I think that's a great idea!

The other day I spoke to a friend in Zurich who was actually thinking that it would be great if there was gol in Zurich! He might be interested in helping to build it, will let him know.




ansu1979, Sep 28, 2006 @ 20:22

I know I already shared this with you .. and if u want I will post the answers right below ...

anyway, I just wanted to share it with the rest of the comunity! This is my feedback:

I like the idea overall. I think it will work. I've seen similar sites in other cities (Brussels) but nothing as good as GOL and I think it will work well in Lausanne and Zurich. The "alert" i see are:

1) More Spammers
2) More ppl trying to chat up girls/men not for 'friendship'.

This are related to the number of users really more then the fact that we expand in 2 cities. But with more cities it will be harder to controll who's who in the comunity and which members are trusted.

Another thing that leave me 'surprised' is the fact that the home page will be common and then we could choose the city we are interested (or maybe I got it wrong?) ... that means that the web address won't be Genevaonline anymore? or how can it be still Genevaonline and then link to a 'common' page?
My 2cents on this are: register the other addresses too .. and then make each city accessible via their own link with the possibility to go into another city webcomunity from the homepage. I'd find the idea of loggin on a different webaddress and having to choose Geneva everytime .. less friendly and personal.

This is it. The rest of the infos are clear to me. ANd i LOVE the idea! Hope it will work!!

Hoiling, Sep 29, 2006 @ 11:40

So many things have been writen... So many things to say...

The first very important thing to keep in mind and I'm sure you are well aware of that: GOL is sucessfull.... Many congratulations to all of you who've been working so hard with ideas, events, energy, smiles and fun... Really a great achievement.

ZOL ? LOL ? Well.... First, does it make sense in those cities ? I mean, There are many foreigners, short time stay people in Geneva who tend to have some difficulties to settle and integrate a social community. Is it really the case in Zurich and Lausanne ? Sure there are people in Lausanne overlooking what's happening in Geneva (just as we are all aware of what's going on in Geneva area, around the lake Leman)... So people in Lausanne heard about GOL, but do they really got the "need" for a community GOL-like website ?

Well, tilllate is for sure successfull in Vaud, Lausanne and Zurich, but tilllate is much more about nightlife, dating and clubing.... And by the way, being a loooooong time user of tilllate, its inner quality has just droped with the numbers of people connected.... Again, it is still successfull but it just got kind of away from its origins though more people are enjoying their services, informations.... Quality... Number of members.... There is definitly a risk to lower one by increasing the other... But sometimes one have to take this risk for sure :-)

I'm confident you got some very nice of your ideas from "a small world" wich is worldwide kind of community website... So yes, it's working worlwide so it could work... But again people on aSW have different interests than those registered on GOL

There would be also very positive things about LOL, ZOL: more members = more informations, more connections, more friends, more events, more fun, more travels.... Will all those informations still be readable.... I'm already spending a good amount of time websurfing on GOL.... Will I spend more time or just get fed-up ? don't know yet.

As a personnal conclusion I would say that I'm a big "good old Sindy" Nostalgic and that it is already gorwn way too "big" for me: so different from the nice Sindy atmosphere when things were organised differently..... Just working... Or maybe not working all the time but at least it was very efficient: Fun, laughts and so many good memories... Now, you kind of end up with people at a Sindy party tchating about what's going on Geneva On Line... I'm over-descibing it but it's kind of true... And just a personnal conclusion ;-)

Well, that's the opinion of a night life/party guy that has already a nice bunch of friends in Geneva and who is well aware of the BIG "utility" of GOL for newcomers.

Looking forward to the Halloween party !
getget, Sep 29, 2006 @ 14:16

Hi there!

I'm the bloke that has started making LoL a happening place at last(!) - and there's even more to come... so watch this space! ...Umm, some activities are going to be delegated though - to trusted LoLers! - as I simply can't be everywhere(!), but it indeed shows mutual LoL spirit; for which I'm truly grateful to everyone involved!

