Jakarta, 6th February 2012 – Indonesian communications consultancy Maverick has edged out two international and a regional PR firm in a pitch for the prestigious Acer Indonesia account for 2012.

Maverick will work with Acer Indonesia’s Marketing Communications team to formulate the company’s communications strategy aimed at strengthening and consolidating Acer’s position as the number one personal computer brand in Indonesia. Throughout 2012, Maverick will support Acer Indonesia in formulating and implementing a comprehensive action plan involving all aspects of marketing communications, including CSR implementation, media relations, CRM and community engagement.

“We are confident that this partnership between Acer and Maverick is what is best for our communications needs,” says Helmy Anam, Head of Marketing Communications Acer Indonesia. “Their original ideas, professionalism, strong team dynamics and experience in the communications industry are exactly what we need for Acer to realize our motto of “Breaking the barriers between people and technology”.

“Acer Indonesia is a particularly prestigious account in Indonesia because they are virtually the only IT company that uses communications strategically to achieve their business objectives,” said Maverick’s Head of Consultancy, Crivenica Alam. “We are excited to be working with them in the year ahead.”

Maverick is an Indonesian communications consultancy founded in 2002 that has been trusted to handle communications programs for clients such as Airbus, Airbus Military, Anugerah Adiwarta, AXIS, Sampoerna A, Coca-Cola Indonesia and Nestlé.

Tidak mungkin. Adalah frase yang pertama yang terlintas dibenak saya ketika pertama kali mendengar Kompas akan meluncurkan stasiun televisi swasta nasional. Meski telah mengetahui keberadaan KompasTV sejak 2009 lalu, namun tidak mungkin Kompas melakukan hal tersebut karena sesuai aturan, tidak ada lagi stasiun TV yang dapat bersiaran nasional kecuali lembaga penyiaran publik: TVRI. Lain ceritanya bila yang didirikan adalah stasiun TV berlangganan, swasta lokal atau komunitas. Terlebih lagi, KompasGramedia pernah mengelola TV7 (2001-2006), yang akhirnya diakuisisi oleh Para Group (Agustus 2006) untuk kemudian berubah menjadi Trans7 (Perlu diingat bahwa KG adalah perusahaan media tersebesar di dunia dalam hal jumlah penerbitan berbahasa Indonesia).

Menelusuri apa yang terjadi dengan TV7, rasa penasaran membawa saya menghadiri prosesi peluncuran KompasTV pada Jumat (9/9) malam lalu. Rupanya benar KompasTV diluncurkan, dan benar pula perkiraan saya bukan sebagai stasiun TV swasta nasional. KompasTV saat ini masih merupakan penyedia konten, mirip dengan PH (production house).

Pada peluncurannya, televisi yang memiliki tagline “Inspirasi Indonesia” ini mempersembahkan sederet sajian musik dan tari khas Indonesia. Tema peluncuran yang diangkat malam itu adalah “Simfoni Semesta Raya”, dengan menghadirkan budaya pop yang saat ini sering kita dengar, serta menyajikan deretan lagu daerah yang dikemas apik dalam balutan orkestra dari Erwin Gutawa, pianis Andi Rianto, dan Komposer oleh Addie MS. Perpaduan nasional dan lokal sangat tepat karena Kompas TV akan banyak bersiaran secara lokal. Penguatan konten TV lokal dan kesadaran untuk melestarikan budaya lokal sesungguhnya sesuai dengan semangat keragaman konten sebagaimana digariskan oleh UU no 32 th 2002 tentang Penyiaran.

Meskipun bukan lembaga penyiaran, namun ia telah memiliki kepekaan terhadap budaya lokal dibandingkan TV nasional yang telah lama berdiri. Kompas TV bersiaran melalui sembilan TV swasta lokal, yaitu ktv (28 UHF) untuk wilayah Jabodetabek, stv (34 UHF) Bandung, btv (47 UHF) Semarang, atv (32 UHF) Batu-Malang Raya, bctv (40 UHF) Surabaya, mostv (52 UHF) Palembang, khatulistiwatv (39 UHF) Pontianak, makassartv (23 UHF) Makassar, dan dewatatv (23 UHF) Bali.

Selain lagu dan tari daerah, juga ada tampilan baju dan kain khas Indonesia. Ada juga permainan anak-anak daerah yang menjadi ciri khas asli Indonesia.

