History of dannychoo.com

Wed 2008/02/20 22:11 JST

3365 views

The new up n coming design of dannychoo.com... Not.
The screenshot below is of the first version of this site back in the year 2000. The site was set up as an experimental ground for me to play with technologies like PHP and MYSQL.

The first version of the site was called "DCOS" or "Danny Choo Operating System" (how embarrassing *cringes*) - I know I know - I was young at the time so please forgive me. It was designed to look and feel like an operating system.

At the time my PHP/MYSQL skills were limited and I used Macromedia's Dreamweaver WYSIWYG coding tool for everything.

Below: In 2001, I started to play with the 3D graphic tool 3D Max and used a lot of Max rendered objects in the UI.

With this version of dannychoo.com, I started to get headhunted in Tokyo by various companies and landed myself with a job as a developer at the JobDragon/Ingenium Group.

Below: The artwork section of the 2001 version - some of these images are still available in the artwork gallery.

Below: In 2002, I was still designing sites that were designed to run on Windows IE6 only and as you can see from the splash screen below, I was rather anti Mac ^^;

By this time, I had already joined Amazon as Website Manager - a step that made me initially nervous from running a site viewed by 35 people a day to running a site that was used by millions of people per day ^^; Went from managing a handful of part-timers to a team of 30 full time staff and learned much from my team of Program Managers, QA, Designers, Web Devs, Cross Site Editorial and Builders.

You will see much of my learnings and experience of userbility and discoverability at Amazon implemented into this site here n there.

Below: In 2002, the site took on a new look n feel which I called "dannychoo.com III" - the third version of the site design. The hexagonal shapes where created in 3D Max. You will notice language links for English, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese. I used to write everything in these languages but then decided to drop Korean and Chinese due to lack of time. The Chinese and Korean UI will be back soon.

Below: Still on 2002 - the artwork section.
By this time, I somehow started to acquire clients on the side who I would build web applications for. Obviously made sure that the side business didn't interfere with my responsibilities at Amazon.

Below: In 2003, the top page gets a slight facelift to accommodate more text on the top.

By this time, I started to acquire so many clients that I was in danger of affecting my responsibilities at Amazon due to the sleepless nights of programming. I then started to hire developers in Romania and India to code for me. I als set up a business entity called a Sole Proprietorship and you can read how to set one up in Japan in this article.

Below: Photos section of the site was manually designed and hardcoded. Everything now is all done automatically within a few clicks - using the ImageMagick library to rotate images based on the embedded EXIF info, thumbnail generation and PHP does the rest by inserting the data into the database. This means I can spend less time preparing content and more time thinking of the content that I need to deliver.

Below: The guestbook back in 2003. This is the main reason why you currently comment on a separate screen - because I'm using the same code ^^;
This will change very soon where you will also be able to reply to comments via email - am so looking forward to rolling out that feature.

Below: In 2004, I was still at Amazon but spent the last 5 months of the year at Amazon headquarters in Seattle. Redesigned a lot of the site and gave it an orange look n feel which became "dannychoo.com IV."

Before I went to Seattle, I launched the blog functionality. The entries where stored in a database but apart from that there was nothing particularly special about it - it didn't even have an RSS feed.

The design of the header went to being a Flash animation of hexagons swirling in and out of the screen and coming to a halt to form the navigation.

By the end of 2004, I made enough earnings from web activities (amazon associates etc) to buy a three story house in central Tokyo. I want to share this know-how information and I write tips from time to time about monetizing online which you can read in the Blogging and Affiliate Tips category.

Below: Towards the end of 2005, I started to blog more regularly which directly lead to an increase in readership. I blogged mainly about Gundam and a few topics on Japan.
As the platform was homebrew, I could ensure that all the templates for the site where Search Engine Optimized which brought in many readers searching for "Strike Gundam" ^^; Read more about how to SEO your site in my Blog Monetization article.

Below: In 2006, the hexagons in the header are rounded off as I start to become infected by the "web2.0 rounded corners" disease. You can see the swirling hexagons in action at http://web.archive.org/web/20060410195201/http://www.dannychoo.com/ - the archive that goes back to 2001 is http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://dannychoo.com

Below: As the number of users started to grow, the flash animation for the header was becoming unsclabale - took time to add stuff and also look a long time to load. It was also difficult to add new items due to the fixed design. I then decided to ditch flash near the end of 2006 and go for a more conventional header with images depicting the contents of each category. This move increased conversion of people arriving from search engines results - first time visitors where more likely to stay because they discovered other content that they liked through images in the header.

By this time I was at Microsoft as CGM (Consumer Generated Media) Product Manager for the Windows Live services. Yes I was surprised that I turned down the rest of the interviews at Apple Japan to take the job at Microsoft ^^;

Below: The orange-only design started to look boring so I introduced blue and green at the beginning of 2007. Started to clean up the UI. A slight shadow is introduced around navigational elements.

By this time, I learnt a lot of CSS and started to remove all the Table tags around the site which were used for layout purposes.

Below: Concept art work of Mirai-chan was done in Jan 2007 and design finalized at the end of Jan 2007. The new blogging platform Nav2.0 is launched and Mirai-chan is introduced into the header space.

Below: In May 2007, Puchi Blurbs is launched and the header goes 12-pack to accommodate more content. By this time I had left Microsoft and set up Mirai Inc.

Below: Cant remember when I renewed the header but it goes to being a 6-pack rollover. I found that having too many items in the header meant that new visitors would take too long to decide what they wanted to click on. The longer a new visitor needs to decide on what to click on next, the likelihood of that visitor leaving forever increases.

By this time the News Items section has been open for business since September 2007.

Below: The Alexa rank for this site shows you when I started to blog regularly at the end of 2005. Remaining focused kept the traffic healthy (but mostly flat) throughout 2006 until March 2007. After leaving Microsoft in March, I was able to put effort into increasing the usability and discoverability of content around the site which has been one of the factors leading to the growth that you can see in 2007.

