I've spent the last few weeks working out the functionality kinks of this site. All my blog posts have been queuing up in my head, so you can expect them all to blursh* out now. *blursh: blurt + rush out (100% made up) In my earlier post, I introduced Chingri Maachh as a site for Indian, and other subcontinental, expatriates enroute or already in, Australia. Here I'll discuss which features of the site can be used to accomplish said supporting of the community. This blog entry is also a first draft of what will go in the Help page.
Features

Information for newcomers

The pages linked to in the New Expats help those on their way over, trying to organise things while still continents away (or bewildered after being offloaded by Quantas*).

* replace with air carrier of choice

Indepth information about the major cities

Based on my own experiences, I'm going to assume that where one lives is of the highest priority. And when you're living there, the importance just changes flavour. So, I picked the metropolitans with larger populations. Being based in Sydney, that is what I have focussed on, and would welcome contributions from others who are elsewhere.

Blogs

Hint: You're reading one ;)

Rather than throwing the entire site open for editing by anyone, I opted to go for a blog-per-user approach. Blogs just are. Your blog can be about anything. Elaborate on any theme. Or not.

I'm hoping that some of you will contribute your expatriate experiences, in the all the varieties that they must be happening. Expatriate professionals, homebodies, students ... But hey, if you're feeling expressive about success in growing your own string beans, then go for it!

Blogs are only enabled for registered members.

Discussions/Forums

Self explanatory? Use the forum as a place to answer/ask questions. I had to ask around quite a bit before figuring out where the closest Indian grocery stores were. This included the helpful convenience store clerk, the late night garage attendant, and I don't think I found out until the fourth person clued me in.

Unregistered users can post to the forum. However, only registered members can edit their own posts and add images to them.

Events Calendar

Also self explanatory? As above, unregistered users can post events, but only registered users can edit their own events and add images to them.

Member Profiles

We require the following information when registering: your full name, user name, and email address. You can also provide: how long you've been in Australia and what your occupation is. Of this informatio, the following will be viewable on your profile page by other members: length of Chingri Maachh membership, length of stay in Australia (if provided), occupation (if provided), your Chingri Maachh network (buddy list).