Archive for the ‘On the J-web’ Category

JapanBlogger.net - an answer to our need

On September 11, 2008 in Future of the J-web, Helping Japan Bloggers, On the J-web, Resources

I have been talking some recently with BillyWest about his newest creation, JapanBlogger.net

If you haven’t checked it out yet, now is the time.

For Japan-bloggers and your everyday Japan-enthusiast alike JapanBlogger.net is an indispensable site.

The concept is something that was long talked about, even here on DailyJ (see Chris’s comment in this post)

So let’s look at some of the main features of JapanBlogger

#1 The dynamic blog roll.

This makes a great edition to any Japan blog. Nick from JapanSoc worked together with BillyWest on this. Great work!

#2 Besides rating blogs, JapanBlogger is a good blog directory. Users can comment on blogs and others can read and find out about more blogs in one sitting than they could if they had to go to each blog individually.

#3 It works also as a blog portal. This is a subtle difference but an important one.

When a user clicks on a blog, that blog opens up in a new window and can be closed out taking the user right back to JapanBlogger to browse other blogs. How cool is that?!

I’ve been using it quite a bit lately and have to say it is a fun and easy way to surf J-blogs.

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Is your J-blog on the twitter group?

On August 29, 2008 in Future of the J-web, Helping Japan Bloggers, On the J-web

Neil Duckett over at NeilDuckett.com is twittering and invites you to join in if you have a Japan-related blog.

He has created a Japan-blogger twitter group and you are welcome.

J-tweets…

What will we think up next?!

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Have you heard of Lafcadio Hearn? Meet the foreigners who made modern Japan

On August 27, 2008 in JapanBlogMatsuri, On the J-web

Well, the Japan Blog Matsuri for August is up on Shane’s “The Tokyo Traveler.”

There are some really great posts!

Shane’s post was particularly interesting. It was about Lafcadio Hearn’s impressions of Tokyo (<–click to read her post). Hearn lived in Japan in the late 1800s but his thoughts on Japan still ring true today.

Hearn was one of the Oyatoi Gaikokujin, foreigners hired by the Meiji government to modernise Japan. He is largely to thank for the preservation of countless “mukashibanashi” (folk tales of Japan).

Hearn on wikipedia

http://nipponstercom-swicki.eurekster.com/Lafcadio+Hearn/

http://nipponstercom-swicki.eurekster.com/O-yatoi+gaikokujin/

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Mysterious Underwater Pyramids

On August 26, 2008 in On the J-web, fun

For some it is old news, but whether old or new I thought it might be interesting.

Underwater pyramids were discovered near Yonaguni, Japan.

(from the morien-institute.org)

Some believe that they might be the fabled land of Mu (an Asian Atlantis).

What do you think?

http://web.nipponster.com/mysterious+underwater+pyramid+structure+at+Yonaguni/

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Let the Mad Science Experiments Begin, Muhahahaha!

On August 22, 2008 in Community building, Future of the J-web, JapanLabs, On the J-web

Announcing….

“The Mad Science Laboratory of the Japan-related Web!”

I promise you nothing. But I am VERY excited.

JapanLabs is a place where people interested in the “J-web 2.0″ can brainstorm new Japan-related projects and experiment.

It is built on an excellent Social Networking Platform that makes collaboration simple.

Benefits To You:

Get feedback about your website from people who know J-websites
Find people to help with that new project
Interact with like-minded people and stimulate your creative juices!

How those benefits are delivered:

Groups - start a group for your project or interest. Then you and other interested people can discuss it in the group forum.
MyPages - see what your lab-mates are up to, their latest comments/contributions.
Events - share and stay aware of important dates on the J-web (like the JapanBlogMatsuri deadline)
MainPage - keep up with the latest activity of the JapanLab community.
Forums - forums focused just on J-web development and brainstorming! A first as far as I know.

Well I’ve hyped it up too much already,

Go Check It Out!

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J-web 2.0 - Elevator Up?

On August 21, 2008 in #The Japan-related Web Debate, Community building, Future of the J-web, On the J-web

When I look at the flurry (is that a word?) of activity on the Japan-related web I can’t help but wonder…

From the time I first started scouring the web for Japan-related gems (back in 2006 for Nipponster) up to now, it seems like there has been a transition.

It seems like there has been a change in the way we build Japan-related websites and the kinds of sites we build.

Also, to me at least, it seems like there is a greater sense that there is in fact a “Japan-related web,” a community, and we are a part of it.

If those observations are in anyway accurate, I propose that we have now reached 2.0. The next level; a new playing field.

I can’t put it any better than BillyWest of JapanBlogger.net -

“it’s like an elevator that has left the ground floor, but too many people are still doing ground-floor stuff. There’s a whole world of opportunity to do original Japan-related sites and it’s nice to see some are taking it to the next level.”

Are you going up?

Update (Aug. 22) :

Here is an interesting chart from Google Trends related to the J-web -

Search trends for “Japan Blog” (an upward trend)

Also, there are 156 million website online. I wonder how we could come up with a figure (even a decent guess) of the number of Japan-related ones. Any ideas?

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