COVER STORY
GINEERSNOW :
A KICKASS STORY
T here ’ s a new information portal whose following is snowballing as we speak . Earlier this year , GineersNow , a professed news platform for badass engineers , was publicly launched with relatively conservative expectations . Venturing into a sea of seemingly endless stream of online information , driven by a small team of budding engineer writers and designers , and armed with almost nothing but innovation , passion and vision , GineersNow sailed in January , treading slowly and steadily , but training its sight on never going back to shore .
The impact that GineersNow has made astounded its audience , and even , admittedly , the team behind it . Spurred by creative content , engaging stories , gripping open debates and innovative interaction platforms , GineersNow ’ s following on Facebook alone has grown to more than 140,000 in a little over a month , with its popularity rippling through other social media platforms , as well as its proprietary website , www . GineersNow . com , which now enjoys almost 30,000 page views . Amidst fierce competition in the digital publishing sphere , GineersNow was able to immediately carve a niche for itself , and command an engaged following .
Though utterly pleased with the initial success of GineersNow , its Founder and Chief Giving Officer , Robert Bagatsing , does not plan on resting on its laurels . He recognizes that the key to continued success is constant re-invention , consistent differentiation , and loyalty to one ’ s avowed purpose .
In this exclusive interview , Robert lets us into the story of GineersNow , and into how he , together with his team and community of “ engineers with a social purpose ”, plans to write its successive chapters .
7
The Inspiration
Robert , the brains behind GineersNow , fondly describes himself as a man learned in Manila , formed in Dubai , fortified in Boston and inspired by the world .
Using his expertise in Marketing and his belief in the power of CSR , Robert headed the formation of Lincoln Martin Strategic Marketing ( LMSM ), a purpose-driven strategic marketing agency . “ I started LMSM to teach my five-year-old son , Lincoln , the golden values in life ,” said Robert . He envisioned that LMSM would help the poor , especially young students , by being a vehicle through which companies could contribute and provide financial support to poor areas in Asia and Africa . “ We created LMSM to be able to provide classrooms and scholarships to those who deserve it . It ’ s truly a social innovation .”
LMSM gave Robert and his team a consistent stream of revenue and emotional profit , which he described as overwhelming . “ I wanted to replicate the success of LMSM in a more targeted environment ,” said Robert , explaining that one way he thought of carrying this out was by creating a dedicated online platform for a “ marginalized ” sector .
Backed by a team of young and passionate engineer writers , social media experts and designers , and supported by his family and friends , Robert thus embarked on creating GineersNow .