Global paths cross freely with meet-up site
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Kristen Stevens
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 28, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - In a year and a half, the online community Internations has attracted some 90,000 people in 230 countries. Through its local Web page, more than 800 people have already found each other in Istanbul. The group’s next gathering is this Thursday in Beyoğlu
The Istanbul branch of the global expat network InterNations is exploding with members each month, with well over 800 and growing fast. The forum, while healthy and functioning, seems to be beside the point so far: The monthly "meet up" is the medium. Who knows why any one group catches on, but this many people connecting in a metropolis known for its lack of expat "community" is noteworthy.
A handful of foreign scrabble enthusiasts have been meeting in Istanbul since the 1980s. Expat parents get together every few months for a lecture on kids and education. A professional group of international women formed a few months ago and seems to have staying power. With hundreds of members, the International Women of Istanbul offers activities that appeal to a fairly privileged set.
On the Internet, a pioneering site for foreigners living in Turkey, Sublime Portal is pushing its second year featuring useful information and meet-ups via its friendly forum crowd. The well-known Mymerhaba site for expats in Turkey announces a few concerts and activities each week, but for the most part much of its information is stale and ill-suited to a country and era that, to put it mildly, values updating. Meanwhile, the home-buying, job-searching, mate-calling Craig’s List Web site is slowly creeping across Turkey’s radar.
Where Craig’s List capitalized ahead of the curve on demand for a virtual urban marketplace, InterNations seems to be pioneering a call by global nomads for face time in a flat screen world. The introduction is simple: Request an invitation on the site and enter to find hundreds of members’ photos and profiles. The format is easy to navigate and unhindered by witticisms or multiple categories.
The local forum is clear enough with people using it to start conversations about where to go for good sushi or an honest accountant. A modest new parent forum offers helpful information. Some people are marked as "local scouts" which means they contribute to the site with informed overviews of services and activities such as Cappadocia, carpets, Bulgaria and dancing.
With other international souls within global reach, any local community or individual can tap into the site’s worldwide forums. For example more than 6,000 people from around the world joined a single thread on the day U.S. President Barack Obama was elected.
Last year, the founders Munich called on their friend Gundula Strittmatter to serve as a so-called "Ambassador" for Istanbul. After the first meet-up in 2008 at Lebi Derya with 30 people, word began to spread. Last month’s meeting had nearly 100 people attending in 5 Kat in Cihangir.
Initiating a local ambassador
Before coming to Istanbul with her husband, a correspondent for a German news organization, Strittmatter was based in Beijing. She was a producer with a German production company working with China Central Television to bring unique shows and series to China from countries abroad. She produced shows in South Africa, Portugal, France and Switzerland. They have two children, ages three years and nine months.
Most people attending the meet-ups have either lived abroad or were born in other countries. Strittmatter said with each meeting she is pleasantly surprised by the variety and initiative of the crowd. "People meet and decide to go free climbing and to museums or go on travel tours together. They exchange everything from apartments and other living ideas to information on language learning groups," she said.
The members are not all relative newcomers to Istanbul: "One person has lived here for 20 years," she said. "This is what I like; there are people of so many ages and walks of life. It’s not only doctors and bankers."
Renowned French pianist Jerome Rigaudia, who has played with Sezan Aksu and others, is organizing a concert event for the group. He is a member of InterNations Istanbul. A cursory look at the member profiles reveals even more diversity: Journalists, teachers, restaurant owners, musicians and people working in various businesses.
Gundula said she gets all kinds of questions from members. "It’s a really good opportunity to help other people settle in," she said, noting that she also hosts introductory functions for the group’s newest members.
Most people who come to the gatherings want to be social but others are looking for more meaningful ways to network as well, Strittmatter said. A number of members have expressed interest in charity projects that would support Turkish communities in need. "We’re interested in working with companies and learning where to donate money in Istanbul," said Strittmatter, who said she will call a meeting soon to discuss strategies.
Next gathering of InterNations: March 5, 8:00-midnight at 8Istanbul in Beyoğlu / 8Istanbul offers Thai, Vietnamese and local dishes from their menu.
TL 10 (including one glass of Caipiroska) Address: Gazeteci Erol Dernek Sokak No:1 (Coming from Taksim, turn left at the 2nd Swatch shop on Istiklal Cad. and look for the bar on the right.) (0532) 556 43 56
Profiles and photos generate trust
InterNations is an international social networking service for expatriates and global minds worldwide. Members actively discuss both local and global issues and meet up in over 230 communities. The platform was founded by three young entrepreneurs, Christian Leifeld, Philipp von Plato and Malte Zeeck, and has been online since September 2007. Living abroad as journalists and consultants, they faced such issues as where to find a German bar in Kinshasa or an English-speaking dentist. They set out to start international English-speaking communities around the globe. A little more than a year later they had done just that for 90,000 members worldwide. One of the main objectives was to give people the opportunity to meet in person. To help do this, they built the site with a focus on photos and profiles to generate trust. By meeting in person, plans and connections tend to become more concrete, Strittmatter said. "I’ve noticed that many people in Istanbul decide to put up their photos after their first meeting." www.internations.org
A handful of foreign scrabble enthusiasts have been meeting in Istanbul since the 1980s. Expat parents get together every few months for a lecture on kids and education. A professional group of international women formed a few months ago and seems to have staying power. With hundreds of members, the International Women of Istanbul offers activities that appeal to a fairly privileged set.
