'Web applications'에 해당되는 글 2건
- 2008/09/23 Power of tools. Does it apply to Asian work culture?
- 2008/09/03 I'm sorry but Google Chrome doesn't mean jack in Korea. (10)
2008/09/23 16:09
Power of tools. Does it apply to Asian work culture?
2008/09/23 16:09 in basic info
How do I keep up with all the ever-changing information, news and knowledge, and tasks I need to finish? Most of them through online tools. I use a great number of web applications every day. Starting with Google products (gmail, calendar, reader, analytics, feedburner), I go into other amazing services like Springnote (which I mentioned in the last post) and RememberTheMilk. Tistory is a hosted blogging service which runs on top of Textcube (which I introduced here). TechnoKimchi blog itself runs on Tistory. Not to mention services like Meebo. My life often revolves around staying inside Firefox (sometimes inside Chrome and IE, too ^^) Of course, having ubiquitous networks in Korea is always a great help to me.
One interesting finding about the relationship between tools and productivity is that it doesn't seem to matter as much at workplaces in Asia. Productivity is always measured, but the measure doesn't necessarily mean we're really productive and efficient. They're just numbers. When I was working at Samsung, many of co-workers took 30-40 min long coffee or smoke breaks, not counting lunch breaks. This is a common scene around Korea and we're known to work more than anybody else!
Springnote, for example, is an amazing service. The reason I'm doing global marketing for Springnote is quite simple: I fell in love with the product and decided to become a voice for it myself. It's got some cool edges over other products, like being the only application combining personal note-taking with wikis to full-extent and 2 GB of free file storage. If you're a college student, hey, this is the place to be, right?
But the scene in Korea is a little bit different. Despite the efficiency and productivity presented by Springnote, when college students have group projects, I've witnessed that they would sometimes create a Cyworld Club (a community site) and manually keep up with each other's contact info, manage schedules (just in pure text formats) and share files as attachments. Given Cyworld clubs allow you to attach files only up to 5 MB each, which is too small for many files you need to share, they sign up for other file-hosting services, actually paying real money. And everything I just mentioned can be done in Springnote so easily and for free. (Of course, Springnote has been doing exceptionally well in Korea!)
So in Korea, you can't find a single "tool" service that's done well beside Springnote. At the same time, when it comes down communities and content, it's gone crazy. The best part of Korean news articles and blogs? Comments. Comments are so important in Korean society now that those comments are changing the laws and the way TV programs are structured.
This is very important as many Web companies from the West are trying to move into the Asian market. It doesn't work the same way. Web 2.0 is about social, right? Remember that Asia has always been about social for centuries, or even millennia.
Next time you design a Web service for Asia, add even more "social" flavor to it. Let people talk, participate, contribute, and "be da man". If you still can't get it, come to the Open Web Asia conference; the topic of the conference is "Social Web in Asia" :)
brought to you by
2008/09/03 03:28
I'm sorry but Google Chrome doesn't mean jack in Korea.
2008/09/03 03:28 in basic info
Exactly! The Web is now about web applications, right?
Not in Korea. Not in another 5, or maybe even 10 years. Not the way Google envisions it. Web applications are everywhere in Korea because they're mostly written based on Active X! Wait a minute. Did I just mention the unmentionable? Yeah, you heard me right. Active X is what we have in Korea, the "digital capital of the world."
What's even more shameful is this: it's the law that says I MUST have Windows to be able to make any kind of banking transactions, credit card based purchases, or even to get authorization for e-gov't stuff. Well, the law doesn't exactly say it; but most of the actions are made based on Active X applications, which can be run on Windows only. And that is required by law.
Many Korean web sites, ranging from internet banking sites to TV livecasting sites, mandate users to install Active X components (a small bit of extension program used by Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser) to use the service. Which means if you are a Firefox user in Korea, there are many websites that are quite integral to your life that you simply can't use.Just imagine not being able to purchase anything on Amazon or Ebay, or to use Paypal unless you have Windows running on your machine. Yes, I'm talking to you, Mac and Linux users. Actually, all of non-IE browser users. Korean government is basically telling me that unless I'm rich enough AND willing to pay another $100 for Windows, I don't deserve to do anything on the Web. That's the most disgusting thing I've seen since the birth of the Web. And I live here :(
For example, you cannot print public documents by accessing government websites on Firefox. Or, for that matter, you cannot even buy a Mac on a Mac - as the credit card transaction requires the installation of a security program that only exists as an Active X control for Internet Explorer. Want to buy a Mac from their online store? Get a PC.
-- Are you a Korean web user? You might have 100+ Active X's installed, Web 2.0 Asia
I'm not an emotional blogger, but the Google Chrome news basically pissed me off and even saddended me because it looks like an awesome application, but won't mean anything in the Korean market. It's just not usable because it only supports Google Gears, not Active X.
As much as I've been bragging about the digital culture and the Internet environment in Korea on TechnoKimchi, I'm more than willing to "tell the world" about the unacceptable things that are happening in Korea: I've already criticized President's Lee's policies on the Internet and I'm so ready to go further.
Why am I crying out like this? Because I want Korea to have a better Web environment! If TechnoKimchi can take even the littlest and tiniest part in achieving that goal, hey, I'll gladly take the "cry baby" nickname.
Anyhow, come, come, Chrome. I want to see you soon. You seem to be a marvellous engineering feat. Google, make more money and share that with Mozilla foundation.
A happy and a sad day for me.
brought to you by
Prev