Archive for the ‘#The Japan-related Web Debate’ Category
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?
Words Jim Breen wrote to me.
On August 15, 2008 in #The Japan-related Web Debate, Announcements
Awhile ago I contacted Jim Breen (the dictionary guy) for the Japan-related web debate and he wrote back to me.
You can read all about it and his quote here
I was inspired by what Jim wrote because he told me that there were times he felt silly and like walking away from it all.
But look at what he acheived… by not giving up
“The Japan-related Web” Revisited
On February 28, 2008 in #The Japan-related Web Debate, Suggestions Please
“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.” — Samuel Adams
I’ve always loved a good quote. Maybe it is time we set brush fires in some minds! 
If you have been a DailyJ reader for a litttle while now you probably know that last month I guest-blogged a series of posts about “the Japan-related web” on RisingSunOfNihon.com. If you missed that discussion you could read/skim through the series or just stay tuned for the discussions to come.
The series wasn’t perfect but hopefully it laid the foundation for a larger discussion about our community, the community of Japan-related sites, forums and blogs.
My hope is that the idea of a community (and by necessity communication) will be “stolen” and talked about by others on their websites. (”stolen” because I don’t need any credit. It is our idea not mine anyway.)
To review the series, I want to go back through your comments and the best parts of the posts and bring them forward again for real discussion.
So the goal is for us to have a more in depth discussion about them, but first I want to hear from you guys about how we should do this. What can we do to make the conversation livelier than it was the last time?
(It seems like it started off lively and then technical problems killed it)
Also, what kind of topics do you want to discuss (that were not covered) or re-discuss?
One thing I definitely want to do with this review is have Japan-site makeovers. So, if you have a Japan related website and want the community to give you feedback and assistance with improving your site, we have an opportunity for you to do that with Japan site make over. I’ll be giving more details about this later, but if you want in early on the list you can contact me at eaglelandgrace [atto] gmail [dotto] com. 
Have a great day
DailyJ
Japanopedia better explained (hopefully)
On February 20, 2008 in #The Japan-related Web Debate, Japanopedia, Suggestions Please
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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. |
I think I have confused some people with the Japanopedia project. Thankfully Shane has pointed that out:
I applaud you for starting this project and maybe I missed something - what is the goal? Who is it geared toward? Is it meant to be a ‘click-through’ resource pointing to more detailed information or the source of the information itself?
I am having a hard time figuring out how little ‘ol me can support the project?
First, Shane is complete right about me not explaining the project very well. Thanks Shane! I forget that you cannot read my mind to find out.
Here is what I’d like Japanopedia to be, in a nutshell:
A tool for people to use to collaborate on projects to enhance Japan-related information online.
Ok. That is a pretty short, general explanation and I am bound to be pounced on in the comments for it. If you like short explanations you can skip down to the bullet points below and get a good overview of what Japanopedia is/isn’t. For those who like detail, to redeem myself, I am going to answer each of Shane’s questions now:
#1 What is the goal?
The goal is to give the Japan-related web community a central place where they can collaborate on whatever projects they’d like.
For example: Let’s say you want to start a page to compile a list of all the best beginner Japanese lessons from Youtube. You could start the page and then tell other interested people about it. With several hands doing the compiling it should make for a bigger list.
#2 Who is it geared toward?
The site is a little more geared towards webmasters and bloggers (especially at this point) than to general readers. It is not really meant to be [only] an encyclopedia, so maybe the name should be changed. At some point it would be nice if it had articles on everything under the sun but that’s not the only goal.
#3 Is it meant to be a ‘click-through’ resource pointing to more detailed information or the source of the information itself?
I’m glad you asked this question, and I was planning on mentioning it. Mainly it will be click-thru. That’s because Japanopedia is supposed to be a support to all of the projects and sites out there and not a copy or competition.
That said, it has the potential to offer some of the most complete guides available on a topic. Wikipedia only includes encyclopedia-worthy information. So although we would not copy the wikipedia article (just link to it) , we could add information that wikipedia does not (extra related links and video, for example) .
#4 I am having a hard time figuring out how little ‘ol me can support the project?
There are two things that I recommend we all do: stay curious, and let your imagination run wild.
Stay curious because more and more will be going on with Japanopedia as it progresses. New projects are going to come up and you might find some that interest you.
But don’t just wait hoping for interesting projects to come up, suggest them. Let your imagination run wild! I know Shane likes kotowaza and mentioned maybe having a page to compile them on Japanopedia. I can start a project for that (and I am working on a page to make it easier for people to start projects on their own). If you want to start something and you want my help just ask!
Some extra tips on Japanopedia
- don’t think of it as a launched site (a finished project). More as a work in progress
- don’t consider it an information destination in itself, just a guide
- consider it a behind the scenes project that fuels collaboration
- consider it a project to highlight and help other Japan-related projects
Let’s hear from you (a.k.a I’m talking too much)
The comment section below is just screaming for you to write your thoughts!
Do you have any questions?
If you have any questions about the project please ask them and I will post them along with an answer in subsequent “Q and A” posts (if you don’t want me to post them write “don’t post”).
Do you have a project you would like me to help you start?
Fire up the imagination factory, come up with an idea, and then let me know about it in the comments. I will post it and everyone can contribute feedback to get the project started.
That’s all the typing I can take for now.
As always let me know what you think
And have a great day!
DailyJ
J-web research
On February 19, 2008 in #The Japan-related Web Debate
(Ok. If you are a newbie this post might lose you. Sorry about that. But I hope you stick around anyway, we’re nice people)
Sidenote: I have a big post I promised coming up, this is not it.
