An apology, and diving back in

Last year I made a couple of posts about being a better blogger (part 1 and part 2). I got some very nice and encouraging responses, and I felt like around that time I was gaining some great momentum in terms of my goal: becoming a successful blogger.

Unfortunately, around the time my 3 years in Japan were coming to an end, I lost focus. My attention turned towards my relationship with my then girlfriend, reintegrating into life in the States, getting a job, getting a car, etc. In short: excuses. Sure, life happens and it's not uncommon for bloggers to go through dry spells or shift priorities. And honestly I was in doubt about what would happen here. No longer being in Japan, would JADJ shift focus or simply fade away into the digital abyss like so many other blogs have and do?

As I review what's been going on here, I realize that in the past year or so (holy crap, has it already been a year?) I've largely neglected some of the behaviors I so strongly espoused - namely participating in the blogging community! Sure, I was still reading some blogs here and there, but not as often. And I was engaging and dropping comments far less than I used to. Friendship Fridays and Just Another Week in Japan became too time-consuming and difficult to write, so I stopped posting them. So many things placed on the side burner...(I still need to get to Loco's book!).

Getting my head back in the game, I notice that our readership has about frozen or even dropped slightly from where it was at. Looking around at my favorite J-blogs, some have gained ground (good for you guys!) and some have kind of come to a standstill. Kind of sad to see, but it's the natural life cycle.

So for now I want to just offer my apologies to our readers and fellow bloggers. I didn't follow my own advice and I dropped the ball. But I can and will do better! Being a successful blogger is still an important goal of mine. Writing and reading comments is still a pleasure, and poring over blog stats and graphs still gets my blood pumping. It looks like two of our most viewed posts are about reading Japanese nutrition facts and how to use McDonalds wifi in Japan. That is telling, and I'm glad that some of our content has (hopefully) been helpful to someone out there.

In the meantime, I do have a request for anyone willing to comment. If you have blog (preferably Japan-related, but not necessarily) that you think I'm unaware of, let me know in the comments. This goes for your own blog(s) or those that you follow. The past two or three weeks I've been looking around for new J-blogs that may have sprouted up but have come up relatively empty handed.

Just Another Week in Japan: Party Time

So ends the third week of May, 2011. Today I'm hosting a house party, so let's cut to the chase!

Here are my highlights for this week:

Life in Japan

There was an article at the Japan Times Online this week about how comparing culinary preferences isn't the best way to draw cultural lines . But try explaining that next time you're asked if you like sushi or natto!

On a very similar note, Jay Dee in Japan wrote about answering some of the common (mis)conceptions that he still encounters after six years in Japan. It's true - in the West many people do know how to use chopsticks!

There was an article and some lively comments at Super Happy Awesome Fun Time about holograms. More specifically about how musical holograms are being used at concerts in recent years.

I wrote a piece this week about the special attachment that Japanese society seems to have to high school culture. Some great comments, too!

Japanese Study

Moji Maki featured a post about a nice resource for using Japanese music as a study tool.

For this month's Japan Blog Matsuri, Joe wrote a great post on his experience studying kanji using Heisig's Remembering the Kanji.

If you've ever had trouble remembering the proper Japanese spelling of "Konnichiwa," look no further than this post, and remember forever. FOR-EV-ER.

Blogging

Another piece by Coppyblogger - some tips on how to write high-quality content fast.

No, this picture doesn't really have anything to do with anything.

Just Another Week in Japan: Real Japanese schoolgirls and reviewing your life

Happy Golden Week to those in Japan (though for most of you it's fragmented this year)!

And so ends the last week of April, 2011 (4月第4週間目2011年). If you're planning on sitting for this year's JLPT, I hope you submitted your application by Thursday. If not, well...guess you're not taking it until December. Anyhow, here are this week's highlights:

Life in Japan

• First off, a couple entries by a blog I just found this week, Adventures of the Directionally Challenged. Jana writes about her life as it relates to her travels around the world, including to Japan. And so here are her posts, "Why Labeling Sucks" and "(Real) Japanese Schoolgirls."

• Here's the story of an English teacher who was arrested for grabbing the mic from one of those annoying politicians campaigning on the street corner and telling him to shut up; over at Japan Subculture Research Center. Dumb move...but well done.

• And I wrote a short post on the local cats. Some good discussion in the comments about neighborhood cats and gaijin traps.

Japanese Study

• Daniel over at How to Japonese introduced the phrase (or word, I suppose)「やられた！」.

