Japan's Channel 2 - A forum for venting

I just read a fascinating and somewhat coincidental article in the New York Times this morning about a Web site that has grown very popular in Japan. Channel 2 is a place where Japanese can openly voice their opinions and vent, in a culture which tends to steer more towards keeping things to one's self. The site is a growing outlet for Japanese to share their thoughts on the world and society in an open and anonymous forum.

Read about it here

If you can read and speak Japanese vist Channel 2 here and tell us what you learn. 

Coincidence or global trend?

Arrrr! Would you please let us know when a link requires registration?

Okay, let me comment on this. I am Japanese.

First, I admit as a sysadmin I do not like "2 Channel".

Sometimes there are good (and excellent) things, I admit, for example, localizing ".Text" or some other developer-related topics, but for the most part there are garbages... like handwritings in a bathroom of park or station.
 As people can keep their status as being anonymous and do not have to take responsibility there are comments rude, inconvenient, and bogus. Just like a garbage, you know...

When someone is attacked it is like a hell to that person, as there will always be rude people and also people who do not see reality and express comments with no reality. With no need to have responsibility for each of the comments This kind of BBS can easily become a hall of shame. I am not saying that all of them are so but there are too few of good items found there, at least for me.

YamaKen - I understand that there is a lot of noise on Channel 2 and a lot of unproductive conversations. Do you think that it serves as a venting forum for a culture that does not normally do this in public?

Many will certainly be sympathetic to your point of view on this, as its been a long running issue with usenet newsgroups of course, and sites such as The Vault and another whose name I'm too polite to even give you here, f****dcompany.com 

I guess in the States we've become inured to this sort of behavior, so we don't think of it as being "like a hell" for anyone. 

The nice thing about newsgroup readers and many sophisticated forum sites, is that they have built-in tools to allow the users to filter what they see; ignore threads, ignore users, even filter language (like the obsfuscated web address above).  

That may be what Channel 2 needs, but frankly I hope it becomes even more popular regardless of that, because IMHO Japanese society can use the sort of openness that Channel 2 inspires. 

BTW, I was dismayed to hear of the arrest of the author of the file-sharing app Winny, and wish I could read what Channel 2 users think about this.    

Lenn:
Yeah. As for your question I certainly agree. Without "2 channeru" (Channel2) or 2-chan (in short), there will be noise in other places/forums that provide similar functions, I assume.

Thanks for the 6 year old bump =)

Harlequin said:

Thanks for the 6 year old bump =)

For some reason, only spammers are managing to bumb old threads.