What is this Blog about?

If you're new to Izmir, or planning to move here, you probably have tons of questions. It's not easy to find the information you are looking for on the web especially since it's mostly targeted at tourists and scattered all over the place. Plus, it might be in Turkish.
Izmir Blog's mission is to provide answers to questions you may have, by capturing and organizing information so it's easy to find.

How did Izmir Blog get started?

Prior to moving to Izmir, I did some googling, and didn't find much. And what I did find was in Turkish, which I do not understand.

When we actually moved here, we found that on top of the language barrier and notwithstanding the wonderful Turkish hospitality, Izmir is not really geared to welcoming foreigners, as a capital city would be for instance. This makes it more difficult to integrate at first.

Also, Mymerhaba "a community portal to make you feel at home in Turkey" does wonders for Istanbul and Ankara, but is not very helpful for Izmir.

Finally, although there are various web-connected groups of expats in Izmir, you have to know they exist to find them. The advantage of a Blog is that it is just as interactive as a forum with the added features of photos, links, and accessibility.

So there you go. Basically, I'm trying to find my way here and I thought it might as well be useful to others!

What is the best way to share information?

If you want to comment, react or add something, to an existing post, you can leave a comment at the bottom of any of the posts. Just click on "comments".
By the way, you DON'T have to use your real name; you can INVENT ONE (recommended) or post under "Anonymous" (we like these less).

If you want to send in an article, a link, tip or pictures, you can e-mail us using the link at the top of the home page.

Where do you get your info?

Sources vary:
-information is sent in by/gathered from people who have been around here for a while and have shared their experience, tips, contacts, etc.
-links to existing websites/pages somehow relating to Izmir or life in Turkey
-personal experience

Ultimately, Izmir Blog relies on your contributions. So, go on, share your experience or send in your questions, we'll do our best to help!

N.B. Izmir Blog's editorial team does not verify every tip, and cannot be held accountable for the occasional (we hope) misleading information.

What are the del.icio.us tags in your sidebar?

Del.icio.us is a collection of favorites, and functions like a bookmark menu that is external to your computer. When you tag (or bookmark) your favorites on de.icio.us, you can access them from any computer; at home, at the office or on your sister's computer when visiting her in Canada. You can also share your favorite bookmarks with others.

"del.icio.us tags" on Izmir Blog is a compilation of links (using tag words to access them) to Izmir-related sites.
A tag will take you to a list of links it is attached to. Similarly, each link has a few tags. For example, if you click "Association", you may find a link to a IWAI, that you could also reach if you had clicked on "International" or "Expat". It sounds confusing if you've never used del.icio.us - but give it a go, and you'll see it's pretty easy.

For more on del.icio.us, go to the Del.icio.us website

Can I send you a link to add to your del.icio.us tags?

Please do. We up-date the del.icio.us tags as we find new sites/information. If your site is related to Izmir or life in Turkey, and can be useful to people, we will add it under the appropriate tag(s).

Where are the del.icio.tags?

You'll find them on the main page of Izmir Blog on the right, in the sidebar, where it says del.icio.us. tags

Find out more about del.cio.us

What is the Wall of Fame?

The Wall of Fame is a way to thank those who have taken the time to send in a comment, a tip, a link, or have somehow contributed to Izmir Blog.

If you haven't yet had your 15 minutes of fame on this earth, send us a tip and we will post your name on the Wall of Fame...

Of course, we wouldn't want to blow your cover! So if you do not want to be mentioned, let us know! Or just tell us what you would like to be referenced as, and we'll post it (you can use your real name or make up a funky name of your choice, same as when you post a comment).

If you want to send in an article, a link, tip or pictures, you can e-mail us using the link at the top of the home page.

Welcome!

Just as a first, be patient 'cause I'm new to this! -as well as being new to the city, the country and the language ;-)

I'll be adding things as they come in/happen... and I'll be revizing the look of this blog.

Wouldn't it be great if the editorial team of Izmir Blog, were actually a team?! Interested? send an e-mail or simply post a note!