Asia Times Online - The trusted news source for information on Japan

Japan

NEC, NTT-X, other firms start blogging

TOKYO - Blogging has come to Japan, and leading Internet firms and venture companies see such services as a way to attract subscribers and generate more banner ad revenue.

A blog, or Web log, is an online journal that can be accessed with a browser like any other Web site. The advantage is that they are much easier to make and update than a conventional site because they require no special technical knowledge.

Net advertiser Cyber Agent Inc. launched a blog service at the end of January that quickly updates blogs to reflect e-mail magazines. Global Media Online Inc. will begin one in February that enables subscribers to use any address they want for their blog. NetAge Inc. began testing a blog service for cellular phones last fall, and plans to turn it into a business this spring.

NEC Corp. will begin offering a blog service this spring as part of its Biglobe Internet service. The company may even include functions that enable blogs to be viewed and updated from cellular phones.

NTT-X Inc., operator of the goo portal site, also plans to begin a service this spring.

(Asia Pulse/Nikkei)

Jan 23, 2004

No material from Asia Times Online may be republished in any form without written permission.

Privacy and Legal Policies