GoL is THE original(!) and should remain the home-page for everyone, with then a possibility of going off and seeing 'who's who' & 'activities' in your own area - but 'events-postings' and photos will be displayed for everyone to see, no matter where you are...

Re: spammers... I notify Oded & Nir of all the ones I get...
Yup, it is a pain in terms of the fact that it shouldn't be happening... So I'm all for having new-member profiles showing who told them initially about the site... that way, if there is a spamming problem, we can get rid of everyone involved. What do others think?
Drastic? ...Perhaps, but it would certainly clean 'it' up a bit.

Julian :-)
JulianT, Oct 2, 2006 @ 03:10

i think it is about time we share with the rest of the world, and starting with neighbouring cities would be great. who knows whats next.. maybe even a NOL( nAIROBI THE CAPITAL OF KENYA) Good luck and keep uo the great work.
ALLIYA, Oct 2, 2006 @ 14:24

Hi,

I will be moving to Zurich pretty soon, as I start work there the 1 November. I am sad to be leaving Geneva and hence, GOL in a way, but it will be something great if there is a ZOL in Zurich! I will have a job where I have to travel alot so I'm not sure how much of a contribution I can make with starting up ZOL, but I am willing to lend a hand. Besides, I don't even know what it entails!

I think sticking to the original website is best too. Then whomever wants to see what's on in other cities, be they in Switzerland or not, can go to the relevant links on the GOL website. That being said... how are you going to allow member 6001 and upwards to log on to GOL to get to LOL or ZOL, when the limit of members was fixed at 6000???
Roberta, Oct 2, 2006 @ 21:18

As a footnote to my msg above...

I really do think it would be a good idea if new members were invited by trusted members / show who they knew to get in (re: spamming). Additionally, there should be some sort of 'code of conduct' (so to speak) with regards to filling out one's profile...

People who can't be bothered and simply put up just a one-liner (of 3 or 4 words in some cases!) in the different sections of their profile, obviously (at least in my mind) don't really intend on taking GoL as a serious way to increase their circle of friends, and have just put up a profile for the shear hell of it... which is a waste of space that could be better used by someone-else...

AND (yup, on a roll - soon over though!) inactive profiles of say 2-3 months, should just be deleted - with no questions asked, that's the rules! :-)

Umm, or does everyone-else firmly disagree with this? ;-D ...I love getting myself into hot water! :-D

Julian.
JulianT, Oct 2, 2006 @ 22:33

"So people in Lausanne (have) heard about GOL, but do they really (have) the "need" for a community GOL-like website?" (GetGet)

We sure do! :-D

Ok! It's great knowing what's happening in GE and lots of us love participating in GoL events when poss, but we still (& it's not just me talking here!) want our own sub-section so as to try and get more locals involved and establish a real identity for ourselves.

There are about 200 'GoL' people in Lsn itself (not counting people in 'other' which includes places like Lutry & Belmont - just next door - which don't show up) and I've only got 80 of them on my books. Where are the others??!

If we had our own part of GoL, I'm sure more LoLers would get involved (same goes for ZoLers too) whilst still keeping an eye on other events elsewhere... and FYI quite a few GoLers join in LoL events! (Cheers!)

'GetGet' mentioned something about the site turning into a dating-site - NO WAY! - That's not the primary concern here... What's important is having the expat community feeling that they are not alone, can meet like-minded people & form new friendships in a foreign country - and in their own area! ...After that, it's none of our business what individual members get upto.

The GoL spirit influences the individual, who in turn ‘feeds’ the community psyche... and can only result in this place turning into a better one - and for all of us (no matter where you are)! :-)

J.

PS 'Tilllate'??? Never heard of it, and I've been here for 12 years - so 'a fat load of good that is!' :-D

Long Live GoL! (and subsidaries - of course!) LoL! ;-)
JulianT, Oct 3, 2006 @ 01:04

I am all for the idea of sharing the fantastic GOL concept with the rest of Switzerland (and indeed have a friend back in Australia who wants to import it).

