Naver, Korea's leading internet company just begun its new web 2.0 based blog service 'season2', with the buzz, expect to see more fierce competitions among Korean internet blog business.

web 2.0 blog 'season2'

Naver's new blog service season2 was developed for ultimate freedom of customization, more specialty functions, easier channel to latest technologies and applications and Meta blog service, links to other blog services.

Presently, there are two main types of blogs available. A web-based hosted blogging service and an installed blog using tool such program like Tatter Tools. When using the web provided blog service, users are limited only to features it provides. Naturally, active bloggers prefer for more ease of use and flexibility, apt to go with blogtool programs over using blog sites.

You can say that Naver's season2 is a web-based blog service with many advantages of blogtool programs. For example, users can easily create and express their preferences without having special knowledge of HTML or CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) using Naver’s built-in 'remote con', a web page management tool.

More freedom of customization with 'remote-con' management tool
The main remote-con menu has twelve sub categories; profile, page visit counter, calendar, skin chooser(Naver's built-in, user unloadable, retail version), blog menu, group box, system box, title, RSS logo, post style, and Naver menu.

The remote con functions can be used conveniently right from main page to design basic page layout without having to open separate option settings page. It’s quite an improvement from previous design where its users had limited choice (layout, title skin, menu/box skin) for designing their own page, receiving rave reviews from the experts.

Especially, its ability to freely edit or delete RSS logo and Naver icons is bringing more attention to season2

The Naver's blog season2 layout has been increased from 3 to now ten, more categories for the users to create the looks of 'your blog at your will', to give more individuality without touching the functional aspects.

It also provides advanced features, only available to blogtool programs previously thus far. Blog visitor profile service, checking referrers, blog plug-ins were added not only for the designing aspect but for various applications uses Naver said.

Naver said, "Latest Ajax technology and Flash were utilized for ultimate UX (User eXperience) to provide user convenience."

Naver is also considering providing easy RSS and track-back using blink feature, bring partnership with Meta blogs (all blog) for links to other sites.

Positive influence to further blog expansion
With the opening of season 2 blog service, bloggers are highly anticipating for other similar web 2.0 services to popup.

Some of the bloggers point out that season2, rather than solving just design and layout aspects, it should also look into the problems with managing posts within the Naver blog although giving much credit for finally breaking the barrier of blogtool program like tatter tool.

"Our blog service 'running within your mind' along with Naver's season2 will lessen gap between the web-based hosted blogging service and an installed blog program bringing better, improved services to bloggers." Naver said.

A Naver blogger using name 'Wings' commented, "Previous Naver blog with simple positing method was easy to use but missing center align function" and "With the release of season2, it has solved the center align issue, ten different kinds of page layout option has given a fresh look to old and boring designs."

However, season2 is still a web-based hosted blogging service and carries limitations, there will be positive and negative elements depending on the blogger's intended use.

Meanwhile, Daum Communications, Korea's second leading Internet Company offers both web-host blogging service and user installed blog program services to offer wide range of services to its users. Naver with season2 looks to be the company's latest strategic move to increase its current 7 million members and cope with higher quality of blogging service.@