Satu pernyataan menarik dari pemimpin redaksi KompasTV Taufik Mihardja malam itu “Kompas TV sendiri menyajikan program-program yang berbeda dengan televisi lain, tidak ada sinetron, gosip, yang bisa merusak moral anak bangsa. KompasTV akan menyajikan tayangan yang bermutu dan lebih mendidik lebih mengutamakan sisi pendidikan.”

Pandangan ini mengingatkan saya pada TPI, yang awalnya berdiri dengan idealisme untuk mendidik. Namun idealisme tersebut kalah di tengah jalan dan TPI kemudian memilih untuk ikut menyajikan gosip ditambah dengan sinteron serta acara goyang dangdut, dan akhirnya mengubah citra menjadi kini MNCTV (berkat sengketa kepemilikan juga). Sedikit, keraguan menyelinap masuk di benak saya. Apa iya KompasTV akan bertahan tanpa menjunjung rating, yang menyaratkan sinetron dan infotainment?

Hadir pada peluncuran membuat makin penasaran dan membuat saya untuk menyimak program siaran beberapa hari setelahnya. KompasTV memiliki komposisi yang relatif berimbang antara konten berita dan hiburan. Meskipun bertujuan hiburan, konten program hiburan lebih banyak mengandung unsur pendidikan dengan mengangkat tema-tema seperti alam, kebudayaan, petualangan dan sains.

KompasTV benar-benar melepaskan diri dari gosip atau sinetron. Salah satu favorit saya adalah “Teroka”. Sebuah program ekspedisi daratan, lautan hingga pegunungan Indonesia oleh Cahyo Alkantana, seorang fotografer senior. KompasTV mengutamakan minimal 30 persen konten lokal dan akan dikembangakan menjadi 50 persen.

Pada akhirnya, saya memandang idealisme yang dimiliki KompasTV sangat besar. Berani hadir dengan tayangan yang berbeda sekaligus menantang pemasangan iklan yang menjunjung rating. Apakah nasibnya akan seperti TV7 atau TPI? Kita tunggu.

1. Marlin Sugama (Main Studios)
2. Vincentius Hening (Agate Studio)
3. Anto Motulz (comic artist)
4. Dien Wong (Altermyth)
5. Ramadona Samita (Komodoz)
6. Kris Antoni (Toge Productions)
7. Wahyu Aditya (Hello Motion Academy)
8. Iqbal Aribaskara (Komikoo.com & Oray Studios)
9. Eko Nugroho (Kummara)
10. Oddie Frente (Fiksimini)
11. Daniel Prasatyo (Jejakubikel)

Berangkat dari hobi dan passion terhadap dunia digital creative, masing-masing pembicara telah mampu mengembangkannya menjadi sesuatu yang bermanfaat bagi orang lain. Eko Nugroho (Kummara) misalnya. Dari ketertarikannya untuk mempopulerkan kegiatan bermain bukan hanya bagi anak-anak, namun juga orang dewasa, telah memiliki beragam kegiatan yang melibatkan banyak pihak. Agenda terdekat mereka adalah menggelar arena bermain terbesar di Indonesia yang akan berlangsung di Lapangan Sabuga, Bandung, akhir tahun ini. “Dengan bermain, kita dapat belajar mengenai banyak hal, mulai dari mentaati peraturan, menghormati teman, dan lain-lain,” ujar Eko.

Lain lagi dengan Dien Wong (Altermyth). Berangkat dari hobinya terhadap games, ia kemudian bersama teman-teman mengembangkan permainan-permainan digital di berbagai medium. Salah satunya adalah telepon genggam. Salah satu pencapaiannya adalah ia berhasil memperoleh pemasukan sebesar Rp500 juta per bulan sepanjang tahun 2009.

Untuk informasi detil mengenai Pecha Kucha Jakarta vol. 9: ID Kreatif, silakan klik link ini: http://bit.ly/ru80UU.

Akademi Berbagi atau Akber, yang kini menjelajah berbagai kota, adalah gerakan sosial yang bertujuan untuk berbagi pengetahuan dengan harapan mampu meningkatkan kompetensi para pesertanya. Formatnya berupa kelas pendek berkapasitas 50 peserta dengan pengajar dari para praktisi di bidangnya. Menariknya lagi, aktivitas komunikasi mereka ditunjang oleh social media, baik melalui akun Twitter @akademiberbagi , website, blog serta buzzing dari para relawan. Inilah alasan mengapa kesempatan mengikuti #AkberAkbar sayang untuk dilewatkan.

