the internet. Thankfully, you had speakers who were not necessarily dense to the implications of the hashtag, but the organizers did themselves a major disservice by being completely oblivious to opening Pandora's box. Furthermore, the fact that shortly after trending, you had to change your hashtag only indicates that you really had no idea what you were doing in the first place. It's sad that #franchiseasia had to be used, instead of riding the (unfortunate) wave of your popularity (for all the wrong reasons), which is the very same mistake BaYo did when they scrapped their campaign altogether.

Why can't more people be as savvy as Christopher Lao, who played off his infamy into a crowning moment of awesome. That's how you make lemonade out of lemons, and sadly, the people behind FAP 2012 didn't quite get that.

Which is too bad, really, because the hashtag trended long enough for people to notice, which is more than can be said for the #franchiseasia hashtag. There was very little discussion past yesterday, and you could see that nobody was pseudo-transcribing the goings-on at FAP 2012 anymore. No wonder it wasn't too difficult to actually hijack the entire hashtag the first time around.

Come one, come all! We're all classy people here.

Sad, but hey, I'm sure that the seminar was still a success, no matter how much their credibility took a hit. By now, spambots have all but overtaken both hashtags, so it's practically moot at this point. Rico Mossesgeld and Carlo Ople were very quick to make blog posts about the misadventure, while I was still quite busy on Twitter, trying to make a case study out of the whole thing, and of course, giving the whole social experiment a hand. And yes, you will pardon the pun. Because you've been inundated with a whole bunch of them from the get-go.

It'd be interesting what they plan to do for FAP 2013, and what the Winter Armada of North Korea plan to do in 2012 as well.

Well, I guess that's all the hard news we could indulge in for a day. Next time something like this comes on the internet, you know we'll be there to prematurely make comments about the sticky situation we'd be immersed in.

But really, they should've seen this coming.

Clearing The Backblogging...

.:Laughing It Out:.

Let the good times roll!

Last Saturday was a night for the ages as Comedy Cartel and Take-Out Comedy came together to bring an amazing show that I was thankfully witness to. With sixteen comics in one night, it was more comics than you could ever hope for, and each and every one of them delivered that night.

Meeting some of the comics from Hong Kong for the first time has been very entertaining, and performing for them after their sets, doing psychokinesis for them, has left quite an impression on them, and two more forks from Votre Bar aren’t ever coming back, after everything’s been said and done. Heh.

Doing shows for a cause has always been something I’ve been a big fan of, so I’m still hoping to have one of my own before the year ends, particularly with Mr. Jay Mata, as we try to deliver yet another Kel and Jay night for the ages, albeit most likely in a smaller venue, like, say, Votre Bar as well.

Belated happy birthday to Caca and much thanks for making this awesome event possible. I’d love to say more, but it was just an exhilarating event that you had to be there to fully appreciate. It certainly didn’t hurt that I made the acquaintance of one Chrisha that night, as well...

Pictures borrowed from Anna.

.:Ehra, Ehra, Ehra, Hey, Hey, Hey...:.

Talk about perfect timing.

One of the few times I decide to go to 99.5 RT, and I discover that the Madrigal sisters were promoting their latest FHM issue.

I’m at a loss for words, really. This was an awesome episode.

.:Twitter, Wat?:.

Really? You think I’d be the kind of person who’d care about what Tim Yap has to say?

Guhh...

Randomicity On A Thursday...

.:Laughing It Out:.

Let the good times roll!

Last Saturday was a night for the ages as Comedy Cartel and Take-Out Comedy came together to bring an amazing show that I was thankfully witness to. With sixteen comics in one night, it was more comics than you could ever hope for, and each and every one of them delivered that night.

Meeting some of the comics from Hong Kong for the first time has been very entertaining, and performing for them after their sets, doing psychokinesis for them, has left quite an impression on them, and two more forks from Votre Bar aren’t ever coming back, after everything’s been said and done. Heh.

Doing shows for a cause has always been something I’ve been a big fan of, so I’m still hoping to have one of my own before the year ends, particularly with Mr. Jay Mata, as we try to deliver yet another Kel and Jay night for the ages, albeit most likely in a smaller venue, like, say, Votre Bar as well.

Belated happy birthday to Caca and much thanks for making this awesome event possible. I’d love to say more, but it was just an exhilarating event that you had to be there to fully appreciate. It certainly didn’t hurt that I made the acquaintance of one Chrisha that night, as well...

Pictures borrowed from Anna.

.:Ehra, Ehra, Ehra, Hey, Hey, Hey...:.

Talk about perfect timing.

One of the few times I decide to go to 99.5 RT, and I discover that the Madrigal sisters were promoting their latest FHM issue.

I’m at a loss for words, really. This was an awesome episode.

.:Twitter, Wat?:.

Really? You think I’d be the kind of person who’d care about what Tim Yap has to say?

Guhh...