Another factor in growing the site is sharing - I wanted to share traffic with otaku/japan related site owners send which is why I introduced Featured Feeds and Otaku.fm - these tools were designed to give back to the otaku community. If you are setting up a feed, dont forget to mail me at [support at dannychoo dot com]] after.

The biggest factor that has contributed to the growth however has been you the reader. I would like to thank each and everyone of you for making this community what it is.
You can probably guess that yesterdays backend maintenance and todays post is a lead up to significant changes in the near future - all changes that will further enrich the user experience and help you discover more otaku/japan content easily.

I know that there are many readers who are not members and I'm completely fine with that but would love to reach out to as many of you as possible. The following is a list of areas where we can hookup and keep in touch - feel free to add or follow.

Twitter - my twitter account. Partially integrated with Puchi Blurbs (which I'm testing now) and will be fully integrated soon.
YouTube - my YouTube account. I often upload videos here a few days before I release it at dannychoo.com.
FaceBook - my FaceBook account.
Linkedin - my Linked in account. If you need introductions to anybody at Microsoft, Amazon or Google or any other internet company in Japan then let me know.
Flickr - Will be adding more pics from the site soon.
Mixi - the Japanese Social Networking Service.
PlayStation 3 ID = "dannychoodotcom" - watch me loose in any online battle ^^;

How many of you use any one of these services? If there are any other services that you recommend then let me know.

Yesterdays Alexa rank was recorded at 5,278 and the goal was to get into the worlds top 5000 sites by mid year. It looks like a new stretch goal should be set ^^;

If you are interested in reading about life in Japan, seeing photos taken daily around Tokyo, like Japanese subculture (anime, manga, figures, Dollfies) then you may want to start delving into the Japan or Figure categories for a start or have a gander at all photo articles.

If you don't have much time now, maybe subscribe to the RSS Feed, Twitter Feed or join the other readers in the FaceBook Page.
Alternatively, you may want to read more about the site.
If you are a regular reader then this message will probably annoy you each time - hide it forever.

This item was posted in the category. You can see more of everything else or subscribe via RSS instead.

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soonkiong in Malaysia (Registered on 2007/08/22)
2nd year Civil Engineering Student
http://soonkiong.blogspot.com

PM feature would be nice, but I would really love a comment system where you don't have to jump a page just to add a comment. Among all your different design these past eight years, the latest one would be the best. Mirai-san saikou! XD

Wed 2008/02/20 21:57:06 JST (ID #72763)

reply to soonkiong's comment
windbell in Singapore/シンガポール, Tokyo/東京 (Registered on 2006/12/25)
Web Developer/ウェブデベロッパー, Photographer/写真や
http://www.moeside.net/weblog

Oh! I remember the Hexagonal design for dannychoo.com IV.2 and the site was loading slowly as I was on 512K Broadband then - Especially so when I had to leave the site to load and grabbed a cup of tea and would be still loading ^^;

My skills now are probably still like when you first started off. Limited PHP and MYSQL skills ^^;

Am waiting for the day it hits the top 5000 :)

Wed 2008/02/20 22:00:05 JST (ID #72764)

reply to windbell's comment
Danny Choo in Tokyo (Registered on 2006/12/11)
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/

Messaging other members and comment edit/comment on post features are done and being tested ^^

Wed 2008/02/20 22:00:24 JST (ID #72765)

reply to Danny Choo's comment
- lolipedofin in Singapore -back at my stinky dump- (Registered on 2008/06/14)
  Mahasiswa yang terdampar di Singapura.
  http://lolipedofin.wordpress.com/
  
  Is it still not fully implemented, or did just simply missed it??? @__@
  
  Fri 2009/07/03 15:42:00 JST (ID #665388)
  
  reply to lolipedofin's comment
JohnL in Canada (Registered on 2007/09/16)
Student
http://johnle.wordpress.com

wow looking back sure brings memories.. I've been around your site since mid 2005 and have been reading your blog till now, haha keep up the work Danny! =D

Wed 2008/02/20 22:05:12 JST (ID #72766)

reply to JohnL's comment
WiseFreeman in DC Cloning Laboratory (Registered on 2007/11/07)
Dance Trooper: DCX-001 O.D.E. (Order of the Dancing Empire)
http://dannychoo.com.my

Wow! The Chronicle of DannyChoo.com
Fantastic! Keep it up ;-)

Wed 2008/02/20 22:19:46 JST (ID #72767)

reply to WiseFreeman's comment
XSportSeeker in Brazil (Registered on 2007/08/22)
Dropping computers, starting all over again at Journalism
http://xspblog.com

Wow... changed quite a lot it seems!
I mean, evolved... because I personally like the latest version best. :D

It's a better representation to the blog's subject, IMHO.

Anyways, great job so far Danny! Keep it up!

Wed 2008/02/20 22:20:49 JST (ID #72768)

reply to XSportSeeker's comment
Hatori in Florida,USA (Registered on 2007/08/20)
Student
http://irregularbloggers.wordpress.com/

Dannychoo.com has come a long way and like wine, is getting better everyday.

Looking forward to see the designs in the upcoming years, maybe something futuristic that will blow our minds.

Danny banzai!!

Wed 2008/02/20 22:35:35 JST (ID #72770)

reply to Hatori's comment
qingy in front of the monitor (Registered on 2007/10/05)
Gunpla Enthusiast

The hexagon DNA helix thing was pretty trendy back then, a lot of design sites had that theme. i like the current design of this blog and i can see that we've come a long way, but who knows what the future has in stored for dannychoo.com

Wed 2008/02/20 22:48:33 JST (ID #72771)

reply to qingy's comment
Cutkillavince in Kr, Nl, Fr (Registered on 2008/01/18)
MI Manager, Blogger and Newswriter
http://cutkillavince.com/

Very impressive, but you deserve it. Your site is great Danny ^^

Wed 2008/02/20 22:54:14 JST (ID #72772)

reply to Cutkillavince's comment
まっすぐGO! in Melbourne, Australia (Registered on 2007/11/19)

Wow 2007 was the year that dannychoo really took off.

