My China news radar, and other stories

Google plus laptop (Photo credit: jf1234)

Last year around this time I was planning to write a book on how I survive in this digital world. How does my digital radar screen looks like? How do I select my China news? What tools do I use? And what do I pass on to the rest of the world, and hope to add to the digital radar screens of others?
It was not meant for the digital vanguard, who does not need my guidance, but for the large number of people who are clueless when it comes to figuring out how to make their own selection of news in this fast changing digital world. When you are in the vanguard, it might be a no-brainer, but for many who do not deal with China-related news on a daily basis, life is not that easy. (Although, when I see how many seasoned China experts take the Business Insider as a serious media, I do get worried.)
Unfortunately (or also partly fortunately), I was not able to finish my master piece. Apart from some business activities, also Google+ took off. That took even more of my time and although I did write a fair bit of words together at the time, because of the take-off of Google plus I would have to add new sections on business pages, communities, the way Google is changing its search function.
So, when I look back, changing and finishing a real book does not seem to be right and possible. By the time I might have finished this Sisyphus labor, Google or another internet company has completely changed the playing field again. But the idea of sharing some of my tools, and opening it up for scrutiny, still seems a good idea. So I will start publishing the different chapters - after I have revamped them here - and look for your input.
It will focus on China, but the tools are those of the world outside China. For pragmatic reasons: my client base and audience is mostly outside of China. And making sense out of the internet in China itself, that is a specialized work I rather leave to others, who are more qualified.
See this as a pre-announcement. I will possibly publish them on special pages on this weblog, but always link to this weblog, to my Google account at +Fons Tuinstra and my community China Debate. Of course, I will set up now and then a +China Weekly Hangout to discuss this effort. Since it is also focusing om media tactics, other sites might also be on my target lists. And you can add this site to your RSS reader, of course.
Stay tuned.

Which reminds me. In one of the upcoming China Weekly Hangouts, together with +Paul Fox 

English: 的士司機和南華早報 Category:South China Morning Post Category:Taxis in Hong Kong Category:User:ChvhLR10 - Gallery (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

we will focus on the way how the media landscape in Hong Kong has changed. When I arrived in the region, at the beginning of the 1990s, the South China Morning Post, was leading the English-language media, complete with the now fully defunct Asiaweek, the Far Eastern Economic Review (I even had to look up that name :-)) and others. State-owned media from the mainland try to carve out their piece of the action, and social media have changed Hong Kong beyond recognition. 
Do you want to join the debate? Drop me a line.
The subject might be too large for one session of 45 minutes, but we might split it up if needed.

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