We got a first glimpse of what the above subject would be in some portions of 100-item FAQs that was temporarily pulled-out for editing and/or revision after it caused confusions on some terms and conditions of the I-Café Program.  Even then, questions on privacy of those who will join the program were already aired in forums by concerned i-café owners. The first copy of the actual Marketing Agreement in [...]]]>

By: Ed Zafra

We got a first glimpse of what the above subject would be in some portions of 100-item FAQs that was temporarily pulled-out for editing and/or revision after it caused confusions on some terms and conditions of the I-Café Program.  Even then, questions on privacy of those who will join the program were already aired in forums by concerned i-café owners. The first copy of the actual Marketing Agreement in the Microsoft I-Café Program came out of circulation when the an i-café owner from far-away Bukidnon province availed of the promo under the program. The privacy question grew louder especially about Section 2g of the agreement that says:

Install and deploy the Internet Café “Software Summary Tool” on all Participating PCs.  This tool summarizes the frequency and duration of applications used by referencing .exe files.  This information is sent to a server where it is aggregated.  Absolutely no personal or company information is collected as part of this software. Participant acknowledges that the “Software Summary Tool” may not be ready for installation within the above-referenced 30 days following the Effective Date of this Agreement.  Therefore, Participant agrees to install and deploy the software on all participating PCs within 14 days of receipt.

The Marketing Agreement also serves as the RRA (Rental Rights Agreement) for the software purchased under the program so i-café owners who avail of the promo are compelled to agree and sign the document. As an organization that supports the Microsoft I-Café Program, we took it upon ourselves to reach out to both parties (Microsoft and the i-café owners) so we seek clarifications on the above-quoted provision of the agreement.  I sent an email to Ms. Fortune Magsadia, Licensing Compliance Manager of Microsoft Philippines containing the following:

We must note that the “Software Monitoring Tool” (called simply as Monitoring Tool at ULOP forums) is the most feared item mentioned in the FAQs and the one that has the most negative criticisms in forum discussions among i-cafe owners.

Please clarify us on what .exe files will be monitored and sent to your server. We were of the belief and we circulated the information that only the default settings of the operating system on Internet Explorer as the browser, Bing as search engine and Windows Live Messenger as instant messaging system will be monitored.

Ms. Magsadia immediately replied to my email as follows:

You are correct.

Only the default settings – Internet Explorer as the browser, Bing as search engine and Windows Live Messenger – are required.

The Software Monitoring tool was planned initially, but we did not provide the same, as part of the Kit due to privacy reasons.

We hope that in posting the above communications, the i-café owners among us will be clarified and continue to consider availing the promo and join the Microsoft I-Café Program.

]]> http://www.icafepilipinas.org/index.php/2010/02/27/the-marketing-agreement-in-the-ms-i-cafe-program/feed/ 1 http://www.icafepilipinas.org/index.php/2010/02/11/understanding-the-microsoft-i-cafe-programi/ http://www.icafepilipinas.org/index.php/2010/02/11/understanding-the-microsoft-i-cafe-programi/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:09:26 +0000 admin http://www.icafepilipinas.org/?p=939 By: Ed Zafra

The two-week old MS I-Café Program is undoubtedly the most serious move of the giant software company to entice current i-café owners using pirated or cracked Windows operating system and Office productivity suite to legalize their use of the software owned by Microsoft. Not only are the prices of the software the lowest ever offered to the industry, the documentary requirements for an i-café to qualify under [...]]]>

By: Ed Zafra

The two-week old MS I-Café Program is undoubtedly the most serious move of the giant software company to entice current i-café owners using pirated or cracked Windows operating system and Office productivity suite to legalize their use of the software owned by Microsoft. Not only are the prices of the software the lowest ever offered to the industry, the documentary requirements for an i-café to qualify under the program are very easy to comply with. I-Café Pilipinas, in its effort to help i-café owners to understand the program better, will run a series of articles about the MS I-Café Program starting with this post.

