BACK TO THE BASICS - A WEBSITE BY EXPATS, FOR EXPATS

How were/are you able to determine who's a local and who's not aside from what their profile says?

Well it won't be a spelling test.

Shame, as many have a lot to contribute in terms of local knowledge.

Can we vote on if Mo is a local or not ?

Looks like he's an Honorary expat

He can now die a happy man.

At long last! I am accepted

Administration error.

..tive!! 'AdministraTIVE erreor' is the more proper phrase.

Hi
what happened? were there any writing offenses? any one explain to me?

Sleepy Hollow wrote:

Hi
what happened? were there any writing offenses? any one explain to me?

Julien summarised quite well the issues that have become increasingly prevalent over the last 12+ months. No need to highlight any singular example/member.

Julian, it may also help if you define the term Expat.

Here is one I found:   

In its broadest sense, an expatriate is any person living in a different country from where he or she is a citizen. In common usage, the term is often used in the context of professionals sent abroad by their companies, as opposed to locally hired staff (who can also be foreigners). The differentiation found in common usage usually comes down to socio-economic factors, so skilled professionals working in another country are described as expatriates, whereas a manual labourer who has moved to another country to earn more money might be labelled an 'immigrant'.

Not sure if this is what you are looking for as it does leave some people out.  I found another definition which solely states someone who is living outside their own country.

No "socio-economic factor" in the Expat.com definition of "expat" (I hate this definition by the way)

For us, an expat is someone who is living outside his own country

Yes, I totally agree with you Julien! It is a very elitist, colonial type definition.  Good call!

Here's a good idea:

Allow posters to mark their threads as either serious inquiries or just for fun. So those important people who're always in a hurry don't get disappointed.

Julien wrote:

Hi,

Expat.com defines itself as "The living abroad website, by expats, for expats"

We received too many complains these last days about locals systematically hijacking treads, and many, many active users became very frustrated.

We decided to temporarily block writing access to locals on the forums and are doing our best to find the best solution for everyone.

We may opt for an invitation system... (or something else)

Kind regards,

Julien

Julien

i see no valid reason for blocking locals, it's discriminating, any local can become an expats in a matter of days. i personly as an expat in Libya like to listen to locals input, i know some r annoying and as u said hyjack threads.
freedom people, what difference does it make if few active member r complaining !!!
the reason i subscribed today is to say its not fair. i enjoy locals presence in these forums, so lets not make the minority (so called active members)rule the cyberspace.

Hope people taking care of this site come to their senses

Cheers

kinkanko> you never contributed in any way here, so I won't consider your opinion.

By the way, as I said in my very first message, the changes are temporary

Julien wrote:

kinkanko> you never contributed in any way here, so I won't consider your opinion.

If he's British then my name's Charles de Gaulle!

An interesting issue, this.  It got me thinking about whether I could help some expats on the Expat.com in my home country.  I checked it out, and guess what?  A load of posts have been hijacked by Redsaraya!  What's that all about?

I think you need to bear in mind that we are all expats somewhere, locals can offer supportive advice to expats, while some people are expats elsewhere but still have expertise to offer in other forums. 

I think that Moel has the right answer - a different area (Tripoli/Benghazi/other matters) for people to post their jokes, 'check out what I found on googlemaps', gripes about life here, etc, etc, etc. or perhaps a code word we put in the title of the post (any suggestions? ) so that 'serious' posters don't have to waste time ploughing through irrelevant material, while everyone else can get on with the business of wasting up some time on the boss' payroll.

I do think that the Expat.com is a great resource for so many of us, but we have different needs at different times - getting answers to questions about our new country, and letting off steam from time to time too...

PS Julien - Is it just Libya you have trouble with?...

Julien, I'm with you on this one!

I know that locals here always declare they want to help. But how many of them really do? And how many threads can you read on how beautiful Libya is and how perfect everything is here, and if you don't like it why are you here, etc, etc... I don't go to Polish forum to tell the expats there how wonderful my country is, that's not the point of this website!

Dear Locals, thank you for your help, I will be fine with just other expats experience, that's actually what I'm looking here for.

Happy New Year to all fellow-expats!
v.

MoEl wrote:

Here's a good idea:

Allow posters to mark their threads as either serious inquiries or just for fun. So those important people who're always in a hurry don't get disappointed.

I have a 'MoEl' filter. Works for me

Julien wrote:

kinkanko> you never contributed in any way here, so I won't consider your opinion.

By the way, as I said in my very first message, the changes are temporary

i am afraid what u r doing here is ur own opinion, and has nothing to do with any other members, or the majority of members otherwise they would have said so in this thread.
Thats the really not expected from the founder of such a web site.

truly amazed me

hope u dont block me for voicing my opinion.

thanks

kinkanko wrote:

i am afraid what u r doing here is ur own opinion, and has nothing to do with any other members, or the majority of members otherwise they would have said so in this thread.

You'd be amazed at how much communication there is between Julien and other members via PM, not just in this instance but throughout the year.

Somethings are best discussed off line.

Damn - this should've been a PM

vilanelle wrote:

Julien, I'm with you on this one!

