Name of your website?Romalien
Your name?
Daniel
Your Location (city, etc)
Bucharest
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Romalien is an online community for tourists / expats in Romania. Includes a forum, jobs board, things to see, and language lessons.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
Wanting to help people in my situation - moving to Romania, finding a job, integrating, understanding the culture etc... It's always hard moving to a new country with a different culture to your own, so having all sorts of information in one place is a valuable resource.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
Web design company about 5 years ago. http://www.mortivica.com
How did you decide on a name for your website?
romALIEN because it's aliens in Romania. Also, it sounds similar to 'romanian'. It also reminds me of the Sting song - Englishman in New York.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
It offers up-to-date, first hand experiences. If people ask a question, it will be answered quickly by people who know what they are talking about.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
To keep it alive! - as an informative, active community.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
I am hoping that with a little time and investment to start with, the site will grow with little help from me.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I wouldn't - wordpress does all the developing I need for the purpose it serves. :)
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Yes. The community would moderate itself because people would value its presence.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
None so far :)
What has been your biggest challenge?
Getting the word out and writing all the content myself.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Word of mouth and effective SEO.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I don't really have any expectations. It's jsut a bit of fun.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
It's only been going a few weeks but I plan on keeping it alive for many years and watching it grow.
Will the site be translated into any other languages.
Hopefully eventually, but I won't be doing it. I am hoping that other expats from different countries living in Romania might want to take on this responsibility and help others in their situation.
What is your website address?
Romalien
