WebClap.com is a Japanese site that offers a special download that you can add to your website. Basically it’s a feature that a user can click showing they like the site, then allows them to enter text. You can then analyze how many many claps you get when and what they liked about the site. The idea was to replace having to put up your email or adding a forum for such. Perfect for a blog, illustration, or personal graphic site. Many anime illustration and 4 panel manga sites use it.

You can also customize the page that they thank you on. There you would likely have an image telling them thanks. There’s a free and paid version, the paid giving a tiny bit more freedom. Other features include email forwarding, IP tracking, and word filtering in where the message is rejected. You can also have Web clap created and hosted by Webclap.com with the parent site SimpleCGI.

Small shounen sites and female webmasters use them rather often. Nearly all of them are from your standard anime graphic and web layout resource site. They’re also known as Hentai Free Badges and there’s also an occasional yaoi one. Huge gap between the whole boy love fan and the fanservice junky. Notice the words yaoi fangirl weren’t used.

Image by Blissful Memoirs
This trend isn’t going anywhere fast, it’s pretty much dead. Active anime design sites aren’t paying such graphics any attention. Download, stream, forum, and other big anime themed sites have neglected this. People new to anime, young, or not into such anime and manga would take comfort in a site making it clear that they don’t allow it. If you don’t have such content, find space for a badge.

May have seen many sites in Japanese have a box in the upper left corner that sometimes appears. Ninja Tools is a website that offers various services and scripts. The sites features are ads for revenue, hit counters, various traffic analysis, web hosting (free with adverts or payed), domains, mail forms, blogs (hosted by them pretty much) and question forms. Podcasting tools, users currently online, and clocks are other tools available that they’re working on. To top it off, they even have a 4 panel comic. Only issue is how the site and services tend to try to keep you there.

Blogs from the guest’s view are up there with Wordpress with skins and scripts and all. Many abstract and anime themes. The hit counter may link back to the Ninja Tools site, but mouse hover shows hit that day
and the day before. Ad service has you earning Ninja Points for clicks. Clearly very professional.

Ninja Tools does have you log in for much of its services and there isn’t any English support. They are however looking for more staff. Web designers, programmers, and user
support wanted.

Ninja Tools: ninja.co.jp   Samurai Factory: samurai-factory.jp