I always liked coding more than WYSIWYG because you get lots of little weird layout problems.
And I make websites without flash and fancy designs (hexagons aren't "content", but anime pictures are) because it wastes valuable screen space and I usually don't want to wait for some animation to finish.

It's surprising that you only changed to CSS recently. I went from HTML straight to CSS years ago without going through a table phase. This is probably because I like to validate my code in W3C and it said to use CSS instead of the font tag (by the way you need to escape HTML in comments). So then I read up on CSS and use it for styling/layout was it was meant to be used for, although it is a bit clumsy compared to tables.

Wed 2008/02/20 22:56:15 JST (ID #72773)

reply to まっすぐGO!'s comment
welnuks in Dubai U.A.E. (Registered on 2007/01/22)
Graphic Artist

It sure is gone a long way, even though you see the latest blogs on this site, links still appear from previous years. it really does gives you the urge just to click on everything! Thanks Danny for bringing japan to my cramped workspace.

Wed 2008/02/20 22:57:04 JST (ID #72774)

reply to welnuks's comment
Neil Duckett in Yoyogi, Tokyo (Registered on 2007/11/06)
Software Engineer
http://www.neilduckett.com

Great post Danny, an inspiring read on how far you've come over the last few years.

Wed 2008/02/20 22:58:32 JST (ID #72775)

reply to Neil Duckett's comment
Mischa in Oita (Registered on 2008/03/14)
Programmer
http://injapan.tumblr.com

I just recently found your site. It's really interesting. Thank you!

Just a quick question... do you happen to know the correct URL to PDF for setting up a sole proprietorship in Japan. The page you are linking to doesn't exist anymore. My Japanese is not good enough yet to find out myself, so I thought I would give this a try. Anyway, thanks.

Wed 2008/02/20 23:03:02 JST (ID #72776)

reply to Mischa's comment
Henry in /usr/bin/ (Registered on 2006/12/25)
anime/cosplay events organizer
http://www.cosplay.ph

i first came to DC.com around end 2004 and i could still remember the flash hexagons but i was just a lurker back then and very seldom visit it ^^;;;

but at the end of 2005 and 2006 i started to frequently visit DC.com 'coz of Gundams and i liked the rounded web2.0 design ^^

i could still remember Danny's quote before about his site that it was made from scratch and he didn't used any of those existing blog softwares ^^

i love where DC.com and Mirai Inc. is going and i fully support and i'll be right behind it all the way ^______________^

Wed 2008/02/20 23:17:15 JST (ID #72777)

reply to Henry's comment
Alafista OTAKU in Singapore (Registered on 2006/12/25)
Policy & Research Officer
http://www.alafista.com/

Wow that was a long walk down memory lane. I'm sure soon you will hit your 5000 rank goal. As for me, I'm now slowly inching towards below 100,000 first.

Wed 2008/02/20 23:18:34 JST (ID #72778)

reply to Alafista OTAKU's comment
Red October in Elk Grove, CA USA (Registered on 2007/04/05)
Deadend Job
http://www.geocities.com/redoct2000

If you are going to bring Chinese back , make sure you promote your web page in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. I'm guarantee your server will explode.

Wed 2008/02/20 23:24:48 JST (ID #72779)

reply to Red October's comment
PoWeR in Vancouver (Registered on 2007/08/28)
Student
http://www.xfire.com/profile/power1x1/

interesting development lol ^^

Wed 2008/02/20 23:24:53 JST (ID #72780)

reply to PoWeR's comment
version 7.0 in San Francisco, CA (Registered on 2008/02/20)
Student

I actually kinda miss the flash headers, ah well. Great job, danny!

Wed 2008/02/20 23:51:50 JST (ID #72782)

reply to version 7.0's comment
Phenie in Aichi (Registered on 2007/01/08)
Catgirl Trainer.
http://www.phenie.com

Here's to the future of dannychoo!
Kanpai!

Have to ask - I don't suppose you know why the bottom of the amazon.co.jp source code has a nifty comment that says ""? :P

Thu 2008/02/21 00:07:31 JST (ID #72783)

reply to Phenie's comment
Phenie in Aichi (Registered on 2007/01/08)
Catgirl Trainer.
http://www.phenie.com

>_>

I should have seen that coming....
"Meow" should be in those inverted commas in the previous comment.

Thu 2008/02/21 00:09:15 JST (ID #72784)

reply to Phenie's comment
DRAGUN in Arizona, USA (Registered on 2007/08/22)
Design Consultant

Its odd seeing my comments on some of those screenshots. This is the first site I ever signed up for to leave a comment. Other than myspace, I didnt have an account with almost anyone. I was really impressed, and it was good to see the members here were as incorrigible as I was. I like how things have progressed since I have been here, and all the new smart-@$$es that join up. Great to meet all of you. Hope this community grows for a long time. Ba-la-ba-ba-ba, Id hit it.

Thu 2008/02/21 00:20:24 JST (ID #72785)

reply to DRAGUN's comment
Pippo in Italy (Registered on 2007/07/03)
Universitary Student

hey danny can i add you in my ps3 contact? ^^ anyway my ps3 ID is HirumaYouichi :D

Thu 2008/02/21 00:20:25 JST (ID #72786)

reply to Pippo's comment
suki in Cape Town, South Africa (Registered on 2007/08/22)
Graphic Design student | Receptionist | Otaku
http://sukidesho.blogspot.com/

I only stumbled across your page last year some time. A friend of mine mentioned your site and since then, I check your page regularly (if not daily XP). It was interesting to see the history of DC... quite inspiring too.

