Nota Official Blog

Review by FoxHole

2009-02-11T17:39:00.000-08:00

Recently Nota was introduced by FoxHole, a Flash-specific tech blog. Thank you!

http://blog.flashden.net/industry-news/nota-an-amazing-use-of-flash/

Nota Open Beta Version Released

2009-02-04T01:10:00.000-08:00

Thank you for using Nota.

Because Nota has been in closed beta, an invite code has been required in order to sign up.
However, this week Nota launched its open beta.
This means that anyone can sign up and use Nota without an invite code from an existing user.

We hope you enjoy using Nota and sharing the service more casually with your friends or colleagues.

Further, taking this opportunity, we revised the
whole design of the Nota website.
We have added some new contents, such as the "Nota Quick Guide".

We are happy to hear your comments on the new Nota!

Review by ReadWriteWeb

2009-02-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

Recently Nota was reviewed by ReadWriteWeb, a famous tech website. It is Nota's second time honor on ReadWriteWeb :-)
We are very happy that the writer, Sarah Perez, evalueted Nota's simpleness. Thank you very much.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/nota_a_simple_webmixer.php

Educational Usecase -- "60 Words" project

2008-12-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

Nota is now being used for a great project for students.
With word-based pictures taken with cell phones and digital cameras, students work on Nota and create a message.

Have a look at this great project. They are really creative!

http://discoverychange.pbwiki.com/60-Words
http://notaland.com/discovery/15344

New Social Slideshow Service From Nota, Inc.

2009-01-10T07:13:00.000-08:00

We would like to give you the inside scoop on the latest Nota, Inc. service: PhotoPeach.com that has just launched into public Beta.

Photopeach is a social slideshow service that allows users to create a custom flash slideshow in four steps.

-Users can pick photos from their computer or from facebook, picasa, and flickr, then drag and drop to arrange them.

-Next, they can title the slideshow and choose background music from our default selections or by youtube search (we place a small youtube player to get the sound).

-Once they enter the slideshow it will play automatically, and users can leave comments on each photo (it auto-pauses).

-These comments can be related to a zoom on a part of the photo, and sound-effect smiley faces can also be added.

-All shows are private by default, but we provide a complex link so anyone it is shared with can view that particular show without registration.

If you enjoy the service and think your friends might as well, then please tell them about us.

PhotoPeach.com accounts are compatible with notaland.com accounts.

Happy New Year,

Educational Usecase -- Map activity in Japan

2009-01-13T20:28:00.000-08:00

Nota team has found that there are some Nota pages which are used as map projects for students in Japan.

Here, Nota is used as a tool for making a local map with photos the student took and information which the students found. We know some other cases where Nota is used for map project. We appreciate that they make really creative maps on Nota.

Breaking News: Nota an Official Partner at Creative Commons iSummit '08 in Sapporo

2008-07-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

We are very excited as Nota is an official partner of Creative Commons at their iSummit in Sapporo, Japan. Here is a description of the event from the site:

Inspired by Japanese innovation and hosted in a city fast becoming recognized for its modern, creative, technology-orientated approach to business and public initiatives - this year's iSummit will be a ground-breaking event that showcases pioneering approaches to furthering digital culture around the world.

At our booth in iSummit we are showcasing our C-shirt concept using Nota technology to design and edit remixable shirt designs. Participants can print their own C-shirts right there. Some people are ordering as many as 7 at a time!

We have also added lots of great new Clip Art for everyone to use making new designs better all the time.

Note: for this special campaign we have temporarily opened registration to iSummit participants only and it will close on August 1.

As always, please feel free to share your opinions about Nota on our Contact page, or here in the comments.

Love,

Ben

Nota Community Guy

Review on Nota for educational use

2008-10-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

Nota has been reviewed by teachers/educational professionals as an educational tool. Thank you for reviewing Nota.

Free Technology For Teachers: NOTA - Collaborative Web Page Builder
http://freetech4teachers.blogspot.com/2008/04/free-technology-for-teachers-nota.html

Nota was described as follows:

NOTA is an easy to use web page / online collage builder that is easy enough for elementary school students to use. NOTA is a good replacement or alternative to building traditional paper and glue collages. NOTA is also a good alternative to a wiki for assignments with a more visual rather than textual focus. I can even see NOTA being used in conjunction with an oral presentation in which students explain the significance of the various elements on their web page.

High School Collaboration Tools and Resources
http://hstrial-pericson.homestead.com/services.html
Nota is shown as a tool for brain storming.

Teknowledg-E-Matters
http://teknowledgeymatters.wordpress.com/2008/04/28/nota-cool-web20-tool/

Review by a teacher in the United States.

De onderwijsvooruitzichten door John van Dongen
http://onderwijsvooruitzicht.blogspot.com/2008/05/nota-iets-om-te-onthouden.html

Review by a Dutch teacher.

We, Nota team, are very happy that Nota has been used in several schools for education. If there are any concern, comment or request, please feel free to contact us. We'd like to more better Nota for educational use.