On the Internet, a pioneering site for foreigners living in Turkey, Sublime Portal is pushing its second year featuring useful information and meet-ups via its friendly forum crowd. The well-known Mymerhaba site for expats in Turkey announces a few concerts and activities each week, but for the most part much of its information is stale and ill-suited to a country and era that, to put it mildly, values updating. Meanwhile, the home-buying, job-searching, mate-calling Craig’s List Web site is slowly creeping across Turkey’s radar.
Where Craig’s List capitalized ahead of the curve on demand for a virtual urban marketplace, InterNations seems to be pioneering a call by global nomads for face time in a flat screen world. The introduction is simple: Request an invitation on the site and enter to find hundreds of members’ photos and profiles. The format is easy to navigate and unhindered by witticisms or multiple categories.
The local forum is clear enough with people using it to start conversations about where to go for good sushi or an honest accountant. A modest new parent forum offers helpful information. Some people are marked as "local scouts" which means they contribute to the site with informed overviews of services and activities such as Cappadocia, carpets, Bulgaria and dancing.
With other international souls within global reach, any local community or individual can tap into the site’s worldwide forums. For example more than 6,000 people from around the world joined a single thread on the day U.S. President Barack Obama was elected.
Last year, the founders Munich called on their friend Gundula Strittmatter to serve as a so-called "Ambassador" for Istanbul. After the first meet-up in 2008 at Lebi Derya with 30 people, word began to spread. Last month’s meeting had nearly 100 people attending in 5 Kat in Cihangir.
Initiating a local ambassador
Before coming to Istanbul with her husband, a correspondent for a German news organization, Strittmatter was based in Beijing. She was a producer with a German production company working with China Central Television to bring unique shows and series to China from countries abroad. She produced shows in South Africa, Portugal, France and Switzerland. They have two children, ages three years and nine months.
Most people attending the meet-ups have either lived abroad or were born in other countries. Strittmatter said with each meeting she is pleasantly surprised by the variety and initiative of the crowd. "People meet and decide to go free climbing and to museums or go on travel tours together. They exchange everything from apartments and other living ideas to information on language learning groups," she said.
The members are not all relative newcomers to Istanbul: "One person has lived here for 20 years," she said. "This is what I like; there are people of so many ages and walks of life. It’s not only doctors and bankers."
Renowned French pianist Jerome Rigaudia, who has played with Sezan Aksu and others, is organizing a concert event for the group. He is a member of InterNations Istanbul. A cursory look at the member profiles reveals even more diversity: Journalists, teachers, restaurant owners, musicians and people working in various businesses.
Gundula said she gets all kinds of questions from members. "It’s a really good opportunity to help other people settle in," she said, noting that she also hosts introductory functions for the group’s newest members.
Most people who come to the gatherings want to be social but others are looking for more meaningful ways to network as well, Strittmatter said. A number of members have expressed interest in charity projects that would support Turkish communities in need. "We’re interested in working with companies and learning where to donate money in Istanbul," said Strittmatter, who said she will call a meeting soon to discuss strategies.
Next gathering of InterNations: March 5, 8:00-midnight at 8Istanbul in Beyoğlu / 8Istanbul offers Thai, Vietnamese and local dishes from their menu.
TL 10 (including one glass of Caipiroska) Address: Gazeteci Erol Dernek Sokak No:1 (Coming from Taksim, turn left at the 2nd Swatch shop on Istiklal Cad. and look for the bar on the right.) (0532) 556 43 56
Profiles and photos generate trust
InterNations is an international social networking service for expatriates and global minds worldwide. Members actively discuss both local and global issues and meet up in over 230 communities. The platform was founded by three young entrepreneurs, Christian Leifeld, Philipp von Plato and Malte Zeeck, and has been online since September 2007. Living abroad as journalists and consultants, they faced such issues as where to find a German bar in Kinshasa or an English-speaking dentist. They set out to start international English-speaking communities around the globe. A little more than a year later they had done just that for 90,000 members worldwide. One of the main objectives was to give people the opportunity to meet in person. To help do this, they built the site with a focus on photos and profiles to generate trust. By meeting in person, plans and connections tend to become more concrete, Strittmatter said. "I’ve noticed that many people in Istanbul decide to put up their photos after their first meeting." www.internations.org