Archive for February, 2008
Thank yous and lots of Japan-related web activity!
On February 17, 2008 in #The Japan-related Web Debate, Community building, Japanese Toolbar, On the J-web
It’s time for me to thank some generous fellow Japan-bloggers who’ve made some nice things for me. I’m really grateful for the great crowd here at DailyJ. You’re alway so supportive. You guys are the best!
There has been a lot of love going around on the Japan-related web lately. Starting with KenYN’s contribution to the JapanSoc project, other bloggers have come along and contributed to several projects. Deas from RockingInHakata created some great OSX widgets for the Mac lovers out there (one day I hope to be cool enough for a Mac 
). He made one for JapanSoc and another for Nipponster.com. Thanks for the widget, Deas!
The JapanSoc project has been getting better and better, which is really exciting. Nick recently posted a “JapanSoc Toolbox” on his blog LongCountDown. The toolbox is a list of all the great gadgets for JapanSoc, like gadgets to help you submit your posts to JapanSoc and boost traffic to your blog.
But as busy as he has been with JapanSoc he made time to contribute some great new logos to the community-owned wiki, Japanopedia. Thanks Nick! They look good to me (you can see them below). Now the wiki won’t look so ugly
These are just a few of the thank yous that deserve a mention. And which so much activity I’m sure there will be many more thank yous to come.
How you can Japan It Up with the man behind the site - an exclusive interview with JapanItUp.com
On February 16, 2008 in Interviews
If you missed it, yesterday we had a little chat with the blogger behind JapanItUp and found out why he loves Japan. Originally I used his alias, Smoother, because that was what he had been using on his site. But he just contacted me and asked me to use his real name, Steve.
So now you know the man behind the mask
Today we’re back with Steve taking a look what makes his site special and how you can Japan It Up with him.
DailyJ: What is JapanItUp’s mission/vision?
Steve: Let’s face it, too much information can get boring. I hope to keep the site upbeat by talking about all of the crazy things I’ve experienced, how Japan is different from what I’ve ever imagined, and at the same time provide useful info while sharing all of the web sites I’ve bookmarked over the last year.
DailyJ: What makes your site unique? How can readers get the most from JapanItUp?
Steve: I think that I make it unique. I might have a similar experience that another person has had, but my experience is just that, mine, and that’s what makes it a different flavor. I also like to tell stories, so I think people will be entertained.
DailyJ: What can others do to interact with your site and contribute?
Steve: I love it when people post comments on my site, even to share some “LOL” action or even if they disagree. Also I have put up a contact and link suggestion form so now people can send me stories they’ve found, share topic ideas, or even ask me questions. Also if anybody wants to do a ‘guest post’ on my blog they should definitely let me know.
So be sure to drop by the site and Japan It Up with Steve (i.e. have some fun and maybe leave a comment). And be sure to join us tomorrow for the last part of the interview, we’ll be looking at some of his favourite posts and hearing a word of advice on living in Japan.
Have a great day!
DailyJ
Helping J-bloggers: feedburner part 2 - FeedSmith and some free stylish rss icons
On February 16, 2008 in Helping Japan Bloggers
It’s that time again. Time for “Helping Japan bloggers.”
If you have any helpful tips that you’d like to share be sure to tell everyone about them in the comments! Let’s spread the love!
So far there have been some great ones, like the ones from Nick and Chris I mentioned in this post.
I have been giving many wordpress tips so far. I need to give more general ones because I know not everyone is on wordpress. But for today it’s wordpress again. But I also found some free RSS icons for you that any blog can use (see below)!
In the last feedburner post I shared a tutorial video from a site called becomeablogger.com.
One very important thing they left out of that video is the feedburner “Feedsmith” plugin for wordpress.
That plugin lets you keep track of your pre-feedburner RSS audience. So anyone who has been using your old RSS feed to subscribe to your site will still show up on your feedburner statistics. And feedburner has nice statistics!
Free RSS feed icons
These are some really nice RSS feed icons that I found the other day and I thought someone might like.
They come in a variety of colours and with or without a reflection! You can download the whole pack here.
Hope that helps some Japan-bloggers. Let me know if it does!
Why Smoother loves Japan - an interview with JapanItUp
On February 15, 2008 in Interviews
If you missed it yesterday we Japan’ed it up with blogger/interviewee Smoother and heard about why he started JapanItUp. Today we’re going to find out about how he made it to the land of sun.
DailyJ: First of all, can you tell us a little bit about yourself (for instance how you ended up in Japan)?
Smoother: I’ve always been a big fan of traveling, but most of my travel has been within the United States. In 2006 I was ready for a change and ready to move, but then I met my fiance. While she was finishing up college she asked if I wanted to visit Japan. I’m fortunate enough to only need a laptop to run my consulting business. So I instantly told her yes, and here we are.
DailyJ: What’s the one thing you like most about Japan so far?
Smoother: Japan. That’s right, Japan! It’s pretty sweet so far. The countryside is amazing, the people are interesting, the people in big cities are trendy, the food is spectacular, public transportation rock, getting lost in a place where nobody speaks English is fun, Japan is clean, ramen, I’m surrounded by mountains and ocean, customer service is intense (even from Dell http://www.japanitup.com/dell-warranty-inspiron-170/), you can experience an affordable ‘all you can drink’, things feel very safe, things are cute, baseball games are intense instead of boring, people shout in your face and at the top of their lungs “Irrashai mase”, no tipping, many other things, basically things are very different
DailyJ: Wow! Is there anything you don’t like?
