Today, Google and Tianya (a famous Chinese community website) launched a free Q&A service - "Tianya Answers". Some believe this is a strong competitors of "Baidu Zhidao" (the biggest Q&A site in China). In the bottom of "Tianya Answers" we can get "Google technology provide".
Social search has been Google's weaknesses, Google Answers is also defeat by Yahoo Answers. In China, Baidu Zhidao is the biggest Q&A service. Google launches Q&A service in China will enable Google to compete with Baidu. But in the "Tianya Answers", we found some of the very obvious Google-specific issues.
When we register a new account, we can get the following message : "Please note that according to Chinese laws, your IP information will be recorded for at least 60 days. And it will be will be provided to government agencies when we get the request."
That is mean, Google will complied with requests from the Chinese authorities to furnish information regarding an IP address of Google's users, and Google will only simply state that they just conform to the laws of the countries in which they operate.
Before in 2006, Google launches the Chinese version of its search engine to be censored (google.cn). Google use so-call SafeSearch filter used to keep people away from "bad" information, such as "subversive" material.
Google being in China helps itself more than China and simply does not fit into the "Don't Be Evil" mantra, but Google also known little about China's censorship. The "community website" is the "high-risk" project, they must face the work of looking out for and cleaning up "harmful information", if they do not get the "harmful information" out, they will be out. So they choice to collaborates with the Chinese regime.
Google "Don't Be Evil" ... Not in China.
Sources in Chinese .
Monday, August 20, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Survival For Standalone Blogs
This is my responded to Zousuper's discussion on standalone blog's survival(Thanks for danwei's translation). Later Zousuper's blog is blocked by Chinese government, but Zousuper is not render submissive, he set up a new host and blogging again. Here is the post:
The necessary conditions for setting up a blog on a separate domain in China - whether or not it is illegal, whether or not it requires registration - is currently a hotly debated issue. From the look of current policy, it seems that all standalone websites that have interactive information have to be registered.
There are issues of location here. If the server is overseas, then theoretically speaking registration is not necessary, but there is no way to guarantee that the server's IP will be accessible. Rose Luqiu's 1510 Blogs is a typical example. When a large proportion of visitors are from the mainland, then under normal circumstances a mainland server will be chosen. This is when we arrive the question of the blog's legality.
Here I'll summarize the steps and conditions for legally setting up a blog on a standalone domain; this should be basically the same in all major cities across the country.
Website registration is not a simple question. MII registration is just a basic registration, suitable for non-forum websites that do not have interactive information. If you think that MII registration will solve everything, then you are very wrong. Of course, you could close the comments section to your blog and voluntarily choose not to disseminate "harmful information"; in that case the MII registration would be enough. If your website allows leaving messages and exchanging information, and its traffic is low, you may be able to simply get by. In general, for normal small websites, MII registration is enough.
If your website traffic is relatively large, particularly if it is highly interactive, like a forum or a blog, then you'll face the appearance of so-called "harmful information." Normally, when you discover "harmful information," someone will be tasked with notifying the webmaster to delete it; it becomes a problem when it occurs frequently.
Strictly speaking, individuals are not permitted to provide BBS services on the Internet (interactive online services in which users provide information for release, including message boards, electronic whiteboards, e-forums, online chat services, and guestbooks) without formally registering or passing review by state communication administrators. To providing interactive forum and guestbook services, you must set up "technological measures for network security," in addition to registering with the PSB's Internet Supervision Center. This means a system for review, control, and deletion of information, as well as associated "computer security personnel."
Usually, registering with the PSB Internet Supervision Center is pretty complicated and drawn-out. The registration is vastly different from MII's: it is very strict. If your website supports BBS, forums, guestbook, or chat services, then you must provide the following materials:
The computer security personnel certificate is typically obtained by paying 660 yuan to be trained and tested. That means that if you want to write a blog, you must first pass the "security worker" exam. The registration form basically requires writing out your name, ID#, home address, mobile phone number, and place of work, so that if there are any problems you can be arrested on the spot. If you do not provide this information, then your registration may not pass.