Thu 2008/02/21 00:28:24 JST (ID #72787)

reply to suki's comment
Bayonette in Manila, Philippines (Registered on 2007/03/14)
College Student
http://bayonette.multiply.com

Hmm, I wonder what happened to the rest of your works in your artbook gallery, Mr. Danny Choo?

Thu 2008/02/21 00:37:05 JST (ID #72788)

reply to Bayonette's comment
MACdaddy in Earth (Registered on 2007/11/10)
Stalker

Two words. Scattered and confusing.

Thu 2008/02/21 00:37:59 JST (ID #72789)

reply to MACdaddy's comment
mavadotar in Peterborough, Canada (Registered on 2007/12/11)
Otaku Security Guard

I only joined a few months ago, I'm such a noob. But I love the site, it's almost always running on some tab on my comp.

Thu 2008/02/21 02:12:56 JST (ID #72790)

reply to mavadotar's comment
lostandfound in Singapore (Registered on 2007/10/21)
Hikikomori in the making
http://supermariabros.deviantart.com/

Long live dannychoo.com! I can only dream of making such a cool site such as yours Danny! Danny fight on!

Thu 2008/02/21 02:20:48 JST (ID #72791)

reply to lostandfound's comment
samejima in Philippines (Registered on 2007/01/10)
CG Artist wannabe / Figure Collector / Deadman
http://uselessthoughts.net/journal/

Hmm... currently have feedback form function for Php on my website's Mail page. Already forget SQL as I do not practice this language after finishing the subject back on 2005. Php was rarely been offered as a crash course, let alone regular course subject.

3+ years of practicing webdesigning and the result is still like a novice's... or even some novice developers can do nicely than I currently do...

I regret for not studying well when I still had the chance to improve myself...hahah

Anyway, keep it all up Danny.

Thu 2008/02/21 02:27:31 JST (ID #72792)

reply to samejima's comment
Vincent in Paris (Registered on 2006/12/26)
Research Engineer/Student/Daddy ^_^
http://www.scanx.fr

Very interesting article (as usual). I love stuffs related to your businesses. It makes me feel that everything is possible. People just have to believe in their dreams and make them real (as you).
I wish I would do the same (soon ^_^).
Keep on Danny.
Best wishes.

Thu 2008/02/21 02:39:10 JST (ID #72794)

reply to Vincent's comment
Chong Mizunaga in an Afro (Registered on 2007/12/15)
Afro-ed Student
http://Mizunaga.blogspot.com/

I'll be honest and say that all this talk about CSS and stuff scares me. Reading about how much you've progressed also makes me a little jealous of that progress and how good you've become.

But I must say, good job for making it this far, and we'll all be here to support you. I'll try to work hard and catch up to you one day.

Until then, I'll be web-stalking you closely and watching you progress further. Good luck on getting to top 5,000! I'm sure you can do it.

Thu 2008/02/21 02:43:20 JST (ID #72796)

reply to Chong Mizunaga's comment
Last{[0]}Raven in South Korea (Registered on 2008/01/02)
Raven, AMV & MAD maker, Otaku
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=last0raven

LMAO THE V CLONE IS THE VIC VIPER XD

Thu 2008/02/21 03:19:32 JST (ID #72797)

reply to Last{[0]}Raven's comment
Last{[0]}Raven in South Korea (Registered on 2008/01/02)
Raven, AMV & MAD maker, Otaku
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=last0raven

oh and by the way. i see tons and TONS of imnprovemnt by just looking at the chart of people who visited the site. 2006 normal, 2007 a bit high, and 2008....... REALLY REALLY FREAKIN HIGH XD. let dannychoo be the best site for anime manga idol figures and etc. forever!!!

Thu 2008/02/21 03:22:57 JST (ID #72798)

reply to Last{[0]}Raven's comment
Benjamin Takeyo in Lieu de la batille decisive (Registered on 2007/12/04)
ひきこもり/Hikikomori. Suits my current state more than a 大学生/University Student. ^^

With all the determination, hard work and passion you've put on your life, you really deserve the high traffic Danny!

Thu 2008/02/21 04:18:26 JST (ID #72800)

reply to Benjamin Takeyo's comment
lazerbeak in Germany (Registered on 2008/01/21)
System Administrator
http://www.thedoitsujin.com/

straightforward as always. keep up the good work :p

Thu 2008/02/21 04:19:02 JST (ID #72801)

reply to lazerbeak's comment
radical anime fan in Singapore, Furnace City, Cinderblock Outskirts. (Registered on 2007/01/25)
Polytechnic Junior, Bronze Lifesaving Trainee, Mech Designer In-training.
http://thehangerbay.wordpress.com/

The evolution of dannychoo.com! I only started at 2005 so i missed out on the 2000-2004 time line. Anyways, great work Danny, your site is a lifesaver amongst an anime-deprived nation.

Thu 2008/02/21 04:38:39 JST (ID #72802)

reply to radical anime fan's comment
Ashper in Worcester, U.K (Registered on 2007/11/24)
Post-Grad
http://www.ashper.co.uk

Really nice to hear about your development process, didn't realise quite so much thought and effort had gone into the design :D

Thu 2008/02/21 04:48:23 JST (ID #72803)

reply to Ashper's comment
wickedclown in California (Registered on 2007/12/07)
Programmer/IT/Student
http://wickedotaku.blogspot.com/

Well I only started visiting your website late last year but from reading this post I see exactly how much work you put into creating this site and to be honest it's one of the best designed sites I have EVER been to. Keep up the amazing work Danny, I hope I can learn as much as you know some day :p.

