March 2013 Archives

Greetings Nico'ers!

Soon it'll be 6 months since our English Niconico release. And to celebrate this special occasion, we're happy to bring you this rare treat - a statistical look at English Niconico.

While we've seen steady growth of viewers and commenters on Nico Live, English Niconico isn't faring as well for video commenting. In other words, users are watching videos, but aren't commenting nearly as much as our Japanese or Taiwanese users.

We need our English speaking viewers to comment more!

The Taiwanese version of Niconico has roughly the same number of viewers, but they get anywhere from 5-10 times more comments EVERY DAY! That means the average Taiwanese user is writing 5-10 times more comments than the average English Niconico user.

Taiwan only has 23 million people and according to wikipedia, up to 27% of the world's population speaks English! That's a whole lot of people...

As you're well aware, commenting is the defining feature of Niconico and is what sets us apart from other sites. Sure, other sites might be faster, better looking, easier to use, but none of them allow users around the world to interact with one another via live comments over the screen like we do.

If you like Niconico, if you want English Niconico to do well, we need you to comment MORE!

OK! You're probably asking yourself "How much should I comment?"
Well, since the Taiwan version gets 5-10 times more comments, how about writing 5-10 comments on every video you watch? Of course, there is no limit on commenting so the sky is the limit! Before burning up your keyboards, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

• Commenting too much (spamming) will temporarily lock your account. Try to put 2-3 seconds between each of your comments.


• You can comment in any language on English Niconico. English is our base, and we display the USA flag, but this is an INTERNATIONAL website. Our goal is to spread Nico-culture around the world.


• Using Japanese slang such as "wktk, utsu, 8888, wwww" is great! Huh? What do these mean?!


• Have fun! There is no wrong way to comment. Try commentating on the video, writing your reactions, playing with emoji/kaomoji, and experiment with different sizes and colors!

Remember that comments are Niconico's lifeblood. And if you want to see new features, more Nico Live programs, and further support for English Niconico, please support us by commenting on Videos and Nico Live Broadcasts!

Don't you want to see more English danmaku like this? :)

Thanks for reading!

-Niconico

Calling all Nico-ers! Great news!

We've just set up an English room for this FREE international Nico Live Broadcast! Get in there and comment to your hearts content to show your support for each band and share your spirit with fellow enthusiasts!♪

Time: March 29th, 10:20 PM Japan Time

Click here to reserve and watch this Nico Live Broadcast!

Featuring:

Got all the info you need? Go to the Watch Page Now!

Don't forget to comment!

-Niconico

Added: 7:45
Our system maintenance was finished as scheduled without a hitch.
Phew! Thanks for hanging in there with us!

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Niconico will experience a scheduled maintenance period and will be inaccessible for about an hour on April 4th from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM Japan time.

This will affect all English and Japanese products including Videos, Nico Live, Channels, and other Japan-exclusive features.

If you are unable to access the site during this time, don't sweat it; We'll be back before you know it!

-Niconico

Niconico invites you to sing your heart out this Sunday, March 31st (SUN) from 1pm! (Japan Time)

============================================
■Nico Live
Doors Open at 12:45pm
Starts at 1pm
Ends at 8pm (Japan Time)
============================================

Step onto the Nico Farre stage and show everyone the fruits
of all the karaoke practice on your Wii U! Countless artists
have come before you and now it's time for you to strut
your stuff in the spotlight.

We hope you like a dazzling light show because Nico Farre's
memorizing LED screens coupled with your Mii and Nico fan
comments are totally gonna rock your world!

Whether you're a slick crooner or sound like a cat getting mangled
in a garbage truck, we encourage everyone to take a step inside
our giant karaoke box for some all-out fun!

[Organizer] Dwango
[Sponsors] Nintendo, XING

==============================================================================

We look forward to seeing you there!

Back in the good 'ol days of our beta site Niconico.com, we had the opportunity to host a Nico Live Broadcast with the creators of 2chan AND 4chan.

tldr; chan chan chan!

Do you know Christopher Poole? You may know him by his online handle "Moot" and the fact that he is the creator of 4chan.

Hiroyuki Nishimura is the founder of its Japanese predecessor 2chan.

