Rising stars for the holidays and beyond

Decades ago, giving a well-written letter is one of the most personal and most emotional ways people can express their emotions. And as such, it is also one of the most amazing things people can experience, as nothing is more heartwarming than touching the paper, reading the handwriting, and hearing the voice in the mind while reading a letter. Whether it’s writing to your school crush, or to mom and dad working hard abroad, letter writing has served as a very personal way to say how people feel.

But as the years went by, and the world has become a more hectic, fast paced place, letter writing has been replaced by more convenient, more modern means. E-mails, and more popularly in the Philippines’ case, SMS, have replaced letter writing. While this has proven to be a very good alternative when it comes to speed and practicality, the emotional, personal part, seems to have vanished. SMS, or “short messaging service” as the name implies, is too short, and can only contain so much text to properly express one’s self. And while e-mail is much longer, and can be attached with pictures and other things, it still lacks that very personal, very emotional component that made the classic greetings of old special.

Fortunately, technology has advanced greatly since then, and many other services are now available like Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms that are steps above simple SMS and e-mail. People can now do video calls, post photos and tag people, and share all sorts of things to the people that matter. But despite these advancements, something was still missing, that intangible “feeling” of being able to express emotions in a very personal, truly special way. This is why many companies and websites offering many different unique services to allow people to connect to one another and express themselves have appeared. From customizable e-cards, to services like YouTube that allow you to record videos of yourself to share with your loved ones.

One such company however, named RisingStars (https://www.risingstars.ph), offers personal, customizable greetings, combined with Filipinos’ love for singing, resulting in a service that brings the best of both worlds: the fast, free benefits of modern technology, and the personal, sentimental, and emotional benefits of classic ways of communicating, in particular, music and singing. Music and singing are two of the best ways to express feelings and emotions to others, everything from happiness, to sadness, to celebration, to consolation, and everything in between. And RisingStars is a place for people to do just that, quickly, easily, and without cost.

But RisingStars, which is primarily an online karaoke service that combines musical expression and social media benefits, offers much more than the ability to sing your favorite songs, karaoke style, for free. RisingStars allows its users to not only record their singing, but also record video, which can then be used in a variety of ways, from entering competitions, to showing to friends online, to most importantly, sharing to family and loved ones, as special gifts or greetings that are sent almost instantaneously via the internet.

The potential impact of this service when it comes to keeping people in touch in a very special way, is huge, especially since it is very easily shared via email, Facebook, and other social networking sites. Imagine OFWs who are going to be unable to come home for special events, receiving a heart-warming song and dance number from the kids, singing them their favorite songs and wishing they were home. Imagine being able to reconnect with a long lost flame from high-school or college, sans the mumbling and blank staring during video calls. Imagine simply trying to give a personal, quirky performance to your co-workers, and ending up being remembered as “that guy who made everybody smile.”

Services like RisingStars are now giving us a very modern, and yet still very personal way to reach out and express one’s self. And this Christmas season is one of the best times to use RisingStars, to send everyone that matters, near or far, warm, musical wishes and greetings, as well as messages of love. It’s personal, it’s easy, it’s quick, and it’s free. It is the ideal Christmas activity everyone in the family who loves singing can do, to touch other people’s lives his holiday season. (advt)