Sebagai pembuka, peserta disuguhi gambaran tentang kekuatan gerakan sosial, baik di ranah online maupun offline melalui pemutaran film linimas(s)a. Selanjutnya, Ainun Chomsun selaku “Kepala Sekolah” Akber menceritakan sekilas profil dan kegiatan yang telah mereka lakukan. Internet dan social media sekali lagi terbukti efektif “membesarkan” komunitas-komunitas penebar manfaat semacam ini.

Sesi pertama #AkberAkbar memaparkan hasil riset “Citizens in @ction” yang dibawakan oleh Dr. Yanuar Nugroho, peneliti dari Manchester University. Penelitian ini didasari peran masyarakat sipil yang semakin penting dan keterlibatan penggunaan teknologi. Inilah beberapa kesimpulan penting yang disampaikan peneliti: Lansekap social media di Indonesia sangatlah dinamis. Alasan utama menggunakan social media adalah pencarian informasi, menegaskan eksistensi, serta meningkatkan kerja dan performa. Penelitian ini juga mengungkap, bahwa tidak semua kelompok dan organisasi masyarakat sipil memanfaatkan social media sebagai bagian dari strategi kegiatan dan komunikasinya.

Kesaksian Harry Van Yogya menjadi daya tarik lanjutan. Seorang penarik becak yang sukses memanfaatkan social networking tidak hanya untuk bisnis tapi juga untuk penguatan personal branding-nya. Pengalaman ini dituangkannya dalam sebuah buku berjudul “The Becak Way.”

Berikutnya, kami masuk ke sesi interaktif bersama Dr. Yanuar Nugroho dengan didampingi moderator yang juga pakar IT Indonesia Onno W. Purbo. Beragam hal menarik muncul menjadi perbincangan, salah satunya adalah mewaspadai click activism. Perubahan tak cukup dengan mengklik atau me”like” akun gerakan sosial tertentu, tetap harus ada agen-agen yang berperan langsung di lapangan untuk mewujudkan perubahan.

Kultur social media yang serba cepat, serba ringkas tanpa sadar mengikis “kedalaman” berpikir seseorang. Adakah cara agar social media tidak menjadi backfire bagi penggunanya? Mudah saja, ciptakan jeda dan ruang untuk refleksi, banyak membaca dan mengkaji sebelum menyimpulkan sesuatu. Bersiap saja, 2014 nanti, ranah social media diramaikan partai dan politisi. Pahami lebih jauh realitas dan visinya, lebih dari sekedar menyimak buzz promosi.

Benarkah social media hanya hype semata karena efek modernitas? Jawabannya ada pada diri kita masing-masing: sudahkah memanfaatkannya untuk penguatan komunitas secara berkelanjutan? Untuk mendukung gerakan-gerakan sosial penebar manfaat? untuk menciptakan perubahan?

Being a member in a good quality fitness center in Jakarta can be very costly.  So it’s a good thing that Maverick has the Personal Development Fund (PDF) scheme that subsidizes my monthly gym fee. PDF is a program in Maverick where associates can use a certain amount of fund for non-work-related activities that are able develop themselves to be better people.  My colleagues have used the fund to travel, take up fun courses, while I use it for a one-year membership at a well-known fitness center in Jakarta. Why? First and foremost, exercising significantly improves health. Aside from that, exercising regularly will make you look better. You will find your body getting toned, your clothes fit better and all those things will of course boost your self-confident. So I don’t see why I should not use my PDF for exercising.

Now, after two months being an avid gym member, I found some interesting things about fitness centers. First, it’s obviously becoming a part of urban society’s daily routine. People, especially workers, actually allocate their time to hit the gym amidst their busy schedule.   Not only on weekdays, more and more people nowadays are allocating their time on weekend to hit the gym, aside from relaxing or doing leisure activities. In terms of facility, fitness centers are becoming more convenient and accessible. Almost all fitness centers are now located in shopping malls and/or near office building. I think this is their way to integrate their existence with the city dwellers’ daily activities.

