JapanSoc was plagued by spam. You never saw it, but I got it in my email box and manually deleted it everyday for the last two years and three months. As a result, the database had grown to ugly proportions, filled with the remnants of deleted users, stories, votes, comments, tags, and more. In fact, it was too big for phpMyAdmin’s export feature, so I decided to run a database cleanup module I made ages ago. That module worked, and I was able to backup the database after all the spam had been wiped. Unfortunately, I then realized I couldn’t log in, and I got an email from one of our top users whose account had been deleted! I guess my module was overly keen.
I’m taking this as a signal to scrap everything and start again. Start again fresh with a new CMS, one which I’ve been developing myself, a clean database, and a spam free inbox to wake up to every morning.
To those of you who have given so much to JapanSoc over the last couple of years, I’m really sorry that all your content will be wiped. I could try moving it to the new system, but there are a lot of complications migrating from JapanSoc to Hotaru CMS, specifically with how user accounts are mapped with RPX, the provider that lets you sign in with Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc. I’m not a big business with a tech support department. I’m just a guy at home in the mountains of Gifu, playing with the internet.
Some of you might be reluctant to sign-up again on the new JapanSoc in case I wipe everything again, and that is totally understandable. I hope, however, that you re-join us anyway!
Notes:
1. I wasn’t planning on setting up Hotaru CMS on JapanSoc.com for another couple of months so the first few weeks will probably be buggy, and will have to be done on a temporary theme until I can get one sorted out for JapanSoc.
2. I apologize to those of you with links in the sponsors bar. I’ll do what I can to get them up again soon.
3. January’s Japan Blog Matsuri prizes are supposed to be determined by the number of socs entries got. I’ll see if I can salvage the soc counts from the database or Google’s cache.
4. A REALLY BIG APOLOGY to those of you who use the Wordpress, Drupal or plain JavaScript JapanSoc It! buttons in your blog posts. They will break the moment I take down the files.
In the meantime, you can catch up on all the latest from the Japan blogosphere at Blog Link Japan.