"Blog Bank" Replaces iGoogle Page
[Update: See Blog Bank updated to be Resource Bank]With the upcoming demise of iGoogle (see image above), I've decided to explore better options for what used to be the "Learn Chinese" iGoogle Page. The best new thing I've found is NetVibes.So I'm very happy to announce the release of the "Learn Chinese" Blog Bank (which I've translated as xué zhōngwén bókè kù 学中文博客库).This is supposed to be your "one stop shopping" place to see all the blogs about learning Chinese, as well as a few daily word feeds, videos, podcasts, and forums. I'm sure I've missed some good ones, so please let me know and I'll add them in.
Share the Good News
Since a lot of us bloggers benefit from being included in this, I hope you'll promote this on your own website so that more people can use it. If you'd like to do so, just copy this code into a sidebar widget or wherever.
Code:
[raw] <a href="http://www.netvibes.com/learnchinese" target="_blank"><img src="http://laowaichinese.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/blogbank-o-300.jpg" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://laowaichinese.net/blog-bank-replaces-igoogle-page.htm" target="_blank"><i>What's this?</i></a> [/raw]
Looks like this:
Or a smaller version:
[raw] <a href="http://www.netvibes.com/learnchinese" target="_blank"><img src="http://laowaichinese.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/blogbank-o-250.jpg" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://laowaichinese.net/blog-bank-replaces-igoogle-page.htm" target="_blank"><i>What's this?</i></a> [/raw]
Looks like this:
Advantages of NetVibes over iGoogle or Other Aggregators:
It's a web page, so it's viewable on all devices (there are other readers I like more, but they're either only for Apple or not for Apple, etc.)
I can make tabs (such as "Word of the Day / Lessons" and "Videos / Podcasts")
Any changes I make will "go live" immediately, so the next time you view the "dashboard" (as it's called) you'll see the latest version of the Blog Bank. (The iGoogle page was "frozen" in whatever state it was in when you added it to your own iGoogle account.)
Decision-Making Process
I consulted my old iGoogle page as well as sites I know plus a thorough browsing of China Blog Network's "Learning Chinese Blogs" category to try to get the most comprehensive listing possible. Again, if I missed you, and you're still blogging about learning Chinese, please let me know and I'll add you in.I removed blogs that hadn't been updated in 2013 just to try to keep the collection as current as possible. Exceptions were made for a few classic bloggers who might not write that often but I like them and so they got thrown in anyway.You might have noticed my own blog is in "pole position" at the top. After that, I roughly arranged blogs in order of my own personal preference and also frequency of posting. Blogs that haven't been updated in a month or so appear farther down than those that have more frequent updates. I do, of course, realize the hypocrisy of putting my own at the top, since I'll often go months without posting.Also, I specifically did not include blogs that are only about life / culture in China. I really want this dashboard to be a resource about Chinese language learning.So if you've got any feedback or suggestions for missing resources, please either leave a comment or email me.