Let us begin our understanding of the MS I-Café Program by discussing who are the target joiners and who are qualified to avail or join the program to be able to buy the software at promo prices until May 26, 2010. For the target joiners of the program, any internet café with 5 or more units that currently operate but NOT using genuine Windows XP Professional Edition, Windows Vista or Windows 7 and MS Office 2007 can apply to be part of the program and buy Windows 7 and Office 2007 including Rental Rights Licenses of the software.

Not all operational i-cafés mentioned above are automatically entitled to the price benefits offered in the promo., they need to apply and be qualified first. There are actually two (2) groups of i-cafés that can avail of the program; namely, the pre-qualified ones who are in the Microsoft Eligibility List and those who are not in the eligibility list but will apply for the program and can satisfy its simple documentary requirements. Let me clarify the classifications of the two (2) groups as follows:

A) The Pre-Qualified I-Cafés – These are the i-cafés who had previous purchase history of Microsoft products similar to those offered in the program and those ones whose owners had participated in one of the past MS-sponsored events. Microsoft has a database of these i-cafés which their distributors can access online so i-café owners falling into this group can immediately purchase their needs without the need to submit the documentary requirements of the other group described below.

B) The Other Group That Must Undergo Qualification Procedure – If a café owner applies for the program but is not in the MS Eligibility List, he must submit the following to be able to join the MS I-Café Program:

1. Two (2) pictures of his i-cafe with one  showing the facade and the other showing the inside view of his shop.

2. A copy of SEC registration for a corporate-owned i-café or a copy of DTI registration for a single-owned Internet shop.

3. A copy of the Business Permit or Barangay Clearance of the i-café.

Those falling under Group “A” can immediately have their order for software and/or RRL needs processed  as soon as the authorized MS reseller gets the verification from his distributor and this can happen at the time the pre-qualified i-café owners talk to resellers. For those falling under Group “B”, the qualification procedure may take two (2) working days at the soonest and five (5) working days as the longest waiting time before their orders are processed.

Let us end here our first installment of articles about MS I-Café Program. You may post your comments and queries about this discussion using the response box below or you may use our forums where this article is also started as a topic.

So you want to become an internet café owner and I really don’t want to blame you.  The business is suppose to be the in thing nowadays that there are now more people investing their hard earned money in the internet café business compared to the other small scale businesses there like sari sari stores ect.  A lot of people feel that it is easy work since most of the time they [...]]]>

So you want to become an internet café owner and I really don’t want to blame you.  The business is suppose to be the in thing nowadays that there are now more people investing their hard earned money in the internet café business compared to the other small scale businesses there like sari sari stores ect.  A lot of people feel that it is easy work since most of the time they just see the internet café owner sitting around all day, most of the time playing his favorite games in his server.  They would often noticed that the internet café is almost always full of people, staying long hours at an end till the weary hours of the morning.  Most of all, they believe that it is not a very complex business unlike the sari sari store wherein you have to purchase your supplies regularly, in the internet café all you need to do is just to set up the computers and people would start running.

The truth is that the internet café business is a very highly technical business.  It requires a high degree of skill in terms of the technical aspect of the business and of course the marketing skills needed in order for you to survive in this business.  One of the most common mistakes of people entering into this business is that they enter it unprepared even with the most basic knowledge they need in order to operate their business properly.  Even if there is a big number of internet cafes being created all over the country the failure rate is also likewise the same.

