My dear friends & gents, With much interest I have read the articles in the last days and weeks about separate areas. Ferrarichat is divided in different regions and not languages. The world language is definitiv English. More than 1 year ago the first Europeans came into this forum. Jens Haller, Germany (R.I.P. my dear friend), Ton Visser, Belgium as well as Bart & Rouel from the Netherlands. The only way for smooth communication was the language English. We adapted us. After it gave ever more participant from Europe, its own area Europe was created. This area grew in the last months beautifully. The sense and purpose of a COMMUNITY is the world-wide exchange of information, opinions, ideas, suggestions in the broadest sense with FERRARI are connected. In each country and in each language there is already this kind of forum. However in each case in the national language. If we would work here with 10 different languages, such beautiful meetings like we have had in the past would never happen. Or; how often already American friends from the forum have us written down, the assistance in Europe needed or on vacation here were and looking for ferrari friends to meet. For all, which were added new, read you nevertheless please times the older contributions. Of course it is to be communicated not simply in another language. Is lost much or wrongly one translates; one cannot express oneself perhaps so flower-rich, how one would like gladly .wow, see thats a great example of my poor school english but understandable and I can laugh about myeslf. Our neighbours and friends from Spain likewise in the Europe area: At the beginning the started exclusively in Spanish. NO PROBLEM!!!!! Nobody disturbed itself to it. But it makes very, very lonely. Meanwhile all are nearly contributions bilingual in English - Julio thanks!!! We already thought over a common meeting next year. If our Spanish friends would write only in Spanish, this idea would have never come true! For most of us it is therefore certainly not simple here to write and think in a second language. My request and my desire would be: Let us remain together here and write in English. Otherwise this amazing COMMUNITY would break in individual, small groups and finally would dissolve. Wolfarossa FORZA FERRARI
I completly agree with Wolfgang. When we split up the europe section because of a few people that want to talk French or Spain the community would fall apart. Maybe because I'm dutch and I can read and write english pretty well, but I don't think we should divide the europe section. That's right, if you wanted to speak french-only then the whole idea of joining a world-wide community would be silly. Not that I have anything against French or Spanish or Italian people etc. but it would lose the whole idea of being a world-wide community. We already brought it down a scale by creating a Europe section, please don't scale it back more. We'd lose all the precious input from all the different Europeans. Bart
i do agree also, the attractivity and the outstanding advantage of ferrari-chat is its internationality. only on this way we can consider to make trips to different countries and to meet us, to plan international events, whatever... and don't forget all the invaluable advice you can get for any technical issues and for buying cars for example. since i know fchat, i see that noone will ever be able to do a dirty selling on ebay for example, immediately everyone in the world knows, if a seller is cheating.... and so on! english should not be a barrier, it's difficult for all of us, but who cares and some training does not harm next year for example i would like to make a trip to andalucia and i would love to meet many ferrari nuts on the way down, the only place to make this happen is the international ferrarichat! just my 0.02 cents trevi
I completly agree and I do not think we should divide again the Europe section. The UK already did, as they always do... :| and that is enough. However I also can see that this forum might be loosing some audience that can not express themselfs in English. So I do not think either that we should marginate those who write in other language in this forum as far as they don't disturb other threads. I do not know in other places but in Spain you can find a lot of people that will be able to read English, but many of them do not feel they can of write or talk in English. However those who can do it in English should participate at least in that language for the good of the community, and do it in other language only on those threads that requires it. Thanks Wolfgang and Trevi to bring that to my attention, it is a small effort that helps everybody. Although if I would post so much as you guys do, I would think this twice And by the way, yeahh, in Madrid we have lots of both, cerveza and pretty girls ... not that is not the same way in the rest of the world though, LOL. - Julio.
I completely agree. But only because im being selfish, and as a true brit who has lived on the continent, I still cant speak a foreign language!
