Thanks for all your support over the past few months. All of the old BN Ireland posts can now also be found on Web2Ireland and please post comments to them there.

I do understand, however, that the audience and the interest is still there; therefore, I am still able to serve the audience from my own personal blog, Raccolta Online. Be sure to follow me there (as well as my Twitterfeed) as I continue to explore the Chinese tech world.

I apologize for this inconvenience. It has been a pleasure serving you at blognation China, and I look forward to serving you more in future. Details regarding this recent move can be found on my blog (details are available in English, Chinese, German, French and Italian).

Thank you, and I hope to see you again.

After about 5 months, I joined blognation as editor for Belgium & Luxembourg and wrote a goodbye post titled ‘Exit Web.2point0.be, enter Blognation‘. I got the opportunity to do much of the same, only on a more professional platform and surrounded by other editors from around the globe. I was happy to be involved, and especially about the fact that I’d actually get paid for doing something I had already been doing free of charge for myself. Of course, we all know what happened instead - an abrupt ending indeed. I won’t be going into detail about this and how it affected me publicly, but I’ve already made it clear that I’m looking for other things to do now.

In the meantime, I’ve managed to migrate all my blognation posts back to my original blog, unfortunately without the comments and with a few lay-out problems. I’ll be blogging there again, evidently on a much slower rythm but with the same premise, until someone picks up either blognation or the general idea behind it.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Page Impressions in billions according to IVW:

Nov: 5.2
Oct: 4.4
Sep: 3.6
Aug: 3.2
Jul: 3.0
Jun: 2.8
May: 2.5

Time to milk that cow, but since the existing TOS and privacy policy were in the way of their ideas for monetising the platform they will change them effective December 20th and let their members know that they have to agree to the new terms by January 9th or their accounts will be suspended.

Significant changes include: accounts can no longer be deleted, like in Facebook they just become deactivated; members proactively have to agree that their personal data and analysis of their clickstreams can be used for serving targeted ads on the site, but also via text message, email, IM or phone; studiVZ can share user data with third parties if allowed by law.

I agree that studiVZ can share my user- and/or usage data with third parties if allowed by law and/or legal regulations or precedences.

Ich willige ein, dass studiVZ Bestandsdaten und/oder Nutzungsdaten von mir an Dritte weitergibt, wenn und soweit die Übermittlung der Daten aufgrund gesetzlicher Vorschriften und/oder infolge von Gerichtsentscheidungen zulässig ist.

Users can object to some of the changes regarding the usage of personal data and can opt out of getting ads delivered outside of the site it seems.

The phrasing of quoted section is disturbing though. I’m no lawyer but they seem to give themselves a carte blanche for doing anything they want with users’ data should they ever feel like it. We have seen an outburst of rage in the press, in blogs, from politicians and privacy advocates and concerned users alike and they just published an emergency press release stating that they don’t sell user data (they use the present tense in their clarification), that protecting their users’ privacy is their highest good, etc. to extinguish the fire. But there is a difference between sharing data (e.g. with law enforcing agencies) if required by law and sharing data with unspecified third parties if one way or the other allowed by law.

Anyways, it will be interesting to watch what they come up with and what they get through with both legally and with their users.

Further reading (in German): FAQ changes of TOS, StudiVZ setzt auf Schnüffel-Werbung [Spiegel – StudiVZ places its bet on spy ads], Heftige Kritik an Datenplänen des StudiVZ, [Welt Online – StudiVZ’s plans regarding privacy data under attack], Werbung und persönliche Daten: neue AGB für StudiVZ [heise – Ads and personal data: new TOS for StudiVZ] / basic thinking, blogbar, e-commerce-blog, kooptech, off the record, netzpolitik, nitchimoo and many more

And that, of course, refers to nothing other than the Samsung W629 mobile phone, now available only through Shenzhen Unicom. At CNY 8,888, this phone is tiny, extremely elegant, tiny, chock-full of gifts, neat features, a sight to behold — and (I think I said this before) — tiny.

And also costly.

