About Website 1.0 – SIGMA CHI and MU SIGMA PHI

Website 1.0 History

It wasn’t until August 30, 2006 that ultraguest was incidentally discovered by Manila-based Brod Jesus Dennis Naveros Montealto who immediately informed his close-in fellow Confraternity member-contacts in Metro Manila: Brod Nicanor Anasta Bedua, who informed Brod Rex Maravilla Durban and Sis Ma. Laida Sotaridona Silatory- Chavez, who, in turn, informed U.S.-based Brod Allan Delfin Parcon, who, likewise, spread the word about the ultraguest link to his own group of contacts. And so one thing led to another, which saw the guest list growing in numbers. Along the way, we discovered that it was Brod Melchor who is the administrator of the site. In the course of these exchanges of pleasantries at ultraguest, we, in Manila, decided to meet face to face on September 27, 2006, one year ago to be exact, to propose that ultraguest be turned into a full-blown site.

This meeting at Tokyo Tokyo-Glorietta had everyone got interested to pitch in, with the persuasive encouragement of Brod Rex, to fund the installation of the website. That was the first of the many successive meetings of Manila-based Revival batch members. The choice of the “exmeo” website name was the discretion of Brod Melchor, who explained that it was suggested to him by Brod Sedfrey Lopez Cabaluna two years ago. It’s a visual reading of the acronym of SIGMA CHI-MU SIGMA PHI, these Latin words symbolized by Greek letters, which read — though not accurately, and definitely lost in translation — as “exmeo.” Upon the transmission of the seed money for the website, it was only a matter of time that the www.exmeo.com website was launched.

As more brods and sis registered in the website, a lot more suggestions were given to improve it so that it will serve the SIGMA CHI and the MUSIGMA PHI better. One of the suggestions was the change in name — the one that will truly reflect the group’s name. A suggestion to Brod Gregg Labestre Lozada was made that the website name should bear the names SIGMA CHI and MU SIGMA PHI. Brod Gregg, then, just served as a conduit by presenting the suggestion to Brods Melchor, Rex and Dennis M. There was only one concern because there is a SIGMA CHI Fraternity based in the United States: that there might be some implications on the legal side. Playing it safe, the four brods then requested Dennis J to ask the legal opinion of our U.S.-based lawyer-brod, Ismael Fayo Firmalino Jr., concerning the proposed new website name, who gave the go-ahead signal. Then as fate, or destiny, would have it, on September 6, 2007, Brods Rex, Melchor, Dennis M, and Gregg were joined online by Brods Nicanor Anasta Bedua and Bilson Sorianosos de la Fuente, the other moderators of the website. After a few rounds of discussion, they all agreed on the new website name: www.sigmachi-musigmaphi.org

The following day, Dennis J from California, sent the needed amount to Brod Melchor, in Iloilo, to immediately effect the change in website name.

The rest, so to speak, is history.

Mission and Vision

The www.sigmachi-musigmaphi.org Website, being the official on-line facility of the SIGMA CHI Fraternity and the MU SIGMA PHI Sorority, is its authorized internet communications medium.

Being such, it shall disseminate relevant, legitimate and official pronouncements from Fraternity and Sorority authorities; inform members of current Fraternity and Sorority concerns and events; inspire and affirm the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood between and among members through write-ups and articles that build-up the common good of all members.

Components of the Website:

The Website has two equal branches, each one with separate functions which do not overlap with the other. The first branch is the Moderators Board which addresses the technical aspects of the Website and the upkeep of its facilities, on-line registration requirements and other Website maintenance scope. The Moderators will be complementing, coordinating and cooperating with that of the second branch, the Editorial Staff which shall be composed of volunteer brods and sis who have accepted to become correspondents for the Website. They shall be in-charge with the write-ups and articles that will be published at the Website.

The Editorial Staff Roles will come out later after consultations with other brods and sis.

The Website Moderators

Rex Maravilla Durban
Allan Delfin Parcon
Nicanor Anasta Bedua
Melchor Dollolasa Cichon Jr.
Gregg Labestre Lozada
Jesus Dennis Naveros Montealto
Germinio Monreal Bendiro
Bilson Sorianosos dela Fuente
Charina Delgado Puentevella
Veronica Del Castillo Zerrudo

Brod Melchor Dollolasa Cichon Jr. is the Administrator of the Website, he being the one who designed everything about it. Brod Rex Maravilla Durban is the de facto leader of the Moderators, he being the one who brought the idea of its inception and its composition. Other moderators were approached to comprise a standing list of ten whose functions are described herein.

The Funding of the Website

The Incorporators, the ones who first funded the Website’s maintenance when it moved into a private site, are Brods Rex, Nicanor and Allan. Brod Germinio later also added some sum to augment other Website financial needs. Some moderators had also promised to finance the Website maintenance in the succeeding years. This funding concern was also addressed by the USA-based alumni of the SIGMA CHI.

The Website’s Role

1) The tool for official information dissemination concerning Fraternity-Sorority agenda (for example, the campaign instigator for the 50th Anniversary Celebration and the network publisher of the Fraternity-Sorority newsletter, The Seekers);

2) The keeper of the complete and updated List of Members of the Fraternity-Sorority and other important documents;

3) On the lighter side, the cyberspace Tambayan of all members who just want to hang out with the others and to express themselves without prejudice.

The Moderators’ Roles:

The Website Moderators shall have the following functions:

Directs the content (the facilities and services) of the website
1. The moderators decide which facilities or services of the Website will be maintained, which once have to go or be retained, which has to be improved and enhanced further.
Directs the course of the website evolution
1. The formation of the Editorial Staff is one Website evolution that its technical aspect will have to prepare.
2. The inclusion of advertisements, the type and contents thereof, will have to beconsidered.
Directs the communication flow
1. There are official and non-official functions of the Website. Items 1 and 2 of the Website’s Role can be counted as its official role, whereas the Shouts, Chats, Guestroom, Forum, and Mailbox are its facilities that do not necessarily contain official and authorized statements.
2. What had been already archived, those articles and documents that found their way to the Main Page as posted prior to the publication of this Moderators’ Roles, those by-lined by the Editorial Staff- these are the official information dispensed by the Website.
3. Website Moderators can post articles and photographs as requested by individual members other than the Editorial Staff including the source or author thereof. This means that the Moderators limit themselves into uploading of whatever members wish to be uploaded. However, Moderators shall refer write-ups or pictures of non-editorial staff Website members to the Editorial Staff, specially if these articles or photographs are (i) requested to be posted at the Main Page, (ii) not of any concern to our Fraternity and Sorority and (iii) these affect or inflict the sense and sensibilities of members. All official communications from the Founder, the Alumni Association President, the Grand Archon and the Most Idyllic Sister shall always be posted at the Main Page without prior notice to the Editorial Staff. Just a note to the Moderators’ head will suffice.
4. All email messages coming from the “moderators@sigmachi-musigmaphi.org” should have the consent of all moderators. If this is not possible or realistic, at least the head of Moderators’ Board has given his/her permission for the sending of such message.
5. All undertakings that bind the Moderators’ Board should be agreed by all the moderators (otherwise, we will put on record the name of the objecting member).

The Website Adviser

There shall be Website Advisers from among our Alumni members of good standing and repute. Right now, we have Sis Susan Peñaranda Ledesma-Batac and Brod Cesar Luis De Leon Lim as our Website Advisers. The Website Adviser helps in the editing of articles for official communications, advises whether sensitive articles gets posted or not and participates in the long-term planning for the Website.