That said, to be truthful, if I had my druthers (a slang saying; If I had my druthers = if I had my preference) I would prefer the teams development energies were heading towards making event organisation and coordination a bit easier, rather than this.

Out of the 5980 members in GOL, only 209 are in Lausanne and just 34 in Zurich. Of course if LoL and ZoL develop they will fill up as GOL did, but at this point it seems to me that the LOL denotion on events in Lausanne is working reasonably well for the current membership needs.

Whereas... an rsvp function (for example) on member activities would help ALL the active members.... hint hint. {grin}

Kiriel
Kiriel, Oct 3, 2006 @ 02:10

thanks for the feedback. we know the current system makes is real difficult to run larger activities, and fixing this is a high priority.

as a first step, already in the next few weeks, we'll launch this improvement: you'll be able to mark messages in your inbox, and then 'send Email to all marked'.

Later, we'll also have an RSVP system.

What think?

Nir Ofek, Oct 3, 2006 @ 15:14

we launched GoL not knowing where it would go, and made it very easy to join and to stay on as a members.

But as the community grows (and we'll hit 6000 members today!), it becomes more important to ensure that only people who really want to be here, are here.

The ideas you shared are great examples of ways to do this.

We're still on early thinking on this, but exactly in the direction you wrote about.
Nir Ofek, Oct 3, 2006 @ 15:20

Great stuff!

That way we (ok, you guys) will also be able to see who the active members are and those who don't participate in anything at all... and with time, root them out...

Umm, could active members be flaged with a star or something showing that they've been active within the past two months? Or would that be considered like too much of 'Big Brother Watching'? :-O

:-) J.
JulianT, Oct 3, 2006 @ 18:56

how owuld you define 'active' members?
Nir Ofek, Oct 3, 2006 @ 18:59

Either by having the system checking up on who has signed in 'recently' (to be defined) ....or by having activity organisers understand the importance of putting up a 'review' and then sending this onto those involved - who, when putting up their pennies worth, could then be asisgned a 'tick' / smiley or something, showing that they are / have been active recently...

It's just an idea... have no idea about the logistics though...! :-D

J.
JulianT, Oct 3, 2006 @ 21:39

Hi Julian,

I am one of these people who has never managed to settle down anywhere really, and always lives in two places. It is easy for me to make friends with people (outside the GOL community) but they often do not keep in touch. Since I have been part of GOL and befriended a lot of people both online and at events, I feel that the few times I come to Geneva, I still have my friends I can SMS, meet up with and not have to waltz around Geneva alone (as I have been doing for at least 7 years).

In fact, there was even a member in London, who had written to me from there, who had not even set foot in Geneva yet, but wanted to make some friends to make it a welcoming place before he got here. but he wasn't going to be here for the next six months!

There are also others like me who do not actually live in Geneva but are here maybe a significant number of weekends per year. If they travel a lot too (as I will be), they just might not be able to log in much at all and well, it would be a great loss for me to see that my account has been cancelled and have to start over again.

In any club, clan or community, there are "silent" ones that are just happy to belong and will occasionally appear at parties or chat online when their busy life allows it, or seek consolation when they are feeling down or cry wolf when they have an emergency to seek help from the few "friends" they have or simply from their not so well known "neighbour".

Frankly, I relievingly see GOL as not only a befriending site but, literally, as a human morale AND fun support network for a person like me. When I told my mother about how so many friends AND "friends" of Adel's contacted him or even went to VISIT him after his unfortunate accident, as well as how much those friends were going to be willing to help him adapt to his situation and promise to keep him well integrated in their activities as much as before... I realised how GOL is something so great to be a part of and that there ARE people who are happy to help and have a lot of solidarity, even if they don't REALLY know you or even have ever seen you!

