Hello!

I don't want to be rude, but at the same time, I'm kinda enjoying the ability to post rants about the swiss in anonymity. I don't mind revealing my ID to those I trust, but I'd like to get to know you better, if you don't mind.

I'm from Southern California and have been living here for 5 years, near the Emmental area. I'm married to a wonderful and atypical Swiss woman. We have 2 children, and I find that this idyllic place is great for the kids. I'm also enjoying the change of pace nature is providing, though I am starved for social and intellectual interaction with bright people. That's why I am totally digging this website.

Congratulations and thank you for building it! May I assume Mark built it?

Cheers!
-MZ

Mark is your man ;o)

Isn't a customisation rather than 100% bespoke?
http://www.wilderssecurity.com -> very similar

I'd be very interested to know what software it uses, for future reference...

More cobbled together from pre-fabricated components and then various modifications applied. Very little is built from scratch these days - why reinvent the wheel?

Gbn, the forum software announces itself via the copyright message on the footer of each page - all you have to do is look

a forum is only ever worth what the FMs contribute......

The tech stuff is one thing, but forming a community of people is a feat of a different kind. Kudos for getting the community this far. I'll pass it on to other people I know.

Doh! (+ padding to 10 characters)

It just occurred to me that I just simply dove into this forum uninvited, posting away whenever anything stimulated a thought. (I'm kinda thick-skinned online)

It hasn't escaped my notice that you (Mark and Lob especially) go through considerable effort to maintain the quality of the content on the site, and most of the citizens are so helpful. So I started to wonder about this website and the people behind it. I was looking for historical information, but did not find any. So I wonder:

What's the story with this forum?
Who started it and why?
What's the organization structure behind it?
What are you trying to achieve?

Getting clued-in to some background info might help me be a better Netizen.

Cheers!

1. Mark
2. Because he wanted to and could
3. Organisation? He has a server colocated in a datacentre. Also he's a nerd .... and somehow has seen to trust both litespeed and I, sight-unseen. Quite remarkable this internerd thingybob
4. I think the goal is clear; offering both a social and knowledgeable spot on the interwebthingy for those in Switzerland or those coming shortly to Switzerland (or deciding to not come in the end)

You seem a reasonable netizen so I would not worry

As long as it's not a cult... or some multi-level marketing thing. Great work you guys!

There are some posts in the announcement area posted right back in the beginning that will give you that info. Lob also posted a thread called "forum gods, who's who" which is a sticky in the support area - this should also answer your questions.