Thu 2008/02/21 04:52:00 JST (ID #72804)

reply to wickedclown's comment
Setsuna-san in Selangor, Malaysia (Registered on 2007/07/06)
VF-25 Pilot. Universariate Scholar.

wow. i didnt know that this place had so much history behind it.

keep up the good work danny!!!

Thu 2008/02/21 04:59:28 JST (ID #72805)

reply to Setsuna-san's comment
FatBastard in over his head (Registered on 2007/11/04)
Dirty Gentleman
http://cantstanzya.wordpress.com/

Holy Geez Danny. I'm glad you put up this article as I had no idea of how much this site has transformed throughout the years. I've only been here since Nov, so seeing the transition is quite staggering.

The growth is clearly evident. Your realization that functionality and userability is what makes your site so successful, and not simply it's appearance. Looking forward to your new features that'll make it even more so.

Thanks for allowing us to share this site with you Choo-man. As I'm sure it seems to have a life of its own sometimes. Top 5000 in no time, my friend. Cheers!

Thu 2008/02/21 05:05:19 JST (ID #72806)

reply to FatBastard's comment
DrGUID in London (Registered on 2007/11/14)
Web Developer (i.e. Otaku)
http://www.brettb.com/TravelLog.Tokyo.asp

Nice article, I am too embarrased to show my old website designs in public!

I've had my site since 1995, but only started monetizing it (I love that word!) in 2001 after being made redundant after the dot com crash and realising I had to earn money to buy food and stuff.

Thu 2008/02/21 05:10:22 JST (ID #72807)

reply to DrGUID's comment
ブリーチ in Bored land... (Registered on 2008/02/07)
Sniffer

...Damn...I need to start learning computer and internet wep page design.

Thu 2008/02/21 05:11:40 JST (ID #72808)

reply to ブリーチ's comment
suneo (Registered on 2007/12/17)
http://yuuwaku.wordpress.com

Reading this reminds me of your startup story, and shoot man your story is amazing. I unfortunately tended towards the slacker end of the spectrum throughout my years in school and it has painfully cost me dearly. It's been so long now that such bad habits and personality flaws are so deeply ingrained in me that I suffer from an extreme case of easier-said-than-done... I still have a sort of goal of being able to work in Japan or at least be able to travel to Japan frequently, but at this point in my life it's become increasingly hard to find out where I need to start... Your story's given me a bit of a light of hope to head towards, but I'm still pretty deep in the darkness and stumbling around lol _|¯|O

Thu 2008/02/21 05:18:44 JST (ID #72809)

reply to suneo's comment
Rikku in ロリランド (Registered on 2007/11/04)
フレイム　ヘイズ
http://selfimprovementrevolution.com/

I'm very impressed by the progress of DannyChoo.com. I first discover your site on mid 2007, so I didn't know what it looked like back in the early days. It was a great evolution I must say.
Now I can't wait for this site new evolution!

Thu 2008/02/21 05:34:54 JST (ID #72810)

reply to Rikku's comment
Starboykb in Brunei Earth (Registered on 2007/05/15)
IT TechGuy
http://starboykb.blogspot.com

Wow...that really makes me think back about how i started to design website. at that time, i doesn't know anything about coding at all. Just a simple table format and put the picture on it. And yes, my site only work with IE5 & 6 as well. ^^

right now, no time to continue to learn coding a website. simply used free template and put into the blogger. lol

Thu 2008/02/21 05:38:58 JST (ID #72811)

reply to Starboykb's comment
Otaku-WannaBE in Hell (Registered on 2008/01/17)
Student

Wow. How old's this site?

Thu 2008/02/21 06:01:12 JST (ID #72812)

reply to Otaku-WannaBE's comment
wcloudx in Singapore (Registered on 2008/01/11)
Artist/Flash Programmer
http://wcloudxkumo.wordpress.com/

Wow. I know that Dannychoo.com has been in operational for a long time, but didn't expect it to evolve so much O.O;

I discovered this site in Mid-2007 though :p

Thu 2008/02/21 06:11:27 JST (ID #72813)

reply to wcloudx's comment
GundamJehutyKai in Foundation II Stellvia (Registered on 2007/09/12)
Service desk support
http://lookingglass.kokidokom.net

Man I feel a little old now. Not too badly tho!!

I've been floating around since Dannychoo v4.2!!
I miss the old hexagons...

Thu 2008/02/21 06:57:38 JST (ID #72814)

reply to GundamJehutyKai's comment
Demacrez in Houston, Texas, US (Registered on 2006/12/25)
Link Cosplayer, Video Gamer, Amatuer Programmer, and Artist
http://demacrez.blogspot.com

Heh heh, looks like I was coming in right when you started your blogging Danny. XD

In 2005 was when I found your site and now I visit everyday. XD

Thu 2008/02/21 07:53:29 JST (ID #72815)

reply to Demacrez's comment
gordon in 新加坡 Singapore (Registered on 2007/06/11)
銀河帝国五〇一軍团 TK/TD 8316 M.E.P.D. Police Sergeant
http://gordonator.com/

ya i'll be here today, tomorrow and in the future as long as dannychoo.com is here. ^^;

Thu 2008/02/21 07:56:26 JST (ID #72816)

reply to gordon's comment
Blurmage in Singapore (Registered on 2007/12/28)
http://blurmage.blogspot.com/

Wow, i really envy you life. ^^
Grats on your acheivement so far.

Thu 2008/02/21 08:09:14 JST (ID #72817)

reply to Blurmage's comment
notfair in Malaysia (Registered on 2007/08/14)
Student, ACG Fans
http://modvisc.blogspot.com

I just start visit dannychoo.com last year(if Im not wrong), so I don't know how its look nice from the past, but after read this post 1 word - WOW!, that was really change a lot.