Before starting the Japan-related web series last month I did a lot of searching online for interesting Japan-related sites, groups, forums, etc.
I am planning to review the series soon here on DailyJ. And I hope you will join in!
As a prelude to that I just wanted to post about some Japan blogger sites/resources already available and get feedback about them.
One that I have know about for awhile now (before I even started blogging) but have not been active with is JapanBloggers.com. This site has been around for a long time (in internet years) and sadly it looks like it is not receiving the support it probably deserves (maybe it’s the platform they are using?).
What do you think of it?I want to look into possible ways to help the site and see if I can talk to the owner(s). I thought that I had contacted them before but did not receive a reply (or maybe I am losing my memory). No worries, I’ll just email them again.
They also have a Japan Blogger Yahoo Group.
Thank yous and lots of Japan-related web activity!
On February 17, 2008 in #The Japan-related Web Debate, Community building, 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.
The Japan-related Web: The Future
On February 06, 2008 in #The Japan-related Web Debate, Future of the J-web, Helping Japan Bloggers
| If you are just joining us, Bill from Rising Sun Of Nihon has invited me to use his blog as a platform where we can all come together and discuss the Japan-related web! |
For the last few posts of the Japan-related web series I mention three web projects that I think are leveraging innovative web technology to build community and help webmasters/bloggers.
#1 Japanopedia
#2 Japan-Hopper
#3 JapanSoc
Number 1 and number 3 have been mentioned before on DailyJ (and I will be talking about them more later). Right now I want to talk a little bit about number 2 and then an idea about how all three can work together.
Japan-Hopper.com:
I contacted Kiyotaka, the owner of Japan-Hopper, and asked him a little bit about the project (there will also be a full interview with him later here on DailyJ). You can read what he said in the original article. Basically Japan-Hopper is a site where anyone can add a “placemark” (some info about a location) on a map of Japan.
The great thing about it is that it is perfect for you if you are a Japan-blogger and you have posts about specific places in Japan. You can take a snippet or a summary of your post, add it to Japan-Hopper as a placemark, and add a link back to the full post on your site! Extra traffic.
Now my idea, and it is just an idea (i.e. don’t kill me if you don’t like it)
JapanSoc, Japan-Hopper and Japanopedia if used together could amplify the community building work and send even more traffic to blogs. Here is my thinking:
Japanopedia is like a blank open slate. Anyone can start a project there. Currently there is a project on it to help JapanSoc. A similar project could be made for Japan-Hopper. Maybe a project for bloggers to talk about their favourite places in Japan. Or maybe a project to add screenshots of Japanese monuments on SecondLife to the right places for them on JapanHopper. What do you think about that?
Whatever the case, once it is on Japan-Hopper maybe then it could be highlighted on JapanSoc! You could take your Japan-Hopper placemark’s address and submit it to JapanSoc. If it is interesting and gets “soc’ed” you get exposure for your post on two sites! And you support both projects at the same time.
Of course I am not advocating spamming either site with worthless junk, so I hope you make your contributions meaningful. And have fun too!
Last words?
Tomorrow the last post of the Japan-related web series on RisingSunOfNihon will be posted. But it’s my hope that this series is just the beginning.
As always, I am eager to hear what you think. So let me know!
And have a great day
Post #27 of “The Japan-related Web” guest-blogging-series on Rising Sun of Nihon
On February 01, 2008 in #The Japan-related Web Debate
| If you are just joining us, this month Bill from Rising Sun Of Nihon has invited me to use his blog as a platform where we can all come together and discuss the Japan-related web! Here is today’s snippet. |
[Ken YN from WhatJapanThinks.com] had around twenty nominees for his Japan Blog of the Year Contest and he linked to each one. Those sites saw the link, found out about the competition, and then mentioned the competition on their sites with links back to Ken (traffic). Both sides benefited…
Can you do something like that?
Click here to read the full and join the discussion
Post #26 of “The Japan-related Web” guest-blogging-series on Rising Sun of Nihon
On January 31, 2008 in #The Japan-related Web Debate
| If you are just joining us, this month Bill from Rising Sun Of Nihon has invited me to use his blog as a platform where we can all come together and discuss the Japan-related web! Here is today’s snippet. |
“How can assisting others increase my traffic? I know it is a nice thing to do, but does it
increase traffic?”
Click here to read the full and join the discussion
23 - 25 of “The Japan-related Web” series. An apology. And please give your feedback
On January 30, 2008 in #The Japan-related Web Debate, Suggestions Please
| If you are just joining us, this month Bill from Rising Sun Of Nihon has invited me to use his blog as a platform where we can all come together and discuss the Japan-related web! Here are snippets from the most recent posts. |
Hi. All. posts 23, 24, and 25 are up on RisingSun.
23 talks about what every webmaster wants and five ways to get it
24 talks about an easy way to draw attention to your site.
25 talks about why you have to take the initiative by giving first, and then you get.
I know from feedback from many of you that the series has been hard to follow. Although some things were beyond my control, I definitely will admit that I could have done a better job with this series and I apologise that it was not at the level that we were all hoping for.
But I think it is undeniable that this topic is one that we are all very interested in. I feel that way because of all the feedback and interest that this series has had despite my poor execution of it. Hopefully, we will not end the discussion here but continue with it on different blogs and with different voices guiding the way (of course I am always willing to blog about it more too). So I suppose the question is:
Where do we go from here?
I have some thoughts on this question too, but I want to open the floor to your ideas. What do you think?
