First, it was reset. And then it was rescheduled. Finally, on March 4-5, we were able to make it a reality!

After several exploratory meetings and discussion on how to go about staging this Asian event on Internet marketing, it was all over—at least the actual congress itself—the Asia Internet Congress, the first time in the Philippines.

[caption id="attachment_1221" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Asia Internet Marketing Congress Philippines International Speakers with Lloyd Luna"]<a href="http://www.lloydluna.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/IMG00957-20100304-1958.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1221" title="Asia Internet Marketing Congress Philippines" src="http://www.lloydluna.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/IMG00957-20100304-1958-300x225.jpg" alt="Asia Internet Marketing Congress Philippines" width="300" height="225" /></a>[/caption]

It was Ian Del Carmen and I who first talked about the possibility of bringing in some international speakers on the matter. Then, I immediately got in touch with Rene Espinosa of Powermax if he can organize the event for us. We had to go though a lot of meetings but as many would say, it's worth it.

One one of a handful of Filipinos to get involve in Internet marketing and make it as a business and career at the same time, not for the money but for the love of learning and wisdom as well as the opportunity to teach and share what I've learned and experienced. My expertise in Internet marketing here in the Philippines and probably in some parts of Asia as well is quite remarkable in terms of return on investments. But as I mentioned in the Congress, it's not a heavy investment at all.

The thing is, I'm not more into Internet marketing consultancy that covers setting up of a website for a client, providing content management systems so that company employees can do the website updates without calling a website developer or an IT guy, and helping the company in Internet strategy.

My topic was Corporate Internet Branding. In my a little over one-hour fun-filled, entertaining speech, I talked about Internet branding. Most companies I've worked with got a little problem about the whereabouts of the Internet. It's definitely a different playground and the only way to succeed is to know it better than anybody else.

My company happened to master the Internet in terms of marketing and selling. Before I started my business, it was mainly about the Internet that would give me some cash so I can eat. After my life as an employee, it was different. And the Internet happened to be there as my partner in business.

So how did I really start?

I had to self-study web design and offer my services to my friends. And then when I already had the portfolio, I started charging. But my web design service is only intended to generate some cash to cover my daily expenses. It wasn't more of a career for me. I still love writing.

One time, I wrote a manuscript and offered it to publishing companies only to get turned down. I created a website for my book and started to share it over the Internet. And then I knew there was a demand. That's the only time I mass printed my book.

This story tells us that we can use technological tools in order to advance our goals in life or in business. And it doesn't hurt to jump into this new arena of marketing. The result can be overwhelming but there's no a specific timeline for success as well. Our job as an Internet marketer is to make sure that we're consistently within the radar of newcomers in Internet technology breakthroughs. We are always in the loop of Internet development.

The recently concluded Asia Internet Congress became a venue to educate Filipinos about the Internet and how it can be used by companies or individuals who'd like to either start something or develop something. I'm very pleased and honored to be a featured speaker in this much-anticipated event. I'm happy that we're able to stage this early this year.