MANILA, Philippines?MooPlace.com, a 100-percent Filipino social networking site, is holding its regular photo competition where members can win a cash prize of P45,000. The theme for the contest beginning March 1 until April 30 is nature.

MooPlace.com is where Filipinos can spend their time on the web to have fun, meet, and celebrate with fellow kababayans (compatriots).

MooPlace was developed by Bob Carpenter, a retired businessman in Auckland, New Zealand. Bob is a Kiwi, but proudly calls himself a Kiwinoy, being married to Edith, a Filipina from Pampanga who runs a successful travel agency, Planet Earth Travel. The couple is very active in Filipino community events across New Zealand.

Bob tapped a group of Filipino IT professionals in New Zealand to develop the site, with built-in security features.

Bob says MooPlace has deployed PHP software, which allows the site to run faster and accommodate new features like video chat and video sharing. MooPlace has also an iPhone App so members can communicate through their iphone. There will soon be an application for Blackberry users.

As Bob explains, MooPlace is a work in progress and new features will be added regularly, from suggestions of members across the world. The PHP software allows MooPlace to link with other third party software providers so new and exciting features for members will be added as new social networking features emerge.

Bob has designed MooPlace as the place for Filipinos to communicate with each other wherever they are or whatever country they live in. He developed it with the aim of creating a secure, user-friendly site.

Bob?s interest in the online space began way back in the early 1990s, when he was the first to set up an online auction site in New Zealand. He was also an early adopter of integrating online offerings for the travel industry. This helped make travel agency Planet Earth one of the first to successfully offer both online and face to face services to their customers.

When the social networking revolution kicked in with the likes of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and MySpace, Bob decided to build a website that will allow Filipinos to utilize these tools to communicate with friends, relatives, and colleagues across the globe. It took him more than a year to develop MooPlace.

So what is in store for MooPlace members? Bob says members can contact each other through type chat, audio chat, video chat, and e-mail. MooPlace has Moo twitter: ?What's on your mind?? where members can follow other members or be followed by other members.

MooPlace provides large storage for members to create their own digital album of photos, music, and art works. Members are encouraged to create their own art and music galleries in the website.

They can also share links of favorite online articles and post their own articles and participate in blogs. They can post online polls and ask members to vote. A current online poll, for instance, asks members who they will vote for as president of the Philippines.
MooPlace encourages members to write about and post pictures of their favorite places, and what makes their community special.

The website has a section called MooTube which allows members to upload videos, music, movies, and documentaries.

MooPlace has a business directory where members can post details of their business. This is a free service for members and allows them to reach out to a potentially global customer base.