I don't know how many of you know this - we have a site called ToonDoo, a place to create & share comic strips online, which is probably best described as an Office Unproductivity suite, judging how much time our own folks spend there - I have 30+ comic (or perhaps not-so-comic) creations of my own. We try to tuck'er out of the way, because, you know, it is not good for business ... I am proud to report that it has already been blocked in several humor-challenged IT companies in India.
ToonDoo has been gaining quite a user base on its own - with over 125,000 comics created, of which 75,000+ are available in public. The private comic strips tend to be office or classroom humor variety - very specific to a context and a social group. Like, you know, when you are in a boring meeting or a boring class - which is to say you are in a perfectly typical meeting or a perfectly typical class - you can doodle away your boredom in ToonDoo, and even secretly share your creation with other fellow sufferers. No artistic skill required - just bring your sense of humor, but if you lack that, well, there is always that financial planning spreadsheet on Zoho ;-)
We had a "field day" on ToonDoo recently when our office cricket tournament was on; losing in the field doesn't hurt nearly as much as the Toon-barbs you get from colleagues.
Here are a couple of my recent attempts (hold your fire, please - yeah, I know I am not going to make it as a comic already!)
First, this news item from this blog post which is connected to this thread provided inspiration for this one ...
And then, on a Friday,
Let me tell you about TOON DOO and ZOHO:I know ZOHO is affiliated with TOON DOO. I ask that you please help me with the problem mentioned below:
Subject: My 9 year old daughter received death threat through a cartoon design website (TOON DOO/ZOHO)!!!..To Whom It May Concern:My 9 year old daughter received a death threat today from a user of TOON DOO/ZOHO cartoon design website. She came to my wife and I in tears, distraught. She can not even sleep. User SWAG58 made this threat to my 9 year old daughter: "U IS A GAY ASS FAGGET I WILL KILL U BITCH". What did she do to solicit such an ugly, illicit and threatening response? Like many young people who enjoy creating, she truly enjoys expressing her creativity by drawing and cartooning. A teacher noticed her abilities and talents in this area and recommended the TOON DOO website. So, she decided to exercise her creativity and try it. With this outcome! How long must incidents like this go on before someone does something to stop this? How many children must be harmed? Does ones right to free speech allow this? Is this what our forefathers envisioned? I can not begin to tell you how upset I am that TOON DOO has allowed this to happen. I can tell you it has been reported to my local law enforcement authorities, IC3, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Justice Assistance, NBC News, MSNBC, FOX News, ABC News and anyone else who just might listen. TOON DOO/ZOHO, we are holding your website accountable for not screening this death threat made by one of your "DOOERS": swag58. I strongly suggest that swag58's account information be turned over to the authorities immediately. Your lax policies must be changed! I know it is my responsibility as a parent is to check the websites that my children visit. Your website came recommended by a teacher. I checked your website. It seemed fine. Obviously I was mistaken! Someone please listen and help to ensure these things do not continue to happen to our children!
Let me tell you about TOON DOO and ZOHO:I know ZOHO is affiliated with TOON DOO. I ask that you please help me with the problem mentioned below:
Subject: My 9 year old daughter received death threat through a cartoon design website (TOON DOO/ZOHO)!!!..To Whom It May Concern:My 9 year old daughter received a death threat today from a user of TOON DOO/ZOHO cartoon design website. She came to my wife and I in tears, distraught. She can not even sleep. User SWAG58 made this threat to my 9 year old daughter: "U IS A GAY ASS FAGGET I WILL KILL U BITCH". What did she do to solicit such an ugly, illicit and threatening response? Like many young people who enjoy creating, she truly enjoys expressing her creativity by drawing and cartooning. A teacher noticed her abilities and talents in this area and recommended the TOON DOO website. So, she decided to exercise her creativity and try it. With this outcome! How long must incidents like this go on before someone does something to stop this? How many children must be harmed? Does ones right to free speech allow this? Is this what our forefathers envisioned? I can not begin to tell you how upset I am that TOON DOO has allowed this to happen. I can tell you it has been reported to my local law enforcement authorities, IC3, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Justice Assistance, NBC News, MSNBC, FOX News, ABC News and anyone else who just might listen. TOON DOO/ZOHO, we are holding your website accountable for not screening this death threat made by one of your "DOOERS": swag58. I strongly suggest that swag58's account information be turned over to the authorities immediately. Your lax policies must be changed! I know it is my responsibility as a parent is to check the websites that my children visit. Your website came recommended by a teacher. I checked your website. It seemed fine. Obviously I was mistaken! Someone please listen and help to ensure these things do not continue to happen to our children!
Toondoo is owned by Zohocorp ?
Toondoo is owned by Zohocorp ?