Going beyond social networking

MANILA, Philippines - Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have undoubtedly brought the whole world closer together and literally interconnected people from great distances. Such popularity, however, could be put to better use by making sure these sites also serve as a venue for people to help one another in times of dire need.

A newly-launched, all-Filipino social networking site, www.ishareinternational.com was in fact born as a result of typhoon Ondoy in 2009.

Two of the founding board members of iShare — Arthur Corpuz (president and CEO) and Manuel Eviota (vice president of sales) — themselves victims of Ondoy saw the need to develop a local social networking site that can better serve the users through good and bad times. This, by adding features like business and income opportunities, sharing/donating online, banking online, transferring money or bills payments online and loading one’s mobile phones at any time of the day. Many of these features in fact were suggested by the Ateneo business school, when the program was presented to the students.

As Eviota said “we could have launched our program earlier than Jan. 28, 2011 but since these features were suggested to us, we had to ask our web developer to incorporate them. And we found out that they were indeed useful.”

By inviting friends from Facebook and other sites to join iShare, “you can actually show them that there are other basic and important uses for the Internet outside of connectivity and socialization,” Corpuz said.

In less than two months from the launch, iShare was able to get 5,000 members (which just proves that the Philippines is not just a texting capital but a social networking capital as well).

Members can either log in or be invited by other members, in the process enlarging the “business community” of members. Points are earned when the members of the business community transact business online such as eloading (through one’s ewallet with Loading Central as a partner); money transfers (with Bancnet member banks), remitting money to anyone in the country (with courier LBC soon to be a member) and even online business payments.

“A point earned from such transaction will accrue to the member, his recruiter and up to the 15th level of member recruited by the member,” explained Eviota.

The points earned will be reflected in the member’s account, which is highly secured since only he knows the password, just like an ATM. Not even the server administrator can open any member’s accounts.

Even business establishments accredited by iShare as partners — hotels and restaurants — will provide discounts to (ID-cardholders) who also earn points for eating in said member-establishment. The points earned will be shared again up to the 15th generation of member recruited by the member and his recruiter, Eviota said.

In case of donations, a very personal matter for most people, these can be lodged at the iCare with the donor’s choice of charity. “The beauty of our network is that even donations of as low as 10 centavos can be accepted by our Bancnet members,” Corpuz added.

Members in critical situations (like needing surgery or burial and others but are short of cash) can make an online appeal to other members or to the server and this will be validated by a social worker to be sent by the iShare board and if true, the web administrator will vouch for the appeal to all online members.

“Unlike the unsecured email sites, where similar but suspicious appeals are often lodged, the administrator can vouch for the veracity of the appeals being made by the member because we have had a validation done by the social worker,” Eviota said.

“We can’t be just another Facebook or Twitter since they are big and global. Since we are an all-Filipino company, we thought of something that would help Filipinos share their wealth faster and with more privacy. We also have to carry features like usefulness, convenience and easy to understand but add a social impact on our network,” Eviota added.