I would like to invite GOL members to reconsider the rules and timescales before cancelling people's lives... um sorry, accounts :o)

Most sincerely,
Roberta
PS: To my knowledge, with Adel's recuperation, it seems that he won't have been able to log in to GOL for at least two months before he's out of health care! I wouldn't want him to not be able to login when he finally gets back to his computer :-)
Roberta, Oct 4, 2006 @ 11:18

Hi there Roberta! :-)

It's true what you say... but just had an idea (sometimes happens!)... ignore the fact that we have just recently had to rebuild our 'friends network' up from scratch again, but how about this:

This network is for people to make friends, right? ...Well, some (even old) profiles don't have any friends up at all(!), which in normal circumstances (besides the possibility of being away on business or holiday) makes me think that these people are inactive - and in absolutely everything we do... ...catch my drift?

...As surely even after a couple of weeks, you'd meet at least some people that you like and would want to remain in touch with (if you were actively seeking opportunities to increase your circle of friends - which is why GoL exists after all).

How about something like 'Get three friends in as many months, and you're 'in' '?... My reasoning being two-fold:

i) One of them would have to be the person(a) who told the new person(b) about the site (this would help with spammers too)...

ii) Ok, the other two could be A's friends, but at least one of them would have been to a GoL event surely and would eventually encourage the others to go - thus making more active members...

iii) Once having pulled yourself away from your computer screen for once and indeed made the effort of going to a GoL event, you'll be more likely to go again... and again ...and this is what we want, n'est-ce pas? An active community! :-)

J.
JulianT, Oct 4, 2006 @ 16:26

I am all for opening GOL to include other cities in Switzerland and the model proposed looks sensible.

GOL is different things to different people. Roberta's comments are very astute: GOL is not only a "befriending site but, literally ... a human morale AND fun support network".

An active community is to be encouraged but rooting out so-called "inactive members" is not the answer. Discriminating against members (or potential members) without "friends" will only serve to promote GOL as an exclusive clique.

I am guessing that there are many people in this community who, like myself, have not attended GOL events (but may do so in the future), have not added "friends" but have contibuted in a small way (posts etc) and have benefited from the tremendous insights and practical tips about living in Switzerland.
Fukamidori, Oct 5, 2006 @ 16:55

... by 'hav(ing) contibuted in a small way (posts etc)...' and therefore you have nothing at all to worry about! :-)

J.
JulianT, Oct 5, 2006 @ 19:12

Flaging people!!!, what a scholar idea, and what more, giving out good / bad marks to those organising an event and then what? ranking the events giving them 1 to 6 grades ?!? Can we get real here !

I belive this is a grown-up community, those who have a talent for organisation are needed as much as those who have a talent to attend. For some people it will take time to "dare" attending an event for others it will take no time. All have to have equal respect.

What's the idea here, to have organisers competing amongst themselves? or having some kind of hiercharchy with the organiser at the top of some org chart ?

Julain, I bet you will have understood my viewpoint by now !

Izzy1, Oct 8, 2006 @ 01:08

Isabelle... No need to take offence(!) - you are an active member after all!... All we are trying to do is clean up the site a little and getting rid of 'time/space-wasters'... This is just a brain-storming session, that's all... :-) X

J.
JulianT, Oct 8, 2006 @ 04:36

While this discussion moves beyond expanding GoL, I'd still like to add to it as it's a real important point.

The objective of a flagging / reputation system is NOT to begin a competition (althogh it's sure some people will use it this way, and that's OK). The real objective is this: with a community of 6000 members (and growing), some members will be more friendly and open and other members will be less so. A 'reputation', developed over time and given by other members to other members, can be a quick way to help know who is who, who is more friendly and who is less so, who is commited to putting efforts into making friends and who is less so, etc.

It's just like in real life: we all do things, and we build a reputation for ourselves based on what we do.

Net, I think that a flagging or reputation system can be very useful, especially as the community grows, as long as:
- it's clear to everyone what criteria the flagging / reputation is based on
- we put in place a strong system to avoid flagging abuse

Happy for thoghts...

Nir Ofek, Oct 9, 2006 @ 11:51

My two cents: I know we already have members from canton Vaud. Would be a good idea to expand.