After you've registered, you then face the work of looking out for and cleaning up "harmful information" - this is the responsibility of the "computer security personnel." Because the appearance of "harmful information" on a forum or blog is ultimately the responsibility of the webmaster, the PSB will carry out punishment against the webmaster according to the volume of "harmful information" that is circulated. Here you'll run into the issue of standards for punishment. Current punishment standards takes into account the number of registered users, the quantity of circulating information, the hit count, and illegal revenue; so long as one area exceeds the standard then you're determined to be in "extremely serious circumstances." An article clicked by one person is completely different from the same article clicked by 10,000 people; are you able to guarantee 24-hour review for your personal blog or forum? If you cannot, then hiding your webpage counters and your pageview numbers may cut down on some unwanted trouble. At the same time, you should keep your website income a secret; there is nothing good and a whole lot bad about making your website's income public. Under normal circumstances, this is a standard for determining punishment. The greater your website's income, the more serious the problem, and the worse off you will be.
Hence, if you have a forum or a guestbook system, you've got a hidden time bomb. "Harmful information" will cause a lot of trouble for the webmaster when it surfaces. So if you have a forum, it's best to put it on a separate domain name and move it to an overseas server unless you can guarantee you'll be online 24 hours a day to prevent every single bit of "harmful information" from being published. Otherwise you're giving them an angle to get you.. So high-risk systems like forums should be moved out. The same goes for guestbooks and comments to blog posts. If you cannot cut off comment functions, then you must implement keyword filters to turn every sensitive word into ××. Doing this will save you a bit of unnecessary trouble.
In short, there is currently no clear idea about the system for registering blogs, but for most blogs that have a fair number of comments and discussion, it's no good to simply register with MII; you have to go to the local PSB's website to register for it to have any effect. And you must maintain a good relationship with the local PSB. Whatever they want, you give it to them; don't antagonize them, and don't dispute matters of theory with them. Don't say anything when it's not your turn - it won't work, anyway.
The necessary conditions for setting up a blog on a separate domain in China - whether or not it is illegal, whether or not it requires registration - is currently a hotly debated issue. From the look of current policy, it seems that all standalone websites that have interactive information have to be registered.
There are issues of location here. If the server is overseas, then theoretically speaking registration is not necessary, but there is no way to guarantee that the server's IP will be accessible. Rose Luqiu's 1510 Blogs is a typical example. When a large proportion of visitors are from the mainland, then under normal circumstances a mainland server will be chosen. This is when we arrive the question of the blog's legality.
Here I'll summarize the steps and conditions for legally setting up a blog on a standalone domain; this should be basically the same in all major cities across the country.
Website registration is not a simple question. MII registration is just a basic registration, suitable for non-forum websites that do not have interactive information. If you think that MII registration will solve everything, then you are very wrong. Of course, you could close the comments section to your blog and voluntarily choose not to disseminate "harmful information"; in that case the MII registration would be enough. If your website allows leaving messages and exchanging information, and its traffic is low, you may be able to simply get by. In general, for normal small websites, MII registration is enough.
If your website traffic is relatively large, particularly if it is highly interactive, like a forum or a blog, then you'll face the appearance of so-called "harmful information." Normally, when you discover "harmful information," someone will be tasked with notifying the webmaster to delete it; it becomes a problem when it occurs frequently.
Strictly speaking, individuals are not permitted to provide BBS services on the Internet (interactive online services in which users provide information for release, including message boards, electronic whiteboards, e-forums, online chat services, and guestbooks) without formally registering or passing review by state communication administrators. To providing interactive forum and guestbook services, you must set up "technological measures for network security," in addition to registering with the PSB's Internet Supervision Center. This means a system for review, control, and deletion of information, as well as associated "computer security personnel."
Usually, registering with the PSB Internet Supervision Center is pretty complicated and drawn-out. The registration is vastly different from MII's: it is very strict. If your website supports BBS, forums, guestbook, or chat services, then you must provide the following materials:
- A copy of the computer security personnel certificate;
- Registered Internet user network security form;
- Providers of Internet services for news, publishing, education, health, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment must be approved by the appropriate government agencies in accordance with laws and regulations, and must present the government approval documents at the time of registration.
The computer security personnel certificate is typically obtained by paying 660 yuan to be trained and tested. That means that if you want to write a blog, you must first pass the "security worker" exam. The registration form basically requires writing out your name, ID#, home address, mobile phone number, and place of work, so that if there are any problems you can be arrested on the spot. If you do not provide this information, then your registration may not pass.