Additional Articles about C-shirts in iSummit Sapporo

2008-08-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

Here is another articles about C-shirts in iSummit Sapporo. We are very appreciated that this person seems enjoyed C-Shirts very much :-)

http://thornet.wordpress.com/2008/08/22/cshirt/

Articles about C-shirts in iSummit Sapporo

2008-08-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

Many participates of iSummit Sapporo has reported about C-shirts. Here is some of the articles about C-shirts in iSummit Sapporo. We are very happy to hear that they enjoyed C-shirts. Thank you!

Summit blog
An A-Z for Sapporo and the 2008 iCommons Summit
http://icommonssummit.org/summit_blog/2008/07/an-az-for-sapporo-and-the-2008.html

iSummit report by loftwork
http://www.loftwork.jp/aboutus/column/article/20080808_isummit2008.html

Can't wait to get my C-shirt today!
http://blog.bobchao.net/2008/08/cant-wait-to-get-my-c-shirt-today.html

T-Shirt remixes by openDemocracy
http://www.opendemocracy.net/blog/admin/2008/07/30/t-shirt-remixes

Blog by mosslinkage
http://www.mosslinkage.com/blog/blosxom.cgi/2008/08/

All-New Feature From Your Feedback: Private Nota!

2008-07-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I am happy to announce that our team has developed a new feature straight from your feedback: Private Nota.

If you visit your Home page there is a new layout with sections for your private and public nota via thumbnail view.

Here is how it works:

From the home page, click the '+ new' button to start your desired type of nota

If you want, share the URL of your private nota to collaborate with friends or peers

If and when you want to make your nota public click 'remix it' to make a public copy

Now you can keep projects private indefinitely or just work on your creations until you are satisfied with the result and then make them popular.

Feature Note: Embedding a private nota will result in an access denied message in the frame.

The Nota team has immediately begun using this for our own purposes and we hope you find it useful too. =)

P.s. Don't hesitate to let us know what you think! We love implementing your feedback.

New Features: Font Art, Post to Blogger & LiveJournal Buttons, and More

2008-07-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

This week we are introducing three new features to make your Nota experience better:

Font Art
Embed straight to Blogger and LiveJournal buttons
New Clip Art

With the Font Art feature you can select from 5 new fonts.

Just:

Choose a font you like
Enter your desired text
Click 'add' - the tool will automatically render the Font Art in your nota canvas.

From there you can customize your new Font Art the same as a shape- move, resize, change colors, and adjust transparency.

This way you can have font options that add more personality to your nota and you dont have to wait while the page is loading entire font sets.

We have also added new clip art for you in edit mode with the theme 'Happy Drive' and there are some great characters and images to use (as seen in the Weekly Nota above). When you are all done and want to share your nota on Blogger and Live Journal you can use the new embed buttons for them in view mode.

Thats all for now, and here is your Tip of the Week:

Did you know you can use the Ctrl key+ the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out in edit mode?
This is very handy if you have moved a window off the normal screen and cant click on the move button or the X button to delete, or just want to get a zoomed out view of your whole nota.

Please leave us any ideas or feedback you might have!

Love,

Ben

The Nota Community Guy.

Nota Supports Flash Player 10

2008-07-17T15:54:00.000-07:00

Hi,
We inform you that Nota supports Adobe Flash 10.
We are currently testing Nota under Flash Player 10 beta 2, and it's running well.

Weekly Update: New Clip Art and Your Friend's Comments Feed

2008-07-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

This week you have two cool updates:

- New Clip Art in the Sidebar to Play with and...

-Comments your friends have left on other Nota are now included in your news feed.

Beginning this week we will be adding new clip art to the sidebar weekly. We hope this will allow the creation of better and better creations all the time. Also, when you check your main news feed you may notice : "Ben left a new comment for Jen". Now you can enjoy the Nota your friends are commenting on.

And now, here is your Tip of the Week:

You can set a particular Nota to be displayed on your MyNota page by entering the page number into the settings customization page.

For example:

Leave us any comments or feedback you may have-- we would be happy to incorporate your ideas into the site.

Love,

Ben

The Nota Community Guy

New This Week: new MyNews and Clipart Features

2008-07-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

This week we have two very cool new features:

1. Nota News - this shows you all the latest activity around your Nota

2. Clipart - the display for clipart is now an accordion style so you can more easily grab clipart (tons of new clipart will be added soon!)

Now through Nota News you can check for updates to all the different kinds of activity going on around you in Notaland. For now there are four feeds:

an 'all' feed showing all Notaland activity

a comments feed with all comments you have recieved on your Nota

a shared feed with all activity in your shared Nota

a ratings feed with all ratings you have recieved on your Nota

In the editing view you can now see clipart galleries expand in an accordion style that makes it much easier to use than the previous style with a drop box. Also, please look forward to see lots of new vector clipart for you to use in the near future.

Thats the news and....

Here is your Tip of the Week:

When you use the text tool you can choose a color for the text box background.If you highlight the text you can change its color, if you leave the selector at the end of the text you change the background color.

