A dump of notes from the Online Community Camp. (Along with the text version of this file).
What are basic dos and dont's of expanding community website internationally?
Laureen - runs newsletters on focused topics (Java languages)
best results - ask community - do you want to localize this?
results through enthusiasm and guilt
they have to spot check (but only occasionally)
best practice: have initial "super user" who shares your language
to measure risk, they sat down with lawyer and asked "what's the worst that could happen?"
added disclaimers
give kudos, name translators, refer others to them
Kurt -
Microfinancegateway.org
selected outsourcing partners (groups working on similar topics / issues)
English content - want "localized" not just translated
Laureen: trend seems to be smaller orgs wants to translate, larger groups want to develop own
David - Asian offices want to repurpose all content into local format
is it challenge with coporate culture or other issue? control issue
Adam - What about other way (pushing translation as opposed to asking)
Michael K- Canadian gov agency
wanted official translation
lots of money - but found it was going to be huge amt of work
agency wanted everything in both eng and fr, but effort actually stunted growth of community (too much work to do it)
Greg - "ownership"/ control of translation process seems similar to fear of independent bloggers going "off-message"
Laureeen - if we can open source software, then can open source language (i.e. don't try to control it)
mailicious efforts will be in focused on code, not in language
Michael (MyFamily example) - run by AOL
used local community to do all translations (individuals would post content in more than one langauges)
communty users asked for translation help
AOL helped w/ initial localized content, then let users go to town to do themselves
specific international community developed around the multilingual boards (i.e. small group of folks who spoke more than one language became their own community)
had to redo the boards to add language users not originally targeted, but expanded into from multi-lingual users
pre-research - legal research: what is allowable on boards in specific countries (and leads to more or less moderation)
Univision community boards - users flag messages for removal
users (teens) write in both languages
most users in US
Europeans use Spanish on Univision site (but also local languages)
Michael (MyFamily) - brand loyalty to "free" sites is better than on managed sites!
LuckyOliver: what are strategies to develop portal for new language audience
Michael (MyFamily) - developed localized portals (with local hires)
originally completely autonomous (then brought together 6 years level)
Laureen - what decision led to consolidation
business strategy (money savings, reduce duplication, could develop European products, not Germ vs. French products)
community quickly adopted pan-Euro identity, while keeping local identity
Greg - if you build foreign lang content you then show up on foreign lang search
Michael K - duplicatd site into French wholesale (tranlsated content into French)-
site successful - because of content
Adobe forums - tranlated interface into foreign language, and it took off (no need to facilitate)
Louis: suggestion - seed community with "localized" moderators
build out new communities from other localized languages (i.e. can go from Spanish to Greek, not always English to Greek)
Kurt - back end integration for multi-lingual communities? content could be duplicated?
Laureen - not link content (???)
Microfinance site: developed huge up-front planning, actually pays off
Gary - Java.net project (case study)
translated formal documentaiton into other languages (starting with Portuguese)
start with Brazil user groups
huge benefit to localize user documentation
open source lang translation tools (designed for very formal and structured docs)
David - if have single content stream (issue focused) - is there benefit of only UI and help pages localized? (i.e. most of content is still only English)
Phil: Skoll Fnd = did do some localization, but main portal was English
Michael K - customers can choose UI, but then leads to users posting in local language while most of site is still in English
Michael (MyFamiy): rule of thumb - about 3k regular community members = will self-support localization efforts if asked
Gary - legal ramifications -
AOL had paid moderators for different country-specific sites (because of legal issues)
Michael K - had a Spanish speaking community( but no Spanish moderators)
Took off (but they didn't know content), got negative feedback, had to shut entire board down (used terms of service as legal back-up)
AOL community - added pop-ups with warnings when entering potentially offensive community boards
Kurt - what is relationship w/ government?
AOL - moderated *everything* when working in China
ultimately shut it down (because of pressure)
Laureen - cutural issue - Brazil not regulate much, ZA pretty much the same
Asian govts want more oversight
Univision - has a lot of rules (legal terms of use)
Adam - where can we go to get more info
David - Wikipedia? (as resource / casestudy for how multi-lingual community works)
America - Wikipedia community manages itself
main goal is to be neutral
you build your own reputation
Dave - underlying tech is very simple (interface and content is international)
works best for long-standing contents
even Wikipedia had problems in China
Michael (MyFamily) - ask the blogosphere
Kurt - use occ2006 and i18n as tags
Gary project: "developers without borders"
Java.net stipends for students
socially aware software
students in developing countries
want input on project and funding
studentstipeds.dev.java.net
Greg - flags are chellenging when used toidentify language (what flag for Spanish? What flag for Portugeuse?)
NativeText - blog translation tool - sign up, and others translate for you?
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