After you've registered, you then face the work of looking out for and cleaning up "harmful information" - this is the responsibility of the "computer security personnel." Because the appearance of "harmful information" on a forum or blog is ultimately the responsibility of the webmaster, the PSB will carry out punishment against the webmaster according to the volume of "harmful information" that is circulated. Here you'll run into the issue of standards for punishment. Current punishment standards takes into account the number of registered users, the quantity of circulating information, the hit count, and illegal revenue; so long as one area exceeds the standard then you're determined to be in "extremely serious circumstances." An article clicked by one person is completely different from the same article clicked by 10,000 people; are you able to guarantee 24-hour review for your personal blog or forum? If you cannot, then hiding your webpage counters and your pageview numbers may cut down on some unwanted trouble. At the same time, you should keep your website income a secret; there is nothing good and a whole lot bad about making your website's income public. Under normal circumstances, this is a standard for determining punishment. The greater your website's income, the more serious the problem, and the worse off you will be.
Hence, if you have a forum or a guestbook system, you've got a hidden time bomb. "Harmful information" will cause a lot of trouble for the webmaster when it surfaces. So if you have a forum, it's best to put it on a separate domain name and move it to an overseas server unless you can guarantee you'll be online 24 hours a day to prevent every single bit of "harmful information" from being published. Otherwise you're giving them an angle to get you.. So high-risk systems like forums should be moved out. The same goes for guestbooks and comments to blog posts. If you cannot cut off comment functions, then you must implement keyword filters to turn every sensitive word into ××. Doing this will save you a bit of unnecessary trouble.
In short, there is currently no clear idea about the system for registering blogs, but for most blogs that have a fair number of comments and discussion, it's no good to simply register with MII; you have to go to the local PSB's website to register for it to have any effect. And you must maintain a good relationship with the local PSB. Whatever they want, you give it to them; don't antagonize them, and don't dispute matters of theory with them. Don't say anything when it's not your turn - it won't work, anyway.
Sources:William Long: The way for standalone blogs to survive (Chinese)
Friday, August 10, 2007
The Secret Of Internet Censorship In China
As we know, whether blog or forum is censored in China, people can not say anything in China. What can be said, and what can not be said is a question for all of us, today, I will introduce some of the legal basis in China: "Computer Information Network and Internet Security, Protection and Management Regulations"
The management regulations is approved by the State Council of China on December 11 1997 and promulgated by the Ministry of Public Security of China on December 30, 1997. This is a legal basis. In that regulations, a detailed definition of "harmful information" the specific meaning, publishing "harmful information" is forbidden. Then what is the "harmful information"?
According to the Section Five of the Act provides that no individual may use the Internet to create, replicate, retrieve, or spread the following kinds of information:
(1) Inciting to resist or breaking the Constitution or laws or the implementation of administrative regulations;
(2) Inciting to overthrow the government or the socialist system;
(3) Inciting division of the country, harming national unification;
(4) Inciting hatred or discrimination among nationalities or harming the unity of the nationalities;
(5) Making falsehoods or distorting the truth, spreading rumors, destroying the order of society;
(6) Promoting feudal superstitions, sexually suggestive material, gambling, violence, murder,
(7) Terrorism or inciting others to criminal activity; openly insulting other people or distorting the truth to slander people;
(8) Injuring the reputation of state organs;
(9) Other activities against the Constitution, laws or administrative regulations.
Evidently, these nine categories of information is harmful information. I think, in one word, any threat to social stability statements are "harmful information". Anyone want to publishing "harmful information" is illegal. This is the so-called "Internet censorship in China", If you knew about this, you will be able to understand those weird things in China's cyberspace.
The management regulations is approved by the State Council of China on December 11 1997 and promulgated by the Ministry of Public Security of China on December 30, 1997. This is a legal basis. In that regulations, a detailed definition of "harmful information" the specific meaning, publishing "harmful information" is forbidden. Then what is the "harmful information"?
According to the Section Five of the Act provides that no individual may use the Internet to create, replicate, retrieve, or spread the following kinds of information:
(1) Inciting to resist or breaking the Constitution or laws or the implementation of administrative regulations;
(2) Inciting to overthrow the government or the socialist system;
(3) Inciting division of the country, harming national unification;
(4) Inciting hatred or discrimination among nationalities or harming the unity of the nationalities;
(5) Making falsehoods or distorting the truth, spreading rumors, destroying the order of society;
(6) Promoting feudal superstitions, sexually suggestive material, gambling, violence, murder,
(7) Terrorism or inciting others to criminal activity; openly insulting other people or distorting the truth to slander people;
(8) Injuring the reputation of state organs;
(9) Other activities against the Constitution, laws or administrative regulations.