We have many big changes coming up to make Nota more fun and powerful.

Please give us any feedback or comments and we'll try our best to put them into effect on the site.

Thanks for enjoying Nota and please stay tuned for lots of great updates in the near future.

Love,

Ben

The Nota Community Guy

Today's Nota -How the animal grows up-

2008-07-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

The animal on the roreroica's board has been grown up!

Today's Nota -Fill The Ocean With Fish!-

2008-07-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

Arcwind started a new drawing. Let's join to draw your fish!

Today's Nota -let's play a game-

2008-06-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

roeroica hosts an amazing game on Nota!

If you have a Nota account, let's join this board and complete it!

Weekly Update: Invitations, Profile Pictures, and Wikipedia

2008-06-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Before we share the latest info about Notaland with you we want to say thank you for using our service, providing wonderful feedback, and recommending us to your friends!

This week's new releases are the addition of a profile picture feature, and wikipedia content search from the sidebar.

Go ahead and surf over to your settings page and you will see a browse button where you can upload a profile picture to appear on your MyNota page.

You can now also search for and drag wikipedia content from the sidebar of the Nota Mixer to enrich your creations.

And now, here is your Tip of the Week:

With the frame button at the top of the mixer you can add or remove the white border and cut your photos into different shapes with one click!

Please feel free to give us any and all feedback or comments you may have so we can accomodate your wants and needs as best as possible.

Love,
Ben

The Nota Community Guy

New: Rating System and Related Nota View

2008-06-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

We have released two new features from our international development team this week.

You are now able to rate Nota from Awesome (5) to Keep Trying (1). You can also see thumbnails of related Nota in the viewing sidebar to explore other Nota you might be interested in.

Rating works on a one through five system where all of the ratings given will be used to create an average. The Nota with the highest average rating will join the new "Top Rated" gallery descending and in this way you decide which Nota will be popular.

In the sidebar of the Notum view there is now a related page section which displays Nota similar to the one being viewed. This is first done by the similarity of text contained within, and second by the user who has made it.

Finally, here is your Tip of the Week:

When editing a Notum you might have noticed some objects move to the front or the back automatically. The way this works: larger objects are automatically moved to the rear and smaller ones to the front.

Please enjoy our new features and feel free to give use any and all feedback or comments you may have.

Love,

Ben

The Nota Community Guy

Today's Nota -Mountains which sachiko3 climbed-

2008-05-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Our user sachiko3 has created a Nota about mountains she climbed in Japan.
See her trip reports detailed with many beautiful photos.

http://notaland.com/sachiko3/11456

Today's Nota -satsuki's "Notaland" using "Notalink"-

2008-06-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

http://notaland.com/satsuki/12518

satsuki enjoys using Nota's new function: Notalink. By using Notalink, you can add a thumbnail link to another Nota from within your own Nota.

http://notaland.com/cappy/12266

Today's Nota -Alexander Valley Wineries-

2008-06-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

shizzlelizzle is using the Nota Mixer to create a wonderful winery map of Alexander Valley.

http://notaland.com/shizzlelizzle/12545

Nota Review on "Creative Commons Blog"

2008-06-16T10:45:00.001-07:00

Our C-Shirt project is reviewed on the Creative commons Blog by Tim Hwang.

http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/8359

Thank you.

We hope to make this active in the United States in the future!

Nota Usage Possibilities and the "C-Shirt" Project

2008-06-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

What is a C-shirt?
Our vision is to create a free-mixing/editing area on the web. Anyone can use the Nota Mixer to express themselves. Because we believe that Nota has many possibilities and in order to show one of them we proposed a Creative Commons (CC)-licensed T-Shirt project which we call C-Shirts.

C-shirt History
In 2004 the developer of Nota technology, Isshu Rakusai, developed a CC-licensed T-shirt creating and remixing tool with the help of some content providers, and introduced it in a Creative Commons workshop as the C-Shirt project. For more details, please refer to this article written by Lawrence Lessig. In 2007, Isshu and some of the Creative Commons staff demonstrated C-shirts in i Summit 2007 (June 2007) and in an event put on by Mozilla Firefox (September 2007). The C-shirt project is just a prototype but even you can order your own from our C-Shirt website via a vendor in Japan if you can read Japanese.

Enjoy All of Nota's Uses!
As we mentioned, the C-Shirt project is just one prototype which shows some of Nota's possibilities. We would love it if you enjoy Nota's functions, imagine new possibilities, and create wonderful things.

P.S.
In order to avoid the confusion of our users, we would like to clarify the following:
- We had the idea to put a "Quick Read code" on the C-Shirt but it has not been realized yet.
- Nota Inc. is not a T-shirt vendor, but a web service company.
- Nota Inc. is not a "Japanese" company. The founder Isshu Rakusai is originally from Japan and the Nota concept originated in Japan but Nota Inc. is a Silicon Valley, California based U.S. Corporation founded in December 2007.

Contact
If you have any questions, please contact us at notaland.com/contact.