Thu 2008/02/21 08:22:31 JST (ID #72818)

reply to notfair's comment
ichiro in nagoya (Registered on 2007/09/18)
the wholesale business of flower
http://nakagawaichiro.com

ダニーチュー殿
いつもあなたのホームページを見ています。
僕もホームページを作っていて、ダニーさんのページを目指して作っています。

今回のダニーさんの歴史はよいアドバイスになりました。ありがとう。

いつかダニーさんと会いたいです。

Thu 2008/02/21 08:26:28 JST (ID #72819)

reply to ichiro's comment
kurogitsune in the pointy end of Lake Superior (Registered on 2008/02/20)
Graphic Designer
http://tsunderekko.blogspot.com

Impressive as ever.

My one suggestion would be to add a female otaku to your staff to round things out a bit. Not that I'd like to see DC.com get all shoujo-tastic, but a foil to all the maids, idols, and pantsu would be cool. (^_^)/

Thu 2008/02/21 08:29:24 JST (ID #72820)

reply to kurogitsune's comment
BIG BOSS in Asuka's bed. (Registered on 2007/12/06)
--

I wish I knew this site earlier, but I didn't have a computer. Are you planning on changing it again? O is this the final version?

Thu 2008/02/21 08:30:21 JST (ID #72821)

reply to BIG BOSS's comment
Deathy in Brazil (Registered on 2007/04/20)
Photography Student
http://hugodeathy.deviantart.com/

Keep up with the awesome work Danny!

Thu 2008/02/21 09:07:52 JST (ID #72822)

reply to Deathy's comment
elysium in HK (Registered on 2008/02/05)

wow...having just stumbled on your site last year it's really interesting looking at previous versions of dc.com...and i'm loving the orange in the current site! ^^

Thu 2008/02/21 09:26:39 JST (ID #72823)

reply to elysium's comment
M'C in Jakarta, Indonesia (Registered on 2008/01/30)
Student
http://www.fotografer.net/isi/anggota/profil.php?id=98782

always going 2 be better and a lot better xD
we loves u danny, please teach us sometimes ^^
Do you have many difficulties when working with that companies u mentioned and design this website?
I'm so curious 2 know a lot LoL

Thu 2008/02/21 10:02:13 JST (ID #72824)

reply to M'C's comment
cowboy4eva in New York, Osaka, Tokyo (Registered on 2008/01/29)
Watcher

I would also like to make a comment without having to go to another page. I make my comments while looking at the content. Your current site is definitely much better than your older one. I would also like you to do more manga updates, but I am going to start doing that on my page already. I guess it would be fun to see how you do it. I am looking forward to any new site changes.

Thu 2008/02/21 10:42:19 JST (ID #72825)

reply to cowboy4eva's comment
Tiny Red Man in Tiny Red Dot, Singapore. (Registered on 2007/04/11)
Dog of the Country

this post is inspiring!! makes me wanna get a cuppa and sit in front of my com whole night and code my site.

Thu 2008/02/21 10:56:15 JST (ID #72826)

reply to Tiny Red Man's comment
Akiba-Kid in California, USA (Registered on 2008/01/17)
Online Shop
http://wildarms.egloos.com

Such a long history for this site, simply amazing... Keep up the good work, Danny!!!

Thu 2008/02/21 11:43:02 JST (ID #72830)

reply to Akiba-Kid's comment
super rats in Philadelphia, PA (USA) (Registered on 2007/01/15)
Everything
http://www.happysoda.com

I became a regular DannyChoo reader in the middle of 2006 or something around there. Even though it was already a popular site back then, it's really turned into a legendary beast with no signs of slowing down. Thanks for the history lesson. :)

Thu 2008/02/21 11:57:19 JST (ID #72831)

reply to super rats's comment
Space-Action-Hero in Singapore (Registered on 2008/02/20)
http://space-action-hero.blogspot.com

Wow! What a rich history!

Thu 2008/02/21 12:15:37 JST (ID #72832)

reply to Space-Action-Hero's comment
litokid in Toronto, Canada (Registered on 2007/11/25)
university film student | ecchikid | the Archivist
http://www.vimeo.com/longhim

Ahahaa...really amusing to read about which changes you made to bring more readers, mainly because I was reading and thinking: "Yup, that was me. Clicked one of the header pictures and got hooked for a couple hours."

Thu 2008/02/21 12:46:49 JST (ID #72833)

reply to litokid's comment
Edward in SE Michigan/Osaka (Registered on 2006/12/24)
Troubleshooter, Universal Exports
http://funkyblueame.tumblr.com/

I don't always remember dates for every event. I can remember different site designs, so I first found your site around 2003! I can't believe it has been that long. I'm getting to be an old grey beard... ^^; Although, I didn't really start to lurk until 2005. Remember becoming a "member" as soon as you implemented that back in December of 2006. It been a fun experience all the way Danny! Thanks for giving us so many great post. I'm always looking forward to the future of DannyChoo.com!

Glad to see you surpassed your goal for Alexa. It's a good achievement to rank in the top 5000 with how big the Internet is now. What do you hope to achieve in the future?

I don't use FaceBook. I would rather create my own blog or website to do the same. Maybe I have wrong attitude about FaceBook. I guess it's more about the exposure it gives? Really don't have enough credentials to use Linkeden... ^^; I've never check out Mixi. Really need to improve my Nihongo...

Have you looked at Jaiku? It's a lot like Twitter. Often I feel the crowd is a little different on Jaiku. Can't quite put it into words yet, maybe a little more web and tech people there... Oh! Jaiku is now in league with Google. You will need to request an account if interested.

No offense and I'm sure you will not take this the wrong way. Move over Danny! Make room for me! I don't plan to sit around and only watch you do well. I plan to do the same for myself. You are great inspiration. I might be just starting to look at Ajax and others items, but I really want to get control of them. Still need to master HTML and CSS, but at least they are not foreign to me anymore.