The new phone does both CDMA and GSM networks (you’ll want this phone if you go to the US or Korea; my recent visit to South Korea, which is CDMA-only, was nothing less than mobile bloody murder), and is — in fact — the smallest mobile phone to do both CDMA and GSM networks.

Despite the exorbitant price tag (raised to CNY 9,800 or CNY 13,800 if you buy a “combo set”, which includes neat extras like credits or a “super-cool” mobile number), this phone is already in heavy demand. I’ve seen local ladies with miniscule phones before, so it kind of shocked me when the Shenzhen Business Today report told everyone that of the buyers that nabbed the whole first load — 100 phones in all — the majority of these people were gents. (But then again, I’d grab the phone if I wanted to anyway!)

The average farmer in the field, though, is not going to be the ideal buyer. Nope, this phone is reserved for “the privileged”; extras like golf club membership, one-to-one services and other VIP services are part of the deal.

Expensive? Sure. Here’s the other deal, though: Shenzhen Unicom is thinking of cutting call rates. However, Shenzhen Unicom can get terse when asked: a Q of “so will we see lower prices?” yielded a terse A of “I think so”.

So here you have it — one of those super-expensive phones that’s also super-tiny. Now that you have it — don’t lose it, no matter what you do!

Tags: blognation, China, blognation China, GSM, CDMA, Shenzhen Unicom

OK, here’s the More bit:

Read this post again. That’s right — read it again. You’ll want to.

Unfortunately, this post will enter into that undesired-yet-unavoidable list of endangered electronic species in the not-too-distant future. Blognation China was able to go strong for the best part of nearly 3 months, but the recent collapse of the blog network, as well as the horrifying turn of events, has lead to my decision. A decision which took time for me to digest, but is one I have to make.

With the mothership deeply in trouble, I have tried to save it, but the recent stepping down of even founder Sam Sethi has meant that blognation China has become that bit harder to maintain. Most troubling are developments that have occurred in the most recent 24 hours. It looks like that the quality and reliability of blognation China, in particular, could be seriously compromised given how things may turn out. I don’t want to go into this too deeply, but suffice it to say that I’m fully aware of how things are looking — and ladies and gentlemen, they do not look all that good.

I will not be leaving blognation for the moment (let me make that clear again: David Feng will not be leaving blognation China), but I will step aside and see if this ship has enough of what it needs to keep both itself afloat, and more importantly, the interests of the readership. This post, though, will be one of the last ones I’ll do for the time being — until things seem to twist and wiggle to the extent that an acceptable way out can be found.

It has not been that easy, and I do not wish to waste everyone’s time going into the excruciating details. If you want in on the 101, feel free to take a look at my take on my blog (if you do Chinese characters — traditional chars only! — click here instead. I know, not the most harmonious post for an age or two — and it leaves me only to say that I wish things didn’t turn out this way.

But more importantly, it leaves me to say how indebted I am to your constant support. I’ll still be kicking around, I will be doing what I’ve done so far, and I am hoping for better days for this great network.

Ladies and gentlemen, without your support, blognation China could not have hoped to be what it is now. We love the fact that you love the site, and that very David Feng principle — serving the readership with reliable and high-quality content — will continue, no matter where I’ll be.

Ever since blognation was launched in July, Arrington has wanted to write the post - “blognation enters the deadpool”. Last week he nearly got his wish?

For the last 6 months Arrington has threatened to publish, private and confidential emails that were sent to him, knowing it would create fear uncertainty and doubt (FUD) around blognation within the angel/VC community, whether the content was factual or not! The merest whif of litigation whether true or not caused our the potential investors to run for the hills back in July.

Arrington had made it very clear that he would withhold this information from the public domain but like the Sword of Damocles he would use this information at the right time. From that point on (yet with hindsight I deeply regret) I decided to keep up the pretense that blognation had closed funding to put Arrington off the scent and to prevent him publishing, in order to buy just enough time to raise new funding.