Some gym members are very committed to their routine. Some even skip lunch to go to the gym. These people usually have a target to achieve like losing weight or shaping their body. This trend is mostly apparent in guys. I often see some guys being accompanied by a personal trainer during their workout session. Moreover, they often take protein drinks after workout to build their muscle mass and pay extra attention to their diet. Talk about commitment!

Fitness centers have also become hip places for people to meet. People use the place to network with fellow workers, reconnect with old friends and also meet new friends. Because of the same interest and routine, some members tag along with others and become gym partners. My gym provides exercises classes for group workouts like yoga, body combat, hip hop, etc. Members who regularly join the classes also form groups and continue their interaction outside the gym.

Although I’m not an expert, I have several tips for you who are considering joining a gym or starting your exercise routine.

• Understand your own fitness level

Everyone has different physical condition. Some may excel in balance and lack in cardio strength or other fitness areas. That will obviously affect a person’s exercise routine. So make sure you consult with the trainers in the fitness center to know your current physical condition. After that, discuss on what kind of exercise that suit your goal, improve your weakness and maintain your strength.

• Start small

If you just start exercising, don’t push yourself too hard. Start with simple exercises. The goal is to make yourself adapted to the exercise rhythm and then you can increase your level as you continue exercising.

• Make it as a habit

Working out for hours only on weekend is not a good strategy. It’s more effective to exercise in a short time but more frequent. The key is to making it a part of your daily activity. Once you’ve got used to the routine, you will make a good habit out of it.

• Balance your diet

Working out regularly will be useless if you still do binge eating all the time. Try to balance your diet by cutting down carbohydrate, fat and sugar while increase you protein, fiber and vitamins consumption. Remember, “A moment in your lips, forever on your hips”.

So far, my exercise experience has been great. I sure feel healthier now and of course look better. I even had to resize some of my pants because they’re just too big now. So, if you’re reading this post and your thoughts go straight to your big belly, then it’s about time you start exercising.

Melihat kenyataan tersebut, ditambah dengan opini mayoritas bahwa social media memiliki kekuatan luar biasa ­­­– perannya dalam kasus Prita Mulyasari, penggalangan dukungan untuk Bibit-Chandra,  hingga kasus Alanda Kariza, dan terakhir dipercaya sebagai katalisator dalam revolusi mesir – muncul pertanyaan, mungkinkah social media bubar?

The Law of Diminishing Return mengatakan, bahwa kebutuhan yang secara terus menerus dipenuhi akan mengalami penurunan tingkat kepuasan. Berhubung Facebook, Twitter dan mayoritas social media lainnya bersifat gratis; ini berarti kebutuhan tersebut akan selalu terpenuhi. Untuk itu, tidak lama lagi mereka akan….

Baik-baik saja…dan bertambah baik. Kenapa demikian?

1. Manusia lahir untuk interaktif. Siapa yang tidak? (setidaknya dengan orang-orang terdekat).  Social media menyediakan medium bagi setiap penggunanya untuk saling berinterkasi kapanpun dan dimanapun. Sejak dulu, telepon dan SMS sudah menyediakan hal ini, tapi Facebook, Twitter, dan mayoritas social media lainnya  hadir secara gratis bagi siapapun tanpa harus khawatir tagihan yang membeludak.
2. Semua bisa bersuara.  Social media telah membuat perubahan besar. Dahulu, setiap orang harus bersaing ketat membuat karya yang disukai media massa agar dapat dimuat. Sekarang, siapapun dapat mengungkapkan apapun, kapanpun, dan dilihat oleh siapapun termasuk oleh para jurnalis. Siapa yang pernah menyangka tulisan Alanda Kariza dalam blognya membuat kasus persidangan Ibundanya diliput berbagai media konvensional. Inilah yang menjadikan social media menjadi semakin dibutukan dan digunakan oleh banyak pihak.
3. Didukung oleh 645.000.0000 tim kreatif dan akan terus bertambah (Joel Comm, Twitter Power 2.0). Siapa mereka? Mereka adalah akumulasi pengguna Facebook dan Twitter. Jumlah itu belum ditambah dengan pengguna MySpace yang tidak jauh berbeda dari Facebook, serta social media lainnya. Hukum ekonomi di atas berlaku jika kebutuhan dipenuhi secara terus menerus dengan komoditas yang sama. Dengan setiap penggunanya yang berperan sebagai tim kreatif, social media tidak akan pernah menjadi komoditas yang sama setiap harinya, bahkan setiap detiknya.
4. Tren dan budaya diciptakan oleh para pengguna social media. Narsisistik, Korean Wave, hingga Justin Bieber adalah beberapa contohnya. Tren dan budaya ini tidak berlaku di dalamnya saja, namun menjadi keseharian para pengguna yang kemudian mempengaruhi mereka yang bahkan tidak menggunakannya. Singkat kata, bagi sebagian besar orang, mengetahui dan mengikut tren adalah hal yang penting. Jika tren ada di social media, maka disitulah mereka berada.
5. Kebebasan adalah kebutuhan primer. Revolusi di Mesir memuncak salah satunya karena pemblokiran internet. Rumah Sakit Omni mencapai krisisnya karena menuntut Prita yang bercerita tentang keluhannya. Masyarakat sangat nyaman dengan kebebasan informasi yang disediakan oleh social media. Masyarakat akan mempertahankan kebebasannya, masyarakat akan mempertahankan social media.

