Interview with Noel Boyd – Official Blogger Singapore Tattoo Show

Meet Noel Boyd http://www.noelboyd.com Singapore’s leading blogger for anything Tattoos – his latest achievements now include becoming the official blogger for the 2nd Singapore Tattoo Show this comes on top of his blogger of the month position on nuffnang.com and a soon to be released online Tattoo TV program where Noel is the Host – blogging brings rewards if you persist – read on…

1. How long have you been blogging about tattoos & Bodyart and what made you start ?
I started blogging in late 2005 so I guess it’s been four years coming to five. I’m the sort of guy that needs to voice his opinion every now and then and having a blog allows me to do just that. Also, I wanted to share my love for tattoos with not just only bodyart lovers but with also the average Singaporean. My main aim then was for my fellow Singaporeans to view tattoos and various other forms of bodyart in a different light.

2. Where will Blogging about Tattoos & Bodyart take you in the future ?
You know Andrew, initially I had no idea where this road will take me. All I knew is that I wanted to do this. If somehow had told me back in 2005 that I would receive the many wonderful opportunities that I have been getting, I would have laughed in their faces!

So yeah, this month alone I am the featured blogger on Nuffnang, I am writing for Mediacorp’s Mother & Baby magazine and I’m hosting an internet show about body art. I don’t know what the future has in store for me but I’m sure I’ll be at a good place.

3. Do you think social media has had a positive impact on the Tattoo industry & artists ?
It sure has! With lesser restrictions than traditional media, we get to say what we want and get the word out. But of course social media needs to be used in a good and constructive manner. So far it’s been nothing but GOOD GOOD GOOD! I would highly recommend artists to use social media to promote themselves and their business. It’s the way to go and the results show for itself.

4. What was the first Tattoo you got for yourself, how many tattoos in total do you have now ?
It was in my teenage years when I got my first tattoo. I’m a scorpio so I got a tiny scorpion tattooed on my arm. It didn’t cost much and it ended up looking like crap! If you are a teenager, please listen to my advise. You’ve probably heard this a million times but I’m gonna say it. DON’T rush into getting a tattoo and please for heavens sake wait till you are 18 years old. I’m lucky because I don’t regret getting inked. But if you look around, there are way too many folks who got inked young that kinda regret getting tattooed. Now that sucks!

How many tattoos? Man, I don’t know where to start. There’s way too many to count now. Does a full sleeve count as one tattoo or is it each design on the sleeve?! Hahaha. Let’s just say I have enough but with room for more.

5. Do you regret getting any of your tattoos ?
Thankfully no. Not even with the scorpion tattoo. It was an eye opener and an experience that I will never forget. To me, that’s priceless. I’ve been blessed with choosing the right designs and I look at each tattoo differently. All my tattoos were done in different stages of my life so all of them mean something. Amen!

6. Do you have Tattoo Artists you admire & why ?
This may sound cliché but I think the cast of Miami Ink rock! Their show changed the mindset of millions of people around the world. My parents don’t have tattoos but they watched and liked the show. Miami Ink helped our cause in educating the general public about tattoos. That it ain’t just about gangsters or criminals with ink. I admire them for that and I also thank them from the bottom of my heart.

7. Can you tell me what are the changes that have happened in the tattoo industry that you have seen ?
For starters, our local artists are finally getting the recognition they deserve. The Singapore Tattoo Show does just that for them. It’s not just about having a venue with booths. The Singapore Tattoo Show is a medium for our local boys and girls to shine. Well to me, it doesn’t get any better than that…

Also, Singaporeans are more acceptive to tattoos now than say 5 years ago. There’s still a lot more work to be done but we are heading in the right direction.With that said, you can walk Orchard Road on any given day and I guarantee that you will see a good number of tattoos. Singaporeans are flaunting their ink and that’s always nice to see.

But erm…it’s also good to hear that our local artists are traveling the world either tattooing at a convention or guest starring at a foreign studio. These guys are flying our flag wherever they go. Simply put, they are representing Singapore in what they do best!

8. Where do you see the tattoo industry heading ?
It’s funny because I was just asking myself the same question the other day! I would like to think that foreigners don’t look at Singapore as another destination in Asia for cheap tattoos anymore. We are fast becoming a tattoo hub in Asia where if you want a good tattoo done, this is the place to come to. With all things Singapore, give us a few more years and some of our artists will be among the best in the world. But for that to happen, they need all the support they can get. Be it from their customers, government agencies or their families. But it can be done!

9. What are you hoping to get from the Singapore Tattoo Show ?
I plan on having fun at the show. I mean, that is what blogging is supposed to be about. I plan to meet and interview some very cool people. Readers of my blog can look forward to live updates from the venue hall, exclusive pictures and interviews with some of the best artists alive today!

