Webmasters in France and in the USA

Research on professionalization of webmasters

[sylvain]

Hi!

I am a visiting scholar at Fuqua (Duke University). I am enrolled in a PhD in France, and my interest is in the professionalization of webmasters.

My PhD program includes spending a few months (January to May 2005) studying at Duke. During my stay, I would like to compare the French and the American situation of webmasters.

I am especially interested in interviewing some people who develop/manage websites. Do you have any such contacts, or know of who does? Or any general suggestions for me on this project?

Thank you for your help.

PS: I can come to your place or anywhere in the USA to do the interviews!

Sylvain Bureau

[henry0]

Hi Silvain
I often visit EU (FR & IT a few times a year) I was FR born but cannot even discuss tech in FR for I do not know the meaning of most FR web tech terms :)
I run my own biz work for clients and personal work.

A few items come to my mind right away
Generally speaking FR users are behind US users in equipment/broadband and getting the most out of their equipment.
Most important it seems that **nix, PHP and MySQL are more widely spread than anywhere else.
Major factor in doing business here is that you may start a biz with a call to the IRS and get almost right away a tax number and being in business without the KMs of red tape needed in FR

A little suggestion: within you “these” add a section on doing Biz in the States; you cannot separate defining a biz without branching out to review how a specific profession does business from an admin stand point of view.

You might also be interested in speaking to a WebmasterWorld member that does the reverse of what I did he leaves in FR but was US born if he reads it he might jump in the thread (Hello Bretagne!)

Feel free to add to this post for everyone benefit or sticky mail me if you need anything else.

Regards

Henry

[Leosghost]

ça va pas HenryO!( need more water in yer booze guy )..Irlandais!...( Born in the US ...quelle honte!.;-) ;-) kidding!;-)..
Hi Sylvain ..welcome to WebmasterWorld ( he forgot to say it)..
Busy ( ish ) today with lawyers and stuff ( posting whilst grabbing lunch as per d'ab ..heh heh )..
Will try to get back to you later...

FR web tech terms

"H" ..I get by with "biddule" and "machin" most times ..so do the techies at 'doze HQ in Paris ...

Later ..cheers ...

PS ..I couldn't put a "ç" majuscule car Il n'y a pas ..and I shouldn't any way cos it's in "maj" and Donc no accent ...

"H"...If I post at you in Franglais do you think tu va comprends?

edited for speeling and ortho ..y a comme même des fautes ..je m'en fiche!

[henry0]

I Leosghost,
so tu etait around!
OOOOPPPSSS! Huge mistake I deeply apologize.

Yes indeed I can post or read in FR
But my FR grammar is gone forever, sometimes I think I permanently moved here and became a citizen to avoid “accents” that I never used :)

[sylvain]

Hi guys,

I thank you very much for your reply.
It is very hard to find professionals here as I am a "french student lost in this wide country"

So if you could just give one or two contacts of people who manage or develop websites it would be great.
By the way, what you told me look very intersting and I would be please to talk more about all of that.

See you

Sylvain

[henry0]

Hi Sylvain,
well, this is what I do!
If you need info or have any questions
email me or post here

regards

Henry

[sylvain]

Hi Henry,

Yes, I am sorry, I was not very clear in my last message.

Actually, I really need to do interviews. Of course, what you can tell me on this forum is really helpful but because of research stuff, I have to meet people and do interviews with them for about one hour...

So I don't know if you would like to be interviewed or if you know people who does.

I really appreciate your help and once again sorry for the misunderstanding.

Have a nice day.

Sylvain

[Leosghost]

I would actually suggest that you get yourself to the PUBCON in New Orleans ..Lots of folks from here will be there and you could do all your interviews ( or most all of them at the one time ) Plus eat good food and catch some music and atmosphere etc..

Take a look in the community center threads for more info ..

Don't know how many french speaking members of WebmasterWorld you'd get tho even "dedans le bayou" ..can't say about the lurkers but there cant be more than a dozen or so Of members who have posted ( I'll try to post you a list of those that I know of ) ..that is if you want francophone ones specifically ...

[henry0]

Leo, I did bit you on that one!
Sent a sticky about it.
However, good thread of thoughts
Henry

[sylvain]

Hi guys,

That's a really good idea to go to the PUBCON! I will try to negociate that with my boss...

About the french webmasters, do not take too much time on it because I have lots of contacts in France with them. There is a webmasters exhibition in May in France where I am going to give a questionnaire to visitors. If you are interested by the results, it would be a pleasure for me to give it to you.