Thu 2008/02/21 14:36:08 JST (ID #72834)

reply to Edward's comment
albi in Argentina (Registered on 2007/12/13)
University Student (International Relations)

Hey danny, I was seeing your "Tokyo Dance Trooper in Shibuya" video on your YouTube account...man, you can dance! I will surely add you to my friends list!
=)

Thu 2008/02/21 15:39:39 JST (ID #72835)

reply to albi's comment
evangel in new york (Registered on 2008/02/21)
Job Hunter

I've been lingering around for awhile and just recently decided to sign-up. So, hiya.

This article really caught my attention causing I've been interested in becoming a website developer. Seeing how your site progressed and grew over the years is really inspiring. Keep up the good work!

To those that are interested in developing a website, or becoming a website developer in general, what would you recommend learning (such languages, techniques, etc)?

Thu 2008/02/21 16:36:26 JST (ID #72836)

reply to evangel's comment
bob-san in Madison WI (Registered on 2007/02/22)
Administrative Assistant
http://bob-san.animeblogger.net

Oh how I wish my brain could remember things like programming and such (Hell, I wish my brain could remember anything really).

I might then have something more going for me than an under-appreciated/misunderstood Admin Assistant job.

I'd still love to do something Otaku related. But not too sure what or how. No doubt that you're site has been a huge inspiration for me. Helped me to try and keep up my blog. Now, I just need to find a direction and go for it.

Thu 2008/02/21 16:50:03 JST (ID #72837)

reply to bob-san's comment
skankywonders in California (Registered on 2007/08/09)
Student

Soo many years of Dannychoo.com!

Many great changes over the years, I laughed at some old versions by the way. The new version of Danny Choo and the other tools will work out, hopefully Dannychoo.com will always continue!

Thu 2008/02/21 17:03:29 JST (ID #72838)

reply to skankywonders's comment
D_Blade in Montreal (Registered on 2006/12/31)
Non-profit org. volunteering work addict

I kinda love the second version (graphically speaking), even if the futuristic shapes at the bottom look like pills. XD
Version 3 sort of reminds me of P.N. 03, the game by Capcom. ^^

The 2006 and 2007 make me think of the first times I came here... So much has changed back then.
I like the current version a lot though, it's easy on the eyes (or "peepers", like DRAGUN says).

And finally the stupid idea of the day: Why don't you ask Azami-san to create a picture like the one in Dannychoo ver.3 and compare for fun. ^^

Thu 2008/02/21 19:46:25 JST (ID #72844)

reply to D_Blade's comment
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/24)
http://www.marvinryan.com

real excited on what you have in store Danny. although I have to say, I do miss the orange hexagon theme you had back then. also I do remember that I found your blog via google search: strike gundam. ^^ so Danny, hows the spleen? ^^;

Thu 2008/02/21 20:53:44 JST (ID #72846)

reply to marvin's comment
Coco the Bean in Northern California (Registered on 2008/01/06)
Pokemon master
http://thecococafe.wordpress.com/

Wow, the history of dannychoo.com is amazing! I really admire what you've accomplished.

Thu 2008/02/21 21:02:12 JST (ID #72848)

reply to Coco the Bean's comment
Boris in USA (Registered on 2006/12/25)
Visual Communications and Web 2.0
http://www.imagineboris.com

i remember half of those designs. I must say at first I was a bit sceptical about the new busy layout (current design) but it grew on me a lot and I enjoy it very much now. I started reading in 2004 -^_^.
by the way Danny I've added you in LinkedIn if you don't mind. I just opened that account today hehehe

Thu 2008/02/21 21:40:20 JST (ID #72851)

reply to Boris's comment
photonium in Canada (Registered on 2008/02/05)
http://www.richeight.com

Danny, keep up the great work! I discovered your site a few months ago and it's inspired me to create my own.

Thu 2008/02/21 21:46:54 JST (ID #72852)

reply to photonium's comment
Denki-koiji. in ピエール、サウスダコタ (Registered on 2007/12/05)
anime, programmer, gfx designer, illustrator ^^
http://denkikoiji.com

ok i gotta question what is the best login/membership system to use on a website ? right now i want to have a membership in my website but i don't know what to use ^_^ nice progress on website btw ^_^

Thu 2008/02/21 22:18:13 JST (ID #72853)

reply to Denki-koiji.'s comment
OtakuFuel in The Local Group (Registered on 2007/10/21)
Anime Retailer
http://www.otakufuel.com

You will get there. There is no doubt about it. It's really cool how you are passing on your knowledge and experience. Those of us that are trying to learn from it, really appreciate it.

Thu 2008/02/21 23:33:37 JST (ID #72858)

reply to OtakuFuel's comment
Choo in Singapore (Registered on 2007/10/31)
Student
http://bakaaaa.wordpress.com

woah. every year it gets better and better. Nice one danny.

Fri 2008/02/22 02:11:28 JST (ID #72870)

reply to Choo's comment
BeLe in Davao, Philippines (Registered on 2007/01/03)
.NET/Web Developer
http://scrumptious.animeblogger.net

Wow...I can't believe I've been a regular visitor of this site for 2 years now. I first stumbled upon this site in 2006...just a few days before you took out that flash header. Was still a lurker back then but thought that removing that header was the best thing you did. If it weren't for that I surely would have left. ^^

More power and keep up the good work and the blog posts! ^^ Looking forward to the changes soon.

Fri 2008/02/22 05:41:36 JST (ID #72883)

reply to BeLe's comment
thefrikking in Spain (Registered on 2007/08/18)
Ork Warlord

Hmm, I see. I know this site for about two year, but i start to post and visit everyday since the last one. but I see you are a true veteran on the web, Danny!! I`m glad for you, and hope this continue even more years!!

