With your support, Wangjianshuo’s Blog has become an important website about living in Shanghai. The readership increases everyday. I am overwhelmed by your compliment and encourage. The number questions I got on all aspects of Shanghai also increased dramatically. I have tried my best to answer as many questions as possible and answer them as quick as possible. However, my bandwidth is limited and I am not an expert on all areas (such as how to get a visa). So I turn to you, my readers, for help to make the site more helpful everyday.
I am thinking of a volunteer program to improve the quality and coverage of this site. I drafted the following “positions”.
Proof Reading Expert
I have proof read most of my articles myself (if time allows). I read the published entry(so HTML code is not displayed), mark mistakes and go back to MovableType to correct them. But English is not my native language and there are still many grammar and spelling errors in every article. I am aware of it. :$ (type this into your MSN Messenger and you can see what emotion it prepresents)
I know half of my readers are native English speakers. How about devote 10 minutes to proof read a piece of my (past) article and correct errors?
Time needed: 10 minutes per article.
Total work load: There are 624 published articles including this one on this site.
How many volunteers needed: About 10.
If you enjoy reading this blog and cannot bear the bad grammar of any entry, why not help me (and help other readers like you) to correct it?
How it works? I will setup a Wiki site for you and export all my articles into the site. You accept an article and you can freely edit the content of the article. After it is completed, notify me and I can export the article back to the main site. The Wiki site is also open to public, so everyone can add inputs.
Shanghai Expert
Are you a native Shanghaiese? Have you stayed in Shanghai for many years? Have you successfully relocated to Shanghai in the past half year? Would like to help others (especially the expat community) to survey in this city? Would you like to practice written English and see your articles published and read by 10+ thousands of people from 109 countries? This position is for you.
Time needed: Depends on you. You can either take full day travel in Shanghai and take pictures (as I did for Starbucks) and write an article the second day, or just use 5 minutes to drop few lines to answer someone’s question here.
How it works? After I get enough volunteers in this category, I will setup a case management system so people can directly send email to a group email alias or via web form and the question is put into public queue. You can pick up a question and answer it. If you want to send original article on certain topic, just like what I did, submit it via Wiki website.
Indexer
There are many articles in this site, and to find the right resource is not as easy as it was . I start to see repeating questions again and again while it has been answered in details in a separate article. Will it be useful if someone help to index the pages just like the index of a book? This needs skills. A good index can help people to navigate through this maze of articles more easily.
Time needed Maybe longer – you have to read all the articles and assign key words for each other and combine the keywords into a list. This is a tough job, sorry.
Volunteer needed Only one, since according to some books, it is best for one person to index this site so he/she has better sense of selection of keyword.
How it works Also on Wiki.
Thanks
Thanks for reading all these “job posting”. They are all volunteer jobs. I don’t know what I can give to volunteers. But do ask for anything you think I can offer. I may consider.
- Want a link on this site? Sure.
- A T-shirt with a logo? Yes. If someone can help to design, I can pay to print some.
- Want me to name a section on this site after your name? Well, maybe.
- etc…
I don’t have many things to offer – just to show my appreciation, on behalf of all the readers who get help from you.
Do not hesitate. If you are intersted, would you please drop a short message to me 
. In the mail, please tell me what type of volunteer you want to be, your contact information, your plan about how you can help and what you want to get from me if I can offer. I will contact you soon after I get the mail. The closure date for this application is June 30, 2004.
Mr, Wang, please don’t worry too much about your grammar or spelling. We all know English is not your first language, yet we are impressed with your excellent use of a very complex language. Sure, there are some grammar errors (have you tried using MS Word’s grammar checker before posting?), but these just give your blog more of an authentic Chinese feel. :-)
We enjoy your blog very much, keep up the great work!
Hi Jian Shuo, I’d love to help as “Shanghai Expert”. :)
Grace, you are welcome. I have added you to an alias and will update more information on how to contribute to this site soon.
An open source model for weblog development! I think you need to provide a easy and robust feedback mechanism. Maybe a protected wiki for people who signed on?
Jian Shou,
I like to be your “Indexer”.
JSW,
I would love to help as a Shanghai Expert I have tons of photos and I will be back in Shanghai next month as well.
Excellent job! Keep going!
i like to read your information further!
Message for Michael Yuan
Since JSW works for MS, he may not think that your Open Source comment is politically corect. :o)
Thanks everyone. I will update you soon on how to work as either Shanghai Experts or Proof Reading Experts.
William, why not open source? I believe people in Microsoft are also smart enough to choose the best tool/methods to archive goals instead of worrying about “politically correct”. This is what I like in this company. Yes. I am thinking of putting effort together, such as wiki.
