Ako Mismo dot Org - What is it?

There’s been some buzz about this new campaign called Ako Mismo which started out as a star-studded TV ad followed by a members-only website.

Nothing wrong with it really. A lot of forums and websites require people to sign up before allowing them to enter and see what’s inside. AkoMismo is also giving away a branded dog tag for members.

This is not uncoommon. Other sites also offer free stuff when you sign up. I used to moderate a forum back in 2001 that pays members a certain amount for every post they make.

One has to admit it’s a clever online marketing gimmick. What put the campaign under scrutiny was the socio-political angle and the secrecy of the organizers behind it.

Now a bit of it in the news...

The "Ako Mismo" patriotism campaign is now being questioned for its "secrecy" and possible privacy and security concerns.

The campaign, which was introduced to the public on Sunday through television and newspaper ads, encourages people to sign up at the Ako Mismo website (
www.akomismo.org), where they can then pledge what they will do to help the country.

Jaime Garchitorena, president of EduPro Philippines, an Intranet, Internet and e-Commerce solutions company, then wrote an email questioning the need for "detailed" personal information of the campaign, and cautioned people in supplying personal data.

Garchitorena told abs-cbnNEWS.com in a phone interview Tuesday it is not clear who really are the people behind the campaign, and what the campaign really is for and how it works.

The end of the television ads and videos uploaded on the internet showed that the ads were sponsored by the PLDT-Smart Foundation, DDB Cares, and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), but no one has come forward yet to claim that it owns the campaign, he said.

Garchitorena said that it is possible that any of these entities could be behind the campaign, but he said that because the campaign appears to be "well-coordinated" and amply-funded, the logical choice would be PLDT or Smart.

On Monday, rumors swirled that the Ako Mismo campaign is a step by PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan in preparation for a possible entry into politics. He denied the rumors, and said that the campaign is an "apolitical, cause-oriented, socially-beneficial project." He also distanced himself from the campaign "to wash away any political color from it."

More here:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/features/...d-over-privacy

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