This week we start making changes to PinoyDirectory.com. Our goal is to make your Web browsing worth your while. We know we have to add other features if we want to double or triple our traffic.
In the past, two features generated traffic for this site. First was the Web pages for about 70 Filipino businesses. Second was the Calendar of Events. We will review these features and improve them to help the community better. We will need to clean up by removing sites that are no longer in business and update addresses and phone numbers.
In the last six months, there has been an increase in inquiries on advertising in the directory. Of course, it is the recession. While MySpace.com may be helping some individuals, there is still a need for synergy that comes from being in a community.
So where do we begin? First, every day we will post articles worth reading. The Internet is now full of trash. Even respectable public sites like ABCNews and CBSNews sometimes post pictures and articles best suited for paid porn sites. All in the guise of news. So everyday we will review ABCNews, CBSNews, Yahoo!, and CNN. If we find articles worth reviewing, we will link them for you to see.
In short, we will contribute to making the Internet safe for the whole family. Although, of course, I understand anyone asking when was it ever safe in the Internet?
Second, every week we will post new Speak Tagalog lessons and Tagalog Vocabulary Builder. Every week we will also add Test Your Tagalog articles. This should be fun as there will be multiple levels of achievement. Every week we will present 20 Tagalog words, starting with the most commonly used words in conversations and literature. We will begin this feature in the next few days.
We will also be researching topics which we think will help those wanting to start a new business, or help those who already have one. Such topics could be about landscaping, gardening, house cleaning, small farms, aquaculture, hydrophonics, or generating home-made fuel with Jatropha.
And finally, we will be writing editorials that combine knowledge and wisdom we have gathered from our community through the years.
Our mission statement? It has not changed since 1999. We're simply "Bringing People Together."
Ray Colorado
Editor