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Enhancing OPF: OPF: Optimization as an International forum: Suggestion

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
We started OPF as an international effort. Many of the strongest supporters are European and other locations outside of the USA. Nicolas Claris from Bordeaux gave us the branding, the front end of OPF and getting us looking good. Michael Tapes did yeoman's work on taming vBulletin to our needs. We have contributors from around the world, with some of the most devoted contributers from Europe.

Still, I heard recently that we might have perhaps some suggestion that this is really American. How do you feel about this? If we have given this impression, then what counts is the answer to this question, "What you feel we can do to better serve our members?"

Asher
 
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Mike Shimwell

New member
I don't think of OPF as American, but then I'm a European. Many of the people I have been priviliged to meet here are also European or Saudi Arabian or Asian as well as the few pesky Americans who drop in from time to time.

I would hate to find OPF becoming an American site, effectively centred on an American community or worldview, but as long as we value everyone's contribution we should be fine. I wouldn't want it to be necessary to form a 'euro' forum or 'non-continental-US' forum

Mike.
 

Rachel Foster

New member
I think it may have an "American flavor," but that might be hard to avoid. I saw McDonald's when I was in Paris, after all. Perhaps we should ask the non-Americans how to address this. It's difficult for a fish to recognize water, I imagine.
 

Michael Fontana

pro member
No problem at all, even if there was/is a flavour. I don't care about nationalities when looking at images.

One think I realised is, that we loook a bit different at images - this can be interesting.
 

nicolas claris

OPF Co-founder/Administrator
One of the 1st thing Asher did when we did put OPF online, was to visit many European countries (and photogs), his aim was to connect (or was it re-connect?) to European Photography, so in no way I would say that OPF aim could be to be American -only-.
On another hand, one may recognize some facts as:
- Without having counted, I'm pretty sure that Americans are the majority here
- I suspect that most but not all Americans sometimes forget that some part of the planet is not American… ; -)
- Language used is English (that, as a side effect could reinforce the above non scientific statement)

One of the very best thing technology should provide us (the people of the world) would be to get possible the instant translation of such forum, so everyone could read and post in his own language, but this a dream only, just have a translation made by any online translators and you may LoL for the entire night!
As an example, "OPF" is translated from English to French in reverso.net as "personnal folder"!

So, in the meantime, let's all preserve our internationnal platform, sharing with respect our differences, they are our richness.

I'm so glad to write now, in the same time for California, Texas, NYC, Chicago, Canada, South America, Australia, Kiwis, South-East, South-Africa (I would love more people from Africa here!), Israel, Holland, Germany etc…*

As a suggestion, I would like to invite all of us to write down in our signature, our place and country!
You'll see that there are a lot of non American here also… but also a lot of American as well…

<{:-D)

* I know I forgot many, please don't send me PMs, instead write it in a post hereunder… thanks!
 
Internationalization

I can think of a few suggestions that might make OPF less "America-centric"
1. Implement either a "local-time aware" or Universal Time time/date reference for postings
2. Make sure the servers and forum software support full international character sets (this was a big issue on Photo.net)
3. Be more vigilant in requiring/requesting Location information in profiles and posts. It is very useful to know where/when the OP is.

My $0.02 worth.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I can think of a few suggestions that might make OPF less "America-centric"
1. Implement either a "local-time aware" or Universal Time time/date reference for postings
2. Make sure the servers and forum software support full international character sets (this was a big issue on Photo.net)
3. Be more vigilant in requiring/requesting Location information in profiles and posts. It is very useful to know where/when the OP is.

My $0.02 worth.
Charles,

These are all good points.

1. Local time awareness is built in. In your registration you set your time zone. All your posts will reflect that. I believe you can reset it any time.

2. International characters: I myself would like more. Of 4, here I know just the first 2!

é is alt e then e again
ç is alt c
ö ?
è ?

Who has a good list?​

3. Location info should be filled in!

Maybe we need a hospitality volunteer to remind folk.

Asher
 

Rachel Foster

New member
You know, a hospitality team isn't a bad idea! Sometimes people go unwelcomed cuz (lazy speak) we get too busy.

r u tlking 2 me? Ha!
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
For those operating on Windows platforms with the standard US keyboard, their browser should accept these, and the board will take them (the numeric sequence must be entered on the numeric cluster):

à Alt+0224 À Alt+0192
á Alt+0225 Á Alt+0193
â Alt+0226 Â Alt+0194
ã Alt+0227 Ã Alt+0195
è Alt+0232 Ç Alt+0199
é Alt+0233 É Alt+0201
ê Alt+0234 Ê Alt+0202
ó Alt+0243 Ó Alt+0211
ç Alt+0231 Ç Alt+0199
ñ Alt+0241 Ñ Alt+0209
ø Alt+0248 Ø Alt+0216
å Alt+0229 Å Alt+0197
ö Alt+0246 Ö Alt+0214
ä Alt+0228 Ä Alt+0196 [repeated here]
ü Alt+0252 Ü Alt+0220
š Alt+0154 Š Alt+0138
œ Alt+0156 Œ Alt+0140
þ Alt+0254 Þ Alt+0222

Best regards,

Doug
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
For those operating on Windows platforms with the standard US keyboard, their browser should accept these, and the board will take them (the numeric sequence must be entered on the numeric cluster):

à Alt+0224 À Alt+0192
á Alt+0225 Á Alt+0193
â Alt+0226 Â Alt+0194
ã Alt+0227 Ã Alt+0195
è Alt+0232 Ç Alt+0199
é Alt+0233 É Alt+0201
ê Alt+0234 Ê Alt+0202
ó Alt+0243 Ó Alt+0211
ç Alt+0231 Ç Alt+0199
ñ Alt+0241 Ñ Alt+0209
ø Alt+0248 Ø Alt+0216
å Alt+0229 Å Alt+0197
ö Alt+0246 Ö Alt+0214
ä Alt+0228 Ä Alt+0196 [repeated here]
ü Alt+0252 Ü Alt+0220
š Alt+0154 Š Alt+0138
œ Alt+0156 Œ Alt+0140
þ Alt+0254 Þ Alt+0222

Best regards,

Doug

I found this PDF which has full instructions for Windows, Linux and Mac.

Asher
 

nicolas claris

OPF Co-founder/Administrator
3. Location info should be filled in!

YEs, and it appears in the User Profile, not in the signature, not very handy!
And no all members do fill it, I know one guy from down under (the one who likes links…;-) who didn't.

Should it be mandatory field? I don't think so.

And yes I agree we should tell people when they introduce themselves…
 

Kathy Rappaport

pro member
OPF

I totally think of OPF as international. (Totally is a word of Valley Girl origin- of which I can truly tell you that I was born in Sherman Oaks - yes near the famed Galleria)

I would guess that in the grand scheme of positing, we Americans are probabbly more chatty on the internet but I do feel the ambiance of international community here. OPF is a very special place. This is my internet photo home.
 
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