Jadi; pada saat seseorang, organisasi atau perusahaan bertanya “apa pentingnya menggunakan social media?” lima hal di atas dapat menjadi jawaban sekaligus bahan renungan untuk menentukan kembali apa yang akan dilakukan di era 2.0 sekarang ini. Bagaimana menurut Anda?

To ensure we’re on the same page, social games are used to describe web-based games that you play on social networks. For instance, FarmVille 0r Hotel City on Facebook.

Social games are mostly played for the sake of ‘socializing’ with others. The games are usually easy to play. You don’t need to have the skills. All you’ve got to spare is just a little time. It’s relying more on the fun and sharing part rather than in competing with others.

Facebook is the most popular destination for online games, with 83% of respondents saying they have played games there. Twenty-eight percent have purchased in-game currency with real-world money (note: and I know someone in the office who did this! ). The average gamer has played six social games, and more than 50% of gamers started playing a game because a friend recommended it or because they saw a friend playing it in a news feed or other social stream.*

*)source: Mashable

So, what’s the future of social gaming?

Seeing how mobile phones are penetrating Indonesian market, it’s also important for game developers to make their games accessible via mobile phones or, to a lesser extent, iPads.

Monetizing the game and get people to actually purchase in-game-currency (like Playfish credit) for instance, is another thing to look at. In Indonesia, where many people are not that familar with using credit cards to buy in-game-currency, you might want to consider other channels. Working with telco companies and using phone credits to buy in-game-currency can be an option.

So what about brands trying to use social games for promotional/educational purposes? Well, there’s a quick option to sponsor an existing social game, though you have only limited influence there—because you can only follow the path that has been set up previously. Another option is to build a social game from scratch—which could be an ideal way of doing it since you know that you’ll be able to design it to match your brand/products/services and promotional/marketing objectives. But of course, this could be quite expensive.

There’s a huge opportunity for Indonesian social game developers to design a game that can attract multiple sponsors (especially in a big industry: fashion/make-up/lifestyle, culinary) and can be used for promotional purposes. For instance, something like Japan’s Poupee dressing-up game.

What about having a social game where fashion brands can buy their own ‘store’ and upload mini pictures of their collections? Players can visit the stores, choose from the range of collections available and dress their avatar in branded clothes? What about fashion brands or clothing lines sponsoring a virtual fashion show? Virtual model search? What if the real person who plays this game can actually go to Zara and buy the real Zara blazer, entering the code number or receipt ID, and can get “limited edition items” in the social game realm?

What if a player loves to dress their avatar in Levi’s jeans and becomes well-known as the ‘game expert’ in jeans apparel? Will Levi’s provide discounts for this player? What’s the possibility of aspiring designers to upload mini pictures of their work and ‘rent’ a store inside the game itself? What will happen if you link the game to Facebook, to Twitter? Can you do a make-over for a friend’s avatar—where a clothing line will sponsor a make-over competition and the winner will get a voucher to dress-up a friend in real life? What if the sponsor can upload the actual make-over process to YouTube?