This is the dream of I-Café Pilipinas, to empower people with information so that a new breed of internet café owners would be created far from those in the past.  Empowered with a vision on what the internet café of the future would be like.  ( to be continued )

“Asserting Leadership in the Community ICT Access for Peace and Development in Mindanao”

The internet café industry has been around for more than two decades now if we take into consideration the establishments of LAN gaming centers in the late 1990’s but it is sad to say that it has never really asserted its leadership in the field of community ICT access in the country. In a recent study [...]]]>

By: Gener Morada

“Asserting Leadership in the Community ICT Access for Peace and Development in Mindanao”

The internet café industry has been around for more than two decades now if we take into consideration the establishments of LAN gaming centers in the late 1990’s but it is sad to say that it has never really asserted its leadership in the field of community ICT access in the country. In a recent study by Yahoo Philippines and Nielsen entitled “Internet Habits Study for the Philippines” it was found out that the Philippines has one of the smallest computer penetration rate in South East Asia which stands at 14 percent of the total population having computers at home. Despite of this, Filipinos are one of the most active users of the internet in which 28 percent of the Filipinos living in urban centers have accessed the internet in a particular month or on an average of 5 percent of our total population uses the internet on a particular day.

In a correlated study that was submitted to the World Bank, Commission on Information Communication Technology and the National Telecommunications Commission entitled “Policy Options to Stimulate ICT Universal Service” it showed that broadband subscriber penetration is at 2.45 percent with only 15 percent of the country covered by broadband internet infrastructure. Despite of this they found out that 26 percent of the total population of the Philippines goes online on a given time frame. Both studies found out that 70 percent of all internet access made in urban centers in the Philippines actually comes from the internet cafes. In the same study that was submitted to the World Bank, CICT and NTC part of the recommendations there was to develop government policies that would make internet cafes as effective access points for ICT at the community level.

It talks about recognizing the vital role of the internet cafes plays in providing ICT access to the community that they serve. It aims for the development of the industry from the traditional gaming business model to a more dynamic one that could offer a full line of ICT related services to the community. It strives for developing the internet café in the following field:

1. The Internet Cafes as Centers for Education and Excellence – internet cafes could serve as access centers for ICT for students and teachers to further enhance their learning experience. It also makes it possible for those living in remote places to have access to updated learning materials that they could use in their day to day activities in school. CICT projects like the eSkwela makes it possible for out of school youths to earn their high school diploma thus providing greater opportunities for them to have a better future.
2. The Internet Cafes as Centers for Community Access to Vital Government Services – growth and stability of a particular area largely depends on the strong presence of the government providing it with vital services that it needs. The internet cafes could serve as access points of the community to vital government services even in the remote areas. One does not need to go to a far away government center and line up for long hours just to get the their vital documents. The government’s eSerbisyo website makes it possible for one to get their birth certificates online and to apply for a passport that they might need in their job application in other countries.
3. The Internet Cafes as Centers for the Further Development of eCommerce in the Philippines – developments in the field of ICT made it possible to break down boundaries in the field of economic development. From operating in a round world which basically connotes separation of states, the world of today is flat meaning that economic opportunities are now available for people in all parts of the world not only to the developed countries. One must not have a physical store today to trade goods and services. ICT made it possible for people to earn a living online. Further engagement in ICT has shown that it provides to stimulate economic activities in a particular area. From a remote beach resort destination in the past, Boracay has been transformed to the number one tourist destination in the Philippines primarily from blog post shared by people who experienced its beauty. There are a lot of interesting places in the Philippines that could be developed as tourist destinations that the internet cafes could play a vital role in disseminating information about these places so that people would be aware of it.
4. The Internet Cafes as Centers for Collaboration and Community Building – achieving peace and stability in an area involves the participation of people at the community level. It primarily involves keeping the people informed of the latest issues affecting their community. The internet cafes could serve as a vital link to people in the community as they share each other experiences online and somehow come up with a consensus on issues affecting them. The recent experience of the Philippines with regards to typhoon Ondoy had shown the active engagement of people to be of service to those who needs it based on the information provided by those in the affected areas. It has provided the people and government of a clear situation on the ground so that adequate help could be provided to those who are in need.

Thus internet café operators must play a vital role in community building. It is hoped that they would actively get involved in the building of a community of people that are empowered through ICT to seek changes in their community. Through the resources that they have available in their respective internet cafes one could start building bridges to address the basic issues separating their respective communities. It provides the opportunity for economic and social development at the community level through the advances in ICT.