Evidently, these nine categories of information is harmful information. I think, in one word, any threat to social stability statements are "harmful information". Anyone want to publishing "harmful information" is illegal. This is the so-called "Internet censorship in China", If you knew about this, you will be able to understand those weird things in China's cyberspace.
Sources:William Long: The internet censership's law basis (Chinese)
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
About This Blog
Moonlight Blog is a Chinese news website and Internet news blog founded by William Long. The website's primary focus is social media news, but also covers news and developments in mobile, entertainment, online video, business, web development, technology and gadgets. Moonlight Blog was launched by William Long from his home in Guangdong, China in January 2005.
Moonlight Blog English Version is my first blog in English, which is set up using WordPress, in this blog, I'll translate some of my Chinese blog into English, also, I'll report the information about Chinese blogosphere, Chinese GreatFireWall, China society and people. Help you meet a real China.
Moonlight Blog English Version is my first blog in English, which is set up using WordPress, in this blog, I'll translate some of my Chinese blog into English, also, I'll report the information about Chinese blogosphere, Chinese GreatFireWall, China society and people. Help you meet a real China.
Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Top 15 Flickr Extensions for Firefox
No matter how good a service is it can always use a few tweaks, and Flickr is no different.
The 15 add-ons we’ve gathered below for Firefox will help with everything from navigation to uploading, accessing Flickr in countries that block the service, and much more. Take a look and you’re bound to find an extension to enhance your Flickr experience.
Access Flickr! – A tool built specifically to help users bypass firewalls in countries that block Flickr such as Iran, the UAE, China and more.
Better Flickr – Better Flickr combines several Greasemonkey scripts such as photo magnifier, thumbnail enhancer, rich edit and more into one convenient extension. Simply check the boxes for the portions of the add-on you wish to use.
Fireflix – A sidebar extension that works with Flickr to upload images from local files, generate HTML for linking, search photostreams and more.
Flickr – A simple extension that adds the ability to search Flickr photos directly from your browser.
Flickr Auto Page – This extension removes the “Next” button from Flickr and will autoload the next picture so you can just scroll through them in a much easier fashion.
Flickr Buddy – Adds an icon to your status bar in Firefox that will pull Flickr RSS feeds and notify you when the people you are following have updated.
Flickr Gallery Plus! – Flickr Gallery Plus! allows you to see one large image next to the smaller thumbnails on the page. You can then move amongst the thumbnails to view all of the images as a larger version.
Flickr Original – Adds an option upon right clicking on a Flickr image to just directly download the original image at full size.
Flickr Themr – Tired of Flickr being white everywhere you look? Flickr Themr will add a blue & gray theme to the site as you browse it.
Flickrfox – With Flickrfox you get a sidebar for your browser that allows you to search Flickr photostreams while other web pages load.
FlickrSpaceBall – This extension removes the spaceball.gif that sits atop some images on Flickr.
FlickrTrans – Right click on any image on any site, and you can load it to your Flickr account and then use it
Fotofox – A photo upload manager that allows you to drag and drop images from your system into the extension, add tags, set privacy and more; then you can upload them to over 40 different photo sites including Flickr.
Lockr – Share content from Flickr with users on Facebook without them having to log into Flickr.
Uploadr for Flickr – Gives you the ability to upload images you find on various websites directly to your Flickr account. (via
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Top 30 Adobe AIR Apps for Designers and Developers
Many people think of Twitter apps when they think of Adobe AIR, but there is a whole other world of useful applications out there beyond microblogging.
Designers and developers in particular get a lot of love from the AIR community with tools to help them with just about every aspect of their jobs. Here are over 30 great Adobe AIR apps for designers and developers that can help you do everything from tracking your time to measuring pixels, and more.
Billing & Invoicing Tools
Klok – Klok allows you to not only track time by clients and projects, but what kind of work you do for each. You can also manage contact information for clients, edit time spent and a slew of other features.
Ora Time and Expense – Ora will help you generate timesheets, expense reports and invoices.
Timeloc – Does everything you could ask of a time keeper such as manage multiple clients and jobs, edit the billing so you see a running tally of how much a job has earned you, add notes to a billing period and a whole lot more.
Vertabase Timer – Allows you to track time by clients or by project.