Alliya Nairobi Online :), hmmm now that is like in the coming years.
Barbs, Oct 9, 2006 @ 14:24

Everyone should be allowed to make up their own mind!!! We live in a fast food society, people make snap judgements about everything and unfortunately about everyone as well. The internet is a wonderful thing, but it has also encouraged laziness. It is way too easy to go out and find stuff on this big beast without having to make too much of an effort.
And in human relations too. I've heard people remark "But his/her photo looks horrible", "He/she looks like a....". Damnation, smacks of snap judgements.
And now, to the point that Nir makes in his posting. In my opinion, we should avoid a rating system. I would rather go out to an event, or meet someone and make my own mind up. Well maybe, if I didn't like an event I would feel disappointed or even feel like I wasted an evening or an afternoon, but life is not only made up of "sensational occurences" and "des sensations fortes". It is also made of wasted opportunities, and mistakes.
But more importantly, these things are way too subjective. Just because I like something or someone does not mean that you are going to like it, or vice versa. Sure you have movie reviews and book reviews, and so forth... but this is a community where everyone has a chance to meet the members at some point or other, and if I meet someone just after having seen a bad rating for them... well, I may be a mere and weak mortal, but definitely am big (OK, maybe not physically) enough to admit that there will be an inkling of prejudice.
Besides, the truth is.... I never make a good first impression so I would really get screwed by a rating system. LOL
Cheerio,
S.
shadow69, Oct 9, 2006 @ 16:53

Nir is right, whether we want it or not, we all drag around a reputation... the difference is that without the net, people have had a chance to personally experience the person and have had a chance to make up their own mind... rather than just having read it on some impersonal LCD screen.
shadow69, Oct 9, 2006 @ 16:55

In a live community, we don't walk around in the street with a T-shirt saying "generally known to be a friendly organiser", nor: "generally voted to be an a**hole", or the like.

So, why should we do it with an online community, is the point here.

Yes there are over 6000 of us on the GOL planet, but that's fewer than there are on planet earth, which we manage full well to network on without sticking flags, labels or any other paraphernalia or marker device on people. Since people make friends so easily and all seem to appreciate GOL as it is now... well...
Roberta, Oct 9, 2006 @ 20:54

With there are several XoL sub-communities, it would make sense to have events that are actually online and shared by people from different locations :)
Wouldn't it ?
B.
brooster, Oct 11, 2006 @ 14:07

hi!
I am living in ZH too!
And my experience is that something like GOL is not a need in Zurich :-)

...because the people are friendly and open there :-))) hihi

Johan
versace, Oct 16, 2006 @ 20:38

I agree... :-)

But: Hey 'Brooster!', why haven't you come and met the other LoLers yet? What are you waiting for, eh?

:-D

J.
JulianT, Oct 17, 2006 @ 23:15

Generally and surely, BELIEVE that the more we are (IF PROPERLY ORGANIZED!) the more we will enjoy from this Community indeed! The relevant difference is exactly the way we r gonna BEORGANIZED... to me for any member from any site there should always be the possibility to "filter" or to "flag" either the whole larger networking or some specific areas/town only. It would depend on the area of scope he/she has...
I know some other Communities that have already been implementing such upgrate, with keeping the "local Villages" operating and dealing within the larger scale of the whole Community. Bro's, just let me know shall u be interested and I'll show you what/where it works that way...
Very necessary to share the same basic simple values - that we all like smiling! - and general guidelines, practices and initiatives... Then, the way 2 organize how the all Villages may deal internally and between them all together is the key point to leverage on the "more, the better"! BEVILLAGEKID :)
BEMAD, Oct 19, 2006 @ 02:53

Oh, please stop trying to introduce more ratings than there are already in GoL profiles.
And what bothers you, JulianT in particular, about there being people in GoL that like to have a window on the GoL-activities?
Suggestion, give them the possibility to choose/toggle between non-active / active member status. Active member status remains automatically through activities (login sufficient?), but changes into observer / non-active status let's say after 3 months of inactivity, but without other penalties. Add the option to leave a message in your profile that you are "travelling" and therefore temporarily inactive.