Have a great week-end

Sylvain

[henry0]

Sylvain,
Yes indeed I am sure we would like to see the results

thanks for the offer

Henry

[Leosghost]

webmasters exhibition in May in France

OU?

[henry0]

Sylvain,
Thanks, please post an URL (May event) I might be in FR by May

[sylvain]

If you want to know more about the webmaster exhibition, this is the website:
[web-biz-event.com...]

It could be great if you come as we could meet there.

[le_gber]

Hi guys,

another frenchy here, but not US based - I'm in the UK - basically for the same reasons henry0 mentionned - red tape and France being 'behind' in terms of connectivity and internet usage overall - at least when I left and started working with the web (4/5 years ago now).

he leaves in FR but was US born if he reads it he might jump in the thread (Hello Bretagne!)

hehehehehe I thought you were talking about leosghost - I couldn't wait to see his reaction when you told sylvain he was born in the US ;)

webmasters exhibition in May in France

Do you know who will be there this year? It seems strange that 2 months before the event you can't book your place or see who's going to be there.

Leo (the other one :))

[henry0]

Hello LEO s

We should ask for: “Fr speaking living allover the place’s forum” :)

I know I forgot about where from originally LG came from; he almost had a heart attack

Back to that conf: I have the same problem cannot figure how getting more info

Maybe Sylvain could get on the phone?

For you guys, just in time for a cafe calva!

<edit>Typo</edit>

[le_gber]

Fr speaking living allover the place’s forum

definitly :) - I always hang around the European SE Forum [webmasterworld.com] but never seem to find Fr related posts (apart from LG and Louponne)

from your original post

but cannot even discuss tech in FR for I do not know the meaning of most FR web tech terms

same here - I started playing with the web over here so don't know any of the fr tech term (apart for référencement (=SEO) and html balise (=HTML tags))

For you guys, just in time for a cafe calva!

depends: si la partie de boules traine c'est juste l'heure du pastaga!

Leo

[sylvain]

If you want more information about the conference, I know the guy (Paul COURTOIS) who organizes it.
You could send him an e-mail: [e-mail]

Sylvain, still looking for professionals to interview :)

[sylvain]

I received some more information for the exhibition:
[webmasters-expo.com...]

Sylvain

[Leosghost]

I can see that I'll have to put up a site for you guys that translates from French to Fnglish what the ( web ) terms mean ..Quelle honte! :-)..
Given that the language is shall we say slightly more "cru" ..that should give a few neat alternatives to "sandboxed" and "nowhere in google" etc *snigger*...

Seriously ..I 'll see if I can't put together a "lexicon" for "les perdus" ..ou "les refugies" :-)

I think that encyclo is also french speaking ..as is our much missed macguru ...hi vince' if you are lurking ..

There's probably more reading ..when they aren't spamming ( cant translate spamming ..you can buy it here ..but no-one does ..sort of "saucisse en bôite" ..would be the nearest ) voila or Msn France ( tres rigolo ça ..here we go keyword stuffing and backlinking from the same server )..

Never really liked pastis even when I lived dans le sud ...whiskey is much better ..( note the correct spelling )..

corrected speeling /ortho ..presque

[henry0]

I might make it to that conf
Could be interesting; then reporting here about new EU trends, directions, influences etc..

However I will (LG) be a few miles away from you (July or Sept) get ready your own poison I'll get my Jack's.

As they say I'll send you a "Couriel"

[le_gber]

Seriously ..I 'll see if I can't put together a "lexicon" for "les perdus" ..ou "les refugies" :-)

now that would be nice :)

I think that encyclo is also french speaking ..as is our much missed macguru ...hi vince' if you are lurking ..

you may want to add louponne to your list of french speaking people (plus all 'our' canadian 'cousins').

sort of "saucisse en bôite"

how about 'pâté en boite'?

Never really liked pastis even when I lived dans le sud ...whiskey is much better ..( note the correct spelling )..

me neither - but that's only since I drank a bottle of the stuff without any water to be added to it :(

BTW Happy St Patrick's Day LG!

I might make it to that conf
Could be interesting; then reporting here about new EU trends, directions, influences etc..

I might try to get there as well if the speakers are interesting enough - how about an unofficial PubCon in Paris ;)

Leo

[henry0]

Hi Leo,
since the conf would be in Paris
Possibly a few WebmasterWorld members could be there