hello all, I have the feeling that this thread is a kind of an answer to my previous post. At least, whatever happend, it would have been discussed ! Allright, so i'll try to explain my point of view as clearly as I can, but first : Wolfgang your point of view is highly defendable. In fact they are to points : region and language. I do agree that no rules should be written (gravée dans le marbre) about language but I think that, as for Chicago or Southern California or Michigan, it could be convenient and pleasant to have Country areas instead of only one Europe section. I am sure that if such section were active they would finally talk in there respective language. About what would happend to the COMMUNITY in this case ? I am not sure that it will automatically have the consequences Wolfgang predict. It did not had this consequence with the region already created. So... bye -- Gordon
Hello again Gents, When I started this thread yesterday; it was just my thoughts and NO offense to a singel person, a country or a language. We are all foreigners here! This amazing ferrarichat.com is hosted by Rob Lay, Texas-U.S.A. and I`m just and only a proud guest here. I have myself adapted to the language & the rules. Thanks to Julio, Bart & Trevi very good post! About Regions / Languages: Please think about that there are also difference languages over the USA!! Canda most parts speak French and they adapted also in english in this forum SoCal & Texas many people are speaking spain . and they adapted also to english in this forum. New York just crazy too many languages are speaken there; unbelievable Splitting Europe in different languages and country like the U.K. did: - Belgium - French - Germany - Greek - Italian - Netherlands - Potugal - Spain - Swiss;-) - Turkish thats where the users are coming from here in the European forum (sorry, if I have forgotten one). But how many are from each country? Does it realy worth it to start a new area for 4 people? Its still no problem to run a thread in the European section in another language why not? Best example to me is still Spain. BUT Spain, French, a.s.o. still belongs to Europe. Let`s join together our love & passion for Ferrari here in this community! Thanks for yout time reading my opinion and I appreciate very much any ideas and comments. Yours Wolfarossa FORZA FERRARI Note: I`m not the moderator or administrator! I`m just and only a usal user like everybody here and this are only my thoughts thinking about the future of the ferrarichat.com European section.
totally agree with you Wolfgang! I think it's already wonderful that there's an Europe section on this forum. When you split that up even more it only will be harder to find nice info...nice people etc. I also think that everybody on this forum should (try) to write in English...even when that results in bad gramathical language. English is absolutely not my 'first' language (that's Dutch) but I try and find it easier to do the more I write. When somebody still wants to post in their own language it's maybe an idea to translate it to English by somebody who knows both languages (??) sorry...don't look at me...I don't speak that much languages eh...ok, now I have to go back with work ciao! (bye)
I feel this is growing to a very nice community anyway. Even if there are a few posts not in English, even if there's split sections. This is growing and we can't stop it
Sorry I don't have time to address this in more detail. I just read the thread very quickly and I haven't really had time to think on it. A few random thoughts... 1) I don't think the Europe section is large enough yet to break down. In the future if we have 100,000 users it may be necessary to have sub-groups besides the general areas. Simply it can get too crowded in one forum, but I don't think that's a problem yet. 2) I love the diversity of the board and want to devote more engergy and advertising towards this shortly. I really don't mind if you speak your own language. Heck, I only know one and just barely. I would think for all Europe wide and general discussions to keep it English (or Texan ), but then I have no problem for each county to have a thread where they want to talk their own language amongst themselves. Just keep it English if you want the entire Forum involved. Hmm, that's all I can think of for now. Carry on. Ping me in a couple days if you want me to revisit this thread.
Hi All, Just quickly logging in from an Internet Cafe in St Albans, UK. No time to read all these posts unfortunately. This will have to wait until I get an internet connection at home. I'm off to South Africa tomorrow and will be back in a month's time. My car is safely stored in a facility out in the country. Speak soon! MARK
Hi All, Having been away for the first couple of weeks of this forum (an international move into a house without phone or internet connections) I have missed a lot on the forum, and obviously have a LOT of catch-up reading to do! However, I get the jist of the debate - the issue of whether we should have an "integrated" Eupopean forum, or multiple forums by country. Of course, both options have advantages and disadvantages. However, in my professional capacity I have been working for a multi-national (in a 16 country region) for the past 8 years. Experience across this region has taught me that the best synergy comes from an integrated forum...one place where people with a common interest but with different backgrounds and speaking a range of languages, can get together to share experiences. Without this one forum, silos end to develop to the exclusion of everyone else outside that silo. For example - if I had been confined to a Czech Republic silo when I was living in Prague, I would never have had met a lot of the good folk on the Euro forum and: Been introduced to one of the best Ferrari mechanics in Europe and to have my car serviced by him...in a different country Been in a position to develop relationships and track down hard to find parts in other countries without posting to multiple lists Would have been the only person in the Czech area! Would not have had the opportunity to develop real online friendships as easily as one does in an integrated forum I agree with Wolfgang - rather than fragmenting, an integrated forum is the best route to follow. I believe that threads are the most elegant way to target messages to specific national audiences. Hey, we're all just a few hours drive from each other so let's stick together. As far as I am concerned, unity is strength. Cheers from South Africa, MARK
[size=+2] Thank You Mark Just Brilliant [/size] for you mark...enjoy your ilumination: Wolfarossa FORZA FERRARI
Hey Wolfgang, Talking about "illumination"...three weeks ago I was riding my motorcycle from the Ostsee to Prague and to the east of Greifswald I triggered a couple of nice little camera flashes! Do you....ummmm....have any important customers in that part of the world? Cheers, MARK
Thanks Wolf, I have moved countries and my licence plate has changed nationalities over the past few weeks, so I may not receive any unpleasant mail! I will let you know if I do! Cheers, MARK
Oooooooooh, thats much better!! We know and call this here: [size=+2] THE SIMON METHODE FORZA FERRARI [/size] ....feel free to ask Simon by PM;-))))