Brands can also consider having a simplified ‘social game’ via location-based services/apps; something like ticket-hunt, for instance. Or ‘mayorship’ competition to reward your most frequent customer with a certain grand prize.

Social gaming is still evolving, and there are still lots of possibilities that you can explore. To date, several big brands have invested in social games, from Disney, Google, to MTV Network. So it’s an area you might want to look at more closely to keep you in the game.

For those of you who followed our Twitter account @mavtweets, you might have seen our live-tweet report from Social Media World Forum (SMWF) Asia 2010 in Singapore last week. It’s a bit overwhelming, though, to tweet while listening to lots of great speakers on stage and trying to get some wonderful insights (or challenging some of their thoughts) at the same time. But it was fun–apart from having sore thumbs in the evening

Below is an example of the type of conversations going on in Twitter about the SMWF

Since the forum covers wide range of social media topics, I will share some insights with you on a certain topic, one at a time, over the next few weeks. The first one (#1), is about the “GEO” trend.

LOCATION-BASED APPS, GEO-LOCATION, GEO-TAGGING

You must have guessed how ‘promising’ location-based apps would be when Yahoo! acquired Koprol on May 2010. Then people started using Foursquare and checked-in, collecting badges, and organizing “SuperSwarm” event to get a badge that will be released when there are 249+ people checking-in at the same venue. Google also has their own Google places–that provided quick and easy ways for businesses to give away discounts/vouchers to customers who are “checking-in” into their stores.

And now, ta-da! We have Facebook Places!

So, what are the factors contributing to the trending of location-based services, especially in Indonesia?

1. One of the most obvious is: mobile phones. Indonesia is world’s third fastest growing mobile consumer market. About 80% of all the handsets sold in Indonesia are web-enabled. Request for BlackBerry devices increased by 842% in the first half of 2009*.
2. Social media has also changed the way people look at ‘privacy’. We’re now finding ourselves feeling ‘okay’ to share our holiday pictures with online friends we’ve never met in real lives, for instance. So the second factor is this. That with social networking sites we’ve joined, we’re becoming more and more comfortable in sharing–including sharing where we are, in which restaurants we’re eating lunch, in which cinema we’re watching Despicable Me.
3. Third, most Indonesians are very social. You can see this by how Indonesian bloggers love to meet-up for a ‘kopdar’. It’s great to see an online friend you’ve never met checking-in at the exact same location with you. This can lead to a meet up (surely, when you’re feeling antisocial and don’t want to meet anyone, you won’t be publishing where you are). I remembered one time when I had my first meet-up with the members of @dandanpolfriday to watch Sex & The City 2. We were having lunch at Canteen Pacific Place and some members are checking-in on Foursquare. Then they saw on their mobile phone screen that @ifahmi and @somemandy were checking-in at Canteen as well! So we were calling their names, and found out that they were the ones sitting at the far corner, waving at us

—– *source: InMobi research, published in readwriteweb.com, 2009

How do businesses utilize location-based services?

From a very simple Foursquare badge like this (below) when you’re having big events/exhibitions, for instance. You can trigger visitors to hop from one sponsor’s stand to another to collect special badge and win a special prize:

To a specific location-based apps designed for your special target-audience. Grindr for iPhones and Blackberries was said to be: “… the go-to place for gay, bi, and curious guys to meet.”

What about launching a special apps for culinary lovers so they can detect food-lovers nearby? A special apps for single travelers who’d like to meet other travelers nearby? For aspiring writers and musicians?

Or this: combining Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare for a hunt of Jimmy Choo’s shoes—where shoe-lovers need to hunt down Jimmy Choo shoes around London.

What if a shopping mall adopted geo-location ideas?

And what can your visitors tell you about your place, atmosphere and products? What are the insights you can get when someone is checking-in at your place? Do you know who they are? Are most of your visitors art-lovers? Business people? What will you do with ‘mayors’ or ‘regulars’, people who frequently checking-in at your place?

Start taking a closer look on the possibility of what location-based apps and services can do for you, and how it can help you engage with and relating to your customers.

Geo-location is a relative new innovation but the possibilities are exciting. There are no answers but if you’re serious at maintaining a leading edge over your business rivals you might want to spend some time seeing how you can combine it with your marketing strategy. Or integrate it with other social networks you’ve already participated in. With GEO, the world is literally under your feet.

