Improvements to the Nipponster Japan Toolbar

In keeping with our efforts to continually improve the Nipponster Japan Toolbar we have just added two new features! Take them for a spin and let us know your thoughts.

1, We have added a "JapanSoc It" button that allows you to submit a URL to JapanSoc (a digg.com-clone for Japan-related news).

2, We've added Nipponster Video Search to the search box. So now you can search the major video sites for Japan-related videos... right from your browser!

Two easy steps:

1. click on the black arrow in the search box
2. select "Nipponster video search" and click go

Going Crazy

Have you ever had way too much to do?

I feel like my head is going to explode.
My nature is to take on more than I can chew, try to pack more than 24 hours worth into a day, or whatever other cliche is fitting here.

There are so many things we would like to do.

I think that the key going forward it to focus on doing a few things really well.

I also worry that we don't really understand our users very well.
How can we best serve you? What do you like, dislike about our services? What would you like that currently doesn't exist?

PLEASE GIVE US FEEDBACK

I am brainstorming with the other crazy dreamers about how we can get more user feedback.
Maybe a user comments page. Maybe one on each tool page (ex: one on the toolbar download page).

Tori

Some new hot searches and some fun suggestions

Yeh!

Some new hot searches finally! We have got to get better at quickly changing the hot searches.

Of course there are a few that we know people love and we feel obligated to leave up, which causes a problem (and we need your feedback) <-- blog post about that problem

We thought that, in addition to the hot searches, these might be interesting search terms too:
Shinzo Abe scandals

English teaching that doesn't suck - Unfortunately this did not bring up many useful links. I had been hoping that someone had written a page on this, but oh well. At least I found this funny video:



There is another related video. But I am going to make you look through the results yourself and find it (don't worry it's in the first results page).

So how are we doing?

Our goal is "to make the web a better place for Japan-enthusiasts."

That statement is the standard we use to make decisions.

Ex: Like when we started the Nipponster Japan Project - Japanopedia.org. There are many sites that have directories of Japan-related websites. But those directories are put together by their respective webmasters. Instead, keeping our standard in mind, we decided to give the power to create to everyone. We don't own the Japanopedia wiki. Everyone owns it. And as everyone can contribute the encyclopedia has the potential to cover much more than any other directory. And that is good for Japan-enthusiasts.

That example is just one of a number of projects and services we have started working on to accomplish our goal.

But are we accomplishing it? How are we doing?

We want your feedback and we want to find new ways to better communicate with you about our projects and what you think of them.

-Tori

Four Days Left...(Need Feedback)

Four days until Daily J (our new blog)

We'd like take this time to talk little about what we are doing to prepare.
Also we want to get feedback from you about some things we want to do on the blog.


What preparation are into launching this new blog?
We have talked to some of our favourite Japan bloggers.
We are trying to get idea of why they blog and why it is fun for them.
Then we will put their answer on the blog.

We need feedback
We came up with the name Daily J because we plan to post everyday.
Also we want it to be essential blog, like vitamins. You need your daily dose.

But that makes a problem.
We plan to bring interviews with Japan bloggers. But how often?
We have been think one new interview a day.
But we also think that these bloggers deserve more blog time than that.

We don't know...
What should we do?

~keitaro

RepeKanji on the Nipponster Japan Toolbar

We just added something new to the Japan toolbar

It is pretty cool.

Videos teaching 50 kanji each, so you can study 50 kanji a week.

It's ...















For those who already have the Nipponster Japan Toolbar <--(link to post with demo), you can find these videos on your toolbar by going to "Japan Links" --> "Learning Kanji and Kana" --> "Repe Kanji"












If you haven't downloaded the Nipponster Japan Toolbar yet you can Download it now

The Nipponster Japan Toolbar (w/ Free Japanese TV!)

It is the first and (hopefully always will be) best toolbar of Japan-Enthusiasm! It is the Japan-Enthusiast's toolbar.
And we are constantly looking for ways to improve it for you, because... we want to make the web a better place for all you Japan-Enthusiasts

We love you guys,
-Tori

p.s. Leave a comment on this post and let us know how we can improve the Japan toolbar!

Back In Action

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (exhale)


Things have been so busy lately. I bet you can relate.
It seems like everyone is busy having to do something they would rather not if they could.

And those of you who can do what you enjoy doing all of the time... please be quiet :P

James and Keitaro and I all work regular jobs, so Nipponster gets our part-time attention at best.
I wish that I could give it more...
It is the kind of work that I would GLADLY do for free.

Luckily things have finally quieted down a bit for me and I have some much needed time to work on the mission.

SO,
I would like to hear from you:

What do you like/dislike about Nipponster?

What improvements would you like to see?

I am at your service,
-Tori