Look, it's a big muck shot of your editor. That's a caricature of me drawn by an artist from CPU magazine for an interview I did in 2005 regarding IGN's acquisition of Rotten Tomatoes. It's an interesting read, in light of today's announcement, because it talks about the struggles during the internet crash, the IGN acquisition, and the future plans for Rotten Tomatoes (and myself). Rotten Tomatoes has user ratings now, but still no critics matching, and film school for me is still being pushed back.
And in the wink of an eye, It's 2010 - new year, new goals, new opportunities.
One of the things I want to do more of in 2010 is blog. That's why I'm sprucing up this page up a little bit. I've added a sidebar with an image, an intro, social buttons, and topics - all in hope that you would feel more comfortable with me. Although on Facebook, one of my friends told me the picture is disturbing. Anyway, the navigation still needs work, but this is a start.
Like the sidebar says, I'll blog primarily about Wopular's development and a bit here and there about the internet industry, cell phones, and web design. Wopular's development includes the usual stuff on what it takes to turn a website into a legitimate business. I'm a stay-at-home dad, so I'm NOT aiming for big business, but small business. I'm going for the internet equivalent of a mom-and-pop shop - something I can do at home, earn enough to pay the bills, and watch my kid grow up. That's good enough for me.
I also have a new gig starting today. I'm heading the U.S. operations for BookTeller.com, a destination for interactive children's books. It's a subscription service. You pay $9.99/month for a growing selection of over 200 children's books so far - some in Chinese, some in English. The books are animated with narration for viewing on the computer. The art and animation are gorgeous. I can see myself using it with my kid when he's old enough. Being a Chinese-American, I like the selection of Chinese and English books. It's also the first time I'm working on a site using a subscription model. I look forward to the challenge of building up paying memberships.
That's it. Have a happy new year!
