I mentioned earlier that ZenKimchi Blogs & News was closing. That’s because this new site will make it obsolete.
Chatjip.com
Korean for “Teahouse,” Chatjip has been in the works since May, and we are assembling a good team of folks dedicated to making a stronger expat community. Here are the features.
Get the latest news and blog posts in one place.
Like ZenKimchi Blogs & News, Chatjip collects the news from the Korean blogosphere. Now it organizes it all in a clean interface that is easier to read. On the front page you can move the categories as you wish. Want to read Entertainment headlines on top? Just drag the “Entertainment” box to the top position. Chatjip remembers the configuration you have. You can also have the panels show0, 5, 10, and 15 headlines at one time.
The news topics also have their own pages if you want to dig even deeper into the news of the day. After a month, they’re put into the easily searchable and organized archives.
We also have a Twitter module for Korea Tweets, the KR-ittersphere, on the right sidebar. On the left edge of the screen is a tab that shows King Sejong’s tweets from the SeoulPodcast. On that tab, you can leave your own comments. Try it out!
Connect with others in Korea.
You can easily sign up for membership in Chatjip with your Facebook ID. Just click on the “Connect with Facebook” button, and it automatically signs you in as a member using the info you have in Facebook. You can also create your own separate membership.
The Community page is the heart of the site. It’s set up a little like Facebook, but it’s an accompaniment, not replacement, for Facebook. At Chatjip Community, you can connect to others with your interests.
Here’s an example.
You get a job out in Yongin. You don’t know anyone there, and you don’t want to make the journey into Seoul all the time for socializing. Fill out your profile as fully as you can, including city and neighborhood. On your finished profile, click on the city or neighborhood link, and you’ll find others close by who likely would be up for a meal or a drink. The main difference between Facebook and Chatjip Community is that the profiles are tailored to people living in Korea.
More features like instant messaging are on the way. In the meantime, features are added regularly, like games and profile enhancements.
The first troll-free forums in Korea.
We’ve created forums using the most up-to-date software that are already hooked up to your Chatjip account. There’s no need to fill in another registration form. The forums contain more subjects to tailor to the growing diverse interests of the community.
Now, here’s where the challenge is.
We’ve learned from experience and observation that laissez-faire forums attract the bullies and social retards and drive away people like you and me just trying to ask simple questions. Chatjip forums have little tolerance for trolls. Expressing yourself is fine and encouraged. We even have minimal language filtering. Yet we have a strict policy on personal attacks and harassment. If someone is ruining the party, click on the ‘!’ button, and a moderator will take care of it. Repeat offenders will have their IPs suspended, and they will have a difficult time returning because we block all IP proxies.
What does that mean?
It means that Chatjip forums are difficult for jerks to mess up. So now we have a safe place to get information, help and to have stimulating civil chat with other human beings. The asswipes will just have to go to the other big board to abuse people.
Find out what’s going on.
Events are a major deficit in the K-blogosphere. We have a constantly updated events calendar for any type of happening. Tours, DJs, concerts, festivals, art shows, classes, and more! If you have an event you wish to promote tell us, and we’ll add it.
Better information.
The posts from ZenKimchi Blogs & News have been moved to “The Big Blog” in Chatjip. Posts will be more informative, so you won’t have to search through multiple blogs and message boards for simple basic life info.
Enhance your leisure time on and off work.
Our Leisure, Travel and Food sections cover some of the most entertaining blogs out there that give suggestions on where to go, what to do and how to make the most of your time in Korea. Even if you’re at work, the Videos, Podcasts and Time Wasters can occupy any static break time.
Plug your blog. Plug your business. Plug your organization.
We have created the easiest and most affordable means to advertise. Our ads start as low as $3.
That’s right. Three dollars.
That’s cheap enough to just write “I love cheese” for no reason whatsoever (as long as you have a site to link it to).
Our premium banner ads are also affordable and laser targeted to reach the expat audience in Korea. We have multiple plans for your needs, whether you want to drive traffic directly to your site or if you just want to enhance brand recognition.
Get involved.
In Chatjip communities, you can create groups, share pictures and share videos. You can also be a part of the Chatjip administration team itself. When you reach a certain rank in the forums or a certain level of Karma Points for community activity, you qualify to be a part of the Chatjip Administration Team. Being a team member can have some benefits, such as free advertising and swag like party passes.
We hope we have a site that you will make use out of. ZenKimchi Blogs & News is closing, but the ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal, ZenKimchi Dining and ZenKimchi Adventures will still be open. Go to Chatjip and test it out. Read the FAQ. Sign up and introduce yourself.
Have fun!