Smoother: The thing I like the least so far is that no clothes fit. I haven’t tried pants but all shirts and jackets and shoes are a no go. Sleeves just aren’t long enough, and shoes just aren’t big enough! I can order everything online and have it shipped here so it’s not that big of a deal.
Do you remember your first impressions of Japan? Ahh, the memories…
Join us again tomorrow when we’ll look at some of smoother’s favourite posts.
Until then, have a Japan it up kind of day!
DailyJ
Why Japan It Up? - find out in this exclusive interview
On February 14, 2008 in Interviews
Today, after a bit of a delay, we are ready to rock it up. No? Shake it up? I guess not. Japan ItUp? That’s the one!
I proudly present to you the first part of our little chat with Smoother of JapanItUp.com.
DailyJ: What motivated you to start JapanItUp?
Smoother: At first I was writing down experiences to reflect on the past, then I thought about creating a blog to share with family and friends. Then I started thinking about how I felt before and after heading to Japan. Before coming to Japan I didn’t know what it was really like. I couldn’t find all of the info I needed all in one place and I didn’t know any Americans that have been to Japan. Japan it UP! was then launched.
I know that many of the bloggers reading have started their sites for similar reasons. I tip my hat to you J-bloggers, keep up the good (and fun) work.
Join us again here tomorrow (or subscribe via RSS) to hear the unique story of how Smoother made the Japan leap and what he loves about Japan.
And be sure to visit JapanItUp and say hello.
To all a great day!
DailyJ
Need a good laugh?
On February 13, 2008 in On the J-web
Hello there.
I need a little time to get on top of the things that need work around here, so I thought I’d leave you a short fun post to keep you occupied.
In the mean time I will work on replying to some DailyJ emails, replying to comments, fixing a Japanopedia problem, and readying some upcoming interviews.
Enjoy!
Apology of a stressed out blogger. Chris hits 10,000. Thank yous imminent.
On February 12, 2008 in Announcements
I am behind on a long list of things (emails, comment replies, thank yous, interview posts,…). I’m sorry about that.
You all move so fast!
On the bright side, too much to do (and lots of interest) is better than too little, right?
So I will keep on!
In other news, the best English school blog on the net just hit 10,000 hits! That’s right, Chris’s English School. DailyJ interviewed Chris back in November and found out what makes him a serious English teacher. Be sure to check out his 10,000 hits victory post and give him a cookie.
I have some thank yous to hand out to two bloggers (Deas and Nick) for their kind help. But I want to do a proper post about it.
-stressed blogger out
Japanopedia explained - post #2: Featured projects, featured websites, and some highlights from feedback
On February 11, 2008 in Japanopedia, Uncategorized
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Some background in case you are new:Japanopedia is a project on wikia.com (from the creators of wikipedia). Here are some previous posts about it, more explanation to come. |
Hi All.
I should really be on post four or five by now given all the great (and quick) feedback you have given. I need to learn to type in my sleep 
I have to thank Shane, Nick and Chris for all of their suggestions (and support). I will try to address everything they have brought up. But that will take some work so let’s take it a step at a time.
#1
Shane mentioned highlighting a certain task or a way that people can contribute. An excellent idea. So I started a project to help JapanSoc and made it the “featured project” of the month for Japanopedia.
#2
Nick said:
I appreciate you setting up the JapanSoc project on Japanopedia, but the project that really needs work is Japanopedia itself. We talked before about changing the template/theme/skin, but what about the content? If you click the “Random page†link, you almost always get empty pages…What you need on the front page is some examples of the better, fuller, pages that exist on Japanopedia
So I decided to put a “featured sites” block on the main page with logo style images to a few of the well made pages currently on the site. If you want your page on that block you can go ahead (as long as your page is filled) and add it yourself or ask me and I will add it.
Chris asked for a better logo of Japanopedia that he could use as a button on his site. I am horrible at graphic design so I don’t know how much help I can be with that. What do you think of the small logo at the top of this post? I know the quality isn’t that great.
Slowly but surely, bit by bit Japanopedia ought to build up. It is a project done on a completely voluntary unpaid basis (just like wikipedia) so don’t expect miracles overnight
But keep dreaming up ideas and giving feedback anyway. They should all get attention in the long run.
Not dead, again.
On February 10, 2008 in Announcements
It’s not often that I miss posting your DailyJ so you have a right to be cranky.
The last time I missed posting for a few days Chris was ready to gather a search party
This time I had something come up (some unexpected guests) and didn’t have time to post. I hope the authorities do not revoke my blogging license.
Lots of activity going on in the comments here and some great developments on the Japan-related web (I have a few people to thank!).
Playtime is over, time for some serious blogging.
When?
On February 07, 2008 in Community building, On the J-web
Chris B Said,When lord…will a site be made that is teacher friendly?
All the forums are littered with flamers and snobs. The Soc is great but not for English teachers.If you didn’t know it you would think none of these people teach? Do they?What is it like to get paid to do a job and NOT want to be the best? I must be extremely competitive because I can’t even imagine not wanting to be #1??
Where are the sites showcasing ESL classes? Why no websites competing over which teacher can get the most students with high scores on the Eiken? Where have all the teachers gone?