Color & Pattern Tools
Color Browser – Allows you to import color palettes you have created elsewhere, create new ones locally, and put as many colors as you like into any you create.
COLOURlovers Desktop Color Finder – This app will let you search the COLOURlovers database for an astonishing 1 million named colors and more than 300,000 user created color palettes.
Kuler Desktop – This app allows you to browse and choose color palettes for any project you’re working on. When you’ve picked one you like, you can then import it to Creative Suite 3 Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.
Random Patter – Allows you to render patterns based on set parameters and then save as an XML document, and images can be saved as an SVG document.
Design Tools
Alcon – A debugging tool for users of ActionScript 2 and ActionScript 3.
BetaDesigns Caliper – This tool floats above your other applications so that you can measure any item on your screen.
designview – Gives you the ability to use Flex Builder Design View.
Dojo Toolbox – A toolbox to work along with the open source Dojo JavaScript tools. Allows you to view your work, cross-reference, use the build tool and a whole lot more.
e2vector illustration app. – Allows you to create new images and export them to SVG, or you can import existing ones to work on.
htmlText Editor – A WYSIWYG editor for htmlText that allows you to design visually for Flex.
Icon Generator – Allows you to generate icons in three steps for CS3 or Web 2.0 style. All icons are generated as 128×128, 48×48, 32×32 and 16×16.
pixDIF – Allows you to measure pixel differences easily between comps and design implementations.
Pixus – Allows you to easily measure the size of a screen object, set size presets, preview your design and more.
Shrink O’ Matic – Drag your JPGs, GIFs and PNGs into the app and then resize them as one batch.
Miscellaneous Tools
.merlin – A manager for fonts that will make sure they are named correctly, sort them into folders by letter, allow you to delete duplicates and more.
Balsamiq Mockups For Desktop Demo – An application for designing mockups of software before going to coding. Teams can work in real time on a project and it also integrates with Atlassian Confluence, Atlassian JIRA and XWiki.
ConceptShare Desktop Companion – A web tool that allows you to create workspaces for a project and then share it with others so you can collaborate on the project.
LibraryManager – Allows you to dump SWF files, see the class information, create information and compare versions.
QR Code generator for mobile tagging – Helps you generate QR codes for your sites and projects.
QuickLoader – Allows for quick uploading and downloading of files from any PHP enabled server. You can define multiple users with different folders, as well as browse & modify files on your server. Has several other features such as an image editor.
Simple Flash Filter Generator – Allows you to generate flashfilters and code in real time.
SlideRocket Player – Allows you to make offline presentations of your work and set up a marketplace to sell more services. Also will allow you to sync with your desktop to make offline presentations, but this requires a paid account.
Snippely – Allows you to store, label and organize various snippets of code in one centralized location on your system.
SQLFury – Aids you in testing an SQL database for possible injection vulnerabilities.
Screencapture Tools
Snapshooter – Enter a valid URL and this app will take a snapshot of the web page to save to your system locally.
SWFShot – Allows you to capture Flash images as JPGs or PNGs in huge screen sizes.
WebKut – A website screen capture tool that allows you to capture the entire page, the viewable area or just a selection.
Websnapshot – Simply enter or drag the URL of that page you want to snapshot from your browser. Select thumbnail, browser size or full page, and it is saved to your gallery. (via)
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Top 30 Best Tools for Writing Online
Whether you’re new to the world of authorship or a veteran trying to make the most of Web services and applications, there are a number of online tools for writers of all types. From blogging platforms to networking hotbeds, and job boards to real-world gatherings, and more, the supply of utilities is comprehensive, to say the least.
But finding them all can be hard-going, so we’ve taken the liberty to make the discovery process easier by arranging our top finds here for your perusal. Here are 35 of the best social media tools for writers.
Word Processing
As a writer, you may have grown comfortable with applications like Microsoft Word, the Open Office equivalent, or more basic text editors like Notepad for Windows or the Mac OS X mainstay known as TextEdit. But as you spend more time consuming information in your web browser, you might have a growing interest in producing material through the same piece of software. In that case, here are several that will likely suit most, if not all of your needs as narrator:
Google Docs – This is perhaps the most frequently mentioned processor of its kind, simply for the fact that it is a Google property. Whether the name association is good or bad in your eye, Google Docs is quite capable of replacing virtually all common tasks that your typical desktop-based whiteboard can manage.