James Spahn is the President/CEO Nico Nico, Inc. and founded the beta version of Niconico.com.

This triumvirate of big-name IT giants sit down and talk about their products and the future of social media for a full 80 minutes! The show starts off with Moot explaining 4chan and how he came up with the name. He later talks about his new product: canv.as.

All the while, our main man James translates like a boss!

Towards the end they start taking questions from Niconico users. Though this video was made back in 2011, it is brimming with insite on how these two super sites came to be and where they're going. Even a social media net guru could learn a great deal from them!

Click the player below or go straight to the video page

And it wouldn't be Niconico if it weren't for the comments, right?!

Add your own comments to this video!

Happy Nico's!

-Niconico

Esteemed Nico-ers!

Due to popular demand, we are now updating our User Recommended Videos section daily (5 times/week, 2 videos/day)! This means chances of seeing your favorite videos featured are now better than ever, so be sure to let us know your top video picks each day as shown below.



Click the TV-chan above the comment panel. There you will see the "Recommend Video" button. Click it and share your favorite videos with the world!


You'll be taken to this screen:
Click the Preview button then Recommend! to recommend that vid!

And there you have it!
Keep your video favorites comin'!

-Niconico

We've already shared an in-depth blog post about commenting with you (complete with pictures!), but now it's time we step things up a gear by showcasing a video!

Pop Quiz Time!
Question: Do you remember how to type vertical comments like this?

View this post to find out!

This time we're happy to share with you some videos that harken back to the olden days of Niconico in Japan. These videos utilize a different player, giving them a certain rustic Nico-feel, but are still a great first step in understanding the awesomeness of commenting on Niconico.

The Commenting System Makes Niconico Unique

Why just watch a video when you can share your reactions with viewers around the world? We hope this post will help the Nico community understand what makes sharing comments the right way on videos such a hit.

The first video starts by giving a simple explanation on how to comment, then it gives viewers an opportunity to try commenting out for themselves. This is a practice video, so go wild and add all sorts of comments (they'll even give you a practice joke!).
And if you really want try do something cool, open Command settings and change your comment color, size, and position!

Head there now and practice commenting! or click the video below!

Niconico Textbook STEP1【Writing Comments】

Now that you've got commenting under your belt, how about checking this video on how to search for videos on Niconico? It also briefly touches on Niconico Tags!

And that's all for Nico-post! Now go forth and comment, comment, comment (in English)!

-Niconico

Hello Kitty and Niconico are teaming up to bring you these cute little chocolate delights--チロルチョコ (Tirol Chocolate)!

They will be available from March 28 for 360 yen all across Japan at convenience stores and supermarkets.

The case is lovingly adorned with a cute Kitty-chan and Niconico style scrolling comments. Inside there are 9 individually wrapped chocolates that could be one of any 30 flavors in total.

If you're planning a trip be sure to grab some!

We're happy to bring you this special ONE OK ROCK program only on Nico Live!

As of March 13th, this is our #1 world-wide timeshift reserved official broadcast.

We've also prepared an English room for users who access the broadcast while using the English settings, so watch this awesome J-Rock band and comment with your fellow English Nico'ers around the world!

Well, it's time again to bask and revel in everything Hatsune Miku because today is ミクの日 or "Hatsune Miku Day" here in the land of the rising sun. So if you will, my esteemed Nico'ers, how's about taking a look at the many faces of Hatsune Miku?

Miku's a popular lady so this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as how she has been portrayed, but enjoy!

Have a great Miku Day!

-Niconico

We're coming up on the 2 year anniversary of the 9.0M earthquake that devastated Japan on March 11th, 2011.

In recognition notable public figures, local businesses, and a plethora of Japanese students are coming together in Seattle to send an uplifting message to those in Touhoku, Japan via Niconico.
http://bit.ly/ZkdOlA

Participates will give their "Shout out to Japan!" (Dancing, Singing, Karaoke, etc.) to express their support and compassion.

Be sure to give your support by watching and commenting on this special bilingual event!

Broadcast starts on Sunday, March 10th, 11:00 AM Pacific Time, 3:00 AM March 11th Japan time!
http://bit.ly/ZkdOlA