The business of getting rich is tricky. Finance is infamously difficult to understand, which is why a lot of people don’t bother getting in touch with it in the first place. Meanwhile, to get rich you need to know how money works and how to make your money work for you. Getting rich takes a lot of planning, a little bit of gambling (in the positive sense of the word), and a healthy dose of luck. Everybody can get there if only we want to bother. This is what Mavericks learnt from a session of Rich Game with financial planner Aidil Akbar last Monday.

Rich Game is an original board game created by Aidil to teach people about finances. It is similar to Monopoly, except that instead of buying land or going to jail, we buy gold, trade stocks and lose our job. The objective is to get rich by amassing as much assets as we possibly can, before we die or the game ends. We will go through a variety of real-life financial experiences such as receiving salary and bonus, as well as paying for our children’s dental care, insuring our house, even getting fined by the police! This way, we will have fun while learning financial know-how.

Rich Game by Aidil Akbar - turns out that getting rich takes more than just saving your money in a piggybank

Players are divided into teams of 2, role-playing as husband and wife. Before the game begins, each team randomly picks a career card which has a salary and monthly household expenses. The more salary we have, the more expenses we have to shell out because according to the economic principle, the higher the supply, the higher demand there is. So if we earn more, then naturally we’ll be spending more as well. In addition to this, there are also income tax and zakat in fixed percentage relative to our salary that we need to pay every month.

Then there are also ‘Expense’ and ‘Investment Opportunity’ boxes. A team that lands on ‘Expense’ must pay for whatever is written on the card that the banker pulls out, like car repair or gym membership. This illustrates that in life, there are sudden expenses outside of our plan that we must be prepared for. Meanwhile if a team lands on an ‘Investment Opportunity’ box, there is a financial situation complete with a particular opportunity for investment that all teams can choose whether they want to take or not. For example: interest rates are up, and gold is on sale – buy, sell, or hold? We can also open a deposit account and purchase insurance for health, household, and car. With realistic examples like these, understanding how financial instruments work suddenly doesn’t feel like a chore.

If I go this way, can I get my salary twice?

Mavericks participated in the game with a number of Jakarta bloggers. None of us wanted to lose of course, so it was highly competitive yet full of friendly banter. One by one all the good men (and women) fell down, succumbing to the temptation of worldly pleasures and not saving enough. In the end only 2 Mavericks left standing – me, who died young with my ‘husband’, but because we were smart with our money when we lived, we were the richest in our group. And Cipluk, who emerged as the overall champion with the most assets. She won a package consisting of financial education books written by Aidil Akbar himself and one set of Rich Game. Meanwhile, the rest of us also received a book on syaria finances to remind us of the importance of managing our money.

Thank you to Aidil Akbar and our blogger friends – Ollie, Titiw, Sabai @_dita @mrbambang and many others, we Mavericks are now on our way toward wealth and the good life!

Mavericks & Aidil Akbar - we'll be rolling in riches, watch this space!

Nevertheless, as Andy Warhol mentioned “15 minutes of fame”, clearly Sinta and Jojo got 5 minutes 14 seconds to gain fame. And curiosity.

Suddenly things going hilarious. A Yahoo! Answer user asking a question:

Apart from the debate by music connoisseurs, ‘Keong Racun’ song itself already went around in Indonesia for quite some time and being unheard, until now. Thanks to Sinta and Jojo, public’s attention once again directed to ‘Keong Racun’ even Charly Van Houten (yes, it’s a real name,) the vocalist of ST12 (one of Indonesia music groups) decided to rearrange ‘Keong Racun’ song by having two other ladies (not Sinta and Jojo) to sing the song as their debut.

And by writing this, I think it’s better for me to limit my hours in watching TV infotainment programs in the morning.

Sinta and Jojo actually weren’t the first in doing this lipsync-to-the-music thing. Youtube already recognized Moymoy Palaboy from Philippine. This hilarious duet gained stardom from their hilarious videos and media, of course, sniffed the phenomenon.

Looking at the effect caused by Sinta and Jojo,  it’s a wonder to see how the Internet taking a great leap in Indonesia. Things are getting faster (and weirder) now and it’s always interesting to see what Indonesia onliners will bring to us in the next future, be it positive, negative or just plain strange and random.

So what do you think? What might Indonesia onliners bring to us in the future?