Dear Locals, thank you for your help, I will be fine with just other expats experience, that's actually what I'm looking here for.

v.

vinelle

As an exepat in here i have been following this forum for a while now; and u know what some expats r not here for other expat's experience but rather to complain about Libya & the locals;

So i think its only fair for the locals to react accordingly, humane nature, common sense.

i would say lets grow up, and shed away the colonial mentality & false feel superiority.

happy new year free of locals for u.

Julien wrote:

No "socio-economic factor" in the Expat.com definition of "expat" (I hate this definition by the way)

For us, an expat is someone who is living outside his own country

i dont think what u r doing is legal, some expats & locals r forming group to sue u once we get all the details and facts.

this is the disclosure part, so start preparing for ur case.

happy new year : [Moderated]

Mudman, I can't do that Simpsons' bully thing you do.

kinkanko wrote:

i dont think what u r doing is legal, some expats & locals r forming group to sue u once we get all the details and facts.

this is the disclosure part, so start preparing for ur case.

Comedy Gold!

Mudman wrote:

kinkanko wrote:

i dont think what u r doing is legal, some expats & locals r forming group to sue u once we get all the details and facts.

this is the disclosure part, so start preparing for ur case.

Comedy Gold!

What's the betting that the plonker will be back...

Good one;)
kinkanko, when you registered you accepted the rules. if you don't like them, nobody is forcing you to stay here, you can always get your own forum where you will share your love to Libya. I will stay here and complain a bit more (this, believe it or not, is also sharing experience), hoping my fellow-expats will say "no worry, been there" or something just as comforting instead of "if you don't like my beautiful country go away".
it's like wearing short skirt in Libya. I'm not happy about not really being able to do so, but I accept it as the general rule and I'm not writing whiny letters to Human Rights Watch and I am not planning to sue Libya for limiting my right to wear what I like.
Cheers,
v.

vilanelle wrote:

Good one;)
kinkanko, when you registered you accepted the rules. if you don't like them, nobody is forcing you to stay here, you can always get your own forum where you will share your love to Libya. I will stay here and complain a bit more (this, believe it or not, is also sharing experience), hoping my fellow-expats will say "no worry, been there" or something just as comforting instead of "if you don't like my beautiful country go away".
it's like wearing short skirt in Libya. I'm not happy about not really being able to do so, but I accept it as the general rule and I'm not writing whiny letters to Human Rights Watch and I am not planning to sue Libya for limiting my right to wear what I like.
Cheers,
v.

LOL LOL & LOL again, WTF was that about? Do you really think by writing your whiny letter to HRW the rules will change here. My bad I should have asked how long have you been living in Libya?

Read again. Hint: look for sarcasm...
v.

I could have set my watch to it....

kinkankoii (what was that about multiple user names?)..
By the way, did anyone stop you from getting your own forum?

I try to follow the rules of this country, no matter if it's wearing what I want or eating out during Ramadan just to name a few, even though I do not like them. Maybe nobody would stop me from that (although no need for short skirt, it's enough just to drive by myself to get yelled or whistled at), but I play along out of respect.

The rule on the forum is that it is a website by expats (and MoEl;) for expats. Why not respect it?

My point is (if you still don't get it): if Libyan people want to bitch about me or my country on their own forum or at home, and they choose not to invite me, I will not go there. However, if they do invite me, I probably will either a/ try to defend my country, b/ leave if I don't like what I hear, c/ ignore it.
If they tell me "but we like to bitch about your country, even if it has good sausage and nice mountains" and I don't like their bitching about my country, I would most probably go with b/ or c/. Let them bitch if it makes them feel better, I don't have to listen to that. Free world, isn't it? There is place for all in internet, why to squeeze here?

v.

I totally understand what you mean there, what I don't understand is why do you really give a **** if or when a local comments here. I would just ignore them and get on with it. This domain is afterall under WWW (World Wide Web) you can expect anyone in this world to enter, just move on if a local is bitching about dude! How hard is that to excercise?

I do give a **** because I registered here to talk with expats about living in Libya. Not with locals. Not to hear only good things about Libya. Not to bite my tongue or be told to leave if I don't like it every time I want to say something unpleasant about Libya.
Back in Poland I worked with expats and being local back then I was often surprised/annoyed by their different perception of my country, but now after I became an expat myself I can see it from their perspective. It is different to be a local and to be an expat, and of course we cannot separate ourselves, that's not the point, but we will never fully understand each others points of view. And sometimes you just want to talk to people that share yours. That's what this forum used to be. It has changed lately.
I would be just as annoyed if I registered here and the forum was taken over by - lets say - Tunisian people living in Marocco, or art lovers...
Yes, this is a WWW, but also this is a dedicated forum, and let's stick with it.
v.

Can we all please avoid such kind ****/w*f/ other similar vulgar expression!! Can you kindly, discuss or voice out your opinion in a cool way

Yud wrote:

Can we all please avoid such kind ****/w*f/ other similar vulgar expression!! Can you kindly, discuss or voice out your opinion in a cool way

I think she was being proper and "cool", and her use of ****/w*f was passionate at worst, never vulgar. That's the whole point of using acronyms and/or omitting letters.