Singapore Tattoo Show 2010

it’s on again the Singapore Tattoo Show -Tat2 2010 Jan 8 to 10 Bigger & Louder. For more info here are some links – http://facebook.com/tattoopride http://www.tattoo.com.sg http://twitter.com/tattoopride With guest appearances by Kim Saigh (LA ink), Tim Hendricks (Gold Rush tattoo), Michelle Myles (Daredevil tattoo and winner of TLCs Tattoo War Competition at the 6th Annual Boston Tattoo Convention), Shige (Yellow Blaze Tattoo, Japan) and returning to this show again will be Chris Garver (Miami ink) and Bob Tyrell (Night Gallery). Also attending the show will be VIP guest, Matt Booth, celebrity jewellery designer and owner of Room101 who is also the guest judge for this upcoming years tattoo show with Room101 being the major sponsor for this event and introducing Paypal who is also sposnoring the event for the very first time.- video production courtesy: http://tattooink.tv

future of corporate social media

Blogout! ’09 Blogout! ’09 aims to help make sense of the social media landscape in Singapore. It is an event to celebrate bloggers’ independent voices, emergent forms of social, web technology and to create change for their organizations, communities and society. Corporate + Open Track Open Track Date: 6 & 7 March 2009 7 March 2009 Time: 10.30am to 5.30pm Venue: 8Q, Singapore Art Museum – 8 Queen Street, Singapore Fee: $90/per person (extended to 3 March 2009). Thereafter $120. Free, registration required Gather 4 people that are a confirmed attendee, and you will get the 5th ticket FREE! Hey, the 1st 50 to register & Pay are entitled a chance to win in the lucky draw. This promotion is not applicable for payment made on-site. Please contact Belinda Ong at +65 6220 6643 or email to belinda@firestarter.com.sg Register now! For detailed program: http://tdm.sg/events/blogout Why attend? There’s something for everyone at Blogout! this year. If you are an executive or business owner who wants to see how social media can work for your organization, you definitely do not want to miss Day 1 (Corporate Track) where we feature some of the best speakers and practitioners in the social media scene. Find out more here… Key Speakers Jon Yongfook Yongfook is an award-winning web producer, a blogger (of 10 years!), a proponent of permission-based marketing and a big believer in metrics-based approaches to solving online business problems. A programmer-designer-marketer living in Tokyo. He specialises in usability, platform development and online marketing. He’s the creator of open source lifestream software Sweetcron and the recipe sharing website Open Source Food (now known as Nibbledish), which was acquired by Tsavo Media in January 2009. He helps companies improve user experience, to increase conversions and revenue, assist companies reach new markets, and building online applications to solve a business or communication problem. Melvin Yuan Melvin is Director, Digital Strategies Group (Asia) at Waggener Edstrom Worldwide. He’s a co-founder of Scoopasia.com and member of the Social Media Collective and The Digital Movement (Singapore). He is dedicated to helping PR practitioners understand the new world that we live in and to bridge the gap between the wired-world business objectives of today and the traditional PR methods that we’ve been used to. Joel Postman Joel Postman is senior partner and chief enterprise social business strategist for Intridea, a Washington, D.C. based developer of Web 2.0 applications including the popular microblogging platform Present.ly. His background includes a decade of Fortune 500 corporate communications leadership, four years as the speechwriter to the CEO of Sun Microsystems, and experience in print and broadcast news. He is the author of SocialCorp: Social Media Goes Corporate, published December 2008. Joel lives with his family in the Santa Cruz Mountains. To the extent that he could be said to have grown up. He did so in the Silicon Valley, and first lived there before the discovery of silicon. He is also an experienced Zamboni driver. Register today! For detailed program: http://tdm.sg/events/blogout ———————————————————————— Proudly brought to you by: Supported by: Venue Partner: Official Blog Community: Prize Sponsors:

Blogger’s Treat Singapore Eats – itsReal

Out with Princessa Sabrina around Singapore with Local Bloggers – Episodes 1 – 2 -3 – what happened to episode 4

Episode 4 ???

Bon Apetite !

Blogger’s Treat – Singapore’s 1st VidCast Restaurant Review Channel – itsReal

Here is the 1st episode from Blogger’s Treat – great episodes await to be aired in coming weeks.. Congrats to the Blogger’s Treat Team and their fabulous Host – Princessa Sabrina.

Xiaxue has a point! – itsReal

Social Media continues to be on a upward trend with people making their opinions and demands known. The recent XiaXue expose of the iPhone is an example of how a bloggers’ opinion gets noticed. No doubt, Xiaxue is a loud Singapore personality, but by making her opinions known in a recent videocast, she has gotten people across the globe talking.

The community at Gizmodo noted her video and Apple-elitist have jumped all over her video which mocked the iPhone. They spoke of how “Blond” she was, and attacked her bimbo-type personality. However, the point that we are generally missing is that Xiaxue has a point. The iPhone is difficult for long nailed girl to use. And the China fake-iPhone is quite comparable in terms of functionality.

The Media Slut has done a little analysis on this issue. TMS main point here is whether companies should notice the blogosphere. Our opinion is yes! Statistically its still growing, meaning that the community is getting larger. But with loose cannons like Xiaxue or other bloggers, how should corporation engage the social media?

The first thing companies should do is LISTEN. The social community is giving you valuable feedback.

Messge from CEO of Recruit.net Maneck Mohan to Singapore Bloggers – itsReal

Messge from CEO of Recruit.net Maneck Mohan to Singapore Bloggers

At Midnight tonight our Recruit.net Creative Feedback Challenge closes….