My experience as a "newcomer" (number 5201, I believe) : you don't know what is all about, how profile information (incl photo) will be used, what you are expected to do / not to do, how much time it will take to participate etc. I have definitely positive exp?riences though through the LoL afterwork meetings, but I am lacking time to invest myself much more. I appreciate the incredible diversity of GoL/LoL activities and they should not be restricted.

Jasper
jasper, Oct 22, 2006 @ 13:28

...Toggling could be a good idea for those just wishing to be passive members - although I wonder why they would like that option anyway - but I think the whole idea of this debate is to determine 'who's around', in the 'logging on' (in the first place) sense, and 'who's profile' can be binned (as they've got a new life elsewhere - outside of CH - or simply don't care anymore).

Those who've left for good can always consult GoL re: activities & photos... and don't need a profile up (which takes up space on the server - hence our recent - and surely costly - 'upgrading-the-server' change)...

Possibly, simply having the server register when people are logging on, would be sufficient in seeing who's active and who is not... and then say (ok) after three months of inactivity, one's profile just 'disappears' - such as on hotmail etc...

Julian... :-)
JulianT, Oct 24, 2006 @ 20:16

You'are extreme JulianT, you want profiles to disappear because someone is travelling around the world ?
Let there be the option to leave a message in your profile that you are "travelling" and therefore temporarily inactive.
Let there be the possibility for a profile to toggle between non-active / active member status.
The non-active member is not able to participate, or else use the mailbox, etc. but without other penalties (he can see (all?) what is happening). The non-active status is reached automatically after let's say 3 months of inactivity. It should be very simple to return to active member status.
But don't throw people out just because they are inactive..
jasper, Oct 25, 2006 @ 00:27

First, I'd like to say that I agree that dead profiles should be weeded out. As previously recommended, a time period -- longer rather than shorter and CLEARLY stated in the rules, at sign-up and perhaps even on the user's profile -- could be best used. In fact, some online banks/accounting delete inactive profiles in this manner.

I strongly diasagree with using the friends network as a measurement, however. Why:

I've met MANY people who are active on GoL -- I've met them hiking, walking, dining out, playing frisbee, at conferences and networking events, etc. ALL VIA GoL -- who are not in favor of "adding friends" to networks. To some, it appears to be a "race" or something more juvenile than professional... Personally, I have invited friends to my network whom I regularly communicate with via GoL to more easily send messages; otherwise, the person who I meet once or only occasionally I may not contact from my network. This DOES NOT mean that they're not "friends" or out of my personal "network."

In summary: some people aren't interested in building a visible network. It's really more like myspace or facebook. Cool, occasionally useful, but not requisite to being active in this community.

-Sarah
salgal, Oct 26, 2006 @ 00:56

Totally agree w/ Jasper on this one
salgal, Oct 26, 2006 @ 01:07

Hello everyone,

I'm born in Lausanne, i grew up there, i studied there. and all of my familiy and most of my best friends are from Lausanne. I can swear this kind of cmmunity is a need for Lausanne people and especially for foreign people. Unfortunately the Lausannois are not really friendly and it's very difficult to be introduced to people and get some new friends our of your work circle. For real genuine Lausannoise like me, such community (i'm talking about GOL here) is a fantastic experience to be more open to the world.
As i already said to Nir i'm 100% in favor of such extension and i'll be happy to help expanding and spreading the name in Lausanne. By the way i have my entry in Zurich as well.
Cheers
Lola_D, Oct 26, 2006 @ 01:27

Excellent idea!! but keep the international spirit!
marc22, Oct 26, 2006 @ 12:10

Hi there,

Thanks to Gonzo & friend, Pedro and Mac#24 for turning up at the ZOL meetup event yesterday evening at Paddy Reilly's. It was great fun meeting all of you! Sad to hear that Gonzo is moving back to GE though.

Friendbird - We were waiting for you, as you said you'd join us. Where did you get to?

We'll be organising another event again soon... so watch the members activities space! :-)

Ciao,
Roberta
Roberta, Jan 17, 2007 @ 09:51