Fri 2008/02/22 09:22:12 JST (ID #72896)

reply to thefrikking's comment
zie in Arlington,VA USA (Registered on 2007/01/09)
freelance

Wow Danny it has evolved over the years I cant wait to see the new site! Keep up the good work on your site

Fri 2008/02/22 21:51:13 JST (ID #72918)

reply to zie's comment
Gibson in California (Registered on 2007/05/27)
Student artist
http://www.requestview.wordpress.com

Danny how do you update your post in yout blog. Does it run by program or do you have to manually update the blog. I would like to contact you for further questions about the Html, php, Nav20, etc

Great improvement by the way

Sat 2008/02/23 01:41:23 JST (ID #72926)

reply to Gibson's comment
FateStaySmart in Osaka / USA (Registered on 2008/02/16)
Website Producer, Amateur Voice Actor
http://storymode.wordpress.com

I came around this place in early 2007, but didn't stay long. Honestly, I was overwhelmed by the amount of content supplied here...and terribly in awe of the overall site quality. So...I left, and found my way back in 2008 thanks to Twitter!

Thanks again for that, Danny. I'm no one noteworthy, but I appreciate it and all the work you've done to put into this site. I hope to invest time in my own someday. Also, I'm always looking for more SEO-related info to read, so I look forward to your segments on that. You certainly have come a long way...and I MUST know how you did it.

^_^

Sat 2008/02/23 02:02:32 JST (ID #72931)

reply to FateStaySmart's comment
Tate in Toronto, Canada (Registered on 2008/01/10)
Web Designer
http://www.engfactory.com

Simply Amazing. It's truly epic to see the evolution of your site over the years. I've only been visiting since early 2006 so it's great to see how the site developed alongside your changing careers and professions. As a history buff, to me these types of post are pure gold :)

Sat 2008/02/23 05:21:59 JST (ID #72940)

reply to Tate's comment
EagleEye in Brighton, UK (Registered on 2007/04/02)
Computer Engineer

Wow, had no idea about the original design, been aware of the site and thus, the layout, since 2004. Was fun reading about just how much the site has changed. Wonder what it will look like in another 4 years ^__^

Sat 2008/02/23 13:05:10 JST (ID #72967)

reply to EagleEye's comment
lin-da-kenobi in Lima, Peru ^^ (Registered on 2007/08/15)
medicine student & otaku

wowwwww way to go Danny i had no idea that u started Dannychoo.com in 2000 hahaha to think that i was still looking for a site like this!!
nice graphics though!!

Sat 2008/02/23 21:22:42 JST (ID #72986)

reply to lin-da-kenobi's comment
ritchan in Canada (Registered on 2008/01/27)
Student
http://ritchan.dasaku.net

Wow, I've always wanted an article like this to appear, especially on your site, Danny.

I'll say, though, your page is dreadfully slow to render. Maybe it's just the sheer amount of content and images... anyway switching to Firefox Musume SSE seems to help responsiveness. And the text column is barely 500 pixels wide!

A friend is asking me to make a site that, I'm afraid, will require PHP and MySQL... let's hope this one will turn out to be as much of a hit as yours.

Sun 2008/02/24 07:38:20 JST (ID #73009)

reply to ritchan's comment
ritchan in Canada (Registered on 2008/01/27)
Student
http://ritchan.dasaku.net

What about the images, though? Does a script automatically resize them to fit within this column?

Sun 2008/02/24 07:39:45 JST (ID #73010)

reply to ritchan's comment
GoDeviL in Malaysia (Registered on 2007/10/19)
Freelancer

catching this site closely since ver.IV in year 2005 Although i never post a comment...
And yes, I found here by googling for "strike gundam'
LoL...

Sun 2008/02/24 12:06:56 JST (ID #73022)

reply to GoDeviL's comment
peetza in the funny farm :D (Registered on 2008/06/09)
student
http://freewebs.com/peetzaman

I see... I had made an account here a few months ago, but it somehow got deleted or other, so I had to make a new one. (<< total noob comment, not even on topic (I think))

Wed 2008/06/11 16:23:30 JST (ID #210344)

reply to peetza's comment
Chris292007 in Orlando, FL (Registered on 2009/05/16)
Student
http://thegadgetandgamereview.blogspot.com/

Dear Danny,
I am an armature blogger and i have little experience with designing my website. I just wanted to know how much it would cost me to have my blog designed by you or if you have any tips on making my blog popular.
Thanks

Sat 2009/05/16 03:19:39 JST (ID #607979)

reply to Chris292007's comment
paramedic in Sydney (Registered on 2008/01/27)
Graphic Designer

Congrats Danny on reaching your target, I stumbled DannyChoo.com 2 years ago, and have become daily reader ever since :) love your contents! always! and your funny comments too, they make your posts very unique indeed.. keep up the good work!!

Thu 2009/07/02 14:25:16 JST (ID #664177)

reply to paramedic's comment
Motiko-chan in Sweden (Registered on 2009/05/29)
Student and free-time otaku ^^

of those services I only use YT, although I accidentally joined twitter a while ago... I don't use it though ^^

Thu 2009/07/02 16:56:28 JST (ID #664298)

reply to Motiko-chan's comment
shinkawa in Malaysia (Registered on 2009/04/10)
Web Designer / Animator
http://parttimeotaku.blogspot.com/

Great experience you sharing with us. Thanks Danny. I wish i could be like you. Master of all software

Fri 2009/07/03 03:54:11 JST (ID #664763)

reply to shinkawa's comment
Shisohikari in USA (Registered on 2009/02/22)
Student

Well Danny you put ALOT of hard work to your site and I hope it keeps getting pretty and better wish you the best of luck

Sat 2009/07/04 02:31:27 JST (ID #665810)

reply to Shisohikari's comment
k2 in Egypt (Registered on 2009/10/07)
College Student , butts kicker
http://k2-darky.blogspot.com/

great achievements danny ....you're one of the figures to how a man be hardworking :)

Thu 2009/11/05 19:52:14 JST (ID #737841)

reply to k2's comment