• I dressed up as Princess Leia, super ugly costume made me look uber fat.
• Went for dinner with Nuffnang and fellow bloggers. Awesome free food!
• Celebrated Kevin’s 27th Birthday.
• Got a free banana pie for being mcdonalds drive thru VIP. little joys in life.
• Bought a book at Borders for RM8.50, bargains, how I love it!
• Got my Lipton Milk Tea aka Teh Tarik
• Owh, appeared on NST for the second time in a month, in the TECH&U section 😀

Trend fast catching on (link)
Rozana Sani

BUSINESS blogging is catching on in Malaysia, as observed by online fashion e-zine Emmagem.com.

And the opportunities are endless, says the e-zine founder and editor Tan Yet Mee. This is because Malaysians, especially Gen Yers (the Net generation), are now used to purchasing online.

“I think a blog to help a business is very important these days. Blogging allows for direct and current information about the products, plus consumers can communicate directly with comments and get an immediate reply.

“The setback is that a blog needs constant updating to be successful and responsive, or it will share the same fate as helplines, which do not give adequate information. And the backlash can be immense if a mistake is made,” she explains.

The other premise of a business blog, Tan says, is that it is a platform for the sharing of personal opinions and experience.

“It is an excellent communication and public relations tool, especially for small business owners. The younger, tech-savvy consumers like to relate with those like themselves, who are on the Internet a lot. I mean, how often does one get to speak to the owners or company representatives themselves and get their assurance?”

The blog system, Tan points out, is more systematic. And when optimised on search engines, it allows information on the products to be more easily accessible online.

A blog is also easy to set up, use and has a much lower maintenance cost compared to a regular Web site. Plus, blogs do not need much advertising.

“Treated correctly, a business blog with useful and credible information will have a strong following similar to recommendations through word of mouth or viral marketing,” Tan says.

Her words are backed by evidence found on Emmagem.com’s Malaysia Online Fashion Shopping Directory (MOFSD) and Classifieds page.

Emmagem.com’s assistant editor-cum-writer Karen Marie Christie says MOFSD has about 1,100 online shops listed to date. Most of them are individual independent entrepreneurs who set up shop on blog platforms such as Blogspot and WordPress to sell their items.

“They get their clothing or accessories from suppliers and post them up on the blogs for all to see. Potential buyers who browse their shop can e-mail them to purchase the items. Once both parties have agreed on the price and shipping cost, the buyer will deposit money into the bank account by e-banking or by visiting the bank. And once the seller has checked that the cash is in, he will ship the items,” she explains.

As compared to an e-commerce-based shop, a blogshop involves more steps between the buyer and the seller, but it has a more personal touch, she adds.

Meanwhile, Tan says since MOFSD started in 2007, Emmagem.com has witnessed a significant growth in fashion blogshops.

“We get daily e-mails from newbies who want to start a business and ask to be

listed. A lot of conventional-selling e-commerce platform online shops get themselves listed on MOFSD to promote their sites, too,” she says. – By Rozana Sani

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Dos and don’ts
Dos:
– Be honest in the item description. This is, after all, an online business. People can’t see the items in real life.
– Take good photos of the items and probably in every angle.
– Communicate well. Always make sure that there is a written e-mail agreement on the transaction to prevent any miscommunication.
– State shop policies on the site for people to see as well as contact e-mail or telephone number.
– Ship on time. People want their
items promptly.
– Attend to complaints immediately.
– Market yourselves well. Introduce your shops to online magazines or fashion-related blogs.
– Get a feedback page (for example,
http://emmagem.com/feedback/) to monitor customer feedback on your customer service.
– Always take a feedback and improve
on it.
– Think long term for the business and make appropriate decisions.
– Advertise.

Don’ts:
– Sell items that are torn or spoilt (and can’t be seen through photo).
– Keep customers waiting. Always reply their e-mails as soon as possible.
– Trick customers with misleading information.
– Shirk when there is a complaint;
handle it.

• Went for a product launch at KL Hilton 10K a night penthouse. Was awesome, the closet is AWESOME.
• Met Kevin Zahary at the same event, he gave us tips
• Saw pole dancing upclose and wouldn’t mind doing that to make me fitter, lols
• Went super late to another event at Zouk. Left after 5 minutes of hi’s and bye’s
• Work has been soso, events make it awesome
• Met Lav, Jess and Tk for margaritas, bottomless tostada chips  and a movie just now. was fun.