Oh, oh, oh! I would *love* to help, Jian Shuo. I think the only area where I could possibly be of service, however, is the proof-reading, but I totally agree with Shanghai Slim’s observation that if you “clean up” your entires too much, they will lose some of the personal flavor we get from reading what is almost like having you speak to us in charming, if slightly imperfect, English. That said, since part of what I do “professionally” is proof-read essays for students, it would be my great honor to help. I have no idea at all how “wiki” works, but for a mom-aged person I’m pretty competent and I bet I could figure it out with your guidance. As for possible “compensation”…the word volunteer implies a choice freely made with no thought of recompense. However, I would suggest that something which might be well-received, regardless of cultural norms, (at least by me if we’re ever lucky enough to meet in person) would be a hug. If that all sounds OK to you, sign me up!
i can pretend to be a “shanghai expert” :D
JS, given your interest in PHP, perhaps one should’ve realized that you’re more enlightened than one expects. :)
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Open Source. Without getting into a religious debate, there must be a limit as to how much de facto freedom an MS employee has in deploying Open Source tools for extracurricular activities. For example, it’s hard to imagine a LAMP platform being used.
WJS,
I think you write great English articles, even better than a lot of native English speakers. You shouldn’t worry too much about your grammer.
Occationally, you did have some mis-translation issues. Something like you use oil for gasoline. Or you call Bill Gates “BILL” which is not very common even here in NYC microsoft office. (I don’t know how they call him in Seattle) Or you call RMB is not freely trade, which i think you should say not on floating rate, or free-exchange currency. Well, all these things are just minors.
My opinion is don’t let other people to change the style of your articles. We will post/email you if we think some terms may be better translated.
Good job on this site, and keep going!
Shen
Thanks everyone. I have proccessed all request prio to this comment. I have added you to either the wangjianshuopr@yahoogroups.com alias or shanghaiexperts@yahoogroups.com alias so you can get futher information.
Regarding proof reading, I understand your concerns and think the suggestions are quite valid. Maybe a not-too-perfect English style is OK. I may reconsider the original plan to open a WIKI to let proof readers to directly modify the article. Instead, I may be working on a bug report way that I help to fix all the serious bugs on the articles. :-D
JSW, I like your writing style the way you are. Please don’t change it. Letting others ‘touching it up’ I’m afraid it’ll loose its ‘Shanghai feel’ and originality.
cheers!
Put me also in your list.
I’d like to help out too.
Hi I’m looking for family to stay with in shanghai so i can quickly learn mandarin.If possible close to the centre and cheap.My e-mail is niyazken@hotmail.com
If anyone knows a family who can please contact me.
thanks
Olivier
Hi Jian Shuo: Love your blog. I’d like to help if you feel you need it. I just read your old message re Volunteer Help. Your English has a foreign edge which adds color to your voice, but it is not native-like written English. I’m getting an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language and hope to teach in China soon. We, teachers of English here, are wondering who is teaching spoken and written English to Microsoft native employees in China? Does Microsoft use Global English, a virtual classroom for English language learning? Or, do they have inhouse teachers? Also, I have noticed in going to major tourist sites in China that many, many explanatory signs on exhibits and historical sites are in really really bad English — almost as bad as the Yantai hotel English in another blog. There should be a concerted effort to clean all these up before the 2008 Olympics when the world will be on Beijing’s doorsteps, don’t you think? I have noticed many taxi drivers are already trying to improve their English.
Thanks for the info!! Let me know if I can help.
Jeannie
Mandarin Library
Welcome to Mandarin Times Library. We hope you can find the information you need on language and related knowledge. Please feel free to tell us whatever you need but does not exist here.
This library is divided into three parts.
1. Mandarin Knowledge
Here is the knowledge on mandarin the language. Maybe some of it is too difficult for you or does not seem directly connected with your study, but we still suggest you have basic understanding of the language before you come to it.
Pronunciation
Grammar
Words
Chinese Character
2. Art & Literature
The best way to learn a foreign language is to learn its culture ant art. We have prepared resources of different aspects. We aim at building a most fascinating online library. Have a pleasant journey!
Literature
Painting & Calligraphy
Music & Opera
Chinese Food
Handicraft
Sports
3. Study Tips
Language is not something that can be swallowed: it needs careful study and deep thinking. We provide here some daily study tips to help you with your learning. Some of these are from the experience of our teachers, while some others are just taken from the student’s questions. Remember, you can see a new tip EVERY day!
