Jackie Miao

Finally the BBC ‘Best Job in the World’ documentary is out and if you are in the U.K. you can watch the replay on BBC iPlayer for the next 5 days.

For me, it was especially fun to see what the other candidates were up to as we were all being really secretive with our plans while we were campaigning for votes!

Here’s a quick screenshot for your enjoyment if you’re not in the U.K. There isn’t a lot about me in there since the documentary focuses on the British candidates. There is however a flashing of my face and a quick mention of my name along the lines of “Up in the big wheel there are other candidates with an eye on the 70k prize. There’s Jackie from Malaysia…”

Despite a small cameo, I am pretty happy I managed to get myself on the Beeb for “happy-feel-good” reasons while I was in the U.K. I wish my mom could have been around to see this (God bless her soul)! She would have been delighted to see her daughter on British T.V.

It’s official! Tourism Queensland has chosen Ben Southall as their Island Caretaker.

Ben is the hardiest and most impressive candidate as far as extreme adventurism goes. It is very hard to top the Land Rover roaring, tough-as-nails man who climbed 5 mountains and ran 5 marathons in the same year in some of the toughest conditions in Africa. I know he’ll be able to hack this job because of the physical and mental requirements of the role. He’s as tough as they come and so is his toughbook (which he showed to us the last time we met up)!

I’m sure he’s inundated with media requests at the moment and I’ll wait till this dies down to congratulate him privately. I would however like to congratulate everyone from the Top 50 to the Top 16 for all their achievements and I thank Tourism Queensland for the amazing experience. I’ve made good contacts from this campaign and have a renewed sense of purpose because of the Best Job in the World. Money can be made in many ways but the experience is something money cannot buy.

I hope that the Top 15 who didn’t make it will know that you’re all winners. I remember how disappointed some of the Top 50s were when we didn’t make it to Hamilton Island but look up because the opportunities for other things have just begun and I hope to get to meet the rest of you one day.

In an article published on the Edge on 31st March 2009, Emily Tan interviewed me and documented  my digital campaigning efforts for the Best Job in the World. Read the story here: Viral marketing makes ‘Best Job in the World’ campaign a runaway success.

Sarah-Louise, James, and Jackie at SOS (3rd Apr 2009)

While I didn’t make the Top 16, the other expat in the U.K. James Hill did. I went to his farewell do at Smiths on Smithfield in Farringdon yesterday evening to give him a megahug for making it to the next stage. You can see we’re all a bit tired but James looks especially so because he hasn’t slept in two days. Wishing him all the best!

Now that the wildcard voting is over, I have a chance to dream about the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef. Last week my dad shared with me that someone told him that the Great Barrier Reef is “a place you must go before you die.”

I even had the chance to ask a few friends who have been there and the look on their faces is the kind of look I want to have when I tell people about my holiday. It’s that painfully dissatisfying look of contented speechlessness, the kind I simply have to go to find out why myself.

Thanks to everyone who has voted for me over the past couple of weeks. Though the wildcard position went to someone else, your dedication and fighting spirit has been a source of comfort since I was not able to be in my home country to rally for support in person. You did great, and though this is not a bribe, I’m likely going to throw a party if I get the job.

Everyone from the media to everyday Malaysians who took time out of their busy lives to cover my story and cast in their votes, as well fans from Hong Kong, the U.S., U.K., Italy, Philippines, Turkey, Spain and elsewhere who left notes for me… your votes meant the world to me!

To think that I made the Top 25 in the wildcard voting through social media, radio, newsprint and word-of-mouth viral activity on Facebook, Twitter and email has pleased me on two fronts. Firstly, as a web strategist it is deeply satisfying to witness the power of social media tools at work from a first-hand experience… the effect is a bit like catnip!

Secondly, because my campaign was so well received by traditional media in spite of my physical absence in Asia, I am certain that it would have been exponentially better if I had been there.

I would also have had a support system and would have been able to spread my campaign on the Internet faster and wider, but the reality was that my resources were limited the past two weeks. I was in the middle of arranging a relocation from the U.K. back to Malaysia after my trip to Spain, and as much as 200 influencers who could have been a compelling force in my London campaign headed to Canada to ski the same week I found out I got into the Top 50.

THE POWER OF SOCIAL NETWORKING
In spite of that, my social networks have kept me in the running with candidates from countries with populations 3-15 times the size of  Malaysia! To think that my “digitally-focused” strategy could compete on this playing field is validation enough. At 25th place, I have a final tally of 2,815 votes, a total of 828 members in my Best Job in the World Facebook group, 748 twitter followers (150 new) and a new fan base from all over the world.

Although I have not had a chance to reply to everyone yet, I’ve read your notes and most of them have made me smile. You guys rock and don’t be shy… keep them coming! (I love fanmail)

THE SITTING BULL IS ACTUALLY BUSY AS A BEE
There will be a 9-day wait to see whether or not I make it to the Top 11. Although it may seem like the madness is over, it is far from over! I am actually busy behind the scenes in preparation for the next stage and I bet when the other 10 finalists are announced, the game will step up significantly. For now, I get to put my background, experience and a decade-long career in web marketing to work. Hopefully I’ll be chosen to present my grand plan to Tourism Queensland. *fingers-crossed*

Do check out my portfolio, and feel free to talk to me on Twitter.