Project 365 Smorgasbord (267-269): Twitter Follow Friday Part 3

.:267/365: David Copperfield On Twitter:.

David Copperfield is quite popular on Twitter, especially since he recently celebrated his birthday. Of course, with very few Tweets to his name, he’s rather low-key compared to the other magicians who are also doing Twitter, but hey, no big deal, right?

The man is still the best at what he does, and at some point, he’s bound to say something memorable on Twitter, and I wanna be there for when he does.

.:268/365: Cyril Takayama On Twitter:.

Cyril Takayama is also on Twitter, and considering how he’s going around Asia a lot lately, I can’t wait for him to announce that he’s going to be back in the Philippines sometime soon.

Also, my best friend, Abby, might have the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Takayama for her job soon, and I asked her to mention to the man that I featured him on my humble blog, if ever. Should be interesting. Heh.

.:269/365: Lee Asher On Twitter:.

One of the most revered minds in magic, Lee Asher is another magician you really should be following, especially since he’s one of the people behind Theory 11, which means it’s a good idea to watch out for his stuff, to say the least.

Yes, I’m really just stretching this month until I get to October. It’s my birthday month, so sue me, I wanna take it easy.

Project 365 Smorgasbord (260-262): Twitter Follow Friday Part 2

.:260/365: Penn Jilette On Twitter:.

Penn’s Twitter is a goldmine of ideas and comedy, as he tends to talk about a wide variety of things here above and beyond magic. From his atheism to his magic to his awesomely-named daughter, Moxie Crimefighter, Penn’s Tweets tend to be quite a highlight among all the Twitter accounts I follow.

If you want to listen to the loudmouthed half of Penn and Teller, make sure to follow him on Twitter. Boy, has he got a mouthful.

.:261/365: Raymond Teller On Twitter:.

Since it’s such a rarity to hear Teller speak, it’s pretty amusing to actually see how much of a chatterbox he can be on Twitter. Check out Teller’s Twitter here. He covers a wide range of topics.

You know what I’ve always been hoping to see? Penn and Teller actually arguing about a topic because they’re not on the same page about it. Teller always seems so complicit, but I think that he and Penn would be very much at odds on a lot of things.

.:262/365: Andrew Mayne On Twitter:.

Andrew Mayne, the man behind the likes of Gutbuster and Inversion, can also be followed on Twitter. While I will probably want to talk about his blog more soon, for now, I think it’s a good idea for you to get some cool ideas from his Tweets, as he has contributed more than his fair share of amazing effects for the magic industry to use.

I’m a big fan of his approach to magic. Even if he is also a working performer, his point of view appears to be that of an outsider (Who’s in the know, but still an outsider, nonetheless.) looking in. I sort of have the same approach, so I can definitely relate to his style, to say the least.

Project 365 Smorgasbord (253-255): Follow Friday

Entering this long weekend, I decided that these smorgasbords for the month, to make them easier, would be about magicians you should be following on Twitter. Well, it’s still “recommended” reading, and I think the one-line quips you get from these people can be both amusing and useful, to say the least.

.:253/365: Andy Nyman On Twitter:.

Andy Nyman, the partner in crime for celebrated mentalist Derren Brown, is also an accomplished actor, and a veritable movie buff. You will notice in his tweets that he hardly (if at all) talks about magic or mentalism, but his insights into the entertainment industry definitely are worth a read. Given the brevity of Twitter, it’s actually a wonder how much he can pack into 140 characters, to say the least.

I’ve always liked Nyman’s style, and the contrast that he demonstrates when paired with Derren Brown. Despite the unmistakably British characteristics of Nyman’s performing style, there’s no mistaking his different approach to performances, and how his ideas can definitely shape Derren Brown’s subsequent performances in a way only Derren could possibly interpret.

.:254/365: Jay Sankey On Twitter:.

Jay Sankey may not be my favourite magician, but the man is a very generous soul, and his Tweets are filled with oodles of useful stuff for magicians, especially since he likes showing teasers of his new material, of which he never seems to have a dearth of.

As one of the most prolific minds in the magic industry, it’s hard to not pay attention to Jay Sankey, because when the man comes up with a gem, boy is it a gem worth keeping and using for the rest of your magic career. Lucky followers of the man even got free previews of his latest material, and even found out the method to the new effect before it was publicly released.

Sankey is definitely one of the foremost contributors to the world of magic in the past decade. That much can’t be denied.

.:255/365: Daniel Garcia On Twitter:.

A man with a very offbeat sense of humor and more self-aware than practically anyone else you could ever think of in the industry, Daniel Garcia’s Twitter is a lot like Sankey’s, in terms of covering a lot of ground when it comes to magic.

Ultimately, you can’t go wrong following DG’s Tweets, if you’re a magician. The guy just can’t miss with his material. He has consistently had reliable effects, and the fact that he has given every street magician hope in being able to perform a card through window effect without any secret assistants involved is nothing but sweet, sweet gravy.