Mandarin 3 Library link:
[http://www.mandarintimes.com/ study mandarin]1
[http://www.mandarintimes.com/japanese/home.htm learn chinese]2
[http://www.mandarintimes.com/ mandarin ]3
Learn Chinese Knowledge Library
1. What is mandarin?
Mandarin uses Peking pronunciation as standard pronunciation, northern dialect as basic dialect, and representative contemporary article as grammatical standard.
2. A picture of pronunciation organs
3. The difference between “Hànyu” and “Putonghuà”
Library 3 link:
[http://www.mandarintimes.com/home.htm study chinese ]1
[http://www.mandarintimes.com/japanese/home.htm learn mandarin ]2
[http://www.mandarintimes.com/ mandarin ]3
I agree with your comment that language is not something that can be swallowed. For example, enlarging our vocabulary is like making friends. There is an introduction to the word (or friend) but then it takes several meetings and associations with the word to become familiar with the word and learn it well.
http://www.davekees.com/content/view/85/26/
Dear All,
Sub: Request for Girls Sports Equipments:
In reference to the above mentioned subject, Africa Youth Ministries is writing to request for your kind donation of sports equipment worth Uganda Shillings 4,475,000 (US$ 2,419), Four million four hundred Seventy five thousand only. The requested sports equipment will be used in our HIV/AIDS & adolescent pregnancy prevention program that integrates sports in reaching the out of school young Girls. The funds requested will procure Netballs, Fix Goals posts for netball in a few playgrounds, sports shoes for the teams, uniforms, & a trophy.
Africa Youth Ministries Uganda is a Child & Youth focused Ngo working in Uganda since 2003, while implementing projects that addressing problems affecting young people. World over, sport has been recognized as the best development tool. In November, 2003 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the role of sport as a means to promote health, education, development and peace.
In Kenya,1,700 residents of Kwale participated in a full-day football tournament “Kick AIDS out of Kwale” to promote girls empowerment and to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS.
The “sport for life” programme in Honduras addresses HIV/AIDS prevention through the vehicle of an organised football league. It has been successful in reducing school drop-out rate, street gangs, and HIV/AIDS among adolescents, promoting family integration and improving child health.
“The aim of the United Nations activities involving sport is not the
Creation of sporting champions and the development of sports but
rather the use of sport in broader development and peace-building
activities” US SG Kofi Annan
Africa Youth Ministries Uganda has been implementing a program “Kick AIDS Out of Uganda” per the information on our web page http://www.aymu.org/kick on Integrating sports in HIV/AIDS & Adolescent pregnancy prevention campaigns. Requested equipment will benefit out of school young girls in Rakai District. As young girls meet for netball practice or training our social workers and peer educators educate them on how to avoid HIV infections & Adolescent pregnancies. We have recorded tremendous success in this program, and the lives of many young people have been transformed.
Why we selected to start with Rakai District for our Program, you will realise that the 1st HIV/AIDS case in Uganda was identified in Rakai District in 1982, and since then the HIV/AIDS epidemic has had a profound impact on the population of Rakai District, in some villages some families or homes were completely erased by the scourge. According to the current Ministry of Health epidamology Surveilence report, Rakai prevalence rate still stands very high at 15%, yet the declared national prevalence rate is 6%. It is on this basis that Africa Youth Ministries Uganda has embarked on a more rigorous HIV/AIDS Prevention Campaigns in the District of Rakai. Africa Youth Ministries Uganda has been operating in the District of Rakai since 2004 working in partnership with Rakai Women Against AIDS & Poverty (RWAP). Our partnership has involved activities such as Community Based Care & support of Young People Living With AIDS (PLWHA’s), Community Care & Support of AIDS Orphans (Child Sponsorship) & HIV/AIDS Prevention
As per our request you can either choose to fund the entire request or partially.
For further details on this program, you can visit our program page at http://www.aymu.org/kick for Volunteer opportunities, those interested can visit our volunteer page at http://www.aymu.org/Volunteer.htm We will be most grateful for your positive response in this regard. Together we can Kick AIDS out of Uganda.
Yours truly,
Albert Kunihira
Country Director/AIDS Activist & Peace Ambassador
Africa Youth Ministries Uganda
P.O. Box 20029, Kampala
T: +256-752-385622/392-200009
F: +256-41-287151
E: admin@aymu.org
i love to volunteer with you
Thank you for your interesting, uptodate of everything from personnel, social, places in China and….what’s taken place in Shanghai for oversea Shanghainese, or I who have left Shanghai many years ago. Keep up good work and wish you good fortune.
Dear in christ,i am very happy to write you this letter,the main reason why i am writing you this letter is that,i want you to send me t-shirt.thank you.please mail it in my box. ashanti school for the deaf,p.o.box39,jamasi-ashanti.