Yahoo! Project Connects OFWs To Their Families

INTERNET company Yahoo! has launched a new initiative that aims to connect 8 million overseas Filipino workers with their families, Southeast Asian executives told reporters yesterday.

This was a result of a Yahoo! global search study showing that about "33 percent of Filipinos believe that instant messaging applications" like Yahoo! Messenger, have helped "improve relationships between parents and children."

Recently, Yahoo! Southeast Asia also reported that Philippines became the third country in the world with the most contributions to the global Yahoo! digital time capsule project.

There are 14 to 15 million Filipino Internet users, with more than half of them using Yahoo! services at least once a month, Yahoo! Southeast Asia regional communications manager Jason Coates said in an interview.

The recent project, dubbed Pinoy Connect, is both an online and "offline" project dedicated to connect OFWs with their families, Coates said.

"This is not just a marketing program," Yahoo! Southeast Asia managing director Reza Behnam stressed. "We want to create a community. So this is our way of getting people to use this website as an introduction to the Internet."

The executives observed that the OFWs generally face little difficulty accessing the Internet. It is their families back home who are reluctant, Coates said.

Yahoo! Southeast Asia has partnered with public and private institutions, including the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Ayala Foundation's GILAS program, the Espicopal Commission for Migrants and Internet People of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines, Level Up! Philippines, Netopia and Rex Navarette to jumpstart the "offline" awareness campaign for this initiative.

Yahoo! has also produced a booklet both in English and Filipino which teaches families how to start using the Internet applcations, the executive said. A copy of this booklet is available online or through OWWA offices.

Pinoy Connect is the first of its kind which is dedicated to migrant workers, Behnam said.

The executive also said this initiative intends to act as a "springboard" for next year's initiatives in the Philippines, which include the launch of localized services.

Recently, it has quietly introduced Yahoo! Videos for Filipinos and Yahoo! Answers tailor fit for local readers.

"We're doing this to eventually spur Internet user growth. With enough users, that will eventually attract advertisers, and in turn, we can spend more on content and development of services," Behnam added.

The Pinoy Connect website is currently bare, but will gradually include content from local partners, such as the OWWA.

In its statement, Yahoo! said the website will also include news and tools to help families communicate using Internet-based applications like instant messaging. "We're happy to explore more content sources," Behnam said.

Cebu Daily News
Wednesday, 06-December-2006