• Rene at Shinjiki Shindoi presented another round of onomatopoeia.

• And here's my contribution, about, uh...mouth bacteria and toothpaste and AJATT, and stuff...

Engrish

• An interesting puzzle over at Tokyo Tako. Guess the source of the Engrish, win a prize.

• And over at Supper Happy Awesome Fun Time, who doesn't enjoy delicious happy time?

• I had an epiphany thanks to a trash bin.

Blogging

• An interesting post at Source Blogger about whether or not it will benefit your blog to expand your topics. Not a new post, but new to me!

Please share any other cool thinks you found this week! Or if you're a blogger, what was your best post of the week?

Just Another Week in Japan: 1st Edition!

First of all, Happy Easter to those who celebrate it!

Today wraps up the third week of April, 2011 (4月第3週目2011年). This is the start of a new series, which I hope to continue weekly, of highlights that I found either important, entertaining, or interesting for this 7-day span. So here's what was going on this week:

Video Games

• I found an interesting blog called Failthroughs. Apparently it's about the experiences of these two guys who play through Japanese games without any (or hardly any) understanding of the Japanese language. What caught my eye is that they're currently playing Romancing Saga 2, which I've been playing a bit myself recently. 

• Earlier this week I wrote about a sim game for the iPhone/Touch that I found quite novel: Game Dev Story. As much as I hate to admit it, maybe the iPod is becoming a legitimate gaming platform.

Japanese Study

• Rene at Shoujiki Shindoi featured another post on Japanese onomatopoeia, this time focusing on words associated with anger and agitation. 

• Bobby Judo posted a video at the Daily Yoji, which has been struggling in recent months to come out with new content. Bobby talks about how many Americans have difficulty distinguishing between Asian cultures and races but also how the same thing happens in Japan. Worth a watch! (Bonus note: around 5:40, one of Rene's vocabulary words, イライラした, makes an appearance).

• Moji Maki shared some recommended websites and Firefox plugins useful for supplementing your Japanese studies. I use Chrome, personally, but according to Google Analytics, many of you prefer the big FF.

Blogging

• On Monday Ashley of Surviving in Japan featured a guest post by yours truly on how to track pollen in Japan. Her site is useful for all kinds of Japan-related how-to's.

• Chris of Confessions of a Badboy in Japan looks to be starting up a new site or network of sorts with the goal of linking all of the more "adult" Japan-related blogs out there. If you enjoy reading more mature content, this may be something for you to keep an eye on.

• Kirk of Jamaipanese received 5000 yen from a fan, for the, uh...Send Kirk to Japan Fund. Someone has some quality fans!

• Recently been reading a lot of posts over at Reviewz 'n' Tips, a blog about blogging. I've linked a thoughtful post about 5 things you'll need to succeed at blogging.

• Not exactly blogging related, but there was a teddy bear that also happens to be a melon at Super Happy Awesome Fun Time.

Have anything good to add? If anything comes to mind, please share what you consider to be some of the best posts/links of this week.

Being a Better Blogger Pt. 2

There are a lot of articles out there about how to be a better blogger, and they'll give you some useful tips like "write some posts ahead of time and save them" and some not-so-helpful tips like "write good posts." But in this article I'm going to tell you what I think makes for being a successful blogger.

As promised, I need to qualify that. By successful, I don't just mean "has a big readership" or "makes money off of ads." Successful means different things to different people. But for our purposes here, I'm defining "successful" as well-trafficked and well-respected in the (blogging) community.

1. Give and take

Read other blogs and websites, and reference or link them when you can. Not only does this give you more credibility as someone who is well-read and involved in what you're talking about, but it gives you the chance to possibly build a relationship with fellow bloggers. Not only is it ok, but sometimes it's a great idea to link to an interesting post on another blog and give your readers some of your thoughts on it. Your readers will be grateful to find another good website and your colleague may be glad, as well. I know I always am!

Just as we all love to see our own names in writing and hear our names spoken (don't try to deny it), bloggers love to see their posts mentioned. Most likely they will remember that you tried to give them a boost.

2. Participate!


Bolded and with an exclamation point. Not only should you be participating (commenting) at other websites, but you should especially be involved in the dialogue going on at your own blog. If you have comments enabled, you should be replying to comments, end of story. It feels good to receive a comment, but it also feels good to receive a reply. If you're not going to engage your readers, how can you expect them to engage you?

