Comment by Vimy

November 9, 2007 @ 2:47 pm

Whoa, DeOrio, you really over-hyped that podcast. Now I know why I never listen to or read Metropolis. It’s a constant stream of ads. Could the host be more condescending? “Thousands of teachers unemployed, you say? My, my, my, how terrible.” Oh, you have a podcast, too? How quaint.”

Back to the actual interview, to save listeners some time– and their sanity–download Part 2 of the podcast and jump to the 11 minute mark to listen to Ken.

It’s ironic that Ken brings up Gaijinpot as an information resource for Nova teachers. What GP has up is not bad, but it’s nothing teachers don’t already know.

More to the point, when Nova started its slide into oblivion in June, GP was actively deleting threads critical about Nova because, at the time, Nova was an advertiser there. There were some good discussions about Nova but they all got deleted. The GP refugees moved over to Let’s Japan where they have been ever since.

After Nova failed, GP created a new “Nova” forum and put together a few pages of information for teachers as if nothing happened. Anything for a buck, huh? I say forget GP and read LJ.

I like TPR’s podcasts. Please don’t go down the path Metropolis has chosen.

Comment by DeOrio

November 9, 2007 @ 3:33 pm

Glad you like TPR, Vimy. Thanks for the kind words. For what it’s worth, we prefer things a little more stripped down and streamlined than the MetPod. Suffice it to say, I’d do things a little bit differently if MetPod were my project. (Over two hours every week is a bit long overall and the advertisements and intro material do go on a bit long.)

Then again, it’s a podcast for a free paper - being mostly ads is what it’s been about for them since day one, back when Metropolis was Tokyo Classified.

I wouldn’t mind having a generous sponsor, though.

GaijinPot has done a decent job of putting nuts and bolts info in one place, but, as far as forums on or discussions of the Nova situation go, I agree with you - I prefer Let’s Japan.

Comment by Croce

November 9, 2007 @ 3:36 pm

Vimy,

More to the point, when Nova started its slide into oblivion in June, GP was actively deleting threads critical about Nova because, at the time, Nova was an advertiser there. There were some good discussions about Nova but they all got deleted. The GP refugees moved over to Let’s Japan where they have been ever since.

I get the sense that he was very well aware of that, but diplomatic enough not to bring it up at a time when raising that point would have been an unhelpful distraction.

Comment by DeOrio

November 9, 2007 @ 3:42 pm

I’ll let Ken speak for himself, but I’m fairly certain he was referring specifically to Gaijin Pot’s Advice for Nova Teachers section, which is what I was referring to in my previous comment. My comment above is probably about as strong a comment you’ll see TPR make on it.

The silver lining to what GP did may well be just what you say, Croce - it helped consolidate and improve the forum at LJ.

Comment by Kraig

November 28, 2007 @ 4:26 am

More to the point, when Nova started its slide into oblivion in June, GP was actively deleting threads critical about Nova because, at the time, Nova was an advertiser there. There were some good discussions about Nova but they all got deleted.

GP is a business. Anyone commenting there should be aware of that.

Comment by DeOrio

November 28, 2007 @ 10:32 am

OK, I’ll bite. Newspapers are businesses, too, but people would be pretty ticked if they suppressed or removed items critical or damning of their adertizers. (Not that this doesn’t happen - just think Dentsu.)