Zoho Writer – This application is superb in all sorts of ways. It runs neck-and-neck with Google Docs insofar as features go, yet it’s got the added appeal of being an independent option. In a manner of speaking, Zoho Writer has big talent without the big title.
Adobe Buzzword – Like Google did with Docs (formerly known as Writely), Adobe purchased Buzzword. And like Google Docs and Zoho Writer, Buzzword happens to be a solid option. The most obvious difference with Buzzword is that the visual environment is considerably less light in tone. Adobe gray seems there to stay. Which has its appeal, we won’t deny.
ThinkFree Office Write – It doesn’t get spoken about very often, but ThinkFree’s Write application is able to swim with bigger fish if it’s tasked to do so. You may like or dislike it for various reasons, but technically speaking, it’s quite fortuitous.
picoWrite – Among picoScribe’s suite of applications, picoWrite is the one that makes wordplay happen. It’s not the most glamorous item listed in this first segment of services. You might think the toolbar provided is quite unattractive, in fact. Perhaps that adage of “don’t judge a book by its cover” is apt to restate here, however. Give it a go if you feel up to the challenge.
Microsoft Office Web – It’s not available for all to touch and see, but it’s coming. If you’re a Microsoft Word devotee, and can’t imagine having to transition to another brand for your writerly needs, just wait and you shall receive.
Blogging
Some authors write blogs to complement their long-form work. Sometimes bloggers’ work becomes a long-form product. Journalists, meanwhile, are increasingly required to write blogs to get closer and more familiar with their readers. Social media is the general idea. If you’d like to join this increasingly mainstream movement among the industry’s professional keyboardists, here are several great picks to choose from.
TypePad – One of the premier blogging services in operation today, TypePad, a Six Apart creation, puts a premium on ease of use and functionality. This month the company introduced an option for journalists to obtain a 1 year pro-level membership free of charge, ordinarily a $150 value. They call it the TypePad Journalist Bailout Program. In addition to membership, Six Apart promises visible placement on Blogs.com and enrollment in an advertisement revenue sharing program.
Movable Type – Also from Six Apart, Movable Type is more a business-level class of blogging platform, with emphasis on multi-user management and enhanced customization. If your fledgling blog turns into something of a phenom requiring incorporation and a full-time staff of 20+, Movable Type may be the thing to jump to.
WordPress.com – Renowned for its simplicity, openness and extensibility, WordPress.com is a hosted blogging service of immense popularity – largely because it’s free.
WordPress.org – You can roll your own blog with a custom WordPress.org installation on a server of your choice with a domain name of your choice. WordPress is the choice of many top blogs.
Squarespace – Customization is key with Squarespace, but it’s very much a visual experience. Almost everything can be handled with the click of a mouse, as opposed to WordPress.org’s sometimes granular, code-heavy makeup.
Blogger – Another simple and very popular blogging engine, Blogger is a Google-run platform that puts emphasis on the basics like none other. In fact, it might be considered too easy for some.
Microblogging
Taking the blogging thing one step further, microblogging restricts the writer to a 140-character-per-post exercise. As you might imagine, this requires inventiveness to produce qualitative and engaging material, whether it be conversational or promotional (or both). And there are a number of ways to go about engaging an audience in this fashion.
Twitter – The most popular and most recognized microblogging solution presently in play, Twitter has many functions. It’s used as a marketing engine. It’s used to talk to “followers.” It’s even used to chronicle poems and verse, as well as brief novella-like inventions. NYTimes reporter Matt Richtel is one figure who employed the platform for creative ends.
Laconi.ca – A microblogging service created in much the same way as Twitter, Laconi.ca allows users to do with 140-character messaging what WordPress.org is able to do with blogging. You create your microblog as you wish, invite whomever you like into the mix, and you’ve effectively got yourself a personal Twitter of your own design. It’s not easy to set up, mind you. But the challenge may prove worthwhile.
Facebook – A network of over 100 million people, Facebook is perhaps the largest purveyor of status updates on the Web next to nifty away messages posted by users of instant messaging services like AIM and Google Talk, et al. Status updates typically denote what a user is doing at a certain moment in time. But the ability to free-form one’s thoughts allows Facebook to act as a microblogging engine of sorts. If you establish a great network of people, the power of this can be extraordinary.
Jotting Ideas
Maybe you’re not ready to start on a book or short story or journalism piece. Maybe you just want to lay down your thoughts on certain matters to make better sense of your mission for a certain project. These services will keep those notes organized.