Personally if I comment at another blog two or three times in a row without receiving a reply, I quit commenting (and sometimes reading).

3. Post often


This one is probably pretty self explanatory. I think most bloggers who stop posting for weeks or months do so because they have either given up or don't have time to write. But just realize that if you stop posting for weeks or months, you will lose readers, and you will have to work to get them back. Last year when I went home to America in November my posting rate fell off significantly. As you'd expect, I lost readers.

4. Build and maintain your site


I've become convinced that in some ways blogging is like high school. For one thing, looks matter. Sure, there are some good blogs that look kind of plain, but they have the personality to make up for it. Conversely I've seen a lot of nice-looking blogs with content that is plain uninteresting. Some of those same blogs don't even update very often. And yet they get a lot of views. The good-looking blogs can get away with a lot. Now if only I had the cash for a professional makeover...

Along the same vein, I've seen way too many websites with unattended sidebars and blogrolls. I do check out the blogroll links of websites I like. It's disappointing and lowers my opinion of said websites just a tad when only half the blogs are still up and running. Sometimes I'll click on a link only to find it broken or to be taken to a blog that hasn't been updated in two years. Personally, with few exceptions I'll delete a blog from my list if it hasn't been updated in more than a couple months. They can get back on, but they have to be active!

Your links and sidebars are part of your blog. If you have pride in your website, you should maintain it.

5. Focus on quality


When your post is an article, make sure it's neat and well-presented. Spread out your content and make it easy to read. Try to avoid huge blocks of text, and be careful about rushing your writing. Avoid grammatical and spelling mistakes (I'm guilty of often pushing the "publish" button too quickly, myself)!

6. Be visual

See? Don't you feel relieved by this picture?

Along with #5, it always helps to have at least one picture to break up the monotony. It can be kind of a put-off to see nothing but a sea of words! Use pictures you've taken yourself or something online. Just be sure not to steal someone else's property. Wikimedia Commons is a nice resource for pictures of all sorts of things.


7. Develop "your thing"

Every good blog needs a distinguishing characteristic. This could be exceptional quality, a unique voice, a theme of some kind, or just a special atmosphere that you create. Your blog's personality, if you will. To take a couple of examples:

Chris, at his blog, Confessions of a Badboy in Japan uses an almost in-your-face blend of unapologetically telling things how he sees them, and exploring some of the more mature themes about experience in Japan that most blogs avoid.

For a different flavor, there's Kirk's Jamaipanese - a blog that explores both life in Jamaica and a burning interest in Japanese culture.

Both of these blogs have found "their thing." They have distinct personalities, and I gather that's one reason why their readers like them.

8. Pay it forward


I don't believe in karma, but I do believe that ultimately what goes around comes around. I've talked a lot about plugging fellow bloggers and being a part of the community. Let me stress that I don't mean you should ingratiate yourself to others so that they will help you get more readers.  But what I'm saying does include cooperation and empathy.

I've been on both sides of the fence. Not too long ago I emailed both Kirk and Loco, asking for some blogging advice. I received thoughtful replies from both, and Loco tried to plug me, as well. I've also gotten much-appreciated support and feedback from Orchid.

We've also been referenced by other websites on occasion. Let me tell you, I never forget when someone has plugged or promoted JADJ, and I look for chances to get them back in the future. People remember this kind of thing, so don't be stingy!

For those of us who have been around a little while, it can be hard to remember exactly what it was like starting up. I can imagine it must be even harder for the "A-Listers." But just imagine, when you were just a fledgling startup, how much would it have meant to you to get a link from one of the "big guys," and maybe gain a few extra views. A lot.

I'm not saying you should be linking willy-nilly or to websites with little or not good content. But just try to be aware that you could make a big difference for someone with great ability or ideas who just can't attract many readers on his or her own.

9. Use the tools available to you


I resisted for as long as I could, but after a while I realized that by not using resources like Twitter and Facebook, I was depriving myself of valuable ways not only to get JADJ out there, but to consume more media about Japan and discover other worthwhile websites and blogs about Japan. Twitter is a great tool for finding information and learning about any topic, provided you're following the right people.

As for how to effectively promote, I'll have to get back to you on that. I still haven't discovered the secret of how to get people to retweet my posts. But I've seen other bloggers' posts retweeted to hell - that means those links are circulated to hundreds of readers.

While this is by no means a comprehensive article on "how to be a successful blogger," I hope you'll consider my advice. There is no secret or straight and clear path to becoming successful, but there are certainly things you can do to help yourself and others on the way.