Sadly someone in blognation sent Arrington an internal email which he decided to publish along with the previously damaging part of the now four month old email thread between Lee Wilkins and I. This spooked the new VC and further delayed the funding process. Knowing that Arrington would love nothing better than to hear news of editors leaving blognation, I chose not to tell the editors the funding was once again delayed. That was wrong and I should have been honest with the team.

Due to some of the vitriolic internal emails and skype chats around the time of the delayed funding, which have now been publically air’d by others, I decided to exclude 3 editors from the team chatroom because of their ill feeling. The 10 remaining editors were then informed about the state of funding and chose to stay actively blogging knowing that the VC in question was working through the process if somewhat delayed but certainly before Christmas.

Finally last week we had got the funding termsheet on the table, some 3-4 months later than planned but we were ready to sign on 10th December yet Arrington chose to publish a stolen confidential term sheet which scuppered the deal for blognation and ALL of the remaining editors at the 23rd hour.

Arrington knew very well what effect publishing the termsheet would have on any potential deal and thus the future of blognation.

Right now Arrington is the only person who knows who stole and gave him the confidential termsheet. Arrington is the only person who knows why he chose to publish it knowing that it would cause maximum embarrassment to the VC and potentially force them to withdraw the offer.

Well the matter has now been reported to Scotland Yard’s Internet Crime Unit : Case Number: LC986409807 and the IC3. What happens next I am not sure but the IP address of the person accessing my account will be located and that person will face both criminal charges and eventually substantial damages. As for Techcrunch other parties may still choose to start legal proceedings for damages, I cannot say anymore.

More importantly, where does that leave blognation? Following a number of discussions, yesterday and today, a revised termsheet proved to be unworkable. I have announced internally that I am stepping down from blognation and that the company will be put up for auction, like edgeio, to ensure that the idea and vision can go forward and that ALL the (cr)editors are rewarded for their loyalty and hardwork. (note: unlike edgeio none of the editors were employees)

I am pleased to say that there are already a number of potential buyers who have come forward. I am now seeking advise on how best to manage this auction process.

Do I blame Mike Arrington, not really, it’s just business. As a silicon valley shark, Arrington took an opportunity to remove a small potential competitor. The confidential information was voluntarily sent to him, he warned me he would use it and he did. Whether publishing it is ethical or legal that is another matter; ReadWriteWeb, Mashable, GigaOm and other blognetworks didn’t feel the need to publish hearsay and confidential news.

Do I blame Lee, Oliver or Debi, not really. They were angry with me and as bloggers they chose to use the blogosphere to publish confidential information and vent their spleen.

Personally I blame myself for not finding a VC quicker to close the deal and for not trusting the team when things were hard. My focus is now on closing blognation ltd, selling the platform and brand asset in auction and using the proceeds to pay the creditors much like edgeio and supporting the transition to a new owner before I say a final goodbye to the blogosphere.

P.S further updates will appear here.

Yodao isn’t exactly visible on the Netease.com page, however. Although on its own domain, you’ll have to click Search (搜索) on the Netease page to get any mileage with Yodao.

With the new beta officially now reality, Yodao also has with itself “Yodao Read”, an online RSS reader. The service began as a test beta in late 2006, and in the course of a year, has added services including web site and blog searches, image searches, a desktop dictionary and a downloadable browser toolbar.

The interface resembles, to some extents, the simple UI that has adorned Baidu. There is, though, a somewhat hard-to-use (at least on my Mac running Safari 3) “flippy triangle” (to quote David Pogue in his Mac books). I thought that held your search history. I must have been wrong…

Oddly enough, Yodao has a cache function too. In fact, I was able to get to the Chinese Wikipedia entry about Singapore without suffering that feared connection reset! Of course, you’re safe from “sensitive contents”; type in, for example, the name of that great big square in the dead center of Beijing (in Chinese), and you get the result of the Tian’anmen Regional Management Committee as the first entry.

Well… I have to say, I liked the building better in snow. (We got snow about 3 days ago, by the way.)

Tags: blognation, China, blognation China, Mainland China, Internet in China, Yodao