SpringNote – Founded on the wiki mantra, SprintNote is free, intuitive, enormously utilitarian, and even delivers an iPhone application to extend the experience. Because we all know that some of the best thoughts come when you least expect them – like when you’re walking a city street, without a notebook or desktop PC in view.
Evernote – This is a fantastic note management application that sports numerous access points, including the standard website, desktop applications for Mac and PC users, and even an iPhone-compatible application. All Evernote downloads can synchronize with a user’s account in the cloud.
Google Notebook – With desktop and mobile browser access, Google Notebook is simple, but powerful. Jot your ideas down quickly, wherever you might be, and have easy access when you get to your main terminal at home or at the office.
Zoho Notebook – Similar to Google’s application, Zoho Notebook puts emphasis on convenient information aggregation and collaboration. Need to run a concept by your editor for a manuscript or essay? This is a great way to do it. Wonderfully enough, login is provided for Zoho account owners as well as Google and Yahoo usernames.
Social Networking
Writers may not be the most social folks to roam the planet, but networking on the Web is all but a necessity for people seeking maximum exposure – and maximum sales! Here are several sites to occupy your time away from your word processor.
Red Room – A social network for authors to maintain pages and readers to get better acquainted with those they know and those they may not know so well. Red Room is packed with blogs, essays, videos, podcasts, events and more. It’s one of those places which, the deeper you delve, the more engaging it feels. And it’s still in beta!
Writer’s Network – What may seem a bit plain at first glance is in fact a surprisingly voluminous database of words and the writers behind them. It’s free, with plenty of tips, how-tos, and voting features to see how users rate your work alongside everything else.
Shelfari – A social network with emphasis on what you and others are reading, Shelfari is less about connecting authors to their fans than sharing recommendations and reviews. Of course, authors generally are avid consumers of content, and sometimes only reluctant producers, so sharing a personal library, even if you have an ISBN tag to call your own, might be a fun endeavor.
GoodReads – Similar to Shelfari but constructed in a way that more quickly grants users access to its various components and sections. Also, status updates were recently introduced to GoodReads. If nothing else, GoodReads can be highlighted for its independent role. Shelfari, alternatively, was recently acquired by Amazon.
Gather.com – This is a social network with wide-ranging subject matter, so it cannot claim to be the exclusive domain of readers. Still, Gather has its book clubs, which authors could certainly tap into.
LinkedIn – A website famous for its business networking acumen, LinkedIn could be where you introduce yourself to agents, editors, fellow writers and other valuable connections. Time spent here can be rewarding, for sure.
Facebook – You need only look to pages like that of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series, which have grossed roughly a half-million “fans” to see what kind of network effect you can get from Facebook. We mentioned it earlier in the microblogging portion of the roundup, and given the variety of active users, both in age and in occupation, it’s a clear fit in the social networking segment as well.
Jobs and Employment Resources
Hey, a writer’s gotta eat, eh? That’s the express reason for these two sites. Check them out, and if you’ve got suggestions for other services, shout ‘em out in the comments!
Freelancer’s Union – Want jobs? Want to meet important people? Want to advertise yourself and your business? Need insurance as an independently employed person? Freelancer’s Union delivers it all.
FreelanceWriting.com – It’s rough to browse and job leads can be a real pain to track, but FreelanceWriting.com presents lots of links. The more you frequent the site and watch the incoming streams of gigs offered to writers, the more you’ll get out of it.
Book Fairs/Shows
There are many book fairs that take place throughout the year, but there are some major hotspots that all but require publishers’ attention, and by extension, authors as well. Here’s a run-through of some of the majors.
Paris Book Fair – With a 2009 schedule of March 13-18, the Paris Book Fair is just one of the events each year in the French nation where celebration of ideas is the order of each day.
London Book Fair – This event takes places in the spring season (April), and is one of Europe’s largest and most important.
BookExpo America – Occupying the halls of the Jacob Javits Center in New York City for four days in May 2009, BookExpo America is perhaps the pinnacle of book gatherings in the US. Plenty of events occur in the American capital and places elsewhere to argue otherwise, but the name here speaks volumes. Pun intended.
Frankfurt Book Fair – Also one of the largest and most important of gatherings in Europe for the publishing industry, the Frankfurt Book Fair carries the torch for the global book tour each year in October. The 2009 schedule has it for October 14-18 to be specific. (via)
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