What do you think is most important? Is there anything you would add?

Being a Better Blogger Pt. 1

Blogging was a lot more difficult back then.

Blogging can be hard work. Blogging can be frustrating. And growth can be slow. But you know what? I love it.

Before the advent of the internet, there weren't a lot of practical ways to make yourself heard on a large scale unless you it was your job (i.e. you were a journalist, politician, etc). Nowadays, with tools like Twitter, Facebook, and all manner of blogging services, all you really need is a computer, internet access, time and patience.

But that said, those are just the minimum. If you want to grow and get your stuff out there, you need to consider some other things, too.

In this post, I want to talk a little bit about why I'm writing this and about my experience with this blog. In part 2, I'm going to offer my advice for building up your blog. Careful, though - it will be qualified advice. But more about that later.

So first off, what prompted this reflection? Well, honestly I've been kind of angry lately. Not so much "punch someone in the face" angry as "what am I doing wrong?!" angry. Why? Because as I mentioned, growing a blog takes time.

Now I don't want to tear anyone down, especially those who have worked hard to be successful, but sometimes the appeal of the bigger and more popular blogs in my niche eludes me. But that is a good realization to have - I don't always know what kind of content people enjoy. Something for me to work on.

Then there are the big "A-List" blogs - those guys who have made it to the top of Google search and make part of their living off of ad revenue. Yet so many of them link or reference fellow bloggers about as often as Scrooge allowed Cratchit to throw another piece of coal into the furnace. Don't go looking for crumbs there! 

Perhaps equally frustrating, however, is finding new yet popular blogs, which have only been started in recent months (or less than a year ago) that have more readers or subscribers than I do. It's not that I begrudge their success - it's that I begrudge the speed of their success. 

So I did the mature thing. I complained about it to my friends. And I lamented the unfairness of life. Why, God?! Why don't you send more readers to my blog?

Then I decided to shrug it off and turn that energy towards more productive outlets. 

Earlier I was reading some articles over at Coppyblogger and came across one that struck a chord. It's called "Why No One Links to Your Best Posts (And What to Do About It)". I tweeted the link and got a couple thoughts from Anna and Ashley, and afterwards decided to write this. 

For those of you who are new to the world of blogging and/or don't have the inclination to read the article, it basically says that the fundamental cannon of blogging, "Content is king," is flawed. Yes, you need to post interesting content if you want to attract and keep an audience. But that's not all there is to it. You can have some amazing stuff, but if no one's aware of your site, it may as well be trash. You need to attract readers from somewhere.

According to Cb, the trick is networking. That's something I've been working at for months (at least), but not because I wanted more traffic. Well, at least not mainly for that reason, though I'd be lying if I didn't say that's not added motivation. The real reason is because there is a community of bloggers, no matter what you're writing about. I guarantee you that there is some group of dedicated people writing about whatever niche you're blogging about. 

Whether or not you realize it, you're a part of that community. Sure, there may be some minor competition here or there to attract readers or cover a certain story, but these people are your colleagues and could be your friends. They often have similar experiences and interests and would be happy to talk to you. Often the insights and ideas that you share can benefit both of you.

Most bloggers are number people, even if they won't admit it. It's especially the case when you're starting up, but not significantly less so later on - the numbers can lift you up or break your spirit. Gaining subscribers, seeing your views go up over time, getting comments - these are gold to bloggers. I know those things still make me feel really good, so it's my policy to try to pay it forward where I can.

In my case, it's been almost two years now since I started up this blog. We have almost 50 subscribers and, though there are good days and bad, receive about 100 unique views a day. Although it's hard to measure, I'd say we're in the lower middle section of the totem pole that is the Japan blog-o-sphere. Growth is slow, but definitely observable. And I'm doing my best to refine our content and provide interesting reading/viewing material.

It may not look like it, but I've spent a lot of time on this site. Hours and hours and hours. Not only writing, but playing around with formatting and themes, researching and trying to implement widgets to make the blog more attractive and accessible, and doing my best not to only be a good member of the J-blogging community, but to make this blog somewhat respectable within that community. As you can probably tell, on all counts I've met with mixed success. But I'm still trying, and I'm not going to stop any time soon. 

So while I'm by no means a leading authority on blogging success, there are definitely some important lessons I've learned in these two years that might be of interest to some of my fellow bloggers. 

If you'd like to know what I think makes for a successful blog, come on back for part 2!