|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MEGASTAR IN CYBERSPACE - Part 2
In layman's terms, Network Traffic is "a measurement (in megabytes) of how much data flows into and out of the server, This includes accesses to web pages, FTP (file transfer protocol) uploads and downloads, and e-mail traffic." "Everytime I dropped by, it said: Under construction," wrote a letter-sender. "I kept on checking, so I was excited when your hp went online!" Sharon's web site was over a years in the making. The megastar was still in Boston for her one-year break from show biz to keep house for husband Atty. Francis Pangilinan who was then taking his master's in public administration in Harvard, when she first got in touch with Webmaster Miranda in October 1997. "Formal agreement was finally made in April 1998," Miranda recalls. "During this time, I got her domain name online so that it would immediately get indexed by the different search engines (like Yahoo, Yehey, Infoseek, etc.). It was only a few months after she came back last June that I started receiving materials for her web site and it took me about two months to construct everything." Sharon, true to form, took personal interest in the hp's design layout. "She gave me a general idea of what she wanted - simple, classy but fun. She specifically wanted bright or pastel colors. This was appropriate since it suits her personality. The layout and design was based on the materials given. Since I've done several official celebrity web sites (like those of Zsa Zsa Padilla, Mikee Cojuangco, Charlene Gonzles, Gelli de Belen) already, I made sure that the design would be different from the others while keeping focused on content, information and navigability."
Webmaster Miranda sees a bright future for Shawie's hp. "The site is still at its infancy and more materials on Sharon's career history and personal life can be placed in the site," Miranda asserts. "Since this is Sharon's site, she will be able to share herself to the world the way she has always wanted to." Visitors are asking for more interactive features - like more photos that can be downloaded and saved, as well as visual and audio clips from her movies, concerts and recordings. "At present, Real Audio clips of Sharon's performances (with guests Martin Nievera, Pops Fernandez, Gary Valenciano and Ara Mina) on the TV show "Sharon" are available in the site," Miranda says. "More materials are still being gathered. So keep on visiting the site to see the latest updates." The site has more than served its original purpose, which is to allow Sharon to keep in touch with her followers in cyberspace. It not only provides the latest news (like her being the recipient of the Second Metropop Star Search Gintong Tinig Award from the GMA Foundation), but also allows her fans to send in their requests. Ms. Meg, can they make a request? Most certainly. The guestbook has yielded requests ranging from the usual to the unusual. Some fans ask for the usual autographed photos and greetings on her talk show. Fans who live in North America in turn ask her where they can buy VHS tapes of her movies and concerts.
A letter writer from the United States was even inquiring about a long-lost friend who happens to share Shawie's surname. More than a handful requested for Sharon's concert tour to visit cities as diverse as Roxas City and Tampa, Florida. A US-based newspaper editor, meanwhile, invited Shawie for an online chat. Her loyal TV viewers request not only for her to sing old songs (like "Don't Ever Make Me Cry"), but also for her to invite such stars as Jaclyn Jose, Dina Bonnevie, Thalia, Jomari Yllana and Aiko Melendez, Troy Montero, Patrick Garcia and, get this, Richard Gomez and Lucy Torres-Gomez. The most unusual request thus far is from a Star Network employee who wants Sharon to be the guest speaker in the ABS-CBN Talent Center's acting workshops for young actors - a chance for her to give an inspirational talk to show biz neophytes. Sharon's website not only makes the megastar all the more accessible to her (cyber) fans, but it also allows her to shine brighter, enlightening the minds and enriching the lives of Sharonians in the World Wide Web.
|